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 is credited with great heroism for the destruction of Lord Voldemort and his network of Death Eaters.

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

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

Harry Potter is a near-spitting image of his father, having jet black, untidy hair, although with brilliant green eyes that are identical to his mother's. Harry's physique as a boy was described as "small and skinny", with a thin face and knobbly knees, due to his quality of life in his youth. In time he would grow to be "within an inch" of his father's height, and James was often described as tall. He wears round-rimmed glasses. Upon his forehead, covered by his unruly black hair, is a scar shaped like a lightning bolt. The scar is a result of the failed Avada Kedavra curse cast on him by Lord Voldemort.

Family Lineage
Harry Potter is descended from the Peverell family, an ancient wizarding line, of which Tom Marvolo Riddle is also thought to be a descendant. Harry is known to be descended from Ignotus Peverell because of the family heirloom of an Invisibility Cloak. It is assumed that Riddle, aka Voldemort, is descended from Cadmus Peverell due to his own family heirloom of the Resurrection Stone. 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.

Early Life
Harry James Potter was born on July 31, 1980, to James and Lily Potter. From birth, he lived in hiding with his parents after they were marked for death by Lord Voldemort. They lived in Godrics Hollow in a home put under the Fidelius Charm to keep them hidden. As part of the charm, they had planned to make their Secret-Keeper Sirius Black, but using the advice of Sirius, they changed this designation to Peter Pettigrew, as they thought he would be less suspicious. In a terrible turn of fate, it happened that Pettigrew was a spy for Voldemort. He betrayed James and Lily Potter, staged his own death, and framed Sirius Black for everything.

On the evening of October 31st, 1981, Voldemort arrived at Godric's Hollow and murdered Harry's parents; he started with James, who tried to duel him. Then he advanced on to Lily, who died protecting Harry. It was her sacrifice that prevented the Avada Kedavra curse from working. Her love for Harry became a barrier protecting her son; when Voldemort attempted the curse, it backfired, and instead of killing Harry, Voldemort lost all of his power and his physical form. Harry Potter is the only person known to survive the Killing Curse. The failed curse left a scar on his forehead shaped like a lightning bolt. The scar would be a bane and a blessing to Harry in the years to come, as it opened a telepathic link between Lord Voldemort and himself.

He became famous even at the age of one for defeating Lord Voldemort. The house at Godric's Hollow was destroyed in the fight, and Harry was rescued by Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid was given specific orders by Albus Dumbledore to take him to his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Dumbledore left a letter explaining everything to the Dursleys, but they never relayed it to Harry. Instead, Harry would spend the next decade of his life in their strict and miserable home.



Life on Privet Drive
Living with the Dursleys was miserable for Harry. As they were a Muggle family, they had no understanding of magic and even though his Aunt and Uncle knew about his lineage, they wanted nothing to do with it. The Dursleys considered themselves a "proper" family and hated anything out of the ordinary. They lied to Harry about his parents, claiming they had perished in a car wreck and that James was an unemployed drunk. They resented Harry for his magical talents, which were sporadic, but evident. The discouraged any sort of imagination. In fact, they insisted upon "stamping that rubbish out," and screamed at or punished Harry whenever something "unusual" occurred. In his youth, Harry could make strange things happen without understanding why (as no one had bothered to inform him). For instance, after Petunia had sheared off all his messy hair in fury that it would not lay flat, it had grown back to its untouched state by the next morning. Harry was punished, even though he hadn't done anything on purpose. Another time, Dedalus Diggle bowed to him in a shop, and Petunia ferociously interrogated Harry as to how the man knew him.

The Dursleys spoiled and pampered their son Dudley and paid little to no attention to Harry. Everything he owned was ill-fitting hand-me-downs from Dudley, which were far too large for Harry. He was forced to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs while his cousin got two bedrooms to himself. They ordered Harry around like a slave. In time, Dudley became a terrible bully of Harry.

There were two benefits to Harry's virtual imprisonment at the Dursley's home. First, Harry's neighbor, Arabella Figg, was a Squib working undercover for the Order of the Phoenix to keep tabs on Harry's wellbeing. Second, Dumbledore put a spell on the Dursley home to keep the inhabitants concealed from Voldemort and the forces of Darkness. However, this spell would be broken when Harry turned 17 years old.

You're a Wizard, Harry
Harry had no birthday celebrations until the day he turned 11, which is the same day that he discovered the exceptional reality about his identity. The week of Harry's birthday, hundreds of letters began arriving at the Dursley's home, addressed to him from a place called Hogwarts. When the Dursleys saw the first letter was addressed as "cupboard under the stairs," they panicked at the thought of Harry's ill treatment being observed and transferred him to the "smallest bedroom."

Vernon tried to destroy the letters in a futile attempt to keep Harry from his destiny. As the letters kept coming in increasingly larger quantities, the Dursleys saw no alternative but to flee from them. The owls carrying the letters followed them wherever they went. In a final desperate move, the Dursleys relocated themselves to a shack on a rocky island in the middle of a body of water.

At this time, Rubeus Hagrid appeared in person to find out the reason Harry had not received his letter. He was infuriated by the Dursleys and explained to Harry, in spite of Vernon's obstinant protests, that he was a wizard, how his parents died, and how he was to be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This would be the first birthday celebration for Harry. Rubeus Hagrid gave him a small, homemade birthday cake and an owl, which Harry would name Hedwig. Hagrid took Harry to Diagon Alley where he first learned fo his fame in the Wizarding Community. He learned his parents had left him a small fortune in a vault at Gringotts.

Phoenix-feather Wand
Harry Potter's magic wand is eleven inches and made of holly, with a core of phoenix feather. It was crafted by Ollivander, who also crafted a twin wand from yew and the only other feather the same phoenix ever gave. This twin wand chose Tom Marvolo Riddle as its weilder. Riddle, under the alias of Lord Voldemort, would later use this wand to attack Harry and his parents. The two wands, sharing the same phoenix origin, had a unique connection which prevented them from successfully duelling.

First Year at Hogwarts
Harry Potter was further guided by destiny when he met his lifelong friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger while riding the Hogwarts Express. All three are Sorted into Gryffindor House on their first evening at school.

Harry joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team, becoming the youngest Seeker in more than a century.

Meanwhile, Lord Voldemort, long presumed dead, was secretly mounting a return. Using the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Quirinus Quirrell, as a host body, he was able to search for the Philosopher's Stone, which he believed would restore him his body and grant him immortality. Voldemort was thwarted by Harry, with great help from Ron and Hermione. Overall, the events of Harry's first year at Hogwarts set the three students in a bond of everlasting friendship which would carry them through every obstacle that came to them from the forces of Darkness.



Second Year at Hogwarts
Harry faced adversity at the school when he and his fellow students learned he could speak Parseltongue. Because of this and the events surrounding the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets, Harry was suspected to be the "Heir of Slytherin," who was believed responsible for attacks on Muggle-born pupils at the school. Ron's sister Ginny Weasley was put in danger as Voldemort again used an innocent person as a means to carry out his ambitions. He hypnotised her using an enchanged diary, forcing her to vandalise the school, as well as terrify the wizarding community by releasing a deadly Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets.

After much research, Harry was able to get into the Chamber of Secrets using Parseltongue, accompanied for a short time by Ron and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. With the help of Godric Gryffindor's sword and Fawkes, Harry was able to rescue Ginny from the Chamber, slay the Basilisk, and destroy the bewitched diary. In addition, Harry was able to trick Lucius Malfoy into freeing his mistreated house-elf, Dobby.

Third Year at Hogwarts
In 1993, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Everyone was convinced that Harry Potter was his target. Even the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, granted him a repreive from punishment for inadvertantly engorging his Aunt Marge because of the tense climate in the community.

Harry experienced difficulty with his social sphere when he was barred from joining student outings to Hogsmeade, the nearby wizarding village. He was able to sneak to Hogsmeade with the help of Fred and George Weasley, who gave him the 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 used a secret passage and his Invisibility Cloak to sneak to Hogsmeade numerous times over the course of the year.

At Christmas, Harry received a Firebolt racing broom from an anonymous benefactor after his Nimbus 2000 was destroyed by the Whomping Willow during a Quidditch match. Suspecting Black sent it, Hermione Granger reported it to Professor McGonagall, who confiscated it for testing. In the fullness of time, Harry learned that Sirius Black was not only his godfather and his father's best friend, but that he was a prisoner at Azkaban for allegedly divulging the Potters' secret whereabouts to Lord Voldemort and murdering their friend, Peter Pettigrew, as well as twelve Muggle bystanders. At this, Harry vowed to take revenge. Through his efforts to avenge his parents and Pettigrew, Harry discovered the truth: Black was innocent, and Pettigrew, an unregistered Animagus hiding as Ron Weasley's pet rat Scabbers, had faked his own death and framed Black for the crimes. Through disasterous events, Pettigrew escaped, but Harry managed to prevent Sirius from being recaptured by fighting off a hoard of Dementors with a Patronus Charm. Sirius was forced back into hiding, but he was saved.

Fourth Year at Hogwarts
In 1994, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament, a recently-revived inter-school competition. The Beauxbatons Academy and the Durmstrang Institute also participated. Harry was mysteriously chosen as a fourth competitor, even though he was underage and never entered his name into the Goblet of Fire during the selection process.

The champions faced three dangerous challenges on their way to the Triwizard Cup. Harry's life was threatened many times during this competition and the quality of his social life suffered terribly, due to jealousy and resentment from his peers. During the final event, Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory and Harry both showed supreme sportsmanship and cooperation, and agreed to touch the Triwizard Cup simultaneously, planning to tie for first place. They were unaware it was actually a Portkey. They were transported to the graveyard at Little Hangleton, the Riddle family's final resting place, where Lord Voldemort was waiting. On Voldemort's order, his servant Peter Pettigrew (aka Wormtail) murdered Cedric with the Killing Curse.

Harry was bound to Tom Riddle Sr.'s tombstone and forced to witness a ritual, which used his own blood, to restore Lord Voldemort's body. At the same time, Death Eaters from all over the world arrived at the cemetary, further compounding the seriousness of Harry's situation. When Voldemort regained his frail and spindly human form, he immediately engaged Harry in a duel. The nature of their wands' mystical connection caused their magical streams to interlock, which created an effect called Priori Incantatem. Harry was momentarily shielded, which allowed him time to grab the Portkey and escape back to Hogwarts.

Once more, Voldemort had been using a foolish victim to carry out his deceits. It was uncovered that Barty Crouch Jr, who had unwittingly joined forces with Voldemort as a young boy, was during all that school year disguised as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Alastor Moody. In a terrible turn of fate, Crouch's soul was destroyed with a Dementor's Kiss before he could repeat his confession to officials. As a result, the Ministry of Magic began to dispute Harry and Albus Dumbledore's insistance that Voldemort had returned.

Fifth Year at Hogwarts
Witnessing Cedric Diggory's murder was very difficult for Harry. It was not helpful that he was forced back to Privet Drive for the summer holidays. To make things worse than they were already, Dolores Umbridge, under-secretary for the Minister for Magic, ordered Dementors to attack Harry in the Muggle town of Little Whinging. Harry was forced to perform a Patronus Charm to save him and Dudley. Subsequently, Harry was formally accused of performing underage magic and was made to appear at a Wizengamot hearing at the Ministry of Magic. He was threatened with expulsion from Hogwarts, but was exonerated with help from Albus Dumbledore. In retaliation against Dumbledore, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appointed Umbridge as the new Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher so she can spy on the school. She was later appointed High Inquisitor, empowered to arbitrarily change and impose school rules. Urged by Hermione, Harry secretly trained students in real defensive magic. The group call themselves Dumbledore's Army, or the D.A.. The real Alastor Moody and a team of Aurors and guards introduced Harry to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. This dilapidated house was owned by his godfather Sirius Black.

Lord Voldemort wanted a "secret weapon" against Harry Potter, as he felt threatened by his existance. He had heard of a prophecy hidden in the Ministry's Department of Mysteries having to do with him and Harry. Thus, Voldemort once again manipulated an innocent mind to his desires by implanting a false vision in Harry's mind that Sirius was being tortured at the Ministry. This forced Harry into action as he and D.A. members Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood felt compelled to rush to his rescue.

Lured into the Department of Mysteries, the students met with an ambush of Death Eaters. Order of the Phoenix reinforcements arrived in time, but Sirius Black was pushed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, through a stone archway, to his death.

Lord Voldemort himself appeared, enraged by the failures of his cronies. For the second time, he attempted to fatally curse Harry, but Dumbledore's sudden arrival saved him. Voldemort grabbed Bellatrix and Disapparates, but not before being seen by the Minister and Ministry employees, which vindicated both Harry and Dumbledore.

Sixth Year at Hogwarts
In 1996, following Voldemort's reappearance at the Ministry of Magic, many in the wizarding world now called Harry "The Chosen One." This does nothing for Harry's difficulty in socializing with his peers. Much to his chagrin, in addition Harry inherited his godfather Sirius Black's estate, including Grimmauld Place and the Black's melancholy and half-crazed house elf, Kreacher.

In that same year, Severus Snape was promoted to professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. His vacant position as Potions instructor was filled by Horace Slughorn, who Harry unwittingly helped Dumbledore to recruit. However, Slughorn's appointment reopened Harry's career options 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). As Harry had not bothered to purchase a Potions textbook, Professor Slughorn lent Harry an old textbook in the supply cabinet. Harry sees it is signed as once belonging to a student identified only as "The Half-Blood Prince". The book contained copious handwritten notes that helped Harry to excel in Potions for once. In fact, his skills won him a prize from Slughorn--a small vial of Felix Felicis.

Dumbledore began giving Harry private lessons with the Pensieve. They took journeys together into various individuals' memories concerning Voldemort. Dumbledore surmised that to ensure immortality, Voldemort splintered his soul into seven fragments called Horcruxes. Five pieces were placed into common objects and two into living objects. Two Horcruxes were previously destroyed (Tom Riddle's diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring). Harry and Dumbledore retrieved a third Horcrux, a locket, hidden inside a seaside cave, although Dumbledore is weakened to the brink of death by the effort.

They returned to find Hogwarts invaded by Death Eaters. On that night, Albus Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape, who identified himself to Harry as the Half-Blood Prince as he escaped Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy. Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, but is beside himself to learn it is just a plain bit of jewellery; a note inside revealed the real Horcrux was taken by someone called R.A.B.. It appeared to him that Dumbledore had died in vain.

Hunting the Horcruxes
In 1997, Harry vowed to leave Hogwarts in order to search for and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. He was joined by Ron and Hermione, who left their families to accompany him. They were forced to break numerous wizarding laws to accomplish their goal of destroying Lord Voldemort.

Harry spent time studying his quest, which involved the past deeds and Last Will and Testiment of Albus Dumbledore, the identity of Gellert Grindelwald, and the legend of the Deathly Hallows.

The first Horcrux they found was Salazar Slytherin's Locket, which Harry took from around Dolores Umbridge's neck in a feat of great bravery and nerve. The trio was then forced to travel all over Britain to evade capture, as they had assaulted Ministry employees. This locket, full of evil energy, caused strife among the friends and Ron Weasley temporarily left their team.

While in a snowy woods, Harry was led to the Sword of Godric Gryffindor by the light of a spectral doe which turned out to be the Patronus of Severus Snape. The sword had the capability to destroying the Horcrux when no other object could. It was during the struggle with the sword and locket that he and Ron were reunited.

The location of the second Horcrux was revealed to Harry through shrewd observation of Bellatrix Lestrange. He deduced the object was hidden in her family's Gringotts vault, although in acquiring Helga Hufflepuff's Cup Harry lost Gryffindor's sword and was unable to destroy it. Ron and Hermione would later eliminate the cup with a Basilisk fang.

A vision of Voldemort helped Harry realise Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, the third Horcrux, remained at Hogwarts. The trio returned to Hogwarts to obtain the diadem, which is secured in the Room of Requirement when the room takes on the form of a vast storage facility. The entire room is destroyed by Fiendfyre, created by Vincent Crabbe in an attempt to kill Harry.

Events culminated in a final battle, as Voldemort demanded Harry and the Hogwarts community fight him. Harry uses the passage between the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack to sneak up on Voldemort. Thus he witnessed the murder of Severus Snape at the hands of Voldemort, as Voldemort believed Snape was preventing him from being the true owner of the [[Elder Wand]. Before he died, Snape gave Harry memories to view in the Pensieve which informed Harry that he must sacrifice himself to be killed by Voldemort. Harry learned he himself constituted a Horcrux that Voldemort wasn't even aware of. Because Voldemort's soul was so unstable, when he tried to kill Harry a part of Voldemort's soul was placed within Harry.

Heavy of heart, he courageously slipped off on his own to carry out this dreadful task. However, the "death" he met was not permanent: The blood Voldemort took from Harry to restore his physical form created a deep bond between them, and Harry's willingness to die triggered strong protections on the people of Hogwarts similar to the protections he received from his mother's sacrifice.

Voldemort, cocky and foolhardy as ever, advanced to Hogwarts grounds to fight students and faculty. In his folly, he underestimated the exceptional wizard Neville Longbottom, who, in a rare act of blind courage, destroyed the giant snake (and another Horcrux) Nagini with Godric Gryffindor's sword.

Harry prepared himself to finally kill Voldemort. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, the Elder Wand, which he stole from Dumbledore's grave, will not obey the wizard who wields it, but the wizard who owns it; Harry became its rightful owner when he disarmed Draco Malfoy. It thus refuses to execute the Killing Curse on Harry, rebounding onto Voldemort, who finally is silenced forever.

Harry Potter, in an act of great humility and compassion, prevented the Deathly Hallows from ever being reunited by keeping the Invisibility Cloak, dropping the Resurrection Stone, and returning the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's grave.

In the destruction of Lord Voldemort and the subsequent diminishing of all his powers, Harry Potter lost the ability to speak Parseltongue In addition, the scar on Harry's forehead no longer held magical powers, nor did it cause him pain from then on.

1997-2017
After Lord Voldemort's defeat, Harry went to work for the Auror's Office at the Ministry of Magic. At the age of 27, he became head of the Auror Department. By 2017, Harry and Ginny were married and had three children, who they named James, Albus, and Lily.

Harry also ensured that Severus Snape's portrait was hung in the Headmasters office at Hogwarts, although he never went to speak to it.

Parents
Harry never knew James and Lily Potter, however he regarded them with great reverence and grew angry if anyone spoke ill of them. The few times he ever saw his parents were: Pictures given to him by Rubeus Hagrid; a vision within the Mirror of Erised; spectral forms which came out of his wand during Priori Incantem; stored memories within the Pensieve; and more spectral forms as he succumbed to his "death" prior to the Second Battle of Hogwarts. Harry was able to produce his first Patronus when he concentrated on a memory of his parents simply talking to him as a baby.

Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley became Harry's best friend during their first year at Hogwarts. They became like brothers, and were close friends who sometimes fought. In addition to the rift that was caused by the negative energy within Slytherin's locket, they had a major fallout in 1994 when Harry was made a Triwizard Champion. However, these events only served to reinforce their bond and they remained friends for life.

Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger became Harry's friend after they faced a Mountain Troll together in 1991. Harry admitted in 1997 that he had no romantic interest in Hermione, and he loved her as a sister. This came as a great relief to Molly Weasley; perhaps she knew her son Ron had feelings for Hermione. Hermione's quick mind was at times the only thing that saved the three friends from failure in many endeavours, both life-threatening and in the every-day. Hermione often chastised Harry when he wouldn't obey rules, however, like Ron, she always stuck by him.

Rubeus Hagrid
Hagrid is Harry's first friend in the wizarding world. In effect he rescued Harry twice: Once from the wreckage of his destroyed home, as a baby; Second from the Dursley's to take him back into the wizarding world. Harry constantly defended the half-giant Hagrid against name-calling and mockery, and for that Harry was dear to Hagrid. Hagrid was the one who carried Harry out of the Forbidden Forest, when he was playing dead at the Battle of Hogwarts in 1997.

Cho Chang
As a young boy (1993-1996), Harry found Cho Chang very pretty and was attracted to her as a peer in Quidditch. In his 4th year, he wanted to ask her to the Yule Ball, but lost out to Cedric Diggory. In his 5th year at Hogwarts, they shared a kiss, but adolescent hormones raged and Cho found herself unable to maintain a relationship without mourning Cedric. They fought and stopped seeing or talking to each other. Cho renewed her interest in him before the Battle of Hogwarts in 1997, but she was quickly overruled by Ginny Weasley.

Ginny Weasley
Ginny Weasley and Harry first met at King's Cross Station in 1991, though they formally meet until much later. Until 1994 she was too shy and nervous around him to even speak to him comfortably. He was a celebrity in her eyes, and to him she was his best friend's sister. Hermione helped her in a sisterly way by advising her to give up on Harry. Harry slowly realized that Ginny is perfectly compatible for him: Strong-willed and compassionate. In 1996 Harry realised his feelings for her and they kissed at a Quidditch Cup victory party for Gryffindor. They began dating, but Harry chivalrously ended their relationship to protect her from the wrath of Lord Voldemort. After Voldemort's defeat, however, Harry and Ginny were free to be married, and went on to have three children.

Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy became Harry's rival almost from the moment they met at Madam Malkin's on Diagon Alley. Draco's whole family were Death Eaters, and the young man had much to live up to in their eyes. Because of this, he acted out in vicious, bullying ways to students he saw as wimps. He was bitterly jealous of Harry's seemingly effortless heroism. Draco bit off more than he could chew in his ambition to be like his father, Lucius Malfoy, when he joined up with Lord Voldemort. However, it is realised by the entire wizarding community that he was merely a minor child warped into the lifestyle of a Death Eater family, and he was never sent to Azkaban for any of his crimes, such as the conspiracy to murder Albus Dumbledore or the spying he did for Voldemort. By 2017 Draco was married, and had a son.

Behind the Scenes

 * Harry is played in the films by Daniel Radcliffe.
 * Harry the character has green eyes, but Daniel Radcliffe has blue eyes.
 * Harry was Wizard of the Month on J. K. Rowling's website for the month of October 2007.
 * In the first book, Harry mentions that his 11th birthday was July 31st, on a Tuesday. That date was on a Wednesday in 1991, the year when he's supposed to be 11.

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
 * Wizard of the Month