The Boy Who Knew He Was Right: Harry Knows What He’s Talking About
The Boy Who Lived isn’t the brains of Hogwarts, but he does have his moments. Harry is the protagonist of the series and possesses several heroic traits. However, he usually needs several friends to help him save the day. Harry relies on Hermione for the grand plans and answers to his problems. He isn’t book smart, and he has many idiotic moments. What most readers overlook is that Harry has a different kind of intelligence when he puts it to good use.
Harry makes decisions based on his emotional intelligence and intuition. He doesn’t always understand his teenage-boy emotions, but he makes decisions based on what he is feeling. In other words, Harry has a strong sense of right and wrong and does what he believes to be right. His choices reflect what he is feeling. Acting on emotional impulses can be useful for Harry; if he sat around and devised plans with Hermione, he’d probably be too late to save his friends. On the other hand, Hermione’s knowledge of spells is what keeps Harry safe from his own reckless behavior most of the time. Hermione is almost always right, but there are times when Harry makes startling revelations before anyone else.
One of the singular times in the Harry Potter series when Harry was right all along was when he said that Draco had become a Death Eater. No one believed him. Even when I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the first time, this shocked me. Harry isn’t one to accuse someone for no reason, and most of the time, he’s just trying to keep his head down and blend in. He was trying to alert everyone to the danger, and his friends dismissed what he said. Hermione and Ron were two of his most vocal disbelievers and argued about it with him for months. In this instance, Harry was right and figured out Draco’s plan before Hermione did.
Another moment when Harry’s intuition was on point was when he learned about the Deathly Hallows. Yes, he does become obsessed, but he was right that they were real! Hermione refuses to hear Harry’s point of view and shuts down the conversation about the Hallows. The Deathly Hallows aren’t a tangible, straightforward concept that Hermione can understand, and this is where Harry’s intuition and strong belief in magic help him out. He goes with his gut and even ends up being the master of the Elder Wand!
Harry’s revelations and theories can sometimes be accidental successes for him. When he fervently believes that Snape is working for Voldemort, it’s more out of his loathing for Snape than seeking justice. For years, even after Dumbledore reassures him, Harry frequently accuses Snape of still working with Voldemort. Yet Harry wasn’t entirely wrong. Snape was working with Voldemort and feeding him information, just as a double agent. Snape wasn’t on Voldemort’s side anymore, but he still bullied Harry and acted like a Death Eater to those around him. Snape never really stopped acting evil. Even though the revelation was born out of anger, Harry was the only one who was right in saying that Snape still worked alongside Voldemort.
Harry’s intelligence is often underestimated even though he wouldn’t have gotten far without some smarts. There are more examples of Harry saving the day with his brain that we haven’t even mentioned here. How about him solving the maze riddle in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? That was certainly impressive! It’s about time that Harry’s more underrated characteristics were explored.
