Was Harry Potter an innately powerful/skillful Wizard in any way, based on canon?
It seems that whenever Harry Potter performed some unusually potent bit of magic (potent as far as require raw power AND/OR skill), most of the time we find that it wasn’t innately Harry’s skill, but a combination of:
some extraneous magic forces/rules/powers
circumstance
great reaction time (which is obviously extraordinary from his Quidditch playing; and is likely a larger factor in his dueling than the strength of his magic)
general smartness
or (the part that Harry’s detractors, including Voldemort missed) Harry’s strength of character/personality
The only two counter-examples I can think of which show him as having extraordinary or at least obviously above average magical abilities are:
His skill at flying brooms - while a part of it is pure physical skill, at least part is magical.
His (corporeal) Patronus charm
As far as examples of his unusual feats being due to reasons listed above:
Obviously, surviving Avada Kedavra as an infant - due to Lily’s sacrifice
Parselmouth talent - proxied via Voldemort’s piece of soul.
Ability to see the Sorcerer’s Stone in the Mirror of Erised - due to purity of his character, nothing magical.
Obvious lack of talent at potion making throughout all of the books (sans cheating in HBP)
His win over the Basilisk - due to Hermione’s research, character traits, and as a consequence of the last one, getting Fawkes and Gryffindor’s Sword’s help.
Just to be clear, before someone flames me - what he did was obviously super extraordinary, BUT IMHO he would have achieved the same result if he was turned into a Squib for the duration of Chamber of Secrets fight.
TriWizard Tournament entry - wasn’t him, it was Barty Crouch
TriWizard Tournament second challenge - a combination of character and outside help (someone told him about Gillyweed)
TriWizard Tournament third challenge - Mostly, Barty Crouch’s cheating
Note that I’m omitting the first challenge, since that one was the aforementioned Broom flying skills.
His survival in the cemetery after Voldemort’s return - again, a combination of superior strength of character and super powerful wandlore magic that had nothing to do with his skill as a Wizard.
The whole “last Horcrux” thing when surviving the second Avada Kedavra from Voldemort
His ownership of the Elder Wand in the very last duel with Voldemort.
So, to paraphrase my original question, was there any canon/JKR evidence that Harry was anything but a completely average/mediocre wizard in any way, shape, or form if you take into account only his own magical abilities and skills?
Answer
Long answer warning. :)
Harry was Largely Average
Approaching this subject from a broader angle than just "Was Harry a demonstrably powerful wizard," one of the reasons that Harry Potter was such a successful series is because J. K. Rowling did such an excellent job at making her characters relatable. What you say is true; Harry was not a particularly excellent wizard. He was a totally normal boy, with totally normal boy problems, thrust into a very abnormal set of circumstances.
Harry was neither a child prodigy, nor a complete buffoon when it came to academics. His grades were decidedly above average, but he was not without his challenges. Potions were a struggle for him; whether that is contributable to Snape's teaching style is debatable. Despite his academic struggles, his O.W.L. scores were actually fairly impressive:
Astronomy: (A)cceptable
Care of Magical Creatures: (E)xceeds Expectations
Charms: (E)xceeds Expectations
Defense Against the Dark Arts: (O)utstanding
Divination: (P)oor
Herbology: (E)xceeds Expectations
History of Magic: (D)readful
Potions: (E)xceeds Expectations
Transfiguration: (E)xceeds Expectations.
Harry always hated Divination, and he passed out midway through the History of Magic exam. During the practical portion of the Astronomy test, Umbridge was attempting to apprehend Hagrid. Harry was severely distracted by this, and still passed the exam. Even with Potions, which he was constantly challenged in, he still managed to Exceed Expectations.
Harry's Character is What Makes Him a Hero
The strength of Harry Potter lies not in his ability as a wizard, but in his character: his perseverance, his goodness, his unfailing courage, and his strong bond with his friends. These are universal to anyone reading a story; not every reader is a genius or some kind of prodigy. Those characters are there for readers to identify with, but Harry is an everyman.
Harry was Very Good at Certain Things
Aside from these things, Harry did show exceptional strength in the practical application of magic. Harry was capable of post N.E.W.T. level magic in his third year: a corporeal Patronus. He was an extremely accomplished duelist, having faced down Voldemort numerous times, and having defeated Draco Malfoy (who was renowned in their year as a duelist) numerous times. Harry's flying was top notch, as you mentioned, as was his affinity to deal with magical creatures (owls, thestrals, hippogriffs, a giant, centaurs, a half-blinded dragon to name a few). He was shown to be immune to the effects of the Imperius curse, demonstrating his strong will and character. Harry was shown to have aptitude in the Dark Arts as well: he could cast the Imperius Curse effectively, use all manners of jinxes and hexes, and was able to use a Dark Art spell correctly and almost lethally the first time he casted it (Sectumsempra). Harry was complemented by McGonagall in his sixth year on his Transfiguration ability; an impressive feat, considering McGonagall was widely considered to be the most powerful Transfigurer in the Wizarding World. Harry was talented at Charms, possessing a powerful and long ranged Accio. His Patronus charm was well known for its potency, as well. He was also capable of casting the protective charms Hermione used to protect their tent while traveling. Harry could also cast non-verbal spells, and was able to cast Lumos in Order of the Phoenix when his wand was a few yards from his body.
In Summary
While Harry was not a magical genius like Hermione or Dumbledore, he was quite gifted in the practical application of magic. Aside from that, there is nothing terribly remarkable about Harry. He is what J. K. Rowling intended him to be: an everyman foil for the plot of her book series that really anyone would be able to relate to.
Relevant Addendum
In researching another answer, I stumbled upon this quote from J. K. Rowling regarding Neville Longbottom, and his place in the story next to Harry's.
JKR: I love Neville. I love Neville so much. Always loved Neville. And I always had big plans for Neville, you know? And he really was The Boy It Could've Been, because as you know, as I made clear, he was born hours before Harry, he was born on the 30th of July, Voldemort singled him out as the other possibility. But the great thing about Neville's story for me, the over-arching story about Neville, is that he proves himself to be a boy who could've done it too. Yeah, Harry had the scar and arguably, Harry had an edge more talent because Harry-- he has an extraordinary instinct for the right thing to do. He's just got the right instinct, and that's what would make him, in due course, a phenomenal Auror. But Neville was, I think, amazing in the final battle, and proved himself a hundred times over worthy of being a Gryffindor, his parents' son, despite the very difficult childhood he had in the hands of his very pushy grandmother, and I know, she loves him and he loves her, but she's not an easy person to be raised by. So yeah, so that for me, was the big thing about Neville. He's not on the surface-- I suppose he's not as cool when it comes right down to it, although Harry, of course, made himself cool. He was a scrawny little kid in glasses, and he comes through, and he becomes the guy everyone wants to know.
J.K. Rowling's final assessment of Harry is that, yes, he was more talented than someone like Neville Longbottom, but it wasn't his talent that typically won the day for Harry. It was his instinct in combat and skill in practical magic that made Harry such a good wizard.
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