The wizarding world
is full of heroes and villains.
When you read the books or watch the films,
you will meet characters pure of heart,
those that are downright evil,
and those who float in between.
But who should you root for?
What does it mean to be a hero anyway?
And what's the story behind our titular hero, Harry?
Here's our guide on those characters
who try to make the choice
between what is right
and what is easy.
She's only interested in you
because she thinks you're the chosen one.
But I am the chosen one.
Born 31st of July, 1980,
in Godric's Hollow, Great Britain,
Harry Potter was the only child
of Lily and James Potter.
You have—
My mother's eyes.
When Harry was just a baby,
the wizarding world was terrorized by Lord Voldemort,
the darkest wizard of his time.
In the Harry Potter books,
we're told of a cruel wizarding war
that ripped through the community,
led by Lord Voldemort and his followers,
known as Death Eaters.
In the end, it would be the
innocent baby, Harry Potter,
who would stop the war
after Lord Voldemort
targeted his family.
Although he succeeded in killing Lily and James,
his curse rebounded off Harry,
leaving Voldemort destroyed, for the time being,
and Harry with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.
That's why you're famous.
That's why everybody knows your name.
You're the boy who lived.
Harry was placed under the care
of Lily's Muggle sister, Petunia Dursley,
and her husband, Vernon.
Harry was practically invisible in their household.
Always treated inferior to his cousin, Dudley.
I've watched them all day.
They're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable.
The Dursley's were certainly no heroes
and hated the idea of magic.
In fact, the first Harry Potter book
tells us that,
"They were the last people
"you'd expect to be involved
"in anything strange or mysterious,
because they just didn't hold with such nonsense."
This did not bode well for Harry.
There's no such thing as magic.
Yes, due to Harry's magical parentage,
the Dursley's weren't too keen on their nephew.
Harry was forced to live under the stairs,
wear hand-me-down clothes
and was treated terribly.
In fact, the Dursley's neglected
to mention to Harry
that he was actually rather special.
Why don't you just cook the breakfast
and try not to burn anything?
Yes, Aunt Petunia.
Thankfully, Harry's fortunes
were about to change.
And his heroic path to the Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
was about to be set.
You're a wizard, Harry.
I'm a what?
In rejoining the wizarding world,
Harry would meet new friends
and wise professors who would help him
along every step of his journey.
We've got one thing that Voldemort doesn't have.
Something worth fighting for.
Speaking of which,
let's learn more about Harry's best friends,
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Ron is brave and headstrong,
with some rather impressive eating habits.
His upbringing couldn't have been
more different to Harry's.
With seven kids,
the Weasley household was full
of love and mischief.
They also had to contend
with a groaning ghoul in the attic
and gnomes in the garden.
The Weasley matriarch, Molly Weasley,
welcomed Harry into her family
with open arms.
Not to mention gifting him
his own Christmas jumper.
I've got presents?
Yeah.
As for Ron,
not to mention his siblings,
this hero faced many fears
in his time at Hogwarts,
even coming up against his biggest phobia,
some supersized spiders.
Remember, not all heroes
have to look brave all the time.
Why spiders?
Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?
Despite his fears,
Ron could always be trusted
to be there for Harry when he needed him,
even if that meant risking his own life.
But this headstrong duo needed someone
with a little more logic.
Who could be better
than the brightest witch of her age,
Hermione Granger met no match
for her brains at Hogwarts.
Wingardium Leviosa.
Just like Harry,
Hermione grew up not realizing
the wizarding world was waiting for her.
Up until she got her Hogwarts letter,
Hermione lived a standard Muggle life
with her dentist parents.
They tend to peoples' teeth.
And is that considered a dangerous profession?
That didn't stop this fearless bookworm
from being a top student
and playing a crucial part
in the fight against Voldemort.
And with Hermione's fierce intelligence,
she taught us that heroism
doesn't always have to come
from a sword or a battle,
but sometimes using your head.
We couldn't have done it without you.
Thanks.
Her drive to stand up
for what she believed in
and to help those less fortunate,
made her a hero worthy
of joining Harry and Ron,
making quite the golden trio.
But let's be honest,
they had lots of help along the way.
The wisest of them all being, of course,
beloved headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore.
Don't let his eccentric style fool you,
Dumbledore was known to be
the only person Voldemort
was ever truly afraid of.
Dumbledore was also quite famous.
He was a Transfiguration Professor
and later the Headmaster
of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He also served as Supreme Mugwump
of the International Confederation of Wizards,
and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day.
Whether he was sharing his wisdom
or stealing Harry's sweets,
Dumbledore was always
one step ahead of the game.
There's definitely more to Dumbledore
than his fascinating catchphrases,
love of sherbet lemons,
and enjoyment of knitting patterns.
But that's to be expected
from one of the most talented
and brilliant wizards
in the wizarding world.
Moving on to the Deputy Headmistress,
Professor McGonagall.
She prided herself on discipline
in contrast to Dumbledore's quirkier ways.
Although strict, McGonagall could actually
be quite a sentimental witch,
who was constantly looking
out for her students,
especially Gryffindors.
She was the head of the house.
Being a Gryffindor was no free pass.
Professor McGonagall was absolutely willing
to discipline her own students
who quite often stepped
outside of the rules.
Therefore, as punishment for your actions,
50 points will be taken.
50?
Just like Hermione,
McGonagall had been top of her class
during her time at Hogwarts.
She was even on the Quidditch team.
That was bloody brilliant.
Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley.
McGonagall may have seemed strict,
but she was nothing compared
to the Potions Professor, Severus Snape.
Here's a tip.
If you're ever scared of this surly professor,
just imagine him in your grandmother's clothes.
It's a long story.
While Professor Snape
made life difficult for certain students of Hogwarts,
there was one half-giant who made the school
feel like a safe place
for our golden trio.
Rubeus Hagrid's fascination with scary
magical creatures might seem
like an odd trait for a hero,
but this is one big man
with a bigger heart.
As groundskeeper at Hogwarts
and keeper of the keys,
Hagrid's job was to keep the school in good shape.
Rubeus Hagrid was incredibly loyal
and the only one Dumbledore trusted
to introduce Harry to the wizarding world.
Although, he does let secrets slip from time to time.
I shouldn't have said that.
I should not have said that.
Harry might have been
"The Boy Who Lived,"
but he didn't become a hero alone.
At Hogwarts, he found a family
that would stick with him
through all the trials he had yet to face.
[Dumbledore] You have friends here,
you're not alone.
For more deep dives
into the wizarding world,
stick around for more Discover Harry Potter.