{"id":1384716,"date":"2016-01-20T11:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T16:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.sparknotes.com\/?p=1384716"},"modified":"2022-03-28T14:03:39","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T18:03:39","slug":"9-times-harry-potterss-adoptive-family-reduced-us-to-a-great-lake-of-tears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/9-times-harry-potterss-adoptive-family-reduced-us-to-a-great-lake-of-tears\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Times Harry Potter’s Adoptive Family Reduced Us to a Great Lake of Tears"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Harry Potter really drew the short straw for families when he got hidden away with the Dursleys. \u00a0Fans have attributed the \u00a0awful treatment of their wee nephew \u2018Arry to everything \u00a0from jealousy (Petunia’s feud with her magically talented sister), to a curse (the \u00a0theory that Harry is a horcrux) to an ancient insult (the time James Potter \u00a0acted like a total twat while meeting Vernon\u2014J.K. Rowling’s official explanation). Whatever the reason, they made terrible role models for Harry over \u00a0his first eleven years, and yet \u00a0he turned out to be a true gem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is thanks to the substitute family he picked up along the way, \u00a0who gave him all the love, wisdom, knit sweaters, and dad-son special time he had been missing. So clutch a blanket to your chin, and let’s see why is it that Harry didn’t end up as a noseless \u00a0horcrux enthusiast, taking in \u00a0the lessons his \u00a0adoptive family gave him through the series. Bring a box of tissues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 1: Don’t judge a book by its cover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time Harry Potter found himself in Kings Cross station, bleating \u00a0like a lost lamb in search of Platform 93<\/sup>\/4, \u00a0<\/sub>he probably looked worse than any of the Weasleys. \u00a0(Pretty bad.) But did Molly \u00a0Weasley look down on the scrawny boy in banged-up glasses when he asked for her help? No. Being the honorary mom we all wish we had, she \u00a0saw a boy who needed \u00a0care and tended to him. We see that Harry learned his \u00a0lesson when he chooses Ron over Draco \u00a0before the Sorting ceremony, and when he meets Luna for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 2: A mother’s love is infinite and there’s always room for more at the table<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Harry didn’t give Mrs Weasley another thought after looking past Ron’s triple hand-me-downs, dirty nose and packed lunch, \u00a0she<\/em> \u00a0certainly didn’t forget, \u00a0and on Christmas Day, for the first time in his life, he \u00a0found there \u00a0was \u00a0something especially for him. \u0ca5_\u0ca5 Harry’s first Christmas present \u00a0included \u00a0a trademark Weasley jumper that \u00a0Ron got rather embarrassed about, but for Harry \u00a0symbolized \u00a0an invitation into a real family\u2014something he never had. I want a sweater knitted for me by Molly. We all do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite having seven children of her own to worry about, Molly \u201cNot my daughter, you b*tch!<\/em>\u201d \u00a0Weasley found time and affection for Harry, because her heart is that big.<\/em> Even though \u00a0the Weasleys \u00a0were cash-strapped and bulging at the seams, there was always a place for Harry in their home. When he arrived at \u00a0the Burrow for the first time, when he accompanied the Weasley family to the final of the World Quidditch Cup, and during the wedding of Bill and Fleur, he was core member of the family. No wonder he married in. \u00a0I’m not even going to get into the part where Harry turns 17 and receives a wizard watch (*uncontrollable sobbing*).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course the Weasley’s open invitation extended to Hermione, giving her the wizard childhood she missed out on. The Weasleys are just that cool, like you know you could borrow some undies if your forgot to bring some to the sleepover, nbd.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 3: No family member gets left behind<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to \u00a0veer \u00a0too deep \u00a0into Disney territory, but come on, the whole rescue mission at the start of \u00a0Chamber of Secrets<\/em> \u00a0almost has you picturing Fred and George in floral dresses and leis. \u00a0Ron \u00a0tells the shellshocked Harry, \u00a0\u201cWe’ve come to take you home with us!\u201d like it’s his home, too\u2014remember that Harry \u00a0was used to getting left out of everything while growing up with the Dursleys. But he learns well from the Weasleys, and \u00a0at the end of the year we see him rescue Ginny from the weirdest case of catfishing anyone has even seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 4: No family is without conflict, but you work through it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After three books of broom shenanigans and high fives, Goblet of Fire <\/em>is high time for something to go wrong between Harry and Ron. I mean where’s the realism? So we see Ron throw a tantrum about what he believes to be Harry’s betrayal, but even when he’s angry, he is still concerned about his best friend’s life, which eventually leads to their very manly reconciliation. *cough hug cough* It could only be more manly if they resorted to grunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u00a0Deathly Hallows,<\/em> \u00a0we get a taste of \u00a0sibling rivalry in the bromance, and glimpse \u00a0Ron’s insecurities as \u00a0the horcrux in the \u00a0Slytherin \u00a0medallion beams out its negative vibes. That Rarry can overcome such powerful black magic says a lot about their bond as friends, and the fact they have given up a fair amount of heart space to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which brings us to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 5: There’s no shame in straying\u2014it takes strength to find the right path again<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like a roughed-up ginger tabby, Ron Weasley is the king of the strays, \u00a0adorable and flawed and, sure, ginger. I really love the fan theory that \u00a0Ron is somewhat of a \u00a0racist (he’s some what species-ist, and accepts his place at the bottom of \u00a0the social hierarchy, a theory explored by Jonathan Bradley \u00a0here<\/a>), because it takes the series from being a simple good-versus-evil hay ride to a more complex examination of how good people can buy into \u00a0prejudices. The lesson isn’t to be right, to be good and golden, but to learn from what’s around you, to second-guess your thoughts, and to improve yourself. But acknowledging your flaws \u00a0and reforming \u00a0yourself \u00a0takes incredible courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the two conflicts between Harry and Ron mentioned above, Ron realizes the errors in his thinking, and makes amends. There’s an additional lesson to be learned here, and in Percy Weasley’s return in Deathly Hallows: <\/em>even if you do stray, there are always people who love you enough to welcome you back with open arms (and jokes if you’re lucky enough to be a brother to twins like Fred and George. NO, WE’RE NOT GETTING INTO MATHEMATICAL DISCREPANCIES ABOUT HOW IT’S NOT TWINS IF THERE’S ONLY ONE OF THEM LEFT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 6: Selflessness buys you more than money can<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*firmly clutching a box of tissues* One of my favorite family scenes is at the end of Goblet of Fire<\/em>, when Harry gives his Triwizard Tournament winnings to Fred and George, contributing to their dream of opening up a shop. It’s so deeply ingrained in the family ideology of \u201cwhat’s mine is yours\u201d and wanting to share in the happiness of your family that it melts your heart on the spot. I’m going to go lie in a little puddle of feels brb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 7: Bros before hoes (and revenge)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t put your blotting papers away just yet, because the award for teaching this vital lesson goes to the Marauders. My god, the headcanons. Look back at the first time Harry and Sirius talk properly in The Prisoner of Azkaban<\/em>. For a man who did his waiting for justice (12 YEARS OF IT. IN AZKABAN.), the most important thing\u2014before he even has the chance to fill what is certainly a very empty stomach with some butterbeer and pudding, and before he has a chance to nail Peter Pettigrew\u2014is to fulfill the role of godfather to Harry, something he was unable to do for so long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sirius \u00a0asks Harry if he’d like to move in with him and Harry agrees straight away. Why? I mean he only found out Sirius didn’t actually want to kill him like ten \u00a0minutes earlier. It’s because he saw Remus Lupin trust him; \u00a0Lupin, who for the whole year was the closest thing Harry ever had to \u00a0a \u00a0father, who made sure he felt safe when facing the Dementors, and whose comparison of Harry’s eyes to his mother’s meant so much more because Remus knew \u00a0them well. WHAT A SQUAD: Remus, for whom his friends illegally became animagi; Sirius, rejected by his family as a traitor of blood, welcomed with open arms by his friends. Move over Taylor Swift, the Marauders are it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 8: You get a hug, and you get a hug, EVERYONE GETS A HUG!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone deserves one totally loyal, transparently honest supporter, and Hagrid is the first person to walk into Harry’s life and show him that there is a world where he is important, and where he is loved. \u00a0I will take 100 gigantic Hagrid hugs aqui, por favor. *points to self*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 9: You can be a better you<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The award for highest bar for humanity goes to Hermione, who was fiercely loyal to her besties, and who demanded nothing but the most honorable behavior from them in return. She crusaded for the rights of elves, she walked \u00a0the line between devotion to Harry and romantic love for Ron without treading on anyone’s heart, and she wasn’t afraid to tell either of them how it is at any point. Hermione, who may or may not be the embodiment of JK Rowling in the story, is there to demand more of the reader, and of Harry\u2014to ask that we be the best we can be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harry Potter really drew the short straw for families when he got hidden away with the Dursleys. \u00a0Fans have attributed the \u00a0awful treatment of their wee nephew \u2018Arry to everything \u00a0from jealousy (Petunia’s feud with continue reading<\/span>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,278,9],"tags":[186,13980,32,3345,1729,424,17902],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384716"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1384716"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1449083,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384716\/revisions\/1449083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1384716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1384716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1384716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}