Harry Potter (character)
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| Harry Potter character | |
| Image:Harry Potter - GoF Promo.jpg Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | |
| Harry James Potter | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unknown}}} |
| Hair colour | Unknown}}} |
| Eye colour | Unknown}}} |
| House | Unknown}}} |
| Parentage | Unknown}}} |
| Allegiance | {{{allegiance|Unknown}}}}}} |
| Film portrayer | None}}} |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Harry James Potter (born 31 July 1980) is a fictional character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is the only child of James and Lily Potter. His name is not short for Harold. Harry has inherited his mother's bright green eyes and his father's unusually untidy jet-black hair. In his younger years, Harry is described as small and skinny for his age. He also has a long thin scar in the middle of his forehead shaped like a bolt of lightning. This is the only physical mark Harry bears that attests to his horrific and traumatic past. The scar was left by the Killing Curse cast by Lord Voldemort on 31 October, 1981, which killed both Harry's parents and destroyed the house.
Harry attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and his best friends are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Harry Potter has been portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe in all the Harry Potter films to date.
Contents |
Biography
Prior to the Harry Potter novels
Harry is famous in the wizarding world for his encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, one of the most powerful wizards of all time and the primary antagonist villain in the series, when he was just a year old. Voldemort mysteriously lost his powers in the encounter and was left disembodied, although he survived.
James and Lily Potter were killed in this incident in (evidently) 1981 while trying to protect baby Harry from Voldemort's attack. James died first while dueling with Voldemort in the entrance hall of their house. Lily's dying act - choosing to sacrifice herself to save her infant son - placed Harry under an ancient magic that protected him. Subsequently, Avada Kedavra, the killing curse that Voldemort used against Harry, backfired on Voldemort and Harry survived. This resulted in the loss of Voldemort's powers (but, significantly, not his death), as well as his exile and eventual decline from a position of power and fear in the wizarding world. The incident led to Harry being heralded as a celebrity - "the boy who lived" - as he is the only person (besides Voldemort himself, as the spell rebounded on him) to have ever survived the Avada Kedavra curse and as he is considered the cause of Voldemort's downfall. Harry bears a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead - the sole remnant of the incident.
Despite the fact that Harry survived Voldemort's attempted murder, until the fifth book he has no idea as to why Voldemort lost his powers - in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry confirms this fact when Harry questions him:
- I don't know why you lost your powers that night, but I know why you couldn't kill me...
After the death of his parents, Harry was forced to live with the only family he had left - his mother's sister, Petunia Dursley, and her husband, Vernon, in the small town of Little Whinging in Surrey, England. The Dursleys live at number four, Privet Drive in a large, impeccably maintained four-bedroom house and seem to be moderately well off. However, during Harry's first ten years, they neglected Harry in favour of their own son Dudley and in an attempt to remove all traces of Harry's magical self to make him "normal," they kept him fully isolated from the wizarding world and its influence.
It is in many ways important that Harry is a half-blood - that is, the offspring of one Muggle-born parent, and one pure-blooded parent. Through his father James, Harry is a descendant of the pure-blood Potter line, but his mother, Lily Evans (later Lily Potter) is a Muggle-born witch: a witch born into a non-magical family. Harry is therefore a half-blood, and this is significant to the plot in different ways.
Family
Harry James Potter was born on the 31st of July, 1980, to James and Lily Potter. Not much is known about Harry's relations. His mother was born Lily Evans, in a Muggle family, and after his parents' death, he was sent to live with his mother's sister, Petunia Dursley, and her family. Harry's father, James Potter, was born into a pure-blood wizarding family, to somewhat elderly (by wizarding standards) parents. This could possibly mean that Harry is distantly related to other pure-blood families through his father, as Sirius Black once told him that all the old pure-blood families are related through intermarriage. (See the Black family tree)
James and Lily left to Harry a large inheritance of wizard money, which he uses for his Hogwarts supplies; Harry's friend Ron, who comes from a large and relatively poor family, is sometimes very jealous of this. If Gringotts works in the way of real-world banks, that inheritance has likely seen a substantial increase in the years since their passing as there were no withdrawls made from their vault until Harry turned eleven and made his first trip to the wizarding bank.
Harry may also be related to his godfather, Sirius Black. James and Sirius may have actually been first cousins once-removed - not surprising, given the size of the Black family. A Charlus Potter was married to Dorea Black, granddaughter of Phineas Nigellus Black. Some fans speculate that Dorea and Charlus may have been James's parents - however, this seems to contradict Rowling's statements that James's parents were "old in wizarding terms" when they died, since she has also said that wizards have "a much longer life-expectancy than Muggles" (Griselda Marchbanks is known to be over 160) - Dorea died at only 57. On the other hand, Charlus and Dorea were born into the same generation as Sirius' grandparents, so it is still possible that they might be James' parents.
Life and adventures while at Hogwarts
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
As recounted in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry did not even know that he was a wizard until his eleventh birthday, when Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts gamekeeper and aide to headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore, explained to Harry his situation, and also told him of his fame in the wizarding community. Over time, Harry became annoyed by his high profile, and its effect on his relationships, causing various people either to fawn over him or hate him for it.
However, shortly after finding out about the wizarding world and his part in it, Harry began his studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There he was placed in Gryffindor House, and made quick friends with Ron Weasley and later Hermione Granger. Draco Malfoy, however, who is placed in Slytherin, becomes Harry's archnemesis at Hogwarts. Harry shares his dormitory with Ron, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Harry's first year was marked by many things, such as him being chosen for the position of Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team due to his natural flying abilities, making him the youngest house player in a century.
The protection granted to Harry by Lily's self-sacrifice helped him again, when Lord Voldemort returned secretly to the wizarding world to search for the Philosopher's Stone in his quest to regain a body. Using Hogwarts teacher Professor Quirrell as a host body, Voldemort came to Hogwarts in his search for the stone. Harry managed to thwart Voldemort and survived a confrontation with him on account of the protection afforded to him by his mother's final act. Voldemort was unable to touch Harry and fled, leaving Quirrell to die.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry faced more challenges. Some were only merely annoying (such as Gilderoy Lockhart's attempt to exploit his fame and Colin Creevey's hero worshipping), while more serious was the hardly bearable ostracism by most of the school after being revealed as a parselmouth, and suspicion of being the Heir of Slytherin, causing rampant attacks throughout the school. His toughest challenge, however, was in the form of a deadly Basilisk that was released by the spirit (or memory) of Tom Riddle, the younger image of Voldemort himself. Tom Riddle released the snake from the aforementioned chamber while controlling Ginny Weasley, by means of diary containing part of his soul (see Horcrux).
Harry proved his mettle at the climax of the book by rescuing Ginny, killing the Basilisk with the sword of Godric Gryffindor and defeating Riddle by stabbing the diary with one of the basilisk's poisonous teeth, destroying it and the spirit of Riddle.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry started to change. He developed angry feelings because he believed Sirius Black, a recent escapee of Azkaban, to be responsible for the betrayal of his parents' wherabouts to Voldemort. Harry also discovered that Black was his father's best friend, as well as his godfather. This further infuriated Harry and incited him to find and kill Black. Later on, however, Harry found that it was not Sirius who betrayed his parents, but a servant of Lord Voldemort's named Peter Pettigrew, another old friend of Harry's father and Sirius. By the end of the story, Sirius offered Harry something he has wanted all his life: a home away from the Dursleys. Harry was quick to accept, only to lose this opportunity when Sirius's name wasn't cleared and he was forced to continue to run from the authorities, who still believed him to be a murderer.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry is mysteriously chosen to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, though he did not enter his name and is too young, due to age restrictions being imposed by the Ministry, to qualify. Competing means being forced to face three dangerous tasks, the last culminating in racing to win the Triwizard Cup. After both Harry and Cedric Diggory have been chosen to be Hogwarts champions, they start to become friends. Harry tells Cedric what all of the other champions already knew- the first task would involve a dragon. In return for Harry's kindness, Cedric gives Harry a hint about how to figure out the clue they'd been given for the second task.
After Cedric and Harry help each other out in the third task, a hedgerow maze filled with monstrous creatures and magical obstacles, neither wants to take the cup, feeling the other deserves it more. Cedric wouldn't have made it to the cup if Harry hadn't helped him at the last moment. Harry wouldn't win a race against Cedric, since his leg was injured. They decide to reach for the Cup at the same time, unaware that the Cup was a portkey. It transports them to a graveyard where Lord Voldemort himself awaits.
Harry witnesses Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort's servant, instantly kill Cedric with the Avada Kedavra curse. Immediately after, Harry is tied up and witnesses a spell performed that revives Lord Voldemort to a near-human form. (Part of this includes Pettigrew cutting Harry's arm so that Voldemort can have some of Harry's blood, rendering him "touchable.")
Voldemort summons his Death Eaters to his side, and ridicules them for not searching for him sooner. He then decides to "duel" with Harry before killing him. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, his wand and Harry's are brother wands (having the same core, a feather belonging to Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes). Due to this, when the wands are forced against each other, they form a most peculiar connection. This Priori Incantatem occurs during the graveyard duel, and the spirits of those that Voldemort (and in Cedric's case, Pettigrew, who likely used Voldemort's wand to kill him) killed emerge from his wand. This includes those of Harry's parents, and Cedric, who requests Harry take his body, for his parents. The combined spirits help Harry escape from the graveyard, by way of the portkey.
Harry finds out that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, "Mad-Eye" Moody, has actually been an imposter all year. Barty Crouch Jr. has been carrying out the plan to help Voldemort return to his body- he put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and entered Harry into the tournament, and he has tried to ensure that Harry would reach the Triwizard Cup. After Harry, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall hear testimony from Barty Crouch Jr., Harry recounts the entire experience for Dumbledore and his godfather, then is kindly put into a dreamless sleep. It is in this novel that Lord Voldemort returns to power.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins with Harry at the Dursleys', desperate for some news of the wizarding world and its status, knowing that Voldemort is now back (and the Ministry hasn't accepted it). After breaking the law (by using magic) to save his and Dudley's life (from dementors), The Advance Guard of the Order of the Phoenix (an organization formed to resist Voldemort) rescues Harry from his aunt and uncle's house.
Harry is taken to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, a Gothic mansion in London owned by his godfather Sirius Black that is the headquarters of the Order. Harry finds out that the Order's goal is to prepare for Voldemort, but that he can't know much more, regardless of how much he wants to, because he is too young. Harry learns from his friends (also at Grimmauld Place) that the Minister has been using the wizarding media in a campaign against Harry and Dumbledore; The Daily Prophet has been taking potshots at him, calling he and Dumbledore liars for their "claims" of Voldemort's return.
Although Harry is underage and used magic, and although the Minister for Magic and his cronies are bent on imprisoning the boy (to stop him from continuing to spread his story of Voldemort's return), Harry is eventually let off based on the testimony of Arabella Figg and Dumbledore. However, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge is enraged that Harry was cleared, and thus places Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts.
This woman, despised by most teachers and students, serves the ministry as a spy, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and as the the first (and only) High Inquisitor. As a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, she teaches with no hands-on experience, something that eventually leads Harry (with Hermione's nudging) to start a rebellious student "study group" (sarcastically called 'Dumbledore's Army' in a mockery of the Ministry's paranoia). Her position as High Inquisitor enables her to arbitrarily change the educational laws and school rules, limiting what the students and faculty alike are allowed to do (for instance, after playing only one game, Harry receives a lifetime ban from Quidditch). She uses questionable means (forcing him to cut his hand in the same spot repeatedly) when attempting to force Harry to renounce his claims about Voldemort. Harry refuses to change his story, because he knows it is the truth and believes the wizarding world needs to know.
Throughout the year Harry is haunted by visions, one of which leads to the rescue of Arthur Weasley after he is attacked by Nagini, Voldemort's pet snake. While visiting Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Harry inadvertantly learns that these visions are visits into Voldemort's mind, and becomes afraid that he is being possessed by Voldemort.
After Voldemort learns of this, he developes a plan to lead Harry to believe that he is holding Sirius captive in the Ministry of Magic. Harry receives this vision during his History of Magic examination and falls into the trap. Accompanied by Dumbledore's Army members Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, Harry and his friends mount thestrals, winged, reptilian horses belonging to the school, and fly to the Ministry offices in London at an incredible speed. There, they are confronted by Voldemort's Death Eaters, who are attempting to steal a recording of the prophecy involving Harry and Voldemort. This prophecy was the reason why Voldemort tricked Harry into going to the Ministry - the only people who can touch a prophecy are those whom it concerns, and as Voldemort doesn't wish to enter the Ministry, he lures Harry there. Without knowing any of this, Harry grabs the prophecy and, realizing that it's a trap, attempts to escape with his friends. Several of the kids fight the Death Eaters, and members of both parties are injured; in an act of great cruelty, Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Neville with great delight. However, the students are rescued by the Order of the Phoenix, who rush into the Department of Mysteries (where the fight is) and fend off the Death Eaters. During the tussle, Sirius is killed by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Seconds after she kills his godfather, an enraged Harry chases Bellatrix into the main lobby of the Ministry, vowing to kill her. Voldemort then arrives and attempts, once again, to kill Harry. However, Dumbledore returns to confront Voldemort and protect the students, and Voldemort flees. Earlier during this fight, the fragile glass ball containing the recording of prophecy breaks.
This is the first and only battle in the books between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Cornelius Fudge and other Ministry employees arrive and see Voldemort, who promptly Disapparates with Bellatrix. The Ministry are forced to finally accept Harry and Dumbledore's claims that Voldemort has returned. Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore finally explains to Harry that it was the prophecy that caused Voldemort to attempt to kill Harry when he was a child, and then Dumbledore reveals the exact words of the prophecy. Dumbledore was the one who originally heard this prophecy (it was made to him). At this point, Harry finds that he doesn't care about the prophecy, for it is told to him only hours after Sirius' death. For a time he is unaffected by the prophecy that marks out his destiny with no room for doubt – he must either kill Voldemort, or be killed by him. However, Harry seems able to accept Sirius's death when Luna raises the possibility of an afterlife in the wizarding world, and finally begins to let go of his godfather. At the end of a year in which Harry has often isolated himself, he finds himself moved and heartened by the presence of his friends, who have stuck with him throughout.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the wizarding population has come to call Harry "the Chosen One"—the Daily Prophet having leaked the story that there was a prophecy in the Ministry that said Harry was to kill Voldemort. However, these claims remain unconfirmed—Dumbledore and Harry decide that, for the time being, only Harry's closest friends should know of the prophecy's details. Thus, Harry tells Ron and Hermione what he knows, but refuses to divulge its contents to the newly elected Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione observe Draco Malfoy acting suspiciously in Diagon Alley, and Harry theorizes that Malfoy may have joined the Death Eaters. Ron and Hermione consider this theory absurd, however, and the subject puts a strain on Harry's relationship with Hermione in particular throughout the school year.
At Hogwarts, Harry is horrified to find out that Snape is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. The Potions job has been taken by an old colleague of Dumbledore's, Horace Slughorn. Slughorn is interested in making Harry, along with other students of high standing in the school, his protégé. Slughorn befriends Harry over the course of the school year. Meanwhile, Harry finds a new love interest in Ron's sister, Ginny.
Over the course of the school year, Dumbledore summons Harry to his office on certain evenings to give the boy "private lessons". Harry initially thinks that he will be taught advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts, but soon learns that these "lessons" are actually trips into memories via the Pensieve. These memories are not all Dumbledore's, but recollections he has gleaned from various sources concerning Voldemort. Through these memories, Dumbledore and Harry trace Voldemort's past, from when his mother met his father to Voldemort's first meeting with Dumbledore at a London orphanage, and further on. One memory, however, has been tampered with—Professor Slughorn has hidden parts of a conversation between him and then-student Tom Riddle. Dumbledore orders Harry to persuade Slughorn to reveal the full memory; Harry subsequently gets Slughorn drunk and persuades him, and the memory proves to be very important. These memories serve not only to reveal Voldemort's personality, but something much more important: together, the memories reveal the secret of how to kill Voldemort.
Voldemort has secured sections of his essence, his soul, by magic, imprisoning his spirit in six objects which are called Horcruxes, as they each contain a piece of human spirit. As his soul is thus divided, Voldemort cannot be killed; even if his body is destroyed, parts of his soul remain earthbound and so keep him alive. However, if a Horcrux is destroyed, the protection it provides is removed. The memories are highly suggestive of how many Horcruxes there are, and what magical objects Voldemort uses to guard his sectioned soul. Harry comes to realise that he will not face, and try to destroy, Voldemort because he is forced to by the prophecy, but rather through personal choice, and his desire to finally be rid of Voldemort—a key difference.
At Christmas, Harry overhears an argument between Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy in which Snape admits to having made an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco complete a task for their "master". Hermione still refuses to believe Draco is a Death Eater, and Professor Dumbledore says he is unperturbed by the conversation; both reactions frustrate Harry to no end.
Towards the end of the school year, Dumbledore finds the place where he believes one Horcrux to be, and takes Harry on an expedition to retrieve it. This Horcrux was hidden by Voldemort in the centre of an Inferius-infested lake within a secluded cave—the cave being part of Voldemort's past as well. Harry is forced to feed Dumbledore a potion which causes him extreme anguish to retrieve a locket from the cave.
When Dumbledore and Harry return to school from the cave, events already set in motion by Draco Malfoy (having let Death Eaters into the school) lead to a confrontation between Severus Snape and Dumbledore. Harry, who is wearing his Invisibility Cloak, is immobilized by Dumbledore to stop him from interfering. Harry is thus forced to watch in silent horror as Snape kills Dumbledore and his mentor's body falls from the Astronomy Tower. Harry chases Snape in a blind rage and immobilizes several Death Eaters, but is unable to duel effectively with Snape, who gloatingly tells him that he needs to learn to "keep your mind shut and your mouth closed" before escaping the grounds. After Dumbledore's death, Harry opens the locket they recovered from the cave. A note inside reveals that the locket is a fake Horcrux; the real one has been stolen by one R.A.B. An embittered Harry realizes that Dumbledore's death had been for nothing.
After Dumbledore's funeral, Harry resolves that, whether Hogwarts remains open or not, he would not return to the school; instead, he decides to destroy Voldemort's four remaining Horcruxes (two are already destroyed—one by Harry and one by Dumbledore—and the mysterious R.A.B. may have destroyed a third). Harry has also not forgotten his desire for revenge, and he now hates Snape as much as he hates Voldemort himself. He breaks up with Ginny because he doesn't want to put her in danger while he works to defeat Voldemort. Harry now feels completely alone; he feels that he has lost all his loved ones to Voldemort, and now the last and greatest of his protectors has died. Ron and Hermione, however, vow to stick with Harry in his search for the Horcruxes even if that means leaving the school.
The reaffirmation of their loyalty to Harry follows a year when the strong bonds between the trio were thoroughly tested. This gesture, along with Harry’s approaching 17th birthday (the age of adulthood in the wizarding world), and an implied lack of Hogwarts in the final book are all symbolic of the end of any vestige of childhood innocence which still remained in each of the characters. They are nearly adults now, and are finally ready to face Voldemort together.
Book Seven
The unreleased Book Seven is expected to follow Harry's hunt for the remaining Horcruxes, and the final confrontation with Voldemort himself, presumably with Ron and Hermione's aid.
Appearance, character and relationships
Harry is frequently told that he greatly resembles his father James, but that he has his mother Lily's bright green eyes. There is speculation that the resemblance of his eyes to his mother's will play a significant role in the next and final book. The lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead, a remnant of his first meeting with Voldemort, has a great deal of prominence in the books. The scar serves as both a reminder of Voldemort's attempt to kill him as a baby and as an indicator of Voldemort's presence and/or severe mood swings. Also mentioned in the books is Harry's untidy black hair, which, to Aunt Petunia's chagrin, never wants to lay down properly. Harry is also characterized by his trademarked round eyeglasses. At least in the earlier books, Harry is described to be skinny and shorter than normal.
Harry's greatest desire is to be normal, with a family that loves him, and for everyone he cares about to be safe and happy. He also comes to realize that this will never truly be possible as long as Voldemort still exists in any form. Harry often puts himself at risk for other people, and often tries to convince others not to put themselves in danger. For example, in the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he initially does not want Ron and Hermione to attempt to locate the Philosopher's Stone with him. This also occurs in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Ginny, Neville and Luna wish to join Harry, Ron, and Hermione on a rescue mission.
However, Harry is depicted with many flaws. He can be angered easily when his parents or others about whom he cares are insulted, or when people do not believe him. Like Ron, he is not always diligent with his studies. Harry is also extremely impulsive; as his frantic dash to Sirius proves in Order of the Phoenix, he does not stop and think before leaping into a confrontation. Hermione argues with him over this, for when Harry insists that they must go to rescue Sirius, she suspects a trap and tries to reason with Harry, who grows impatient and increasingly worried about whether or not Sirius is being tortured while he wastes his time arguing with Hermione.
Even though diminishing of his character, Harry's faults must be seen in the light of his troubles; by the end of the sixth book he has, apart from many other things, witnessed five murders. When he was thirteen, Harry was forced to relive his earliest memories by the Dementors and heard his parents' final moments as they faced Voldemort. He next saw his friend and fellow student Cedric Diggory killed right in front of him by Peter Pettigrew, saw his godfather murdered by a Death Eater, and, finally, was forced to silently witness his headmaster's murder (by a fellow teacher). Harry is thus almost paranoid about his loved ones and constantly worries about his friends and family. In stark contrast, Harry has had to struggle with his cruel and insensitive guardians, the Dursleys, for most of his life, and later he endures the wizarding world turning against him (In Order of the Phoenix) as they believe him to be an attention-seeking liar and a fraud; he is isolated in school and taunted by other students. Along with this, Harry tries to cope with the normal difficulties of being a teenager - for example, he has admired a pretty Ravenclaw girl named Cho Chang since he was thirteen years old, but he lacks the courage to ask her out. When he finally does, the relationship eventually sours in a very adolescent way. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry appears more disturbed and troubled, and is extremely temperamental - given the difficulties he is coping with, however, his reaction is understandable. Sometimes, though, Harry even gets angry with Ron and Hermione, especially when they argue with each other; most notably so when Ron and Harry have an ongoing argument that lasts nearly a month in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In regards to adult help or advice, Harry tends to lean towards Remus Lupin, the last of his father's old friends (and a former teacher of Harry's), and the Weasleys. At other times, Hagrid will offer support to Harry, but as he progresses as a teenager, his relationship with Hagrid diminishes ever so slightly. Mrs. Weasley in particular is something of a mother figure for Harry, and she treats him as her son. Similarly, Ron and his siblings treat Harry as a brother, and Mr. Weasley shows a certain paternal fondness for Harry. Later Harry starts dating Ron's young sister, Ginny (who has always loved Harry), and Ron uncharacteristically lets him (Ron is fiercely protective of his sister and hates any boy to date her). This, more than anything else, shows that the Weasleys accept Harry as their own.
Harry has a very strong sense of loyalty to others and expects loyalty in return. This streak has often prevented Harry from looking at things objectively and will occasionally prevent him from heeding constructive criticism, even from friends such as Hermione Granger.
Harry tends to feel very concerned about whom he can trust and whom he cannot. For example, Harry is reluctant to trust Severus Snape, the Potions Master, even though Snape has the open and firm confidence of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Since Harry has been raised by the abusive and neglectful Dursleys, and has experienced nightmarish events (witnessing five murders), Harry has been forced to grow up and mature at a very early age. As one of the most controversial and famous figures in the wizarding world, he has also been subject to vicious slander and gossip, and his indignation at this has made him quick to pounce when he feels misunderstood. Harry's feelings of isolation increase at the end of Order of the Phoenix when he learns that he alone must battle Voldemort to the death.
Romantic attachments
As Harry's closest female friend, Hermione has been mistaken as a possible love interest for Harry on various occasions. Viktor Krum, who was romantically interested in Hermione, was jealous of Harry in Goblet of Fire because she talked about him all the time; Rita Skeeter used the so-called "love triangle" between Harry, Hermione and Viktor as juicy story material for the Daily Prophet; and finally, when Cho Chang was Harry's actual girlfriend throughout Order of the Phoenix, she was jealous of Harry's friendship with Hermione. Harry has been forced repeatedly to explain to people, including Viktor, Cho and other students, that he and Hermione have only ever been platonic friends.
Harry's relationship with Cho has roots as early as Prisoner of Azkaban, where he notices how pretty she is and experiences several bouts of nervousness when in her presence. It is only a year later, however, that his crush on her truly develops, and he finally gathers the courage to ask her to the Yule Ball, only to find out that she has by then become Cedric Diggory's girlfriend. Cho and Cedric are tragically torn apart by Cedric's death in the end of Goblet of Fire and, by the start of his fifth year, Harry becomes the new focus of Cho's attention - she is struggling with Cedric's death, and has turned to him for support. He manages an on-and-off relationship with her throughout the year, even getting his first kiss with her under some mistletoe before Christmas, but ultimately it is not to last. Harry and Cho are just not on the same wavelength; Cho is going through extreme emotions and grief over the death of Cedric Diggory, leaning on Harry as a stand-in for Diggory instead of facing his death and moving on, while Harry is expecting a simpler relationship that would relieve his stress rather than amplify it. Cho's aforementioned misplaced jealousy of Hermione also adds to this dissonance, which reaches a breaking point when Cho defends Marietta Edgecombe's betrayal of Dumbledore's Army, something which Harry sees as absolutely inexcusable. After a heated argument over Marietta, Cho's eyes sparkle with tears, and Harry warns her that he has enough to deal with and won't tolerate her crying anymore, at which an enraged Cho shouts at him and storms away. Harry and Cho never officially break up; they just slowly drift apart. By the end of Order of the Phoenix, Cho belongs in Harry's mind to the "other universe" that he was forced to leave behind with Sirius' death, and he finds that he has no emotions left for her.
Harry's failed relationship with Cho is a contrast to his eventual relationship with Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, who J.K. Rowling has said she has set up eventually to become Harry's "ideal girl" and "total equal". Ginny's (painfully obvious) unrequited crush on Harry, introduced in Philospher's Stone and a minor plotline throughout Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, apparently fades away in Order of the Phoenix with Hermione off-handedly informing Harry that Ginny finally "gave up" on him. This is significant, indicating that Ginny never "got over" Harry, but merely "gave up". She indeed appears to have done just that; her shyness when around Harry disappears completely and he finally gets to interact with the girl that, according to Ron, "never shuts up". During this year, Ginny often puts the moody and temperamental Harry in his place when he is being unfair to her or to others, and is perhaps the most successful in dealing with his dark moods; notably, when Harry is disillusioned - having found out that his father was indeed as arrogant as Snape always claimed - and wants to talk to Sirius about it even though under Dolores Umbridge's reign this would be highly dangerous and perhaps impossible, he ends up confessing to Ginny, feeling secure enough that she won't judge him. Their similar experiences of being "tainted" by Voldemort and struggling to overcome it are a binding thread between the two, as is their similar sense of humour (they often share jokes simply by meeting each other's eyes, a trend that goes back to Prisoner of Azkaban).
Most ironically, Half-Blood Prince sees a complete role-reversal with Harry developing unrequited feelings for an apparently disinterested Ginny, with which he struggles throughout the year (including extreme jealousy of Dean Thomas, her boyfriend, beyond what he felt about Cedric Diggory two years before, colourfully personified as the "scaly beast" inside him). Ron vocally disapproves of Ginny's relationship with Dean, which Harry interprets as him disapproving of her having anyone as a boyfriend, further complicating the situation and causing Harry to believe that he will have to choose between attempting a relationship with Ginny and keeping his friendship with Ron. Harry's pessimism ultimately turns out to have been unfounded. Ginny and Dean break up, and when Harry is swept up in the high of Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory celebrations, he spontaneously kisses her in front of the whole Common Room. Hermione is shown to be beaming, Dean Thomas with a shattered glass in his hand and a dumbfounded look on his face, Romilda Vane, a fourth-year with a crush on Harry bearing a look suggesting that she might throw something, and Ron, who obviously has mixed feelings about a possible romantic relationship between his best friend and his sister, expresses his approval by giving a tiny nod of the head that Harry understands to mean, "Well – if you must." Harry's relationship with Ginny over the next few weeks is described as being something that "made (Harry) happier than he could remember being for a very long time." He even goes so far as to describe it as "like something out of someone else's life", implying that the time he spent with Ginny allowed him to escape the pain and misery of the burden of his life intertwined with Voldemort.
By the end of Half-Blood Prince, Harry breaks off his relationship with Ginny in an attempt to ensure her safety, fearing that Voldemort would target her specifically once he learned of their relationship. Ginny accepts this decision, telling him that maybe his "hero complex" is a part of why she likes him so much, and confessing that she never truly gave up on him.
Strengths
- Superlative reflexes
- One of a small percentage of the magical population capable of successfully (and repetitively) casting a corporeal Patronus Charm to banish Dementors from his presence. (Seen as impressive when it earns him a bonus point in his O.W.L..)
- Ability to remain level-headed, retain his composure, and perform advanced feats of wizardry during moments of extreme crisis.
- Ability to fully resist the Imperius Curse, rebuffing even Voldemort. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- no one else in Harry's class could resist it, the imposter Mad-Eye Moody said it was "strength of character")
- Ability to use certain spells successfully after witnessing others use them just once.
- Smart; very strong intuition; can make great 'mental' leaps while under enormous stress.
- Possesses great magical potential, sometimes able to do wandless and wordless magic. Once accidentally apparated to the top of his school before the age of eleven and blew up his aunt without a word or a wand.
- Possessed of incredible good luck.
- Has some leadership skills, enough to teach his teenage classmates to hold their own and survive against a cadre of Death Eaters. (When he teaches The D.A., then the scene at the ministry)
- Fiercely determined and self-reliant, almost to a fault. (Hermione says he has a tendency to "play the hero".)
- Inherently talented flier. (Noted many times throughout the books.)
- Is a Parselmouth: able to communicate to snakes, an art associated with dark wizards, despite not being a dark wizard.
- Generally, an exceptionally powerful wizard, due largely to Voldemort "...marking him as an equal...", and possessing powers "...the Dark Lord knows not..."
Weaknesses
- Visually impaired- solved by wearing glasses
- Inability to consciously perform non-verbal spells, curses, and counter-curses.
- Inability to practice Occlumency at will, even with some training.
- Struggles between self-doubt and over-confidence; attempts to handle everything himself.
- Easily angered when derogatory comments are directed to his parents and friends.
- Mediocre student (for his potential); he gets barely higher than average standardized test scores, quite in contrast to Hermione.
- Lack of natural curiosity; rarely, if ever, takes the initiative to learn new spells and powers that he is capable of performing.
- Low self-esteem due to poor treatment by the Dursleys.
- Over-protective of friends - prefers to "go at it alone" in dangerous situations.
- Very sensitive about being disbelieved in difficult to believe situations.
- Occasionally gives way to dark feelings and attempts to use dark spells like the Cruciatus Curse.
Notable possessions
- A substantial amount of wizarding gold in a vault in Gringotts inherited from his parents and later Sirius Black (the exact amount is unknown, but as Harry has inherited the money of the both the Potters and (since the death of his godfather) the Blacks, both prominently wealthy wizarding families, it is assumed that he has a substantial fortune)
- A wand of holly, eleven inches long, with a single phoenix tail-feather core. The originator of this feather, Fawkes, also happens to be the originator of the feather in Lord Voldemort's wand.
- Hedwig, a snowy postal owl (a birthday present from Hagrid).
- A Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom (which was at the time very popular) which was destroyed when it got too close to the Whomping Willow. It was noted that Harry had kept the broken pieces, but since acquiring his Firebolt, it is unknown if he has thrown them away or not and will most likely never be adressed. However, it was made clear that the broom cannot be repaired.
- An Invisibility Cloak (Inherited from his father, passed on by Albus Dumbledore as a Christmas present in his first year).
- A photo album with pictures of his parents and their friends (another present from Hagrid).
- De-facto loyalty of a house-elf named Dobby who works in the Hogwarts Kitchens, formerly owned by the Malfoy family.
- Special Award for Services to the School for finding the Chamber of Secrets and defeating its evil.
- The Marauder's Map (given to him by Fred and George Weasley; drawn by friends Messrs. Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew), Moony (Remus Lupin), Padfoot (Sirius Black) and Prongs (James Potter, Harry's father)).
- A pocket Sneakoscope (a birthday present from Ron).
- A Firebolt, the most expensive and widely considered the very best racing broom available. Given to him as a Christmas present by Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a replacement for his destroyed Nimbus 2000.
- A wallet with jaws (given to him by Hagrid)
- An all-opening knife (given to him by Sirius Black), of which one blade was fused when trying to open a door at the Ministry of Magic.
- A living miniature model of a Hungarian Horntail dragon, which he fought in the Triwizard Tournament. The model of the black dragon has not been seen since The Goblet of Fire.
- A miniature-sized version of a Firebolt, given to him by Tonks in OotP to make up for the temporary confiscation of his fullsized broom.
- A two-way mirror (given to him by Sirius Black); since broken.
- An ancient London mansion at Number 12 Grimmauld Place (inherited from Sirius Black) along with much of its treasures and heirlooms.
- A house-elf (technically his servant) named Kreacher (reluctantly inherited from Sirius Black) sent to work in Hogwarts kitchens.
- A hippogriff named Buckbeak, now called Witherwings (inherited from Sirius Black, currently housed at Hogwarts under Hagrid's care).
- A Potions textbook (Advanced Potion Making) originally belonging to the Half-Blood Prince, complete with notes and Dark curses made by the previous owner.
- A small bottle of Felix Felicis luck potion given to him by the elderly Potions Master Horace Slughorn as a prize in his sixth year. It is assumed that it has been used up.
- A fake Horcrux from someone known as R.A.B., in the form of a locket.
Trivia
- Harry Potter was recently voted #85 among the 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900
- July 31 (Harry's birthday in the series) is J. K. Rowling's birthday in real life.
See also
References
- Template:Note Harry's eyes are described as green in the novels, although actor Daniel Radcliffe, who plays him in the film adaptations, has blue eyes, because he didn't want to wear the contacts that they gave him.
- [2] JKRowling.com
Archives: Birthdays from MuggleNet
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| J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | |||
| Philosopher's Stone | book | film | game |
| Chamber of Secrets | book | film | game |
| Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | game |
| Goblet of Fire | book | film | game |
| Order of the Phoenix | book | (film) | |
| Half-Blood Prince | book | (film) | |
| Unnamed Seventh Book | (book) | ||
| | |||
| Other books | Other games | ||
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup | ||
| Quidditch Through the Ages | |||
| | |||
| Plot – Characters – Places – Translations – Wizarding world - Related articles | |||
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