harry potter spent ten years of his life unloved. some of the most formative years in his life were spent in a loveless home, where he was abused, made to sleep in a cupboard under the stores, always treated like some kind of servant, given old, ratty clothes, allowed to be pushed around by his, for all intents and purposes, “brother”, and made to feel as if there was something wrong with him. by the only family he’d ever known. and still, after all of this, after waking every morning and being greeted by spiders and dust, after having to endure his parents being derided and ridiculed by his aunt and uncle, after going many a night without food, he manages to be a loving, caring, selfless boy. harry could have so easily turned into a monster, taken his upbringing and projected it onto those around him, but, instead, this is a boy who apologizes to a bird when it get hurts healing him, who sets a house elf who is being mistreated free, who defends a boy he’s only known for a few hours from a bully, who shows mercy to the man partly responsible for his father’s death, who considers his owl one of his best friends, who saves people even when he doesn’t have to in the triwizard tournament, who never wants to take all the credit and be perceived as some kind of all powerful hero, who walks to his own death knowing that, because of his sacrifice, because of his love, those whom he loves will be safe. harry potter managed to be purely good, despite the odds, and that’s what makes him such a hero
