is full of heroes and villains.

When you read the books or watch the films,

you will meet characters pure of heart,

those that are downright evil,

and those who float in between.

But who should you root for?

What does it mean to be a hero anyway?

And what's the story behind our titular hero, Harry?

Here's our guide on those characters

who try to make the choice

between what is right

and what is easy.

She's only interested in you

because she thinks you're the chosen one.

But I am the chosen one.

Born 31st of July, 1980,

in Godric's Hollow, Great Britain,

Harry Potter was the only child

of Lily and James Potter.

You have—

My mother's eyes.

When Harry was just a baby,

the wizarding world was terrorized by Lord Voldemort,

the darkest wizard of his time.

In the Harry Potter books,

we're told of a cruel wizarding war

that ripped through the community,

led by Lord Voldemort and his followers,

known as Death Eaters.

In the end, it would be the

innocent baby, Harry Potter,

who would stop the war

after Lord Voldemort

targeted his family.

Although he succeeded in killing Lily and James,

his curse rebounded off Harry,

leaving Voldemort destroyed, for the time being,

and Harry with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

That's why you're famous.

That's why everybody knows your name.

You're the boy who lived.

Harry was placed under the care

of Lily's Muggle sister, Petunia Dursley,

and her husband, Vernon.

Harry was practically invisible in their household.

Always treated inferior to his cousin, Dudley.

I've watched them all day.

They're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable.

The Dursley's were certainly no heroes

and hated the idea of magic.

In fact, the first Harry Potter book

tells us that,

"They were the last people

"you'd expect to be involved

"in anything strange or mysterious,

because they just didn't hold with such nonsense."

This did not bode well for Harry.

There's no such thing as magic.

Yes, due to Harry's magical parentage,

the Dursley's weren't too keen on their nephew.

Harry was forced to live under the stairs,

wear hand-me-down clothes

and was treated terribly.

In fact, the Dursley's neglected

to mention to Harry

that he was actually rather special.

Why don't you just cook the breakfast

and try not to burn anything?

Yes, Aunt Petunia.

Thankfully, Harry's fortunes

were about to change.

And his heroic path to the Hogwarts

School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

was about to be set.

You're a wizard, Harry.

I'm a what?

In rejoining the wizarding world,

Harry would meet new friends

and wise professors who would help him

along every step of his journey.

We've got one thing that Voldemort doesn't have.

Something worth fighting for.

Speaking of which,

let's learn more about Harry's best friends,

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Ron is brave and headstrong,

with some rather impressive eating habits.

His upbringing couldn't have been

more different to Harry's.

With seven kids,

the Weasley household was full

of love and mischief.

They also had to contend

with a groaning ghoul in the attic

and gnomes in the garden.

The Weasley matriarch, Molly Weasley,

welcomed Harry into her family

with open arms.

Not to mention gifting him

his own Christmas jumper.

I've got presents?

Yeah.

As for Ron,

not to mention his siblings,

this hero faced many fears

in his time at Hogwarts,

even coming up against his biggest phobia,

some supersized spiders.

Remember, not all heroes

have to look brave all the time.

Why spiders?

Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?

Despite his fears,

Ron could always be trusted

to be there for Harry when he needed him,

even if that meant risking his own life.

But this headstrong duo needed someone

with a little more logic.

Who could be better

than the brightest witch of her age,

Hermione Granger met no match

for her brains at Hogwarts.

Wingardium Leviosa.

Just like Harry,

Hermione grew up not realizing

the wizarding world was waiting for her.

Up until she got her Hogwarts letter,

Hermione lived a standard Muggle life

with her dentist parents.

They tend to peoples' teeth.

And is that considered a dangerous profession?

That didn't stop this fearless bookworm

from being a top student

and playing a crucial part

in the fight against Voldemort.

And with Hermione's fierce intelligence,

she taught us that heroism

doesn't always have to come

from a sword or a battle,

but sometimes using your head.

We couldn't have done it without you.

Thanks.

Her drive to stand up

for what she believed in

and to help those less fortunate,

made her a hero worthy

of joining Harry and Ron,

making quite the golden trio.

But let's be honest,

they had lots of help along the way.

The wisest of them all being, of course,

beloved headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore.

Don't let his eccentric style fool you,

Dumbledore was known to be

the only person Voldemort

was ever truly afraid of.

Dumbledore was also quite famous.

He was a Transfiguration Professor

and later the Headmaster

of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He also served as Supreme Mugwump

of the International Confederation of Wizards,

and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day.

Whether he was sharing his wisdom

or stealing Harry's sweets,

Dumbledore was always

one step ahead of the game.

There's definitely more to Dumbledore

than his fascinating catchphrases,

love of sherbet lemons,

and enjoyment of knitting patterns.

But that's to be expected

from one of the most talented

and brilliant wizards

in the wizarding world.

Moving on to the Deputy Headmistress,

Professor McGonagall.

She prided herself on discipline

in contrast to Dumbledore's quirkier ways.

Although strict, McGonagall could actually

be quite a sentimental witch,

who was constantly looking

out for her students,

especially Gryffindors.

She was the head of the house.

Being a Gryffindor was no free pass.

Professor McGonagall was absolutely willing

to discipline her own students

who quite often stepped

outside of the rules.

Therefore, as punishment for your actions,

50 points will be taken.

50?

Just like Hermione,

McGonagall had been top of her class

during her time at Hogwarts.

She was even on the Quidditch team.

That was bloody brilliant.

Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley.

McGonagall may have seemed strict,

but she was nothing compared

to the Potions Professor, Severus Snape.

Here's a tip.

If you're ever scared of this surly professor,

just imagine him in your grandmother's clothes.

It's a long story.

While Professor Snape

made life difficult for certain students of Hogwarts,

there was one half-giant who made the school

feel like a safe place

for our golden trio.

Rubeus Hagrid's fascination with scary

magical creatures might seem

like an odd trait for a hero,

but this is one big man

with a bigger heart.

As groundskeeper at Hogwarts

and keeper of the keys,

Hagrid's job was to keep the school in good shape.

Rubeus Hagrid was incredibly loyal

and the only one Dumbledore trusted

to introduce Harry to the wizarding world.

Although, he does let secrets slip from time to time.

I shouldn't have said that.

I should not have said that.

Harry might have been

"The Boy Who Lived,"

but he didn't become a hero alone.

At Hogwarts, he found a family

that would stick with him

through all the trials he had yet to face.

[Dumbledore] You have friends here,

you're not alone.

For more deep dives

into the wizarding world,

stick around for more Discover Harry Potter.