Harry's character development

[mt3t3l1]

No: HPFGUIDX 139120

dkeeberlibryn wrote:
I came away with a nagging feeling that at the end, Harry just wasn't 
ready to battle V in the next book. <snip> I wonder if he will serve 
as the point of the spear that is comprised of many others who join 
forces with Harry to bring about the demise of V.


Derek wrote:
I think that's very possible.  I think you're right in saying that
Harry doesn't seem anywhere near ready for a full-on, one-to-one
battle with LV.

But I'm not sure he needs to be.  I don't think it's "realistic"
to expect Harry to somehow become a more powerful wizard than LV
by the age of 17.

I've just re-read GF, and while reading it, I was struck by how much
Harry's success in the tournament tasks is due to his friendships.
<snip> In short, I think Harry has built alliances throughout his 
life by being helpful, courageous, and doing the right thing (for the 
most part).  Voldemort, on the other hand, uses the Cruciatus curse on
his closest followers...

And I suspect this difference, in the end, will be the one that 
counts.  I think we may very well find, when all is said and done, 
that Voldemort stands alone, betrayed by some followers (Pettigrew 
and/or Draco Malfoy), deceived by some he thought were followers 
(Snape), and abandoned by all the others.  While at the same time, 
Harry stands with a virtual army of friends at his back, all willing 
to risk their lives to stand by Harry, while Voldemort's "friends" 
are deserting him like rats off a sinking ship.


Now Merrylinks:
This is my theory, too. We have already seen Harry defeat Voldemort 
with the weapon of love numerous times. Lily's love embedded in 
Harry's skin protected Harry first from the AK curse and then from 
Quirrel!Mort's touch in SS. Harry's love for Dumbledore got him 
Godric Gryffindor's sword and the help of Fawkes in the Chamber of 
Secrets. As the Priori Incantatem was broken in GoF, the love of the 
shadowy, smoky figure of James Potter gave Harry enough time get to 
the Portkey and return to Hogwarts. Harry's love for Sirius kept 
Voldemort from possessing him during the battle in the Ministry of 
Magic. Brotherly love from Ron, Hermione, Dobby and Neville meant 
that Harry received help in all sorts of difficult situations 
throughout the books.

Harry's OWL grades show that he has adequate but not outstanding 
skills as a sixteen year old wizard. But Harry is surrounded by 
friends who are willing to risk death at his side. By contrast, 
although Voldemort has proven than he has unparalleled wizarding 
skills, he has no friends. When he battles Harry, he battles him 
alone. When Harry battles Voldemort, he has a huge number of loyal 
friends at his side. In other words, Harry already has the "power the 
Dark Lord knows not" and will be able to defeat him, with a little 
help from his friends.

Merrylinks