Dean Alfred Thomas (born 7 January 1980) was a half-blood wizard and son of wizard Gerald Rowle and his Muggle wife Phoebe. His father left his mother when he was two months old to protect them and was murdered by his brother after refusing to join the Death Eaters. His mother remarried Richard Thomas which gave Dean two half-sisters. Dean never knew of his biological father growing up and was raised to believe Richard was his father and that he was a Muggle-born wizard. He began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 and was Sorted into Gryffindor.