Harry Potter: 5 Scenes That Made Us Love Harry & 5 That Made Us Hate Him) - Screen Rant

Harry Potter is one of the most well-known heroes in all of pop culture. As the protagonist of the Harry Potter series, he will likely exist in the collective mind for many decades to come. However, despite being the main hero, he’s not always everyone’s favorite character. In some ways, he doesn't get nearly as much credit as he’s due, and in others, he’s way too overrated.

But, whether you love Harry as a character or get annoyed by him, he had some specially heroic moments that made fans adore him as well as times where he made fans angry.

10 Hate: Being immature when dating Cho

Harry and his friends are only teenagers when the series is taking place, so they aren’t going to be perfect at dating and relationships. Teenagers are immature and can be hurtful and rude, but Harry was still obnoxious when he couldn’t handle the fact that Cho had emotions.

While Harry and Cho weren't a perfect match, he could have been kinder. Given that they were both dealing with the trauma of Cedric’s death, he could have tried to show a bit more compassion.

9 Love: When he freed Dobby

Criticisms about the character of Dobby aside, Harry showed that he had a lot more compassion than most people in the wizarding world.

While many never even noticed house-elves, Harry saw the abusive treatment Dobby endured and came up with a trick to ensure his freedom. This was a good moment that made fans root for Harry and his good heart.

8 Hate: Using Sectumsempra

Harry might be the hero of a hate story, but he’s often rather lacking in common sense. He often does things based on emotion and instinct, and this often gets him into trouble.

While he might not have meant to seriously hurt Malfoy, he was not using his brain when he used an unknown spell for enemies on him. While Draco had many big flaws, it was upsetting to see him nearly die.

7 Love: When he went into the Chamber to save Ginny

Harry has many heroic moments throughout the series, so it’s hard to pick out just one or two of the big ones. He’s always saving the day and putting his life at risk to save other people. But, one of the more notable moments of heroism is when he and Ron go into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny. Given how young they were at the time, it showed how willing they both were to risk their lives.

Encountering a giant snake in an underground dungeon would be terrifying for any person, so the fact that Harry did this while only 12 years old is especially impressive.

6 Hate: Yelling at Ron and Hermione

Fans often judge Harry too harshly for his emotional reactions. The truth is that Harry endured so many traumatic events at a young age and then never got any real support or help.

So, it does make sense that he wouldn’t always know how to handle his emotions. However, it was still frustrating at times to see him lash out at the people closest to him who wanted to help him the most. He definitely could have been a better friend at times to Ron and Hermione.

5 Love: When he told Malfoy he could make his own friends

While there are many exciting heroic action scenes that Harry participates in, some of the quieter moments reveal even more about his character.

When Harry first arrives at Hogwarts and Draco disparages Ron and his family, Harry is quick to turn him down. This is just the first example of Harry showing he cares more about who a person is than he cares about their family history or skills.

4 Hate: When he was mad he wasn’t made prefect

Jealousy is a natural thing that most people feel at one point or another, so it’s not a bad thing if Harry felt briefly upset that he wasn’t made perfect. However, it was a bit annoying given that Ron always got a lot less attention than he did.

While Harry understandably wanted to feel like Dumbledore trusted him, Ron definitely deserved a win in this situation, and Harry, although he did his best not to, shouldn’t have felt petty about it.

3 Love: Telling Cedric about the dragons

This is another smaller instance of Harry being a good person that points to his overall character. While Cedric was the golden boy and the Hogwarts champion nearly everyone supported, Harry still wanted to give him a fair shot.

He knew that the other champions would have learned about the dragons, so he told Cedric, too. This just shows that Harry was always trying to do right by others.

2 Hate: Not trying at Occlumency

While Harry might have had many good qualities, he also had some fairly frustrating personality flaws. He was too reckless and stubborn at times, and he often didn't’ listen to the advice others gave him.

While it makes sense he didn’t want to work with Snape, and Snape was an abusive bully, there was a clear reason for trying to learn Occlumency. Harry mostly didn’t want to learn because he wanted to keep the connection with Voldemort, and it was obvious this was a bad idea.

1 Love: When he was willing to sacrifice himself to Voldemort

There are many moments throughout the series when Harry is ready to die to save other people. He often puts his life at risk, and he faces Voldemort many times.

However, one of the most powerful moments is when he goes to Voldemort without putting up a fight and willingly surrendered to death in order to destroy the Horcrux inside of him. It’s an intense moment of heroism.

NEXT: 15 Things From The Harry Potter Series That Haven't Aged Well

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Amanda Steele (695 Articles Published)

Amanda is a freelance writer in NYC. She is a professional writer and storyteller who loves TV, activism, and fandom. She would definitely die for Captain America.