Harry Potter is the hero of the story. Orphaned as a baby,
he is brought up by his aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, maltreated
by them, and tormented by their obnoxious son, Dudley. Neglected
and disdained, Harry grows up to be a timid boy unsure of his abilities.
His sudden fame as a wizard at Hogwarts comes not just as a total
contrast to his earlier forgotten misery, but as a fate that we
feel is very much deserved after his youthful suffering. Yet even
after he becomes famous, Harry never loses his modesty and humility.
Even by the end of the story, when he has obtained the Sorcerer’s
Stone and saved Hogwarts (and perhaps the whole world) from Voldemort,
Harry does not revel in his success. He simply asks Dumbledore a
few factual questions and is satisfied with the answers, never expecting
any praise. Moreover, he does not wish to use his powers to fulfill
grandiose wishes. Dumbledore wisely knows that, unlike Voldemort,
Harry will desire only to get the magic stone, not to use it. He
does not covet riches or power, or harbor any secret wild ambition;
he just wants to make sure that the stone and its power do not fall
into the wrong hands. The simplicity of his desire is part of what
makes him a hero.
Harry’s capacity for loyal friendship is another of his
attractive features. It is also one of the surest proofs that Harry
is developing at Hogwarts, where he is a lonely individual at the
story’s beginning but has a circle of loyal friends and admirers
by the end. His faithful membership in Gryffindor is a symbol of
his newly developing team spirit. He prefers maintaining good relations
with his schoolmates to basking in individual glory. Similarly,
rather than boast of his immense talent at Quidditch, he rejoices
in the communal victory for his house and does not stop for applause
even when he breaks Quidditch records. He is willing to put himself
at risk for the sake of a friend, sometimes foolishly, as when he
battles a troll to save Hermione and when he gets himself severely
punished for helping Hagrid with his dragon. Harry’s success at
forging true friendships and overcoming his early loneliness is
almost as inspiring as his defeat of the evil and powerful Voldemort.
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