To defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort (Tom Riddle), Harry Potter needed to develop a great deal of power. And while his mother’s sacrificial protection provided Harry with much-needed strength, it wouldn’t keep him safe from Voldemort’s wrath forever.
So how strong was Harry? Keep reading for a complete answer of how he grew into his powers, and where he ranks among other notable witches and wizards.
Harry Potter became one of the more powerful wizards in the Wizarding World as a teenager. Yet, while he had more strength than most of his peers, he was not as powerful as experienced wizards like Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore.
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Was Harry Initially More Powerful Than His Peers?
Many believed that, because Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort at 15 months old, he may have possessed more power or some great, unknown ability. However, it was actually his mother, Lily Potter’s sacrificial protection that gave him the power to defeat Voldemort.
When Harry arrived at Hogwarts, he possessed no more power or knowledge than others his age besides the protection his mother gave him. We know this because Harry could not perform basic Transfiguration spells or even answer questions in his first Potions class.
If Harry excelled over his classmates in any one subject, it was Flying. We saw this when he caught Neville’s Remembrall after Draco Malfoy stole it.
Harry also possessed a great deal of bravery when he faced Voldemort while they both pursued the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone.
It’s true he one-upped the Dark Lord once more. But it was again thanks to Lily’s protection that made it difficult for Professor Quirnius Quirrell, Voldemort’s proxy, to kill him. Further, Harry would have died had Dumbledore not intervened to overpower the struggling Quirrell.
However average he was in his first year at Hogwarts, Harry would soon grow into his powers.
A Rundown of How Harry Grew Into His Powers
In Year Two of his magical education, Harry was still rather average, though he escaped a forest full of predatory Acromantulas and once again defeated Riddle.
But it’s also worth pointing out that Arthur Weasley’s old Ford Anglia helped Harry and Ron escape the Acromantulas. Shortly afterward, Fawkes the Phoenix played a huge role in helping Harry defeat Riddle and destroy the Dark Lord’s diary to save Ginny Weasley.
Things changed in Harry’s third year, when he needed a way to ward off the notorious Dementors. After a few lessons, he learned how to produce a Patronus, and by the end of the year, he conjured a corporeal Patronus in the form of a stag to fight off hundreds of Dementors.
Also in Year Three, Harry beat Hermione Granger in their final scores for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He grew even more powerful in Year Four, mainly because he needed to learn maneuvers like the Stunning Spell (Stupefy) and the Shield Charm (Protego), among others.
These spells helped prepare him for the Third Task in the Triwizard Tournament, and they helped him reach the Cup first along with Cedric Diggory.
Unfortunately for Harry and Cedric, the Cup was a Portkey that transferred them to the Little Hangleton Cemetery, where Cedric met his death and Harry faced a returning Lord Voldemort.
While the Dark Lord initially overpowered Harry, the boy managed to maintain a connection when his wand and Voldemort’s wand engaged in Priori Incantatem. This let him hold off Riddle long enough to reach the Portkey and return to Hogwarts.
Years Five Through Seven
In Years Three and Four, Harry’s powers grew, but in Year Five, he banded together with roughly 28 students to create Dumbledore’s Army, a secret club dedicated to learning practical Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of just studying the theory.
Because of his knowledge and experience in the subject and in facing danger, Harry led the class. It was the first time he realized just how gifted he was in the subject.
This power was on full display in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries later that year when Harry managed to take on hordes of Death Eaters using the abilities he acquired through his knowledge in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Despite his ability to take on fully grown wizards, Harry was unable to perform highly advanced magic like the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange after she killed his godfather, Sirius Black.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we saw Harry use his abilities time and again during the Battle of the Seven Potters, and in his time on the run while hunting Horcruxes.
Why is Harry So Powerful?
While Lily’s sacrificial protection gave Harry power to protect himself from Voldemort early, that protection wore off when he turned 17.
Yet, as you can see in the rundown above, Harry was already becoming powerful long before Lily’s protection wore off.
Therefore, Harry grew into his powers because he had no other choice.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Hermione, and Sirius were about to become victims of the Dementor’s Kiss, forcing him to conjure his first corporeal Patronus in what was akin to a Hail Mary on the last play of a football game.
Fast-forward to Year Four, and Harry, thanks to Barty Crouch disguised as Alastor Moody, was forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Given the dangers and complexities of each task, especially the Third Task, Harry had no choice but to learn some advanced magic.
In Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends were subjected to poor teaching from Professor Dolores Umbridge, prompting him to help found and lead Dumbledore’s Army.
A small portion of the DA joined Harry in his quest to rescue Sirius at the Ministry of Magic. When Voldemort lured him into a trap, Harry once again had no choice but to fight himself and his friends out of a dangerous situation.
While Harry didn’t show off as much power in Half-Blood Prince, where Albus Dumbledore bailed him out against the Inferi and Professor Severus Snape easily defeated him, he once again displayed incredible power during his hunt for Horcruxes in Deathly Hallows.
Overall, Harry had no choice but to learn new abilities to adapt to the dangers surrounding him.
How Powerful Was Harry?
Thanks to his ability to learn spells like the Patronus, Stunning Spells, Shield Charms, and a plethora of Defense Against the Dark Arts maneuvers, Harry grew more powerful than most of his peers.
However, he was not the most powerful wizard in the Wizarding World. Let’s check out five notable characters from the series and compare Harry’s power to them.
Albus Dumbledore
We’ve seen Albus Dumbledore easily defeat opponents on many occasions. This occurred three times in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when he defeated Ministry wizards within seconds, captured a dozen Death Eaters with little effort, and forced Voldemort to retreat.
Harry, his friends, and the Order were losing their fight against the Death Eaters when Dumbledore arrived. And if it wasn’t for the Hogwarts headmaster, they probably weren’t making it out alive.
In Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore, even in a weakened state, cast a Lasso of Fire to save Harry from the Inferi.
Therefore, we can concur Dumbledore was more powerful than Harry.
Lord Voldemort
While Harry ended up casting two of the three Unforgivable Curses, Voldemort was an expert at using this trio of spells, which required blatant ill-intent from its caster.
Riddle also manhandled Harry in the Little Hangleton Cemetery before their respective wands connected.
The Dark Lord broke into Harry’s mind countless times, and even lured him to the Department of Mysteries after planting false images into the boy’s head.
And although Harry won in the end, Voldemort’s mistakes, and not Harry’s sheer power, ended the Dark Lord. Once again, it’s safe to say Voldemort was the more powerful wizard.
Draco Malfoy
Harry one-upped Draco Malfoy in almost everything, including Quidditch and dueling. While the pair had a minor duel in Chamber of Secrets, their duel in Half-Blood Prince was more memorable.
Harry defeated Malfoy, albeit doing so through casting the dark art, Sectumsempra. He also helped rescue Malfoy twice during the Battle of Hogwarts.
While Draco was powerful, he did not match Harry.
Severus Snape
Severus Snape was an innovator of spells, like Sectumsempra, and one of the most brilliant minds in the series. Harry dueled Snape late in Half-Blood Prince, but the latter won easily.
Snape was also a powerful Occlumens, and it let him keep his thoughts hidden from Voldemort, the world’s most accomplished Legilimens. Given his innovations, dueling ability, and his role as a double-agent, Snape was far more powerful than Harry.
Hermione Granger
In Order of the Phoenix, Hermione admitted that Harry’s strengths in Defense Against the Dark Arts were a cut above her own. And while she’s a powerful witch who bailed Harry and Ron out of several tight situations, it’s safe to say Hermione is on par with Harry, almost complementary.
While Harry’s powers predominantly grew because he had little choice, Hermione’s consistent study habits and willingness to experiment with different spells augmented her strength.
Where Harry was weak, Hermione was powerful. But Harry also rescued Hermione several times, the most notable occurring when Harry warded off the Dementors in Prisoner of Azkaban.
Conclusion
Harry Potter was left with little choice but to become one of the most powerful wizards among his classmates at Hogwarts. He was also powerful enough to withstand horrific experiences that many adults couldn’t handle, like surviving Voldemort on multiple occasions.
Harry never grew to be as powerful as his adversary. Instead, Voldemort’s mistakes, not necessarily Harry’s power, led to the Dark Lord’s downfall.
Harry was also never as strong as Dumbledore or Snape. However, he surpassed Draco Malfoy, and matched Hermione Granger, the latter of whom many considered the best and brightest witch in her year.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.