Before I knew of J K Rowling’s true colours, I was obsessed with the Harry Potter franchise. I bought the first three movies on YouTube and I own every book except The Chamber of Secrets. I have read each book at least nine times (maybe more) and watched the movies way too many times to keep count.

So trust me when I say, I should be done with this story.

But I recently realised that however I may feel about JKR, I already bought the books and the movies. It’s not like I can get a refund due to moral differences between me and the author. So I may as well read them again since I loved the franchise so much growing up. And at this stage, I’m sure most fans of the franchise probably own copies of them already. I don’t think this blog post is going to be introducing anyone to the franchise.

So let’s talk about the first book.

The Older I Get, The More I Realise The Bias In The Narrative

There’s a reason why the story gets darker with each Harry Potter book, it’s because the perspective is Harry’s and he is getting older with each book. During The Philosopher’s stone, he’s 11 years old. He has been abused and bullied and finding out he’s a wizard is a lifeline for him. He’s enamoured by Hogwarts because this is the first place he’s been in where he has the chance to feel loved and cared for. He isn’t constantly being physically abused, starved or neglected. Even his vendetta with Draco Malfoy is on near equal ground. With the Dursleys, he never had the luxury of fighting back without further punishment. But whatever issues he has at school, there are boundaries and opportunities for recourse.

So yes, he adores Hagrid for being his saviour. And because Hagrid worships Dumbledore, he does too. He doesn’t notice the flaws in the adults because his standards are shockingly low. And that’s probably why Dumbledore left him with the Dursleys. Dumbledore knew that if he had grown up in the wizarding world, he would’ve known how important he was. His self confidence would be too high. But as an abused child, he is easy to manipulate. He doesn’t notice when he’s a pawn in someone’s scheme because there really is no one checking to make sure he’s treated well. If Harry Potter was killed at Hogwarts, Dumbledore wouldn’t have to worry about his family making a fuss.

Now, I genuinely do think there are a lot of people who love and are protective of Harry. But notice how none of these people are allowed to take care of him? Sure, he has moments that he gets to escape the Dursleys but every year, he is expected to go back.

Fidelius charm or not, you cannot tell me that a wizard of Dumbledore’s calibre couldn’t have come up with some sort of protection for Harry. The boy gets attacked on a regular basis. I genuinely don’t see how staying with the Dursleys protected him in any way considering that he was in danger anyway when he had to leave them in the last book. No, the reason why he had to stay with his abusive family was to break him down and make it easier for Dumbledore to sacrifice him when the time was right.

The Good Characters Having Moral Failings Does Not Make The Evil Characters Better

I don’t know how many times I have to repeat this, just because I can recognise Dumbledore’s flaws does not mean I suddenly love Snape. Now, obviously we’re only at book 1 so far. But already, the man is a danger to children. He should not be allowed to teach. And yes, he did protect Harry. But it’s the same type of protection the poor child gets with his family. He may be physically alive and well but he is not taken care off. He is belittled, physically abused, threatened and neglected. I don’t know about you, but nothing is ever going to get me to like an adult character who takes out his frustration and bitterness over his own life on an 11 year old.

And the problem is, Harry isn’t even the only character he bullies. It’s a known fact that he favours his house: Slytherin. It’s a known fact that he takes joy in tormenting children. He is cruel to Hermione, Ron and Neville on numerous occasions. Maybe you can justify what he did to an 11 year old Harry Potter by saying that Snape was bullied by James, but I think this is just a bitter man who has felt powerless and so continues that cycle of violence by making other children feel powerless.

At this stage, obviously our perception of him is skewed by Harry’s own perception of the teacher who is cruel to him. But despite the bias, there are simply some things that are inexcusable. And while I can appreciate the complexity in all of the adult Harry Potter characters, I cannot find it in myself to forgive them. In a way, I relate to Harry a lot. I grew up with him and I know what it feels like to be a child made to feel powerless by adults who have trauma themselves. And it doesn’t make the abuse any easier to bear when you know that it’s coming from a place of fear and helplessness. Sure, maybe they were abused too in their childhood but they’re adults now. And they have to be the bigger person whether they like it or not.

The Boy Who Lived To Sass

I genuinely forgot how sassy this boy was. He may have been an abused child but it did not take away from his sharp retorts. That boy will at least try to give as good as he gets. He has an opinion and he’s allowed to express it, past experience be damned. And that’s probably one of the biggest small things missing from the Harry Potter movies. Harry isn’t simply the self-sacrificing main character with a traumatic backstory, he is also someone who will take every opportunity to be as sarcastic as possible.

Humour is this poor child’s coping mechanism. And though he has felt powerless for most of his life, it doesn’t stop him from defending himself verbally if he can’t do it physically. And this boy has a lot of repressed anger. Even in the third book, when Aunt Marge insulted his parents, he lost control of his magic and punished her for it. What other character in Harry Potter do you know that has done this after starting their magical education?

The boy is incredibly powerful and that cannot be repressed. We’re talking about a 13 year old who learned how to cast a powerful Patronus charm after a few tries. I have to say, as an adult, he is my favourite character. He is the character who goes through the most throughout the book. And he may be sassy but he never loses sight of who he is. Even when it’s to his own detriment.

Final Thoughts

So what did you think? Please leave a comment so I can know people are actually reading these. But of course, please be kind. This is just an opinion on fictional characters. And obviously, my opinions may change. At the time of writing this, I am up to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban so my opinions may change. I haven’t read these books in a few years and that’s enough time to forget things. So maybe I’ll get to the seventh review and realise I actually love Snape and want to marry him. Who knows? I guess we’ll see.

Until next time my loves.