Top 10 Worst Decisions Made by Harry Potter

Okay, so this was definitely a joint decision made by both Harry and Ron, but you’d think one of these two would have taken a second to question it. In “Chamber of Secrets,” Ron and Harry aren’t able to get onto Platform 9 3/4 because the passage has been blocked. Rather than, we don’t know, waiting a couple minutes for Ron’s parents to get back, they decide to steal Mr. Weasley’s Ford Anglia so they can fly it to school. This harebrained scheme has several negative consequences, including Ron’s wand breaking, the two boys getting into huge trouble, and of course inciting Mrs. Weasley’s rage.

In the fifth book and movie, Harry starts to become worried that he’s being possessed by Lord Voldemort after he witnesses Mr. Weasley being attacked through the eyes of Voldemort’s snake, Nagini. Despite the fact that Ginny was actually possessed by Voldemort in “Chamber of Secrets,” it’s pretty surprising that he doesn’t go to her to ask how it felt and confirm his suspicions. Instead, he pushes away everyone close to him and tries to handle it on his own, which doesn’t go well. Ginny is a force to be reckoned with, and Harry shouldn’t have underestimated how helpful she could be.

During the second task of the Triwizard Tournament in “Goblet of Fire,” Harry has to figure out a way to survive underwater while he rescues Ron from the Merpeople of the Great Lake. While he’s down there, though, he sees Cho, Hermione and Fleur’s little sister, Gabrielle, and decides that it’s up to him to save them all. He probably should have known that Dumbledore wouldn’t just let students perish underwater and that the Mermaid’s song didn’t have to be taken so seriously. Luckily, the consequences for this one weren’t so bad because he got points for his “moral fiber.”

When Harry and Cho start dating in “Order of the Phoenix,” Harry has a shockingly bad attitude about communicating on pretty important issues. Cho was dating Cedric when he was killed by Voldemort one book earlier, and Harry was the only one who witnessed it. Understandably, Cho is still emotional about her boyfriend being killed just months earlier, but Harry is totally unsympathetic and tries to shut the conversation down. We get it, he’s only 15, but this is seriously insensitive. Luckily, Hermione is there to school the boys on their limited emotional range.

Harry prides himself throughout the series on being morally upstanding, never inflicting harm when he can avoid it and generally maintaining his moral standard. As the story comes to a close, though, we’re shown just how far Harry is willing to go to defeat Voldemort. The trio need the goblin Griphook’s help to get a Horcrux, but as payment he asks for the Sword of Gryffindor, which he believes is his right because it is goblin made. Harry lies and agrees, even though he has no intention of giving it to him until the final battle is fought. Because of the tensions between goblins and wizards, this move is pretty problematic.

We’re just going to say it - Hermione is always right. In the 6th installment of Harry’s story, he comes into the possession of a potions textbook that used to belong to someone who called themselves “The Half-Blood Prince.” Harry practices spells he finds in margin notes, despite Hermione’s warnings that it might be dangerous. When he comes into a conflict with Malfoy, he uses the Sectumsempra curse on him despite not actually knowing what it does. This is a really foolish mistake that shows just how little deliberation Harry was putting into his decisions.

When Ron returns to join Harry and Hermione in “Deathly Hallows,” he tells them that a taboo has been put on speaking the name “Voldemort.” When anyone utters the name, it alerts the Death Eaters to their location. Harry forgets this, however, and says “Voldemort,” leading to the trio being captured and brought to Malfoy Manor. If it wasn’t for this error, Dobby never would have lost his life saving his friends. Sadly, this isn’t the only time that one of Harry’s mistakes gets someone killed.

In “Order of the Phoenix,” Dumbledore organizes for Harry to take Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape in order for him to learn to shield his mind from Lord Voldemort. Harry, of course, hates the idea of accepting help from Snape, and seems to be actively working to not learn anything during their sessions together. Because Harry keeps letting Voldemort into his mind, the Dark Lord is able to manipulate him by showing him things that aren’t actually happening, which will lead us to another entry on our list today.

At the end of “Prisoner of Azkaban,” Harry is trying to be noble when he chooses to spare Wormtail from being killed by Sirius and Lupin. Because of his act of compassion, Pettigrew escapes, which makes it impossible for Sirius to clear his name, forcing him to go into hiding. Pettigrew ultimately makes his way to Voldemort and is essential in helping him rise to power again, meaning if Harry had just let him be killed, the entire Second Wizarding War could have been avoided and countless lives could have been saved.

Because Harry doesn’t take his occlumency lessons seriously in “Order of the Phoenix,” Voldemort has access to his mind and can trick him into thinking events are occurring when they’re actually total fabrications. This is what he does when he shows Harry a vision of Sirius being tortured at the Ministry of Magic, as Voldemort knows that Harry will feel the need to rush to his godfather’s aide. It is, of course, just a trap, which Harry walks right into. This means Sirius has to come to save him, and tragically dies during the ensuing battle.