Harry Potter is undeniably one of the most charming, likable, and bravest protagonists of any fictional series in history. Harry’s entire life seemed to consist of suffering and pain, and he was literally marked from the time he was a baby as the one boy who could possibly kill the most powerful dark wizard of all time, or the boy who had to be killed by the most powerful dark wizard of all time.
From the time that he was just a child Harry demonstrated himself to be one of the bravest and most courageous kids of all time, and he undoubtedly would have made Godric Gryffindor himself very proud. And while Harry deserves all of the credit in the world for that, sometimes it’s easy to overlook how many other characters in the Harry Potter world proved themselves to be even braver than Harry. So, without further delay, here are 10 Harry Potter characters that are even braver than Harry Potter.
Narcissa Malfoy
For the vast majority of her character’s history, Narcissa Malfoy was not what anyone would consider strong or brave, and she has always lived an incredibly comfortable life that didn’t require a lot of hard choices or consequences.
However, when her son Draco’s life was threatened, she really had her mettle tested, and proved herself to be braver than nearly any other character in the series. When Voldemort tasked Narcissa with finding out whether or not Harry Potter was still alive, Draco was her only concern. When she saw an opportunity to protect her son, she lied straight to Voldemort’s face, even though she could be easily discovered and would be instantly killed if she was.
Luna Lovegood
Luna Lovegood may seem like a certifiable space cadet, but she is actually one of the toughest and bravest characters in the entire Harry Potter universe. She is not someone who was forced into the Second Wizarding War, but she was more than willing to get in the fray when it was required.
When she was taken and held captive by Death Eaters she not only didn’t crumble under the pressure and suffering she experienced, she managed to provide a lot of comfort and inspiration for her fellow captives when they started feeling hopeless, and she didn’t let those experiences change her as a person at all.
Regulus Black
It takes a lot of courage to make the right choice in the face of danger, but it takes about a hundred times more courage to make the wrong choice, admit it, and then try to rectify the mistake you’ve made.
Regulus Black was not a very good person as a child, but he was exactly what his family raised him to be. When Voldemort rose to power, Regulus seemed like a perfect fit for the Death Eater squad. But once Regulus realized the seriousness of the situation, he defected and he stole one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes with the intention of destroying it.
Remus Lupin
Remus Lupin is a bit of a paradoxical character, because while he can be incredibly cowardly at times he is also one of the bravest characters in the series. He seems to have nearly given up on life on account of being a werewolf, a condition that is rejected and despised within the wizarding world.
However, despite how hopeless he may feel throughout his life, he still keeps on trucking. It’s admittedly easy to forget what happened to him so long ago, but Remus is someone who lost literally every friend he ever had in one day and still kept going when James died, Peter vanished, and Sirius was implicated in the crimes.
Lily Potter
One of the overarching themes of the entire Harry Potter series is that the power of motherly love is stronger than pretty much everything else. And Lily Potter literally proved that with her death.
It was a simple and instinctive move on her part, but when she stepped in front of the killing curse that was aimed at Harry she not only defeated the dark lord, she did the bravest thing that anyone can do. Many characters have put their lives on the line in the hopes of protecting someone else, but Lily absolutely knew she would die and did it anyway on the off chance that it could save Harry.
Neville Longbottom
If it really is true that someone can only be brave when they’re afraid, then Neville Longbottom is easily one of the bravest men who ever lived. When Neville was initially sorted into Gryffindor house it was a bit mystifying, because he seemed to be intimidated by and afraid of pretty much everything and everyone he came into contact with.
But as Neville got older he grew a lot too, and he became the kind of man that everyone wishes they could be. Even when situations seemed hopeless he had hope, and when Harry Potter appeared to be dead he was the first one to step forward and say that losing a fight didn’t mean they had lost their reason to fight.
Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley clearly didn’t know what he was getting into when he became instant friends with Harry Potter on the first train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but once things started getting real Ron proved himself to be a true blue ride or die friend.
Ron didn’t always agree with Harry and they had their share of fall outs, but even when Ron was furious with Harry there is no doubt that he still would have risked his own life to save his friend. In Ron’s mind, it was never even a question whether or not he would do the right thing.
Hermione Granger
Ron is certainly the kind of loyal friend that everyone dreams of having, but as she typically does, Hermione Granger has managed to show Ron up in this arena as well. Both she and Ron are loyal friends to Harry until the end, but Ron will still leave his friends behind in his impulsive moments of anger.
However, no matter how angry Hermione has ever been with Ron, Harry, or anyone she has loved, she would never even consider ditching them and leaving them to fend for themselves. Hermione’s bravery truly knows no bounds, and the lives of everyone around her are better for it.
Dobby
Dobby has been dead for years, but our eyes still well up with tears every time we think about the bravery of this incomparable little house elf. House elves have no reason to care for any humans at all since they’re literally enslaved to them, but Dobby is one of the few elves who ever even dreamed of being free.
Although he didn’t always go about it in the right way, Dobby often times went out of his way to protect Harry and others even though he had no responsibility to do so and could actually suffer dire consequences for it.
Severus Snape
It’s somewhat painful to admit just because Severus Snape can be such a jerk sometimes, but he really is the bravest character in the entire series for a lot of reasons. While a lot of the other characters have their strength tested on occasion, Snape is someone who had to devote his entire life to his brave pursuit of Voldemort’s defeat.
He faced the Dark Lord and his acolytes hundreds of times, risking his life each time, and he did it all for people who were either dead, hated him, or who would never really appreciate everything that he had sacrificed just to rectify his past wrongs.
