Picking our favorite Harry Potter wizard was a tough one. But in a toss-up between the Hogwarts headmaster and his young protégé, Dumbledore comes out on top. Think about it: he won every award as a student, while Harry just squeaks by; he founds the Order of the Phoenix long before Harry ever joins; and he teaches young Harry pretty much everything he knows. In addition, a gargoyle guards his office, and Harry's fancy moniker ("the Chosen One") sounds positively prosaic next to Dumbledore's titles: Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. O.K., so the wise old wizard is a little odd: when he stands up to say "a few words" to the school in the first book, he chooses, "Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak." And he's named after an English-dialect word for bumblebee because J.K. Rowling imagined him as humming to himself often. But his eccentricities make Dumbledore all the more lovable. Also, there's that magical beard. After Harry has had about 50 years to catch up on the facial-hair front, we can re-evaluate.