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Harry James Potter (born July 31, 1980)[1] (http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrcom/birthdayarchive.shtml) the only son of James Potter and Lily Potter; is a fictional character and the protagonist of a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. The series of novels and movies based on him are often referred to as the Harry Potter books and movies.
Harry Potter was played by Daniel Radcliffe in the first three movies based on the book series. Radcliffe will also be playing him in the fourth, although his appearance in the movies beyond that have not yet been confirmed.
Harry Potter is famous in the wizarding world for defeating the evil Lord Voldemort when he was one year old, an encounter which left him with a scar shaped like a lightning-bolt on his forehead. This is not an entirely accurate perception; the actual truth is that Harry's mother, Lily, protected Harry, and her dying act somehow placed Harry under a spell of protection. Voldemort attempted to kill Harry with the Avada Kedavra curse, which he had used to kill Harry's parents, but the spell bounced back and struck Voldemort. Voldemort, who had been attempting to find immortality and had made some progress to that end, survived, but only as a pale shadow of his former self. Beaten and powerless, Voldemort went into hiding, and Harry became a celebrity in the wizarding world as "The Boy Who Lived."
This protection helped Harry again, ten years later, when Lord Voldemort returned searching for the philosopher's stone. Using Hogwarts instructor Professor Quirrell as a vessel, Voldemort returned to Hogwarts to find the stone. Voldemort attempted to kill Harry again, but Lily Potter's protection remained, and Voldemort was again forced to flee after touching Harry. Quirrell was killed in the process.
Harry was raised by Petunia and Vernon Dursley, who neglected him in favour of their own son Dudley. Harry did not even know that he was famous until his eleventh birthday, when Hagrid explained it to him, as the Dursleys had neglected to tell him he was a wizard: rabidly opposed to magic, they hoped that they could "beat it out of him".
Surprisingly perhaps, Harry has not let his fame go to his head, and he had remained humble, despite the fact that people like Gilderoy Lockhart and Colin Creevey keep reminding him how famous he is. In fact, Harry is annoyed by his fame, as it has caused many people to either fawn all over him or hate him for it.
Harry's greatest desire is to be normal and for all whom he cares about to be safe and happy. Harry often puts himself at risk for other people and has tried to convince others to not put themselves in danger. For example, in the first book he didn't want Ron and Hermione to go after the philosopher's stone with him. The process was repeated in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Ginny, Neville and Luna wanted to join Harry, Ron and Hermione on their rescue mission.
This is not to say that Harry is perfect. He can be angered easily when his parents or others whom he cares about are offended, or when people don't believe him. Like Ron, he is not very diligent with his studies. In the fifth book, Harry appears more disturbed and troubled and is extremely temperamental, as he has to endure the entire wizarding world believing him an attention-seeking liar along with normal difficulties in being a teenager. Sometimes, Harry even gets angry at Ron and Hermione, especially when they argue with each other.
Harry tends to feel very passionately about who is trustworthy and who is not. For example, Harry is reluctant to trust Snape, despite Dumbledore's faith in the Potions Master. Since Harry has been raised by the Dursleys and has experienced nightmarish events, including the death of Cedric Diggory and Sirius Black, Harry seems to feel rather misunderstood. However, in the fifth book, he discovers he is not quite as alone as he previously believed.
Ginny Weasley was the first person to take a romantic interest in Harry, having a crush on him in the second book, though she was too tongue-tied to even speak to him. In the fourth book, Harry develops a crush on Cho Chang and in his fifth year, he kisses her under the mistletoe. Harry and she split up at the end of the year due, especially, to Harry's naïveté, Cho's jealousy and Marietta Edgecombe's treachery.
Harry greatly resembles his father, but he is frequently told that he has his mother's eyes. Harry shares his dormitory at Hogwarts with Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas.
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