There’s no doubt that Harry Potter has become a beloved and cherished series, with a massive fandom keeping the franchise alive. That being said, we also can’t pretend that Harry is an infallible leading character.

The truth of the matter is that Harry nearly died on more than one occasion – and half the time that was because he failed to explain the situation or ask for help. When you look at it that way, Harry is one seriously lucky dude.

Don’t get us wrong – we’re grateful that he survived to the end of the series. We’re just somewhat surprised about that fact.

When Umbridge Was Torturing Him

Okay, admittedly in this instance Harry might not have been at risk of dying, but he certainly faced some seriously dangerous situations and risk of bodily harm.

What are we talking about? We’re talking about the time that Umbridge barged into the school and steadily took over Hogwarts. We’re also talking about how she went straight to torturing Harry during detention, and about how he didn’t speak up about it.

We understand why he didn’t do it, but we can’t help but wonder how differently things would have gone if he had. Would he have more or fewer scars to show for it?

When Dobby Was Trying to ‘Save Him’

Let’s talk about how Dobby kept trying to save Harry during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – and how Harry didn’t think it worth asking for help about it. There were three major moments when Dobby tried to ‘save’ Harry. The first was back at Privet Drive, and we’ll admit that Harry was rather limited about asking for help then, since he couldn’t exactly send Hedwig out or anything. Though once rescued he could have told an adult (say, Mr. or Mrs. Weasley) about what happened – who knows what insight they might have had about it.

Then there’s the time that Dobby blocked the entrance to the platform for the Hogwarts Express. You’ve got to admit that what Harry and Ron decided on was pretty reckless and dumb. They could have risked being late, and they would have been so much safer for that fact.

And finally, Harry opted to keep playing Quidditch even when there was a bludger trying to kill him. You’d think that stopping and talking to a professor (or even Hermione) would have been the safer course of action here.

When He Was Hearing Voices

Another famous example of times that Harry could and arguably should have spoken up also occurred in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Early on in the novel, he started hearing voices, and instead of telling an adult (we imagine that Dumbledore would have not only believed him but known what it meant), he opted to keep this secret to himself. We get why he didn’t say anything, but it put himself and his fellow students in a whole lot more danger because of it.

When Nobody Believed Him About Draco

There is one shining example of when Harry did speak up – quite vocally – about a concern of his. We’re talking about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and how concerned he was with what Draco was up to.

In this novel, he kept telling his friends about what he thought Draco was up to. But he didn’t listen when they told him to back off – and likewise they didn’t listen to his concerns. That being said, we can’t help but feel like if Harry hadn’t gone overboard in a few instances that his friends would have been more inclined to believe him. Also, starting a battle in the bathroom never seems like a smart idea, just saying.

Training for the Triwizard Tournament

Harry is a stubborn person, we can all agree on that, right? When he found himself in the dangerous position of having to deal with the Triwizard Tournament, he stubbornly refused help as often as possible.

For example, he lied to Hermione and told her he had solved the egg puzzles ages ago, leaving the whole ordeal to the last minute. He also didn’t go asking for help from other professors, even though there’s little doubt that they would have helped to train him, being that he was the youngest student involved. It might have made the whole situation a little less risky for him.

The Dursleys

Let’s go back to the Dursleys for a moment here. There’s no doubt in our minds that they were abusive towards Harry. Likewise, we know that Dumbledore never would have stood for Harry permanently leaving the Dursleys.

But we can’t help but feel like if Harry had told an adult – any adult – about how bad it was there, they would have done what they could to change his situation for the better. Say, making sure that food was sent his way, or sending a letter or two directly to the Dursleys in regards to his care. That sort of thing. Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking though, since we never felt right about the way Harry was treated.

When He Noticed Inconsistencies

During Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry couldn’t help but notice a few inconsistencies in his newly gifted Maurader’s Map. Most notably, he spotted an impossible name roaming around on that map.

We’re talking about Peter Pettigrew, and how he shouldn’t have shown up in Hogwarts. Yes, we know that he told Lupin, and thank goodness for that. But we can’t help but feel like this was something he wouldn’t have spoken up about, if not for the fact that Lupin essentially took the map away from Harry at the same time. Also, let’s take a moment to imagine what would have happened if it was McGonagall he told about Pettigrew.

Rushing Off to Save Sirius

One of the most striking examples of a time when Harry didn’t want to seek out help happened during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Towards the end of the novel, Harry became convinced that his beloved godfather, Sirius was in mortal danger.

While he allowed his friends to come along and help him, the truth is that he didn’t want their help (because he didn’t want to risk them). Likewise, he didn’t approach any adult for help. He could have very easily gone to McGonagall, another member of the Order of the Phoenix and head of his house, or any number of alternatives. But instead, he ran off into danger – all thanks to the lie of a house elf.

His Nightmares

While we’re on that subject, Harry was hesitant to speak the truth of his nightmares. He was having them for several months before he finally caved and told anybody about them. We understand why he was hesitant to do so, but imagine how differently things would have gone had there been less urgency in his training.

Likely everything would have ended up the same, but we still can’t help but feel like he should have told the truth about his nightmares a lot sooner than he actually did.

Hunting the Horcruxes

Last on our list is the hunting of the Horcruxes. Yes, Harry did in fact have help in regards to this task – but he originally didn’t want Ron or Hermione to help him (again, for their safety).

He also fought tooth and nail about letting anybody else try and help them, even in the end, when he really needed any help and advice he could get. There’s no doubt in our mind that Harry would have died or failed (or rather, both) had he not had all the help available to him. Thank goodness for stubborn friends!