what i really like is how every single parental figure harry has had (besides his dead parents) has been shown to be incredibly flawed. this is something that you rarely see in any book, let alone a children’s series.
you have hagrid who loves harry so so so much but also isnt the smartest of men and often gets too emotional to use the logic that he does have. he loves so passionately, that he refuses to see the bad in anyone (mainly because of the prejudice he has faced). this doesn’t bode well for harry because of the constant accidental slips of information and his undying loyalty to dumbledore and any other character he finds to be admirable.
molly who loves harry as one of her own, but smothers him desperately. she is so protective of harry that at times she almost sees him as her property (“he’s not your son”, “he’s as good as!”). she coddles him immensely, and even though he has seen tragedy and death more times than she could ever imagine, she still treats him as if he is a wounded stray in need of her biscuits and warmth.
dumbledore who acted as if he viewed harry as his equal, only to be raising him for slaughter. dumbledore who let harry live in an abusive home and go through these horrors, just to shape him into this perfect martyr. dumbledore who viewed harry as a chess piece, making sure that he stays alive long enough to vanquish the dark lord.
sirius, who loved harry more than anything in the world. sirius who broke out of azkaban and stayed inside his old home that constantly reminded him of his past, the aspect of himself he never wanted to confront. sirius, who saw so much of james in harry. sirius who never got the revenge he craved, but now he has his best friend back…well, a version of his best friend. sirius who grew cold towards his godson whenever he didn’t act exactly like his father would have.
remus, who saw and understood the nightmares that harry had to face. remus who didn’t see harry as his mother or father, but as a child who was forced to grow up far too fast to face things no human should ever have to face. remus, though he loved harry, could never truly be there for him. remus who was so riddled with his own self-hatred that he could never allow himself to get close to harry, the way he knew harry needed him to.
arthur, who was a humble man who stood up for what was right. he too saw harry as one of his sons. arthur, who despite his social standing did his hardest to provide a good life for his family. arthur who too often worried that harry would end up dead, and that he would bring one of his other children down with him. arthur who loved harry, but secretly feared what having harry potter in his life would do to his own.
