Bob Ogden

Bob Ogden was a wizard and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at the Ministry of Magic during the 1920s. He is known primarily through a memory that Albus Dumbledore showed to Harry Potter. His official visit to the House of Gaunt to serve a summons on Morfin Gaunt resulted in a violent confrontation that provides crucial insight into the heritage and character of Lord Voldemort's maternal family.

The only known event in Bob Ogden's life is his visit to the Gaunt shack near the village of Little Hangleton. Acting in his capacity as Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, Ogden went to the dilapidated home to summon Morfin Gaunt to a Ministry of Magic hearing. Morfin was accused of attacking a local Muggle, Tom Riddle Sr.. Upon arriving, Ogden was met with extreme hostility by Morfin's father, Marvolo Gaunt. Marvolo was contemptuous of Ogden's authority and mocked his clothes. He proudly proclaimed his and his family's pure-blood status as descendants of Salazar Slytherin. During the tense conversation, Marvolo's daughter, Merope Gaunt, was also present. When Merope accidentally dropped a pot, her father's rage turned on her, and Ogden attempted to intervene on her behalf. At that moment, Morfin arrived, speaking Parseltongue to a snake nailed to the door and then to his father. Morfin proudly admitted to hexing the Muggle he had seen with his sister, Merope. When Ogden stated he was taking Morfin to the Ministry, Morfin attacked him. After deflecting a thrown knife with a spell, Ogden was hit with a hex that caused painful hives to erupt all over his nose. He was forced to Disapparate to escape. Ogden returned shortly after with reinforcements and succeeded in arresting both Morfin and Marvolo, who had violently resisted. Their subsequent imprisonment in Azkaban inadvertently granted Merope the freedom to pursue and bewitch Tom Riddle Sr., a union that ultimately led to the birth of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Bob Ogden is described as a short, stout wizard with very thick glasses that magnified his eyes, making them appear as tiny dots. He was notable for his eccentric and “frankly bizarre” choice of attire, which on the day he visited the Gaunts included a pinstriped suit, a canary-yellow waistcoat, a scarlet cravat, and a long purple tweed cloak. Despite being flustered and intimidated by the Gaunts' aggression and squalid living conditions, Ogden demonstrated considerable bravery and a strong sense of duty. He did not back down from the threatening Marvolo and Morfin, and he showed compassion by trying to defend Merope from her father's abuse. His determination is evident in his swift return with backup to ensure the law was upheld.

As the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, Ogden was undoubtedly a highly competent and skilled wizard.

• Defensive Magic: He was able to conjure a non-verbal shield to deflect a knife thrown at him by Morfin Gaunt.
• Apparition: He was capable of Disapparition, which he performed successfully while under duress to escape the Gaunt shack.

• Wand: Ogden used his wand to perform defensive magic during the confrontation with the Gaunts. Its specific properties are unknown.
• Clothing: His distinctive and flamboyant set of clothes was a subject of ridicule for Marvolo Gaunt.

Ogden's only documented relationships are with the members of the Gaunt Family, which were purely antagonistic. The Gaunts viewed him as an inferior representative of a meddling Ministry of Magic, while he saw them as dangerous and violent lawbreakers. His attempt to protect Merope Gaunt shows a sense of moral responsibility towards a victim of abuse, even if she did not respond to his help.

• The surname Ogden is of Old English origin, typically meaning “oak valley.” It is a common, unpretentious name that contrasts sharply with the sinister and aristocratic-sounding “Gaunt.”
• Bob is a simple, common diminutive of the name Robert, further casting him as an ordinary, decent man thrust into an extraordinary and dark situation.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bob Ogden is portrayed by actor David Sterne.
• Another wizard with the same surname, Tiberius Ogden, is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He was an elder of the Wizengamot who resigned his position, along with Elphias Doge, in protest of the Ministry of Magic's appointment of Dolores Umbridge as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor. This suggests that a commitment to justice and a willingness to stand against tyranny may be a trait associated with the Ogden name.