Harry James Potter (b. 31 July, 1980) was a half-blood wizard, the only child and son of James and Lily, and one of the most famous wizards of modern times. In what proved to be a vain attempt to circumvent a prophecy that a boy born at the end of July could be able to defeat him, Voldemort attempted to murder him when he was a year and three months old, shortly after murdering Harry's parents as they tried to protect him. This early, unsuccessful attempt to vanquish Harry led to Voldemort's first defeat and the end of the First Wizarding War. One consequence of Lily's protection is that her orphaned son had to be raised by her only remaining blood relative, Petunia Dursley, where he was neither welcomed nor nurtured, but would stay alive, at least until he was seventeen years old. As the only known survivor of the Killing Curse up to that point, Harry was already famous before he arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Early on his eleventh birthday, Harry learned that he was a wizard. He began attending Hogwarts in 1991 and was Sorted into Gryffindor. While at school, Harry became best friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and later became the youngest house Seeker in over a century and eventually captain of his house's Quidditch team, winning two Quidditch cups. He became even better known in his early years for protecting the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort and saving Ron's sister Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets. In his fourth year, Harry won the Triwizard Tournament, although the competition ended in tragedy with the death of other Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory and the return of Riddle (Voldemort). The next year, Harry reluctantly founded Dumbledore's Army and fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, during which he lost his godfather Sirius Black, who was a father figure to him.

Harry played a significant role in many other battles of the Second Wizarding War and hunted down and destroyed Voldemort's Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he personally witnessed the deaths of Severus Snape and Fred Weasely. Harry encountered Voldemort and sacrificed himself, knowing that his doing so was the only way to destroy the fragment of Voldemort's soul that was inside him. In Harry's near-death experience after Voldemort cursed him in the forest clearing, Dumbledore gave Harry advice and background information on Voldemort. When told he could choose to live or to "move on," Harry chose to live, and after he awoke he confronted Voldemort, and defeated him.

Harry is also notable for being the only known Master of Death, having united the three Deathly Hallows.

After the war, Harry became an Auror and married Ginny Weasley, with whom he had three children: James Sirius who he named after his father and godfather, Albus Severus, named after Snape and Dumbledore, and Lily Luna, named after his mother and good friend Luna Lovegood (Scamander). Harry was also named the godfather of Teddy Lupin. He became Head of the Auror Office in 2007, and occasionally went to Hogwarts to deliver Defense Against the Dark Arts lectures.