Harry James Potter

Harry James Potter is the titular protagonist of the Harry Potter series. A half-blood wizard, he is the only child of James and Lily Potter. As an infant, he became the only known survivor of the Killing Curse, which was cast by Lord Voldemort. This act left him with a distinctive lightning-bolt scar on his forehead and the moniker, “The Boy Who Lived.” Orphaned and raised by his abusive non-magical relatives, the Dursleys, Harry's life changed on his eleventh birthday when he learned he was a wizard and was invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At Hogwarts, Harry was sorted into Gryffindor house and became best friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He soon discovered that his destiny was inextricably linked to Lord Voldemort's and that he was the subject of a prophecy foretelling his role in the Dark Lord's downfall. Harry is a central figure in the Second Wizarding War, a founding member of Dumbledore's Army, and a key member of the Order of the Phoenix. His story is one of immense bravery, love, and self-sacrifice in the face of prejudice and evil.

Harry Potter was born on 31 July 1980 to James and Lily Potter, members of the original Order of the Phoenix. For the first year of his life, he lived with his parents in hiding in Godric's Hollow. On 31 October 1981, Lord Voldemort arrived at their home to act on a prophecy he believed pertained to Harry. After murdering James, Voldemort offered Lily a chance to stand aside, but she refused and was killed while shielding her son. This sacrifice enacted a powerful form of ancient magic that protected Harry. When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on Harry, the spell rebounded, destroying Voldemort's physical body and leaving Harry with only a lightning-bolt scar. This event also inadvertently turned Harry into one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Following the attack, Rubeus Hagrid rescued Harry from the ruined house and, on Albus Dumbledore's orders, delivered him to his only living relatives: his mother's sister, Petunia Dursley, her husband Vernon Dursley, and their son Dudley Dursley. Harry spent the next ten years at Number Four, Privet Drive, where he was subjected to neglect and abuse, forced to live in the Cupboard Under the Stairs. He was unaware of his magical heritage, though he experienced several instances of accidental magic, such as vanishing the glass of a boa constrictor's enclosure at the zoo.

1. First Year (1991-1992): Shortly before his eleventh birthday, Harry began receiving his Hogwarts acceptance letter. After the Dursleys attempted to flee, Hagrid found them and revealed Harry's magical identity. Hagrid took Harry to Diagon Alley to purchase his school supplies, where Harry first learned of his fame and fortune. On the Hogwarts Express, he befriended Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. At Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor. He developed a rivalry with Draco Malfoy and became the youngest Quidditch Seeker in a century. Alongside Ron and Hermione, he investigated the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone, ultimately confronting Professor Quirrell, who was sharing his body with Lord Voldemort. Harry successfully protected the Stone, thwarting Voldemort's first attempt to return to power.
2. Second Year (1992-1993): Harry was warned not to return to Hogwarts by the house-elf Dobby. He and Ron flew an enchanted Ford Anglia to school after being blocked from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Throughout the year, Harry discovered he was a Parselmouth when he began hearing the voice of the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets. Falsely believed to be the Heir of Slytherin, Harry found Tom Riddle's Diary and learned about the Chamber's past. He eventually entered the Chamber of Secrets, slew the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor, and destroyed the diary, which was his first unintentional destruction of a Horcrux.
3. Third Year (1993-1994): After accidentally inflating his Aunt Marge, Harry fled Privet Drive. He learned that Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban believed to be responsible for his parents' betrayal, was supposedly hunting him. The presence of Dementors guarding Hogwarts deeply affected Harry, prompting him to learn the Patronus Charm from the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin. Using the Marauder's Map, Harry discovered that the true traitor was Peter Pettigrew, who had been living as Ron's rat, Scabbers. Harry and Hermione used a Time-Turner to save both Sirius Black and the hippogriff Buckbeak from execution.
4. Fourth Year (1994-1995): Harry attended the Quidditch World Cup. That year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament. Despite being underage, Harry's name was mysteriously selected by the Goblet of Fire, making him the fourth Triwizard Champion. He competed in three dangerous tasks: retrieving a golden egg from a dragon, rescuing a hostage from Merpeople in the Great Lake, and navigating a treacherous maze. During the final task, he and Cedric Diggory were transported via a Portkey to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. There, Harry witnessed the murder of Cedric and the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. Harry dueled Voldemort, and their wands connected in a rare magical effect called Priori Incantatem, allowing him to escape.
5. Fifth Year (1995-1996): The Ministry of Magic, led by Cornelius Fudge, refused to believe Harry's account of Voldemort's return and launched a smear campaign against him and Dumbledore. After a Dementor attack on him and his cousin Dudley in Little Whinging, Harry faced a disciplinary hearing but was cleared. The Ministry installed Dolores Umbridge as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, who forbade practical magic. In response, Harry, Ron, and Hermione formed Dumbledore's Army, a secret group where Harry taught his peers practical defensive spells. Plagued by visions from Voldemort, Harry was lured to the Department of Mysteries. In the ensuing Battle of the Department of Mysteries, his godfather, Sirius Black, was killed. Dumbledore arrived and dueled Voldemort, who then possessed Harry briefly before fleeing. Afterward, Dumbledore finally revealed the contents of the prophecy to Harry.
6. Sixth Year (1996-1997): Now known as “The Chosen One,” Harry began private lessons with Dumbledore, exploring Voldemort's past through the Pensive to understand his vulnerability: the Horcruxes. Harry excelled in Potions using a textbook belonging to the “Half-Blood Prince” and began a romantic relationship with Ginny Weasley. He accompanied Dumbledore on a mission to retrieve a Horcrux (Salazar Slytherin's Locket), only to find a fake. Upon their return, Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts. Harry was forced to watch, immobilized by Dumbledore, as Severus Snape killed the Headmaster. Following Dumbledore's funeral, Harry resolved to abandon his final year at Hogwarts to hunt and destroy the remaining Horcruxes.

In the summer of 1997, Harry left Privet Drive for the last time, escorted by the Order of the Phoenix in an operation known as the Battle of the Seven Potters, during which his owl Hedwig was killed. After the Ministry of Magic fell to Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went on the run. They successfully infiltrated the Ministry and retrieved the real locket Horcrux from Dolores Umbridge. After months of struggle, during which Ron temporarily left the group, Harry was led to the Sword of Gryffindor by a doe Patronus sent by Snape. Ron returned to help Harry recover the sword and used it to destroy the locket. The trio learned about the Deathly Hallows and were briefly captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, from which they escaped with the help of Dobby, who was killed in the process. Their quest led them to break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank to steal another Horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, before finally returning to Hogwarts for the final battle. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry found Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem and it was destroyed. He then witnessed Snape's death and received his memories, learning that Snape had been working for Dumbledore all along out of love for Harry's mother, and that Harry himself was an unintentional Horcrux who had to die. Accepting his fate, Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest and allowed Voldemort to strike him with the Killing Curse. The curse destroyed the Horcrux within him but did not kill Harry. In a final confrontation, Harry, as the true master of the Elder Wand, dueled Voldemort, whose own Killing Curse rebounded and killed him for good.

Immediately after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry used the Elder Wand to repair his original holly and phoenix feather wand before returning it to Dumbledore's tomb. In the following years, he married Ginny Weasley. At age 17, Harry joined the Ministry of Magic as an Auror and later became the Head of the Auror Office in 2007 (Pottermore). He and Ginny had three children: James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Luna Potter.

Harry is described as small and skinny for his age, with untidy black hair that he inherited from his father, and his mother's bright, almond-shaped green eyes. He wears round glasses and is most famous for the thin, lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Harry's personality is defined by his immense bravery, loyalty to his friends, and a deep-seated desire to do what is right. Having grown up unloved, he values his friends and surrogate family above all else and is fiercely protective of them. He is inherently kind and humble, often uncomfortable with his fame. However, Harry also possesses a rebellious streak and can be reckless, moody, and prone to bouts of anger, particularly when feeling wronged or isolated. His greatest strength, as identified by Dumbledore, is his capacity for love, which provides him with his most powerful protection against Voldemort.

• Defence Against the Dark Arts: Harry showed exceptional talent in this subject. He was able to produce a corporeal Patronus at the age of thirteen and successfully taught advanced defensive magic to his peers in Dumbledore's Army.
• Dueling: Harry was a skilled duelist who survived multiple encounters with Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. His signature spell was the Disarming Charm, Expelliarmus.
• Flying: A natural on a broomstick, Harry was the youngest Hogwarts house team Seeker in a century and was widely regarded as an excellent flier.
• Parseltongue: Harry could speak to snakes, an ability he unknowingly acquired from the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him. He lost this ability after the Horcrux was destroyed.
• Master of Death: For a brief time, Harry was the master of all three Deathly Hallows simultaneously, having possessed the Invisibility Cloak, won the allegiance of the Elder Wand, and held the Resurrection Stone.
• Patronus: His Patronus takes the form of a stag, the same as his father's Animagus form.
• Wand: Harry's main wand was 11 inches, made of holly, with a phoenix feather core. The feather was from Fawkes, the same phoenix that gave the feather for Voldemort's wand.

• Wand of Holly and Phoenix Feather: His primary magical tool.
• Invisibility Cloak: A Deathly Hallow inherited from his father.
• Firebolt: A world-class racing broomstick gifted to him by his godfather, Sirius Black.
• Marauder's Map: A magical map of Hogwarts given to him by Fred and George Weasley.
• Hedwig: His loyal snowy owl, a gift from Rubeus Hagrid.
• Photo Album: A leather-bound book containing moving pictures of his parents, also a gift from Hagrid.
• Two-way mirror: A magical mirror given to him by Sirius Black that allowed communication with its pair.

Harry's relationships are central to his character. His closest bonds are with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who form an inseparable trio and provide him with unwavering support and friendship. He views the Weasley family as his own and finds a father figure in Albus Dumbledore and a godfather in Sirius Black. He also forms strong mentorship bonds with figures like Remus Lupin and Rubeus Hagrid. His primary romantic relationship is with Ginny Weasley, whom he eventually marries. His defining antagonistic relationship is with his arch-nemesis, Lord Voldemort. Throughout his school years, he maintains a bitter rivalry with Draco Malfoy, which evolves into a more complex understanding after the war.

• Harry: A medieval English form of the name Henry, a name associated with kings and leaders. J.K. Rowling has stated that “Harry” has always been her favourite boy's name.
• James: A traditional Hebrew name meaning “supplanter,” and the name of his father.
• Potter: A common English occupational surname for someone who makes pottery. Rowling has mentioned she always liked the surname, and it may also be a subtle reference to a “potter's field,” a traditional name for a burial ground for unknown or poor people, alluding to the many deaths that surround Harry's life.

• In the Warner Bros. film series, Harry Potter is portrayed by actor Daniel Radcliffe. A notable difference is that Harry has blue eyes in the films, as Radcliffe had an adverse reaction to the green contact lenses that would have matched the book's description.
• J.K. Rowling shares a birthday with Harry: July 31st.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Harry snaps the Elder Wand in two. In the book, he uses it to repair his own holly wand and then returns it to Dumbledore's tomb, intending to let its power die with him.
• J.K. Rowling revealed on Pottermore that Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort are distantly related through the Peverell brothers, as Harry is a descendant of Ignotus Peverell and Voldemort is a descendant of Cadmus Peverell.
• Information about Harry's career as Head of the Auror Office was revealed by Rowling on the Pottermore (now Wizarding World) website.