At a young age, Harry could cast impressive spells.
And generally seemed to have an easier time doing things right.
When compared to his peers, he is undoubtedly powerful.
But how could this even happen?
Read on to learn:
- Why getting proper training is so important.
- 7 real reasons why Harry Potter is so powerful.
- How Harry’s determination makes him stronger.
- And so much more…
How powerful is Harry Potter?
While not the strongest wizard in the story, Harry is much more powerful than his peers. He was able to cast a Patronus in year 3 and use an unforgivable curse in year 7. He’s also the only wizard to survive the Killing Curse.
7 real reasons why Harry Potter is so powerful
#1: Naturally gifted
In our world, we’re all too familiar with talent.
Messi works hard to be great at football.
The same goes for Serena Williams and her impressive tennis career. Or for anyone else who’s at the top of their game.
And that also goes for Harry.
Harry’s raw talent plays a significant role in why he’s so powerful.
His parents, James and Lily Potter, were both great magicians.
Harry’s father was often said to be one of the most talented students in his years at Hogwarts.
He also managed to become an ‘animagus’ (someone who can shapeshift into animals). Which is an incredible feat for any witch or wizard.
And his mother used to be top-of-the-class in potion making and a generally gifted witch.
Now, we know how important bloodline is in the magical world.
After all, it determines whether you’re a wizard or not.
Plus, it’s the idea behind Malfoy’s degrading comments about ‘mudbloods’. Who are witches or wizards whose parents both cannot practice magic.
So it makes sense that having talented magician parents means you’ll be talented as well.
This study actually backs up this claim.
It would also explain why Harry isn’t the strongest wizard in the story.
It’s not even close.
Dumbledore, Voldemort, Snape, and probably most teachers are far more powerful than him.
And that’s because while Harry has raw talent…
He’s still in his learning process.
Other than that, Harry also seems to have great reflexes and general athleticism.
He’s part of the Quidditch team in his first year.
As the seeker, it’s his job is to find the snitch. Or small, flying golden ball.
To catch such a tiny object, you need to possess incredible reflexes. And the ability to think quickly also helps.
And as the years go by, Harry’s abilities become more polished as he learns more. But it’s been clear from day 1 that he’s a few steps above the others.
#2: Determined and has lots of perseverance
When things seem unwinnable, Harry doesn’t give up.
His recurring determination is one of the show’s life lessons. But it’s also part of the reason why he’s so powerful.
Simply put, someone who does not give up tends to be better.
In Harry’s case, he never gave up on fighting the good fight. And he turned more powerful because of it.
Perseverance is tough, especially in difficult times.
Just imagine being a 12-year-old and having to fight a basilisk.
Or maybe having to fend off against hundreds of dementors when you’re 13.
But if you’re able to, it will show you just how powerful you can be.
On the flip side, Harry’s perseverance leads to him getting into a sticky situation much more often.
If you give up the first time, you’ll only encounter your enemy once.
But when you keep going, time after time again…
You’ll naturally come into more contact with your enemies.
Every time Harry survives these challenging situations, he becomes better and more powerful.
All because he refuses to give up.
You might also be interested in: 5 Reasons Why Dumbledore Gave Harry The Resurrection Stone
#3: Focuses on a couple of spells
Perhaps one of Harry’s best traits is his self-consciousness.
Although a powerful wizard…
He isn’t the best at every spell.
Harry isn’t even the best in every class. Neville is far better at herbology than him.
But this is where Harry’s strength comes in.
Instead of trying to master all spells, Harry focuses on a couple of important ones.
After all, we’ve all heard the saying “a jack of all trades is a master of none” before.
And Harry’s favorite spell is “Expelliarmus“. Also known as the disarming charm.
Which turned out to be his signature spell.
It was professor Snape who first taught Expelliarmus to Harry…
Although they weren’t really good friends.
Interesting fact: Harry uses Expelliarmus a total of 36 times. And this was the charm that ultimately made him defeat Lord Voldemort.
This video actually shows us all the spells Harry used in his years at Hogwarts. And you can clearly notice how often the disarming charm is used:
Another example of a spell that Harry truly mastered is “Expecto Patronum”.
Roughly translated, this means “I await my protector”.
A fitting description that protects one from soul-sucking Dementors.
It’s a tough spell that Harry managed to learn in his third year.
For reference, the Patronum charm isn’t actively taught in school as it’s deemed ‘too difficult’.
Most adult wizards can’t even bring a Patronus to bear…
Let alone a 3rd-year school student.
But with professor Lupin’s help, Harry learned this impressive spell.
And used it 11 times throughout the series.
Whenever Harry encounters Death eaters, or even Voldemort himself, he uses these spells.
He doesn’t bother learning or using every spell in existence. Instead, he focuses on a couple he can truly master.
#4: Harry is connected to Voldemort
Disclaimer: This section is mainly just a theory.
It’s often mentioned that Harry and Voldemort are somehow connected.
This happens all throughout the story. Think of The Prophecy, for example.
But the most common way we see this happen is through Harry’s famous scar.
When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the curse backfired. This didn’t kill him but left a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
Many times throughout the series, Harry’s scar hurts. And this seems especially the case when Voldemort shows some form of emotion.
Whether he’s angry, frustrated, or expresses immense joy, Harry’s scar starts to burn.
Now, we all know how powerful Voldemort is.
He’s undoubtedly one of, if not the most powerful wizard alive. Maybe Dumbledore is on his level, but that’s about it.
Later in the story, we also learn that Harry himself is a Horcrux of Voldemort.
This is an object where Voldemort leaves a piece of his soul. This way, he cannot die, as his psyche lives on in the object.
Interesting fact: Only when all Horcruxes are destroyed can you take out Voldemort.
I believe that connection to one of the most powerful wizards alive made Harry more powerful.
We don’t really see his abilities tested after he defeats Lord Voldemort.
The story ends after the decisive battle of Hogwarts.
And the next shot is Harry sending his kids on the Hogwarts Express.
So we don’t know how powerful he is after that piece of Voldemort has left him.
But it would make sense that the piece of Voldemort made Harry more powerful.
#5: Something worth fighting for
No matter how powerful or talented you are…
If you have no objective in mind, chances are you won’t reach your full potential.
Studies have shown that when you have a clear goal in mind, your performance goes up.
Harry clearly has something to fight for. He has a clear goal in mind:
Defeating evil.
And as if protecting the world from certain doom isn’t enough of a motivator…
We must not forget how Harry became an orphan because of Voldemort.
Throughout the years, this Dark Lord kills even more people that are close to Harry. Most importantly, Sirius Black.
So not only has Harry lost the people that are most important to him, thanks to Voldemort…
But he would get away with it as well.
And what better motivator to excel than a clear goal fueled by vengeance and a will for revenge?
#6: Trained by the best
We briefly talked about Harry’s raw talent. But talent only gets you so far.
You need to work hard on honing your skills to make the most out of it.
And Harry got some of the best possible help for that.
This study shows us the importance of having a good mentor. And Harry had many.
It was professor Lupin that taught Harry the Patronum charm.
Lupin was not only a great wizard but also a childhood friend of James Potter.
And he made sure that Harry could defend himself against the Dementors.
Moreover, it was professor Snape that gave Harry exclusive lessons in “Occlumency”.
This is a specific defense of the mind against external penetration.
In Harry’s 5th year, Voldemort kept creeping into Harry’s mind…
Giving him horrible visions.
Dumbledore suggested Harry should be taught how to defend himself against that. And none other than Snape would be Harry’s teacher.
Dumbledore is also a mentor for Harry.
While not teaching anything specific, like a spell…
He led Harry the same how a father would teach his son.
Dumbledore guided him without telling him exactly what to do.
Together with Snape, they both are mighty wizards. And Harry learned from the very best.
But let’s also not forget Harry’s professors at Hogwarts.
Some were definitely more helpful than others (looking at you, Lockhart).
But the lessons from McGonagall, Slughorn, and the others were invaluable.
#7: He was protected
We can credit Harry for his powers. But it can’t be denied that he was almost always surrounded by powerful protection.
When Voldemort was planning to kill James and Lily Potter, we know Snape begged the Dark Lord to spare Lily.
Voldemort obliged…
But Lily herself messed with that plan.
See, Voldemort killed James and targeted Harry next. He only planned on sparing Lily. No one else.
But Lily didn’t want her son to die already.
So, she sacrificed herself to save Harry. And unknowingly puts a protection spell on him.
This charm was active until Harry became 18. But until that day, Voldemort could not touch Harry without experiencing incredible pain.
And most importantly, it would cause the Killing Curse to bounce back to the spellcaster.
So when he tried to kill Harry, right after killing Lily, he killed himself instead.
Aside from this protection spell, Harry was also protected by the Order of the Phoenix.
This was a group of highly powerful wizards and witches that fought the dark arts.
They all knew Harry and valued his life. And they often came to Harry’s protection when he needed it the most.
And we haven’t even talked about Snape and Dumbledore. Both are mighty wizards that took it upon themselves to ensure Harry’s safety.
While Harry himself is a powerful wizard…
He also had help from the very best.