The ending of the HBP novel sees Harry taking offensive action, hoping to destroy
Lord Voldemort completely rather than continually fighting off his attacks. He is willing to
take the attack to Lord Voldemort by hunting down and destroying the Horcruxes that
contains the parts of Voldemort’s soul (HBP, pp. 467-470):
‘Then I’ve got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven’t I?’ said Harry,
his eyes upon Dumbledore’s white tomb, reflected in the water on the other side of
the lake. ‘That’s what he wanted me to do, that’s why he told me all about them. If
Dumbledore was right – and I’m sure he was – there are still four of them out there.
I’ve got to find them and destroy them and then I’ve got to go after the seventh bit of
Voldemort’s soul, the bit that’s still in his body, and I’m the one who’s going to kill
him.’ (HBP, p. 606).
Grace is also a personal quality that critics recognised in the books. Grace, in this
work, refers to the showing of goodwill towards others or to provide them with a favour (The
Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 352). Furst and Heilmann (2001) refer to the
example of grace shown by Professor McGonagall when, rather than punish Harry for flying
his broom against a teacher’s instructions, he is made a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch
team (PS, pp. 110-113). They see this example as a good analogy for the grace shown by God
for us by allowing his Son to die for our sins (p. 109-111). Cherrett (2003) also relates the
grace shown by characters in the Harry Potter series with the grace shown by God (pp. 50-
68). Harry shows Peter Pettigrew grace in PoA when he tells Remus Lupin and Sirius Black
not to kill him (PoA, p. 275) while Dumbledore shows grace towards characters that have
been seen by others to do wrong. He provides Hagrid with a job even though he was expelled from Hogwarts (PS, p. 48), and Severus Snape with a job even though he was a Death Eater
(GoF, p. 616).
Forgiveness is closely connected to the quality of grace. Forgiveness derives from the
word forgive which means “to cease to feel angry or resentful towards (a person) or about (an
offence)” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 315). Cherrett (2003)
highlights the close connection between grace and forgiveness in the series and connects
forgiveness with the forgiveness that God provides (pp. 65-68). She particularly highlights
how the act of forgiveness can strengthen a friendship as when Harry, Ron and Hermione
reconcile (p. 66) after the break-up over Hermione’s cat’s possible consumption of Ron’s rat
in PoA (p. 186). Personal relationships require acts of forgiveness if those relationships are
going to continue.
Mercy is another personal quality and is closely connected to forgiveness and grace.
Mercy is viewed as one of the basic virtues of Christian ethics, and refers to “refraining from
inflicting punishment or pain on an offender or enemy etc. who is in one’s power” (The
Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 525). Both Furst and Heilmann (2001, p.
116) and Cherrett (2003, pp. 73-74) comment on the mercy shown in the Harry Potter series
in its relationship to the Christian traditions. Harry shows mercy as well as grace towards
Peter Pettigrew when he does not allow Remus Lupin and Sirius Black to kill him in the
Shrieking Shack, after it is discovered that it was Pettigrew’s betrayal of James and Lily
Potter that caused their death:
Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
‘You should have realised,’ said Lupin quietly. “if Voldemort didn’t kill you,
we would. Goodbye Peter.’
Hermione covered her face with her hands and turned to the wall.
‘NO!’ Harry yelled. He ran forwards, placing himself in front of Pettigrew,
facing the wands, ‘You can’t kill him,’ he said breathlessly. ‘You can’t.’
(PoA, p. 275).
This is the key example of mercy remarked on by critics. Furst and Heilmann (2001)
see this example as an analogy of the mercy God shows to us (pp. 116-119). In HBP the
concept of mercy is expanded on. Dumbledore, weak and suffering, loses his wand and Draco
Malfoy states that Dumbledore is now at his mercy. Dumbledore replies, “ ‘No Draco,’ . . . ‘It
is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.’” (p. 553). This indicates a wider
understanding of mercy where the victims of cruelty need to show mercy towards those who
inflict cruelty on them if the inflictor is ever to find real peace. This is particularly shown in
the kindness Harry shows through his act of mercy and grace for his enemy, Peter Pettigrew
(PoA, p. 275).
In regards to the values of grace, mercy and forgiveness, students being surveyed only
made mention of the character of Dumbledore as showing forgiveness (Appendix 7: Student
Interview responses, p. 5) and no mention was made about grace and mercy. This does not
necessarily mean that students felt that characters did not show these qualities but it may be
that they simply felt the values of mercy and forgiveness are simply apparent when one is
being kind, just, considerate, caring, loving, friendly, etc and therefore there is no need to
make specific mention of them (Appendix 7: Student Interview responses, pp. 4-5). While
students were not specifically questioned regarding the qualities of grace presented in the
books, they felt that key characters exhibited qualities closely linked with showing grace. To
show grace a person has to show qualities of forgiveness, kindness and caring rather than
vengefulness. As previously mentioned, students found that the “good” characters had these
sorts of qualities (Appendix 7: Student Interview responses, pp. 4-6). Importantly, students also recognised qualities in bad or evil characters that are inconsequent with the qualities
needed to show grace, mercy and forgiveness to others. These poor qualities included:
• They hurt/kill people
• They seek power (without consideration for others)
• They are selfish
• They put people down
• Don’t value other people
• They take pleasure in seeing others suffer (Appendix 7: Student Interview responses,
pp. 7-8).
Love is also a personal quality critics found relevant to the Harry Potter series. Selfsacrifice
can be an explicit example of one’s love for someone else. Lily and James Potter’s
sacrifice of their own lives to protect their son’s life is an excellent example of love (PoA, p.
213). Cherrett (2003) makes mention of the important personal qualities that are shown in the
Harry Potter series including love (pp. 82-84). When Dumbledore asserts that there is a force
“that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than
the forces of nature” (OoP, p. 743), Cherrett presumes he is referring to ‘love’, which she
perceives as the most powerful of human qualities.
Students perceived a large number of examples of self-sacrifice in the series and they
also expressed opinions on the specific quality of love shown in the series. To the Focus
Group question, “Is there love, shown in the book?” responses were:
• “Yes.”
• “I think Harry and Hermione love each other.”
• “They do.”
• “Mrs Weasley shows love.”
• “Dumbledore”
• “Hagrid does. Like Hermione is called a mudblood, he comforts her.” (Appendix 8:
Focus Group responses, pp. 8-9).
Other personal qualities that students perceived characters exhibiting in the series can be
perceived as showing love. These would include kindness, honesty, courage, loyalty,
forgiveness, thoughtfulness, consideration and justice (Appendix 7: Student Interview
responses).
Truthfulness is another personal quality commented on by the critics. It is derived
from the word “truth” which is “the quality or state of being true or truthful” (The Oxford
reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 883). To fully understand “truth” it is necessary to
have an understanding of the meaning of the word “true”. Like many words it has a variety of
connected meanings. In this thesis it also has a number of meanings. These meanings include
“in accordance with fact . . . correct principles or an accepted standard; rightly or strictly so
called; genuine, not false …loyal, faithful . . . completely true to one’s principles; firmly
loyal” (ibid., p. 882).
In the series we find the manipulation of truth by the reporter Rita Skeeter (GoF, pp.
380-382, pp. 444-445, pp. 531-532) and others, and even Harry does not always tell the truth;
but when he lies it is for a higher good, a higher moral principle (Neal, 2001, pp. 165-172,
Bridger, 2001, pp. 67-71). This is related to Harry’s higher moral decision-making ability
previously mentioned. There are examples, in the series, where the key characters of Harry,
Ron and Hermione act dishonestly but they do so in pursuit of a higher goal. This pattern is
demonstrated in nearly every book as Harry and his friends break rules at key moments,
usually to stop Voldemort fulfilling his plans. In PS Ron, Hermione and Harry leave the
Gryffindor common room without permission (p. 198) and enter a forbidden area of
Hogwarts. In CS Ron and Harry go to Gilderoy Lockhart’s room when they should have remained at the Gryffindor common room (p. 216) and Harry eventually ends up in the
Chamber of Secrets. In PoA Harry and Hermione break the law and help Sirius Black escape
from the Ministry of Magic’s imprisonment at Hogwarts and his perceived fate of receiving a
Dementors kiss (p. 303). They do this because Sirius is innocent. This action will later assist
Harry in his fight against Voldemort, especially as Sirius Black gives his own life to help
Harry escape death from the Death Eaters in OoP (pp. 708-709). In the OoP the formation of
the “Defence Association” (DA) (pp. 303-310 and p. 347) is against the new school rule (p.
313) that bans student organizations, including groups or clubs, but the DA’s formation and
the actions of its members will help in the fight against the evils of Lord Voldemort and the
Death Eaters.
However, as Cherrett (2003) mentions, the truth helps Harry and others to grow
(pp.102-112). She contends that Harry’s continual discovery of the truth behind his heritage
helps him to develop into an individual in his own right (ibid.). Cherrett remarks on how the
series does value the truth (pp. 104-105). Dumbledore states: “that the truth is always
generally preferable to lies,” (GoF, p. 626), but he also warns us that the truth can be
dangerous: “ ‘The truth.’ Dumbledore sighed. ‘It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should
therefore be treated with great caution.’” (PS, p. 216). Beck also recognises truth and honesty
as being main themes in the series and that “honesty is the best policy and whenever
dishonest behaviour occurs, there are always negative consequences” (p. 53).
Students surveyed made useful observations in regard to the quality of truth. While
commenting on honesty students noticed that key characters, including those perceived as
good characters are not always honest in the books:
Q: Is there honesty in the book?
Yes, sometimes.
Q: Sometimes – that’s a good point. Is Harry always honest?
No [several]
Q: No? Is Hermione always honest?
No [several].
Q: No? So, when they’re dishonest, why are they dishonest? They may not actually
lie, but they bend the truth… Why do they do it?
To protect someone.
Q: To protect someone.
To get something done.
Q: To get something done? Anything else?
If they don’t want to make a big fuss out of something. (Appendix 8: Focus Group
responses, pp. 6-7).
Importantly, the series supports the view that in maintaining a personal friendship it is
necessary to be honest with one’s friends. Throughout the series key characters demonstrate
this honesty in being open to their friends. Examples include when Hermione is honest to
Harry and Ron telling them how insensitive they are in OoP (p. 405) and in HBP when Harry
is honest with Ron when he tells him that he has a mental problem regarding his Quidditch
ability rather than a co-ordination problem (p. 272).
Humility is also a personal quality examined in the Harry Potter series. Humility
means “to have a humble state of mind” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p.
403). In this thesis humble is taken as “showing a low estimate of one’s own importance”
(ibid.). Cherrett (2003) highlights Dumbledore’s humility towards those who work under him
and how this is an example for all of us (pp. 127-128). Dumbledore almost provides a
stewardship model of leadership through the humility he shows to others over whom he has
authority. We see the way Dumbledore only uses his immense magical power when it is
absolutely necessary. This is best illustrated towards the end of GoF when Barty Crouch Jr., a
Death Eater, disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts at
Hogwarts, is about to kill Harry Potter. Dumbledore, accompanied by Professors Snape and McGonagall, enters the room after blasting his way in with a spell and causing the disguised
Barty Crouch Jr. to be thrown back:
At that moment, Harry understood for the first time why people said
Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon
Dumbledore’s face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody
was more terrible than Harry could ever have imagined. There was no benign smile
upon Dumbledore’s face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold
fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as
though he was giving off burning heat (pp. 589-590).
Lord Voldemort completely rather than continually fighting off his attacks. He is willing to
take the attack to Lord Voldemort by hunting down and destroying the Horcruxes that
contains the parts of Voldemort’s soul (HBP, pp. 467-470):
‘Then I’ve got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven’t I?’ said Harry,
his eyes upon Dumbledore’s white tomb, reflected in the water on the other side of
the lake. ‘That’s what he wanted me to do, that’s why he told me all about them. If
Dumbledore was right – and I’m sure he was – there are still four of them out there.
I’ve got to find them and destroy them and then I’ve got to go after the seventh bit of
Voldemort’s soul, the bit that’s still in his body, and I’m the one who’s going to kill
him.’ (HBP, p. 606).
Grace is also a personal quality that critics recognised in the books. Grace, in this
work, refers to the showing of goodwill towards others or to provide them with a favour (The
Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 352). Furst and Heilmann (2001) refer to the
example of grace shown by Professor McGonagall when, rather than punish Harry for flying
his broom against a teacher’s instructions, he is made a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch
team (PS, pp. 110-113). They see this example as a good analogy for the grace shown by God
for us by allowing his Son to die for our sins (p. 109-111). Cherrett (2003) also relates the
grace shown by characters in the Harry Potter series with the grace shown by God (pp. 50-
68). Harry shows Peter Pettigrew grace in PoA when he tells Remus Lupin and Sirius Black
not to kill him (PoA, p. 275) while Dumbledore shows grace towards characters that have
been seen by others to do wrong. He provides Hagrid with a job even though he was expelled from Hogwarts (PS, p. 48), and Severus Snape with a job even though he was a Death Eater
(GoF, p. 616).
Forgiveness is closely connected to the quality of grace. Forgiveness derives from the
word forgive which means “to cease to feel angry or resentful towards (a person) or about (an
offence)” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 315). Cherrett (2003)
highlights the close connection between grace and forgiveness in the series and connects
forgiveness with the forgiveness that God provides (pp. 65-68). She particularly highlights
how the act of forgiveness can strengthen a friendship as when Harry, Ron and Hermione
reconcile (p. 66) after the break-up over Hermione’s cat’s possible consumption of Ron’s rat
in PoA (p. 186). Personal relationships require acts of forgiveness if those relationships are
going to continue.
Mercy is another personal quality and is closely connected to forgiveness and grace.
Mercy is viewed as one of the basic virtues of Christian ethics, and refers to “refraining from
inflicting punishment or pain on an offender or enemy etc. who is in one’s power” (The
Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 525). Both Furst and Heilmann (2001, p.
116) and Cherrett (2003, pp. 73-74) comment on the mercy shown in the Harry Potter series
in its relationship to the Christian traditions. Harry shows mercy as well as grace towards
Peter Pettigrew when he does not allow Remus Lupin and Sirius Black to kill him in the
Shrieking Shack, after it is discovered that it was Pettigrew’s betrayal of James and Lily
Potter that caused their death:
Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
‘You should have realised,’ said Lupin quietly. “if Voldemort didn’t kill you,
we would. Goodbye Peter.’
Hermione covered her face with her hands and turned to the wall.
‘NO!’ Harry yelled. He ran forwards, placing himself in front of Pettigrew,
facing the wands, ‘You can’t kill him,’ he said breathlessly. ‘You can’t.’
(PoA, p. 275).
This is the key example of mercy remarked on by critics. Furst and Heilmann (2001)
see this example as an analogy of the mercy God shows to us (pp. 116-119). In HBP the
concept of mercy is expanded on. Dumbledore, weak and suffering, loses his wand and Draco
Malfoy states that Dumbledore is now at his mercy. Dumbledore replies, “ ‘No Draco,’ . . . ‘It
is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.’” (p. 553). This indicates a wider
understanding of mercy where the victims of cruelty need to show mercy towards those who
inflict cruelty on them if the inflictor is ever to find real peace. This is particularly shown in
the kindness Harry shows through his act of mercy and grace for his enemy, Peter Pettigrew
(PoA, p. 275).
In regards to the values of grace, mercy and forgiveness, students being surveyed only
made mention of the character of Dumbledore as showing forgiveness (Appendix 7: Student
Interview responses, p. 5) and no mention was made about grace and mercy. This does not
necessarily mean that students felt that characters did not show these qualities but it may be
that they simply felt the values of mercy and forgiveness are simply apparent when one is
being kind, just, considerate, caring, loving, friendly, etc and therefore there is no need to
make specific mention of them (Appendix 7: Student Interview responses, pp. 4-5). While
students were not specifically questioned regarding the qualities of grace presented in the
books, they felt that key characters exhibited qualities closely linked with showing grace. To
show grace a person has to show qualities of forgiveness, kindness and caring rather than
vengefulness. As previously mentioned, students found that the “good” characters had these
sorts of qualities (Appendix 7: Student Interview responses, pp. 4-6). Importantly, students also recognised qualities in bad or evil characters that are inconsequent with the qualities
needed to show grace, mercy and forgiveness to others. These poor qualities included:
• They hurt/kill people
• They seek power (without consideration for others)
• They are selfish
• They put people down
• Don’t value other people
• They take pleasure in seeing others suffer (Appendix 7: Student Interview responses,
pp. 7-8).
Love is also a personal quality critics found relevant to the Harry Potter series. Selfsacrifice
can be an explicit example of one’s love for someone else. Lily and James Potter’s
sacrifice of their own lives to protect their son’s life is an excellent example of love (PoA, p.
213). Cherrett (2003) makes mention of the important personal qualities that are shown in the
Harry Potter series including love (pp. 82-84). When Dumbledore asserts that there is a force
“that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than
the forces of nature” (OoP, p. 743), Cherrett presumes he is referring to ‘love’, which she
perceives as the most powerful of human qualities.
Students perceived a large number of examples of self-sacrifice in the series and they
also expressed opinions on the specific quality of love shown in the series. To the Focus
Group question, “Is there love, shown in the book?” responses were:
• “Yes.”
• “I think Harry and Hermione love each other.”
• “They do.”
• “Mrs Weasley shows love.”
• “Dumbledore”
• “Hagrid does. Like Hermione is called a mudblood, he comforts her.” (Appendix 8:
Focus Group responses, pp. 8-9).
Other personal qualities that students perceived characters exhibiting in the series can be
perceived as showing love. These would include kindness, honesty, courage, loyalty,
forgiveness, thoughtfulness, consideration and justice (Appendix 7: Student Interview
responses).
Truthfulness is another personal quality commented on by the critics. It is derived
from the word “truth” which is “the quality or state of being true or truthful” (The Oxford
reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p. 883). To fully understand “truth” it is necessary to
have an understanding of the meaning of the word “true”. Like many words it has a variety of
connected meanings. In this thesis it also has a number of meanings. These meanings include
“in accordance with fact . . . correct principles or an accepted standard; rightly or strictly so
called; genuine, not false …loyal, faithful . . . completely true to one’s principles; firmly
loyal” (ibid., p. 882).
In the series we find the manipulation of truth by the reporter Rita Skeeter (GoF, pp.
380-382, pp. 444-445, pp. 531-532) and others, and even Harry does not always tell the truth;
but when he lies it is for a higher good, a higher moral principle (Neal, 2001, pp. 165-172,
Bridger, 2001, pp. 67-71). This is related to Harry’s higher moral decision-making ability
previously mentioned. There are examples, in the series, where the key characters of Harry,
Ron and Hermione act dishonestly but they do so in pursuit of a higher goal. This pattern is
demonstrated in nearly every book as Harry and his friends break rules at key moments,
usually to stop Voldemort fulfilling his plans. In PS Ron, Hermione and Harry leave the
Gryffindor common room without permission (p. 198) and enter a forbidden area of
Hogwarts. In CS Ron and Harry go to Gilderoy Lockhart’s room when they should have remained at the Gryffindor common room (p. 216) and Harry eventually ends up in the
Chamber of Secrets. In PoA Harry and Hermione break the law and help Sirius Black escape
from the Ministry of Magic’s imprisonment at Hogwarts and his perceived fate of receiving a
Dementors kiss (p. 303). They do this because Sirius is innocent. This action will later assist
Harry in his fight against Voldemort, especially as Sirius Black gives his own life to help
Harry escape death from the Death Eaters in OoP (pp. 708-709). In the OoP the formation of
the “Defence Association” (DA) (pp. 303-310 and p. 347) is against the new school rule (p.
313) that bans student organizations, including groups or clubs, but the DA’s formation and
the actions of its members will help in the fight against the evils of Lord Voldemort and the
Death Eaters.
However, as Cherrett (2003) mentions, the truth helps Harry and others to grow
(pp.102-112). She contends that Harry’s continual discovery of the truth behind his heritage
helps him to develop into an individual in his own right (ibid.). Cherrett remarks on how the
series does value the truth (pp. 104-105). Dumbledore states: “that the truth is always
generally preferable to lies,” (GoF, p. 626), but he also warns us that the truth can be
dangerous: “ ‘The truth.’ Dumbledore sighed. ‘It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should
therefore be treated with great caution.’” (PS, p. 216). Beck also recognises truth and honesty
as being main themes in the series and that “honesty is the best policy and whenever
dishonest behaviour occurs, there are always negative consequences” (p. 53).
Students surveyed made useful observations in regard to the quality of truth. While
commenting on honesty students noticed that key characters, including those perceived as
good characters are not always honest in the books:
Q: Is there honesty in the book?
Yes, sometimes.
Q: Sometimes – that’s a good point. Is Harry always honest?
No [several]
Q: No? Is Hermione always honest?
No [several].
Q: No? So, when they’re dishonest, why are they dishonest? They may not actually
lie, but they bend the truth… Why do they do it?
To protect someone.
Q: To protect someone.
To get something done.
Q: To get something done? Anything else?
If they don’t want to make a big fuss out of something. (Appendix 8: Focus Group
responses, pp. 6-7).
Importantly, the series supports the view that in maintaining a personal friendship it is
necessary to be honest with one’s friends. Throughout the series key characters demonstrate
this honesty in being open to their friends. Examples include when Hermione is honest to
Harry and Ron telling them how insensitive they are in OoP (p. 405) and in HBP when Harry
is honest with Ron when he tells him that he has a mental problem regarding his Quidditch
ability rather than a co-ordination problem (p. 272).
Humility is also a personal quality examined in the Harry Potter series. Humility
means “to have a humble state of mind” (The Oxford reference dictionary, Hawkins, 1986, p.
403). In this thesis humble is taken as “showing a low estimate of one’s own importance”
(ibid.). Cherrett (2003) highlights Dumbledore’s humility towards those who work under him
and how this is an example for all of us (pp. 127-128). Dumbledore almost provides a
stewardship model of leadership through the humility he shows to others over whom he has
authority. We see the way Dumbledore only uses his immense magical power when it is
absolutely necessary. This is best illustrated towards the end of GoF when Barty Crouch Jr., a
Death Eater, disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts at
Hogwarts, is about to kill Harry Potter. Dumbledore, accompanied by Professors Snape and McGonagall, enters the room after blasting his way in with a spell and causing the disguised
Barty Crouch Jr. to be thrown back:
At that moment, Harry understood for the first time why people said
Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon
Dumbledore’s face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody
was more terrible than Harry could ever have imagined. There was no benign smile
upon Dumbledore’s face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold
fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as
though he was giving off burning heat (pp. 589-590).
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