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* ABirthdayNotABreak: Some of Harry's birthdays are spoiled: his twelfth because his mail is intercepted and he must deny his own existence, his thirteenth because he's treated like a little kid, and his seventeenth because Rufus Scrimegour interrupts his birthday party and acts like a jerk. Many of his early birthdays are implied to be less than satsifactory; as his relatives do not bother to get him real gifts. He receives a coat-hanger and a pair of his uncle's used socks on his tenth birthday.
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* ABirthdayNotABreak: Some of Harry's birthdays are spoiled: his twelfth because his mail is intercepted and he must deny his own existence, his thirteenth because he's treated like a little kid, and his seventeenth because Rufus Scrimegour interrupts his birthday party and acts like a jerk. Many of his early birthdays are implied to be less than satsifactory; satisfactory; as his relatives do not bother to get him real gifts. He receives a coat-hanger and a pair of his uncle's used socks on his tenth birthday.
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* CrimeOfSelfDefense: In ''Order of the Phoenix'', he risks breaking TheMasquerade by using magic to protect his cousin and himself against Dementors, and is put on trial for this. In this case, the government in question is waging a propaganda war against Harry, and is twisting the law in order to punish him as much as possible and make him look like a delinquent. When the defense proves Harry was in a situation where the options were breaking TheMasquerade or having his soul ripped out of his body, the Ministry spun the story to make it sound like he got OffOnATechnicality. [[spoiler: And then it turns out that one of their particularly nasty members is secretly responsible for the attack in the first place, precisely to provoke him into using magic so they could prosecute him for it.]]
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* HeroWithBadPublicity: Multiple times throughout the series, most notably in the fifth book, where the Ministry of Magic does everything they possibly can to make him look bad.
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* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had an allergic reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
** Adverted in the video game adaptations of the first three books where his eyes ''are'' green.
** Adverted in the video game adaptations of the first three books where his eyes ''are'' green.
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* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had an allergic reaction to the coloured contacts he was given. Averted in the video game adaptations of the first three books where his eyes ''are'' green.
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* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
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* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad an allergic reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.given.
** Adverted in the video game adaptations of the first three books where his eyes ''are'' green.
** Adverted in the video game adaptations of the first three books where his eyes ''are'' green.
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--->'''Ron:''' Second year- you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle- Third year, you fought off about a hundred dementors at once.... last year, you fought off You-Know-Who again-
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--->'''Hermione:''' ...I'm not talking about test results, Harry. Look what you've ''done!''
--->'''Harry:''' How d'you mean?
--->'''Ron:''' (sarcastically) Uh... first year- you saved the Stone from You-Know-Who-
--->'''Harry:''' But that was luck, that wasn't skill-
--->'''Harry:''' How d'you mean?
--->'''Ron:''' (sarcastically) Uh... first year- you saved the Stone from You-Know-Who-
--->'''Harry:''' But that was luck, that wasn't skill-
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--->'''Harry:''' ...But I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts... I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing-
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* {{Deuteragonist}}: Harry qualifies as this in [[Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild]]; while the main plot follows his son's exploits, Harry's relationship with him is just as important to the plot of the play.
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* {{Deuteragonist}}: Harry qualifies as this in [[Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild]]; Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild; while the main plot follows his son's exploits, Harry's relationship with him is just as important to the plot of the play.
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fixed a wick for a split trope
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* IneffectualLoner: Harry often [[StopHelpingMe tries to discourage his friends from helping him]]. This in spite of the fact that he's often quite helpless without them. When, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', he wishes that Ron and Hermione were with him, it's a sign that he has started to accept that he needs help from his friends.
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* IneffectualLoner: Harry often [[StopHelpingMe [[UnwantedAssistance tries to discourage his friends from helping him]]. This in spite of the fact that he's often quite helpless without them. When, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', he wishes that Ron and Hermione were with him, it's a sign that he has started to accept that he needs help from his friends.
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* BadassOnPaper: Harry views himself as one of these. The event that made him famous happened when he was a baby and when in Order of the Phoenix he gets asked to teach a defense against the dark arts club, he argues that all his other achievements have been either through luck or from getting a lot of help. He begins to grow out of this in the seventh book, as he is now the one taking the fight to Voldemort, and his previous experiences fighting against the Dark Arts help him realize what has to be done.
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Adding some Cursed Child tropes.
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* BookDumb: He gets by mostly by practice and reliance on Hermione, aside from a few isolated moments like doing his homework, he never seems to have read many books and still relies on Hermione and Ron for InfoDump well into his sixth year despite having been part of wizard culture for sometime now. In the middle of the series it becomes clear that Harry is a genius in Defense Against The Dark Arts, almost to the point of being a prodigy.
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* BookDumb: BookDumb:
** He gets by mostly by practice and reliance on Hermione, aside from a few isolated moments like doing his homework, he never seems to have read many books and still relies on Hermione and Ron for InfoDump well into his sixth year despite having been part of wizard culture for sometime now. In the middle of the series it becomes clear that Harry is a genius in Defense Against The Dark Arts, almost to the point of being aprodigy. prodigy.
** As an Auror, Harry ignores paperwork so he can gather information in the field and do work from there.
** He gets by mostly by practice and reliance on Hermione, aside from a few isolated moments like doing his homework, he never seems to have read many books and still relies on Hermione and Ron for InfoDump well into his sixth year despite having been part of wizard culture for sometime now. In the middle of the series it becomes clear that Harry is a genius in Defense Against The Dark Arts, almost to the point of being a
** As an Auror, Harry ignores paperwork so he can gather information in the field and do work from there.
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* {{Deuteragonist}}: Harry qualifies as this in [[Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild]]; while the main plot follows his son's exploits, Harry's relationship with him is just as important to the plot of the play.
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* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: As soon as he becomes Head Auror, he can use this as an excuse to ignore protocol and help people on ground zero.
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* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric
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* FamilyEyeResemblance: Harry is often told he has his mother's eyes, so often that he can finish the phrase himself.
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* EurekaMoment: While Hermione does the grunt work research, Harry is generally the one who ends up putting the clues together at the end. Unlike other examples of this trope, he doesn't normally get any particular source of inspiration, but rather simply gets focused enough to solve the given problem when things get really bad.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Discovers this in the sixth book when he casts the spell Sectumsempra on Malfoy without knowing what it does beforehand. He's horrified to discover that it [[spoiler: vivisects the target]].
* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the final book, Harry has grown into his magical prowess to become one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in history.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Discovers this in the sixth book when he casts the spell Sectumsempra on Malfoy without knowing what it does beforehand. He's horrified to discover that it [[spoiler: vivisects the target]].
* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the final book, Harry has grown into his magical prowess to become one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in history.
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* EurekaMoment: While Hermione does the grunt work research, Harry is generally the one who ends up putting the clues together at the end. Unlike other examples of this trope, he doesn't normally get any particular source of inspiration, but rather simply gets focused enough to solve the given problem when things get really bad.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the final book, Harry has grown into his magical prowess to become one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in history.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Discovers this in the sixth book when he casts the spell Sectumsempra on Malfoy without knowing what it does beforehand. He's horrified to discover that it [[spoiler: vivisects the target]].
* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the final book, Harry has grown into his magical prowess to become one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in history.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Discovers this in the sixth book when he casts the spell Sectumsempra on Malfoy without knowing what it does beforehand. He's horrified to discover that it [[spoiler: vivisects the target]].
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* FightingFingerprint: Expelliarmus! See BoringButPractical.
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* FightingFingerprint: Expelliarmus! ''Expelliarmus!'' See BoringButPractical.
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At the age of one, [[TheHero Harry's]] parents are killed by [[BigBad Lord Voldemort]], who then attempts to kill him with the [[DeathRay Killing Curse.]] Due to ThePowerOfLove from his mother's self-sacrifice, however, he survives and rebounds the curse upon Voldemort, getting a [[ScarsAreForever lightning bolt-shaped scar]] as a souvenir. The series' resident EccentricMentor, Dumbledore, then arranges to have his {{Muggle}} aunt and uncle take him in … or else. For ten long years, they grudgingly comply, forcing Harry to live in the cupboard under the stairs and being both cruel and neglectful of him. Harry's bullying cousin, Dudley, doesn't make things any easier.
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At the age of one, [[TheHero Harry's]] parents are killed by [[BigBad Lord Voldemort]], who then attempts to kill him with the [[DeathRay Killing Curse.]] Due to ThePowerOfLove from his mother's self-sacrifice, however, he survives and rebounds the curse upon Voldemort, getting a [[ScarsAreForever lightning bolt-shaped scar]] as a souvenir. The series' resident EccentricMentor, Dumbledore, then arranges to have his {{Muggle}} aunt and uncle take him in … in... or else. For ten long years, they grudgingly comply, forcing Harry to live in the cupboard under the stairs and being both cruel and neglectful of him. Harry's bullying cousin, Dudley, doesn't make things any easier.
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** In ''And the Cursed Child'' [[AesopAmnesia Harry himself displays this trope]], [[spoiler: going to great lengths to keep his son, Albus from being friends with Scorpius Malfoy (son of Draco Malfoy, whom Harry has never been on good terms with).]] Luckily he wises up by the end.
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** In ''And ''[[Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild And the Cursed Child'' Child]]'' Harry himself [[AesopAmnesia Harry himself displays this trope]], [[spoiler: going to great lengths to keep his son, Albus from being friends with Scorpius Malfoy (son of Draco Malfoy, whom Harry has never been on good terms with).]] Luckily he wises up by the end.
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* SinsOfOurFathers: Much of the hostility that Snape (and Vernon per WordOfGod) hold for Harry is a result of problems they had with James.
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* SinsOfOurFathers: SinsOfOurFathers:
** Much of the hostility that Snape (and Vernon per WordOfGod) hold for Harry is a result of problems they had withJames.James.
** In ''And the Cursed Child'' [[AesopAmnesia Harry himself displays this trope]], [[spoiler: going to great lengths to keep his son, Albus from being friends with Scorpius Malfoy (son of Draco Malfoy, whom Harry has never been on good terms with).]] Luckily he wises up by the end.
** Much of the hostility that Snape (and Vernon per WordOfGod) hold for Harry is a result of problems they had with
** In ''And the Cursed Child'' [[AesopAmnesia Harry himself displays this trope]], [[spoiler: going to great lengths to keep his son, Albus from being friends with Scorpius Malfoy (son of Draco Malfoy, whom Harry has never been on good terms with).]] Luckily he wises up by the end.
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* HairTriggerTemper: In book five, Harry often (and easily) loses his temper with his friends due to his trauma at witnessing Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's return, rage at being kept out of the loop all summer, by the Order and by Dumbledore, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and being snubbed for Head Boy]]. His friends are visibly scared to talk to him half the time, fearing his explosive temper. He calms down by book six [[spoiler:after his impetuousness gets Sirius killed.]]
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* HairTriggerTemper: In book five, Harry often (and easily) loses his temper with his friends due to his trauma at witnessing Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's return, rage at being kept out of the loop all summer, by the Order and by Dumbledore, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and being snubbed for Head Boy]].prefect]]. His friends are visibly scared to talk to him half the time, fearing his explosive temper. He calms down by book six [[spoiler:after his impetuousness gets Sirius killed.]]
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* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Harry acts more brooding than he did in the book version.
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Moving to respective character section.
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* ParentalNeglect: The Dursleys hated Harry and only gave him the basest of needs as he grew up.
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* ThePowerOfLove: The reason he survived the Killing Curse as a kid is because his mother's HeroicSacrifice invoked this on him. Plus, Dumbledore claims that Harry's greatest strength is his ability to love, even though Harry wants to know WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway.
** As seen during ''Deathly Hallows'', ThePowerOfLove [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower is an awesome power]], given that [[spoiler:it protects everyone in the castle after Harry sacrifices himself]], but it is also implied that the actual power is his ability to make friends and his loyalty to them which is returned, as opposed to Voldemort, who is several times said to only be able to get the Death Eaters to serve him through calling to their desire for power and through fear.
** As seen during ''Deathly Hallows'', ThePowerOfLove [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower is an awesome power]], given that [[spoiler:it protects everyone in the castle after Harry sacrifices himself]], but it is also implied that the actual power is his ability to make friends and his loyalty to them which is returned, as opposed to Voldemort, who is several times said to only be able to get the Death Eaters to serve him through calling to their desire for power and through fear.
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* ThePowerOfLove: The reason he survived the Killing Curse as a kid is because his mother's HeroicSacrifice invoked this on him. Plus, Dumbledore claims that Harry's greatest strength is his ability to love, even though Harry wants to know WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway.
**WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway. As seen during ''Deathly Hallows'', ThePowerOfLove [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower is an awesome power]], given that [[spoiler:it protects everyone in the castle after Harry sacrifices himself]], but it is also implied that the actual power is his ability to make friends and his loyalty to them which is returned, as opposed to Voldemort, who is several times said to only be able to get the Death Eaters to serve him through calling to their desire for power and through fear.
**
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Misuse of trope. See it's laconic tab for reason why.
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* PlatonicLifePartners:
** He and Hermione love each other like siblings.
** He also has this relationship with Luna. They have a unique bond thanks to early losses of close family members. Despite Luna's oddness and Harry's angst, they seem to share a mutual unspoken understanding, with Harry noting he's "never known anyone like her." Harry even names his daughter Lily Luna Potter.
** He and Hermione love each other like siblings.
** He also has this relationship with Luna. They have a unique bond thanks to early losses of close family members. Despite Luna's oddness and Harry's angst, they seem to share a mutual unspoken understanding, with Harry noting he's "never known anyone like her." Harry even names his daughter Lily Luna Potter.
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*** Or possibly John Lennon, too. Think about it - glasses, orphan, sarcastic wit, oriental girlfriend.
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*** Or possibly John Lennon, too. Think about it - glasses, orphan, sarcastic wit, oriental girlfriend.
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* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ginny; both being fierce, Quidditch-loving Leos, with a darker sense of humor.
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* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ginny; Ginny -- both being fierce, Quidditch-loving Leos, with a darker sense of humor.humor. They also are considered extremely good-looking individuals and attract a number of people of the opposite sex.
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* BrokenHero: He's nice to people despite being emotionally abused by his aunt, uncle, and cousin.
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* SinsOfOurFathers: Much of the hostility that Snape (and Vernon per WordOfGod) hold for Harry is a result of problems they had with James.
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** He's also one of the best, if not the best duelist among the students by the time he's in his fifth year. He still gets owned by more experienced wizards, however and gets handed down a CurbStompBattle from ([[spoiler:Snape]]). He is also the best in the year (possibly the entire school) at Defense Against the Dark Arts.
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** He's also one of the best, if not the best duelist among the students by the time he's in his fifth year. He still gets owned by more experienced wizards, however however, and gets handed down a CurbStompBattle from ([[spoiler:Snape]]).[[spoiler:Snape]]. He is also the best in the year (possibly the entire school) at Defense Against the Dark Arts.
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* PlatonicLifePartners: He and Hermione love each other like siblings.
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* PlatonicLifePartners: PlatonicLifePartners:
** He and Hermione love each other likesiblings.siblings.
** He also has this relationship with Luna. They have a unique bond thanks to early losses of close family members. Despite Luna's oddness and Harry's angst, they seem to share a mutual unspoken understanding, with Harry noting he's "never known anyone like her." Harry even names his daughter Lily Luna Potter.
** He and Hermione love each other like
** He also has this relationship with Luna. They have a unique bond thanks to early losses of close family members. Despite Luna's oddness and Harry's angst, they seem to share a mutual unspoken understanding, with Harry noting he's "never known anyone like her." Harry even names his daughter Lily Luna Potter.
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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: AT least in regards to his schoolwork. In the first book, Harry eagerly reads all his magic textbooks before even going to Hogwarts (much like Hermione), is described as a good student by his professors, and is itching to do his over-the-summer homework at the start of the second book. Over the second book though he becomes increasingly indifferent, until by the end he doesn't even bother choosing his third-year electives, simply copying [[BookDumb Ron's]] choices without reading what they are. For the rest of the series, Harry is shown to be an indifferent student; zoning out during lectures, slacking on homework, relying on Hermione to scrape by in his classes, and often needing other people (usually Hermione) to spoon-feed him information on the Wizarding World around him and new spells to add to his [[BoringButPractical limited arsenal]]. While he is shown to excel at subjects he's interested in (like Defense Against the Dark Arts), it can be a little jarring going back to the first book and seeing [[BrilliantButLazy Harry]] voluntarily pick up a textbook. (And not one that's filled with doodles from the Half-Blood Prince.) Possibly justified, as he grows more used to magic and as his life grows more and more dangerous, possibly making him lose interest in his schoolwork.
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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: AT least in regards to his schoolwork. In the first book, Harry eagerly reads all his magic textbooks before even going to Hogwarts (much like Hermione), is book he's described as a good student by his several professors, and is itching to do almost as enthusiastic about doing his over-the-summer homework at the start of as Hermione. This wanes over the second book. Over the second book though book, culminating when he becomes increasingly indifferent, until by the end he doesn't even bother choosing his third-year electives, simply copying copies [[BookDumb Ron's]] third-year elective choices without reading what they are. For the rest of the series, Harry is shown to be an indifferent student; zoning out during lectures, slacking on homework, relying student who relies on Hermione to scrape by in his classes, for homework and often needing other people (usually Hermione) to spoon-feed him information Ron for knowledge on the Wizarding World around him and new spells to add to his [[BoringButPractical limited arsenal]]. despite living in it. While he is he's shown to excel at subjects he's interested in (like Defense (Defense Against the Dark Arts), it can be a little jarring going back to the first book and seeing [[BrilliantButLazy Harry]] voluntarily pick up a textbook. (And not one that's filled with doodles from the Half-Blood Prince.) Possibly justified, as he grows more used to magic and as his life grows more and more dangerous, possibly making him lose interest in his schoolwork.
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* HairTriggerTemper: In book five, Harry often (and easily) loses his temper with his friends due to his trauma at witnessing Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's return, rage at being kept out of the loop all summer, by the Order and by Dumbledore, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and being snubbed for Head Boy]]. His friends are visibly scared to talk to him half the time, fearing his explosive temper. He calms down by book six [[spoiler:after his impetuousness gets Sirius killed.]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[foldercontrol]]
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* IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: Parseltongue sounds completely indistinguishable from regular languages to those with the innate talent to speak it, so the only way Harry can tell if he or someone else is speaking it is by having a non-speaker point it out. Until an episode in his second year, he didn't even recall the talent, much less realize that it was extraordinary.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Wants [[spoiler:Ginny]] to live a happy life and marry someone else if he doesn't survive his search for the Horcruxes.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Wants [[spoiler:Ginny]] to live a happy life and marry someone else if he doesn't survive his search for the Horcruxes.
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* IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: Parseltongue sounds completely indistinguishable from regular languages to those with the innate talent to speak it, so the only way Harry can tell if he or someone else is speaking it is by having a non-speaker point it out. Until an episode in his second year, he didn't even recall the talent, much less realize that it was extraordinary.
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* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Wants [[spoiler:Ginny]] to live a happy life and marry someone else if he doesn't survive his search for the Horcruxes.
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* UptownGuy: Harry isn't obscenely upper class, but he's very well-off and, by his sixth year, is pretty popular. He ultimately marries Ginny Weasley, who is from a poor "blood traitor" family.
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[[folder:Harry James Potter]]
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* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
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* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired.
**black-haired. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
**
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[[Characters/HarryPotter Back to main.]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Harry James Potter]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harry_potter.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300: ''"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."'']]
-->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DanielRadcliffe (films), Jamie Parker (''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'', first West End run)
->''"[[SarcasmMode Gee, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life.]]''"
AKA the Boy Who Lived. AKA the Chosen One.
At the age of one, [[TheHero Harry's]] parents are killed by [[BigBad Lord Voldemort]], who then attempts to kill him with the [[DeathRay Killing Curse.]] Due to ThePowerOfLove from his mother's self-sacrifice, however, he survives and rebounds the curse upon Voldemort, getting a [[ScarsAreForever lightning bolt-shaped scar]] as a souvenir. The series' resident EccentricMentor, Dumbledore, then arranges to have his {{Muggle}} aunt and uncle take him in … or else. For ten long years, they grudgingly comply, forcing Harry to live in the cupboard under the stairs and being both cruel and neglectful of him. Harry's bullying cousin, Dudley, doesn't make things any easier.
Then, shortly before his eleventh birthday, everything changes. [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive Letters (from "no one") begin arriving in Harry's "home"]], growing by the number each day. Harry's aunt and uncle, acting suspiciously, refuse to allow him to read even ''one'', and after several days, leave the house and go to a tiny house in a cliff in the middle of a storm. Unfortunately (for the Dursleys), the ones who sent the letters are not deterred by such means, and Harry is eventually told of his past, and the wizarding world.
Thus, Harry's adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry begin, starting off as lighthearted, and growing darker in nature each year, as he makes friends, learns of his destiny, and matures.
Nineteen years after he defeats Voldemort for good, he's married to Ginny Weasley and is the father of three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter.
----
[[folder:A-E]]
* TheAce: Harry’s a talented wizard, especially in the area of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He’s also a naturally gifted Quidditch player.
* AcheyScars:
** The lightning-shaped scar created by Voldemort starts aching whenever Harry is close to him, and in the later books, whenever Voldemort is feeling a particularly strong emotion.
** The "I must not tell lies" scars on his hand that he received from detentions with a SadistTeacher in his fifth year tingle when he thinks of her.
* ActionDad: Becomes the Head Auror and father of three by the year 2017.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
* AllLovingHero: Harry's greatest power of all was his ability to love. In spite of being raised by a family that treated him with anything but affection, Harry remarkably turned out capable of very strong love. He even gave ''[[BigBad Voldemort]]'' one last warning to save himself. To reiterate, Harry was willing to save the life of the man who murdered his parents and made his life ''hell'', indirectly and directly.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer:
** Public opinion of Harry in the Wizarding world oscillates between hero worship to complete rejection at the drop of a hat. But Harry is not particularly saintly in his isolation.
** Harry was an outcast in the muggle world too because of the Dursleys' rumors about his behavior and because Dudley and his gang bullied anyone who befriended him.
* AllergicToEvil: His lightning-bolt scar burns whenever Voldemort is close to him or feeling strong negative emotions, and in book 4, Voldemort just touching him causes him ''horrible pain''.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Unintentionally this to Ron.
* AmazonChaser: He really started falling for [[FieryRedhead Ginny]] when he noticed her feisty attitude and Quidditch skills.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Harry shows symptoms of PTSD during book five.
* AmicableExes: [[spoiler: A scene in the eighth movie indicates he and Cho have become this.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Stag (his Patronus).
* AntiHero: At first and for most of the series, he is unambiguously good and heroic, even if he is more than a bit snarky AntiHero who isn't above lying, eavesdropping, and generally being an occasional "trouble-maker" in school, even during the earlier installments. Then Harry got DarkerAndEdgier along with the series, [[WhatTheHellHero doing things that become much more questionable]] as time goes on, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo even when they're being used to reach goals that are unquestionably heroic]], and became a PragmaticHero.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: According to WordOfGod, he later went on to become the youngest head of the Auror Office in history. It isn't hard to see why… Let's see: saved the Philosopher's Stone, defeated Slytherin's Basilysk, learned how to make a Patronus when only 13, escaped Voldemort seven times, survived the Second Wizarding War, while more experienced wizards (like Sirius Black, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Nymphadora Tonks and Albus Dumbledore) didn't, defeated more Death Eaters than one can count... Yeah, he definitely qualifies.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Of the trio, Harry is the youngest. Hermione is the oldest of them all by a year and Ron was born four months before Harry.
* BadassInCharge: Harry becomes the youngest Head Auror in wizarding history.
* BadassTeacher: Harry has shown tremendous skill in teaching others. Having mastered many spells at a young age, Harry successfully passed them onto others even when he was still a student himself, giving proper instructions and corrections on how to perform many fields of magic, ranging from the relatively simplistic Disarming Charm to the highly advanced Patronus Charm. Harry's effectiveness as a teacher led many, some even older than him, to choose him over a Ministry-installed professional, and he even returned to Hogwarts to give occasional lectures.
* BadDreams: Often, especially after his first encounter with Voldemort in the first year and Cedric's death.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: {{Zig zagged}}. Harry's destiny has been predicted by a self-fulfilling prophecy, but according to Dumbledore, it's only self-fulfilling because [[WrongGenreSavvy Voldemort]] ''[[WrongGenreSavvy insists]]'' [[WrongGenreSavvy on fulfilling it]] and Harry himself has no intention of turning away from it.
--> '''Harry Potter:''' It all comes to the same thing, doesn't it? I've got to try and kill him, or—
--> '''Dumbledore:''' Of course you've got to! But not because of the prophecy! Because you, yourself, will never rest until you've tried! We both know it!
* BelatedBackstory: Regarding all his connections with Voldemort.
* BerserkButton:
** Whatever you do, do NOT insult his parents.
** Diss one of his favorite teachers to his face, and you'll be in for a world of hurt. Just ask Amycus Carrow.
** Bad parenting in general. Having grown up without his parents (and with abusive foster 'parents' to boot), he realizes the value of loving parental care, and views as an obligation for anyone who can give it to do so. It's also implied that seeing the account of what happened to Tom Riddle hammered this home for Harry even further.
* BetaCouple: He and Ginny get together faster and don't argue as much as Ron and Hermione.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Harry is '''NOT''' a pleasant person when he's pissed.
* BigGood: He becomes this in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Even though he does not exactly lead anyone, he continues to inspire hope and is a rallying point for the students of Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Army, and the Order of the Phoenix. In the practical sense, however, [[spoiler:Moody and, after ''he'' dies, Kingsley]], seem to be Dumbledore's designated successors.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ginny; both being fierce, Quidditch-loving Leos, with a darker sense of humor.
* ABirthdayNotABreak: Some of Harry's birthdays are spoiled: his twelfth because his mail is intercepted and he must deny his own existence, his thirteenth because he's treated like a little kid, and his seventeenth because Rufus Scrimegour interrupts his birthday party and acts like a jerk. Many of his early birthdays are implied to be less than satsifactory; as his relatives do not bother to get him real gifts. He receives a coat-hanger and a pair of his uncle's used socks on his tenth birthday.
* BlindWithoutEm: Though he seldom drops his glasses.
* BookDumb: He gets by mostly by practice and reliance on Hermione, aside from a few isolated moments like doing his homework, he never seems to have read many books and still relies on Hermione and Ron for InfoDump well into his sixth year despite having been part of wizard culture for sometime now. In the middle of the series it becomes clear that Harry is a genius in Defense Against The Dark Arts, almost to the point of being a prodigy.
* BoringButPractical: The Disarming Charm, ''Expelliarmus'', which becomes Harry's signature move. It does ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, causing the target to drop whatever he or she may be wielding. It is fairly dull, basic and unimpressive compared to most other spells, but given that wizards are basically helpless without a wand, it's an instant win if executed correctly. This does come back to bite him in the ass during the beginning of ''Deathly Hallows'', in which the Order distributes several of its members, disguised as Harry, across several teams so that the Death Eaters will have a harder time finding and killing the real thing. When Harry disarms an Imperiused Stan Shunpike, his use of the spell tips off the other Death Eaters, and quickly alerts Voldemort to his location.
* ABoyAndHisX: A Boy And His Owl. Develops a close bond with his pet owl, Hedwig. This makes her death even harder on Harry.
* BreakTheCutie: He sees his mother get killed (and hears his father be killed) when he was fifteen months old, then he was shipped off to his abusive aunt and uncle's. He escapes them when he's eleven, though he has to go back during summers, and he discovers that the world of magic isn't so much an escape for him as it is another place where he is constantly in danger of death and other losses. This leads to his willing self-sacrifice when he's seventeen.
* BrilliantButLazy: He struggled with his Potions and Transfigurations classes, but his O.W.L. scores demonstrated that he's actually rather good at them. There are subjects that he is legitimately bad at, but his lack of skill in Divination and History of Magic don't affect him in the story. In-universe, Harry has been described as bright, but not exceptionally so. His poor performance in school might have been caused by the Dursleys' abuse of him, neglecting his studying skills and perhaps punishing him for doing better than Dudley did.
** He's also one of the best, if not the best duelist among the students by the time he's in his fifth year. He still gets owned by more experienced wizards, however and gets handed down a CurbStompBattle from ([[spoiler:Snape]]). He is also the best in the year (possibly the entire school) at Defense Against the Dark Arts.
** It's also made clear one reason he's so bad at Potions is because Snape is his teacher. During his O.W.L. Harry's narration notes that the class is much easier without the pressure of Snape waiting to find something to punish him for.
*** Also worth noting, when Snape finally stops being his Potions teacher, Harry immediately becomes far better at the subject, even out performing Hermione. Technically this is due to the textbook he used in his sixth year having annotations, effectively making it a cheat sheet. However it's worth considering that this book was annotated by Snape himself. Therefore, he was still being taught by Snape, it just seems that Harry does infinitely better when Snape isn't breathing down his neck.
** Divination can be explained by having a teacher like Trelawney (who constantly predicts his death, to boot), and the History of Magic Professor is considered so incredibly boring that most students have a hard time even focusing, let alone staying awake, during his lessons.
** He also has a natural affinity for flying. He's able to ace riding a broomstick on his first time, despite the teacher having to leave before she could tell him all of the basics. He then manages to upgrade to the considerably faster Nimbus 2000 and Firebolt without any trouble. He even does well when it comes to taming and riding flying animals, such as Hippogriffs and Thestrals, despite Care of Magical Creatures not being one of his stronger subjects.
* BrokenAce: Most people in the wizarding world perceive him as TheAce while his relatives perceive him as worthless. Harry develops major insecurities as a result.
* BrokenPedestal: He undergoes this at some point or the other with each of his adult role models. Sirius, his father, Remus Lupin and Dumbledore...
* ButForMeItWasTuesday:
** Ginny getting possessed by Lord Voldemort was this for Harry, more or less in hindsight. It was ''not'' for Ginny. This leads to a WhatTheHellHero moment when Ginny calls him out for it.
** This also undermines some of the tension between him, Ron and Hermione. He can't appreciate that being an orphan and being raised by the Dursleys like an indentured servant and later finding out that he's independently wealthy as a result of his inheritances, makes it easier for him to become a [[FreeRangeChildren free range wizard]] than it is for people with family who are worried about them.
** Harry has a much easier time than either Ron or Hermione adapting to the hunger and deprivation that the group endures in book 7, because such things were just a fact of life for him while he was being raised by the Dursleys.
* ButtMonkey: When living with the Dursleys.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to Dudley's Cain, even though they're cousins, not brothers.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: AT least in regards to his schoolwork. In the first book, Harry eagerly reads all his magic textbooks before even going to Hogwarts (much like Hermione), is described as a good student by his professors, and is itching to do his over-the-summer homework at the start of the second book. Over the second book though he becomes increasingly indifferent, until by the end he doesn't even bother choosing his third-year electives, simply copying [[BookDumb Ron's]] choices without reading what they are. For the rest of the series, Harry is shown to be an indifferent student; zoning out during lectures, slacking on homework, relying on Hermione to scrape by in his classes, and often needing other people (usually Hermione) to spoon-feed him information on the Wizarding World around him and new spells to add to his [[BoringButPractical limited arsenal]]. While he is shown to excel at subjects he's interested in (like Defense Against the Dark Arts), it can be a little jarring going back to the first book and seeing [[BrilliantButLazy Harry]] voluntarily pick up a textbook. (And not one that's filled with doodles from the Half-Blood Prince.) Possibly justified, as he grows more used to magic and as his life grows more and more dangerous, possibly making him lose interest in his schoolwork.
* ChickMagnet: [[FirstGirlWins Ginny]], [[FirstLove Cho]], [[PrecociousCrush Gabrielle]], [[AbhorrentAdmirer Romilda Vane]], and [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Moaning Myrtle]]. Hermione {{Lampshades}} it in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' by telling him that he's 'never been more fanciable.'
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Harry eventually marries Ginny Weasley whom he became friends with in his second year of Hogwarts.
* TheChosenOne: Harry is given this nickname by the press by the beginning of HBP, due to his connection to the prophecy. [[EnemyMine Like such people as Scrimgeour and Snape]], he's less than amused.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: [=AKA=] "his saving people thing." This is eventually exploited -- with tragic results -- by Voldemort.
-->'''Hermione:''' This isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do... sort of... I mean -- don't you think you've got a bit of a -- a -- saving-people thing?
* CinderellaCircumstances: Harry at the Dursleys' household, before he gets his acceptance letter from Hogwarts. However, his uncle never does stop treating him like crap.
* ClosetSublet: He provides the current page image for a reason.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Played with, since his home situation is not really "convenient."
* CoolLoser: Harry's famous, a pretty nice guy, and is regarded as a hero. Yet in ''Chamber of Secrets'' he's ostracized because he can talk to snakes, in ''Goblet of Fire'' he's ostracized for entering the Triwizard contest ("Harry is a cheating cheater!"), and in the next book he's looked down on because he's the only one who notices ''there's a frickin' war going on.'' In the sixth book, he ''does'' become hugely popular, but finds it annoying.
* CoolTeacher:
** He secretly teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts during his fifth year.
** And Word of Rowling states that [[spoiler:he occasionally gave lectures about Defense Against The Dark Arts, after the end of the series.]]
* CrazyJealousGuy: Harry didn't act on it, but he secretly wanted to pummel Dean whenever he kissed, held, spent time with Ginny.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Played with. He's competent enough to do well in most of his classes, but his best competency - and perhaps his biggest interest - is in combat magic and Defence Against The Dark Arts. He relies mostly on Hermione in other areas. This may or may not have been enforced by Rowling, as one of the more important CharacterDevelopment arcs in the series is of Harry maturing from a bit of a loner who only tolerates others' help to someone who accepts it.
%%* CursedWithAwesome
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Parents murdered at one, a decade of abuse from his relatives, a bullying cousin, and a psychopathic murderer out to kill him.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Wears dark clothing and masters spells that have been associated with dark magic.
* DeadGuyJunior: Harry ''James'' Potter is himself an unintentional example, since his parents named him while (obviously) they were alive. Harry was presumably named after his great-grandfather Henry "Harry" Potter. He plays it straight as an arrow with his own kids, though. Between the three of them, Harry honors no less than ''five'' dead people. [[AndZoidberg And Luna]]. Although, with the name "Luna", he could very well also be honoring Lupin.
* DeadpanSnarker: Generally at the Dursley’s expense or his own.
--> '''Listening to the news! Again?”
--> '''Well, it changes every day, you see," said Harry.
** Also shown in other occasions, such as this exchange in ''Half Blood Prince'':
-->'''Harry:''' Yes.
-->'''Snape:''' Yes, ''sir''.
-->'''Harry:''' There's no need to call me "sir", professor.
** He's definitely snarkier in the books, with the above lines of dialogue being two great examples.
* DeathSeeker: Subtly implied to be one after Voldemort's return.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Places his dad on a pedestal, [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal which breaks]] but is later [[RebuiltPedestal rebuilt]]]], and harbors tender feelings for his mother.
* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: He was often on the receiving end of this from the Dursleys. Surprisingly, in ''Deathly Hallows'' it's noted that since he often went through periods of near ''starvation'', Harry is able to go for longer without eating than Ron and Hermione.
* DeusAngstMachina: To cut short 7 books worth of angsting, fate seems to have no other reason for his existence other than finding any and every available opportunity to abuse and torture him physically, mentally and emotionally.
* DisneyDeath: At the end of Book 7.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Not to Harry, but both of his broomsticks. His Nimbus 2000 in book 3, which falls right into the Whomping Willow. His Firebolt in book 7 during the ambush.
* DissonantSerenity: Doubly, with respect to both others and himself. Harry's temperament and propensity for recklessness are among his chief faults, yet as he notes in Deathly Hallows, he tends to get calmer the more everyone else freaks out. Half a lifetime of dodging death by a hair seem to have effectively rewired his panic response, so much that [[DarkestHour past a certain threshold]], his brash temper reverses and he ends up being shockingly clear-headed.
* DontFearTheReaper: The biggest difference between him and Voldemort besides their understanding (or lack of) of love is the fact that Harry does not fear death. What made Harry the "Master of Death" was not that he gathered all three of the Deathly Hallows -- rather, through his experiences in which he gathered all three unknowingly, he came to realize that death is nothing to fear and that there are far worse things in this world than dying. Compare that to Voldemort, who cannot comprehend a FateWorseThanDeath and futilely searches to escape the inevitable.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry is turned on by Hogwarts students and the wizarding world in general at the drop of a hat, despite Harry having saved both several times.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He goes through a ''lot'' of physical and emotional pain across the books, but by the end of the series, he's in a loving marriage with three kids, and has a happy life.
* {{Expy}}:
** Of Wart from ''[[Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing The Sword in the Stone]]'', [[http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/0800-guardian-bio.html believe it or not]].
** Has been thought of one of Jesus Christ.
* EurekaMoment: While Hermione does the grunt work research, Harry is generally the one who ends up putting the clues together at the end. Unlike other examples of this trope, he doesn't normally get any particular source of inspiration, but rather simply gets focused enough to solve the given problem when things get really bad.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the final book, Harry has grown into his magical prowess to become one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in history.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Discovers this in the sixth book when he casts the spell Sectumsempra on Malfoy without knowing what it does beforehand. He's horrified to discover that it [[spoiler: vivisects the target]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:F-K]]
* FamousAncestor: Averted. Pottermore reveals information about his ancestry that confirms that Harry is the first prominent Potter in wizarding history. His ancestors did work in creating well-known healing remedies which made the family fortune, while Ralston Potter and Henry "Harry" Potter played a part in advocating pro-Muggle legislation but nothing amounting to more than a footnote. Indeed, despite being directly descended from Ignotus Peverell (through his grand-daughter Iolantha who married Linchfred of Stinchcombe), the Potters weren't considered among [[NoTrueScotsman the top 28 Pureblood family]].
* FatalFlaw: Harry's [[ChronicHeroSyndrome "saving people thing"]] gets him into trouble. He's willing to do anything in order to save the people he cares about, and he has a martyr complex that keeps him from asking for help or back-up at times when it would really be a smart idea. He does this to keep the people around him safe but it tends to really work against him. [[spoiler: Voldemort uses this to manipulate him into doing things that lead to Sirius's death.]] This also makes it very easy for Harry's enemies to lead him into traps.
* FightingFingerprint: Expelliarmus! See BoringButPractical.
* ForgetsToEat: On occasion, due to stress or anxiety. It is likely also the effect of being malnourished by his relatives and isn't hungry as a result, or hasn't built the habit of eating consistently.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric
* FriendlessBackground: Due to Dudley and his gang's bullying, his baggy hand-me-downs, and his taped glasses, Harry was an outcast in Muggle Primary School.
* FriendsAreChosenFamilyArent: Harry is good at making friends with all sorts of people, but the Dursleys treat him like dirt.
* GallowsHumor: A lot of his snark.
* GenerationXerox: Physically, and as repeated [[OncePerEpisode very often]], Harry is almost identical to his father James with the exception of his emerald GreenEyes, which are identical to those of his mother. He also has a lot in common in terms of UndyingLoyalty to his friends and willingness to break rules to do what's right and a total opposition to the Dark Arts. However, personality-wise, [[JerkJock James]] and [[HumbleHero Harry]] are ''very'' much '''not''' the same at least as far as fifteen-year-old James goes. Dumbledore suggests to Severus Snape, that his inner nature is like his more compassionate mother while in Book Three he reminded Harry that his decision to spare DirtyCoward Peter Pettigrew is something his father would have approved. So it's an even mix in the end. In terms of his family, Harry shares a common name with his great-grandfather Henry "Harry" Potter. His HumbleHero nature is also shared by other ancestors, who also stood up for Muggle Rights. But he otherwise lacks the genius in potions, ironically enough, that allowed his family to invent Skele-Gro, Pepper-Up Potions and Sleekeazy (which Harry uses without knowing that his family invented it).
* GlorySeeker: {{Inverted}}. Many people who have no idea what kind of life Harry lived before coming to Hogwarts (or even some of the stuff that came after) tend to think he is one of these. Some (like Snape) think he is a bullying troublemaker like his father; some (such as the Ministry, the Daily Prophet and a number of citizens) think that he just wants glory and is an attention seeker. Some of his classmates even thought he was the heir of Slytherin, once. The truth is largely the opposite, as living with the Dursleys and a lot of the stuff he dealt with in the Wizarding World actually made him very humble and quiet [[CharacterDevelopment (until he continued to grow in self-confidence and ability).]] Susan Bones lampshades it when her involuntary fame makes her like him -- and she wonders how he stands it, it's horrible.
* GoodIsNotSoft: For as much as is made of his ChronicHeroSyndrome, Harry draws the line at unnecessary murder, but pretty much anything else is fair game if he thinks it’s deserved. From deliberately horrifying Slughorn with vivid tales of his mother’s assassination to extract information to torturing a Death Eater as punishment, and even leaving to die someone who had just tried to kill him.
-->'''Hermione Granger:''' Oh, that was horrible. And he might kill them all.
-->'''Harry Potter:''' I'm not that fussed, to be honest.
* GreenEyedEpiphany: Harry spends the summer of his sixth year getting close to Ginny [[InnocentCohabitation in what he believes is a wholly platonic way]], feels slight tingles of annoyance at the notion of her going off with her boyfriend which he pays no mind to, offhandedly asks her on a NotADate to Hogsmeade without even realizing he's doing it and [[ObliviousToLove even misses that she has the same aroma as the love potion that's supposed to smell like things he likes]]. Then he catches her making out with her boyfriend and it finally dawns on him that his violent desire to eviscerate the guy might have deeper implications. He ''tries'' to convince himself that [[LikeBrotherAndSister she's just like a sister to him and that his territoriality was entirely brotherly]], but ditches the idea after imagining himself as the one kissing her and realizing ''that'' image doesn't bother him at all.
* GreenEyes: A constant mention that Harry has Lily's eyes.
* GuiltComplex: Born partly out of his ChronicHeroSyndrome, MartyrWithoutACause, and HeroicSelfDeprecation. Harry carries a huge amount of guilt and blames himself for almost every death related to him. He blames himself for [[spoiler:Cedric's death]] because he requested they grab the portkey together despite the fact that neither of them could have known it was such. He blames himself for [[spoiler:Sirius's death]] because he thinks he should have known better than to fall into Voldemort's trap. He blames himself for not letting Sirius kill Pettigrew, thereby aiding Voldemort's return, as well as [[spoiler:Voldemort's return to life]] because his blood was taken ''by force''. He pretty much blames himself for every death Voldemort causes because he thinks Voldemort just wants ''him'', despite the fact that he prevented countless deaths. That's one massive GuiltComplex. [[WhatTheHellHero Some of it is justified,]] most notably in Sirius's death, which could have been prevented altogether if he'd set aside his grudge of Snape and his resentment towards Dumbledore and just learned Occulumency. Or not believed a known liar who hates both him and Sirius. Or listened to Hermione. Or simply used the Mirror that Sirius gave him to communicate to him privately.
* HateAtFirstSight:
** Disliked Malfoy's insensitivity and arrogance during their first meeting, which was cemented when they met again later and Malfoy snubs Ron.
** Also, when Harry first sees Umbridge as their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor:
-->''"Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish and again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan."''
* TheHeart: The strongest moral center in the story.
* HeartwarmingOrphan: Harry starts out as an orphan living in a closet under the stairs and ends up not only making Hermione's, Ron's and Hagrid's lives a little brighter, but also saving the world from [[BigBad You-Know-Who]].
* TheHero: The story revolves his maturation into a powerful wizard and dealing with the BigBad trying to kill him.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Subverted for the bulk of the series. He asks Pavarti Patil (black hair) to the Yule Ball, and later briefly dates Cho Chang (also black hair). Once he joins the Slug Club, he brings (as a friend) Luna Lovegood (blond) as his +1 to a party. [[spoiler:He ends up with Ginny Weasley in the end]].
* HeroicSacrifice: He does this near the end of the seventh book; however, this results in Harry's resurrection and Voldemort's final KarmicDeath.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Occasionally delves into this.
--->'''Hermione:''' ...I'm not talking about test results, Harry. Look what you've ''done!''
--->'''Harry:''' How d'you mean?
--->'''Ron:''' (sarcastically) Uh... first year- you saved the Stone from You-Know-Who-
--->'''Harry:''' But that was luck, that wasn't skill-
--->'''Ron:''' Second year- you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle- Third year, you fought off about a hundred dementors at once.... last year, you fought off You-Know-Who again-
--->'''Harry:''' ...But I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts... I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing-
** This is a bit ironic, as Harry also falls under the [[DudeWheresMyReward Dude Where's My Reward?]] trope in the same book.
*** That one is more due to the fact that, after having seen [[spoiler:Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's resurrection]], he isn't told anything about Voldemort, which he feels is important because Voldemort is trying to kill him personally. [[spoiler:And he is proven correct later in the book, by Dumbledore nonetheless, when he says that he has just realized that, by not telling Harry what he should have known earlier believing he was protecting him, he only made things worse.]]
** Harry's playing down of his own competence is probably justified, as he is already well aware that he's the centre of a 14 year old reputation built on a deed he didn't actually perform himself. The last thing he wants the other students to believe is that he can pull an unbeatable solution out of his arse every time or teach them to do the same, because he knows it could get them killed. [[spoiler:And sure enough, Colin Creevey, one of his biggest fans, dies in the last book, and it hits Harry "like a punch in the gut". Then again, Colin knew the score: he'd had to go out of his way to evade [=Mc=]Gonagall and sneak back to fight. What Harry couldn't comprehend was just how determined the whole school was to make a stand; if [=Mc=]Gonagall hadn't ordered them out, ''everyone'' would have stayed to fight.]]
* HeroicWillpower: One of the few known wizards who can shake off the Imperius Curse (which gives him a CMOA near the end of book 4).
* HeroWithBadPublicity: At Hogwarts in the second book; at the end of the fourth book and continuing through the fifth book; to the greatest extent in the seventh book.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ron.
%%* HonorBeforeReason
* HotBlooded: Sometimes, especially in the 3rd and 5th books.
* HumbleHero: Although he dislikes being kept out of things or treated as incompetent, Harry never thinks of himself as anyone impressive and answers to mentions of his achievements by fixating on the fact that he always cut it extremely close. He ridicules the suggestion that he might have things to teach other students and insists that a lot of his feats sound much more impressive than they really were.
-->'''Ron Weasley:''' That makes me sound a lot cooler than I was.
-->'''Harry Potter:''' Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was. I've been trying to tell you that for years.
** Taken to HeroicSelfDeprecation levels at times, particularly during the first couple of years, as well as during the aforementioned teacher nomination. Sometimes played for laughs as in book six, where he's genuinely baffled by the fact that girls now consider him attractive.
--> '''Mad-Eye Moody:''' Play to your strengths.
--> '''Harry Potter:''' I haven’t got any.
* HurtingHero: Harry, who at seventeen years old has bested the Dark Lord at least eight times. And survives, [[DoomMagnet unlike most of the people he loves.]]
--> '''Hermione:''' Now that Malfoy's a prefect, he could make life really difficult for you.
--> '''Harry:''' Really? Gee, [[DeadpanSnarker I wonder]] what it would be like to have a difficult life!
* {{Hypocrite}}: Has his moments, particularly when he tried to tell Ginny she was too young to go with him to rescue Sirius, only for her to point out that she's three years older than he was when he started going on these adventures.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The Boy Who Lived, TheChosenOne, a PsychicLink into the insane mind of a monster, WeirdnessMagnet… Well, with all this heaped on him, guess you can't blame him. It's more like ''"I Just Want To Be A Normal Wizard"''; he was miserable living among Muggles.
* IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: Parseltongue sounds completely indistinguishable from regular languages to those with the innate talent to speak it, so the only way Harry can tell if he or someone else is speaking it is by having a non-speaker point it out. Until an episode in his second year, he didn't even recall the talent, much less realize that it was extraordinary.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Wants [[spoiler:Ginny]] to live a happy life and marry someone else if he doesn't survive his search for the Horcruxes.
* ImNotAHeroIm: Harry verbalized this trope a few times throughout the series.
* IndyPloy: While having variable results with premeditated action, Harry is tremendously good at quickly thinking up ways to get out of tight spots or solving problems when pressed for time. Generally speaking, you light a fire under his ass and the kid's IQ jumps fifty points. One example of this would be escaping Gringotts by way of dragon.
* IneffectualLoner: Harry often [[StopHelpingMe tries to discourage his friends from helping him]]. This in spite of the fact that he's often quite helpless without them. When, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', he wishes that Ron and Hermione were with him, it's a sign that he has started to accept that he needs help from his friends.
* InstantExpert: It's mentioned that Harry is a very competent wizard when he applies himself, being capable of quickly learning new spells that most adults struggle with. This trait gets balanced however, due to him being [[BrilliantButLazy utterly lazy]]... His skill with Flying is particularly noteworthy, since he demonstrates it right off the bat and without ''any'' training whatsoever. We later learn in the seventh book that he was capable of flying toy brooms with expert precision as early as ''one''; he was one when Lily wrote to say that Harry loved his birthday present.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Considering being the Chosen One entails being the focus of Voldemort's not-inconsiderable ire, it very much does.
* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: How he breaks up with [[spoiler:Ginny Weasley]].
* JackOfAllStats: While next to Hermione, Harry looks positively book-dumb(of course, that's like saying the 10th-ranked member of a graduation class looks book-dumb when compared to the Valedictorian), he still rivals her in most subjects, earning Es (the second-best grade one could get) in most subjects, including his least-favorite one of Potions, while outright besting her in Defense Against the Dark Arts. If there were some sort of ranking system in Hogwarts academia, then Harry would definitely be a cut above the standard. Of course compared to his parents, his father who became an Animagus at age 15 and co-invented the Marauder's Map, as well as his mother who was a Potions genius, Harry (and the trio in general) comes off as a weaker student.
* JerkassBall: Catches this hard in Book 5. The trauma of witnessing Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's return gave Harry a severe case of PTSD and depression, causing him to snap at his friends.
* KidHero: Technically, by the final book, Harry is an adult by wizard estimation. But he’s been running circles around Voldemort since he was prepubescent.
* TheKirk: Not as impulsive as Ron and not a stickler for rules like Hermione.
* KirkSummation: Gives one to Voldemort in the final book.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:L-Q]]
* TheLancer: For Dumbledore in Book 6.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Raised to be this.
* TheLeader: Of Dumbledore's Army and the Golden Trio.
* LikeASonToMe: Molly Weasley considers Harry one of her many sons. Somewhat deconstructed as she is very overprotective of him and acts as though she's the only parental figure he has. Lupin flat out tells her that she's not the only one who cares about him this way. Also slightly deconstructed in that she treats him better than her own children, [[OvershadowedByAwesome particularly]] [[TheUnfavorite Ron]], which puts a minor strain on their friendship [[spoiler: culminating in ''The Deathly Hallows'']]. Harry often feels awkward receiving better praise and presents from her than the other Weasley brothers (especially when they're right next to him), and listening to her scold and chide the others for reckless stunts that she instantly forgives him for.
--> Sirius: [Harry]'s not your son!\\
Molly: He's as good as!
* LikeBrotherAndSister: How Harry explains his relationship with Hermione to Ron.
* LikeParentLikeChild: A lot of characters tend to make this comparison, especially the people who knew Harry's father as a young man, both his teachers and his former schoolmates. Dumbledore and Remus note that James had a similar HonorBeforeReason approach to combating the Dark Arts, in refusing to suspect his friends of treachery and a practitioner of ThouShaltNotKill even to the most undeserving. [[SubvertedTrope However]],Harry gradually realizes that he and his father were different. His father was raised as an only child of privilege in a wizard household and that he ultimately has more in common with his Muggleborn mother, especially her compassionate nature.
* LikeParentUnlikeChild: {{Downplayed}}. While Harry definitely has some traits shared with his father James, there's a big difference between them in regards to their interactions as Hogwarts students. While Harry as a student is the type of guy who would stand up for the little guy, James when he was a student was a bit of an asshole especially in regards to his treatment towards a young Snape. James' attitude in this matter in fact kinda makes him comparable to Draco Malfoy whom Harry is vehemently against. If Quidditch is added to the equation, Harry would be a LovableJock while his father James would be a JerkJock.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Chronically, to the point of being a bit of an IdiotBall issue for Harry's guardians and Dumbledore in particular. Their repeated attempts to keep Harry from finding out about dangers looming over him so as to not make him worry failed spectacularly every single time, with [[PoorCommunicationKills particularly disastrous results]] in Order of the Phoenix.
* LovableJock: Harry has been the Seeker for Gryffindor's Quidditch team since his first year. And since that time, he has remain an {{adorkable}} NiceGuy.
* MagneticHero: While Harry is a solid duelist, his true strength is his ability to inspire loyalty from those around him. Snape ironically uses this trope to [[DamnedByFaintPraise Harry's ability as a wizard]], but it ''is'' what ultimately leads to Harry's defeat of Voldemort.
* MartyrWithoutACause: At times.
* TheMarvelousDeer: Harry's Patronus.
* MentorsNewHope: Young Harry is wisely watched over by Dumbledore, who also kept a close watch over Tom Riddle before he became Lord Voldemort.
* MessiahCreep: Although there are messianic overtones right from the first chapter of the first book.
* MessyHair: Inherited from his father, Harry's perpetually messy bush of jet black hair is his third most mentioned feature, after his scar and green eyes. It's almost supernaturally averse to staying down.
-->'''Molly Weasley:''' [at her wits' end trying to groom him] Doesn't it ever lie flat?
-->'''Harry Potter:''' *silently shakes his head*
** Depicted very inconsistently in the films, where [[AdaptationDyeJob besides being brown]], it shifts from straight and neat to accurately bushy to short and tidy as the movies go. Overall, his hair spends most of the run looking anything besides bushy and messy.
** The first four movies have Harry with messy hair, but the later films just give Harry a close crop.
** Implied to be magically influenced, as Petunia gave him a horrible at-home haircut to get rid of the mess, and the next morning his hair had regrown and re-mussed itself.
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: At Privet Drive. Harry's relatives viciously spread lies about how he's a delinquent that steals from little kids and attends St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys, when in truth Harry hates bullies and attends Hogwarts.
* MixedAncestry: Half-blood. Note that with Ron as a pureblood and Hermione as a Muggle-Born, he stands between the two of them. His family, the Potters, were never an especially prominent one in wizarding history, until Harry came along. But in any case, Harry is a direct descendant of Linfred of Stinchcombe and Iolantha Peverell (Ignotus Peverell's grand-daughter who bestowed all the eldest Potters with the Cloak of Invisibility), which otherwise makes his family quite prestigious.
* MoeCouplet:
** Harry and Luna. Luna is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who hardly seems troubled by anything and helps her father run the magical equivalent of a tabloid magazine, whereas Harry becomes more [[HurtingHero traumatized as increasing numbers of his friends and loved ones die. Some of them right in front of him.]] Yet, Luna understands what losing a loved one feels like, enabling her to empathise with his grief over Sirius -- and Harry knows what being picked on feels like, so he naturally wants to help her out when people hide Luna's things and mock her behind her back. They serve as two sides of the same coin, and [[FanPreferredCouple some fans prefer them as a couple to Harry/Ginny]].
** Hermione is a magical genius, except when it comes to dealing with actual dark wizards, which is Harry's specialty (his life is basically a long series of fighting dark wizards). When it comes to personality, Harry is selfless to an annoying degree even when personal friends are not involved, while Hermione focuses on immediate gain and loss to her close friends (especially when it comes to grades!). While these traits alone would get kind of annoying, together they play off each other quite well.
* MundaneFantastic: Inverted. Harry had never experienced life in a magical household before staying with the Weasleys, and he falls in love with The Burrow. Ron had been surrounded by magic for his entire life, and he doesn't think much of it.
--> '''Ron''': It's not much, but it's home. \\
'''Harry''': I think it's brilliant!
* NaiveNewcomer: Being raised by Muggles, Harry spends the first few months of the first book adjusting to [[FishOutOfWater the strange new world he finds himself]] in, and still has his moments after that.
* {{Nephewism}}: Harry is nominally the nephew of the couple he lives with. In practice, he's more the unpaid overworked abused servant with nowhere else to go than a family member. Dumbledore arranged for him to live there so he wouldn't learn about the whole "Boy Who Lived" thing until he could have some perspective - and because he needed Harry to live with a family member as part of a magical protection, and Petunia was the only candidate.
* NiceGuy: He may have angst and a witty tongue, but he has the ''biggest'' heart and moral code in literature.
* NonIdleRich: Most definitely. Beyond the fact that he doesn't have to ever worry about money, his parents' UndisclosedFunds don't really impact his personality at all; he spends the last few books aiming to get a job in magical law enforcement. This is a point of difference between him and Ron, the fact that Harry doesn't really have to worry about money while for Ron, it's a central fact he had to internalize all his life.
* NotAfraidToDie: Harry and Voldemort are remarkably similar in many ways, but if their is one difference between them, it's this. Harry has never feared death, while Voldemort regards it as the worst thing that could ever happen to him.
* NotSoDifferent: In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'', Harry notices disturbing similarities between himself and Voldemort. At the climax of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', he sees parallels not only between himself and Voldemort, but also [[spoiler:Snape]], going so far as to think of them as "lost boys" whose only real home is Hogwarts.
* ParentalNeglect: The Dursleys hated Harry and only gave him the basest of needs as he grew up.
* PlayingPossum: Harry does an ''outstanding'' job of convincing Voldemort that he's dead, then sneaks his way into the final battle.
* PlatonicLifePartners: He and Hermione love each other like siblings.
* ThePowerOfLove: The reason he survived the Killing Curse as a kid is because his mother's HeroicSacrifice invoked this on him. Plus, Dumbledore claims that Harry's greatest strength is his ability to love, even though Harry wants to know WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway.
** As seen during ''Deathly Hallows'', ThePowerOfLove [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower is an awesome power]], given that [[spoiler:it protects everyone in the castle after Harry sacrifices himself]], but it is also implied that the actual power is his ability to make friends and his loyalty to them which is returned, as opposed to Voldemort, who is several times said to only be able to get the Death Eaters to serve him through calling to their desire for power and through fear.
* ProtagonistTitle: All of the books/movies are titled "Harry Potter and the X" or "Harry Potter and the X of X".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:R-Z]]
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Harry is displeased when Dumbledore up and dies (most inconsiderate), leaving him a seemingly impossible quest with 10% completion and some unbelievably vague clues about the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]; and he has to find out secondhand about Dumbledore's torrid past, including how Albus was [=BFF=]s with Wizard Hitler (well, the first one, anyways).
** A much more direct version occurs at the end of Order of the Phoenix, when Dumbledore finally spills the beans about almost everything. Harry's rebuttal leaves many of Dumbledore's office decorations in pieces around the room.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives Voldemort one in the last book about one minute before their final battle at the end.
* RedBaron: Harry is known as "The Boy Who Lived" because he is the only person in the wizarding world to have survived the dreaded Killing Curse. Twice. At the end, he lives once again after his DisneyDeath.
%%* RedOniBlueOni:
%%** He and Ron are Red to Hermione's Blue.
%%** When it's just him and Ron, Harry is the Blue Oni to Ron's Red Oni.
* ReluctantWarrior: He honestly ''doesn't'' want to be TheChosenOne.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Part of the reason his relationship with Cho Chang failed--she latched onto him mainly because of his connection to Cedric.
* RookieRedRanger: In the first book, at least. He's the ''de facto'' leader of the main trio because of his bravado and reputation as "The Boy Who Lived", but he has the least magical knowledge of any of them; while Ron was raised by Wizards, and Hermione began studying and practicing Magic as soon as she got her acceptance letter, [[AudienceSurrogate Harry remains mostly clueless about the Wizarding World until he actually begins his term at Hogwarts]].
* SaveOurStudents: Gets persuaded/strong-armed into the role by Ron and Hermione in ''Order of the Phoenix''. To his own surprise, he achieves very good results.
* TheScapegoat: In a bid to keep the public from learning of the return of Voldemort in ''Order of the Phoenix'', the Ministry leads a media campaign ''against'' Harry, smearing his name in the dirt.
* ScarsAreForever: While magic can cure most injuries, Harry's lighting-bolt scar is caused by Dark Magic and can't be removed.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: His basic approach to life.
* ShellShockedVeteran: It's obvious that he suffers from PTSD that gets worse by the time of the fifth book, with nightmares and all. It's also pretty bad throughout the last book.
** That's not hyperbole. At different times from book 5 onward, Harry displays all six of the diagnostic criteria for chronic post traumatic stress disorder as defined by DSM-IV.
* ShipperOnDeck: Harry ships Ron/Hermione, although he would possibly ship it a bit more if they hadn't chosen the middle of a battle to get together...
* ShonenHair: In the books, his hairstyle is described as having a kind of magical permanence; it's constantly unruly and messy, immune to hairbrushes, combs, and gel, and whenever it's cut short, it's back to the exact same style it was before a day later. In an anime, that last detail would be considered a parody of every single Shonen hero.
* SignatureMove: The Disarming Charm, not always for the same reason. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'' he uses it against Lockhart because it's the only combat spell he knows at the time. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' he uses it against Snape for the same reason. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' he uses it against Voldemort because Voldemort's use of the word "duel" made Harry think of the Dueling Club, where he learned it. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' he teaches it to Dumbledore's Army as the first spell because of his experience with it. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' he uses it again on [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Imperiused]] Stan Shunpike because other spells would have knocked him off a high-flying broom and Harry doesn't want to kill victims under the Imperius Curse. Later in ''Deathly Hallows'' he uses it against Voldemort as an acknowledgement that it is his signature move.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Harry wears a round pair of glasses and is quite smart, in maturity and [[BrilliantButLazy in academics if he applied himself more.]]
* SociallyAwkwardHero: He's quite shy in the beginning of [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]], and remains unable talk to girls romantically for most of the series. Also, any attention he receives as a result of his celebrity makes him uncomfortable and embarrassed; he therefore confides mainly to his two best friends. And while Harry is well-liked by his peers (when they're not turning on him due to false suspicions), only a few really know him.
* SoulFragment: When Voldemort tried to kill the one-year old Harry and failed, he accidentally made him into a Horcrux, forging a connection between their minds.
* SoulJar: One of the biggest shocks (for some) in book seven was learning that Harry was a [[SoulJar Horcrux]] for Voldemort.
* SweetTooth: A given since his favorite food is a dessert.
* TalkingToThemself: Even without mental disorders, Harry occasionally holds amusingly even-split arguments with himself, such as in his fifth year where his jealousy over Ron's prefect badge argued against his natural humility, or his sixth year where his crush on Ginny argued against his guilt about her being Ron's sister. He refers to it as the ''little voice in his head'', which usually plays the part of his conscience.
-->'''Harry Potter:''' She's Ron's sister.
-->'''Also Harry:''' But she's ditched Dean!
-->'''Harry Potter:''' She's still Ron's sister.
-->'''Also Harry:''' I'm his best mate!
-->'''Harry Potter:''' That'll make it worse.
-->'''Also Harry:''' If I talked to him first—
-->'''Harry Potter:''' He'd hit you.
-->'''Also Harry:''' What if I don't care?
-->'''Harry Potter:''' He's your best mate!
** At other points, Harry's inner voice is quite nasty, which could possibly be an effect of the Horcrux inside of him, or just a result of his insecurities.
* TaughtByExperience: Harry's combat skills were developed exclusively on the fly, owing largely to the spastic and uneven quality of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes coupled with necessity. As a result, he has a somewhat limited arsenal of spells but excellent split-second reactions and is largely immune to pressure choking.
* ThouShaltNotKill: When your parents were killed by a spell when you were a year old, you kinda don't want to use that spell. He even uses the other Unforgivable Curses, but can never bring himself to kill.
* TinySchoolboy: He's implied to be this in the novels, being the nice guy and adorkable type. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'', he is asked out to the Yule Ball by a [[HugeSchoolgirl taller girl]] who he declines. She could've been trying to invoke the typical friendship between the huge girl and the tiny boy, and doesn't care that he's popular now. ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]] says that he had a look of a kid that "had grown in a very short space of time".
*** ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' and ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' imply that he grew a lot more and was almost as tall as Ron.
** Harry embodies this much more in the films because Daniel Radcliffe is 5'5.
* TomatoInTheMirror: He eventually realizes that he must let himself be killed because he is holding on to Voldemort's life.
* TooDumbToLive: {{Defied|Trope}} in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner Of Azkaban]]''.
-->'''Mr. Weasley:''' Harry, promise me that whatever you do, you will not go looking for him.\\
'''Harry:''' Mr. Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wanted to kill me?
* TookALevelInBadass: A rather gradual case throughout the course of the series. In the first book, Harry is never shown using a single spell, his only magical contribution being his natural talent for flying. In the second book, he uses a few basic spells against Draco in a Wizard duel, but nothing particularly special. Things begin to change in the third, where he spends several months learning the Patronus charm and becoming quite proficient with it, despite being a very difficult spell to master. However while impressive, it is rather situational, only really being useful when facing a Dementor. The bigger shift comes in the fourth book when Hermione and Ron help him learn several hexes and jinxes to prepare him for the final challenge in the Triwizard Tournament. Those same spells are honed into real skills in the fifth book where he teaches them to Dumbledore's Army. The sixth book gives him a few extra bonus spells courtesy of the Half Blood Prince and by the time the seventh book comes around, it's finally time to put all of that learning to the test.
* TookALevelInCynic: Harry has horrible stuff happen to him every year, but in his first few years at Hogwarts, he still bounces back and has a tendency to believe that everything can turn out alright and trust the teachers for help. As the series goes on though, people he's close to actually start to die, things aren't nicely fixed by the end of each book, and the adults he previously trusted are either corrupt or [[AdultsAreUseless well-meaning but unable to do much]]. Of note is how the later books, particularly the last one, show his crumbling trust in Dumbledore. A younger Harry sees Dumbledore as an impressive authority figure who can solve any problem. When he gets older, Harry is forced to accept that not only is Dumbledore not always in control and always know what's going on, but [[spoiler:had a history that was about as far from noble and heroic as one could get.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Harry seems to be very fond of treacle. Hell, he's so fond of the stuff that its [[FoodPorn aroma]] is one of the three things he smells when he sniffs a love potion.
* TragicKeepsake: Harry gained items that once belong to departed loved ones.
** In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he received the Cloak of Invisibility as an anonymous Christmas gift. He later learned the gift came from Albus Dumbledore, who obtained it in turn from Harry's father, James Potter. It was later revealed to be a family heirloom as well as one of the three Deathly Hallows. From this Harry realises he is a direct descendant of Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers who created the Deathly Hallows. Ignotus' grand-daughter married Linchfred, the founder of the Potter family, and brought the cloak into the family. It is yet to be decided whether he would give the cloak to his oldest son, James Sirius, his youngest son, Albus Severus, or his daughter Lily Luna. According to Potter family tradition, it went to the eldest, but Harry's not been one for tradition.
** In his third year, Fred and George gave the Marauder's Map to Harry while he was trying to sneak into Hogsmeade. It was confiscated by Remus Lupin, but later returned when Lupin quit his job. Harry kept it with him for a long period of time, keeping it in the Mokeskin wallet he had gotten from Hagrid, until it was finally stolen from his desk by his son, James.
** In ''Deathly Hallows'', when Harry leaves the Dursleys' house for good and discards most of his possessions, he keeps with him the fake Horcrux that Dumbledore had all but died helping him retrieve from the cave. This is also an example of the hero not keeping the keepsake; instead, Harry gives it to Kreacher, an act that results in the house-elf that had loathed Harry and his friends becoming one of his most loyal allies.
* TheUnchosenOne: Dumbledore helps Harry become this in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]''.
* UndisclosedFunds: The books never make clear exactly how rich Harry is, but between his parents' money and becoming sole heir to the Black family fortune, it's implied to be somewhere between extremely and ''obscenely.'' Reinforced when he [[spoiler: gives away the ''entire'' 1000-galleon Triwizard earnings to the Weasleys without a second thought.]] Pottermore finally discloses that his family made a fortune from patents on healing potions such as Skele-Gro, Pepperup and Sleekeazy's Hair Potion (which considering the MessyHair of James and Harry, is some kind of cosmic joke, not to mention Harry's weak affinity for Potions). Harry's grandfather, [[FailOSuckyname Fleamont]] Potter sold the family business for a big sum and retired comfortably, having more than enough to be independently wealthy. It was sizable enough that James didn't have to work and could devote full-time to the Order, while also supporting Lily and Remus, and leaving Harry a sizable fortune but obviously one reduced from the initial inheritance.
* TheUnfavorite: In the Dursley household.
* UnskilledButStrong: He has the raw power to produce a solid, stable patronus at 13, and is able to access a fairly large reservoir of magical power (enough to face down Death Eaters and Voldemort when he's 17). However, he is continuously outclassed by Hermione, who is incredibly skilled, and any other wizard or witch who doesn't just rely on raw power for their magic.
** Harry ends up inverting this, in a sense, as he's a supremely skilled duelist. Interestingly, dueling isn't even mentioned as one of his skills until the fifth book, at which point it becomes clear that we've watched him live the past four years on his wits and creative uses of magic. While Hermione is capable of far more advanced magic, Harry is very good at managing pitched battles and out-hexing wizards with access to powerful dark magic through good aim, honed reflexes, and an ability to take advantage of his environment. So yeah, "in a weird way". The movies also show Harry at being extremely good at pulling up combat spells quickly, so he definitely skilled at ''casting'' spells.
* UnwittingPawn: At several points he serves as this to Voldemort in Book 2, 4 and 5 especially. The final book gives him what is likely the AwfulTruth, that he is one for [[spoiler:Dumbledore himself, who knew all along that he would have to sacrifice himself to Voldemort and had prepared and trained him as a StealthMentor to do this at the right time. Of course, Dumbledore in the afterlife admitted he figured Harry would survive anyway and feels guilty about it.]] WordOfGod noted that Dumbledore was fairly Machiavellian in his relationship with Harry and that the latter is basically "his puppet."
* WhatBeautifulEyes: Along with his trademark lightning-bolt shaped scar, his GreenEyes (inherited from Lily) are his most frequently commented-on trait.
* WhoAreYou:
** Harry's first reaction to Hagrid. The narration states that because Hagrid is so huge, Harry has to repress his astonishment and avoid asking "WhatAreYou?" instead.
** He has the same reaction, and initial desire to ask "what" rather than "who", to Dobby in the second book.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: An interesting variation; Harry's greatest fear is of Dementors, evil creatures that feed off emotions and force the victims into a deep despair. Professor Lupin takes this to mean that Harry's greatest fear is of fear itself.
* WouldHitAGirl: Harry has no qualms over using aggressive spells on women.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThink: Occasionally. Harry believes he is unworthy of his fame. Partly justified, though, as it was really his mother that did most of the Boy-Who-Lived stuff, but Harry more than proves himself by facing off Voldemort each year. He also feels unworthy of his house in Chamber of Secrets, but he gets over it after Dumbledore shows him that he pulled out Godric Gryffindor's sword.
* YouKilledMyFather: The reason why he wants to hunt down Voldemort is because he brutally murdered his parents.
[[/folder]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Harry James Potter]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harry_potter.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300: ''"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."'']]
-->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DanielRadcliffe (films), Jamie Parker (''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'', first West End run)
->''"[[SarcasmMode Gee, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life.]]''"
AKA the Boy Who Lived. AKA the Chosen One.
At the age of one, [[TheHero Harry's]] parents are killed by [[BigBad Lord Voldemort]], who then attempts to kill him with the [[DeathRay Killing Curse.]] Due to ThePowerOfLove from his mother's self-sacrifice, however, he survives and rebounds the curse upon Voldemort, getting a [[ScarsAreForever lightning bolt-shaped scar]] as a souvenir. The series' resident EccentricMentor, Dumbledore, then arranges to have his {{Muggle}} aunt and uncle take him in … or else. For ten long years, they grudgingly comply, forcing Harry to live in the cupboard under the stairs and being both cruel and neglectful of him. Harry's bullying cousin, Dudley, doesn't make things any easier.
Then, shortly before his eleventh birthday, everything changes. [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive Letters (from "no one") begin arriving in Harry's "home"]], growing by the number each day. Harry's aunt and uncle, acting suspiciously, refuse to allow him to read even ''one'', and after several days, leave the house and go to a tiny house in a cliff in the middle of a storm. Unfortunately (for the Dursleys), the ones who sent the letters are not deterred by such means, and Harry is eventually told of his past, and the wizarding world.
Thus, Harry's adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry begin, starting off as lighthearted, and growing darker in nature each year, as he makes friends, learns of his destiny, and matures.
Nineteen years after he defeats Voldemort for good, he's married to Ginny Weasley and is the father of three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter.
----
[[folder:A-E]]
* TheAce: Harry’s a talented wizard, especially in the area of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He’s also a naturally gifted Quidditch player.
* AcheyScars:
** The lightning-shaped scar created by Voldemort starts aching whenever Harry is close to him, and in the later books, whenever Voldemort is feeling a particularly strong emotion.
** The "I must not tell lies" scars on his hand that he received from detentions with a SadistTeacher in his fifth year tingle when he thinks of her.
* ActionDad: Becomes the Head Auror and father of three by the year 2017.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Harry has green eyes in the book, but they are blue in the movies. He is also a brunet instead of black-haired.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Initially Harry WAS supposed to have green eyes]], but Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the coloured contacts he was given.
* AllLovingHero: Harry's greatest power of all was his ability to love. In spite of being raised by a family that treated him with anything but affection, Harry remarkably turned out capable of very strong love. He even gave ''[[BigBad Voldemort]]'' one last warning to save himself. To reiterate, Harry was willing to save the life of the man who murdered his parents and made his life ''hell'', indirectly and directly.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer:
** Public opinion of Harry in the Wizarding world oscillates between hero worship to complete rejection at the drop of a hat. But Harry is not particularly saintly in his isolation.
** Harry was an outcast in the muggle world too because of the Dursleys' rumors about his behavior and because Dudley and his gang bullied anyone who befriended him.
* AllergicToEvil: His lightning-bolt scar burns whenever Voldemort is close to him or feeling strong negative emotions, and in book 4, Voldemort just touching him causes him ''horrible pain''.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Unintentionally this to Ron.
* AmazonChaser: He really started falling for [[FieryRedhead Ginny]] when he noticed her feisty attitude and Quidditch skills.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Harry shows symptoms of PTSD during book five.
* AmicableExes: [[spoiler: A scene in the eighth movie indicates he and Cho have become this.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Stag (his Patronus).
* AntiHero: At first and for most of the series, he is unambiguously good and heroic, even if he is more than a bit snarky AntiHero who isn't above lying, eavesdropping, and generally being an occasional "trouble-maker" in school, even during the earlier installments. Then Harry got DarkerAndEdgier along with the series, [[WhatTheHellHero doing things that become much more questionable]] as time goes on, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo even when they're being used to reach goals that are unquestionably heroic]], and became a PragmaticHero.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: According to WordOfGod, he later went on to become the youngest head of the Auror Office in history. It isn't hard to see why… Let's see: saved the Philosopher's Stone, defeated Slytherin's Basilysk, learned how to make a Patronus when only 13, escaped Voldemort seven times, survived the Second Wizarding War, while more experienced wizards (like Sirius Black, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Nymphadora Tonks and Albus Dumbledore) didn't, defeated more Death Eaters than one can count... Yeah, he definitely qualifies.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Of the trio, Harry is the youngest. Hermione is the oldest of them all by a year and Ron was born four months before Harry.
* BadassInCharge: Harry becomes the youngest Head Auror in wizarding history.
* BadassTeacher: Harry has shown tremendous skill in teaching others. Having mastered many spells at a young age, Harry successfully passed them onto others even when he was still a student himself, giving proper instructions and corrections on how to perform many fields of magic, ranging from the relatively simplistic Disarming Charm to the highly advanced Patronus Charm. Harry's effectiveness as a teacher led many, some even older than him, to choose him over a Ministry-installed professional, and he even returned to Hogwarts to give occasional lectures.
* BadDreams: Often, especially after his first encounter with Voldemort in the first year and Cedric's death.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: {{Zig zagged}}. Harry's destiny has been predicted by a self-fulfilling prophecy, but according to Dumbledore, it's only self-fulfilling because [[WrongGenreSavvy Voldemort]] ''[[WrongGenreSavvy insists]]'' [[WrongGenreSavvy on fulfilling it]] and Harry himself has no intention of turning away from it.
--> '''Harry Potter:''' It all comes to the same thing, doesn't it? I've got to try and kill him, or—
--> '''Dumbledore:''' Of course you've got to! But not because of the prophecy! Because you, yourself, will never rest until you've tried! We both know it!
* BelatedBackstory: Regarding all his connections with Voldemort.
* BerserkButton:
** Whatever you do, do NOT insult his parents.
** Diss one of his favorite teachers to his face, and you'll be in for a world of hurt. Just ask Amycus Carrow.
** Bad parenting in general. Having grown up without his parents (and with abusive foster 'parents' to boot), he realizes the value of loving parental care, and views as an obligation for anyone who can give it to do so. It's also implied that seeing the account of what happened to Tom Riddle hammered this home for Harry even further.
* BetaCouple: He and Ginny get together faster and don't argue as much as Ron and Hermione.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Harry is '''NOT''' a pleasant person when he's pissed.
* BigGood: He becomes this in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Even though he does not exactly lead anyone, he continues to inspire hope and is a rallying point for the students of Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Army, and the Order of the Phoenix. In the practical sense, however, [[spoiler:Moody and, after ''he'' dies, Kingsley]], seem to be Dumbledore's designated successors.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ginny; both being fierce, Quidditch-loving Leos, with a darker sense of humor.
* ABirthdayNotABreak: Some of Harry's birthdays are spoiled: his twelfth because his mail is intercepted and he must deny his own existence, his thirteenth because he's treated like a little kid, and his seventeenth because Rufus Scrimegour interrupts his birthday party and acts like a jerk. Many of his early birthdays are implied to be less than satsifactory; as his relatives do not bother to get him real gifts. He receives a coat-hanger and a pair of his uncle's used socks on his tenth birthday.
* BlindWithoutEm: Though he seldom drops his glasses.
* BookDumb: He gets by mostly by practice and reliance on Hermione, aside from a few isolated moments like doing his homework, he never seems to have read many books and still relies on Hermione and Ron for InfoDump well into his sixth year despite having been part of wizard culture for sometime now. In the middle of the series it becomes clear that Harry is a genius in Defense Against The Dark Arts, almost to the point of being a prodigy.
* BoringButPractical: The Disarming Charm, ''Expelliarmus'', which becomes Harry's signature move. It does ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, causing the target to drop whatever he or she may be wielding. It is fairly dull, basic and unimpressive compared to most other spells, but given that wizards are basically helpless without a wand, it's an instant win if executed correctly. This does come back to bite him in the ass during the beginning of ''Deathly Hallows'', in which the Order distributes several of its members, disguised as Harry, across several teams so that the Death Eaters will have a harder time finding and killing the real thing. When Harry disarms an Imperiused Stan Shunpike, his use of the spell tips off the other Death Eaters, and quickly alerts Voldemort to his location.
* ABoyAndHisX: A Boy And His Owl. Develops a close bond with his pet owl, Hedwig. This makes her death even harder on Harry.
* BreakTheCutie: He sees his mother get killed (and hears his father be killed) when he was fifteen months old, then he was shipped off to his abusive aunt and uncle's. He escapes them when he's eleven, though he has to go back during summers, and he discovers that the world of magic isn't so much an escape for him as it is another place where he is constantly in danger of death and other losses. This leads to his willing self-sacrifice when he's seventeen.
* BrilliantButLazy: He struggled with his Potions and Transfigurations classes, but his O.W.L. scores demonstrated that he's actually rather good at them. There are subjects that he is legitimately bad at, but his lack of skill in Divination and History of Magic don't affect him in the story. In-universe, Harry has been described as bright, but not exceptionally so. His poor performance in school might have been caused by the Dursleys' abuse of him, neglecting his studying skills and perhaps punishing him for doing better than Dudley did.
** He's also one of the best, if not the best duelist among the students by the time he's in his fifth year. He still gets owned by more experienced wizards, however and gets handed down a CurbStompBattle from ([[spoiler:Snape]]). He is also the best in the year (possibly the entire school) at Defense Against the Dark Arts.
** It's also made clear one reason he's so bad at Potions is because Snape is his teacher. During his O.W.L. Harry's narration notes that the class is much easier without the pressure of Snape waiting to find something to punish him for.
*** Also worth noting, when Snape finally stops being his Potions teacher, Harry immediately becomes far better at the subject, even out performing Hermione. Technically this is due to the textbook he used in his sixth year having annotations, effectively making it a cheat sheet. However it's worth considering that this book was annotated by Snape himself. Therefore, he was still being taught by Snape, it just seems that Harry does infinitely better when Snape isn't breathing down his neck.
** Divination can be explained by having a teacher like Trelawney (who constantly predicts his death, to boot), and the History of Magic Professor is considered so incredibly boring that most students have a hard time even focusing, let alone staying awake, during his lessons.
** He also has a natural affinity for flying. He's able to ace riding a broomstick on his first time, despite the teacher having to leave before she could tell him all of the basics. He then manages to upgrade to the considerably faster Nimbus 2000 and Firebolt without any trouble. He even does well when it comes to taming and riding flying animals, such as Hippogriffs and Thestrals, despite Care of Magical Creatures not being one of his stronger subjects.
* BrokenAce: Most people in the wizarding world perceive him as TheAce while his relatives perceive him as worthless. Harry develops major insecurities as a result.
* BrokenPedestal: He undergoes this at some point or the other with each of his adult role models. Sirius, his father, Remus Lupin and Dumbledore...
* ButForMeItWasTuesday:
** Ginny getting possessed by Lord Voldemort was this for Harry, more or less in hindsight. It was ''not'' for Ginny. This leads to a WhatTheHellHero moment when Ginny calls him out for it.
** This also undermines some of the tension between him, Ron and Hermione. He can't appreciate that being an orphan and being raised by the Dursleys like an indentured servant and later finding out that he's independently wealthy as a result of his inheritances, makes it easier for him to become a [[FreeRangeChildren free range wizard]] than it is for people with family who are worried about them.
** Harry has a much easier time than either Ron or Hermione adapting to the hunger and deprivation that the group endures in book 7, because such things were just a fact of life for him while he was being raised by the Dursleys.
* ButtMonkey: When living with the Dursleys.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to Dudley's Cain, even though they're cousins, not brothers.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: AT least in regards to his schoolwork. In the first book, Harry eagerly reads all his magic textbooks before even going to Hogwarts (much like Hermione), is described as a good student by his professors, and is itching to do his over-the-summer homework at the start of the second book. Over the second book though he becomes increasingly indifferent, until by the end he doesn't even bother choosing his third-year electives, simply copying [[BookDumb Ron's]] choices without reading what they are. For the rest of the series, Harry is shown to be an indifferent student; zoning out during lectures, slacking on homework, relying on Hermione to scrape by in his classes, and often needing other people (usually Hermione) to spoon-feed him information on the Wizarding World around him and new spells to add to his [[BoringButPractical limited arsenal]]. While he is shown to excel at subjects he's interested in (like Defense Against the Dark Arts), it can be a little jarring going back to the first book and seeing [[BrilliantButLazy Harry]] voluntarily pick up a textbook. (And not one that's filled with doodles from the Half-Blood Prince.) Possibly justified, as he grows more used to magic and as his life grows more and more dangerous, possibly making him lose interest in his schoolwork.
* ChickMagnet: [[FirstGirlWins Ginny]], [[FirstLove Cho]], [[PrecociousCrush Gabrielle]], [[AbhorrentAdmirer Romilda Vane]], and [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Moaning Myrtle]]. Hermione {{Lampshades}} it in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' by telling him that he's 'never been more fanciable.'
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Harry eventually marries Ginny Weasley whom he became friends with in his second year of Hogwarts.
* TheChosenOne: Harry is given this nickname by the press by the beginning of HBP, due to his connection to the prophecy. [[EnemyMine Like such people as Scrimgeour and Snape]], he's less than amused.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: [=AKA=] "his saving people thing." This is eventually exploited -- with tragic results -- by Voldemort.
-->'''Hermione:''' This isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do... sort of... I mean -- don't you think you've got a bit of a -- a -- saving-people thing?
* CinderellaCircumstances: Harry at the Dursleys' household, before he gets his acceptance letter from Hogwarts. However, his uncle never does stop treating him like crap.
* ClosetSublet: He provides the current page image for a reason.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Played with, since his home situation is not really "convenient."
* CoolLoser: Harry's famous, a pretty nice guy, and is regarded as a hero. Yet in ''Chamber of Secrets'' he's ostracized because he can talk to snakes, in ''Goblet of Fire'' he's ostracized for entering the Triwizard contest ("Harry is a cheating cheater!"), and in the next book he's looked down on because he's the only one who notices ''there's a frickin' war going on.'' In the sixth book, he ''does'' become hugely popular, but finds it annoying.
* CoolTeacher:
** He secretly teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts during his fifth year.
** And Word of Rowling states that [[spoiler:he occasionally gave lectures about Defense Against The Dark Arts, after the end of the series.]]
* CrazyJealousGuy: Harry didn't act on it, but he secretly wanted to pummel Dean whenever he kissed, held, spent time with Ginny.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Played with. He's competent enough to do well in most of his classes, but his best competency - and perhaps his biggest interest - is in combat magic and Defence Against The Dark Arts. He relies mostly on Hermione in other areas. This may or may not have been enforced by Rowling, as one of the more important CharacterDevelopment arcs in the series is of Harry maturing from a bit of a loner who only tolerates others' help to someone who accepts it.
%%* CursedWithAwesome
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Parents murdered at one, a decade of abuse from his relatives, a bullying cousin, and a psychopathic murderer out to kill him.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Wears dark clothing and masters spells that have been associated with dark magic.
* DeadGuyJunior: Harry ''James'' Potter is himself an unintentional example, since his parents named him while (obviously) they were alive. Harry was presumably named after his great-grandfather Henry "Harry" Potter. He plays it straight as an arrow with his own kids, though. Between the three of them, Harry honors no less than ''five'' dead people. [[AndZoidberg And Luna]]. Although, with the name "Luna", he could very well also be honoring Lupin.
* DeadpanSnarker: Generally at the Dursley’s expense or his own.
--> '''Listening to the news! Again?”
--> '''Well, it changes every day, you see," said Harry.
** Also shown in other occasions, such as this exchange in ''Half Blood Prince'':
-->'''Harry:''' Yes.
-->'''Snape:''' Yes, ''sir''.
-->'''Harry:''' There's no need to call me "sir", professor.
** He's definitely snarkier in the books, with the above lines of dialogue being two great examples.
* DeathSeeker: Subtly implied to be one after Voldemort's return.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Places his dad on a pedestal, [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal which breaks]] but is later [[RebuiltPedestal rebuilt]]]], and harbors tender feelings for his mother.
* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: He was often on the receiving end of this from the Dursleys. Surprisingly, in ''Deathly Hallows'' it's noted that since he often went through periods of near ''starvation'', Harry is able to go for longer without eating than Ron and Hermione.
* DeusAngstMachina: To cut short 7 books worth of angsting, fate seems to have no other reason for his existence other than finding any and every available opportunity to abuse and torture him physically, mentally and emotionally.
* DisneyDeath: At the end of Book 7.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Not to Harry, but both of his broomsticks. His Nimbus 2000 in book 3, which falls right into the Whomping Willow. His Firebolt in book 7 during the ambush.
* DissonantSerenity: Doubly, with respect to both others and himself. Harry's temperament and propensity for recklessness are among his chief faults, yet as he notes in Deathly Hallows, he tends to get calmer the more everyone else freaks out. Half a lifetime of dodging death by a hair seem to have effectively rewired his panic response, so much that [[DarkestHour past a certain threshold]], his brash temper reverses and he ends up being shockingly clear-headed.
* DontFearTheReaper: The biggest difference between him and Voldemort besides their understanding (or lack of) of love is the fact that Harry does not fear death. What made Harry the "Master of Death" was not that he gathered all three of the Deathly Hallows -- rather, through his experiences in which he gathered all three unknowingly, he came to realize that death is nothing to fear and that there are far worse things in this world than dying. Compare that to Voldemort, who cannot comprehend a FateWorseThanDeath and futilely searches to escape the inevitable.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry is turned on by Hogwarts students and the wizarding world in general at the drop of a hat, despite Harry having saved both several times.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He goes through a ''lot'' of physical and emotional pain across the books, but by the end of the series, he's in a loving marriage with three kids, and has a happy life.
* {{Expy}}:
** Of Wart from ''[[Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing The Sword in the Stone]]'', [[http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/0800-guardian-bio.html believe it or not]].
** Has been thought of one of Jesus Christ.
* EurekaMoment: While Hermione does the grunt work research, Harry is generally the one who ends up putting the clues together at the end. Unlike other examples of this trope, he doesn't normally get any particular source of inspiration, but rather simply gets focused enough to solve the given problem when things get really bad.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the final book, Harry has grown into his magical prowess to become one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in history.
* EvilIsNotAToy: Discovers this in the sixth book when he casts the spell Sectumsempra on Malfoy without knowing what it does beforehand. He's horrified to discover that it [[spoiler: vivisects the target]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:F-K]]
* FamousAncestor: Averted. Pottermore reveals information about his ancestry that confirms that Harry is the first prominent Potter in wizarding history. His ancestors did work in creating well-known healing remedies which made the family fortune, while Ralston Potter and Henry "Harry" Potter played a part in advocating pro-Muggle legislation but nothing amounting to more than a footnote. Indeed, despite being directly descended from Ignotus Peverell (through his grand-daughter Iolantha who married Linchfred of Stinchcombe), the Potters weren't considered among [[NoTrueScotsman the top 28 Pureblood family]].
* FatalFlaw: Harry's [[ChronicHeroSyndrome "saving people thing"]] gets him into trouble. He's willing to do anything in order to save the people he cares about, and he has a martyr complex that keeps him from asking for help or back-up at times when it would really be a smart idea. He does this to keep the people around him safe but it tends to really work against him. [[spoiler: Voldemort uses this to manipulate him into doing things that lead to Sirius's death.]] This also makes it very easy for Harry's enemies to lead him into traps.
* FightingFingerprint: Expelliarmus! See BoringButPractical.
* ForgetsToEat: On occasion, due to stress or anxiety. It is likely also the effect of being malnourished by his relatives and isn't hungry as a result, or hasn't built the habit of eating consistently.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric
* FriendlessBackground: Due to Dudley and his gang's bullying, his baggy hand-me-downs, and his taped glasses, Harry was an outcast in Muggle Primary School.
* FriendsAreChosenFamilyArent: Harry is good at making friends with all sorts of people, but the Dursleys treat him like dirt.
* GallowsHumor: A lot of his snark.
* GenerationXerox: Physically, and as repeated [[OncePerEpisode very often]], Harry is almost identical to his father James with the exception of his emerald GreenEyes, which are identical to those of his mother. He also has a lot in common in terms of UndyingLoyalty to his friends and willingness to break rules to do what's right and a total opposition to the Dark Arts. However, personality-wise, [[JerkJock James]] and [[HumbleHero Harry]] are ''very'' much '''not''' the same at least as far as fifteen-year-old James goes. Dumbledore suggests to Severus Snape, that his inner nature is like his more compassionate mother while in Book Three he reminded Harry that his decision to spare DirtyCoward Peter Pettigrew is something his father would have approved. So it's an even mix in the end. In terms of his family, Harry shares a common name with his great-grandfather Henry "Harry" Potter. His HumbleHero nature is also shared by other ancestors, who also stood up for Muggle Rights. But he otherwise lacks the genius in potions, ironically enough, that allowed his family to invent Skele-Gro, Pepper-Up Potions and Sleekeazy (which Harry uses without knowing that his family invented it).
* GlorySeeker: {{Inverted}}. Many people who have no idea what kind of life Harry lived before coming to Hogwarts (or even some of the stuff that came after) tend to think he is one of these. Some (like Snape) think he is a bullying troublemaker like his father; some (such as the Ministry, the Daily Prophet and a number of citizens) think that he just wants glory and is an attention seeker. Some of his classmates even thought he was the heir of Slytherin, once. The truth is largely the opposite, as living with the Dursleys and a lot of the stuff he dealt with in the Wizarding World actually made him very humble and quiet [[CharacterDevelopment (until he continued to grow in self-confidence and ability).]] Susan Bones lampshades it when her involuntary fame makes her like him -- and she wonders how he stands it, it's horrible.
* GoodIsNotSoft: For as much as is made of his ChronicHeroSyndrome, Harry draws the line at unnecessary murder, but pretty much anything else is fair game if he thinks it’s deserved. From deliberately horrifying Slughorn with vivid tales of his mother’s assassination to extract information to torturing a Death Eater as punishment, and even leaving to die someone who had just tried to kill him.
-->'''Hermione Granger:''' Oh, that was horrible. And he might kill them all.
-->'''Harry Potter:''' I'm not that fussed, to be honest.
* GreenEyedEpiphany: Harry spends the summer of his sixth year getting close to Ginny [[InnocentCohabitation in what he believes is a wholly platonic way]], feels slight tingles of annoyance at the notion of her going off with her boyfriend which he pays no mind to, offhandedly asks her on a NotADate to Hogsmeade without even realizing he's doing it and [[ObliviousToLove even misses that she has the same aroma as the love potion that's supposed to smell like things he likes]]. Then he catches her making out with her boyfriend and it finally dawns on him that his violent desire to eviscerate the guy might have deeper implications. He ''tries'' to convince himself that [[LikeBrotherAndSister she's just like a sister to him and that his territoriality was entirely brotherly]], but ditches the idea after imagining himself as the one kissing her and realizing ''that'' image doesn't bother him at all.
* GreenEyes: A constant mention that Harry has Lily's eyes.
* GuiltComplex: Born partly out of his ChronicHeroSyndrome, MartyrWithoutACause, and HeroicSelfDeprecation. Harry carries a huge amount of guilt and blames himself for almost every death related to him. He blames himself for [[spoiler:Cedric's death]] because he requested they grab the portkey together despite the fact that neither of them could have known it was such. He blames himself for [[spoiler:Sirius's death]] because he thinks he should have known better than to fall into Voldemort's trap. He blames himself for not letting Sirius kill Pettigrew, thereby aiding Voldemort's return, as well as [[spoiler:Voldemort's return to life]] because his blood was taken ''by force''. He pretty much blames himself for every death Voldemort causes because he thinks Voldemort just wants ''him'', despite the fact that he prevented countless deaths. That's one massive GuiltComplex. [[WhatTheHellHero Some of it is justified,]] most notably in Sirius's death, which could have been prevented altogether if he'd set aside his grudge of Snape and his resentment towards Dumbledore and just learned Occulumency. Or not believed a known liar who hates both him and Sirius. Or listened to Hermione. Or simply used the Mirror that Sirius gave him to communicate to him privately.
* HateAtFirstSight:
** Disliked Malfoy's insensitivity and arrogance during their first meeting, which was cemented when they met again later and Malfoy snubs Ron.
** Also, when Harry first sees Umbridge as their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor:
-->''"Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish and again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan."''
* TheHeart: The strongest moral center in the story.
* HeartwarmingOrphan: Harry starts out as an orphan living in a closet under the stairs and ends up not only making Hermione's, Ron's and Hagrid's lives a little brighter, but also saving the world from [[BigBad You-Know-Who]].
* TheHero: The story revolves his maturation into a powerful wizard and dealing with the BigBad trying to kill him.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Subverted for the bulk of the series. He asks Pavarti Patil (black hair) to the Yule Ball, and later briefly dates Cho Chang (also black hair). Once he joins the Slug Club, he brings (as a friend) Luna Lovegood (blond) as his +1 to a party. [[spoiler:He ends up with Ginny Weasley in the end]].
* HeroicSacrifice: He does this near the end of the seventh book; however, this results in Harry's resurrection and Voldemort's final KarmicDeath.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Occasionally delves into this.
--->'''Hermione:''' ...I'm not talking about test results, Harry. Look what you've ''done!''
--->'''Harry:''' How d'you mean?
--->'''Ron:''' (sarcastically) Uh... first year- you saved the Stone from You-Know-Who-
--->'''Harry:''' But that was luck, that wasn't skill-
--->'''Ron:''' Second year- you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle- Third year, you fought off about a hundred dementors at once.... last year, you fought off You-Know-Who again-
--->'''Harry:''' ...But I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts... I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing-
** This is a bit ironic, as Harry also falls under the [[DudeWheresMyReward Dude Where's My Reward?]] trope in the same book.
*** That one is more due to the fact that, after having seen [[spoiler:Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's resurrection]], he isn't told anything about Voldemort, which he feels is important because Voldemort is trying to kill him personally. [[spoiler:And he is proven correct later in the book, by Dumbledore nonetheless, when he says that he has just realized that, by not telling Harry what he should have known earlier believing he was protecting him, he only made things worse.]]
** Harry's playing down of his own competence is probably justified, as he is already well aware that he's the centre of a 14 year old reputation built on a deed he didn't actually perform himself. The last thing he wants the other students to believe is that he can pull an unbeatable solution out of his arse every time or teach them to do the same, because he knows it could get them killed. [[spoiler:And sure enough, Colin Creevey, one of his biggest fans, dies in the last book, and it hits Harry "like a punch in the gut". Then again, Colin knew the score: he'd had to go out of his way to evade [=Mc=]Gonagall and sneak back to fight. What Harry couldn't comprehend was just how determined the whole school was to make a stand; if [=Mc=]Gonagall hadn't ordered them out, ''everyone'' would have stayed to fight.]]
* HeroicWillpower: One of the few known wizards who can shake off the Imperius Curse (which gives him a CMOA near the end of book 4).
* HeroWithBadPublicity: At Hogwarts in the second book; at the end of the fourth book and continuing through the fifth book; to the greatest extent in the seventh book.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ron.
%%* HonorBeforeReason
* HotBlooded: Sometimes, especially in the 3rd and 5th books.
* HumbleHero: Although he dislikes being kept out of things or treated as incompetent, Harry never thinks of himself as anyone impressive and answers to mentions of his achievements by fixating on the fact that he always cut it extremely close. He ridicules the suggestion that he might have things to teach other students and insists that a lot of his feats sound much more impressive than they really were.
-->'''Ron Weasley:''' That makes me sound a lot cooler than I was.
-->'''Harry Potter:''' Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was. I've been trying to tell you that for years.
** Taken to HeroicSelfDeprecation levels at times, particularly during the first couple of years, as well as during the aforementioned teacher nomination. Sometimes played for laughs as in book six, where he's genuinely baffled by the fact that girls now consider him attractive.
--> '''Mad-Eye Moody:''' Play to your strengths.
--> '''Harry Potter:''' I haven’t got any.
* HurtingHero: Harry, who at seventeen years old has bested the Dark Lord at least eight times. And survives, [[DoomMagnet unlike most of the people he loves.]]
--> '''Hermione:''' Now that Malfoy's a prefect, he could make life really difficult for you.
--> '''Harry:''' Really? Gee, [[DeadpanSnarker I wonder]] what it would be like to have a difficult life!
* {{Hypocrite}}: Has his moments, particularly when he tried to tell Ginny she was too young to go with him to rescue Sirius, only for her to point out that she's three years older than he was when he started going on these adventures.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The Boy Who Lived, TheChosenOne, a PsychicLink into the insane mind of a monster, WeirdnessMagnet… Well, with all this heaped on him, guess you can't blame him. It's more like ''"I Just Want To Be A Normal Wizard"''; he was miserable living among Muggles.
* IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: Parseltongue sounds completely indistinguishable from regular languages to those with the innate talent to speak it, so the only way Harry can tell if he or someone else is speaking it is by having a non-speaker point it out. Until an episode in his second year, he didn't even recall the talent, much less realize that it was extraordinary.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Wants [[spoiler:Ginny]] to live a happy life and marry someone else if he doesn't survive his search for the Horcruxes.
* ImNotAHeroIm: Harry verbalized this trope a few times throughout the series.
* IndyPloy: While having variable results with premeditated action, Harry is tremendously good at quickly thinking up ways to get out of tight spots or solving problems when pressed for time. Generally speaking, you light a fire under his ass and the kid's IQ jumps fifty points. One example of this would be escaping Gringotts by way of dragon.
* IneffectualLoner: Harry often [[StopHelpingMe tries to discourage his friends from helping him]]. This in spite of the fact that he's often quite helpless without them. When, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', he wishes that Ron and Hermione were with him, it's a sign that he has started to accept that he needs help from his friends.
* InstantExpert: It's mentioned that Harry is a very competent wizard when he applies himself, being capable of quickly learning new spells that most adults struggle with. This trait gets balanced however, due to him being [[BrilliantButLazy utterly lazy]]... His skill with Flying is particularly noteworthy, since he demonstrates it right off the bat and without ''any'' training whatsoever. We later learn in the seventh book that he was capable of flying toy brooms with expert precision as early as ''one''; he was one when Lily wrote to say that Harry loved his birthday present.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Considering being the Chosen One entails being the focus of Voldemort's not-inconsiderable ire, it very much does.
* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: How he breaks up with [[spoiler:Ginny Weasley]].
* JackOfAllStats: While next to Hermione, Harry looks positively book-dumb(of course, that's like saying the 10th-ranked member of a graduation class looks book-dumb when compared to the Valedictorian), he still rivals her in most subjects, earning Es (the second-best grade one could get) in most subjects, including his least-favorite one of Potions, while outright besting her in Defense Against the Dark Arts. If there were some sort of ranking system in Hogwarts academia, then Harry would definitely be a cut above the standard. Of course compared to his parents, his father who became an Animagus at age 15 and co-invented the Marauder's Map, as well as his mother who was a Potions genius, Harry (and the trio in general) comes off as a weaker student.
* JerkassBall: Catches this hard in Book 5. The trauma of witnessing Cedric Diggory's death and Voldemort's return gave Harry a severe case of PTSD and depression, causing him to snap at his friends.
* KidHero: Technically, by the final book, Harry is an adult by wizard estimation. But he’s been running circles around Voldemort since he was prepubescent.
* TheKirk: Not as impulsive as Ron and not a stickler for rules like Hermione.
* KirkSummation: Gives one to Voldemort in the final book.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:L-Q]]
* TheLancer: For Dumbledore in Book 6.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Raised to be this.
* TheLeader: Of Dumbledore's Army and the Golden Trio.
* LikeASonToMe: Molly Weasley considers Harry one of her many sons. Somewhat deconstructed as she is very overprotective of him and acts as though she's the only parental figure he has. Lupin flat out tells her that she's not the only one who cares about him this way. Also slightly deconstructed in that she treats him better than her own children, [[OvershadowedByAwesome particularly]] [[TheUnfavorite Ron]], which puts a minor strain on their friendship [[spoiler: culminating in ''The Deathly Hallows'']]. Harry often feels awkward receiving better praise and presents from her than the other Weasley brothers (especially when they're right next to him), and listening to her scold and chide the others for reckless stunts that she instantly forgives him for.
--> Sirius: [Harry]'s not your son!\\
Molly: He's as good as!
* LikeBrotherAndSister: How Harry explains his relationship with Hermione to Ron.
* LikeParentLikeChild: A lot of characters tend to make this comparison, especially the people who knew Harry's father as a young man, both his teachers and his former schoolmates. Dumbledore and Remus note that James had a similar HonorBeforeReason approach to combating the Dark Arts, in refusing to suspect his friends of treachery and a practitioner of ThouShaltNotKill even to the most undeserving. [[SubvertedTrope However]],Harry gradually realizes that he and his father were different. His father was raised as an only child of privilege in a wizard household and that he ultimately has more in common with his Muggleborn mother, especially her compassionate nature.
* LikeParentUnlikeChild: {{Downplayed}}. While Harry definitely has some traits shared with his father James, there's a big difference between them in regards to their interactions as Hogwarts students. While Harry as a student is the type of guy who would stand up for the little guy, James when he was a student was a bit of an asshole especially in regards to his treatment towards a young Snape. James' attitude in this matter in fact kinda makes him comparable to Draco Malfoy whom Harry is vehemently against. If Quidditch is added to the equation, Harry would be a LovableJock while his father James would be a JerkJock.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Chronically, to the point of being a bit of an IdiotBall issue for Harry's guardians and Dumbledore in particular. Their repeated attempts to keep Harry from finding out about dangers looming over him so as to not make him worry failed spectacularly every single time, with [[PoorCommunicationKills particularly disastrous results]] in Order of the Phoenix.
* LovableJock: Harry has been the Seeker for Gryffindor's Quidditch team since his first year. And since that time, he has remain an {{adorkable}} NiceGuy.
* MagneticHero: While Harry is a solid duelist, his true strength is his ability to inspire loyalty from those around him. Snape ironically uses this trope to [[DamnedByFaintPraise Harry's ability as a wizard]], but it ''is'' what ultimately leads to Harry's defeat of Voldemort.
* MartyrWithoutACause: At times.
* TheMarvelousDeer: Harry's Patronus.
* MentorsNewHope: Young Harry is wisely watched over by Dumbledore, who also kept a close watch over Tom Riddle before he became Lord Voldemort.
* MessiahCreep: Although there are messianic overtones right from the first chapter of the first book.
* MessyHair: Inherited from his father, Harry's perpetually messy bush of jet black hair is his third most mentioned feature, after his scar and green eyes. It's almost supernaturally averse to staying down.
-->'''Molly Weasley:''' [at her wits' end trying to groom him] Doesn't it ever lie flat?
-->'''Harry Potter:''' *silently shakes his head*
** Depicted very inconsistently in the films, where [[AdaptationDyeJob besides being brown]], it shifts from straight and neat to accurately bushy to short and tidy as the movies go. Overall, his hair spends most of the run looking anything besides bushy and messy.
** The first four movies have Harry with messy hair, but the later films just give Harry a close crop.
** Implied to be magically influenced, as Petunia gave him a horrible at-home haircut to get rid of the mess, and the next morning his hair had regrown and re-mussed itself.
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: At Privet Drive. Harry's relatives viciously spread lies about how he's a delinquent that steals from little kids and attends St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys, when in truth Harry hates bullies and attends Hogwarts.
* MixedAncestry: Half-blood. Note that with Ron as a pureblood and Hermione as a Muggle-Born, he stands between the two of them. His family, the Potters, were never an especially prominent one in wizarding history, until Harry came along. But in any case, Harry is a direct descendant of Linfred of Stinchcombe and Iolantha Peverell (Ignotus Peverell's grand-daughter who bestowed all the eldest Potters with the Cloak of Invisibility), which otherwise makes his family quite prestigious.
* MoeCouplet:
** Harry and Luna. Luna is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who hardly seems troubled by anything and helps her father run the magical equivalent of a tabloid magazine, whereas Harry becomes more [[HurtingHero traumatized as increasing numbers of his friends and loved ones die. Some of them right in front of him.]] Yet, Luna understands what losing a loved one feels like, enabling her to empathise with his grief over Sirius -- and Harry knows what being picked on feels like, so he naturally wants to help her out when people hide Luna's things and mock her behind her back. They serve as two sides of the same coin, and [[FanPreferredCouple some fans prefer them as a couple to Harry/Ginny]].
** Hermione is a magical genius, except when it comes to dealing with actual dark wizards, which is Harry's specialty (his life is basically a long series of fighting dark wizards). When it comes to personality, Harry is selfless to an annoying degree even when personal friends are not involved, while Hermione focuses on immediate gain and loss to her close friends (especially when it comes to grades!). While these traits alone would get kind of annoying, together they play off each other quite well.
* MundaneFantastic: Inverted. Harry had never experienced life in a magical household before staying with the Weasleys, and he falls in love with The Burrow. Ron had been surrounded by magic for his entire life, and he doesn't think much of it.
--> '''Ron''': It's not much, but it's home. \\
'''Harry''': I think it's brilliant!
* NaiveNewcomer: Being raised by Muggles, Harry spends the first few months of the first book adjusting to [[FishOutOfWater the strange new world he finds himself]] in, and still has his moments after that.
* {{Nephewism}}: Harry is nominally the nephew of the couple he lives with. In practice, he's more the unpaid overworked abused servant with nowhere else to go than a family member. Dumbledore arranged for him to live there so he wouldn't learn about the whole "Boy Who Lived" thing until he could have some perspective - and because he needed Harry to live with a family member as part of a magical protection, and Petunia was the only candidate.
* NiceGuy: He may have angst and a witty tongue, but he has the ''biggest'' heart and moral code in literature.
* NonIdleRich: Most definitely. Beyond the fact that he doesn't have to ever worry about money, his parents' UndisclosedFunds don't really impact his personality at all; he spends the last few books aiming to get a job in magical law enforcement. This is a point of difference between him and Ron, the fact that Harry doesn't really have to worry about money while for Ron, it's a central fact he had to internalize all his life.
* NotAfraidToDie: Harry and Voldemort are remarkably similar in many ways, but if their is one difference between them, it's this. Harry has never feared death, while Voldemort regards it as the worst thing that could ever happen to him.
* NotSoDifferent: In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'', Harry notices disturbing similarities between himself and Voldemort. At the climax of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', he sees parallels not only between himself and Voldemort, but also [[spoiler:Snape]], going so far as to think of them as "lost boys" whose only real home is Hogwarts.
* ParentalNeglect: The Dursleys hated Harry and only gave him the basest of needs as he grew up.
* PlayingPossum: Harry does an ''outstanding'' job of convincing Voldemort that he's dead, then sneaks his way into the final battle.
* PlatonicLifePartners: He and Hermione love each other like siblings.
* ThePowerOfLove: The reason he survived the Killing Curse as a kid is because his mother's HeroicSacrifice invoked this on him. Plus, Dumbledore claims that Harry's greatest strength is his ability to love, even though Harry wants to know WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway.
** As seen during ''Deathly Hallows'', ThePowerOfLove [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower is an awesome power]], given that [[spoiler:it protects everyone in the castle after Harry sacrifices himself]], but it is also implied that the actual power is his ability to make friends and his loyalty to them which is returned, as opposed to Voldemort, who is several times said to only be able to get the Death Eaters to serve him through calling to their desire for power and through fear.
* ProtagonistTitle: All of the books/movies are titled "Harry Potter and the X" or "Harry Potter and the X of X".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:R-Z]]
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Harry is displeased when Dumbledore up and dies (most inconsiderate), leaving him a seemingly impossible quest with 10% completion and some unbelievably vague clues about the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]; and he has to find out secondhand about Dumbledore's torrid past, including how Albus was [=BFF=]s with Wizard Hitler (well, the first one, anyways).
** A much more direct version occurs at the end of Order of the Phoenix, when Dumbledore finally spills the beans about almost everything. Harry's rebuttal leaves many of Dumbledore's office decorations in pieces around the room.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives Voldemort one in the last book about one minute before their final battle at the end.
* RedBaron: Harry is known as "The Boy Who Lived" because he is the only person in the wizarding world to have survived the dreaded Killing Curse. Twice. At the end, he lives once again after his DisneyDeath.
%%* RedOniBlueOni:
%%** He and Ron are Red to Hermione's Blue.
%%** When it's just him and Ron, Harry is the Blue Oni to Ron's Red Oni.
* ReluctantWarrior: He honestly ''doesn't'' want to be TheChosenOne.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Part of the reason his relationship with Cho Chang failed--she latched onto him mainly because of his connection to Cedric.
* RookieRedRanger: In the first book, at least. He's the ''de facto'' leader of the main trio because of his bravado and reputation as "The Boy Who Lived", but he has the least magical knowledge of any of them; while Ron was raised by Wizards, and Hermione began studying and practicing Magic as soon as she got her acceptance letter, [[AudienceSurrogate Harry remains mostly clueless about the Wizarding World until he actually begins his term at Hogwarts]].
* SaveOurStudents: Gets persuaded/strong-armed into the role by Ron and Hermione in ''Order of the Phoenix''. To his own surprise, he achieves very good results.
* TheScapegoat: In a bid to keep the public from learning of the return of Voldemort in ''Order of the Phoenix'', the Ministry leads a media campaign ''against'' Harry, smearing his name in the dirt.
* ScarsAreForever: While magic can cure most injuries, Harry's lighting-bolt scar is caused by Dark Magic and can't be removed.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: His basic approach to life.
* ShellShockedVeteran: It's obvious that he suffers from PTSD that gets worse by the time of the fifth book, with nightmares and all. It's also pretty bad throughout the last book.
** That's not hyperbole. At different times from book 5 onward, Harry displays all six of the diagnostic criteria for chronic post traumatic stress disorder as defined by DSM-IV.
* ShipperOnDeck: Harry ships Ron/Hermione, although he would possibly ship it a bit more if they hadn't chosen the middle of a battle to get together...
* ShonenHair: In the books, his hairstyle is described as having a kind of magical permanence; it's constantly unruly and messy, immune to hairbrushes, combs, and gel, and whenever it's cut short, it's back to the exact same style it was before a day later. In an anime, that last detail would be considered a parody of every single Shonen hero.
* SignatureMove: The Disarming Charm, not always for the same reason. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'' he uses it against Lockhart because it's the only combat spell he knows at the time. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' he uses it against Snape for the same reason. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' he uses it against Voldemort because Voldemort's use of the word "duel" made Harry think of the Dueling Club, where he learned it. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' he teaches it to Dumbledore's Army as the first spell because of his experience with it. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' he uses it again on [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Imperiused]] Stan Shunpike because other spells would have knocked him off a high-flying broom and Harry doesn't want to kill victims under the Imperius Curse. Later in ''Deathly Hallows'' he uses it against Voldemort as an acknowledgement that it is his signature move.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Harry wears a round pair of glasses and is quite smart, in maturity and [[BrilliantButLazy in academics if he applied himself more.]]
* SociallyAwkwardHero: He's quite shy in the beginning of [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]], and remains unable talk to girls romantically for most of the series. Also, any attention he receives as a result of his celebrity makes him uncomfortable and embarrassed; he therefore confides mainly to his two best friends. And while Harry is well-liked by his peers (when they're not turning on him due to false suspicions), only a few really know him.
* SoulFragment: When Voldemort tried to kill the one-year old Harry and failed, he accidentally made him into a Horcrux, forging a connection between their minds.
* SoulJar: One of the biggest shocks (for some) in book seven was learning that Harry was a [[SoulJar Horcrux]] for Voldemort.
* SweetTooth: A given since his favorite food is a dessert.
* TalkingToThemself: Even without mental disorders, Harry occasionally holds amusingly even-split arguments with himself, such as in his fifth year where his jealousy over Ron's prefect badge argued against his natural humility, or his sixth year where his crush on Ginny argued against his guilt about her being Ron's sister. He refers to it as the ''little voice in his head'', which usually plays the part of his conscience.
-->'''Harry Potter:''' She's Ron's sister.
-->'''Also Harry:''' But she's ditched Dean!
-->'''Harry Potter:''' She's still Ron's sister.
-->'''Also Harry:''' I'm his best mate!
-->'''Harry Potter:''' That'll make it worse.
-->'''Also Harry:''' If I talked to him first—
-->'''Harry Potter:''' He'd hit you.
-->'''Also Harry:''' What if I don't care?
-->'''Harry Potter:''' He's your best mate!
** At other points, Harry's inner voice is quite nasty, which could possibly be an effect of the Horcrux inside of him, or just a result of his insecurities.
* TaughtByExperience: Harry's combat skills were developed exclusively on the fly, owing largely to the spastic and uneven quality of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes coupled with necessity. As a result, he has a somewhat limited arsenal of spells but excellent split-second reactions and is largely immune to pressure choking.
* ThouShaltNotKill: When your parents were killed by a spell when you were a year old, you kinda don't want to use that spell. He even uses the other Unforgivable Curses, but can never bring himself to kill.
* TinySchoolboy: He's implied to be this in the novels, being the nice guy and adorkable type. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'', he is asked out to the Yule Ball by a [[HugeSchoolgirl taller girl]] who he declines. She could've been trying to invoke the typical friendship between the huge girl and the tiny boy, and doesn't care that he's popular now. ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]] says that he had a look of a kid that "had grown in a very short space of time".
*** ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' and ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' imply that he grew a lot more and was almost as tall as Ron.
** Harry embodies this much more in the films because Daniel Radcliffe is 5'5.
* TomatoInTheMirror: He eventually realizes that he must let himself be killed because he is holding on to Voldemort's life.
* TooDumbToLive: {{Defied|Trope}} in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner Of Azkaban]]''.
-->'''Mr. Weasley:''' Harry, promise me that whatever you do, you will not go looking for him.\\
'''Harry:''' Mr. Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wanted to kill me?
* TookALevelInBadass: A rather gradual case throughout the course of the series. In the first book, Harry is never shown using a single spell, his only magical contribution being his natural talent for flying. In the second book, he uses a few basic spells against Draco in a Wizard duel, but nothing particularly special. Things begin to change in the third, where he spends several months learning the Patronus charm and becoming quite proficient with it, despite being a very difficult spell to master. However while impressive, it is rather situational, only really being useful when facing a Dementor. The bigger shift comes in the fourth book when Hermione and Ron help him learn several hexes and jinxes to prepare him for the final challenge in the Triwizard Tournament. Those same spells are honed into real skills in the fifth book where he teaches them to Dumbledore's Army. The sixth book gives him a few extra bonus spells courtesy of the Half Blood Prince and by the time the seventh book comes around, it's finally time to put all of that learning to the test.
* TookALevelInCynic: Harry has horrible stuff happen to him every year, but in his first few years at Hogwarts, he still bounces back and has a tendency to believe that everything can turn out alright and trust the teachers for help. As the series goes on though, people he's close to actually start to die, things aren't nicely fixed by the end of each book, and the adults he previously trusted are either corrupt or [[AdultsAreUseless well-meaning but unable to do much]]. Of note is how the later books, particularly the last one, show his crumbling trust in Dumbledore. A younger Harry sees Dumbledore as an impressive authority figure who can solve any problem. When he gets older, Harry is forced to accept that not only is Dumbledore not always in control and always know what's going on, but [[spoiler:had a history that was about as far from noble and heroic as one could get.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Harry seems to be very fond of treacle. Hell, he's so fond of the stuff that its [[FoodPorn aroma]] is one of the three things he smells when he sniffs a love potion.
* TragicKeepsake: Harry gained items that once belong to departed loved ones.
** In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he received the Cloak of Invisibility as an anonymous Christmas gift. He later learned the gift came from Albus Dumbledore, who obtained it in turn from Harry's father, James Potter. It was later revealed to be a family heirloom as well as one of the three Deathly Hallows. From this Harry realises he is a direct descendant of Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers who created the Deathly Hallows. Ignotus' grand-daughter married Linchfred, the founder of the Potter family, and brought the cloak into the family. It is yet to be decided whether he would give the cloak to his oldest son, James Sirius, his youngest son, Albus Severus, or his daughter Lily Luna. According to Potter family tradition, it went to the eldest, but Harry's not been one for tradition.
** In his third year, Fred and George gave the Marauder's Map to Harry while he was trying to sneak into Hogsmeade. It was confiscated by Remus Lupin, but later returned when Lupin quit his job. Harry kept it with him for a long period of time, keeping it in the Mokeskin wallet he had gotten from Hagrid, until it was finally stolen from his desk by his son, James.
** In ''Deathly Hallows'', when Harry leaves the Dursleys' house for good and discards most of his possessions, he keeps with him the fake Horcrux that Dumbledore had all but died helping him retrieve from the cave. This is also an example of the hero not keeping the keepsake; instead, Harry gives it to Kreacher, an act that results in the house-elf that had loathed Harry and his friends becoming one of his most loyal allies.
* TheUnchosenOne: Dumbledore helps Harry become this in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]''.
* UndisclosedFunds: The books never make clear exactly how rich Harry is, but between his parents' money and becoming sole heir to the Black family fortune, it's implied to be somewhere between extremely and ''obscenely.'' Reinforced when he [[spoiler: gives away the ''entire'' 1000-galleon Triwizard earnings to the Weasleys without a second thought.]] Pottermore finally discloses that his family made a fortune from patents on healing potions such as Skele-Gro, Pepperup and Sleekeazy's Hair Potion (which considering the MessyHair of James and Harry, is some kind of cosmic joke, not to mention Harry's weak affinity for Potions). Harry's grandfather, [[FailOSuckyname Fleamont]] Potter sold the family business for a big sum and retired comfortably, having more than enough to be independently wealthy. It was sizable enough that James didn't have to work and could devote full-time to the Order, while also supporting Lily and Remus, and leaving Harry a sizable fortune but obviously one reduced from the initial inheritance.
* TheUnfavorite: In the Dursley household.
* UnskilledButStrong: He has the raw power to produce a solid, stable patronus at 13, and is able to access a fairly large reservoir of magical power (enough to face down Death Eaters and Voldemort when he's 17). However, he is continuously outclassed by Hermione, who is incredibly skilled, and any other wizard or witch who doesn't just rely on raw power for their magic.
** Harry ends up inverting this, in a sense, as he's a supremely skilled duelist. Interestingly, dueling isn't even mentioned as one of his skills until the fifth book, at which point it becomes clear that we've watched him live the past four years on his wits and creative uses of magic. While Hermione is capable of far more advanced magic, Harry is very good at managing pitched battles and out-hexing wizards with access to powerful dark magic through good aim, honed reflexes, and an ability to take advantage of his environment. So yeah, "in a weird way". The movies also show Harry at being extremely good at pulling up combat spells quickly, so he definitely skilled at ''casting'' spells.
* UnwittingPawn: At several points he serves as this to Voldemort in Book 2, 4 and 5 especially. The final book gives him what is likely the AwfulTruth, that he is one for [[spoiler:Dumbledore himself, who knew all along that he would have to sacrifice himself to Voldemort and had prepared and trained him as a StealthMentor to do this at the right time. Of course, Dumbledore in the afterlife admitted he figured Harry would survive anyway and feels guilty about it.]] WordOfGod noted that Dumbledore was fairly Machiavellian in his relationship with Harry and that the latter is basically "his puppet."
* WhatBeautifulEyes: Along with his trademark lightning-bolt shaped scar, his GreenEyes (inherited from Lily) are his most frequently commented-on trait.
* WhoAreYou:
** Harry's first reaction to Hagrid. The narration states that because Hagrid is so huge, Harry has to repress his astonishment and avoid asking "WhatAreYou?" instead.
** He has the same reaction, and initial desire to ask "what" rather than "who", to Dobby in the second book.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: An interesting variation; Harry's greatest fear is of Dementors, evil creatures that feed off emotions and force the victims into a deep despair. Professor Lupin takes this to mean that Harry's greatest fear is of fear itself.
* WouldHitAGirl: Harry has no qualms over using aggressive spells on women.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThink: Occasionally. Harry believes he is unworthy of his fame. Partly justified, though, as it was really his mother that did most of the Boy-Who-Lived stuff, but Harry more than proves himself by facing off Voldemort each year. He also feels unworthy of his house in Chamber of Secrets, but he gets over it after Dumbledore shows him that he pulled out Godric Gryffindor's sword.
* YouKilledMyFather: The reason why he wants to hunt down Voldemort is because he brutally murdered his parents.
[[/folder]]
