1. Albus Dumbledore
Hands-down, Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard of his time. Most regarded him as the strongest wizard in history, and even Lord Voldemort himself feared to face him. Beyond his many impressive titles and positions of power, Dumbledore exhibited absolutely extraordinary abilities on several occasions. He was a master of all major disciplines of magic—even non-verbal and wandless. He improved upon and even invented his own spells and magical devices. He was also a famed alchemist, discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood.
As a duelist, he was without match; he defeated both Gellert Grindelwald and Voldemort in his lifetime. He became the master of the Elder Wand after successfully defeating Grindelwald, making him the only person besides Harry Potter to possess all three of the Deathly Hallows. While the founders of Hogwarts or Merlin himself may have given him a run for his money, not enough information is available about their skills—making Dumbledore the clear winner.
2. Lord Voldemort
As far as Dark wizards go, none can hold a candle to Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort. While not capable of challenging Albus Dumbledore—especially while Dumbledore possessed the Elder Wand—Voldemort was near-unsurpassed in his magical abilities. A master of all magical disciplines, Voldemort knew more about some realms of magic than even Dumbledore. Voldemort also experimented and created his own spells, which were usually related to the Dark Arts. He was a competent duelist, could cast non-verbal and wandless spells, and could even fly unsupported.
Voldemort was also extremely adept at curses—one he left on Marvolo Gaunt's ring would catch Dumbledore himself in its snare. As the heir of Slytherin, Voldemort was a Parseltongue—he opened the Chamber of Secrets twice, and successfully controlled the basilisk that resided inside. Most impressively, Voldemort was possibly the most accomplished Legilimens in history. He could easily read, control, and break the minds of all but the handful of wizards skilled enough to shield themselves from such attacks.
3. Gellert Grindelwald
Before the rise of Lord Voldemort, Gellert Grindelwald was undoubtedly the strongest Dark wizard. Of an age with Dumbledore, the two became fast friends as teenagers when Grindelwald came to Godric's Hollow. Like Voldemort, Grindelwald was extremely charming and manipulative, even winning over Dumbledore to his vision of a wizard-ruled world. When Dumbledore's brother Aberforth confronted them, Grindelwald turned violent, causing Albus to join his brother in a three-way duel with Gellert—a duel that would cause the death of the youngest Dumbledore sibling, Ariana.
Albus and Gellert wouldn't cross paths again until 1945, by which time Gellert had gained immense power and become the master of the Elder Wand. He had evaded capture for years—even defeating an entire force of Aurors—but Dumbledore proved to be the master this time. In a duel described as one of the greatest ever fought, Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and imprisoned him in Nurmengard. There he would remain, until he was interrogated and killed by Voldemort in 1998.
4. Severus Snape
Though very good at hiding it, Severus Snape was an extremely powerful wizard. A student prodigy, he became a dab hand with all manner of magical disciplines. He invented a personal curse, Sectumsempra (and the healing counterspell Vulnera Sanentur), but also a number of other spells later used by many wizards. As a potions master, Snape possessed astounding skills—effortlessly brewing the most difficult potions and even improving upon their recipes. He demonstrated those masterful abilities when he invented a potion and incantation that saved Dumbledore's life after he encountered Voldemort's curse.
Snape's deeply unhappy childhood eventually drove him to become a Death Eater. Notably, he was the only Death Eater capable of forming a Patronus—one that copied that of his lost love, Lily Potter. Snape switched sides just before her death, joining the Order of the Phoenix and becoming an extremely effective double agent.
Most impressively, he earned the absolute trust of the two most powerful wizards in existence—Dumbledore and Voldemort. Voldemort considered Snape his top servant, and even taught him the secret of unsupported flight. Similarly, Dumbledore trusted Snape with his life, and called on him more than once to handle extremely difficult tasks. Without Snape's secret aid and protection, it's very unlikely that Harry Potter would have even lived long enough to defeat Voldemort.
5. Minerva McGonagall
You'd be making a grave mistake to underestimate Minerva McGonagall. Despite her "stern grandmother" appearance, she was the most powerful witch at Hogwarts after Dumbledore and Snape. Like Dumbledore, McGonagall received "outstanding" marks on all of her exams as a student, demonstrating her proficiency in all manners of magic. A mistress of transfiguration, she even became a rare Animagus—an extremely difficult skill to master. In her cat form, McGonagall spent many dangerous nights spying on Voldemort's followers for the Order of the Phoenix.
As a duelist, she was more than capable, fending off many Dark wizards and even surviving a brief duel with Voldemort himself. When Dolores Umbridge and the Ministry attempted to evict Hagrid from Hogwarts, McGonagall survived being hit with four powerful Stunning spells—an attack that would have killed many other wizards. Following the Battle of Hogwarts, McGonagall received the Order of Merlin, First Class. She later became the school's Headmistress after Voldemort's final defeat.
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