History Characters / TheDresdenFilesOrdinaryPeopleAndBadassNormals

%%% Donny Wise (the sleazy photographer in Storm Front)

!Private detectives

[[folder: Vince Graver]]

A Private Investigator who was hired to spy on Harry during the ''Turn Coat'' case. Dresden managed to get him on his side, and Graver was able to obtain key evidence in proving that Samuel Peabody was a spy on the White Council.

* CouldSayItBut: When Molly pulls an IHaveBoobsYouMustObey tactic on him, he still refuses to divulge the details of his client... but he does mention one specific lawyer at one specific firm who might be able to help her find a job if her apprenticeship with Harry falls through. The lawyer, of course, is the client.
* MundaneSolution:
** Harry knows Binder will be looking to block any mystical means of tracking and takes all the precautions (shaving his head and jumping into a river ect), so Harry hires Vince to just follow the guy after he does this.
** Harry outs Peabody by simply having Graver watch the one entrance from Edinburgh to Chicago via the Nevernever and take photos of everyone who comes through.
* PrivateDetective: His job.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: He is a man of integrity.
** He was once a cop from a district outside of Chicago. When he looked into some prostitutes being beaten, despite orders to back off, he found a Chicago councilman was the culprit. And then he arrested the guy despite knowing the political consequences could ruin his career (which they did).
** When he learns his job in following Harry to get to the "Old Man" (Morgan) in ''Turn Coat'' has lead to fights and attempted murder, he drops the job then and there.
** At the same time, he refuses to give Harry any information on who hires him because of his integrity.
* TurnInYourBadge: He does this rather than be relocated to Murphy's division of the Chicago PD.

[[folder: Nick Christian]]

A Private Investigator and one of Harry's mentors.

* FriendToAllChildren: He takes a variety of jobs to pay rent, but his passion is missing children cases. He's managed to save several children from abductors over the years, and in his view, that makes all the sacrifices he's made worth it.
* PrivateDetective: His job.

!Other



[[folder: Mike Atagi]]

A mechanic who services Harry's car of choice, the Blue Beatle. After the Beatle is destroyed he continues to service other vehicles Harry drives in.

* TheEngineer: His character.
* TheGhost: Never seen onscreen.
* MrFixit: He can repair almost any damage to a car. At one point he fixes up a hearse that's been damaged by a bomb going off inside it.
* OnlyOneName: Was like this for thirteen books. His last name was finally revealed in ''Cold Days''.

[[folder: Faith Astor]]

A young girl who ran away from home. Harry Dresden rescued her from the troll Gogoth in one of his earliest cases in Chicago. Appears in ''A Restoration of Faith''.

* TheCynic: Starts the story believing there's no magic and that parents don't really love their kids.
* DrivenToSuicide: She says that if Dresden abandons her (so he isn't arrested for kidnapping) she'll go to some nearby cops, but Dresden can tell she'll go back to the bridge where Gogoth will eat her. Fortunately, Harry is able to snap her out of it.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After Dresden shows her real magic, and after he and Murphy risk their lives to fight Gogoth with her, she realizes there's magic and joy in the world after all. She tells Murphy she wasn't kidnapped and returns to her family.
* ParentalNeglect: Why she ran away.
* SpoiledBrat: What she is at first.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: When Dresden tells Faith that there are monsters in the world, she says she knows. At about that time Dresden turns to her and notes that she looks sad and 'too wise for her years.'

[[folder: Larry Fowler]]

The host of The Larry Fowler Show, a Chicago-area talk show.

* FrivolousLawsuit: He continues to serve Dresden with a variety of legal papers and lawsuits even though he has no real case against him.
* {{Jerkass}}: Happy to embarrass his guests for the sake of his audience.
* SitcomArchnemesis: He essentially functions as this to Dresden, annoying him with his attitude and his frivolous lawsuits.
* SmarmyHost: Describes him in a nutshell.
* TalkShow: He has one.

[[folder: Mrs. Spunkelcrief]]

The elderly landlady of Harry's boardinghouse apartment.

* CoolOldLady: While misguided, her pulling a gun on Dresden when he broke into her apartment was still awesome.
* ICantHearYou: Has trouble hearing, which causes some issues when Dresden tries to get her to leave the boardinghouse after vampires set it on fire and she initially doesn't understand him.
* {{Landlord}}: Dresden's.
** SingleIssueLandlord: While she gets on well with Dresden, she does get on his case about repairing damage to the apartment, such as when the FBI breaks his door down.
* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: Noted to be short and old.
* NeverMessWithGranny: When Dresden breaks into her apartment (because the building is on fire and he wants to help her escape), she pulls a gun on him and holds him at gunpoint while she calls the police to report him as a burglar. Once she figures out what's going on, she tries to rescue the upstairs tenants herself despite her limp and hearing difficulties.

[[folder: Lydia Stern]]

A reporter who took over Susan Rodriguez's position of lead reporter for the tabloid ''The Midwestern Arcane'' after Ronriguez was infected by the Red Court and left the magazine. Appears in ''Proven Guilty''.

* IntrepidReporter: Describes her in a nutshell.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. A member of Kravos' cult calling herself Lydia appears in ''Grave Peril''.

[[folder: Brother Wang]]

A monk at a monastery where temple dogs are raised. He hired Dresden to recover a box full of kidnapped puppies, inadvertently enabling Dresden and Mouse to come into contact.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Appears very briefly in ''Blood Rites'', but without him, Mouse would never have met Dresden, saved his life several times, and gone on to protect his daughter.

[[folder: Dr. Helena Pounder]]

A tall and powerfully-built archeologist who had a child with one of the Forest People, Strength of a River in his Shoulders.

* BrawnHilda: Helena is more than six feet tall and powerfully built. Dresden says that she 'wasn't really pretty' and looks like a bouncer.
* MamaBear: Dresden refers to this trope by name after meeting her, and it fits. After all, when her son is being bullied, her way of solving the problem is to pull some strings and have a professional wizard--capable of fighting warlocks, vampires, and demons--hired at her son's school to can sort them out.
* RescueRomance: Starts dating Strength of a River in his Shoulders after he saves her life by getting her food when she's stranded on a barren dig site for months.

%%% Mrs. Spunkelcrief (Harry's old landlord)

%%% The human characters from Welcome to the Jungle: Wilhelmina 'Wil' Rogers, Maurice Sandbourne, Doctor Reese

[[folder: Lydia Stern]]

A reporter who took over Susan Rodriguez's position of lead reporter for the tabloid ''The Midwestern Arcane'' after Ronriguez was infected by the Red Court and left the magazine. Appears in ''Proven Guilty''.

* IntrepidReporter: Describes her in a nutshell.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. A member of Kravos' cult calling herself Lydia appears in ''Grave Peril''.

[[folder: Brother Wang]]

A monk at a monastery where temple dogs are raised. He hired Dresden to recover a box full of kidnapped puppies, inadvertently enabling Dresden and Mouse to come into contact.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Appears very briefly in ''Blood Rites'', but without him, Mouse would never have met Dresden, saved his life several times, and gone on to protect his daughter.

[[folder: Dr. Helena Pounder]]

A tall and powerfully-built archeologist who had a child with one of the Forest People, Strength of a River in his Shoulders.

* BrawnHilda: Helena is more than six feet tall and powerfully built. Dresden says that she 'wasn't really pretty' and looks like a bouncer.
* MamaBear: Dresden refers to this trope by name after meeting her, and it fits. After all, when her son is being bullied, her way of solving the problem is to pull some strings and have a professional wizard--capable of fighting warlocks, vampires, and demons--hired at her son's school to can sort them out.
* RescueRomance: Starts dating Strength of a River in his Shoulders after he saves her life by getting her food when she's stranded on a barren dig site for months.

One of Molly's friends, and a staff member at the [=SplatterCon=]! convention. Molly tried to help her overcome her heroin addiction with black magic.

A part-time volunteer at a homeless shelter who befriended Molly Carpenter after the other girl was sentenced to community service. An offhand comment by her led Molly to study recent research on using fear to bypass addictions, which had the unfortunate result of Molly using fear spells on their mutual friends Nelson and Rosie. As chair of the horror convention [=SplatterCon=], she also invited horror director 'Darby Crane' to Chicago; when Darby Crane turned out to be White Court vampire Madrigal Raith, Harry mistakenly blamed Raith for Molly's actions.

* KilledOffForReal

%%% Molly's friends: Drea Becton (rendered comatose from a fetch), Nelson Lenhardt (Molly's boyfriend, cheated with Rosie, was messed up by Molly's mind magic), Rosanna "Rosie" Marcella (impregnated by Nelson, messed up by Molly's mind magic)

%%% Brother Wang (picked up the temple dogs in Blood Rites)

[[folder: Dr. Helena Pounder]]

A tall and powerfully-built archeologist who had a child with one of the Forest People, Strength of a River in his Shoulders.

* BrawnHilda: Helena is more than six feet tall and powerfully built. Dresden says that she 'wasn't really pretty' and looks like a bouncer.
* MamaBear: Dresden refers to this trope by name after meeting her, and it fits. After all, when her son is being bullied, her way of solving the problem is to pull some strings and have a professional wizard--capable of fighting warlocks, vampires, and demons--hired at her son's school to can sort them out.
* RescueRomance: Starts dating Strength of a River in his Shoulders after he saves her life by getting her food when she's stranded on a barren dig site for months.

!Occult proprietors and their staff

[[folder: Artemis Bock]]

The man who owns Bock Ordered Books, one of the best resources for literature on the supernatural in the Midwest.

* MagicalLibrary: It's a store, not a lending library, but his shop otherwise fits the concept.
* NiceGuy: Even when people don't have enough money to buy from him, he tries to work something out so they can still benefit from his wares. He's been known to let minor talents cast protective wards on his shop in lieu of cash payment, for instance.

[[folder: Sheila Starr]]

Identifies herself to Dresden as a staff member at Bock Ordered Books. Actually an illusion cast by Lash, the shadow of Lasciel living in Dresden's head. See [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheDenarians The Denarians]] for more information.

[[folder: Burt Decker]]

Proprietor of Left Hand Goods, an occult store whose merchandise is mostly overpriced junk, and who doesn't much care about the purposes his customers put their purchases to.

* BlackMagic: The market Decker claims to cater to. Of course, real evil wizards don't need him, so he mostly deals with wannabe [[Literature/HarryPotter Death Eaters]] who don't know any better.
* EvilIsPetty: After Meditrina Bassarid is rude to Decker, Decker decides to get revenge on her by directing her to meet Herbert Caine, a convicted rapist, on the basis that Caine has a magic item Bassarid needs for her ritual. [[spoiler:Fortunately, Bassarid is much more powerful than Caine and winds up terrorizing him instead of the other way around.]]
* HonestJohnsDealership: The magic equivalent.
* MagicalLibrary: Runs a really crappy store for magic supplies.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: His description of Bassarid includes a crude comment about her breasts.

!Private detectives

[[folder: Vince Graver]]

A Private Investigator who was hired to spy on Harry during the ''Turn Coat'' case. Dresden managed to get him on his side, and Graver was able to obtain key evidence in proving that Samuel Peabody was a spy on the White Council.

* CouldSayItBut: When Molly pulls an IHaveBoobsYouMustObey tactic on him, he still refuses to divulge the details of his client... but he does mention one specific lawyer at one specific firm who might be able to help her find a job if her apprenticeship with Harry falls through. The lawyer, of course, is the client.
* MundaneSolution:
** Harry knows Binder will be looking to block any mystical means of tracking and takes all the precautions (shaving his head and jumping into a river ect), so Harry hires Vince to just follow the guy after he does this.
** Harry outs Peabody by simply having Graver watch the one entrance from Edinburgh to Chicago via the Nevernever and take photos of everyone who comes through.
* PrivateDetective: His job.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: He is a man of integrity.
** He was once a cop from a district outside of Chicago. When he looked into some prostitutes being beaten, despite orders to back off, he found a Chicago councilman was the culprit. And then he arrested the guy despite knowing the political consequences could ruin his career (which they did).
** When he learns his job in following Harry to get to the "Old Man" (Morgan) in ''Turn Coat'' has lead to fights and attempted murder, he drops the job then and there.
** At the same time, he refuses to give Harry any information on who hires him because of his integrity.
* TurnInYourBadge: He does this rather than be relocated to Murphy's division of the Chicago PD.

[[folder: Nick Christian]]

A Private Investigator and one of Harry's mentors.

* FriendToAllChildren: He takes a variety of jobs to pay rent, but his passion is missing children cases. He's managed to save several children from abductors over the years, and in his view, that makes all the sacrifices he's made worth it.
* PrivateDetective: His job.

!Other



[[folder: Mike Atagi]]

A mechanic who services Harry's car of choice, the Blue Beatle. After the Beatle is destroyed he continues to service other vehicles Harry drives in.

* TheEngineer: His character.
* TheGhost: Never seen onscreen.
* MrFixit: He can repair almost any damage to a car. At one point he fixes up a hearse that's been damaged by a bomb going off inside it.
* OnlyOneName: Was like this for thirteen books. His last name was finally revealed in ''Cold Days''.

[[folder: Faith Astor]]

A young girl who ran away from home. Harry Dresden rescued her from the troll Gogoth in one of his earliest cases in Chicago. Appears in ''A Restoration of Faith''.

* TheCynic: Starts the story believing there's no magic and that parents don't really love their kids.
* DrivenToSuicide: She says that if Dresden abandons her (so he isn't arrested for kidnapping) she'll go to some nearby cops, but Dresden can tell she'll go back to the bridge where Gogoth will eat her. Fortunately, Harry is able to snap her out of it.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After Dresden shows her real magic, and after he and Murphy risk their lives to fight Gogoth with her, she realizes there's magic and joy in the world after all. She tells Murphy she wasn't kidnapped and returns to her family.
* ParentalNeglect: Why she ran away.
* SpoiledBrat: What she is at first.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: When Dresden tells Faith that there are monsters in the world, she says she knows. At about that time Dresden turns to her and notes that she looks sad and 'too wise for her years.'

[[folder: Larry Fowler]]

The host of The Larry Fowler Show, a Chicago-area talk show.

* FrivolousLawsuit: He continues to serve Dresden with a variety of legal papers and lawsuits even though he has no real case against him.
* {{Jerkass}}: Happy to embarrass his guests for the sake of his audience.
* SitcomArchnemesis: He essentially functions as this to Dresden, annoying him with his attitude and his frivolous lawsuits.
* SmarmyHost: Describes him in a nutshell.
* TalkShow: He has one.

[[folder: Lydia Stern]]

A reporter who took over Susan Rodriguez's position of lead reporter for the tabloid ''The Midwestern Arcane'' after Ronriguez was infected by the Red Court and left the magazine. Appears in ''Proven Guilty''.

* IntrepidReporter: Describes her in a nutshell.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. A member of Kravos' cult calling herself Lydia appears in ''Grave Peril''.

[[folder: Dr. Helena Pounder]]

A tall and powerfully-built archeologist who had a child with one of the Forest People, Strength of a River in his Shoulders.

* BrawnHilda: Helena is more than six feet tall and powerfully built. Dresden says that she 'wasn't really pretty' and looks like a bouncer.
* MamaBear: Dresden refers to this trope by name after meeting her, and it fits. After all, when her son is being bullied, her way of solving the problem is to pull some strings and have a professional wizard--capable of fighting warlocks, vampires, and demons--hired at her son's school to can sort them out.
* RescueRomance: Starts dating Strength of a River in his Shoulders after he saves her life by getting her food when she's stranded on a barren dig site for months.

[[folder: Sandra Marling]]

A part-time volunteer at a homeless shelter who befriended Molly Carpenter after the other girl was sentenced to community service. An offhand comment by her led Molly to study recent research on using fear to bypass addictions, which had the unfortunate result of Molly using fear spells on their mutual friends Nelson and Rosie. As chair of the horror convention [=SplatterCon=], she also invited horror director 'Darby Crane' to Chicago; when Darby Crane turned out to be White Court vampire Madrigal Raith, Harry mistakenly blamed Raith for Molly's actions.

* SilkHidingSteel: She appears perfectly normal at first, and in fact drops out of the 'Proven Guilty' case less than halfway through it (and hasn't reappeared so far). However, the RPG notes (which are written from an in-universe perspective) show how Marling was indirectly responsible for Molly's corruption, Molly's abduction by phages, and Dresden being distracted by Madrigal for long enough to allow said abduction to occur. It also mentions that she vanished after the novel and Dresden--wizard PI--has been completely unable to locate any trace of her.

%%% Dr. Brioche (Butter's boss)

See the entry for Ms. Demeter in: [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesChicagoMafia Chicago Mafia]]

!Occult proprietors and their staff

[[folder: Artemis Bock]]

The man who owns Bock Ordered Books, one of the best resources for literature on the supernatural in the Midwest.

* MagicalLibrary: It's a store, not a lending library, but his shop otherwise fits the concept.
* NiceGuy: Even when people don't have enough money to buy from him, he tries to work something out so they can still benefit from his wares. He's been known to let minor talents cast protective wards on his shop in lieu of cash payment, for instance.

[[folder: Sheila Starr]]

Identifies herself to Dresden as a staff member at Bock Ordered Books. Actually an illusion cast by Lash, the shadow of Lasciel living in Dresden's head. See [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheDenarians The Denarians]] for more information.

[[folder: Burt Decker]]

Proprietor of Left Hand Goods, an occult store whose merchandise is mostly overpriced junk, and who doesn't much care about the purposes his customers put their purchases to.

* BlackMagic: The market Decker claims to cater to. Of course, real evil wizards don't need him, so he mostly deals with wannabe [[Literature/HarryPotter Death Eaters]] who don't know any better.
* EvilIsPetty: After Meditrina Bassarid is rude to Decker, Decker decides to get revenge on her by directing her to meet Herbert Caine, a convicted rapist, on the basis that Caine has a magic item Bassarid needs for her ritual. [[spoiler:Fortunately, Bassarid is much more powerful than Caine and winds up terrorizing him instead of the other way around.]]
* HonestJohnsDealership: The magic equivalent.
* MagicalLibrary: Runs a really crappy store for magic supplies.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: His description of Bassarid includes a crude comment about her breasts.

!Private detectives

[[folder: Vince Graver]]

A Private Investigator who was hired to spy on Harry during the ''Turn Coat'' case. Dresden managed to get him on his side, and Graver was able to obtain key evidence in proving that Samuel Peabody was a spy on the White Council.

[[folder: Waldo Butters]]

->''"Polka will never die!"''

Chicago medical examiner, polka enthusiast and geek extraordinaire. He was assigned to autopsy the corpses found after a fire, but since said fire was in fact the result of a wizardly [[KillItWithFire temper tantrum]], he got a vampire corpse, called it "humanlike, but definitely nonhuman" and consequently got stuck in a mental institution for observation for three months. This gave him a cheery disrespect for authority that helps him get along quite well with Harry.

* ActionSurvivor: Butters started as a normal, but highly principled man. He is nothing special but then some zombies attack and it kick starts his journey to being a badass normal in a world of the supernatural.
* AmazonChaser: Dates Andi in ''Cold Days'' who still has a well-muscled body and could easily lift Butters.
* AscendedFanboy: He gets to be a real, honest to goodness [[spoiler: [[ThePaladin Knight]], complete with a special sword of his own, with a mission from [[BigGood God]]]].
** Not just that, he isn't any old [[spoiler: Knight]] he's effectively a [[spoiler:: Jedi knight, complete with lightsaber]]. Can one ascend from two different fandoms at once?
** Butters has effectively multiclassed.
* BadassLongcoat: Grabs Harry's bulletproof one at the climax of ''Skin Game'', although the difference in their size means it fits him more like a Jedi robe...
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He may be a bit overfond of polka, but he's very good at remembering bits of random information and thinking about them logically, even when faced with a ZombieApocalypse.
* ChekhovsGun:
** His one-man polka suit in ''Dead Beat''.
** His deep love of ''Star Wars'' and the ideals of right over coming wrong and one man being able to make a difference, even if it is by a HeroicSacrifice. All very befitting [[spoiler:a Knight of the Cross]].
* ChekhovsSkill: Harry taught him how to make a magic circle so Harry's magic wouldn't interfere with his technology. Later he draws a magic circle to prevent the undead armies from killing him and his drum.
* TheCoroner: The reason why he's a coroner despite being an excellent medic, is that he doesn't have the professional detachment needed to be one.
-->'''Harry:''' Butters hated seeing people in pain.
* CowardlyLion: At first, he runs in terror from a necromancer with some zombies. [[spoiler: Later, he begins using magiteck with Bob's help to fight back against supernatural predators. Then he becomes a [[ThePaladin Knight of the Cross]].]]
* CrazyPrepared[=/=]ProperlyParanoid:
** In ''Changes'', he is shot in the back. A few minutes later it is revealed that he put on a kevlar vest the minute he [[AFriendInNeed got the call]], and brought [[OurVampiresAreDifferent garlic]] and [[GeometricMagic chalk]] too.
** In ''Ghost Story'' he has Bob examine and then shadow Harry, without Harry knowing it, to ensure if Harry's shade is some trick or turns evil, Bob will end him.
* DiagnosisFromDrBadass: Does this to Aristides in ''Ghost Story''.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: As of ''Skin Game'', he [[spoiler:is a [[ThePaladin Knight of the Cross]]. A [[Film/StarWars JEDI]] Knight of the Cross, lightsaber and all. A JEWISH Jedi Knight of the Cross, no less]].
* HiddenDepths: Another layer gets peeled off with every appearance. Butters is probably the poster child for this trope; initially he appears as a polka-loving nerd, but by the time of ''Ghost Story'' he is one of Harry's most valuable allies, for his brains, his honesty and his incredible courage, considering he has nothing even resembling super-powers, or even ordinary strength, to take into battle with him.
* IJustWantToBeBadass: Waldo Butters, about 120lbs soaking wet, tried to become part of the US military but washed out of boot camp. Same with the police. He failed both times but still had the push to be stronger. This push led him to ride on a zombie dinosaur to save the world and pursue other dangerous paths. This finally culminates in him [[spoiler:becoming a Knight of the Cross]].
* JewishAndNerdy: Self-described as such in-universe.
* JewishMother: Mama Butters, from Bob's description, is capable of whipping up a massive FancyDinner for JewishHolidays as Harry sees in Bob's 'apartment'. Also nags Butters about finding himself a Nice Jewish Girl if only he'd clean up. Bob fills in for her at times, complete with Yiddish accent, to Butters' dismay.
* JumpedAtTheCall: After the events detailed in TookALevelInBadass, Butters can't contemplate ''not'' [[spoiler:accepting ''Fidelacchius'']].
* KnightInShiningArmor: [[spoiler: This is a requirement for all Knights of the Cross. Even before receiving ''Fidelacchius'', he was defending Chicago in Harry and Molly's absence.]]
* LetsGetDangerous: He saved Harry's life by attacking Cassius. And later, subdued a gunman with an improvised taser. Later on in Ghost Story he cripples Aristides by knowing exactly which bones to break
* LovableCoward: Deconstructed, then subverted.
* {{Magitek}}: Butters is not very strong with magic in a practical sense. He is, however, brilliant in the theoretical sense. With Bob's help, he can make enchanted items which give him a distinct edge and element of surprise, like a self-propelling skateboard that can clock up to 30mph. [[spoiler:He can even make a listening device that won't short out when he sneaks it into Harry's bandages]].
* TheMedic: Although he says he finds it weird to operate on people who are still alive, Harry's acquaintance with him comes in handy when he, say, needs a bullet wound treated and doesn't want to intrude on the police's busy schedule. Or sewing up a sliced up Morgan in ''Turn Coat''.
* NoticeThis: In-Universe example. Because of Butter's RPG history, it seems [[spoiler:Heaven will be giving him signs like this. On a jog with Michael, he notices a homeless man with a yellow exclamation point over the man. Michael explains to him this is a job]].
* NerdGlasses: He wears them.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: [[spoiler:A Batman [[JewishAndNerdy Jewish]] [[Film/StarWars Jedi]] [[ThePaladin Knight of the Cross]], [[RuleOfThree anyone]]?]].
* NonActionGuy: Doesn't stop him from being useful when the need is there.
* PostModernMagik: In ''Ghost Story'' he rigs up a two-way radio for Harry to converse with the others. Bob the Skull observes that while Butters has no talent for magic himself, he probably understands magic theory better than Harry.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: He's very smart, and he's ''tiny'', apparently -- when he curls up into a fetal position, Harry thinks he could probably fit in a grocery bag.
* SurvivalMantra: When shaking to his core in ''Dead Beat'' because of the attacks by zombies, Harry gives him some good reasons to not give up. The more important reason becomes this mantra. That reason: "POLKA WILL NEVER DIE!!"
* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: With Bob the Skull's help. He may not have the power in magic, but with his mind, he can make formulas and theories beyond what Harry can understand.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** As of ''Ghost Story''. Before the series, he was a plain muggle coroner. But after receiving a few victims in Harry's cases, from the exploding hearts of ''Storm Front'' to claiming some of the remains found from the Velvet Room were not human, and then meeting Harry in ''Death Masks'' and the whole debacle in ''Dead Beat'' Butters learned quickly if he was to be part of this other world, he would have to toughen up.
** As of ''Skin Game'' this nearly defies belief. First off, using artifice spells and Bob as a portable magical battery, he's got a magical skateboard that travels at sub-motorcycle speeds, skill with an improvised whip that would put Indiana Jones or Simon Belmont to shame, and magical amnesia grenades. And that's all BEFORE he [[spoiler:becomes the Lightsaber of Faith wielding Jewish Jedi Knight of the Cross]]. ItMakesSenseInContext.
%%* UnfazedEveryman

[[folder: Mike Atagi]]

A mechanic who services Harry's car of choice, the Blue Beatle. After the Beatle is destroyed he continues to service other vehicles Harry drives in.

* TheEngineer: His character.
* TheGhost: Never seen onscreen.
* MrFixit: He can repair almost any damage to a car. At one point he fixes up a hearse that's been damaged by a bomb going off inside it.
* OnlyOneName: Was like this for thirteen books. His last name was finally revealed in ''Cold Days''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Faith Astor]]

A young girl who ran away from home. Harry Dresden rescued her from the troll Gogoth in one of his earliest cases in Chicago. Appears in ''A Restoration of Faith''.

----

%%% The Beckitt family: Gregory Beckitt, Helen Beckitt (redirect to Chicago Mafia), Amanda Beckitt AKA Persephone

!Criminals

[[folder: Anna Valmont]]

A professional thief who was a member of a crew that called themselves the Churchmice, Valmont first met Harry when she was hired to steal the Shroud of Turin in ''DeathMasks''. She reappears in ''SkinGame'' as part of Nicodemus's caper.

* {{Badass}}: She manages to steal the Shroud of Turin from the Vatican and is arguably the best thief in the world.
* BoringButPractical: [[spoiler:In Hades' vault, she goes right for the fountain of diamonds, filling her sack from the spout. She chose them over the gold and other treasures because they had the highest value for their weight and would be easy to move once they got back home. Anna's practicality ends up ensuring that the heroes involved in the caper come away with a monetary profit]].
* TheBusCameBack: Returns after a 10 year absence.
* ClassyCatBurglar: She has a reasonable claim to the title of the best thief in the "Dresdenverse" at the moment.
* {{Revenge}}: [[spoiler: Her main reason for joining Nicodemus' group in ''Literature/SkinGame'' is for a chance to avenge her friends that died in ''Literature/DeathMasks''.]]

[[folder: Steven "Stevie D" Douglas]]

A hired thug operating in the Chicago area. Baron Marcone and Duchess Ortega have both hired him for jobs.

* GenreSavvy: He knows that Dresden's a tough opponent, so he tries to kill him as soon as he has a chance, before Dresden has time to cast any countermeasures. He even tried to kill Butters--whom he hadn't been paid to shoot--just because Butters was between him and Dresden and he didn't want to give Dresden the few seconds it would take to move Butters out of the way.
* ProfessionalKiller: His job.

[[folder: Bart]]

A thug hired by Torelli as part of his attempt to supplant Marcone. Bart tried to run Dresden off the road after Dresden began investigating Marcone's disappearance.

----
* AmusingInjuries: His butt wound.
* ButtMonkey: Shot in the butt by another of Torelli's goons.

[[folder: Ray]]

An abusive superintendent who was supporting drug dealers that were unaffiliated with Marcone's outfit. Appears in the short story ''Aftermath''.

* DeadManWalking: He survives the story, but it's heavily implied Maria will kill him as soon as she's done investigating the drug dealers he's supporting.
* DomesticAbuse: Implied that he's doing this to Maria, his live-in girlfriend [[spoiler:and elite troubleshooter for Marcone]].
* WhatAnIdiot: He made several stupid decisions, including his idea to support some drug dealers who weren't operating with Marcone's permission, and his attempt to beat down Murphy in a fistfight.

[[folder: Herbert Orson Caine]]

A rapist, brute, extortionist, and dabbler in dark magic. Appears in the short stories ''Heorot'' and ''Last Call''.

* {{Blackmail}}: Another of Caine's many crimes.
* ButtMonkey: He suffers for all the bad things he's done. He suffers a lot.
* TheDragon: In his second appearance, he serves as this for Meditrina Bassarid.
* EvilIsPetty: After Elizabeth Braddock embarrasses him, he harasses the Braddocks for years.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Makes anti-gay slurs as he beats on Dresden, and repeatedly calls Murphy a bitch.
* RapeAsDrama: Caine is a rapist, and it's played seriously. The other characters think he's scum and treat him accordingly.
* {{Revenge}}: One reason Dresden speculates Caine may have been eager to help Bassarid hurt Mac--Caine was still jealous Mac's homebrew beat out his to win the beer competition in ''Heorot.''
* TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty: He doesn't believe in fighting fair. He attacks Dresden from behind with a weapon, and has backup. [[spoiler:He still loses. Badly.]]
* WhatAnIdiot: He does a lot of stupid things, but his attempts to fight Murphy in ''Last Call'' after she clearly demonstrates how outmatched he is tops the list.

[[folder:"Darth Wannabe"]]

The leader of a group of teenage delinquents who fancy themselves dark wizards. They have virtually no magical power, but they still make a nuisance of themselves and even vandalize Harry's house. He and his group appear in the story ''Day Off''.

* EvilIsPetty: Wannabe and his group harass Harry basically for standing up to him. Presumably, they 'cursed' the old lady they mentioned attacking for similar reasons.
* InSeriesNickname: We never learn his real name. Dresden just calls him 'Darth Wannabe' and 'the Dim Lord'.
* MagicDuel: He tries to get one with Harry. Harry just draws a gun on him and forces him to flee.
* ObviouslyEvil: Their van has inverted crosses, flaming skulls, and goat's-head pentacles. Additionally, they wear black robes, [[Literature/HarryPotter Dark Marks, and Slytherin scarves]]
* TrickBomb: Rigs a smoke bomb to look like a pipe bomb, then throws it through Harry's window.
* WhoDares: Is stunned that Harry 'dares' to stand up to him.

!Occult proprietors and their staff

[[folder: Artemis Bock]]

The man who owns Bock Ordered Books, one of the best resources for literature on the supernatural in the Midwest.

* MagicalLibrary: It's a store, not a lending library, but his shop otherwise fits the concept.
* NiceGuy: Even when people don't have enough money to buy from him, he tries to work something out so they can still benefit from his wares. He's been known to let minor talents cast protective wards on his shop in lieu of cash payment, for instance.

[[folder: Sheila Starr]]

Identifies herself to Dresden as a staff member at Bock Ordered Books. Actually an illusion cast by Lash, the shadow of Lasciel living in Dresden's head. See [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheDenarians The Denarians]] for more information.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Burt Decker]]

Proprietor of Left Hand Goods, an occult store whose merchandise is mostly overpriced junk, and who doesn't much care about the purposes his customers put their purchases to.

* BlackMagic: The market Decker claims to cater to. Of course, real evil wizards don't need him, so he mostly deals with wannabe [[Literature/HarryPotter Death Eaters]] who don't know any better.
* EvilIsPetty: After Meditrina Bassarid is rude to Decker, Decker decides to get revenge on her by directing her to meet Herbert Caine, a convicted rapist, on the basis that Caine has a magic item Bassarid needs for her ritual. [[spoiler:Fortunately, Bassarid is much more powerful than Caine and winds up terrorizing him instead of the other way around.]]
* HonestJohnsDealership: The magic equivalent.
* MagicalLibrary: Runs a really crappy store for magic supplies.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: His description of Bassarid includes a crude comment about her breasts.

!Private detectives

[[folder: Vince Graver]]

A Private Investigator who was hired to spy on Harry during the ''Turn Coat'' case. Dresden managed to get him on his side, and Graver was able to obtain key evidence in proving that Samuel Peabody was a spy on the White Council.

* CouldSayItBut: When Molly pulls an IHaveBoobsYouMustObey tactic on him, he still refuses to divulge the details of his client... but he does mention one specific lawyer at one specific firm who might be able to help her find a job if her apprenticeship with Harry falls through. The lawyer, of course, is the client.
* MundaneSolution:
** Harry knows Binder will be looking to block any mystical means of tracking and takes all the precautions (shaving his head and jumping into a river ect), so Harry hires Vince to just follow the guy after he does this.
** Harry outs Peabody by simply having Graver watch the one entrance from Edinburgh to Chicago via the Nevernever and take photos of everyone who comes through.
* PrivateDetective: His job.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: He is a man of integrity.
** He was once a cop from a district outside of Chicago. When he looked into some prostitutes being beaten, despite orders to back off, he found a Chicago councilman was the culprit. And then he arrested the guy despite knowing the political consequences could ruin his career (which they did).
** When he learns his job in following Harry to get to the "Old Man" (Morgan) in ''Turn Coat'' has lead to fights and attempted murder, he drops the job then and there.
** At the same time, he refuses to give Harry any information on who hires him because of his integrity.
* TurnInYourBadge: He does this rather than be relocated to Murphy's division of the Chicago PD.

[[folder: Nick Christian]]

A Private Investigator and one of Harry's mentors.

* FriendToAllChildren: He takes a variety of jobs to pay rent, but his passion is missing children cases. He's managed to save several children from abductors over the years, and in his view, that makes all the sacrifices he's made worth it.
* PrivateDetective: His job.

!Other

[[folder: Waldo Butters]]

->''"Polka will never die!"''

Chicago medical examiner, polka enthusiast and geek extraordinaire. He was assigned to autopsy the corpses found after a fire, but since said fire was in fact the result of a wizardly [[KillItWithFire temper tantrum]], he got a vampire corpse, called it "humanlike, but definitely nonhuman" and consequently got stuck in a mental institution for observation for three months. This gave him a cheery disrespect for authority that helps him get along quite well with Harry.

* JerkAss: Happy to embarrass his guests for the sake of his audience.

* Frivolous Lawsuit: He continues to serve Dresden with a variety of legal papers and lawsuits even though he has no real case against him.

%%% Larry Fowler (talk show host that Dresden hates)

[[folder: Lydia Stern]]

A reporter who took over Susan Rodriguez's position of lead reporter for the tabloid ''The Midwestern Arcane'' after Ronriguez was infected by the Red Court and left the magazine. Appears in ''Proven Guilty''.

* IntrepidReporter: Describes her in a nutshell.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. A member of Kravos' cult calling herself Lydia appears in ''Grave Peril''.

[[folder: Dr. Helena Pounder]]

A tall and powerfully-built archeologist who had a child with one of the Forest People, Strength of a River in his Shoulders.

* BrawnHilda: Helena is more than six feet tall and powerfully built. Dresden says that she 'wasn't really pretty' and looks like a bouncer.
* MamaBear: Dresden refers to this trope by name after meeting her, and it fits. After all, when her son is being bullied, her way of solving the problem is to pull some strings and have a professional wizard--capable of fighting warlocks, vampires, and demons--hired at her son's school to can sort them out.
* RescueRomance: Starts dating Strength of a River in his Shoulders after he saves her life by getting her food when she's stranded on a barren dig site for months.

[[folder: Sandra Marling]]

A part-time volunteer at a homeless shelter who befriended Molly Carpenter after the other girl was sentenced to community service. An offhand comment by her led Molly to study recent research on using fear to bypass addictions, which had the unfortunate result of Molly using fear spells on their mutual friends Nelson and Rosie. As chair of the horror convention [=SplatterCon=], she also invited horror director 'Darby Crane' to Chicago; when Darby Crane turned out to be White Court vampire Madrigal Raith, Harry mistakenly blamed Raith for Molly's actions.

* SilkHidingSteel: She appears perfectly normal at first, and in fact drops out of the 'Proven Guilty' case less than halfway through it (and hasn't reappeared so far). However, the RPG notes (which are written from an in-universe perspective) show how Marling was indirectly responsible for Molly's corruption, Molly's abduction by phages, and Dresden being distracted by Madrigal for long enough to allow said abduction to occur. It also mentions that she vanished after the novel and Dresden--wizard PI--has been completely unable to locate any trace of her.

* CouldSayItBut: His response to Molly's IHaveBoobsYouMustObey tactic is to suggest she apply to be a paralegal at this specific law firm under this specific lawyer. He still won't tell her about who hired him.

** Harry outs Peabody by simply having Graver watch the one entrance from Edinburgh to Chicago by Nevernever and take photos of everyone who came out.

** He was once a cop from a district outside of Chicago. When he looked into some prostitutes being beaten, despite orders to back off, he finds a Chicago councilman who gets a bit too rough with those who entertain him. He arrests the guy.
** When he learns his job in following Harry to get to the "Old Man" (Morgan) in ''Turn Coat'' has lead to fights and potentially killing someone, he drops the job then and there.

%%% The Murphy family: Lisa Boughton (little sister, married Karrin's ex-husband), Marion Murphy (Karrin's mother)

%%% Molly's friends: Drea Becton (rendered comatose from a fetch), Nelson Lenhardt (Molly's boyfriend, cheated with Rosie, was messed up by Molly's mind magic), Rosie Marcella (impregnated by Nelson, messed up by Molly's mind magic)

* MagicalLibrary: Runs a really crappy store for magic suppies.

* EvilIsPetty: Wannabe and his group harass Harry basically for standing up to him. Presumably, they ''cursed'' the old lady they mentioned attacking for similar reasons.

* EvilIsPetty: Wannabe and his group harass Harry basically for standing up to him.

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