Harry Potter and Choice

One common motif throughout the Harry Potter series is the holding out of hope that people can change, that even the worst people can do good. Like Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings who tells Frodo that he believes Gollum may still have some good use left in him before it’s all over, many of even the worst characters have moments of redemption in Harry Potter. This is no better revealed than through the life of Snape, who years before, had a part in the rise of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. And though many people did not trust him, Dumbledore did through and through, and when all was said and done it was revealed that he truly was on the side of good and, as Harry says to his son, Albus Severus, in the epilogue, he “was probably the bravest man I ever knew” (758).

There are countless other smaller examples. For instance, when Hermione, Ron, and Harry are taken captive and brought to Malfoy Manor, Draco is hesitant to admit to their identities. Of course, Harry is hard to recognize because of a Sting Charm, but Hermione would not have been difficult at all. Then, there is Peter Pettigrew, who showed one “tiny, merciful impulse” (470) while strangling Harry that led to his own demise. There are also the goblins, who are not concerned with wizarding wars, but some of them come to Harry’s aid after all.

Examples abound during the final battles at Hogwarts. Percy, the “ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron” (606) returns to fight alongside his family. And Crabbe, though intending to terminate Ron, destroyed one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes instead (and himself). After everyone believes Harry to be dead, Bane and the other Centaurs, who have stayed out of the situation up til this point, leave the safety of the forest and attack Voldemort and his men. Kreacher, the mongrelly house-elf devoted to the Slytherins, leads an army of house-elves in attack of the Death Eaters as well. And the Malfoys reveal they are far more concerned with the safety and well-being of their son than fighting for Voldemort.

Hope is even held out for Voldemort himself. Even he is offered forgiveness in light of all he has done and the looming judgment ahead of him for it. Just before the final duel, Harry pipes up: “But before you try to kill me, I’d advise you think about what you’ve done… Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle... It’s your one last chance, it’s all you’ve got left… I’ve seen what you’ll be otherwise… Be a man… try… Try for some remorse…” (741).

The upshot of this is that a message of love - which is primarily what the series is about - will always entail a message of hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, and regard even for one's enemies. The world is not as black and white as we would hope it to be. Harry finds out that his father was not the perfect wizard of his memories, but rather, was a man who picked on others, played dirty tricks, and regularly broke school rules in his younger days. And even the highly esteemed Albus Dumbledore turns out to have some flaws in his character. This is reality: The good show moments of moral failure and the evil can show shining moments of virtue.

By having a realistic view of the world, though however much we may detest our enemies, we can still believe they can change, still hold out an offer for reconciliation, still be aware that if it were not for some other combination of circumstances I too may have taken the wrong path. This is a powerful message that all of us would be better off to take to heart. Do we offer reconciliation even to our worst enemies? Even more, do we believe that to show remorse and contrition to be the manly thing to do, or are we so full of ourselves that we believe the person who doesn't back down from his position, doesn't own up for his misdeeds is the stronger person? Here too we see one of the Kingdom messages that the Potter series is trying to reveal: often times strength and power - real power - is in the most unlikely of places. The Kingdom of God sees the world upside-down to the economy of our day to day comparisons and strivings for success and greatness.