Harry Potter

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting...So where shall I put you?"

- Sorting Hat

Harry James Potter, perhaps the most famous student at Hogwarts in modern times, is the first known survivor of the Killing Curse, "Avada Kedavra". He has a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, as a result of the failing curse casted on him by Voldemort.

Appearance
"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby. Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

- Rubeus Hagrid to the eleven-year-old Harry Potter.

Harry Potter is almost a spitting image of his father, having jet black, untidy hair, although with brilliant green eyes that are identical to his mother's (Although, in the movies, Daniel Radcliffe has blue eyes). Harry's physique is described in the early books to be "small and skinny", though he has grown a fair bit over the years to become "within an inch" of his father's height, and James is often described as tall. He has a thin face, knobbly knees, and he wears round rimmed glasses. Upon his forehead, covered by his unruly black hair is a scar that is shaped like a lightning bolt.

Early Life
Harry James Potter was born on July 31, 1980 to James and Lily Potter. From the birth he had lived in hiding with his parents after it became apparent Lord Voldemort was planning on murdering them. They lived in a house in Godrics Hollow that was put under the Fidelius Charm to keep them hidden. They originally made their Secret-Keeper Sirius Black, but using the advice of Sirius, the Potter's changed their Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew, who they thought would not be suspected of being their Secret-Keeper. It turned out though that Peter Pettigrew was working for Lord Voldemort, and betrayed James and Lily Potter. On the evening of October 31st, 1981, Voldemort came to the Potter home and killed Harry's parents, starting with James who tried to duel Voldemort then Lily who died protecting Harry. He then raised his wand to Harry, planning on doing the same to the infant. When Lord Voldemort used the Killing Curse on Harry, it backfired and instead of killing Harry he lost all of his power. This was caused by the love Lily had shown for Harry, which acted as a barrier around him. Harry was the only person known to survive the Killing Curse. All it left was a scar on his forehead shaped as a lightning bolt. He became famous even at the age of one, for defeating Lord Voldemort. The house was destroyed in the fight, and Harry was picked up by Rubeus Hagrid, who had specific orders given by Albus Dumbledore to take him to his Aunt and Uncle, where he would spend the next decade under their strict and uncaring roof.

Living with the Dursleys
Living with his uncle, Vernon Dursley, his aunt, Petunia Dursley, and his overweight cousin, Dudley Dursley, was a torture for Harry. They were Muggles, meaning they had no magical abilities, and they liked it like that. They were a "proper" family that hated anything out of the ordinary, unfortunately for Harry, with him being a Wizard, his Aunt and Uncle treated Dudley above him. They spoiled Dudley and didn't pay any attention to Harry. They didn't celebrate his Birthday or buy him gifts, and everything he owned were hand-me-downs from Dudley and way too large for him. He was forced to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, while his cousin got two bedrooms, and they ordered him around as if he was a slave. To top it all off though, they failed to tell him the truth about where he came from and how his parents died. Albus Dumbledore had left a note explaining the situation and asked them to relay it to Harry, who never got the message. They had told him his parents had died in a car crash, and that was where his scar had come from. Despite not knowing of his heritage, Harry was still able to make strange things happen without knowing it was him. He was always confused when he was punished for these things.

When Harry was eleven, hundreds of letters started to arrive for him at the Dursley home from a place called Hogwarts. His Uncle refused to let him see the letters though, and disposed of them all despite Harry's protests. The letters kept on coming though, in increasingly larger amounts every time. Vernon Dursley tried to run from them, but they always seemed to know where to find them. In a final desperate move to run from the letters, the family moved to a shack on a set of rocks out in the lake. Instead of letters, Rubeus Hagrid appeared on the day of Harry's birthday, and explained how he was a wizard, how his parents died, and how he was to be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Vernon refused to let him go, but Hagrid ignored him and took Harry away form the Dursleys.

Introduction to the Wizarding World
The first shock Harry gets is of the Wizarding World which had been living along side the normal one for centuries. Hagrid took him to Diagon Alley where he learned he was famous among the Wizarding Community without having really done anything. The attention people were giving him was a nice change of pace from his life with the Dursleys, but he found it odd how people would whisper about him and point at his scar. Harry traveled Diagon Alley, buying all his school needs and enjoying the magic. He found out that his parents had left him a small fortune in the wizarding bank Gringotts. He was most excited over buying a wand, which was last on their list. Ollivander, the owner of Ollivander's, took great delight in trying to find Harry a wand suitable for him which was a very difficult task. It finally ended when he was given a wand that had the same core of that which Lord Voldemort had in his wand.

The Philosopher's Stone
In 1991, 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.



The Heir of Slytherin
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.[6] 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.

The Prisoner of Azkaban
In 1993, 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 anonymous 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.

The Triwizard Tournament
In 1994, Hogwarts hosts the Triwizard Tournament, a recently revived inter-school competition. The Beauxbatons 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 Defense 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.

Battle for the Prophecy
Harry was attacked by Dementors in the holidays with the Dursleys. 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.

The Half-Blood Prince
In 1996, following Voldemort's reappearance at the Ministry of Magic, many in the wizarding world 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 Felicis, 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..

Hunting the Horcruxes
In 1997, Harry makes good on his promise to leave Hogwarts in order to search for and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. Joined by Ron and Hermione, he first tracks down and takes the Slytherin locket; they are then forced to travel all over Britain to evade capture. While in the woods he is led to the Sword of Gryffindor, capable of destroying the Horcrux, and he and Ron dispatch the locket.

Harry next spends some time learning many important facts related to his quest: the past deeds of Albus Dumbledore, the existence and identities of the Deathly Hallows, and, through some shrewd observation of Bellatrix Lestrange's reaction to his capture, the location of the next Horcrux. The group breaks into Gringott's, although in acquiring the cup Harry loses the sword, and they are unable to destroy it.

A vision of Voldemort helps Harry deduce that the diadem of Ravenclaw remains at Hogwarts, and so the group travels there. Events heat up for the final battle, as Voldemort demands Harry and the faculty and older students of Hogwarts prepare to fight him. This gives Harry time to find the diadem; it is destroyed by fiendfyre, while Ron and Hermione eliminated the cup with basilisk fangs. Harry then proceeds to the final Horcrux--Nagini the snake--and to Voldemort himself. Harry witnesses Voldemort killing Snape, but before he dies Snape hands over memories that inform Harry that he, Harry, must be killed by Voldemort, because he constitutes a seventh Horcrux that Voldemort isn't even aware of. Because Voldemort's soul was so unstable, when he tried to kill Harry, a part of Voldemort's soul is placed within Harry. Heavy of heart, he slips off on his own to do so. However, the "death" he is dealt is not permanent, due to the fact that Voldemort used Harry's blood to bring himself back to life, thus creating a deep bond between Harry and Voldemort, but his willingness to die triggers strong protections on the people of Hogwarts similar to the protections he received as a child from his mother's sacrifice.

Another battle ensues, Nagini is killed, and Harry is now prepared to finally kill Voldemort. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, the Elder Wand, which he has stolen from Dumbledore's grave, does not obey the wizard who wields it, but the wizard who owns it; and Harry has become its rightful owner. It thus refuses to execute the killing curse on Harry, and the curse rebounds on Voldemort, who finally dies. After the end of the battle and the requisite fete, Harry slips away to visit the portrait of Dumbledore. He plans to keep the cloak and leave the ring where he dropped it, but to take wand out of circulation returning it to Dumbledore's grave. Dumbledore approves.

1998-2017
At the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, set in the year 2017 (nineteen years after the events of the book), Harry and Ginny are married and have three children named James, Albus Severus, and Lily; James and Lily after Harry's parents, Albus Severus for Dumbledore and Snape respectively. Gathering at King's Cross, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Draco send their respective children to their first year at Hogwarts. It is revealed that Harry's scar has not hurt since the Dark Lord's defeat, and there, the book and the series end.

In subsequent interviews, Rowling has revealed that Harry went to work for the Auror's Office at the Ministry of Magic and by the epilogue, is the head of the department. She has also revealed that because he is no longer a horcrux, he has lost his ability to speak Parseltongue.

Family of Harry Potter
It is learned in Deathly Hallows that Harry is descended from the Peverell family, an ancient wizarding line, of which Tom Riddle Jr./Lord Voldemort is also thought to be a son. Harry is descended from the youngest of three brothers, Ignotus Peverell, while it is assumed Voldemort descended from the middle brother, Cadmus. Harry is known to be descended from Ignotus because of the passing of an Invisibility Cloak through the family. It is assumed that Voldemort is descended from Cadmus due to the possession of a stone known as the Resurrection Stone by Voldemort's grandfather Marvolo Gaunt. The cloak and the stone are two of the three Deathly Hallows owned by the three brothers. It is unknown what line, if any, descended from the oldest brother Antioch as his possession, the Elder Wand, has passed many unrelated hands through the generations.

A great many generations separate the lines of Harry and Voldemort.

Harry's remaining immediate family includes his wife, Ginny Weasley and his three children, James, Albus Severus, and Lily. His extended family includes the Weasleys and Grangers by marriage and the Dursley's (his aunt, uncle, and cousin). He is also the godfather, of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks's son Teddy Lupin.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows