All of the main characters have gone through coming of age experiences in the series. We can easily see each one growing and changing. Hermione isn’t just a shy, awkward, studious kid who only follows the rules anymore. She stands up for what is right and uses her knowledge to help her friends. It isn’t just about following the school rules and being a model student; it becomes about what is the right thing to do and acting on that knowledge. Ron finds the courage to be who he is instead of continuing to live in the shadows of others. He comes into his own not only by becoming a Prefect and then the Gryffindor Keeper, he also aids Harry in many of the tasks they go through. Ron even helps to destroy a horcrux. He comes into his own as a character as he develops and becomes more comfortable with who he is. Neville learns to have courage and stand up for himself. He stands up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the first book and then later he helps to fight against the Death Eaters when they’re in Hogwarts. He comes to be more than just the bumbling idiot that people thought of him as before. The DA and the real world threat of Voldemort helped Neville to form better relationships with those around him and to come out of his shell more, proving himself to be a truly brave person. All of these characters learn about the importance of friendship, love, loyalty, and more. Rowling packs so much into every storyline and every character. When I read this series originally I was about the age of the characters. I grew up with them and as I was learning to deal with life and my understanding was broadened, theirs were too. By putting so much into these characters they become more real and relate-able. We’re able to see bits of ourselves in them and then learn from their experiences even though it is just fiction.
Another character that changes rather surprisingly is Draco Malfoy. Not only does he change as a person but our perception of him changes as well. Rowling shows us that things aren’t just black and white. A villain isn’t just a villain. She even shows us some of this with Tom Riddle himself as we see his background and the circumstances that made him that way. It doesn’t excuse his terrible actions, but it does provide us with more of an understanding of why and how Voldemort became what he was. Draco is painted as an antagonist to Harry throughout the series and so naturally the reader often doesn’t like his character or have any sympathy for him. He bullies Harry, criticizes Ron's family, and calls Hermione a "mudblood". They're not exactly nice things. So of course we laugh when he’s turned into a ferret or when the other characters hex him. But slowly we learn about the circumstances Draco goes through and the truth behind the tough façade. Half Blood Prince initially paints another suspicious picture of him as Harry sees him sneaking around and is determined that Draco is doing terrible things. Even though Draco tries to put on a bold face and brag about the job he’s been assigned, he’s actually really worried about it. Some think Draco is being honored by being given such an assignment from Voldemort, but really there’s also punishment because of Lucius’ failure to get the prophecy and his capture from that. Voldemort assigns Draco the task because if he fails and dies then it doesn’t matter. He’s ok sacrificing Draco. There is the chance that Draco succeeds in the plan, and in some ways he does actually succeed in his mission though he fails to be the one who kills Dumbledore. His reluctance to actually kill as well as the stress this mission puts on him and the time that we see him crying in the bathroom show us that he is a character who struggles too. He isn’t just a terrible dark villain. He’s another person who also is trying to cope with life and the circumstances he’s been given as well as the expectations from his home life and then Voldemort on top of that. We finally see him as human and this changes our view of his character. Even in Deathly Hallows we hear about Draco being forced by Voldemort to use the Cruciatus curse. He’s an unwilling pawn in the game, and we feel sympathy for his character. Rowling’s ability to not only show the development of Draco but to also show that things aren’t just black and white really opens up our ideas of the world. We thought Draco was a terrible person that was worthy of our loathing, but it turns out he’s just another kid struggling and trying to cope. These characters, just like real people, have much more depth to them than it first appears.
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