Harry Potter (character)

:This article is about the fictional character Harry Potter. For information about the Harry Potter book series, see Harry Potter.

Appearance, character and relationships

Harry physically resembles his father James, although he is frequently told too that he has his mother Lily's eyes. There is speculation that the resemblance of his eyes to his mother's will play a significant role in the next and final book.

Related Topics:
James - Lily

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Harry's greatest desire is to to be normal with parents who love him, and for everyone he cares about to be safe and happy. Harry often puts himself at risk for other people, and often tries to convince others not to put themselves in danger. For example, in the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he does not want Ron and Hermione to attempt to locate the philosopher's stone with him. This also occurs in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Ginny, Neville and Luna wish to join Harry, Ron, and Hermione on a rescue mission.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Ron - Hermione - Philosopher's stone - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Ginny - Neville - Luna

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However, Harry is depicted with many flaws. He can be angered easily when his parents or others about whom he cares are insulted, or when people do not believe him. Like Ron, he is not always diligent with his studies. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry appears more disturbed and troubled, and is extremely temperamental, as he has to endure the entire wizarding world believing him to be an attention-seeking liar, along with the normal difficulties of being a teenager. Sometimes, Harry even gets angry with Ron and Hermione, especially when they argue with each other; most notably so when Ron and Harry have a row that lasts nearly a month in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

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Harry has always been isolated and alone. He has lost his parents, his godfather, and finally his last protector, Dumbledore. He tends to lean to towards Remus Lupin and the Weasleys whenever he needs help or advice. Mrs. Weasley in particular is something of a mother figure for Harry, and she treats him as any one of her sons. At other times, Hagrid will offer support to Harry but as he progresses as a teenager his relationship with Hagrid diminishes ever so slightly.

Related Topics:
Dumbledore - Remus Lupin - Mrs. Weasley - Hagrid

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Harry has a very strong sense of loyalty to others and expects loyalty in return. This streak has often prevented Harry from looking at things objectively and will occasionally prevent him from heeding constructive criticism from friends such as Hermione.

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Harry tends to feel very concerned about whom he can trust and whom he cannot. For example, Harry is reluctant to trust Severus Snape, the Potions Master, even though Snape has the open and firm confidence of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Since Harry has been raised by the Dursleys, and has experienced nightmarish events (witnessing the deaths of Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire, Sirius Black in Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince), Harry seems to feel rather misunderstood. Harry's feelings of isolation increase at the end of Order of the Phoenix when he learns that he alone must battle Voldemort to the death.

Related Topics:
Severus Snape - Albus Dumbledore - Cedric Diggory - Goblet of Fire - Sirius Black - Order of the Phoenix - Half-Blood Prince

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Romantic attachments

In Goblet of Fire, Harry develops his first crush, on Cho Chang (though there are hints of it in Prisoner of Azkaban). During his fifth year he has an on-and-off relationship with her and even kisses her under the mistletoe, but they split up at the end of the year. Technically this break-up is as a result of Cho's friend Marietta Edgecombe's betrayal of Dumbledore's Army, but at the time this occurs their relationship is already faltering; they are simply not on the same wavelength, as Harry is quite clueless about how romance is supposed to be gone about in general and is unable (or indeed, unwilling) to deal with Cho's grief at the death of her late boyfriend Cedric Diggory or comically misplaced romantic jealousy of Hermione.

Related Topics:
Cho Chang - Mistletoe - Marietta Edgecombe - Dumbledore's Army - Cedric Diggory

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Harry's failed relationship with Cho is a contrast to his eventual relationship with Ginny Weasley, who J.K. Rowling has said she had set up to eventually become Harry's "ideal girl" and "total equal"http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/extras/aa-jointerview3.html. This plot arc starts with Ginny's unrequited crush on Harry during Chamber of Secrets through to Goblet of Fire, which appears to serve mainly purposes of comic relief; it is however eventually revealed to be a case of ironic set-up, as in Order of The Phoenix Hermione tells Harry that Ginny has given up on him and in Half-Blood Prince, he develops apparently unrequited feelings for her, with which he struggles throughout the year (toward the end of Order of the Phoenix, Ginny entered into a relationship with Dean Thomas, and Harry is further convinced that Ginny's brother Ron, Harry's best friend, would disapprove of any relationship). Things eventually work out for them ? after Ginny and Dean break up, Harry is swept up in the high of Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory celebrations and spontaneously kisses her in front of the whole Common Room; Ron, who obviously has mixed feelings about this relationship, expresses his kind-of approval by meekly failing to object. By the end of Half-Blood Prince, Harry breaks off his relationship with Ginny in an attempt to ensure her safety. Ginny accepts his decision without much argument, but they seem hopeful for their future after Voldemort will be destroyed for good.

Related Topics:
Ginny Weasley - Order of the Phoenix - Dean Thomas - Ron

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