Harry Potter

**Harry James Potter**, also known as the Boy Who Lived, and the Chosen One, is the main character of the *Harry Potter* film franchise. He was portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, with his younger selves portrayed by the Saunders triplets and Topy Papworth in the eighth film of the series.

## History

### **Background**

Harry was born on July 31, 1980 to Lily Evans, a Muggle-born witch and James Potter, a Pure-blood wizard and his parents' friend, Sirius Black became his godfather. He and his parents went into hiding in a cottage in Godric's Hollow after Sybill Trelawney prophesied that a baby born at the end of the month would bring about Voldemort's undoing.

Sirius was at first to be their secret keeper, but switched to Peter Pettigrew.

On October 31, his parents were killed by Lord Voldemort, who tried to protect their son as best as they could.

Harry was left on the Dursley's doorstep by Albus Dumbledore, since Petunia's Lily's last relative.

### *The Order of the Phoenix*

Harry is haunted from the last year, watching Cedric get killed by Voldemort in front of him. While watching a family of muggles, he is suddenly faced by Dudley and his Gang. As a storm comes nearer, Dudley and Harry run for home but are suddenly attacked by Dementors, leading Harry to be forced to cast a patronus to save him and his cousin. This results in Harry being expelled from school; however, Dumbledore is able to arrange a hearing for Harry to repeal the expulsion. He spends most of the summer at 12 Grimmauld Place and is saved from expulsion. He attempts speaking to Dumbledore after the trial but his professor walks by

### ***The Half-Blood Prince***

Following the events of Sirius Black's death, Harry inherits all of Sirius' possessions including 12 Grimmauld Place and Kreacher, Sirius' house elf. He is visited by Dumbledore and accompanies Albus to Horace Slughorn to recruit him for his job at Hogwarts. Slughorn takes immediate liking to Harry, as he knew Lily when she was a student of his (Slughorn's).

### ***The Deathly Hallows***

A couple of weeks after Dumbledore's death, Harry is still grieving for his fallen mentor. He travels to the Burrow, but find Alastor Moody was killed in action and George lost his ear. He attempted to leave to finish wat Dumbledore started, but Ron caught Harry and was able to convince him to return to the Burrow. During the wedding of Bill and Fleur, it is interrupted by Death Eaters, causing them to flee to 12 Grimmauld Place, and found Kreacher spying on them. Kreacher and Dobby returned with Mandungus Fletcher, where he told them he gave the locket to Dolores Umbridge. Under the influence of Polyjuice Potion, Harry knocks Dolores out with the stunning spell and stole Slytherin's Locket around Umbridge's neck. They go into the woods and on the run.

Overcome by the negative affects of the Horcrux, Ron abandons his friend and girlfriend. Harry and Hermione are now alone, feeling lost without Ron. They visit Godric's Hollow, where Harry visits his mother's and father's grave. There, they visit who they believe to be Bathilda Bagshot, and think she has the sword of Gryffindor but is actually Nagini in disguise. The snake attacks them, but Harry and Hermione manage to get away to the Forest of Dean. However, Harry gets knocked out whilst his wand his destroyed in the skirmish.

While taking his watch, Harry is guided by Severus Snape's patronus to where he hid the real Gryffindor Sword. Harry dives in for the sword but is suddenly choked to unconsciousness by the locket he wore but Ron had saved his friend and destroyed the Locket as they return to Hermione, who is overcome with anger when Ron approaches her. They go to Mr Lovegood's home, learning the tale of the Three Brothers. Lovegood attempts to hand them over but the trio escape. However, they find themselves caught by Snatchers. To protect Harry, Hermione uses a spell that disguises him into a different person. They find themselves locked in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor with Luna, Mr Ollivander and Griphook the Goblin and hear Hermione's loud screams from Bellatrix torturing her. During the battle at Malfoy Manor, Harry easily disarms Draco, earning legience from the Elder Wand. Though they escape, Dobby is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange as Harry breaks down crying for the loss of another friend and proclaims to bury him without magic.
After burying Dobby, Harry and his friends, Hermione and Ron go to Gringotts, the wizard bank, to break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault and steal Hufflepuff's cup with Griphook helping them enter, but ultimately betrays them. Harry, Ron and Hermione free and ride a captive dragon, and can escape, but lose the sword in the process. The trio are aided by Aberforth Dumbledore and sneak into Hogwarts. Voldemort learns of Harry's return and orders the young man to turn himself over or risk the lives of everyone at the school.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry goes to Helena Ravenclaw for her mother's diadem and learns it is in the room of requirements while he had sent Ron and Hermione to the Chamber of Secrets with a Basilisk fang and destroys Hufflepuff's cup. He and his friends also save Draco Malfoy and the only companion who survived after they caused a fire in the Room of Requirement. Harry sees a mortally wound Severus Snape after witnessing Nagini attacking him. Snape gives Harry a memory and
tells him to pour the memory into Dumbledore's pensieve, where Harry learns Snape had loved his mother, Dumbledore was already dying and that he (Harry) was incidentally turned into a Horcrux and must be killed by Voldemort himself. Before he goes off to die, Harry summons the spirits of his mother, father, godfather, and Remus Lupin and goes to face Voldemort alone, allowing him to kill him. During this exchange, Harry decides to stay in the world of the living when Dumbledore tells Harry to pity the Living, not the dead. Returning to the world of the living. Harry reveals to Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, that her son still lives. Harry pretends to be dead but later goes off to face Voldemort in a two-way duel, which ends with Harry's success after Nagini is killed by Neville Longbottom. With the elder wand, Harry fixes his wand, but snaps it in half and throws it far away.

In between the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts and the epilogue at the end, Harry and Ginny marry and have three children named James, Albus and Lily. Before his son is due to ride the train, Harry assures Albus that everything will turn out fine, even if he does get sorted into Gryffindor and reminds Albus that he is named after two of the bravest men Harry ever knew. He and his friends watch as their children head off to begin a year at Hogwarts.

## Magical Abilities

* **Love** - The ability to feel a deep affection for someone and is the strongest type of light magic. Love is what also strengthens Harry's magic, even though he was raised in a small family. It is Harry's greatest power and the strongest emotion.
* **Dueling** - Harry was remarkable at dueling at a young age, and able to fight off even the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort.
* **Magic** - Abilities to cast spells, such as charms and curses.
	+ **Defense Against the Dark Arts**: The ability to magically defend one's self from Dark Creatures, dark magic and other dark curses.
	+ **Dark Arts** - Casting curses and jinxes, such as the Three Unforgivable curses.
	+ **Flight** - Flying with a broom. Just like his father before him, Harry is well-experienced in flight ever since he was eleven.
	+ **Parselmouth**  - Ability to speak to snakes and/or reptiles.
	+ **Potioncraft -** Ability to make potions.

## Trivia

### Behind the Scenes

* JK Rowling based Harry Potter off of herself (the two even share the same birthday) and also looked to Wart from *The Sword in the Stone*, as inspiration for Harry Potter

## References

1. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*