Harry's status as orphan gives him a freedom other children can only dream about (guiltily, of course). No child wants to lose their parents, yet the idea of being removed from the expectations of parents is alluring. The orphan in literature is freed from the obligation to satisfy his/her parents, and from the inevitable realization that his/her parents are flawed human beings. There is something liberating, too, about being transported into the kind of surrogate family which boarding school represents, where the relationships are less intense and the boundaries perhaps more clearly defined.
J. K. RowlingThe last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?' Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him.
J. K. RowlingWhy don't you confer with Mr. Finnigan? As I recall, he has a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics.
J. K. RowlingThey were the reason that he kept faith with his stars, that reinforced him in his belief that the universe had more in store for him than the mug's game of working for a modest salary until he retired or died.
J. K. RowlingChess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.
J. K. RowlingI would be a liar if I said I don't care [about my appearance]; yes, I care. I found it very difficult, when I first became well known, to read criticism about how I look, how messy my hair was, and how generally unkempt I look. The nastiest thing ever written was written by a man, and I do remember that. I wasn't looking for it either, it was just simply in the newspaper I was reading.
J. K. Rowling