Auror Harry Potter

 HARRY POTTER A.K.A. THE BOY WHO LIVED

Biographical information

Full Name

Harry James Potter

Also known as

• Potty (by Peeves and Slytherins)

• Saint Potter (by Draco)

Alias(es)

• The Boy Who Lived

• Gregory Goyle (under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion)

• Neville Longbottom (the name he told Stanley Shunpike in his third year)

• The Boy Who Lied (by the Daily Prophet)

• The Chosen One

• Barny Weasley (under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion)

• Undesirable No. 1

• Plotter (by the Daily Prophet)

• Albert Runcorn (under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion)

• Vernon Dudley (the name he used to disguise his identity from Snatchers)

Date of birth

31 July 1980, Godric's Hollow, West Country, England, Great Britain

Blood status

Half-blood

Nationality

English

Marital status

Married

Title(s)

• Seeker

• Triwizard Champion

• Quidditch Captain

• Head of Dumbledore's Army

Physical information

Species

Human

Gender

Male

Hair colour

Jet-black

Eye colour

Bright Green

Skin colour

Light

Family information

Children

• James Sirius Potter (son)

• Albus Severus Potter (son)

• Lily Luna Potter (daughter)

Siblings

Lyra Euphemia Potter (twin sister)

Parents

• James Potter † (father)

• Lily J. Evans-Potter † (mother)

Aunts/Uncles

• Petunia Evans-Dursley † (maternal aunt)

• Vernon Dursley (maternal uncle by marriage)

Cousins

Dudley Dursley (maternal cousin)

Grandparents

• Mr. Evans † (maternal grandfather)

• Mrs. Evans † (maternal grandmother)

• Fleamont Potter † (paternal grandfather)

• Euphemia Potter † (paternal grandmother)

Godparents

Sirius Black III † (godfather)

Godchildren

Edward Remus Lupin (godson)

Pet(s)

Hedwig † (his owl)

Relationships

Supporters/Mates

• Ron Weasley (best friend/brother figure)

• Lyra Potter Lupin (close brother-sister bond)

• Hermione Granger (best friend/sister figure)

• Ginny Weasley (love interest/eventually wifey)

• Luna Lovegood (closest companion/sister figure)

• Neville Longbottom (close companion)

• Albus Dumbledore † (his one-time mentor and headmaster)

• Prof. Minerva McGonagall (his retired teacher)

• Prof. Filius Flitwick (his retired teacher)

• House of Weasley (like a second family/in-laws)

• Prof. Remus Lupin † (his retired enemy and teacher)

• Sirius Black † (his retired enemy and custodian)

• Prof. Severus Snape (former enemy and teacher/headmaster)

• Andromeda Tonks (his supporter and godson's grandma)

Romances

• Cho Chang (ex-girlfriend)

• Ginny Weasley (wife)

Opponents

• Draco Malfoy (former foe)

• Prof. Severus Snape (once)

• Death Eaters (his archenemies)

• Lord Voldemort † (his arch-enemy)

• Bellatrix Lestrange †

• Lucius Malfoy (once)

• Narcissa Malfoy (once)

• Peter Pettigrew †

• Prof. Remus Lupin † (one-time)

• Sirius Black † (one-time)

• Dolores Umbridge (his enemy and former professor/headmistress)

• Fenrir Greyback †

• Alecto Carrow

• Amycus Carrow

• Andromeda Tonks (shortly)

• Snatchers 

Magical characteristics

Boggart

Dementor

Wand

11", Holly, phoenix feather

Patronus

Stag

Reflection in the Mirror of Erised

His parents and extended family

Affiliation

Occupation

Auror (presently)

School

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (once)

• St. Gregory's Primary School (shortly)

House

Gryffindor

Loyalty

• Potter family

• Evans family

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

• Gryffindor House

• Gryffindor Quidditch team

• Trio

• Dumbledore's Army

• Slug Club

• Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W)

• House of Weasley (in-laws)

• Albus Dumbledore

• Order of the Phoenix

"I'm Harry. You’re a first-year student, right?"

— Harry meeting Lyra on the Hogwarts Express

Harry James Potter (b. 31 July 1980) is an English half-blood wizard. He is the only son of James and Lily Potter (née Evans), and is the twin brother of Lyra Potter. Harry's birth was overshadowed by a prophecy, naming either himself or Neville Longbottom as the one with the power to vanquish Lord Voldemort, the most powerful and feared Dark wizard in the world. After half of the prophecy was reported to Voldemort, courtesy of Severus Snape, Harry was chosen as the target due to his many similarities with the Dark Lord. This in turn caused the Potter family to go into hiding.

Voldemort made his first attempt to circumvent the prophecy when Harry was a year and three months old. During this attempt, he murdered his parents as they tried to protect him, but this unsuccessful attempt to kill Harry led to Voldemort's first downfall. This downfall marked the end of the First Wizarding War, and Harry henceforth became known as "The Boy Who Lived", as he was the only known survivor of the Killing Curse due to being magically protected by his mother's loving sacrifice. In accordance with the terms of the prophecy, this attempt on his life also established him, not Neville, as Voldemort's nemesis.

Thanks to the positive magic of his mother sacrificing her life for Harry, the Dark Lord's curse was reflected off Harry and killed him instead. Albus Dumbledore then placed Harry in the care of his uncaring Muggle relatives, Vernon and Petunia Dursley. While they cared for him, the Bond of Blood charm protected him from Lord Voldemort.

Biography

Family lineage

The Potters were an old and wealthy pure-blood family, dating back to their founding patriarch Linfred of Stinchcombe. Linfred was given the nickname "Potterer", which over the years was corrupted into simply "Potter". The family took on the simplified nickname as a surname, thus leading to future generations calling themselves Potter.

The Potters were also descended from the Peverell family, via Hardwin Potter's marriage to Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell. As such, they are related to Ignotus Peverell, her grandfather and the youngest of the three brothers who created the Deathly Hallows, who passed the Cloak of Invisibility down to his descendants as a family heirloom. The Gaunt family were also descended from the Peverells through Cadmus Peverell, the eldest son, who passed the Resurrection Stone as an heirloom, set in a signet ring. The Potters were thus indirectly related to the Gaunts as well, and by extension, Tom Riddle.

Two members of the Potter family have held positions on the Wizengamot. The first was Ralston Potter and the second Henry Potter. Harry inherited much wealth from his grandparents Fleamont and Euphemia, as Fleamont invented Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, which quadrupled the family's gold. Harry's father, James Potter, was born late in the couple's lives. By that time, his parents were both elderly (even by wizarding standards), and he grew up in a doting household to the point where he became a proud yet arrogant boy. But deep down, James was a good person.

Conversely, Harry's mother, Lily J. Evans, was a Muggle-born who was introduced to the wizarding world via her friendship with Severus Snape, who lived nearby. The discovery of Lily being a witch caused a separation between her and her older sister Petunia, who begrudged her abilities.

James and Lily met when they attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry together in 1971. Their relationship was a shaky one; while James was a famous student and practiced Quidditch player, Lily was unimpressed with him. This had to do with James' hostile relationship with Snape, who was falling in with a gang of Slytherins whispered to be aspiring to join the Death Eaters. By their seventh year, James failed to show the less savoury parts of his nature and was even nominated Head Boy, despite the fact that he had not been a prefect. This impressed Lily, who was nominated Head Girl, and the two began dating. The couple ultimately married after graduation in 1978, and fit in as components of the original Order of the Phoenix at the measurement of the First Wizarding War.

Earlier life (1980–1991)

Harry James Potter was born on 31 July 1980 with his twin sister Lyra, at Godric's Hollow in the West Country, England, only hours after his future classmate Neville Longbottom. Around this time, a prophecy regarding a boy born at the end of July with the power to defeat Voldemort was stated to wizards. Lyra and Harry's christening was quiet and quick, with only mother, father, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin in attendance. Harry spent his infancy in hiding with his parents and sister in the Potter cottage.

For Harry's first birthday, Sirius bought him a toy broomstick. Lily's letter to Sirius mentioned that this broomstick had been Harry's favourite present and that he had smashed a horrible vase that had been a gift from Petunia and nearly killed their cat. In the letter, Lily also included a picture of Harry flying around on the broom and James chasing after him. Lily also stated in the letter that Harry looked pleased with himself while flying around on the toy broom. Lily and James also hosted a very quiet birthday tea. The only ones in attendance were them, Harry, Lyra, and Bathilda Bagshot, who also used to dote on infant Harry and Lyra. The Potters owned a cat, but what happened to it after Voldemort's attack remains unknown.

When it became clear that Voldemort marked the Potters for death in regard to the prophecy, Albus Dumbledore suggested that they use the Fidelius Charm to keep them safe. He even offered to be the Potters' Secret Keeper, but the Potters had already planned to make Sirius their Secret Keeper instead. On Sirius's advice, they changed this designation to Peter Pettigrew, who they thought would be less suspicious. In a terrible turn of fate, Pettigrew was a Death Eater spy and betrayed the Potters' whereabouts barely a week later.

Invasion at Godric's Hollow (1981)

On Halloween night in 1981, before Lord Voldemort arrived at Godric's Hollow to murder James and Lily Potter, Remus Lupin was present. James decisively instructed Remus to take their newborn daughter, Lyra, and keep her safe. Once Remus left with Lyra, Voldemort appeared and immediately killed James, who had tried to distract the Dark Lord without his wand, resulting in his swift demise.

Voldemort then turned to Lily, who bravely died trying to protect Harry. Her sacrifice created a powerful barrier of love that thwarted the Killing Curse aimed at Harry. When Voldemort tried to cast the curse on him, it backfired spectacularly. Instead of killing Harry, Voldemort lost all his powers, and his physical form was obliterated.

At that moment, Voldemort had crafted five Horcruxes to cheat death: his diary, Gaunt's ring, Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, and Ravenclaw's diadem. A fragment of Voldemort's unstable soul latched onto Harry, irrevocably linking him to the Dark Lord. This connection granted Harry certain abilities, including the power to speak Parseltongue.

This historic event made Harry the only person to survive the Killing Curse, earning him the title of the "Boy Who Lived." The failed curse left a distinctive lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, marking him as Voldemort's equal. This scar would become both a challenge and an advantage for Harry, as it established a telepathic link between him and Voldemort, allowing them insight into each other's thoughts.

Rubeus Hagrid promptly rescued Harry from the decimated house ravaged by Voldemort's curse. Under Albus Dumbledore's direct orders, Hagrid would take Harry to his aunt and uncle.

Lyra remained a secret from both the wizarding world and Harry, ensuring her protection until the time was right.

Life at Privet Drive

As the Dursleys were Muggles, they could not use magic. They knew about its existence, but refused to associate with witches and wizards. They proudly considered themselves a "normal" family and despised anything out of the ordinary, even if it had nothing to do with witches, wizards, and magic. They lied to Harry about his parents' death, claiming they had died in a car crash. They also claimed that the lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead was from the same crash. Whenever Harry tried to remember it, all that he could vaguely recall (as if he 'strained his memory') was a green flash of light and a high, cold laugh. He tried to understand what it was, or if it was from the car crash, but he simply could not. Petunia and Vernon Dursley, Harry's new guardians, forbade him from asking questions, particularly those regarding his parents. In addition, the Dursleys refused to have pictures of Lily and James, and did their best to avoid the subject of Harry's parents altogether.

They resented Harry for his magic, which was sporadic but evident, and strongly discouraged any sort of imagination. They neglected Harry, verbally and emotionally abused him, and inflicted cruel punishments, like depriving him of meals and locking him into the cupboard under the stairs whenever something "unusual" occurred. Their behaviour was left unreported to authorities. In his youth, Harry could make strange things happen without understanding why he could, as no one had told him that he was a wizard.

For instance, after Petunia had sheared off all of his messy hair using a pair of kitchen scissors in her fury that it would not lie flat, leaving him almost completely bald with only the fringe at the front, it had grown all the way back, and to its previous messy state at that, by the next morning. Harry was punished, even though he had not done anything on purpose. Another time, Dedalus Diggle bowed to him in a shop, and Petunia furiously interrogated Harry to find out how he knew the man before leaving the shop hastily.

The Dursleys spoiled and pampered their son, Dudley, and paid almost no attention to Harry, with what little attention they did pay to him being negative in its entirety. All his clothes were hand-me-downs from Dudley and were far too large for Harry. He was forced to sleep in the Cupboard Under the Stairs, while his cousin got two bedrooms to himself (one for sleeping in and one for storing all his toys). They also made Harry do household chores for them, such as making food and getting the post. In time, Dudley started bullying Harry. The Dursleys took Dudley and his friend Piers Polkiss to someplace spectacular every year for his birthday, but the only thing Harry ever got for his birthday was one of Vernon's old socks or a coat-hanger.

The Dursleys always hid evidence of Harry's existence by not having pictures of him in the house. Among the few people who did know about Harry were Petunia's friend Yvonne and Vernon's sister Marge, the latter of whom the boy was forced to consider an aunt to him, despite not being a relative of his. Aunt Marge showed the most dislike for the frail boy while visiting Privet Drive during Dudley Dursley's fifth birthday, when she whacked Harry around the shins to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues, and on holidays like Christmas, when she brought a computerised robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Harry to apparently eat. She eventually made a fool out of the young Potter during Dudley's tenth birthday, when Harry accidentally stepped on the paw of her favourite pet bulldog Ripper, causing the enraged dog to chase him out into the garden and up a tree. Dudley laughed himself silly at the sight of his cousin then, and to the Dursleys' delight, Marge refused to call Ripper off until past midnight.

Harry's hardship, however, was highly necessary, as by returning to live with his mother's only living blood relative, the protection that Lily gave Harry would continue. While Harry could call that place home, he could not be harmed. However, the Bond of Blood charm would be broken when Harry turned seventeen years old, or when he no longer called 4 Privet Drive his home.

Unknown to Harry, one of his neighbours, Arabella Figg, was a Squib who had been ordered by Albus Dumbledore to keep an eye on Harry but not to reveal anything of the wizarding world to him. Unfortunately for Harry, to maintain favour with the Dursleys, she was forced to give him a lousy time whenever she had to look after him, as the Dursleys would never have let him go if they knew Harry was enjoying himself, a possibility that infuriated them. Harry discovered her connection to the wizarding world when it was revealed during the summer before his fifth year that she worked undercover for the Order of the Phoenix to keep tabs on Harry for his safety.

On 23 June 1991, Dudley's eleventh birthday, the Dursleys went to the zoo with Dudley and Piers. Unfortunately for the Dursleys, they had to take Harry with them, as Mrs Figg had broken her leg and there was no one to take Harry, and they refused to leave him alone in their house. At the zoo, Harry spoke with a boa constrictor and unintentionally made the glass of its enclosure disappear. This allowed the snake to slither out of its cage, which scared Dudley into thinking it was after him. Harry was able to communicate in Parseltongue with the freed boa, which thanked Harry briefly, then slithered out of the reptile house calmly. After this incident, the enraged Dursleys sentenced Harry to his cupboard until the beginning of the summer holidays.

St. Gregory's Primary School

Harry attended St. Gregory's Primary School, a Muggle primary school, with Dudley. He had no friends there, since all the students were afraid of Dudley's tough friends, who hated Harry simply because Dudley did. Dudley and his friends liked to play a unique game — 'Harry Hunting' — which involved chasing Harry for hours on end. Although Harry was good at sports, he was always the last picked for a team because no one wanted to admit to Dudley that they liked him, rather than because he was no good.

Harry got decent, if not good, grades at school. On one occasion, Harry accidentally turned his teacher's wig blue; on another, he accidentally apparated onto the school kitchen roof when escaping from Dudley's gang; and on a third, he made Dudley's old jumper shrink as Aunt Petunia tried to shove it over his head. These incidents always enraged the Dursleys, and after each, they would punish Harry by throwing him into the cupboard — except for after the jumper incident, because Aunt Petunia thought that the jumper had shrunk in the wash.

If Harry had not gone to Hogwarts, then he would have attended Stonewall High, a Muggle secondary school that Harry dreaded attending.

Spotting of being a wizard

Harry had no birthday celebrations until the day he turned 11, which was the same day that he discovered the exceptional reality about his identity. In the week of Harry's birthday, hundreds of letters began arriving at the Dursleys' home, addressed to him from a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When the Dursleys saw the first letter was addressed to the "cupboard under the stairs", they panicked at the thought of Harry's ill treatment being observed and transferred him to Dudley's second bedroom out of fear of being arrested for child abuse, which soon appeared on letters as the smallest bedroom.

When Uncle Vernon first read the letter, he turned a pale porridge grey out of fear that witches and wizards were trying to contact Harry. Because of this, Vernon tried to destroy the letters in a futile attempt to keep Harry from his destiny. But the letters kept coming in increasingly larger quantities, to the point where they started flying out of the fireplace by the dozens, and as they did, the Dursleys saw no alternative but to flee from them. This was not enough to let the Dursleys avoid the letters, however, as the owls carrying these letters followed them wherever they went. On 30 July 1991, in a final desperate move, the Dursleys moved to a shack on a rocky island at the edge of the sea.

At midnight on Harry's birthday, Rubeus Hagrid appeared in person to find out why Harry had not received his letter. He was infuriated by the Dursleys and explained to Harry, despite Vernon's obstinate protests, that he was a wizard, how his parents died, that Dumbledore demanded that he take Harry from the ruined house to his hated relatives, and that he was to be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This would be Harry's first birthday celebration, and Hagrid gave him a small homemade birthday cake and later, a snowy owl. Harry named her Hedwig, a name he had found in his textbook (A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot). This was the first birthday present Harry ever received. Hagrid took Harry to the Leaky Cauldron, where he learned that he was famous. He met Quirinus Quirrell, his soon-to-be Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, the innkeeper Tom, a witch named Doris Crockford, and Dedalus Diggle — the man who had bowed to Harry several years earlier. Hagrid then took Harry to Diagon Alley, where he learned more about his fame in the wizarding world and that his parents had left him a small fortune in a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Harry bought his first wand from Ollivander's that very day. The wand that chose Harry was made of holly wood and had a phoenix feather core; it was 11", nice and supple. The phoenix feather at its core came from Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes. It was crafted by Garrick Ollivander, who had also created a twin wand. This wand had been made from yew and contained the only other feather supplied by Fawkes. This twin wand had chosen Tom Riddle as its master long ago. But after turning to evil and assuming the alias of Lord Voldemort, Riddle ended up using this wand to attack Harry and his parents. Sharing the same phoenix origin, the two wands had a unique connection that would prevent them from successfully duelling against each other in the years to come.

Later on, Hagrid told Harry about his twin sister, but didn't mention what she would look like, so when Harry got to meet Lyra, he had no idea he was talking to his sister.