Harry James Potter

Harry James Potter, famously known as “The Boy Who Lived,” is the central protagonist of the *Harry Potter* series. He is the only known person to have survived the Killing Curse, an act which inextricably linked him to the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort. A student in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry's life is defined by his struggle against Voldemort and his destiny as the one prophesied to defeat him. Along with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry confronts the challenges of the magical world, the burdens of his fame, and the fight for good against evil.

Early Life Harry was born on 31 July 1980 to James Potter and Lily Potter (née Evans). On 31 October 1981, Lord Voldemort arrived at their home in Godric's Hollow to murder the infant Harry, who was the subject of a prophecy. After murdering James and Lily, Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at Harry. However, Lily's loving sacrifice created a powerful magical protection that caused the curse to rebound, stripping Voldemort of his power and physical form and leaving Harry with a distinctive lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. Orphaned and famous, Harry was taken by Rubeus Hagrid to Number 4, Privet Drive, to be raised by his maternal aunt, Petunia Dursley, and her family. The Dursleys despised magic and treated Harry with cruelty and neglect for ten years, forcing him to live in a cupboard under the stairs and keeping his magical heritage a secret from him. Hogwarts Years On his eleventh birthday, Harry discovered he was a wizard when Hagrid delivered his Hogwarts acceptance letter. At school, he was sorted into Gryffindor and quickly formed a close bond with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

• First Year: Harry discovered the Philosopher's Stone was hidden in the school and, believing Severus Snape was trying to steal it, confronted Professor Quirrell, who was secretly sharing his body with Lord Voldemort. Harry successfully protected the Stone.
• Second Year: Harry discovered he was a Parselmouth, leading many to suspect he was the Heir of Slytherin who had opened the Chamber of Secrets. He eventually found the Chamber's entrance, defeated the Basilisk, and destroyed Tom Riddle's diary, which was later revealed to be a Horcrux.
• Third Year: Harry learned that his godfather, Sirius Black, was an escaped prisoner from Azkaban whom he believed had betrayed his parents. He mastered the advanced Patronus Charm with the help of Remus Lupin. Harry later discovered the truth: Peter Pettigrew was the real traitor.
• Fourth Year: Harry was mysteriously and illegally entered into the Triwizard Tournament as a fourth champion. He navigated the tournament's dangerous tasks and, during the final task, was transported to a graveyard with Cedric Diggory. There, he witnessed the murder of Cedric and the full return of Lord Voldemort.
• Fifth Year: Facing a smear campaign from the Ministry of Magic, Harry endured the tyrannical rule of Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts. In secret, he formed and taught a defence group called Dumbledore's Army. Lured by a false vision, he traveled to the Department of Mysteries, where a battle ensued that resulted in the death of his godfather, Sirius Black. It was here that Albus Dumbledore revealed the full prophecy to Harry.
• Sixth Year: Dumbledore began giving Harry private lessons, using the Pensieve to show him memories of Tom Riddle's past to understand the nature of Horcruxes. Harry became convinced that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater. The year culminated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, where Harry witnessed Snape kill Dumbledore.
• Seventh Year and the Second Wizarding War: Instead of returning to Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione embarked on a perilous mission to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. They learned about the Deathly Hallows and eventually returned to Hogwarts for a final confrontation. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry learned the truth about Snape's loyalties, discovered he himself was an unintended Horcrux, and willingly walked to his death. He survived in a state of limbo and returned to duel Lord Voldemort one last time, finally defeating him.

Later Life Following the Second Wizarding War, Harry became an Auror at the Ministry of Magic and, by 2007, was promoted to Head of the Auror Office. He married Ginny Weasley, and they had three children: James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Luna Potter. He also remained a close friend of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. (Pottermore)

Harry is described as small and skinny for his age, with his father's perpetually messy jet-black hair and his mother's bright green, almond-shaped eyes. He wears round glasses and is marked by the famous lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. Harry is defined by his immense courage, loyalty, and a strong moral compass. He is humble and often uncomfortable with his fame. However, he is also prone to bouts of anger, recklessness, and moodiness, particularly when feeling isolated or under great pressure. Hermione Granger diagnosed him with a “saving-people thing,” a powerful impulse to protect others, even at great personal risk. Despite the immense trauma and burden he carries, he consistently chooses to do what is right over what is easy.

• Defence Against the Dark Arts: Harry's greatest magical talent. He earned an 'Outstanding' O.W.L. in the subject and was capable of casting advanced spells. His signature spell is the Disarming Charm, `Expelliarmus`.
• Dueling: An accomplished duelist who survived numerous encounters with Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. He was the unofficial teacher for Dumbledore's Army, training his fellow students in practical defensive magic.
• Patronus Charm: Harry mastered the corporeal Patronus Charm at the age of thirteen, an exceptionally advanced piece of magic. His Patronus takes the form of a stag, the same as his father's Animagus form.
• Parseltongue: Harry could speak to snakes, an ability he unknowingly acquired from the fragment of Voldemort's soul lodged inside him. He lost this ability after the Horcrux within him was destroyed.
• Flying: A gifted and natural flier, Harry became the youngest house Seeker in a century during his first year.
• Master of Death: By uniting the Deathly Hallows (though never holding all three at once), and by choosing to face death without fear, Harry fulfilled the conditions to be considered the “Master of Death,” allowing him to survive Voldemort's final Killing Curse.
• Wand: Harry's wand was 11 inches long, made of holly, and possessed a phoenix feather core. The feather came from Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore's phoenix, whose only other feather was in the core of Lord Voldemort's wand, making the two wands “brothers.”

• Wand: His holly and phoenix feather wand.
• Invisibility Cloak: A true Deathly Hallow, inherited from his father, James Potter.
• Firebolt: A world-class racing broomstick he received as a gift from Sirius Black.
• The Marauder's Map: A magical map of Hogwarts given to him by Fred and George Weasley.
• Hedwig: His snowy owl, a gift from Rubeus Hagrid who was a loyal companion until her death.
• Photo Album: A leather-bound album filled with pictures of his parents, also a gift from Hagrid.
• Two-way mirror: A gift from Sirius, allowing two users to communicate. Harry did not realise its function until after Sirius's death.
• The Resurrection Stone: The second Deathly Hallow, which Dumbledore hid for Harry inside the first Golden Snitch he ever caught.
• The Elder Wand: Harry became the master of the third Deathly Hallow after disarming Draco Malfoy, who had previously disarmed its former master, Albus Dumbledore.

• Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger: Harry's two best friends and constant companions. Their loyalty, skills, and unwavering support were essential to his survival and ultimate success.
• The Weasley Family: The Weasleys served as Harry's surrogate family, providing him with the love and sense of belonging he never had with the Dursleys. He would eventually marry Ginny Weasley.
• Albus Dumbledore: Harry's headmaster and primary mentor. Dumbledore guided Harry, but their relationship was complex, with Dumbledore often withholding crucial information in the name of the greater good, a fact Harry struggled with after his death.
• Sirius Black and Remus Lupin: His father's best friends, who acted as father figures and mentors to Harry. Their guidance and affection were vital to him, and their deaths were devastating losses.
• Lord Voldemort: Harry's arch-nemesis. Their connection, forged by the rebounded curse, allowed them periodic access to each other's thoughts and emotions, and their lives were bound together by prophecy until one killed the other.
• Severus Snape: Harry's Potions master, whose deep-seated grudge against Harry's father led to years of mutual animosity. Harry only learned at the end of Snape's life that he had been secretly protecting him out of love for his mother, Lily.

• Harry: A medieval English form of Henry, a name associated with leadership and English kings. J.K. Rowling has stated it is her favourite boy's name. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• Potter: A common English occupational surname. The name may also allude to a “potter's field,” a term for a cemetery for the unknown or destitute, potentially referencing the many deaths surrounding Harry's life.

• J.K. Rowling first conceived of the character of Harry Potter on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990.
• In the film adaptations, Harry is portrayed by actor Daniel Radcliffe. A notable difference is that Harry's eyes are blue in the films, not green as in the books, because Radcliffe had an adverse reaction to wearing coloured contact lenses.
• A significant plot divergence occurs at the end of the final film, where Harry snaps the Elder Wand in two and throws it away. In the novel, he uses the Elder Wand to repair his original holly wand before returning the Hallow to Albus Dumbledore's tomb, intending to let its power die with him naturally. (film)