The Choices of Harry Potter

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone J.K. Rowling introduces us to a world of magic. In this book  wizards and witches perform magic as if they are going shopping on a typical Friday evening. These instances of magic are not the true magic of this book however. The true magic is that the book is all about the choices we make and how those choices can lead a person to become a hero or a villain.

The protagonist of this book, Harry Potter, is not introduced right away. Instead Ms. Rowling writes about a perfectly normal family, the Dursleys, who could not be happier to be normal. But, behind closed doors they have a secret. They know of a world far different from their own. That world is soon to be literally dropped on their doorstep.

Many characters make choices that directly or indirectly affect Harry Potter throughout the story. The great wizard Dumbledore chooses to leave Harry with his aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, rather than keep him in the wizarding world. If Harry had grown up in the wizarding world he may have grown up to be an entitled bully.

Harry Potter is introduced as an infant. As an infant he could not be any less threatening to two grown adults. Yet the appearance of Harry on their doorstep threatens the very fabric of their lives. They made the choice to stamp any magic or uniqueness out of him. They do this with threats, physical violence, and overall neglect.

Harry receives the chance for his first personal choice when Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, shows up and tells him he is a wizard. Harry could choose to follow in the footsteps of his aunt and uncle, and decide to turn his back on the unknown. Instead, he chooses to take the chance, and walk into the unknown.

When Harry enters the wizarding world for the first time, he learns that he is a legend rather than a nobody. He is thrust into a world where people fight to shake his hand. He is offered friendship by the popular rich kid clan. Instead, he chooses to become friends with the youngest brother in the Weasley clan, Ron. The Weasley’s are financially poor,but are some of the kindest and best people Harry will come to know.

Harry chooses to stand up to the bullies, Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle, on behalf of another student named Neville Longbottom. Harry could have kept silent, allowing Neville to be persecuted. Instead, Harry stands up to Draco, and in a move that could have gotten him in serious trouble, flies after Draco to retrieve Neville’s property. That choice led Harry to be placed on his house Quidditch team, making him the youngest player in a century.

Harry’s choice to disobey the rules has good and bad consequences on a regular basis. On Halloween, Harry and Ron flout the orders of the headmaster when it is announced that a troll is loose in the castle. Instead, they choose to go and find Hermione to warn her. They did not like Hermione, but they did not want to see her injured. This choice leads to a battle with a troll. An unexpected result was a new friend. J.K Rowling writes, “But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their firend. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot moumtain troll is one of them.” (Rowling)

 Harry puts himself, and his friends, in danger more than once because of the choices that he makes. He chooses to respond to the taunts of Draco Malfoy by agreeing to meet Draco in the middle of the night for a wizard duel. This decision leads Harry, Ron, and Hermione to nearly be eaten by a three headed dog that is hidden in the castle.

Harry is bullied by one of the teachers, Professor Severus Snape. Harry believes that Snape is his enemy and the antagonist of this story. We find out by the end of the story that Snape makes the choice to protect Harry despite a deep seated hatred for Harry’s father. This choice savesHarry’s life more than once.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione believe that Professor Snape is in league with the wizard that killed Harry’s parents, Voldemort. They believe that Snape is trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone to give it to Voldemort. This would allow Voldemort to return as the greatest dark wizard in history. They make the choice to follow Snape into the maze under the castle that leads to the Stone.

This is a choice that could lead the threesome into mortal peril.They throw caution to the wind, and set off to protect the school and the wizarding world. This choice leads them to be injured, tested, and nearly killed.

Before they are even able to leave their common room, another character makes a choice. Neville Longbottom, who has been established as a comedic character that is afraid of his own shadow, makes the choice to confront the trio. Even though he is visibly frightened he tells them he will not let them leave. This choice leads him to be a minor hero of the final feast when the points he wins for bravery allow Gryffindor to win the house cup.

In the darkest reaches of the castle, Harry meets the true antagonist of the story. It is Professor Quirrell, who made the choice to align himself with evil. Quirrell allows himself to be possessed by Voldemort. This decision ultimately leads to Quirrell’s death.

After Harry does what heroes do, and saves the day, we find him talking to Dumbledore in the hospital wing. Dumbledore tells him about the choices that were made by some of the characters. The most important of those being a choice that Harry’s mother made years before. The choice to give her own life to protect him.

In the Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter it says,”Dumbledore tells Harry, ‘your mother died to save you.’ Dumbledore also lets Harry know that the protection his mother gave him from her powerful, loving spell is still with him-in his very skin.” (Waters) His mother’s choice to protect her child allowed Harry to fight off the combined forces of Quirrell and Voldemort.

            Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is set in a magical world in order to catch the attention of the reader. Once she has that attention, J.K. Rowling nudges choice into the consciousness of the reader. The choices of her characters lead to Harry making friends, being protected, and saving the day. Choice is some of the strongest magic a person can possess.