Harry Potter (character)

Template:HP Character Harry James Potter (born 31 July 1980) is a fictional character and the hero of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

The stories concern events at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where his best friends are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. His most intriguing physical characteristic is a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, which he gained when the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort attempted to murder baby Harry with the killing curse, Avada Kedavra. Voldemort also killed Harry's parents and destroyed their home on 31 October 1981. Harry is famous throughout the wizarding world for being the only known person to have survived Avada Kedavra and in so doing caused Lord Voldemort's downfall.

In the novels, Harry, the only child of James and Lily Potter, is often told that he resembles his father, with the same perpetually untidy jet-black hair. He has also inherited his mother's green eyes. Harry is described as being small and skinny for his age, but later is described as tall. His appearance is often characterised by his round spectacles.

In 2002 Harry Potter was voted No. 85 among the 100 Best fictional characters by Book magazine..

Harry shares his birthday with author J. K. Rowling. The books generally avoid giving exact dates for events, but the birth year of Harry's classmate, Draco Malfoy, was released by Rowling at a charity auction as part of the Black family tree. For a discussion of other dates within the books see Dates in Harry Potter

In the film adaptations of the series, Harry has been portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe. Template:Spoiler

Background

Harry Potter is famous in the wizarding world for surviving a murderous attack by Lord Voldemort, one of the most powerful and feared wizards ever known and the primary villain in the series. Harry's parents, James and Lily, were killed in this incident on 31 October 1981 in their home in Godric's Hollow. James died first, defending Lily and one-year-old Harry. When Lily sacrificed herself for her son, ancient magic then protected Harry from Voldemort, whose killing curse rebounded off Harry and onto him. Harry survived unscathed apart from the now-famous lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, but Voldemort lost his powers and his corporeal form, leading to his exile and decline in the wizarding world. Ever since, Harry has been heralded as, "The Boy Who Lived" — and many in the wizarding world credit him for Voldemort’s downfall.

After his parents' death, Harry was forced to live with his only remaining family–his mother's Muggle sister, Petunia Dursley, and her husband, Vernon, in the town of Little Whinging, Surrey, England. The Dursleys live at Number Four, Privet Drive in an impeccably maintained house and seem moderately well off. However, throughout Harry's first eleven years, they neglect him in favour of their own son, Dudley, and attempt to remove all traces of Harry's magical self. They reveal nothing about his past and isolate him from the wizarding world. Dumbledore later explains that Harry must stay with the Dursleys because the magical protection created by Lily's death, and that was later enhanced by Dumbledore, can only remain in effect by living with his maternal blood relatives.

Harry is categorised as a half-blood wizard, even though both his parents were magical. His mother Lily (Evans) Potter was Muggle-born and, according to Rowling, to those for whom blood purity matters, she is considered the equivalent to a Muggle - and derogatively referred to as a "Mudblood". [1]. Little is known about Harry's relations.

Harry's father, James Potter, was born into a pure-blood wizarding family, to somewhat elderly parents, apparently their only child. It is likely Harry is distantly related to other pure-blood families through his father, since according to Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, all the old pure-blood families are related through intermarriage. Harry inherited his father's wealth, which is stored in a vault at Gringott's bank. He later inherits Sirius’ property.

Harry may also be related to his godfather. According to the Black family tree, Charlus Potter married Dorea Black, granddaughter of Phineas Nigellus Black, with the result that James and Sirius may have been first cousins once-removed. This seems to contradict Rowling's statements that James's parents were "old in wizarding terms" when they died, because 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. However, Charlus and Dorea were born into the same generation as Sirius's grandparents, so it is possible they might be James' parents. Regardless, since no living Potter relatives or any unrelated wizards named Potter have yet appeared in the series, it is possible that Charlus Potter, and thus Sirius, were somehow related to Harry.

For more, see Relatives of Harry Potter.

Life at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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Harry Potter during his first year at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, eleven-year-old Harry learns he is a wizard when Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and aide to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, hand-delivers his invitation to attend the school. Previous letters were intercepted and destroyed by his aunt and uncle, who want nothing to do with magic. Hagrid tells Harry about his magical background and his fame in the wizarding community, but Harry soon comes to dislike his celebrity status that causes many people to either fawn over him or be resentful.

At Hogwarts, Harry is sorted into Gryffindor House. He becomes friends with Ron Weasley, and eventually Hermione Granger. Sharing his dormitory are Ron, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Draco Malfoy, who was sorted into Slytherin, becomes Harry's enemy after Harry rebuffs his offer of friendship. Malfoy's airs of pureblood supremacy and his scathing remarks about the Weasley family and Muggle-born students alienate Harry. Because of his natural flying abilities, Harry becomes the youngest member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in 100 years.

Unfortunately, Lord Voldemort has secretly returned to the wizarding world. Using Defence against the Dark Arts Professor Quirinus Quirrell as a host body, he searches Hogwarts for the Philosopher's Stone, which he believes will restore his body and make him immortal. Voldemort is thwarted by Harry, with help from Ron and Hermione, and — unable to defeat Harry and seize the Stone—the Dark Lord abandons Quirrell, leaving him to die.

After completing his first year at Hogwarts, Harry returns to the Dursleys knowing for the first time that there are people who care about him, and he now has a place to call “home.”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry faces more challenges. Some are merely annoying (such as Gilderoy Lockhart's attempt to exploit his fame and Colin Creevey's hero worshipping), but more serious incidents include ostracism by most of the school after Harry is revealed to be a parselmouth (the ability to speak with snakes) and suspicion that he is the Heir of Slytherin. The Heir is believed responsible for attacks on Muggle-borns throughout the school. Harry’s toughest challenge, however, is a deadly Basilisk that is released by a soul shard (see Horcrux) of Tom Riddle, a younger "memory" of Voldemort hidden within his old diary. Riddle releases the serpent from the Chamber of Secrets by controlling Ginny Weasley, after she starts reading the diary.

Harry proves his mettle in the book's climax by rescuing Ginny from the Chamber, killing the Basilisk with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and defeating Riddle by stabbing the diary with one of the Basilisk's venonmous fangs, destroying both the diary and the Soul Fragment within.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry undergoes many changes — the constant danger and horrific events take a heavy emotional toll. Harry also enters puberty, as do Ron and Hermione, and all suffer mood-swings. When Harry and Ron start noticing girls, Cho Chang, a pretty Ravenclaw student, becomes Harry's first crush.

Harry becomes the target of Sirius Black, a murderous wizard who escaped from Azkaban (Britain's wizarding prison). Hunting Black are strange hooded creatures called Dementors, the guards of Azkaban. It was Black who divulged James and Lily Potter's secret whereabouts to Voldemort and murdered their friend, Peter Pettigrew. More disturbing — Sirius was James' best friend and Harry's godfather. Harry vows to find and kill Black but eventually discovers that Sirius never betrayed his parents—it was Peter Pettigrew. He faked his own death and implicated Black for the crimes.

Sirius offers Harry what he most wants: a home away from the Dursleys. Harry eagerly accepts, only to lose this opportunity when Pettigrew—and the truth—escape. An innocent Sirius is forced back into hiding.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Harry struggles to maintain hold of his wand during the Priori Incantatem

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts hosts an inter-school competition called, the Triwizard Tournament. Two other wizarding schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Institute are also participating. After one champion from each school is selected, Harry is mysteriously chosen as a fourth competitor, even though he is underage and never entered his name into the Goblet of Fire.

The triwizard champions face three dangerous challenges on their way to the Triwizard Cup. Although most students, including Ron Weasley, believe Harry cheated to enter, Hogwart's champion Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff befriends him after Harry passes on a tip about the first challenge. Harry also experiences romantic feelings and copes with complicated personal relationships. At Christmas, a dismayed Harry learns he is required to attend the Yule Ball.

During the final challenge, Cedric and Harry help each other and agree to grab the Cup simultaneously, unaware it is actually a portkey. It transports them to a graveyard where Lord Voldemort awaits. On Voldemort's order, his servant, Peter Pettigrew, kills Cedric with the Avada Kedavra curse. Harry is bound to a tombstone and forced to witness a ritual (which uses his blood) that restores Lord Voldemort to his old body.

After summoning his Death Eaters, Voldemort engages Harry in a deadly wizard's duel. But unbeknownst to him, his wand and Harry's are "brothers": each contains a feather from Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes. The wands' magical streams interlock and produce a Priori Incantatem effect. Harry forces the stream backwards into Voldemort's wand, causing its victims' spirit "echoes" to spill out, including James and Lily Potter and Cedric Diggory. The combined spirits momentarily shield Harry, allowing him to escape through the portkey with Cedric's body.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry discovers that Voldemort's servant, Barty Crouch Jr, has been impersonating Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, "Mad-Eye" Moody with polyjuice potion. It was Crouch who entered Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and ensured he reached the Triwizard Cup. After rescuing Harry and the real Moody from Crouch, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall use Veritaserum to force Barty's confession. But before it can be repeated to the authorities, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge orders a Dementor to suck out his soul. As a result, few believe Harry that Voldemort has returned.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins with Harry at the Dursleys' for the summer. He is desperate for news of the wizarding world, knowing that Voldemort has returned (which the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe). One night, he is attacked by dementors and uses a Patronus Charm to defend himself and his Muggle cousin, Dudley, although underage wizards are forbidden to use magic outside school.

For his safety, Harry is taken to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, a dilapidated house in London owned by his godfather Sirius Black that now serves as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. He learns the Order is preparing for Voldemort's return, but is denied any additional information. Ron and Hermione tell Harry that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has been waging a smear campaign against him and Dumbledore in The Daily Prophet, discounting their 'claims' that Lord Voldemort has returned.

Thanks to testimony from Dumbledore and Arabella Figg, Harry is cleared of illegally using magic and will not be expelled. In retaliation against Dumbledore, Fudge appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher so she can spy on the school. Soon after, she is also appointed High Inquisitor, empowered to arbitrarily change school rules. Umbridge will not teach practical Defence Against the Dark Arts techniques, only Ministry-approved theory, and uses painful tactics to try and force Harry to renounce his claims about Voldemort, although he refuses. Urged by Hermione, Harry secretly starts an underground group (sarcastically called 'Dumbledore's Army, or the D.A., in mockery of the Ministry's paranoia) to teach students self-defence.

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(Left to right) Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Throughout the year, Harry has disturbing visions. Realising these are glimpses into Voldemort's mind, Harry initially fears he is being possessed by him. When Voldemort becomes privy to their mental connection, he implants a false vision that Sirius is being tortured at the Ministry office in London. Harry and DA members Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood rush there only to be ambushed by Voldemort's Death Eaters. Voldemort wants a glass sphere containing a prophecy involving him and Harry. Only those whom the prophecy concerns can safely touch the orb. Not wanting to risk exposure, Voldemort lured Harry into the Department of Mysteries to retrieve it for him.

The students bravely battle the Death Eaters, but they are outnumbered. Order members arrive just in time. During the fight, the fragile sphere is smashed. To Harry's horror, Sirius is killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. Enraged, Harry chases Bellatrix into the atrium, vowing to kill her. Voldemort appears and attempts to fatally curse Harry, but Dumbledore arrives, and the two fiercely duel. Voldemort escapes with Bellatrix by disapparating, but not before being seen by the Minister and Ministry employees.

The Ministry publicly acknowledges Voldemort has returned. Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore tells Harry the prophecy is why Voldemort attempted to murder him when he was a baby, and recounts it for him, for it was Dumbledore to whom Trelawney told it to. Still stunned by Sirius' death, Harry cares little about the prophecy, and for now, is unaffected by his foretold destiny—that he must either kill Voldemort, or be killed by him.

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 that there is a prophecy predicting Harry will kill Voldemort. Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the prophecy but refuses to help the newly elected Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione observe Draco Malfoy acting suspiciously in Diagon Alley, Harry suspects he may have joined the Death Eaters. Ron and Hermione dismiss this as being absurd, however, and the subject strains Harry's relationship with them — particularly Hermione.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry is horrified to learn Professor Snape is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is replaced by former potions master, Horace Slughorn, whom Dumbledore coaxed from retirement. Slughorn lends Harry an old potions textbook once belonging to a student identified only as, "The Half-Blood Prince." The book's copious handwritten notes help Harry excel in Potions class. Meanwhile, Harry finds a new love interest, Ginny Weasley.

Dumbledore begins giving Harry private lessons which are actually trips into memories concerning Voldemort collected from various individuals and stored in a Pensieve. The memories reveal Voldemort's personality and how to kill him. His soul is divided into seven parts, with six pieces hidden in objects called Horcruxes. The seventh remains within him. Even if Voldemort's body is destroyed, he cannot be killed while parts of his soul remain earthbound. The memories suggest what magical objects may guard Voldemort's sectioned soul.

At Christmas, Harry overhears Snape and Draco discussing an Unbreakable Vow Snape made to help Draco complete a task for their "master." Professor Dumbledore is unperturbed by this information, which frustrates Harry.

Harry accompanies Dumbledore to retrieve a Horcrux hidden inside a cave. Before leaving, Harry learns more about the prophecy from Trelawney—it was Snape who overheard and revealed the first half to Voldemort. She also mentions strange happenings inside the room of requirements, leading Harry to believe Draco is involved is some plot against Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore remains unconcerned, and their mission continues. They find the horcrux, a locket, although Dumbledore is seriously weakened in the effort.

Dumbledore and Harry return to find the school invaded by Death Eaters. Harry, hidden under his invisibility cloak, is immobilised by Dumbledore when Draco confronts them on the astronomy tower. Death Eaters and Snape soon arrive. When a hesitant Draco will not kill Dumbledore, Snape intervenes and uses a killing curse, sending Dumbledore's body flying over the edge of the tower. Unable to move, Harry can only watch in horror.

Released from the spell, Harry chases Snape, who identifies himself as the Half-Blood Prince. Snape deflects every curse Harry hurls at him, but does not harm him and prevents the other Death Eaters from doing so. He escapes with Draco in tow. Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body. A note inside reveals it is a fake; the real horcrux has been stolen by someone whose initials are R.A.B..

After Dumbledore's funeral, Harry decides to leave Hogwarts, swearing to find Voldemort's four remaining Horcruxes. Two have been destroyed — one (Riddle's diary) by Harry and another (a ring) by Dumbledore — and the mysterious R.A.B. may have eliminated a third (the locket). Harry also desires revenge, now hating Snape as much as he does Voldemort. To protect Ginny from Voldemort, he ends their relationship. Ron and Hermione determine to accompany Harry on his search for the Horcruxes.

The reaffirmation of Ron and Hermione's loyalty to Harry follows a year when the trio's deep bonds were strongly tested. This gesture, along with Harry’s approaching 17th birthday (the age of adulthood in the wizarding world), and the possible closure of Hogwarts symbolises the end of any remaining childhood innocence within the characters. They are nearly adults, ready to face Voldemort together.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Information regarding what is known about the unpublished last book of the series can be found in the article Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Character and relationships

Being raised in the Dursleys household with little love for him or any sort of magic, Harry’s primary desire is to be among those who care for him, and for loved ones to be safe from harm. He gradually realises this is impossible while Voldemort is alive. Curious about the magic world, he often takes on adventures that put himself at risk; but he usually tries to convince his friends not to endanger themselves by accompanying him. Nevertheless, his most loyal friends refuse to let him face any challenge alone.

Harry is easily angered when those he cares for are insulted or threatened. He has little tolerance for anyone he perceives to be on "the other side" — whether these be Death Eaters, people disbelieving his testimony to Dumbledore at the end of GOF, or some Slytherins. Like his friend Ron, Harry is not always a diligent student, often relying on Hermione for help. Harry has also developed a cutting, sardonic sense of humor, with a tendency to turn other's insults against them.

Some of Harry's faults can be attributed to the many calamities in his life. Harry personally witnessed three murders and was forced to relive his earliest terrifying memory - the murder of his parents as they faced Voldemort. He was present when fellow student Cedric Diggory was killed by Peter Pettigrew, saw his godfather Sirius Black sent to his death by a Death Eater at the Ministry of Magic, and witnessed his greatest protector and mentor, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore die at the hands of Severus Snape. Thus far, Harry has confronted Voldemort five times, counting Voldemort's initial attempt on his life as an infant and was tortured by him with the Cruciatus Curse.

For most of his early life, Harry has contended with his cruel and insensitive guardians, the Dursleys, who take every opportunity to denigrate Harry, his parents, and the magical world. In his second year he came under suspicion by the whole school for releasing the basilisk upon the students. In his fourth year he was accused of cheating to enter the triwizard tournament. In his fifth year, he endures most of the wizarding world turning against him, believing him to be an attention-seeking liar and fraud; he thus becomes isolated in school and is taunted by students.

Harry also copes with the usual teenage difficulties in relationships. For example, even though he easily forms close friendships with Hermione and Ron, he has great difficulty asking out Cho Chang, a pretty Ravenclaw. Sometimes Harry gets impatient and even angry with Ron and Hermione, especially when they argue with each other. However, friendship strengthens over the years, with Rowling saying that Harry has effectively adopted Ron and Hermione as a surrogate family[2]. During their sixth year, when Ron and Hermione have a serious argument, Harry is determined to remain friends with both, which (despite him still seeing Ron as his best friend) indicates that Ron and Hermione are now more equal in his life; in a similar situation in their third year, Harry chose to remain friends with Ron at the expense of his friendship with Hermione.

Harry develops many close relationships with adults, particularly with Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore. The Weasley family become a surrogate family who allow Harry to periodically stay with them. Mrs Weasley in particular becomes something of a mother figure; she thinks of him as a son, and to some extent treats him even more kindly than she does her own children. Similarly, the Weasley boys generally treat Harry as another brother, and Mr Weasley shows a paternal fondness for Harry. When Harry learns of the close relationship between Sirius Black and his parents, Harry looks to him as yet another father figure. Harry also strongly favours former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin, one of the Marauders, and another of his father's close friends.

Harry is loyal to his friends and expects loyalty in return, although this trait often prevents Harry from being objective. He tends to follow his instincts, feeling strongly about whom he can and cannot (or will not) trust. For example, from their first meeting, Harry is reluctant to show any trust for Severus Snape, the Potions Master, despite Dumbledore's open and firm confidence in him.

Romantic relationships

Harry's platonic relationship with his closest female friend, Hermione Granger, is occasionally misinterpreted by some characters. Viktor Krum, who is romantically interested in Hermione, grows jealous in Goblet of Fire because she often talks about Harry; Rita Skeeter, an unethical tabloid journalist, uses the nonexistent "love triangle" between Harry, Hermione and Viktor as juicy story material for the Witch Weekly. When Cho Chang becomes Harry's actual girlfriend (of a kind) in Order of the Phoenix, she also misunderstands their friendship, failing to recognise that Skeeter's articles were pure fabrication. Harry and Hermione have only ever been platonic friends, and no romantic feelings exist. In an interview given to fansites The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet, Rowling revealed that Harry sees Ron and Hermione as his adopted siblings, like a brother and sister. In another interview Rowling also stated quite clearly "We now know that it's Ron and Hermione."

Harry's relationship with Cho has roots as early as Prisoner of Azkaban, where he notices how pretty she is and becomes nervous in her presence. A year later, his interest becomes a crush, and he gathers courage to ask her to the Yule Ball, only to learn she is going with Cedric Diggory. Cho and Cedric are tragically torn apart by his death at the end of Goblet of Fire. The following year, Harry becomes the new focus of Cho's attention - still struggling with Cedric's death she turns to him for support. He manages an on-and-off relationship with her throughout the year, even getting his first kiss with her, but ultimately, the relationship cannot endure. The disparate teens are not looking for or experiencing the same things; a still grieving Cho sees Harry as a substitute for Cedric, unable to accept that he is gone. Harry expects a simpler relationship that would relieve his stress rather than amplify it.

Cho's misplaced jealousy of Hermione (who was actually advising Harry and was concerned he was insensitive with Cho) also adds to this dissonance and reaches a breaking point when Cho defends Marietta Edgecombe who betrayed Dumbledore's Army, an action Harry finds unforgivable. After a heated argument over Marietta, Cho's eyes sparkle with tears. When Harry warns he won't tolerate her crying anymore, an insulted Cho stomps off angrily, after which they drift apart. By the end of Order of the Phoenix, Harry has no emotions left for Cho, and she now belongs in his "other universe" that he left behind with Sirius' death. Comments Rowling, "They were never going to be happy, it was better that it ended early!" [3]

Harry's failed relationship with Cho is a contrast to his eventual one with Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, who Rowling says is Harry's "ideal girl" and "total equal". Ginny's unrequited crush on Harry, introduced in Chamber of Secrets and continuing into Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, apparently fades in Order of the Phoenix with Hermione off-handedly informing Harry that Ginny "gave up" on him. She indeed appears to have done just that; her shyness around Harry disappears, and he finally interacts with the girl that, according to Ron, "never shuts up normally". Harry was generally kind with Ginny and her crush on him, but he simply didn't reciprocate her feelings. During his fifth year, Ginny often put the moody and temperamental Harry in his place and is perhaps the most successful dealing with his dark moods. When a disillusioned Harry realises his father was indeed as arrogant as Snape always said, he turns to Ginny to talk about it, trusting she will be non-judgmental. Both having been "tainted" by close encounters with Voldemort and struggling to overcome it is a binding force between them, as is their similar sense of humour.

In Half-Blood Prince, it is Harry who develops unrequited feelings for an apparently uninterested Ginny, which he struggles with throughout the year, including jealousy of her boyfriend, Dean Thomas (although he never openly shows it). Ron vocally disapproves of Ginny's relationship with Dean, which Harry interprets as him objecting to her having any boyfriend, leaving him worried he will have to choose between a relationship with Ginny and his friendship with Ron. Harry's pessimism is unfounded, however: Ginny and Dean break up (helped by his taking some Felix Felicis, a good luck potion). When Harry is swept up in the high of Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory, he spontaneously kisses Ginny in front of the entire Common Room. Ron, initially concerned over them having a relationship, ultimately expresses his approval. Harry's time with Ginny over the next few weeks is described as making him "happier than he could remember being for a very long time".

By the end of Half-Blood Prince, however, Harry ends the relationship to ensure Ginny's safety, fearing Voldemort will target her. Although Ginny accepts this, she confesses that she never truly gave up on him. Harry is pleased that she overcame her crush and learned to be herself around him. This allowed Harry to get to know the real Ginny Weasley and see her for what Rowling has described as Harry's "ideal woman."

Strengths

Generally, in spite of his late start, he has become an exceptionally powerful wizard for his age: with combat skills unrivalled by any in his age group, due largely to Voldemort "marking him as his equal", and the ability to love, as mentioned above.

Interpersonal

Perhaps one of Harry's greatest strengths is his ability to love others despite the continuous suffering and grief in his life. This is most clearly seen in his substantial leadership skills and potential, sufficient to teach his teenage classmates to hold their own and survive against a cadre of Death Eaters (when he teaches Dumbledore's Army, and later during the Battle of the Ministry), which was a likely reason for his promotion to captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. His ability to inspire loyalty means that he has always been surrounded by friends whose skills complement his own, and who are willing to defend him to the point of death. This is in contrast to Voldemort's group of Death Eaters, who only serve him out of fear.

Character traits

At various times through the series, Harry has shown the ability to remain level-headed, retain his composure, and perform advanced feats of wizardry during moments of extreme crisis. He is clever-minded and quick-witted; very strong intuition; can make great 'mental' leaps while under enormous stress; generally has a sense of humor and a positive outlook on life despite the burdens placed on him. He has been shown to be fiercely determined and self-reliant, almost to a fault, although beginning with the fourth book this has been viewed by some people as a tendency to "play the hero".Template:HP4

Academic and athletic

Generally, he receives admirable marks in most classes (especially Defence Against the Dark Arts) from fair and/or competent teachers (Professor Lupin was technically fair in marking Harry's grade and tests). In the OWL's, without the pressure of dealing with classroom teachers, Harry performed well, as evidenced by his results. He can also use certain spells successfully after watching others perform them just once. For example, in Book Two he successfully performs the Expelliarmus spell without any practice, having watched Snape perform it several months earlier. He also masters several of the Half-Blood Prince's spells without any lessons at all. Harry was even able to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange, even though it only had a fraction of its actual power.

Athletically, despite having never ridden a broomstick before attending Hogwarts, Harry has made use of talent inherited from his father James and rigorous training imposed first by Oliver Wood and then Angelina Johnson as team captains to become a successful Quidditch player, as noted many times throughout the series by various people. Harry is Gryffindor's Seeker for every year that he has been at Hogwarts thus far, and is made the Quidditch captain in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Superlative reflexes, born of his Quidditch training, allow him to dodge curses.

Although Harry is commended for his Quidditch abilities, he has only participated in one Quidditich Cup final. In his first year, he is injured, and Gryffindor actually loses the Cup. In his second year, the Cup is cancelled because of the Basilisk attacks on the school. The next year, in Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry plays and wins the first Quidditch House Cup for Gryffindor. In his fourth year, there is no Quidditch throughout the year due to the Triwizard Tournament. The following year, Harry is banned from Quidditch by Dolores Umbridge long before the end of the season. In his sixth year, Harry is held in detention by Snape on the day of the match, and the Gryffindor team wins the Cup without him. And it has been confirmed by J.K. Rowling that there will be no more Quiddich in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Magical

Harry has a number of unusual talents as a wizard.

• The lightning-bolt scar on his forehead is a remnant of Voldemort's murder attempt when he was an infant. The scar serves him later at Hogwarts, burning painfully as an indicator of Voldemort's presence, or whenever the Dark Lord is feeling particularly murderous or exultant. According to Rowling, by attacking Harry, Voldemort gave him, "tools (that) no other wizard possessed – the scar and the ability it conferred, a magical window into Voldemort's mind." [4]

• Harry is a Parselmouth: Harry is able to communicate with snakes, an art both associated with Dark wizards and inherited by descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Albus Dumbledore noted that the gift is merely a useful tool rather than an 'evil' power. Again, he gained this ability from Voldemort himself who, according to Dumbledore, unwillingly transferred some of his powers to Harry when he tried to kill him.

• One of a small percentage of the magical population capable of successfully (and repeatedly) casting a corporeal Patronus Charm to banish Dementors from his presence. Harry learned this at an extraordinarily early age. Harry's corporeal Patronus takes the form of a stag (his father's Animagus form). Many others see this as impressive, and it earns him a bonus point in his OWL test for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

• Ability to fully resist the Imperius Curse, rebuffing even Lord Voldemort. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - no one else in Harry's class could resist it, and the imposter Mad-Eye Moody called it "strength of character".)

• Due to great practice in dueling, Harry has developed exceptional wizard dueling skills, able to overpower numerous Death Eaters, even with their knowledge of the Dark Arts and older years.

• Harry is an excellent broomsman. This is another parallel drawn between Harry and his father James, who was also an exceptional Quidditch player. Harry can outfly anyone in the school, even impressing professional Quidditch player Viktor Krum.

Weaknesses

Character flaws

Harry generally has trouble dealing with emotions and can be subject to near-extreme mood swings. He has trouble opening himself up to others, attempts to solve everything by himself and veers between self-doubt and over-confidence; has moments of low self-esteem due to poor treatment by the Dursleys, but these are very few and do not last long. He can undervalue his friends - usually prefers to "do it alone" in dangerous situations; has a heroic nature that causes him to rush into situations without first assessing the dangers and makes him predictable to his enemies (Hermione Granger describes him as having a 'saving-people thing'), and can be very sensitive about being disbelieved in difficult-to-believe situations. He has a tendency to make leaps of judgment, which played to his disadvantage in the sixth book when he was convinced, and subsequently tried to convince others, that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater.

At the other end of the spectrum, Harry can be easily angered when derogatory comments are directed to his parents or friends. In his anger and his shame, he can sometimes do impressive damage to an enemy without consciously meaning to do so (Sectumsempra is an example). He often refuses to accept advice or criticism either from someone whom he has decided he doesn't like, such as Severus Snape, or those with whom he disagrees. As he gets older (and experiences more terrible events), his anger and hatred grow colder and harder, and he increasingly gives way to dark feelings. More than once he has attempted to torture a Death Eater with the Cruciatus Curse. Harry has clearly been scarred by the horrific events in his life which manifests itself in his anger. This may be partially due to typical teenage hormones, in addition to Voldemort's projecting thoughts/feelings from his own mind into Harry's as Dumbledore revealed (in Half-Blood Prince) that Voldemort had stopped doing this before the book's events began, making Harry less ill-tempered in the sixth book than he is in book five.

Other weaknesses

While Harry (initially) lacks intellectual curiosity, rarely taking the initiative to learn new spells and powers that he is capable of performing unless he needs to, he shows curiosity in almost everything else. More than one time has Harry caused himself trouble for wandering the school corridors after lights out.

Harry is extremely visually impaired; he perpetually wears glasses, which cost him an important faculty in his development.

He is a mediocre student (for his potential); until his OWLS., he gets barely higher than average standardised test scores, though he does get high marks in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Magical

There are a number of magical skills that Harry has yet to master:

• Difficulty with consciously performing non-verbal magic. However, this may have been due to a mental block and a hatred for his unfair and cruel teacher (Snape). Yet he is able to perform a small amount of non-verbal magic when he practices on his own, especially Levicorpus.
• Similarly, difficulty with wandless magic. However, after he drops his wand at one point in HP5, he achieves a successful wandless Lumos.
• Snape attempted to teach Harry Occlumency through the use of Legilimency. Although Harry learned some of the basics of the two arts, he had an overall poor success rate. Rowling says that this is because Harry has been "too damaged" in some ways, and his emotions are always too close to the surface to be suppressed.
• Harry cannot non-verbally block or parry strong spells (although he is masterful in using the Shield Charm, Protego, aloud). Several of Harry's enemies, including Snape and Voldemort, are able to. Snape suggests that blocking is connected to Occlumency and non-verbal magic (see above); this might, however, be construed as Snape using Legilimency to anticipate what spells Harry intends to use.
• Harry has shown no aptitude for developing new original magic of his own. In contrast Voldemort, Snape, James Potter, and Fred and George Weasley had all developed new charms, potions, etc. at his age. Given Harry's lack of exposure to the Magical world and the Dursleys' attempts to suppress his magical heritage when in their home, this isn't entirely his fault. It also does not mean he is incapable of it; he simply has not done so yet.
• While Dumbledore uses his sensitivity to magic to explore a magical cave, Harry appears to be insensitive to the presence of magic, although it is suggested that he might have perceived a small amount of it within the cave.
• Harry shows weakness in some classes, including Potions, History of Magic, and Divination, which results in poor knowledge and lack of ability in these branches of magic. However, the corresponding instructors are half-responsible for this. In Potions class (and elsewhere), Professor Snape constantly antagonises and insults Harry. In History of Magic, Professor Binns is so boring that only Hermione can withstand his droning teaching manner, and even she lapses occasionally. In Divination class, Professor Trelawney is constantly predicting his doom, which only adds to Harry's discomfort and disgust in the class.

Notable possessions

• A locket, which proved to be a fake Horcrux, left by R.A.B..
• A two-way mirror (given to him by Sirius, now broken but Rowling has said it is still important).
• A wand of holly, eleven and a half inches long, with a single phoenix feather core. The tailfeather came from Fawkes, who also happens to be the originator of the feather in Lord Voldemort's wand.
• A small fortune in a vault in Gringotts, inherited from his parents, James and Lily Potter, and his godfather, Sirius Black.
• Hedwig, a pet Snowy Owl, who doubles as a postal delivery owl for Harry. Given as a birthday present from Hagrid.
• An Invisibility Cloak, inherited from his father, passed on by Albus Dumbledore as a Christmas present in Harry's first year.
• A house-elf named Kreacher, reluctantly inherited from Sirius, sent to work in the Hogwarts kitchens. Also the loyalty of a second house-elf named Dobby, who works in the kitchens at Hogwarts, but formerly owned by the Malfoy family.
• The Marauder's Map. Given to him by Fred and George Weasley; created by Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, it shows Hogwarts castle and everyone currently in it.
• A Firebolt racing broom, which replaced his Nimbus Two Thousand that got destroyed when it flew into the Whomping Willow during a Quidditch match, as a Christmas present from Sirius Black (who told him to think of it as thirteen years' worth of birthday presents).
• An ancient London mansion at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, inherited from Sirius, along with all of its treasures and heirlooms.
• A photo album with pictures of his parents - another present from Hagrid.
• A Special Award for Services to the School for finding the Chamber of Secrets and killing the Basilisk that lived inside it.
• A Hippogriff named Buckbeak, now called Witherwings, inherited from Sirius. Buckbeak is currently living in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, under Hagrid's care.
• A small bottle of Felix Felicis luck potion given to him as a prize in a Potions lesson.Template:HP6 It has since been exhausted.

See also

• Harry Potter series
• Relatives of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter Bibliography: Research and Criticism
• Potter Puppet Pals
• Daniel Radcliffe
• The Original Harry Potter - 1986

External links

• Harry Potter: Quick facts from the HP lexicon
• Harry Potter quotes from Mugglenet
• The Trouble With Harry Potter
• Harry Potter (character) on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki