Gandalf

An old man with a pointed hat, a grey cloak, and a long beard arrives at Bag End near the start of The Hobbit, and with him comes trouble of the best kind. Gandalf the Grey is a wandering wizard, known to hobbits chiefly for his firework displays, and he has a habit of nudging quiet folk out their front doors and into adventures. He chooses Bilbo Baggins to share in one, and the two remain friends ever after. In the opening chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring he comes back to the Shire for Bilbo's great birthday party, where his fireworks are the marvel of the evening. Behind the entertainment, though, the wizard carries a growing worry. He has begun to study the small magic ring Bilbo found on his travels, and what his research uncovers sets the new story on its way.