Harry Potter (character)
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 orphaned only child of James and Lily Potter. Harry Potter has inherited his mother's bright green eyes and his father's unusually untidy jet-black hair. In his younger years, Potter is described as being small and skinny for his age.
Probably the most intriguing of his physical characteristics is a long thin scar in the middle of his forehead shaped like a bolt of lightning.[1] This is the only physical mark Potter bears that attests to his horrific and traumatic past. It was left by a curse cast by Lord Voldemort on 31 October 1981, which killed his parents and destroyed their home.
Potter attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and his best friends are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Daniel Radcliffe has portrayed the character in all of the Harry Potter films to date, and will appear in the next film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, due for release 13 July 2007.
Biography
Prior to the Harry Potter novels
Harry is famous in the wizarding world for his encounter with Lord Voldemort, one of the most powerful wizards of all time and the primary antagonist in the series, when he was just one year old.
James and Lily Potter were killed in this incident on October 31, 1981, while trying to protect baby Harry from Voldemort. 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 from Voldemort.
Subsequently, when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the curse backfired, rebounding on Voldemort and leaving him bodiless while Harry survived unscathed (minus his now famous scar). 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 has led to Harry being heralded as a celebrity – often touted as "The Boy Who Lived" – as he is the only known person (besides Voldemort himself, as the spell rebounded on him) to have ever survived the Avada Kedavra curse. Many in the wizarding world consider Harry to be the reason for Voldemort’s downfall.
Despite the fact that Harry survived Voldemort's attempt to murder him, it isn’t until the fifth book that he has any idea of why or how Voldemort lost his powers. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry confirms this fact when he replies to a question asked of him by Tom Riddle:
- 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, throughout the first ten years of Potter’s life, 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 potential influence.
It is in many ways important to note that Harry is a half-blood - that is, the offspring of one Muggle or 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 Potter (nee Evans) is a Muggle-born witch: a witch born into a non-magical family. Harry’s status as a half-blood is significant to the plot in many ways, especially since Voldemort himself is a half-blood.
Some fans were confused by Harry's categorisation as a half-blood, given that both his parents were magical, but to those to whom blood purity matters, a Muggle-born is equivalent to a Muggle and thus Harry is considered a half-blood due to his non-magical maternal grandparents.
Family
Not much is known about Harry's relations. His mother, Lily Evans, was born into a Muggle family, and after the death of his parents, Harry 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 probably means 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 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 envious of this.
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. In any case, since so far in the series there have not even been any living Potter relatives of Harry's, let alone unrelated wizards named Potter, it is likely that Charlus Potter was related, in some way, to Harry.
For more, see Relatives of Harry Potter.
Life and adventures while at Hogwarts
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
As recounted in the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry does not even know that he is a wizard until his eleventh birthday. Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and aide to headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore, comes to hand-deliver Harry's invitation to attend Hogwarts after previous invitations had been blocked by the Dursleys. Hagrid tells Harry about his magical background and of his fame in the wizarding community. Even within a short time of knowing of his fame, Harry comes to dislike it and its effect on his relationships, causing various people either to fawn over him or hate him for it.
Harry soon begins his studies at Hogwarts, and is sorted into Gryffindor House. Harry quickly becomes friends with Ron Weasley, and eventually Hermione Granger. Draco Malfoy, who has been sorted into Slytherin, becomes Harry's archnemesis at Hogwarts. Harry shares his dormitory with Ron, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Harry's first year is marked by many things, such as being chosen for the position of Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team due to his natural flying abilities. This appointment to the House team made him the youngest house player in a century.
Voldemort has secretly come out of hiding, returning to the wizarding world to search for the Philosopher's Stone in his quest to regain both a physical body and immortality. Using Hogwarts Defence against the Dark Arts Professor Quirrell as a host body, Voldemort comes to Hogwarts to search for the Stone. Harry thwarts Voldemort and—unable to successfully attack Harry and seize the Stone—flees, leaving Quirrell to die. After completing his first year at Hogwarts, Harry returns to the Dursley’s with the knowledge that he does have people that care for him, and a place that he can now call “home.”
There is a difference in how the film version treats Harry's climactic struggle with Quirrell/Voldemort for the Stone. In the book, Quirrell is blistered and burned as a result of the magical protection provided by Lily Potter when he assaults Harry while attempting to seize the Stone from him; Harry manages to retain the Stone and is saved by Dumbledore, resulting in Voldemort fleeing and leaving Quirrell to die. In the film version, Quirrell's body turns to ash and disintegrates (inevitably resulting in death) as a direct result of the struggle with Harry; Voldemort then flees the remains, harming Harry in the process. Although Harry's actions were clearly in self-defence and justified in both versions, and whilst the effects were caused by the protection charm from Lily Potter (rather than any direct desire to kill on Harry's part), the death of Quirrell in the film is directly caused by Harry, rather than by Voldemort (as it is in the book).
Audio
| Languages |
| Chinese |
| English |
| German |
| Greek |
| Hebrew |
| Japanese |
| Slovak |
| Spanish |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry faces 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 incidents included the ostracism by most of the school after Harry is revealed to be a parselmouth, and is suspected of being the Heir of Slytherin. It was believed that the Heir of Slythern was the one who was causing rampant attacks on muggle-borns throughout the school. Harry’s toughest challenge, however, was in the form of a deadly Basilisk that was released by the soul shard (see Horcrux) of Tom Riddle, the younger image of Voldemort himself. Tom Riddle released the serpent from the aforementioned chamber while controlling Ginny Weasley, by means of the diary Horcrux.
Potter proves 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 fangs, destroying both the diary and Riddle's soul fragment.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Potter starts to change; he begins to grow extremely angry because he believes that Sirius Black, a recent escapee of Azkaban, to be responsible for the betrayal of his parents' whereabouts to Voldemort. Harry also discovers that Black was his father's best friend, as well as his godfather. This further infuriates Harry and incites him to find and kill Black. Later on, however, Harry discovers that it was not Sirius who betrayed his parents, but instead a servant of Lord Voldemort's named Peter Pettigrew, who was an old friend of both Black and James. By the end of the story, Black offers Potter something he has wanted all his life: a home away from the Dursleys. Harry is quick to accept, only to lose this opportunity when Sirius's name isn't cleared and he is forced to go back into hiding from the authorities, who still believe him 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, although he did not enter his name into the goblet. Another complication that arises due to his being chosen is that Harry is too young, due to age restrictions being imposed by the Ministry, to qualify in the first place.
By competing in the Triwizard tournament, the champions are forced to face three dangerous tasks, the last culminating in racing to win the Triwizard Cup. After both Harry and Cedric Diggory are chosen to be Hogwarts champions, they start to become friends; Harry tells Cedric what all of the other champions already knew - that 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 have been given to help them prepare for the second task.
After Cedric and Harry help each other in the third task—which consists of a hedgerow maze filled with monstrous creatures and magical obstacles—neither of them want to take the cup, feeling that 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 is a portkey. It transports them to a graveyard where Lord Voldemort himself awaits.
Harry witnesses Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort's servant, kill Cedric instantly using the Avada Kedavra curse on Voldemort's orders. Immediately after, Harry is tied up and witnesses the performing of a spell that revives Lord Voldemort to a near-human form.
Voldemort summons his Death Eaters to his side, and ridicules them for not searching for him while he was in exile. 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 Priori Incantatem, a peculiar connection. The echoes of those that Voldemort killed (and in Cedric's case, Pettigrew, who used Voldemort's wand to kill him) emerge from his wand. This includes those of Harry's parents, and Cedric, who requests Harry take his body back for his parents to bury. The combined echoes help Harry escape from the graveyard by way of the portkey.
Harry finds out that the new Defence 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 the testimony forced out of Barty Crouch Jr. with the help of Veritaserum, Harry recounts the entire experience for Dumbledore and his godfather, and then is kindly put into a dreamless sleep by school nurse Madam Pomfrey. It is at the end of novel that Lord Voldemort begins his return 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 (which the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe). After breaking the law (by using magic in Muggle presence) to save his and Dudley's life (from dementors), the Advance Guard of the Order of the Phoenix (an organisation formed to resist Voldemort) rescues Harry from his aunt and uncle's house.
Harry is taken to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, an old dilapidated house in London owned by his godfather Sirius Black that serves as the headquarters of the Order. Harry finds out that the Order's goal is to prepare for Voldemort, and regardless of how much more Harry wants to know about the Order, he is refused any more information because of his young age. Harry learns from his friends (also at Grimmauld Place) that the Minister of Magic has been using the wizarding media in a smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore; The Daily Prophet has been slandering him with libelous articles, most of which have been calling Dumbledore and Harry liars for 'claiming' that Lord Voldemort has returned.
Although Harry is underage and has used magic, the Minister for Magic and his associates are determined to imprison 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 of Magic Cornelius Fudge is enraged that Harry was cleared, and thus places Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts.
Umbridge is almost instantly despised by most teachers and students. She serves multiple purposes in the story: a Ministry spy, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and as the first (and only) High Inquisitor. As a Defence 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 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. She uses questionable means when attempting to force Harry to renounce his claims about Voldemort (such as forcing him to continuously cut open his right hand and write the words 'I must not tell lies' in his own blood). 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 on duty for the Order. While visiting Mr Weasley at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Harry inadvertently 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 develops 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 (see O.W.L.s) and falls into the trap. Harry and his friends, D.A members Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood, 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 and risk exposure, he lures Harry there. Without knowing any of this, Harry grabs the prophecy and, realising that it is a trap, attempts to escape with his friends. Several of the students fight the Death Eaters, and members of both parties are injured; in an act of great cruelty, Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Neville with great delight. During this fight, the fragile glass ball containing the recording of the prophecy breaks. The students are rescued by members of the Order, who rush into the Department of Mysteries and fend off the Death Eaters. During the tussle, Sirius is sent beyond the veil to his death by his cousin, Bellatrix. Seconds after she kills his godfather, an enraged Harry chases Bellatrix into the main lobby of the Ministry, vowing to kill her. Voldemort then appears and attempts to kill Harry. However, Dumbledore arrives and confronts Voldemort: the two exchange words and then Voldemort Disapparates along with Bellatrix, but not before being seen by Ministry employees, and none other than the Minister of Magic himself.
The Ministry is forced to finally accept Harry and Dumbledore's claim 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 because Dumbledore was the one to whom the prophecy was originally made. 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 self-fulfilling 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 through it all.
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 theorises 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 his friends—Hermione in particular—throughout the school year.
At Hogwarts, Harry is horrified to find out that Snape is the new Defence 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 protégés. Slughorn tries to befriend 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 him private lessons. Harry initially thinks that he will be taught advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts magic, 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 tasks 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 as such, 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 (which has already been stated by Dumbledore to be self-fulfilling), but rather through personal choice, and his desire to finally be rid of Voldemort—a key change in Harry’s line of thinking.
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.
Toward 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. Harry is forced to feed Dumbledore a potion which causes him extreme anguish in order to retrieve a locket from the cave.
When Dumbledore and Harry return to the school from the cave, events have already been set into motion by Draco Malfoy by assisting the Death Eaters to get into the school. This leads to a confrontation between Severus Snape and Dumbledore. Harry, who is wearing his Invisibility Cloak, is immobilised by Dumbledore to stop him from interfering. Harry is thus forced to watch in silent horror as Snape kills Dumbledore, sending his mentor's body off the edge of the Astronomy Tower. Harry chases Snape in a blind rage and immobilises several Death Eaters, but is unable to duel effectively with Snape, who gloatingly says to him, "Blocked again, and again, and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!" 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 realises 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 if not more than 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 Ron and Hermione's personal 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.
J. K. Rowling may have built in more hints about the plot of Book 7 in the previous books. See Similarities between book 6 and book 1.
Book seven of the Harry Potter series of novels will be the last in the main sequence, although the author, J. K. Rowling, has reportedly considered writing other books that play a secondary role. If the publication timing is similar to previous books, the final instalment is likely to be published between 2007 and 2009. On her official site, Rowling stated that 2006 would be the year Potter was completed. This has led to speculation that the book may be released in 2007.
In an interview following the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005, Rowling stated:
"Realistically, I don't think I'm going to be able to do real work on it until next year [2006]. I see next year as the time that I’m really going to write seven. But I've started and I am doing little bits and pieces here and there when I can. But you’ve seen how young Mackenzie still is, and you can bear actual witness to the fact that I do have a very small, real baby, so I'm going to try and give Mackenzie what I gave David, which is pretty much a year of uninterrupted "me time", and then I'll start writing seriously again." Also, in a Christmas letter on her official website, Rowling stated: I have been fine-tuning the fine-tuned plan of (book) seven during the past few weeks so that I can really set to work in January. Reading through the plan is like contemplating the map of an unknown country in which I will soon find myself. Sometimes, even at this stage, you can see trouble looming; nearly all of the six published books have had Chapters of Doom. The quintessential, never, I hope, to be beaten Chapter That Nearly Broke My Will To Go On was chapter nine, Goblet of Fire (appropriately enough, The Dark Mark.)
Additionally, on her official website, an entry dated February 28, 2006 in her diary stated, "So what I thought were going to be two chapters have now become four." This would indicate that the book has been started.
What is known about book seven
Few things are known for certain about the contents of the seventh book. It is a secret that J. K. Rowling is keeping quite well. However, there are a few things to expect as inferred from the last book, or from different interviews that she has done.
From Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The following events will likely occur as inferred from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:
- Harry will stay with the Dursleys for one last, brief time
- Bill and Fleur have planned to get married
- The quest for the Horcruxes will begin at Godric's Hollow
- Harry will come of age and be able to take his test to legally Apparate
- Harry will seek, and if necessary, destroy the four remaining Horcruxes, after which he will attempt to kill Lord Voldemort [7]
The following are notable outstanding questions from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that will likely be answered:
- The identity of R.A.B. (Rowling said that most readers will probably be able to predict this after Book 6)
- Severus Snape's loyalties
- The location of the remaining Horcruxes (Rowling said Harry is familiar with all the locations although he doesn't know they hold Horcruxes)[citation needed]
- Whether Hogwarts will remain open
From J. K. Rowling
The following are statements that J.K. Rowling has made about book seven:
- Two major characters that J. K. Rowling had not intended on killing will die
- However, one character she had intended to kill received a respite
- The last word of the book is still tentatively "scar" [8]
- Umbridge will return (Mugglenet/TLC interview)
- Book seven will include more information on Dumbledore (Mugglenet/TLC interview)
- Book 7, currently being written, is expected to be smaller than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. [9]
- "There is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare..." It will not be Aunt Petunia. [10]
- Book 6 and Book 7 are "are two halves of the same novel". (JK Rowling website, Monday 15 March 2004)
Facts on book seven
- The last chapter was written back in 1999; it dealt with "what happens to the survivors afterward"; the last word is scar; this chapter will still be tweaked
- The book will contain a lot of the back story of the Potters.
- Aunt Petunia has never performed magic, and never will, but there's more to her than meets the eye; the letter left with Harry on the doorstep was not the first one Dumbledore sent Petunia.
- The Sorting Hat is not a horcrux, but there's more to it than what we've read in the first books.
- "Ravenclaw will have their day"[citation needed]
- No book character has returned from the future
- There is significance to the fact that Harry has his mother's eyes
- Speculation: book 7 will be released on 07/07/07
- There is a frighteningly large universe of Harry Potter fan sites which, among other things, collect and analyse interviews with JK Rowling
Appearance, character and relationships
Harry is frequently told that he resembles his father James, with his untidy black hair, but that he has his mother's eyes. In the early years, Harry is described as being thin, and shorter than normal for his age. The lightning-bolt scar on his forehead is a remnant of Voldemort's attempt to murder him as an infant, and serves him later painfully as an indicator of the presence of Voldemort. The scar also occasionally produces pain when Harry is in stress, or when he is in the presense of suspicious characters or dangerous situations. Harry is also characterised by his round spectacles.
Being raised in the Dursleys household with little love for him or any sort of magic, Harry’s primary desire is to be with a family that cares for him, and for his family and friends to be safe from harm. He comes to realise that this will never be possible as long as Voldemort remains intent on destroying him. Harry is naturally curious about the world of magic, and often takes on adventures that put himself at risk; but he usually tries to convince his friends not to put themselves in danger by accompanying him. Nevertheless, his closest friends are generally extremely loyal, and refuse to let him go it alone.
Harry has other flaws. He tends to be extremely pessimistic; often assuming the worst is about to happen to him when he gets into stressful situations. He is easily angered, sometimes to the point of violent, when his parents or others he cares for are insulted or threatened. He also has no tolerance for people who do not believe him. Like his friend Ron, Harry is not always diligent with his studies, often relying on Hermione to assist him with homework assignments. Harry is witty and sometimes sarcastic, often making humorous and sometimes insulting comments about others and their skills or characteristics. It is likely he got this from taunting his cousin Dudley.
Some of Harry's faults can be attributed to the many calamities in his life. Besides being raised by a family with little love, Harry personally witnessed three murders, and was forced to relive his earliest terrifying memory - the murder of his parents as they faced Voldemort - hearing his father yelling to his mother to "run!", and his mother screaming as she was about to be killed while protecting Harry. He witnessed the murder of fellow student Cedric Diggory by Peter Pettigrew at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, saw his godfather Sirius Black murdered by a Death Eater at the Ministry of Magic, and finally the death of his greatest protector and mentor: Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, at the hands of Severus Snape. Harry has also personally confronted Voldemort five times thus far, and has also been tortured by him with the Cruciatus Curse.
Harry has had to contend with his cruel and insensitive guardians, the Dursleys, for most of his life. The Dursleys took every opportunity to denigrate Harry and his parents, and the magical world in general. In his fifth year, he even endures most of the wizarding world turning against him, as they believe him to be an attention-seeking liar and a fraud; he thus becomes isolated in school, and is taunted by the students. Following various adventures and experiences, Harry has been subsequently subjected to vicious slander and gossip from various wizarding tabloids. Harry also copes with the usual teenage difficulties in relationships. For example, even though he has no difficulty establishing close friendships with Hermione and Ron, he has great difficulty with asking Cho Chang, a pretty Ravenclaw, out. Sometimes Harry gets impatient and even angry with Ron and Hermione, especially when they argue with each other. However, their bond of friendship appears to have strengthened over the years, with Rowling saying that Harry has effectively adopted Ron and Hermione as a surrogate family[1]. 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 sort of second family for Harry, who eventually allow him to stay with them at times during the summer when school is out. Mrs Weasley, in particular becomes something of a mother figure to Harry, and she treats him as her son, and to some extent, she treats him even more kindly than she treats her own children. Similarly, the Weasley boys generally treat Harry as another brother, and Mr Weasley shows a certain 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, the last of the Marauders, and another of his father's close friends.
Harry has a very strong sense of loyalty to his friends, 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 close friends such as Hermione Granger. Harry tends to follow his instincts, feeling strongly about whom he can trust and whom he cannot (or will not). For example, from their first meeting, Harry is very reluctant to have any trust or respect for Severus Snape, the Potions Master, even though Dumbledore repeatedly expresses his open and firm confidence in Snape.
The presentation of Harry's myopia appears to be remarkably unrealistic: he is clearly presented in the books as being unable to see anything more than vague impressions without wearing a pair of glasses, yet as having no particular problems in seeing when wearing them (which must be non-magical, since he had them before he learnt that he was a wizard, and is not mentioned as having any problems seeing with them prior to attending Hogwarts). This appears especially puzzling when one considers that he is one of the best Seekers ever at Hogwarts: this role requires excellent vision, yet does not give Harry any problems. There are also issues of whether his condition is even possible, how it could have developed, and whether it has progressed naturally: for example, his vision does not seem to have deteriorated at all during his time at Hogwarts.
Oddly enough, Harry also does not appear to have needed to replace his well-known round glasses at all: despite the fact that, normally, deterioration of the eyes, growth of the head, and general damage to the glasses would make this a necessity.
Romantic attachments
Harry's closest female friend, Hermione, has been concered 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. 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, the relationship cannot endure the test of time. Harry and Cho are not looking for or experiencing the same things; Cho is going through extreme emotions and grief over the death of Cedric Diggory, leaning on Harry as a stand-in for Diggory because she has not yet made peace with the fact that Diggory is gone, while Harry is expecting a simpler relationship that would relieve his stress rather than amplify it. Cho's aforementioned misplaced jealousy of Hermione (who was actually trying to help and advise Harry on how to interact with other girls, and was concerned that Harry was not treating Cho with enough understanding) 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 Philosopher'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 "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". Harry was generally kind with Ginny and her crush on him before that, never laughing at her, never teasing her, never taunting her, never mocking her and never toying with her affections, but for a long time he simply didn't feel the same way towards her that she felt towards him. During this year, Ginny often put 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 uninterested Ginny, which he struggles with 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 largely unfounded. Ginny and Dean break up, and when Harry is swept up in the high of Gryffindors’ 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 an obsession with 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", and his unwillingness to rest until he has destroyed Voldemort, is a part of why she likes him so much, and confessing that she never truly gave up on him (and that Hermione had given advice on how to get him).
Interestingly enough, Harry's father, James, also fell in love with an attractive, outspoken red headed girl - Harry's mother, Lily.
Strengths
- Possessing the "power the Dark Lord knows not", which is the ability to love even after all the deaths and grief that has been in his life.
- 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, and it earns him a bonus point in his O.W.L. test for Defence Against the Dark Arts.)
- 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, and the imposter Mad-Eye Moody said it was "strength of character".)
- Ability to use certain spells successfully after witnessing others perform them just once.
- Clever-minded and quick-witted; very strong intuition; can make great 'mental' leaps while under enormous stress; he is also witty at times.
- Possesses great magical potential, sometimes able, albeit accidentally, to do wandless and wordless magic. Once accidentally levitated to the top of his school before the age of eleven and inflated (or 'blew up', as a number of characters put it) his aunt without a word or a wand.
- Possessed of incredible good luck.
- Has 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 the D.A., then the scene at the Ministry), which was a likely reason for his promotion to team captain in 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. (Compare this with Voldemort's circle of Death Eaters, who serve him out of fear.)
- 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 by various people.)
- Is a Parselmouth: able to communicate to snakes, an art associated with both dark wizards and the family of Salazar Slytherin, despite not being a Dark Wizard and not a descendant of Slytherin.
- Generally, 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.
Weaknesses
- Extremely visually impaired (to the point of seeming naturally near-blind) - solved by perpetually wearing glasses.
- Introverted nature: he has trouble opening himself to others, and in relating to others.
- Struggles between self-doubt and over-confidence; attempts to handle everything himself.
- Easily angered when derogatory comments are directed to his parents, his friends or himself.
- Mediocre student (for his potential); he gets barely higher than average standardised test scores, quite in contrast to Hermione.
- (Initial) Lack of natural curiosity; rarely takes the initiative to learn new spells and powers that he is capable of performing unless he needs to learn them (Hermione helped him practise the Summoning Charm all night before the First Task).
- 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.
- 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 Death Eaters with the Cruciatus Curse, and has duelled with enemy Hogwarts students with a ready anticipation that almost suggests eagerness; in any case, his combat skills are unrivalled among his peers. Harry has clearly been scarred by the horrific events in his life, and this manifests itself in his anger.
Magical skills that Harry lacks
Harry's headstrong decision to leave Hogwarts before completing his final year will leave him with a number of skills as yet to be developed:
- Difficulty with consciously performing non-verbal spells, curses, and counter-curses. However, this may have been due to a mental block and a hatred for his unfair and cruel teacher; he performs non-verbal magic when he practises on his own, especially Levicorpus.
- Again, consciously performing spells without a wand. When he drops his wand at one point, however, he achieves a successful Lumos spell.
- Inability to practise Occlumency at will, even with some training. 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 suppress.
- Legilimency, the counterpart of Occlumency, would be a useful skill in Harry's battle against Voldemort.
- Harry cannot non-verbally block or parry strong spells easily (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 use of 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, both Snape and the Weasley twins had developed many new charms, potions, etc. at his age.
- Dumbledore uses his sensitivity to magic to explore a magical cave. Harry's broom is checked for charms by Professor McGonagall, suggesting that this is a well-established magical ability or procedure. 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 mentioned cave.
- Harry shows weakness in a number of other general areas due to lack of academic application. These include Potions, knowledge of the History of Magic, and Divination. However, the teachers take part of this blame (e.g. Trelawney predicting his doom frequently, making him hate the class; Snape's taunts and insults are almost entirely responsible for lack of decency in Potions; Binns is not a very good teacher - he is so boring, that only Hermione can withstand his drones, and it is noted that even she lapses occasionally).
Notable possessions
- 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.
- A substantial amount of wizard gold and other coins in a vault in Gringotts, inherited from his parents and his godfather Sirius Black.
- Hedwig, a pet Snowy Owl, which doubles as a postal delivery owl for Harry. Given as a birthday present from Hagrid.
- The shattered remains of a Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom, destroyed when it flew into the Whomping Willow during a Quidditch match Template:HP3.
- A chess set and Gobstones set, unseen since The Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone.
- An Invisibility Cloak, inherited from his father, passed on by Albus Dumbledore as a Christmas present in Harry's 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.
- An eagle-feather quill given to him as a Christmas gift from Hermione.
- Special Award for Services to the School for finding the Chamber of Secrets and defeating the Basilisk that lived inside it.
- A pocket Sneakoscope as a birthday present from Ron.
- The Marauder's Map. Given to him by Fred and George Weasley; created by Messrs Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs.
- A Firebolt racing broom, which replaced the Nimbus Two Thousand, as a Christmas present from Sirius Black.
- A wallet with jaws, given to him by Hagrid.
- An all-opening knife, given to him by Sirius Black. One blade was fused, 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 (unseen since the middle of the Goblet of Fire).
- A miniature-sized version of a Firebolt, given to him by Tonks to make up for the temporary confiscation of his full-sized 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 all of its treasures and heirlooms (except trashed or stolen ones).
- A house-elf (technically his servant) named Kreacher, reluctantly inherited from Sirius Black, sent to work in the Hogwarts kitchens.
- A hippogriff named Buckbeak, now called Witherwings, inherited from Sirius Black. Buckbeak is currently in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, under Hagrid's care.
- An Advanced Potion Making textbook, 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 as a prize in a Potions lesson Template:HP6. It has since been exhausted.
- A locket, which proved to be a fake Horcrux, left by R.A.B..
Trivia
- Harry Potter was recently voted #85 among the 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900
- J. K. Rowling made it so she and Harry have the same birthday, July 31st.
See also
References
- ^ In the films, this scar is closer to the right side of his forehead than the middle.