Don't cross him; you might find yourself in a world of pain. No, we're not talking about Lord Voldemort (although that sentence could apply to him, too). In this case, we're talking about Harry Potter. Our protagonist. The hero of the story. The kid whose name is on the cover.
When a centuries-old battle between factions of wizards is going on, even the good guys have to get their hands dirty. Morality is always a grey area, and we don't mean Gandalf the Grey. That's a different series.
Questions about Revenge
- Why does Harry initially want to find Sirius Black? What does he want to do to him, and why?
- Why does Harry intend to turn Pettigrew over to the Dementors instead of getting revenge on him?
- How do other characters take revenge? Consider Hermione and Malfoy, or Malfoy and Hagrid, for example. What are their motivations for harming another person (or animal)?
Chew on This
Revenge doesn't necessarily make someone a bad guy in Harry's world. The motivations behind the revenge are what matters.
Hermione is the only character that actually gets revenge in this book, and her plot isn't premediated. Sirius turns out not to want revenge against Harry. Harry doesn't kill Sirius. But Hermione punches Malfoy on the spur of the moment.