As the main character and protagonist of the Harry Potter series, Harry has a lot of heroic moments. He definitely exemplifies all of the best traits of Gryffindor and can be extremely brave and chivalrous.
However, despite having many inspiring moments in the series, he also has a lot of tragic ones. Harry has a very traumatic life starting from before he’s even a toddler. He goes through many things that made fans feel sorry for him, but he also has many inspiring moments. Here are some of the moments fans felt inspired by Harry as well as the times where they felt most sorry for him.
Inspiring: When he was a great teacher for Dumbledore’s Army
Harry proves himself to be a really good teacher when he leads the sessions for Dumbledore’s Army. He’s so good at it that many fans feel he would have been happier as a Hogwarts professor than as an Auror.
Seeing Harry have the chance to mentor his peers and show off his skills in a situation that wasn’t life-threatening was inspiring and heartwarming.
Felt Sorry: All of the times he was bullied by the Dursleys
One of the saddest things about Harry’s life is how he is treated as a child. The Dursleys despise him from the moment he shows up on their doorstep even though he’s still just a baby.
They neglect him, verbally abuse him, and make him lie in a cupboard under the stairs. His childhood was quite traumatic, and it’s also extremely sad that he loses his parents when he’s just a baby.
Inspiring: Doing everything he could to save Sirius and Buckbeak
Harry is a hero through and through, and he’s always looking to save and protect other people. While he cares about people he doesn’t really know, too, he’s never more fiercely brave than when he’s trying to protect someone he cares about.
He and Hermione are both rather inspiring as they put their own safety at risk to save both Sirius and Buckbeak’s lives.
Felt Sorry: Having Dobby die in his arms
There are a lot of terrifying moments that Harry has to live through as he goes up against Voldemort and his followers, but the times when fans felt most sorry for him was when he had to lose people he loved. Dobby was a victim in so many ways, and he and Harry had a close bond.
When Dobby was killed by Bellatrix and then died in Harry’s arms, it is one of the most tragic moments in the series.
Inspiring: When he went up against Voldemort during his first year at Hogwarts
Harry shows just how inspiring and brave he is from a really young age. When he’s only eleven years old, he is willing to go up against Quirrell to try to protect the Sorcerer’s Stone.
While he knows he’s definitely outmatched, he goes to the task anyway, and he ends up facing Voldemort. Yet, his bravery and good heart allow him to win that encounter, and this is rather inspiring
Felt Sorry: When Dumbledore ignored him and kept him in the dark in the 5th book
In Harry’s fifth year, he is clearly struggling under the weight of a lot of trauma. He could do with a lot of nurturing as well as tons of therapy, but instead, he’s basically left in the dark by the mentor he trusts most.
The way that Dumbledore ignored him and wouldn’t really tell him what was going on was frustrating for fans and for Harry, and it was hard to see Harry suffer.
Inspiring: All the times he befriended people who weren’t considered “cool”
While Harry might have a lot of fame and notoriety, he was never one to judge people on how cool or famous they were. From the beginning, he befriends Ron and shoots down Draco for being stuck up and judgemental.
He also makes friends with people like Neville and Luna who are some of the more eccentric Hogwarts students. This shows that while he’s brave that he also can be rather kind.
Felt Sorry: When Dumbledore died
Some of the most tragic things that happen to Harry are when he loses the people he is close to. Harry has to face death so many times at such a young age, but it’s difficult to see happen to him each time.
While Dumbledore might have been very flawed, at the time, he was the main lifeline and help that Harry had. Losing him definitely left Harry very alone and scared.
Inspiring: Going into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny
Many of Harry’s most inspiring moments happen when he’s still quite young. When Harry learns that Ginny has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, he, of course, doesn’t waste any time going to save her with Ron’s help.
While most twelve-year-olds would be terrified to do something like this, Harry would never be able to leave someone alone to die.
Felt Sorry: When Sirius died and he lost his main parental figure
While Harry has to go through some extremely painful losses in his life, including when he saw Voldemort kill Cedric, perhaps the time that was the hardest to read about was when Sirius was killed by Bellatrix. Sirius was one of the biggest ties to his own parents that Harry had, and he was also officially his godfather.
His death was definitely a huge loss for Harry that left him feeling that he had no parents left once again.
