Bonds Among Characters

Harry’s traumatic experiences just keep piling up, and by the climax of The Order of The Phoneix, he’s got a whole boatload of issues he should be seeing the castle therapist about. After seeing Cedric carelessly murdered in front of him at the end of the Triwizard Tournament coupled with Voldemort’s return, one of Harry’s greatest fears is death, not necessarily his own even, but of those he cares about. And this deep-seeded fear of losing those he cares about (stemming from farther back than he can remember to his parents’ murders) comes to a head when he has the vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort. Without hesitation he runs to the rescue, terrified of losing, what he deems, the strongest link between his parents in the past and the present.

In my personal opinion, Harry’s actions at the end of Phoenix are driven by his intense fear of abandonment. Of course there were other driving factors, but he acted as ferociously as he did because he couldn’t stand to the closest thing he’s ever felt as a parent.

I find it interesting though, that although Harry’s resemblance to his father, and from what we can gather, his personality so near his mother’s, when it comes to Harry’s parental figures, the one his home life most closely represents is Sirius’s. We see that Sirius hated the family he was stuck living with, much like Harry’s terrible relations, the Dursleys. We also see that Sirius was taken in by his best friend’s family and cared for as a part of the family. Harry is absolutely part of the Weasley clan, just like Sirius was part of James Potter’s family. Rowling doesn’t mirror her characters so that two match up perfectly, rather she pairs specific traits with specific couples, creating a web of emotional ties and relationships, kindred spirits in a few facets among the many varying characters.

She also shows a more vulnerable side of Snape in “Snape’s Worst Memory” which, again, Harry relates to on an emotional level. Luna sees the Thestrals, connecting her to Harry. Neville has also lost both his parents to Voldemort and his regime, an experience that only the two can share. Rowling uses these connections with minor characters to emphasize the importance of relationships, and bonds that are necessary among people. She brings the emotionality of even minor characters to the forefront, which helps to highlight our protagonist’s own issues, but also help to create bonds with others who are less involved throughout the series.