Harry Potter, the character, has undoubtedly become an icon for the ages. Like Bilbo and Frodo Baggins from The Lord of The Rings, his quest is a tale that generations of readers and viewers will be reading and watching over and over again in many forms for years to come, we’re sure.

The iconic status he achieved in character form is largely in part to his perseverance and likeability … all instilled in him from author JK Rowling. A multitude of children and adults alike fell in love with him from the get-go and haven’t looked back since.

With rumors of more films and books on the horizon, attention for Potter and the wizarding world is quite high and reasonably so. There’s much more to come in this thick tale that just keeps on giving and fans couldn’t be happier.

However, like any hero of any tale, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have his very own flaws. Remember, Harry Potter is a character we love, as we should. His plight was one we witnessed with open hearts and he definitely deserves our respect, but the many levels on which a character behaves—good or bad-- is what makes him/her real in our hearts. In this article and character study at The Gamer, we’ll list twenty occasions in which Harry didn’t exude heroism and faltered on his way towards defeating the demons around him.

20 Not Ideal As A Prom Date

Although Harry would seem like the ideal date for any formal event for anyone, it seems that couldn’t be further from the case. In the fourth instalment of the franchise, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, his inability to show a girl a good time is in plain sight and couldn’t be more embarrassing … but funny.

As part of the Triwizard Tournament event, The Yule Ball is announced at Hogwarts and the nervousness at finding a date is felt within all these great characters.

It’s a portion in the film and books that kind of remind us of a prime time soap opera from the 90s … all characters wondering who will go with whom.

Well, as Harry failed to ask Cho Chang to attend with him, and as she attended with Cederic Diggory, he ended up taking Parvarti Patil and well, the results couldn’t have been more awkward.

19 Resisted Sound Advice

In Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, Harry seems quite susceptible to haunting dreams, only we find out that the “dreams” aren’t dreams at all, but seem to be premonitions. Now seeing that Harry was “the chosen one” and all, it seemed obvious that he’d have such a gift.

Only, the reveal that the “dreams” were in fact premonitions was nothing but a ruse.

As Dumbledore suggested, the dreams that Harry was having were nothing but a way for Voldemort to control Harry further and lead him exactly where he wanted him.

Enter Severus Snape. Dumbledore suggested he teach Harry Occlumency as a way to block his mind from any control. Only, seeing that Harry didn’t trust Snape, he didn’t listen to his warnings and it left himself open in the process, leading to terrible consequences, as you'll soon read.

18 Could He Have Done More To Prevent Snape's End?

To say that Professor Snape and Harry didn’t get along from the beginning would most definitely be a grave understatement. The two seemingly hated each other right off the bat and they kept that relationship for most of the franchise with a few moments that presented a possibility for the otherwise.

Harry was presented with many opportunities to see the good in Severus Snape, but he remained close-minded throughout.

Of course, Snape didn’t make it easy in any shape way or form, but still. Had Harry opened his mind to the possibilities that Snape was indeed good and only wanted to protect Harry, as we later found out, would probably have most certainly changed the chronology of events that transpired in the later books and/or films, hence leading to the possible prevention of Snape’s untimely end.

17 They Always Had His Back ... Always

Great friends are definitely hard to find. Spectacularly perfect ones are impossible. Although Harry Potter is a story of the impossible, there were a lot of reality based instances as far as emotion and the outcome of certain events were concerned.

But Harry definitely lucked out in the friends department. In Ron and Hermione, he found friends that always had his back and were always there, no matter how dark and treacherous the circumstances were.

Only, many have often opined that Harry relied on the two one too many times. He most definitely relied on Hermione and her brilliance to get out of quite a few sticky situations, and many believe that without Hermione and Ron, Harry wouldn’t have been so lucky as often as he was.

16 Not A Brilliant Wizard

Considering the huge deal that was made about the character of Harry as the books and film opens, the reader is lead to believe that the character will be a great wizard; especially considering he is “the chosen one” and all.

But the reader was quickly educated on Harry’s meager prowess as a wizard the minute he entered Hogwarts.

As it turned out, Harry wasn’t very spectacular when it came to wizardry. He wasn’t very into his schoolwork and as he learned his spells and potions, he didn’t grasp the knowledge as quickly as say, Hermione did.

A further example of this was how he made it through the many dilemmas the character is brought up against … he dealt with them in simple terms, often making it through by luck alone.

15 Just A Horcrux?

The last point brings us to yet another point, and one that is definitely valid:

By the time we get well into the series, it is revealed to Harry that the Wizarding World contains horcruxes in which Voldemort hid a part of himself in order to ensure his survival. Harry was shocked to learn that he, too was one of them.

In all honesty, the reveal was a tad of a buzzkill, in that here the reader was, waiting to find out why Harry was “the Chosen One” and what the outcome would be, but all it was was a simple case of wrong place, wrong time. A portion of Voldemort’s entity was placed within Harry when he was a baby and that was why he and only he could have gone against the powerful evil wizard.

It might not be absolutely fair to heap this blame on Harry as a complete fail, but it's rather poetic that he would take part in the demise of his enemy and, very nearly of his own.

Art by akinorevs.

14 Relied On The Half Blood Prince's Spells

The sixth instalment in the series of books was definitely one of the darkest, as the severity of Harry’s predicament was definitely coming to the surface. Yet showed even more than the impending darkness and turmoil was Harry’s inability to stand on his own as a wizard.

Yes, he had a great ability at performing an exquisite Patronus, but when it came to other spells, his ability fell short.

In Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, Harry discovers an old spell book in his defense against the dark arts class, and to say that the book was willing to give Harry a little extra information—in that magical Harry Potter way-- would be an understatement. He learned lot of spells from that book, indeed, even very bad ones and ones that he should never have used.

13 Blinded By Pain

As a hero, Harry did just fine … we have to remember that. Let’s not forget, we love this character, no matter what, but to call him extraordinary would be wrong. Yet that’s what makes the character a great one. After all, what’s an epic character without his flaws?

Harry was flawed from the beginning, and the biggest thing that brought these flaws to the future was his sadness. Losing one’s parents before one can ever even meet them is horrible and Harry was given such a fate.

Yet Harry never seemed to overcome that sadness, and when in the face of adversity and the turmoil that being “the chosen one” brought, dwelling on his pain often proved to be a mistake and was often his weak link … ultimately giving Voldemort and his Death Eaters a way in.

12 The End Of Cedric

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, as it’s worth repeating: Harry was great. He was handsome, strong, a great quidditch player, and although he wasn’t a spectacular wizard, there was no way anyone ever doubted he’d have a decent future … if he survived that was. And that’s why his jealousy of Cederic Diggory was unfounded. There was no reason for Harry to be jealous of him, as is shown in the books and films.

But, the human spirit is what it is.

Thus, by the end of that fourth part in the series, the end of Cedric is that much harder to take, as it brings up a lot of questions.

By no means did Harry let Cedric go … of this we’re as sure of as the sunrise, but the reader and audience was left to wonder, could Harry have done more to have prevented the fatal outcome?

11 Relied On Time Travel

Sometimes heroes can’t save the day just on their own steam and capabilities … this we understand, but there are some heroes that can get the job done no matter how impossible the obstacles.

Unfortunately Harry cannot be considered one of those lucky few as is understandable. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, it is plainly seen for the first time that Harry wouldn’t be an extraordinary wizard. And in showing us this, JK Rowling showed that her beloved character needed help of all kinds.

So when it was time for Harry to save Buckbeak and Sirius, he relied on Hermione and her time turner. That segment was extremely entertaining both in book form and on film, and it showed us that all heroes sometimes just need a little help. Yet it causes us to wonder, would another hero have been able to get the same results in real time?

10 He Fell For An Impostor

Anyone can fall for deceptions of any sort, and we guess even heroic characters, but when it happens to someone we’re counting on to save the day, it is rather disappointing.

In The Goblet of Fire, yet another defense against the dark arts was hired at Hogwarts and a little “dark” he seemed indeed. Mad Eye Moody, and auror was sent to teach the young wizards in training a thing or two about the nebulous side of witchcraft and wizardry … and often times he didn’t paint a great picture.

Seeing that our Harry expressed an interest in being and Auror, he always seemed to enjoy that class a lot more. However, when Mad Eye was revealed to have been nothing but an impostor, the audience was left with chagrin to know that Harry had fallen for the ruse.

Art by Marcianca.

9 Allowed Disaster to Occur

Hey, anyone can fall for this, so let’s give old Harry a break on this one. For any hero of the screen or the page, name one that hasn’t fallen for the fair damsel in distress. Exactly! There probably aren’t any.

In Cho Chang, Harry found a girl that he actually liked and started to have feelings for. In the previous installment, he had lost her to Cedric, but in the next part, there was a chance at having a chance with this girl of his dreams, but as his heart was soaring and the possibility of getting Cho as a significant other closed his eyes considerably … disaster occurred.

In fact his eyes were so closed, he didn’t see what happened next coming. She betrayed him and his whole army of students. How’s that for trusting the wrong person and falling in love?

8 Made Falling For Tricks An Unfortunate Habit

As we said earlier, Harry was supposed to have been blocking his mind from outside sources, as Snape was trying to train him in the art of Occlumency, yet Harry failed at that task, feeling that keeping his mind open would help him further understand his connection with Voldemort.

Well, what Harry didn’t count on was that maybe that exact decision was exactly what the Dark Lord wanted.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters could plant false thoughts in the young wizard’s head, which was exactly what happened, as Lucius Malfoy so poetically stated at the end of The Order of the Phoenix.

This was another occasion where Harry trusted his own judgement over the people around him who knew better, leading to disaster, as we’re about to read.

7 Sirius' End

Harry’s inability to get out of his own head and ultimately making the wrong decisions led to horrible outcomes and, in this case, a very fatal one.

Sirius, who was Harry’s long lost godfather and potential guardian was finally someone Harry could look up to and call family. The viewers and readers were indeed happy for the character, as it was wonderful news.

Yet, Harry’s troublesome habit and irresistible urge to know that truth about his past and where it would lead caused disaster even for Sirius.

Of course Sirius had his own blame for what happened to him, but fans must admit and wonder that if Harry hadn’t allowed himself to be fooled by the Death Eaters, would Sirius still be alive?

6 Maybe Too Curious

It was at the beginning of The Half Blood Prince that Harry’s curiosity got the best of him. In order to find out more about Draco and his sudden odd behavior at the start of that instalment on The Hogwarts Express, he donned his old invisibility cloak so he could get closer to Draco.

Well, Harry wasn’t  nearly as stealthy as he had hoped, and Draco felt his presence all too easily.

This led to a rather violent outburst on Draco’s part, resulting in a broken nose for Harry. He probably should have left well enough alone, even though Draco was headed for a disaster and horrible semester at Hogwarts of his own, Harry should have seen Draco’s uneasiness with the evil building up around him, thus resulting in Draco’s disillusions with the death eaters.

5 Fighting With His Bestie

Relationships are hard. Even friendly ones. And Ron and Harry’s relationship was no different. It was a match made in heaven, and the two were there for each other in so many ways. Their friendship was one for the ages and it left fans wondering where the heck they could find their very own Ron.

As great as it was, it wasn’t without its problems as the two could fight with the best of them, often “getting into it” every now and again throughout the series, and hey, it takes two to tango, as they say.

But where Harry is at fault here, is that he wasn’t very understanding to Ron. It must have been extremely difficult for Ron to deal with the fact that his best bud was in fact “the chosen one.”

4 Could He Have Prevented An Already Planned Departure?

Sometimes a hero has the unfortunate task of going against the elders around him … of going against what people who know more want.

In The Half Blood Prince, it’s no surprise to anyone who was a fan of the series that Dumbledore wanted to end his life, feeling it was the only way to defeat the Dark Lord … ultimately sacrificing himself for the greater good, but sometimes, it’s hard letting go, no matter how much a person’s ultimate sacrifice can benefit those left behind.

Sometimes being a hero means not saving a life, even if it doesn't make sense.

Many have wondered if Harry could have done more to prevent Dumbledore’s untimely end. He was present for what happened, hidden below the platform in the Owlery. Yes, he was indeed afraid, but it’s what people do when they are afraid that makes them a hero.

3 Allowing Himself And Others To Be Taken Hostage

It was in The Deathly Hallows that Ron, Hermione and Harry get taken by the death eaters and it was this event that led to yet another loss and of a character so small and defenseless.

Yes, they got out of that horrible instant as well, and yes, it was indeed a group effort, but when they escape that, and by the skin of their teeth, we might add, they lose one of their very own in the form of Dobby, the little house elf we met in earlier installments of the franchise.

Of course to err is human, and in Harry’s story we see many errors in both judgement and planning, and that’s what makes this surreal story so real, but the losses are indeed grave by the time we get to the last scene of this great story.

2 An Unlikely Hero

It’s sadly when the hero of any story falls short that a new hero is born. Out of dire circumstances come drastic actions, and even those with little courage can one day amount to having limitless amounts of what they always lacked.

So is the case for Neville Longbottom. A character that seemed small and miniscule in actuality and in significance at the beginning of the tale, but by the end, audiences of all sorts saw him rise to the occasion and actually have a large part, if not the largest in ending the reign of terror of the Dark Lord.

Many have often wondered … what would have happened to Harry and the rest of the good people in the wizarding world had Neville never ended Nagini, yet another of Voldmort’s horcruxes?

1 Lacking Foresight

Remember, who are we to judge Harry? After all, the dude had a lot on his plate as a teenager, let alone the fate of the world. So we love him despite his faults and applaud JK Rowling for a great and epic character.

But as we’ve stated in a few examples here in this article, the chap fell short a few times, as we’re sure he’ll fall short in future installments of the franchise if rumors are indeed true that Harry is to return.

He already did return in the published play, The Cursed Child, and this time, it’s Harry’s son Albus Severus that’s in for a great deal of excitement and danger as Harry’s scar starts to throb once more. But once again we are left wondering, couldn’t Harry have seen this coming?