HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Season 2 Casts Dobby, Tom Riddle and a New Ginny Weasley

The Harry Potter Season 2 cast is beginning to take shape, with Lenny Rush set to play Dobby, Billy Barratt joining as the young Tom Riddle and Bonnie Hill taking over the role of Ginny Weasley. The three additions were reported September 4 as HBO moves beyond its first-season adaptation and begins assembling characters central to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

People confirmed HBO’s three new Season 2 castings, including Hill’s replacement of first-season Ginny actress Gracie Cochrane. The additions are significant because Dobby, Ginny and Tom Riddle each play major roles in the second book’s central mystery.

Harry Potter Season 2 cast finds its Dobby and Tom Riddle

Rush will take on Dobby, the house-elf whose attempts to prevent Harry from returning to Hogwarts become an important part of Chamber of Secrets. The performer has previously appeared in projects including Doctor Who and Enola Holmes 2.

Barratt will portray the teenage Tom Riddle, the student whose identity becomes increasingly important as Harry investigates the history behind the Chamber of Secrets. Barratt earned an International Emmy for his performance in the television film Responsible Child, becoming the youngest winner in the best actor category at the time.

TheWrap independently confirmed Rush, Barratt and Hill, describing the cast announcement as part of HBO’s development of its second-season adaptation.

The selection of Barratt also gives the television series its first performer specifically associated with the younger version of Voldemort, whose history becomes a major narrative thread beginning with the second installment.

Bonnie Hill takes over as Ginny Weasley

Hill will play Ginny beginning with Season 2, replacing Cochrane, who appears as the character in the first season. Reports surrounding the announcement state that Cochrane stepped away from future seasons because of unforeseen circumstances.

The recasting carries more weight than a minor supporting change because Ginny’s role expands substantially in Chamber of Secrets. Harry’s investigation into the attacks at Hogwarts becomes increasingly connected to Ginny and an enchanted diary that holds information about Tom Riddle’s past.

Variety also confirmed the three Season 2 additions and reported that the second installment is being prepared at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden outside London.

The production’s early attention to Season 2 reflects the scale of HBO’s long-term adaptation plan. Rather than treating the first book as a standalone test, the creative team is already building the next chapter around characters who do not fully enter the story until Harry’s second year.

HBO is adapting the books season by season

The television version is designed as a new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s seven-book series rather than a continuation of Warner Bros.’ original films. HBO has consistently described the project as an opportunity to explore the books across a longer television format.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s official Harry Potter pressroom documents the television adaptation and its ongoing production, including previous casting announcements and the development of the first season.

Watch HBO’s latest Harry Potter teaser

HBO has also released a new teaser for its upcoming Harry Potter television adaptation, offering another look at the new generation of characters and the series’ return to Hogwarts.

The core trio remains Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The broader ensemble includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Francesca Gardiner serves as showrunner and executive producer, while Mark Mylod is an executive producer and directs multiple episodes. David Heyman, who produced the original Harry Potter films, is also among the executive producers.

Chamber of Secrets introduces a different kind of Hogwarts mystery

The second book follows Harry’s return to Hogwarts as a series of attacks raises fears that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been reopened. The mystery gradually connects several of the characters now being cast for the television adaptation.

Dobby attempts to keep Harry away from the school, Ginny begins her first year at Hogwarts and Tom Riddle becomes increasingly central to the investigation. Those interconnected roles explain why HBO’s latest casting announcement provides a meaningful early indication of how Season 2 is coming together.

The new television format may also give the production more time to explore supporting characters and subplots that had to be compressed when Chamber of Secrets was adapted into a theatrical film in 2002.

Season 2 does not yet have a confirmed premiere date

The latest casting announcement should not be mistaken for a Season 2 release-date confirmation. HBO has not yet announced when the second installment will premiere.

That distinction matters because the first season must still reach viewers before attention fully moves to the next book. Preparing later seasons early can help a production involving young performers maintain continuity without committing the network to a public release timetable before filming and post-production are complete.

The September casting nevertheless fills three of the most consequential new roles needed for the next chapter. With Rush attached as Dobby, Barratt as Tom Riddle and Hill as Ginny, the Harry Potter Season 2 cast now includes key characters at the center of the Chamber of Secrets story.