Harry Potter (character)

Template:HP character Harry James Potter is a fictional character and the protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series of books. He is also known as "The Chosen One" and "The Boy Who Lived."

In 2002, Harry Potter was voted No. 85 among the "100 Best Fictional Characters" by Book magazine and also voted the 35th "Worst Briton" in Channel 4's "100 Worst Britons We Love to Hate" program.

In the Harry Potter film adaptations, Harry has been portrayed by British actor Daniel Radcliffe.

Background

The novels concern events at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry's best friends are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. His most intriguing physical characteristic is a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, the result of the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort's attempt to murder Harry as a baby with The Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. Voldemort killed Harry's parents and destroyed their home in the village of Godric's Hollow on October 31st. Harry is famous throughout the wizarding world for being the only known person to have survived the Killing Curse, and in doing so brought about Lord Voldemort's first downfall.

In the novels, Harry, the only child of James and Lily Potter, is often told that he resembles his father, with similar perpetually untidy jet-black hair. However, he inherited his mother's green eyes. Harry has the personality of his father (a knack for mischief and a certain calculated disregard for the rules, occasional bouts of bad temper, a penchant for risk taking, courage, and loyalty). Harry is described as being small and skinny for his age in the first few novels, but by the fifth he is described as tall as he falls into the adolescent confusions characteristic of the battles between the sexes and J.K Rowling emphasizes the point by having both he and Ron undergo a growth spurt over the next summer making a need for new school gowns an important plot element in "Prince" prior to the sixth year of Hogwarts. He also has a thin face and a rather quiet voice, except when he is angry. His appearance is rounded off by characteristic round glasses.

Harry shares his birthday, July 31, with author J. K. Rowling. The books generally avoid giving exact dates for events, but it has been gathered that Harry was born in the same year as his constant antagonist Draco Malfoy, whose date of birth was given on a family tree written by Rowling for a charitable auction—both were too young to take the apparation certification test with most of their sixth year classmates in the sixth book.

Heritage and other family

See also: Relatives of Harry Potter

Harry is categorised as a "half-blood" wizard in the series, because although both his parents were magical, his mother, Lily Evans, was "Muggle-born". According to Rowling, to characters for whom wizarding blood purity matters Lily would be considered "as loathsome as a Muggle", and derogatively referred to as a "Mudblood." To be a "pure-blood" wizard, both parents and all grandparents also would have to be wizards and witches.

Harry's father, James Potter, was born into a "pure-blood" wizarding family as the only child of somewhat elderly parents. 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. Harry inherited a small fortune from his parents, which is stored in Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Diagon Alley, London. He later inherits Sirius' property, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

Harry may also be related to his godfather. In the film, 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" — 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's 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, was somehow related to Harry.

In the books

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, eleven-year-old Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard when Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and aide to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, hand-delivers his invitation to attend the school. Hagrid tells Harry about his magical background and his fame in the wizarding community. Harry also learns that his parents, James and Lily, have left him a small fortune. Harry's first introduction to the wizarding world is Diagon Alley, a hidden wizarding district in London. While there he buys a magic wand at Ollivander's, as well as spellbooks, and receives an owl from Hagrid. On the Hogwarts Express, the train that takes students from London's King's Cross station to the school, he meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who later become his closest friends. All three are "sorted" into Gryffindor House, one of four school Houses. Harry joins the Gryffindor Quidditch team, becoming the youngest Seeker in more than a century. Draco Malfoy becomes Harry's rival. Meanwhile, Lord Voldemort (long presumed dead) has secretly returned. Using the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Quirrell as a host body, he searches Hogwarts for the Philosopher's Stone that he believes will restore his body and make him immortal. Voldemort is thwarted by Harry, with help from Ron and Hermione.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry faces more challenges when he is revealed to be a parselmouth. Now there is a growing suspicion that he may be the Heir of Slytherin. The Heir is believed responsible for attacks on Muggle-born pupils throughout the school. Harry’s toughest challenge, however, is posed by Tom Riddle, the "memory" of a younger Lord Voldemort hidden within his old diary that has mysteriously fallen into Ginny Weasley's possession. Controlling Ginny through the diary, Riddle uses her to release a deadly basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets. Harry proves his mettle in the book's climax by rescuing Ginny from the Chamber and killing the Basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's sword. Harry also tricks Lucius Malfoy into freeing his house elf, Dobby, who has helped Harry.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry becomes the supposed target of Sirius Black, a murderous wizard who escaped from Azkaban, Britain's wizarding prison. Hunting Black are terrifying, hooded creatures called Dementors, the guards of Azkaban. Despite the danger, Harry returns to school, but lacking his guardians' written permission, he is barred from joining student outings to Hogsmeade, the nearby wizarding village. Fred and George Weasley give him their Marauder's Map, a magical document showing secret passageways in and out of Hogwarts, as well as every person's location within the castle. Harry uses a tunnel to slip into Hogsmeade wearing his Invisibility Cloak. At Christmas, Harry receives a Firebolt racing broom from an annonymous benefactor after his Nimbus 2000 is destroyed by the Whomping Willow during a Quidditch match. Suspecting Black sent it, Hermione reports it to McGonagall, who confiscates it for testing. Harry overhears that Black is his godfather and was his father's best friend. He is believed to have divulged the Potters' secret whereabouts to Lord Voldemort and was convicted of murdering their friend, Peter Pettigrew, as well as twelve Muggle bystanders. Harry vows to find and kill Black only to discover that he never betrayed his parents—it was Peter Pettigrew, who faked his own death and framed Black for the crimes. Harry is ecstatic that his godfather will be exonerated and can become his legal guardian. However, when Pettigrew—and the truth—escape, Black is forced back into hiding.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts hosts the Triwizard Tournament, a recently revived inter-school competition. The Beauxbaton Academy and the Durmstrang Institute also participate. 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 champions face three dangerous challenges on their way to the Triwizard Cup. During the final event, Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory and Harry help each other and agree to grab the Cup simultaneously, unaware it is actually a Portkey. They are transported to a graveyard where Lord Voldemort awaits. On Voldemort's order, his servant Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) murders Cedric with the Killing curse. Harry is bound to a tombstone and forced to witness a ritual (which uses his blood) that restores Lord Voldemort's body. When Voldemort engages Harry in a duel, their wands' magical streams interlock, creating an effect called Priori Incantatem that momentarily shields Harry, allowing him time to grab the Portkey and escape back to Hogwarts. Voldemort's servant, Barty Crouch Jr is unmasked; he has been posing as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher "Mad-Eye" Moody by using polyjuice potion. Crouch's soul is sucked out by a Dementor before he can repeat his confession to officials, causing the Ministry of Magic to dispute Harry and Dumbledore's claims that Voldemort has returned.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is attacked by Dementors while staying with his aunt and uncle for the summer. He casts a Patronus Charm to defend himself and his Muggle cousin, Dudley. Harry is charged with performing underage magic and must appear at a hearing at the Ministry of Magic and may be expelled from Hogwarts. Dumbledore has him 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. Harry is cleared thanks to testimony from Dumbledore and Harry's neighbor, Arabella Figg, a Squib who has secretly guarded Harry since he was an infant. In retaliation against Dumbledore, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher so she can spy on the school. She is later appointed High Inquisitor, empowered to arbitrarily change and impose school rules. Urged by Hermione, Harry secretly trains students in real defensive magic. The group call themselves, "Dumbledore's Army" (D.A.). When Voldemort implants a false vision in Harry's mind that Sirius is being tortured at the Ministry office in London, Harry and D.A. members Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood rush to his rescue. Lured into the Department of Mysteries, the students are ambushed by Voldemort's Death Eaters. Order of the Phoenix reinforcements arrive in time, although Sirius is killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. Voldemort appears and attempts to fatally curse Harry, but Dumbledore's sudden arrival saves him. Voldemort grabs Bellatrix and disapparates, but not before being seen by the Minister and Ministry employees, vindicating both Harry and Dumbledore.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, following Voldemort's reappearance at the Ministry of Magic, many in the wizarding now call Harry, "The Chosen One". Harry, meanwhile, learns that he has inherited his godfather Sirius Black's estate, including Grimmauld Place, the Black family home that houses the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, as well as the Black's half-crazed house elf, Kreacher.

Harry is stunned when Professor Snape is announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. His vacant position has been filled by Horace Slughorn, who Harry unwittingly helped Dumbledore to recruit. Slughorn's appointment reopens Harry's career path to becoming an Auror—otherwise Harry's O.W.L. score in potions under Professor Snape would have been inadequate for N.E.W.T.-level courses. Professor Slughorn lends Harry an old textbook once belonging to a student identified only as "The Half-Blood Prince". The book contains copious handwritten notes that help Harry excel in the class and wins him a prize from Slughorn—a small vial of Felix Felices, a "Good Luck" potion.

Dumbledore begins giving Harry private lessons which are actually trips into various individuals' memories concerning Voldemort that are stored in a Pensieve. Dumbledore surmises that to ensure immortality, Voldemort splintered his soul into seven fragments called Horcruxes with six pieces placed into common objects. Dumbledore believes Voldemort left the seventh fragment inside his body. Two Horcruxes have been destroyed (Tom Riddle's diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring). Harry and Dumbledore retrieve a third Horcrux, a locket, hidden inside a secret cave, although Dumbledore is seriously weakened in the effort. They return to find the school invaded by Death Eaters. Dumbledore is killed by Snape, who identifies himself to Harry as the Half-Blood Prince as he escapes with Draco Malfoy. Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, but a note inside reveals it is a fake; the real Horcrux was taken by someone whose initials are R.A.B..

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

File:Godric's Hollow.jpg

Screenshot of the Potter house in Godric's Hollow from the first film.

It is unknown what will happen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; however, Harry stated at the Half-Blood's Prince's conclusion that he was leaving Hogwarts, even if it reopens, a revelation that surprised Ron, but was expected by Hermione.

As Half-Blood Prince ended, Harry vowed to destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes, "whether in a month, in a year, or in ten," after returning to the Dursley's per Dumbledore's wishes to "top off" the protection given him by Dumbledore's invocation of ancient magic. He first plans to return to his birthplace at Godric's Hollow; "For me, it all started there, all of it. I've just got a feeling I need to go there. And I can visit my parents' graves, I'd like that."

Rowling has stated that Harry will attend Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, which Ron considers necessary before visiting Godric's Hollow. Although Harry resisted having anyone join his fight against Lord Voldemort, it appears that Hermione and Ron are determined to accompany him, whether he wants them to or not.

Character and relationships

Being raised by the Dursleys who have no love for him or magic, Harry’s primary desire is to be with his friends and loved ones and to keep them safe, but he realizes this is impossible while Voldemort is alive. His inquisitive nature often leads him on risky adventures. Although he usually discourages others from following, his most loyal friends insist on accompanying him.

Harry is easily angered when those he cares for are insulted or threatened. He has little tolerance for anyone involved in "the dark arts" — whether these are Death Eaters, Slytherins, or those who dispute his claims about Voldemort. Like his friend Ron, Harry is a bright, but lazy student, often relying on Hermione's help. Harry has a sardonic sense of humour, 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. He was forced to live with the cruel Dursleys, personally witnessed three murders, and has had to relive terrifying memories. He witnessed Peter Pettigrew kill his classmate Cedric Diggory, saw his godfather Sirius Black sent to his death by Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, and witnessed his greatest protector and mentor, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore die when Severus Snape fatally cursed him. Thus far, Harry has confronted Voldemort five times and was tortured by him with the Cruciatus Curse.

For most of his early life, Harry has contended with his cruel guardians, the Dursleys, who took every opportunity to denigrate Harry, his parents, and the magical world. In his second year, his fellow students suspected he was responsible for the attacks on half-blood and muggle-born students. In his fourth year, students believed he cheated to enter the Triwizard tournament. As he enters his fifth year, he endures many in the wizarding world turning against him, believing he is an attention-seeking liar.

Harry also copes with the usual teenage problems. While he easily forms close friendships with Hermione and Ron, he has difficulty asking out Cho Chang, a pretty Ravenclaw student. Harry can be impatient and angry with Ron and Hermione, especially when the two argue. However, their friendship strengthens over the years, with Rowling saying that Harry has effectively adopted Ron and Hermione as a surrogate family. During their sixth year, when Ron and Hermione have a serious argument, Harry is determined to remain friends with both, which indicates that Ron and Hermione are now more equal in his life. During their third year, Harry chose to remain friends with Ron at the expense of his friendship with Hermione, while the situation was reversed in their fourth year.

Harry also develops close relationships with adults, particularly Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore. The Weasley family have also become a surrogate family to him, with Mr and Mrs Weasley consider him much like a son. Similarly, the Weasley children generally treat Harry as another brother, although Ginny has a crush on him. He also forms a close familial relationship with Sirius Black, his late father's best friend, Harry's godfather, and possibly a distant blood relation. Harry also befriends former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin, one of the four Marauders, and another of his father's close friends.

Harry is loyal to his friends and expects loyalty in return, although this trait often clouds his objectivity. He is highly intuitive and 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 trust Severus Snape, the Potions Master, despite Dumbledore's unwavering confidence in him.

Harry also has enemies at Hogwarts, most notably Draco Malfoy. Draco has despised him since their first days at Hogwarts and looks for any opportunity to torment Harry and his friends. Draco is recruited to the "dark side" in the sixth book, and Voldemort orders him to murder Dumbledore, although Draco appeard to be an unwilling accomplice. Draco made two half-hearted attempts kill the headmaster, but it was Snape who ultimately killed Dumbledore.

Romantic relationships

Much curiosity has been generated about Harry and Hermione Granger's platonic relationship. 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, exploits this (nonexistent) "love triangle" as juicy story material for the Witch Weekly. When Cho Chang becomes Harry's girlfriend in The Order of the Phoenix, she also misinterprets their friendship.

Harry's interest in Cho has roots as early as Prisoner of Azkaban, when he first notices her. A year later, his interest becomes a crush, and he eventually musters enough courage to invite her to the Yule Ball, only to learn she is attending with Cedric Diggory. Cho's relationship with Cedric abruptly ends with his murder in Goblet of Fire. The following year, she becomes interested in Harry. He manages an on-off relationship with her throughout the year, even experiencing his first kiss with her. The relationship ultimately fails due to their disparate expectations: a grieving Cho sees Harry as a substitute for Cedric, while Harry wants a simpler relationship that would relieve his stress rather than amplify it.

Cho's misplaced jealousy over Hermione adds to the 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 becomes emotional. When Harry warns he cannot tolerate her crying anymore, an angry Cho stomps off, after which they drift apart. By the end of The Order of the Phoenix, Harry and Cho's feelings for each other have died. Comments Rowling, "They were never going to be happy, it was better that it ended early!"

Harry's failed relationship with Cho is a contrast to his eventual one with Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister. Ginny's crush on Harry, introduced in Chamber of Secrets and continuing into Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, went unrequited; while Harry was always kind to Ginny, he simply did not reciprocate. By Order of the Phoenix her feelings have apparently faded into friendship, with Hermione off-handedly remarking to Harry that Ginny "gave up" on him. No longer shy around him, Ginny is able to put the moody, depressed, and temperamental Harry in his place, and based on her own experience, reassures him that he has not been possessed by Voldemort.

In Half-Blood Prince, it is Harry who develops feelings for Ginny, which he struggles with throughout the year as becomes increasingly jealous of her boyfriend, Dean Thomas. Ron disapproves that Ginny is dating one of his friends, which Harry interprets as him objecting to her having any boyfriend. He worries he will have to choose between a relationship with Ginny and his friendship with Ron, but his pessimism is unfounded: Ginny and Dean break up (aided by Harry’s use of Felix Felicis, a good luck potion). Swept up in the high of Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory, Harry spontaneously kisses Ginny in front of the entire Common Room. Ron ultimately expresses his approval. Their happiness is short-lived, however. After a few weeks, Harry wants to end their budding relationship, fearing Voldemort will target Ginny to get to him. Ginny belittles the attitude and demonstrates a strong will (as ever), leaving the matter unresolved at the end of the novel.

Strengths

Interpersonal

One of Harry's greatest strengths is his ability to love others despite the grief and hardship in his life. His natural leadership skills, (beginning with him leading Hermione and Ron in defending the Philosophers Stone, the search for the Chamber of Secrets, rescuing Sirius and Buckbeak, et. al.) and the ability to rally and teach his classmates (Dumbledore's Army) Defence Against the Dark Arts, enables them to defend themselves against Death Eaters during the Battle of the Ministry.

With the possible exception of Snape, Malfoy, some Slytherins and suspected Voldemort supporters, Harry generally treats people with courtesy and geniality—including house elves and outsiders such as Luna Lovegood. He extends this consideration to those who annoy him, such as Colin Creevy and other minor characters—and even protects his despised cousin Dudley from the dementors and assists him home.

His ability to inspire loyalty ensures that he is surrounded by friends whose skills complement his own and who would willingly risk their own lives to defend him. This is in contrast to Voldemort's Death Eaters, who mostly serve him out of fear and without a shred of friendship.

Character traits

Harry dislikes being the center of attention and resents others wanting to use his celebrity for their own purpose. He is clever and quick-witted, has strong intuition, can make great "mental" leaps in judgment and logic while under enormous stress. He generally maintains his humour and a positive outlook despite many burdens, including his unwanted fame.

Harry has shown the ability to remain level-headed, retain his composure, and perform advanced wizardry during extreme crisis. He has repeatedly shown himself to be decisive and willing to take calculated risks, both positive traits in leadership character, as is his generally unwavering tenacity. He can be fiercely determined and self-reliant, almost to a fault, and beginning with the fourth book, some characters view this as a tendency to "play the hero"Template:HP4, a trait that is tragically exploited by Voldemort's Death Eaters in "Order of the Phoenix", and is painfully pointed out to him by Hermione in "Half-Blood Prince"Template:HP6.

Academic and athletic

Generally, Harry receives average-to-admirable marks in most classes (especially Defence Against the Dark Arts) from fair and/or competent teachers (Professor Lupin in particular, as stated in book five). Harry performed well in his O.W.L. exams. He can also use some spells successfully after watching others perform them just once. For example, in Book Two he successfully performs Expelliarmus 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. Harry attempts to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange, but it fails to harm her. To be effective, the conjurerer must enjoy the prospect of causing someone severe pain.

Athletically, despite having never ridden a broomstick, Harry quickly becomes a talented Quidditch player. Harry is Gryffindor's Seeker up to his sixth year when he is made the Quidditch captain in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Superlative reflexes, resulting from his Quidditch training, allow him to dodge curses.

Although Harry is commended for his Quidditch abilities, he has participated in only one Quidditich Cup final. In his first year, he is injured, and Gryffindor loses the Cup in their last game. In his second year, the Cup is cancelled due to the Basilisk attacks. Harry finally plays and wins the first Quidditch House Cup for Gryffindor in his third year (Prisoner of Azkaban). Quidditch is suspended during his fourth year due to the Triwizard Tournament. The following year, Harry is banned from Quidditch by Dolores Umbridge early in the season, though Gryffindor wins without him. In his sixth year, Harry becomes the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, but is held in detention by Snape on the day of the last match, and the Gryffindor team repeats its performance from the previous year. There is no Quidditch in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Magical

File:Harry Potter's Wand.jpg

Harry Potter's wand as seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Harry has a number of unusual traits and talents as a wizard.

• The lightning-bolt scar on his forehead is a remnant of Voldemort's murder attempt when Harry was an infant. The scar later serves as an indicator of Voldemort's presence by burning when he is near 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."
• Harry's green eyes, inherited from his mother, which J.K. Rowling said in an interview would be "extremely important."
• 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, unwittingly transferred some of his powers to Harry when he tried to kill him.
• Learned, at just 13 years old, to successfully (and repeatedly) cast a corporeal Patronus Charm to repel Dementors from his presence. Harry's corporeal Patronus takes the form of a stag (his father's Animagus form). Many see this as impressive, and it earns him a bonus point in his OWL test for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He is also able to successfully teach a number of his classmates how to produce a patronus.
• 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 above-average wizard dueling skills and has overpowered numerous Death Eaters, even with their knowledge of the Dark Arts and years of experience (but see below). This may also be due in part to Voldemort transferring some of his skills and abilities to Harry in his first attack on Harry.
• Harry is an excellent broom flyer. This is one parallel that is drawn between Harry and his father James, who was also an exceptional Quidditch player. Harry even impresses professional Quidditch player Viktor Krum.

Weaknesses

Character flaws

Harry has difficulty expressing and controlling emotions and experiences severe mood swings. During extreme emotional stress, Harry can become somewhat irrational. He resists confiding in others, attempts to solve problems alone, and veers between self-doubt and gritty pride; he has low self-esteem, most likely due to his poor treatment by the Dursleys.

He can undervalue his friends - preferring to act alone in dangerous situations; his heroic nature often causes him to rush into situations without assessing the risks, which makes him predictable to his enemies (This could be seen as a savior complex, or, as Hermione Granger calls it: a "saving-people thing"). He can overreact in and make uninformed leaps in judgment; in the sixth book, he suspected early on that Draco Malfoy had become a Death Eater and was involved in something sinister. He was eventually proven right, although not before being dismissed due to his long-running feud with Malfoy.

At the other end of the spectrum, Harry can be easily angered over derogatory comments about his parents or friends. In particularly emotional moments, he is capable of harming an enemy without consciously meaning to (Sectumsempra is an example). He often rejects advice or criticism from those he dislikes, such as Severus Snape. As he matures (and experiences more terrible events), his anger becomes more apparent, becomes more anxious and troubled, and is increasingly overwhelmed by these tumultuous feelings. He attempted, and failed, to torture a Death Eater with the Cruciatus Curse. Dumbledore reassures Harry that this is due to his innately good heart. Harry has clearly been scarred by horrific events which manifests itself in his anger. This may partially be due to typical teenage angst, in addition to Voldemort projecting thoughts into Harry's mind. In Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort had ceased doing this, making Harry less anxious and vision-prone.

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 once Harry has been reprimanded for wandering the school corridors after hours.

He is more than an acceptable student, having been mentioned to have received "good marks" on his grades. In his Ordinary Wizarding Level, out of ten subjects he received 6 Exceeds Expections, one Outstanding (Defense Against the Dark Arts), One Acceptable (Astronomy), One Poor (Divination), and one Dreadful (History of Magic).

Magical

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

• Harry has difficulty 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 and the refilling charm. This could be because Levicorpus is a non-verbal only spell. And that when Harry used the refilling charm he had drunk a special potion called Felix Felicis in which the drinker becomes lucky in whatever he/she does until the potions effects subside.
• Similarly, he has difficulty with wandless magic. However, in Book 1 he performs wandless magic before discovering he is a wizard (such as making glass disappear, allowing a serpent to escape from its terrarium), although it is commonly seen in young wizards to accidentally use magic (often unbeknown to the wizard in question that they have the capability to perform magic at all; or even that there is such a thing, in reality, as magic) when feeling strong emotions such as anger or fear. However in Book 5 Harry successfully casts Lumos without his wand in his hand. Also, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban he shows wandless magic when his aunt insults his family.
• Harry sometimes has serious self-control issues; this is first seen in Book 1 in his various unintentional works of magic, though this is hardly his fault as he wasn't even aware of his magic at the time. However, he continues this behavior later, such as when he blew up his Aunt Marge after her comments about his parents. This is also just his inability to control his emotions, a trait he shows time and again in the series.
• Snape attempted to teach Harry Occlumency through the use of Legilimency. Although Harry learned some of the basics in each, overall he had a poor success rate. Rowling says this is because Harry has been "too damaged" in some ways, and his emotions are always too close to the surface to be suppressed, not to mention being taught Occlumency by the teacher he hates the most, and also because of his instinct that Snape might be hindering him by opening his mind up to Voldemort, or simply making it difficult for him to accomplish, as he seems to enjoy taunting Harry's failure or incompetence.
• 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 do this. 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.
• While Dumbledore uses his sensitivity to magic to explore a magical cave, Harry appears to be insensitive to its presence, although he may have perceived a small amount within the cave. It is also possible that this sensitivity is a mark of a great wizard of Dumbledore's caliber, and that Harry's relative insensitivity is to be expected of an underage, unqualified wizard.
• Harry shows weakness in some classes, including Potions, History of Magic, and Divination, which results in poor knowledge and ability in these magical branches. However, the corresponding instructors are partly responsible for this. In Potions class (and elsewhere), Professor Snape constantly antagonises, upsets, and insults Harry, putting him under pressure and undermining his already low self-confidence. When Professor Slughorn takes over, however, he gets top marks, partly due to the Half Blood Prince's old textbook, but also because he does not hate Slughorn and also because he is actually very good in potions. 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 constantly predicts his doom, which only adds to Harry's discomfort, anxiety, and disgust for the class--along with Divination being a skill that is much more inborn and unconscious than learned and controlled.
• He has shown some significant aptitude for magical combat. For example, when he is holding the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries he blocked Lestrange head on because of his quick reflexes, which will help. However, most of his successful attacks against Death Eaters were not face-on. For example, he has petrified at least two (Dolohov and Greyback) from behind and by surprise, so that they had no opportunity to defend themselves; he temporarily paralysed Lucius Malfoy with the Impedimenta spell while the latter was attempting to strangle him and thus had both hands busy and could not resort to his wand; and he used the same spell on the "big blond Death Eater" that was causing random destruction during the Battle in Hogwarts, but he had privileged aim and also benefited from the surprise factor. Most of his other stand-offs against dark wizards were either passive - Harry used the Shield Charm or ran for cover - or aided by his fellows (e.g., when Neville kicked McNair or Hermione silenced Dolohov). Apart from Voldemort - against whom the Priori Incantatem effect played an important role - Harry has had proper, face-on, unaided and magical skill-dependent duels with only two wizards. Against Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry performed so poorly that he had to hide behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren to avoid being tortured or killed. Against Severus Snape, his performance was marginally better in that he did not need to seek shelter - perhaps because Snape's intent to injure appeared ambiguous - but he was not even able to complete a single spell, was disarmed and put at the mercy of his opponent, only to be rescued by Buckbeak the Hippogriff. Therefore it may be concluded that his prowess in dueling remains an open subject.

Other media

Harry Potter appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Password: Swordfish" voiced by Quinton Flynn. When the threat of the puberty creature Pubertis is known, Harry sees Dumbledore about this and receives a stone that might help him fight Pubertis. Upon confrontation with Pubertis, he rubs the stone three times which summons ghosts to punch it. When it comes to the fourth time, (the stone starts "chafing") Dumbledore appears and tells Harry that the stone can only be warmed up three times (four if you take a week off) and that Pubertis cannot be destroyed since it lives in everyone.

In Epic Movie, a 2007 parody film, he is played by Canadian comedian Kevin McDonald, whereas Harry is portrayed as being somewhat of a pervert as seen when Harry tries to touch Susan Pevensie's breasts.

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy has spoofed Harry as Nigel Planter. Unlike Harry, Nigel has an L-shaped scar on his forehead.

See also

• Relatives of Harry Potter
• Enemies of Harry Potter

External links

• Harry Potter: Quick facts from the HP lexicon
• Harry Potter quotes from Mugglenet
• Harry Potter Bibliography: Research and Criticism
• Harry Potter on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki