Now that Deathly Hallows has been released, we finally know more than we ever have about the characters in the Harry Potter series. Some have turned out to be more human than we expected and were able to be redeemed. Others have turned out to have hidden flaws. Still others have shown more potential than we could have possibly expected in them before now. All this information gives us the basis to make our best possible judgments on the characters, so I thought it would be interesting to ask this question: Who are your three favorite characters in the Harry Potter series? Why? Have any of them had any significant impact on your life?
For me, my three favorite characters would have to be Sirius Black, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter. This seems a bit strange of a combination considering that Sirius hates Severus, Severus hates Sirius, and for a while Harry thought that Snape had played a big role in Sirius' death, but I actually like them all for somewhat similar reasons. I like Sirius Black because he is just such a complex, fascinating character. He has an interesting past, having belonged to a family of people who had a tendency to go to the dark side, forcing him to rebel against them and decide for himself what his values were. And I admire many qualities in him, such as his bravery, his wisdom, and his ability to care for Harry as a father might. I like how he is reckless and a bit out-of-line at times, too, because it just makes him seem that much more like a real human being. Snape. I’ve actually always had a thing for Snape even before the seventh book came out. I always sensed that there was something more to him than what meets the eye, that he really wasn’t just a sarcastic, bullying teacher. And indeed he wasn’t. He turned out to be, as we all know, an exceedingly brave man who was able to love on a deep, deep level. I’m a born romantic, so Snape gets my pick for one of my top three characters. And, well, he is just so interesting! How he had a troubled childhood, being the outcast; how he became an innovator, creating his own spells in his Potions book; how he has always hid his emotions behind a mask of spitefulness. I want to learn even more about Snape, but unfortunately the last book has come out, so I probably won’t!
And finally, there’s Harry Potter. What do I like about Harry Potter? What everyone else does, I suppose. I like his integrity, how he always has to be doing the right thing. I like his ability to feel deeply for others, so much so that when he thinks someone he cares about is in trouble, he will stop at nothing --- NOTHING --- to find and help them, even if it seems impossible to do (take the fifth book, when he sets his mind to saving Sirius even though he believes him to be far off in the Department of Mysteries). And I like how devoted he is, throughout the seventh book, to putting an end to all the devastation that Voldemort is causing, even when the cost of it seems to be his life. Harry is just such an amazing, complex character, and I can’t help but put him in my top three. I know there are other reasons why I like these characters too, but I can’t think of them right now, so this will have to do. I look forward to your responses!
For me, my three favorite characters would have to be Sirius Black, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter. This seems a bit strange of a combination considering that Sirius hates Severus, Severus hates Sirius, and for a while Harry thought that Snape had played a big role in Sirius' death, but I actually like them all for somewhat similar reasons. I like Sirius Black because he is just such a complex, fascinating character. He has an interesting past, having belonged to a family of people who had a tendency to go to the dark side, forcing him to rebel against them and decide for himself what his values were. And I admire many qualities in him, such as his bravery, his wisdom, and his ability to care for Harry as a father might. I like how he is reckless and a bit out-of-line at times, too, because it just makes him seem that much more like a real human being. Snape. I’ve actually always had a thing for Snape even before the seventh book came out. I always sensed that there was something more to him than what meets the eye, that he really wasn’t just a sarcastic, bullying teacher. And indeed he wasn’t. He turned out to be, as we all know, an exceedingly brave man who was able to love on a deep, deep level. I’m a born romantic, so Snape gets my pick for one of my top three characters. And, well, he is just so interesting! How he had a troubled childhood, being the outcast; how he became an innovator, creating his own spells in his Potions book; how he has always hid his emotions behind a mask of spitefulness. I want to learn even more about Snape, but unfortunately the last book has come out, so I probably won’t!
And finally, there’s Harry Potter. What do I like about Harry Potter? What everyone else does, I suppose. I like his integrity, how he always has to be doing the right thing. I like his ability to feel deeply for others, so much so that when he thinks someone he cares about is in trouble, he will stop at nothing --- NOTHING --- to find and help them, even if it seems impossible to do (take the fifth book, when he sets his mind to saving Sirius even though he believes him to be far off in the Department of Mysteries). And I like how devoted he is, throughout the seventh book, to putting an end to all the devastation that Voldemort is causing, even when the cost of it seems to be his life. Harry is just such an amazing, complex character, and I can’t help but put him in my top three. I know there are other reasons why I like these characters too, but I can’t think of them right now, so this will have to do. I look forward to your responses!
I can't limit it to three. My favorites are Snape, Hermione, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Harry, and Ron. After those six come Lupin, Tonks, McGonagall, Sirius, Lily, the Weasley family, and Neville. If I had to limit it to three, though, they would probably be Snape, Hermione, and Ron or Harry. Snape holds a place of honor in my heart, because he really is a brave man who is capable of extremely intense love and devotion, and I love that about him. (I'm a romantic as well, acciobrain, so the idea of Snape risking his life repeatedly all because of his love is extremely beautiful to me. ) Hermione has always been one of my favorites, partly because she reminds me of myself, but mostly because she is such a strong female character who realizes that intelligence is an amazing gift and that you have to put it to good uses. I admire that so much. The third position is a tie between Ron and Harry. I like them about equally, but for different reasons. The reasons I like Harry are obvious; pretty much everything you said about him, acciobrain, rings true. He's constantly presented with dangerous and trying tasks and always handles them well. Ron is one of my favorites because of the comic relief he provides, and also because of his insecurities. He's a really easy character to relate to, because everyone feels insignificant in comparison to others sometimes, and everyone has insecurities about different things. There's something about him that really makes you latch onto him, I think. You know what? Dumbledore probably ties with Ron and Harry as well. I respect his wisdom and ability to discern what is right, and I'm also glad that he's a flawed human being, because he seemed so perfect for a long time that it was a bit annoying. Anyway, those are my favorites. 
)
Forced ranking top 3
Hagrid
Lupin
Hermione
close contenders
Luna
McGonagall
Dumbledore
Beasts
Hedwig
Fang
Buckbeak
Beings
Firenze
Dobby
Peeves
Hagrid
Lupin
Hermione
close contenders
Luna
McGonagall
Dumbledore
Beasts
Hedwig
Fang
Buckbeak
Beings
Firenze
Dobby
Peeves
acciobrain wrote:
Now that Deathly Hallows has been released, we finally know more than we ever have about the characters in the Harry Potter series. Some have turned out to be more human than we expected and were able to be redeemed. Others have turned out to have hidden flaws. Still others have shown more potential than we could have possibly expected in them before now. All this information gives us the basis to make our best possible judgments on the characters, so I thought it would be interesting to ask this question: Who are your three favorite characters in the Harry Potter series? Why? Have any of them had any significant impact on your life?
For me, my three favorite characters would have to be Sirius Black, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter. This seems a bit strange of a combination considering that Sirius hates Severus, Severus hates Sirius, and for a while Harry thought that Snape had played a big role in Sirius' death, but I actually like them all for somewhat similar reasons. I like Sirius Black because he is just such a complex, fascinating character. He has an interesting past, having belonged to a family of people who had a tendency to go to the dark side, forcing him to rebel against them and decide for himself what his values were. And I admire many qualities in him, such as his bravery, his wisdom, and his ability to care for Harry as a father might. I like how he is reckless and a bit out-of-line at times, too, because it just makes him seem that much more like a real human being. Snape. I’ve actually always had a thing for Snape even before the seventh book came out. I always sensed that there was something more to him than what meets the eye, that he really wasn’t just a sarcastic, bullying teacher. And indeed he wasn’t. He turned out to be, as we all know, an exceedingly brave man who was able to love on a deep, deep level. I’m a born romantic, so Snape gets my pick for one of my top three characters. And, well, he is just so interesting! How he had a troubled childhood, being the outcast; how he became an innovator, creating his own spells in his Potions book; how he has always hid his emotions behind a mask of spitefulness. I want to learn even more about Snape, but unfortunately the last book has come out, so I probably won’t!
ABI wrote:
Hey, snider_kr, what about me? What am i, chopped liver (hehe, who posted that? i forget)? See above posts on Voldemort--i mean, Tom Riddle.
But what i planned on saying was that i want to add Severus to my list---i think i forgot him.
---iris
Sorry ABI i didn't see that post. i am glad to see that there are two people that don't just go with the flow!
i hope thats a little better for you
snider_kr wrote:
ABI wrote:
Hey, snider_kr, what about me? What am i, chopped liver (hehe, who posted that? i forget)? See above posts on Voldemort--i mean, Tom Riddle.
But what i planned on saying was that i want to add Severus to my list---i think i forgot him.
---iris
Sorry ABI i didn't see that post. i am glad to see that there are two people that don't just go with the flow!
Exceedingly so(better, that is). Tom Riddle is an extremely in-depth character; he shows us corruption in its truest form, evil and cruelty without limits, absent of remorse, he is an original to say it plainly. He is quite unsurpassed.
