Why I love Harry Potter: Part 1 – Friendship

Why I love Harry Potter: Part 1 – Friendship

One of the reasons I love the Harry Potter series is because friendship is such an integral part of the plot. Such a loyal and unwavering friendship between three characters, I think, is rare to find in a book. I can’t help but wish that I was the fourth member of their group!

From the very beginning of the series we see how highly Rowling rates friendship. Lets be honest if Harry had not had such good friends he never would have made it to the end…or even through the first book! What is so endearing about their friendship is that it is not perfect. They fall out, they disagree, they fight. It reflects true friendship, one where despite all their problems, in the end they are always their for each other. It might seem soppy to admire their friendship but I find that many books ignore just how important friends can be. In too many books that I have read friends come second to the love interest, even sometimes being excluded completely because they only get in the way.

I think that Rowling uses friendship very cleverly. Both Harry’s friends and the Order are juxtaposed with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Dumbledore sees love as the difference and the ability to love. Voldemort has servants, henchmen. Harry has friends.

Sometimes we might forget that these books are children’s books. And what better lesson to instil in children than the significance of friends, trust, loyalty and love.

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‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends’

– J. K. Rowling