Quote 1
"She's not an idiot, she knows it can't happen, she's not expecting us to – to end up married, or –."
As he said it, a vivid picture formed in Harry's mind of Ginny in a white dress, marrying a tall, faceless, and unpleasant stranger. In one spiraling moment it seemed to hit him: her future was free and unencumbered, whereas his… he could see nothing but Voldemort ahead. (7.52-53)
Here, Harry starts to realize what his decision to pursue Voldemort really means; it could be the end of everything he's ever hoped for or dreamt about.
Quote 2
"Has anyone ever tried sticking a sword in Voldemort? Maybe the Ministry should put some people on to that, instead of wasting their time stripping down Deluminators or covering up breakouts from Azkaban. So this is what you've been doing, Minister, shut up in your office, trying to break open a Snitch? People are dying – I was nearly one of them – Voldemort chased me across three counties, he killed Mad-Eye Moody, but there's been no word about any of that from the ministry, has there? And you still expect us to cooperate with you!" (7.115)
Here, Harry really seizes the opportunity to lambast the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, for not taking action – it's clear that Harry's decision to act on his own is far removed from the official stance of the Ministry.
Quote 3
"I hate it, I hate the fact that [Voldemort] can get inside me, that I have to watch him when he's most dangerous. But I'm going to use it."
"Dumbledore –."
"Forget Dumbledore. This is my choice, nobody else's." (12.58)
Harry's finally started to act totally based on his own judgment – he realizes that nobody else's decisions or instincts are any more correct than his own, and he's wholly responsible for how he handles his connection to Voldemort, which is, after all, just between the two of them.
Quote 4
"But…" Harry raised his hand instinctively toward the lightning scar. It did not seem to be there. "But I should have died – I didn't defend myself! I meant to let him kill me!"
"And that," said Dumbledore, "will, I think, have made all the difference." (35)
Ah… so, we see, it's not Harry's actual demise, but his decision to die that counts. This choice, made of his own free will, and for the sake of others, is what saves him in the end.
Quote 5
"Albus Severus," Harry said quietly… "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."
"But just say –."
"– then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."
"Really?"
"It did for me," said Harry. (Epilogue.38)
Harry assures young Albus that his choice does matter – and that he can make his own fate, a lesson that we should all take away from Harry's story!
Quote 6
"'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'…" A horrible thought came to him, and with it a kind of panic. "Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?"
"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry," said Hermione, her voice gentle. "It means… you know… living beyond death. Living after death."
But they were not living, thought Harry: they were gone. The empty words could not disguise the fact that his parents' moldering remains lay beneath snow and stone, indifferent, unknowing. (16.92)
Harry's fear of death is apparent here – it's the great unknown, after all, and there's no evidence given that there is life after death. To him, his parents' grave just bespeaks the silence, loneliness, and indifference of the great divide.
Quote 7
"After you left," he said in a low voice, grateful for the fact that Ron's face was hidden, "she cried for a week. Probably longer, only she didn't want me to see. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone…"
He could not finish; it was only now that Ron was here again that Harry fully realized how much his absence had cost them.
"She's like my sister," he went on. "I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It's always been like that. I thought you knew." (19.90-92)
Here, we see three kinds of love emerge out of our trio of friends – the bromance between Ron and Harry, the sibling-like love between Harry and Hermione, and, finally, the romantic love between Ron and Hermione. Ooh la la. (About time.)
Quote 8
There was a clatter as the basilisk fans cascaded out of Hermione's arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.
"Is this the moment?" Harry asked weakly, and when nothing happened except that Ron and Hermione gripped each other still more firmly and swayed on the spot, he raised his voice. "OI! There's a war going on here!"
Ron and Hermione broke apart, their arms still around each other.
"I know, mate," said Ron… "so it's now or never, isn't it?" (31.120-123)
In times of desperation, it seems that the things that have been hidden beneath the surface all come out – such as Ron and Hermione's love for each other. No surprise here – we all totally saw that one coming.
Quote 9
"Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" (35.96-98)
This is such a classic Dumbledore thing to say. It's a little trippy, a little goofy, and a little (OK, incredibly) deep and profound. Basically, he's telling Harry to trust what goes on inside his head – just because it's happening in there, doesn't mean it's imaginary or silly.
Quote 10
"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does… I am the true master of the Elder Wand."
A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:
"Avada Kedavra!" "Expelliarmus!" (36.118-121)
Harry stays true to himself all the way to the end – he recognizes his own identity as the master of the Hallows, and pulls out his signature spell to prove it. Voldemort's own actions are classic Voldy; he thinks he can just blast Harry away and solve all his problems, but this single-minded attitude fails him here. (Hasn't he yet learned he can't use that spell on Harry, by the way? Sheesh.)
Quote 11
"I'm putting the Elder Wand," he told Dumbledore, who was watching him with enormous affection and admiration, "back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have to be defeated. That'll be the end of it.
Dumbledore nodded. They smiled at each other.
"Are you sure?" said Ron. There was the faintest trace of longing in his voice as he looked at the Elder Wand.
"I think Harry's right," said Hermione quietly.
"That wand's more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "And quite honestly… I've had enough trouble for a lifetime." (36.147-150)
Harry shows true power of a sort here – the ability to say "no" to having too much power, if that makes sense. His decision to break the pattern of the Elder Wand and to lay it to rest again in Dumbledore's tomb proves his worthiness in ever possessing the Hallows; he knew when to use them, and when to stop.
Quote 12
"No," Harry said aloud, and they all looked at him, surprised. The firewhiskey seemed to have amplified his voice. "I mean… if somebody made a mistake," Harry went on, "and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault," he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken. "We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort." (5.119)
Harry's unwilling to entertain the idea that anyone in the Order would betray him. And he's right – in a struggle like this, trust, faith, and loyalty are all they have.
Quote 13
Lupin was wearing an odd expression as he looked at Harry. It was close to pitying.
"You think I'm a fool?" demanded Harry.
"No, I think you're like James," said Lupin, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends." (5)
This comment has a sting – after all, James and Lily were betrayed by their trusted friend, Peter Pettigrew. However, Harry holds firm, and continues to keep his faith in his friends and loved ones.