Why Harry Potter is a Good, Trustworthy Friend

When you think of an amazing friend, what traits do you think they have? During the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter is shown to be a great friend because he has his friends back, he’s trustworthy, and he cares about his friends.

During the entire book, Harry Potter has had to have his friends back various times to guarantee that they would be out of harm's way. Harry puts himself in jeopardy a lot of the time to protect and have his friends back. During the dueling club at Hogwarts, a snake was summoned to harm Harry, but Harry swiftly reacts by deflecting the snake and making the snake fly into the crowd. The following text shows how Harry responds, “All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, Leave him alone!” (Rowling, 194) This is significant because it shows that Harry isn’t scared of evil and will protect his friends in need. During the night Harry and his friend Ron are trying to go somewhere where they are not permitted to be, and when trying to sneak to their destination, they are stopped by a teacher at school. The following text from the book shows how Harry helps Ron out, “we were- we were- Ron stammered. We were going to- to go and see-, Hermione, said, Harry.” (Rowling, 288) This is also significant because it shows how Harry can quickly act to save his friends who are about to get into trouble. These two quotes are examples of many that show why Harry Potter has his friends back.

Harry Potter is a friend who is trustworthy and keeps his promises. Near the end of the book Harry, Ron, and one of their professors go down into the Chamber of Secrets to look for Ron’s sister, Ginny. Harry was thinking, “Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours… {he} knew there was only one thing to do.” (Rowling, 304) This quote shows that he is willing to go headfirst into danger for his friends. Before Harry goes further into the Chamber of Secrets Ron trusts that Harry will come back. When Harry comes back from the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny, Ron trusts him even more. Near the beginning of October, Harry crosses path with Nearly Headless Nick, who is the ghost of Gryffindor Tower. Nearly Headless Nick is angry that he was rejected from the Headless Hunt, a group of ghosts who have had their heads chopped off their bodies. Nearly Headless Nick tells Harry the whole ordeal but is interrupted because Mr. Filch takes Harry into his office for tracking mud into the building. As Mr. Filch was going to write a report about Harry, Nearly Headless Nick makes a ruckus in the room above Mr. Filch's office. Making Mr. Filch think that Peeves, the poltergeist of Hogwarts was responsible for the ruckus. Nearly Headless Nick then lets Harry leave Mr. Filch's office without getting in trouble. After Harry leaves the office Nearly Headless Nick asks if Harry would like to come to his 500th deathday, but then he realizes that Harry would like to go to the school feast on Halloween instead. Harry quickly says “No, I'll come”. The reason this quote is significant is because even though Harry did not want to go he is willing to go because he made a promise. Having a trustworthy friend is a key part of a good friendship. That is why Harry, Ron, and Hermione have such a good friendship.

During Harry’s time at Hogwarts, he has shown that he cares about his friends. Near the end of the book, Harry is trying to visit his friend in the hospital but is stopped by a teacher. Although he is breaking some rules he explains “we haven’t seen {Hermione} for ages professor, Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron’s foot, and we thought we’d sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell {Hermione} the Mandrakes are nearly done and, er, not to worry-.” (Rowling, 288) This is significant because it reveals how Harry cares about his friends who are injured. In the middle of an argument with Harry’s enemy, Ron tries to perform a spell on Harry’s enemy but backfires hitting himself instead and launching him backward, as soon as Ron was launched backward Harry was thinking that “We’d better get him to Hagrids it’s nearest.” (Rowling, 108) This shows that Harry is a quick thinker when someone is injured and responds quickly. Having a friend who cares about you and your wellbeing is a very important trait to have, and that is one of the reasons why Harry Potter is an amazing friend.

Harry Potter is an astounding friend to have because he will be there when needed, he’s dependable, and he is concerned about the wellbeing of his friends. Analyzing a character's qualities is important because it provides a better understanding of his/her actions and the way they interact with their friends/enemies.