Many children view favourite feature films repeatedly at home and develop understandings of them. This article discusses findings from a study which focused on the understandings that 9- and 10-year-old children showed about character in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." These findings are reported in terms of a framework appropriate for responses to character in literature or in film. The children's home-based engagement with characters provides evidence for teachers who are planning to extend understandings about character in their classrooms. The article shows that children's interpretative and structural engagement can build significant understandings and informed appreciation which are similar to those that teachers aim for. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)