Okay, think of things this way. Harry Potter was raised by a cruel and uncaring family. They abused him by making him doubt his self-worth and making it every bit as apparent as Michael Jackson's death that he was not truly accepted into their family. So, you take him from that and suddenly introduce him to Hagrid. You'd figure that once he reaches the Wizarding world, he would be defensive, anti-social, and insecure, right? After living with the Dursleys, he shouldn't see a whole lot of good in other people.

Right?

Perhaps. That is the opinion that some people have. Was J.K. Rowling a terrible writer? To answer the question personally, no. The way I see it, Harry didn't trust Hagrid right away. He had trouble believing him initially, of course, but even when he accepted that there was a new world he was a part of, he did not view him in the friendliest manner. Granted, he wasn't unfriendly, but they didn't have quite an established relationship yet.

Meanwhile, he gets introduced to the Weasley's outside of platform Nine and Three Quarters. What he sees when he looks at them is the family he secretly wished he had. He does not see the Dursleys. When he meets Ronald in the train car (a "very lucky day", as Mr. Weasley said in book 6), Ron is very impressed by him. Harry might have considered him a mere sycophant, but what might have been flattery quickly became real when they descended (or ascended?) into natural conversation.

Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Seriously, I know from experience that I can be hated, ignored, or outcast, but so long as there is one person to clutch onto, one person who really cares, it is possibly to quickly become appreciative of them. See my previous blog entry to see what I mean.

Meanwhile, Malfoy offers him praises and promises of an excellent partnership when they initially meet. Yet, Harry Potter sees past this flattery easily. Perhaps living with the Dursleys had given him the experience to easily detect it. Malfoy, unlike Ron, did not truly open up. He put on a show, and he spoke of success, and most eleven-year-olds are only interested in their own success. From then on, Harry Potter closes himself off from Malfoy. He never trusts him, to say the least. It gets worse over time, of course, and eventually becomes a violent rivalry, but Harry still quickly established who his friends were and who wasn't.

Throughout his history in Hogwarts, he has has his grudges. Slytherins, Cormac McLaggin, virtually anybody Ginny dates, and most importantly, Snape.

Some say that Harry would have realistically have ended up as Snape. Snape also grew up in an abusive household. Yet, he had time to grow a crush on Lily, and he had time to ally himself with people of his Hogwarts household. He manages to open himself up to someone else, that being Lily. Harry Potter, similarly, had time to develop a couple of crushes and ally himself with the people of his house. He found two people for him to open up to, those being Ron and Ginny. Harry and Snape both foster strong grudges.

Granted, Harry overall did a better job of controlling himself than Snape, but they had their similarities.

Harry also showed one last display of protectiveness. In Order of the Phoenix, the ministry gives him grief by sending Umbridge to teach at Hogwarts. How does he react? After his fifth year, he never trusts the ministry again. There is some understandable anti-social behavior from Potter. He is quick to establish enemies.

Heck, he even gets angry at Dumbledore. He's not afraid to. Sometimes he wonders if Dumbledore is just using him.

Yet, there are some people who say that Harry is too open and friendly compared to what he should be. I have found that these people are often the same who find him annoying in Order of the Phoenix, when he gets angry all the time. Strange, but this anger is understandable. He is being abused by the ministry and most students like he was abused by the Dursleys, and thus we have a cause. The effect: he is generally less trusting, more easily angered, and stressed. Not only is his anger justified, but this emotional stage is a period that most teenagers go through. My mother told me so, and she know everything.

So, is Harry's social personality realistic? In someways it is unlikely, but is is definitely possible. That is the point of the character. In spite of everything he has went through, he is still a good person. He has plenty of flaws, but in the end, many of his interest have been for the best of others. He was never greedy, never corrupted although he so easily could have been. In the end, he is incredibly impressive. Yes, most raised like Harry would have been less social, but Harry's personality isn't out of question. He can have all the influence in the world, but in the end he decided who he is. He's a good kid.

Your Honor,

Emperor Kraggh