Poll

Sirius saw Harry as if he was James, never as a son. Not even as his Godson.
Dumbledore was barely present during the first 5 books. The only book in which he had a stronger relation with harry was in the sixth book, and they were sort of accomplices, not nearly a father-son kind of relation. And then we know what happens in that book....
So I was between Mr Weasley and Lupin... I went for Arthur because he truly cared about him.

I liked Arthur but sort of like Sirius more. Maybe because he treats Harry like an adult and not like a little kid and I don't like being treated like a kid, mostly by my parents.

My true vote is Hagrid.

Jody wrote: "My true vote is Hagrid." You're so damn right! I can't believe he didn't even cross my mind.

Hagrid.

Oh yeah. I forgot to add the write-in answers. Now you can vote for Hagrid if you like :)

Honestly, none of the above offered choices. I think Hagrid was more of a father figure for Harry. But, of the choices presented, definitely Arthur. Arthur really seemed to look at Harry as a part of his family, another son. He cared for Harry, tried to protect him, was there for him, etc.

Sirius, as much as I loved him, never saw Harry as a son at all. He saw Harry as James. Dumbledore was never there as a father figure for Harry, and they really didn't have much contact until the sixth book. Remus, while I'm sure he cared for Harry, was still not quite in a position to be fatherly towards him.

Sirius, Arthur, but hagrid was more like a friend...and no, not ever dumbledore.

Sirius is winning! cool!

Hagrid. He really loved Harry.

Sirius wasn't a fantastic father figure- he saw Harry as James rather than as his Godson. Albus and Remus were more mentors to Harry, like fantastic teachers than anything. They were more there to teach Harry, rather than be a father.

My vote is between Hagrid and Arthur. Hagrid is more permanent I guess, but Arthur and the rest of the Weasleys sort of became Harrys family.

Honestly I think it really should only be between Arthur and Hagrid. Harry was Dumbledore's pawn in the war, Sirius saw Harry more as a friend than as a child/son. Remus could have been an excellent father figure but I don't feel like he was given the time or space to do that in the books. He works as an excellent mentor though. I think Hagrid was a very prominent, loving, doting and protective father figure for Harry. I think he was incredibly important to Harry's development.

Snape IS NOT HARRY'S FATHER FIGURE! He's my favorite character, but I cannot vote for him because he hates Harry. Period.

Sirius is similar. I like him, but he's flawed. At the end of Percy and Padfoot, Sirius wants to go to turn into a dog to visit Harry at hogsmeade over the weekend. The trio say it's not safe, so Sirius says that Harry is less like James than he thought, because the risk would have made it fun for James. Then he ends the conversation. I think that sums up why he isn't a good father figure for Harry pretty well.

Dumbledore uses Harry as a child soldier against Voldemort. Then he almost Sacrifices Harry for the greater good.

The other 3 were all worthy candidates, but I picked Lupin.

I think Hagrid, Arthur and to a degree even Remus. But mostly Hagrid. He was the first ever person to be kind to him, he kind of "adopted" him the first moment they've met.

Totally Hagrid. I think he is the one who cares about Harry most. Like some other people said, Sirius really only looked at him as if he was James, not Harry. Remus cared about him, but thought that he was not good enough for Harry. Arthur is a like a second father to Harry, but not in the same way as Hagrid.
I vote Hagrid.

Briny wrote: "Snape IS NOT HARRY'S FATHER FIGURE! He's my favorite character, but I cannot vote for him because he hates Harry. Period.

Sirius is similar. I like him, but he's flawed. At the end of Percy and Pa..."

But I think that Dumbledore knew that Harry wasn't going to die. He knew about the Hallows, and that Harry would be master of death. I don't know how he knew, but he did.

I vote Arthur.

Arthur, Sirius and Hagrid are the only ones who without fail were always there for Harry, I just pick Arthur over Hagrid because I got more of friendship vibe than fatherly from Harry and Hagrid's relationship.

While Sirius will always be my favourite character, there's no doubt in my mind that Arthur was Harry's best father figure. I don't think that Sirius always saw Harry as James, but he did sometimes and that wasn't good. Plus Sirius was to reckless and screwed up from 12 years in Azkaban to be a good father to Harry, although he tried his hardest. Like many people have said Sirius was extremely flawed, I like that in my characters, it's why he's my favourite but it doesn't make him a good father figure.

I considered either Arthur or Lupin, and chose Lupin, but of course I kept thinking Arthur treated Harry just like Ron and his other boys. Maybe I chose Lupin because HE is what I would think a good father would be. Happy Birthday to JKRowling, Harry, and Neville

Harry had many great fatherly figures, but I had to go with Hagrid. I feel like he can be under appreciated, but if you think about it, Hagrid was a ginormous influence in Harry's life growing up. I mean, where would Harry be without him? He was the first person to introduce Harry to the wizarding world, he told Harry about his past, he got him his first pet, he was the first person to celebrate his birthday, he went to all his quidditch games, he was often there to greet and see Harry off, and Harry could always go to him to talk. Don't get me wrong, I mean I think all of those options were a huge part of Harry's life, but as Harry himself said; "There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid."

In order:

1. Sirius
2. Lupin
3. Hagrid
4. Arthur
5. Dumbledore
6. Snape

I will admit Sirius wouldn't win Father Figure of the Year award or anything, but I do think people should give him more credit. I know someone mentioned above that time in Percy and Padfoot when he gets mad that they can't meet up in Hogsmeade, and I do think it was uncalled for. But you remember, he made the first move when they made up--and neither of them mentioned it again. And doesn't anyone remember how Sirius was in GOF? How he warned Harry not to use Hedwig, told him NOT to come visit him in his hideout, gave them background info about Barty-Crouch-Jr.-Gate, helped him with the TriWizard Tournament (remember how he was going to suggest the Conjuntivitis Curse for the dragon?), got concerned about Harry's scar hurting and stayed with him after Voldemort made his 90's comeback? When Dumbledore told Harry Sirius was waiting for him in Dumbledore's office, I always thought it was like when you get sick at school but then the nurse tells you your mom is waiting for you and you feel like everything will be all right. In OOTP, Sirius was quite different, but I personally think he wasn't "all there", if you get my drift. I think he knew, overall, that Harry was not James, but he saw James IN Harry. There have been studies done on what happens to the human mind when kept in captivity, and it's not pretty. So Sirius might not have been the best father figure in book 5. If he wasn't clear on who Harry was, I don't think he was clear on who he was, either.

HOWEVER, it must be pointed out that, for whatever reason, Sirius seemed to be the only one who could make Harry act, how do I put it, calmer. You know how he was in OOTP, having some sort of meltdown every five minutes. But with Sirius he wasn't like that, he was calm, sweet and behaved. Why is that? It's because, after Ron and Hermione, Sirius is the first person who Harry turns to for help, and the one he trusts the most. Keep in mind Harry blew up at his two best friends all the time, but never Sirius. I think it holds some weight that, whether or not Sirius was the best father figure, Harry SAW him as the best father figure. We never got a chance to really see, because due to Sirius being a fugitive, he and Harry couldn't have spent as much time together as they'd have liked. We would have had more to work with if Sirius had been a free man. But I guarantee you he would have been more responsible if he hadn't been a captive like he was in book 5. They do have a small sort of communication issue in that Sirius doesn't like to pry when it comes to Harry--if Harry has a problem he's usually the one who has to initiate a conversation, which isn't good, because it's OOC for Harry to be very open with anybody, for his own reasons. But he was more open with Sirius Black than he was with anyone else (besides Ron and Hermione, that is).

Also, from what I can gather, part of the reason Harry has his tantrums is because he feels like nobody takes him seriously and that his feelings aren't valid or legitimate. Harry is snagged between adulthood and childhood and, I think, is trying to figure out where he stands, even if he doesn't realize it. But he knows he's not a baby anymore, and (in his eyes) nobody agrees. Harry thinks he can handle the truth, and Sirius is the only one who seems to agree. I know people say Sirius treats him like he's James, but he at least understands the fact that Harry is old enough now to deal with this heavy stuff and that it's important to be open with him. Nobody else seems to realize this--and Sirius was right about that in the end, wasn't he? Even Dumbledore admits he should have been more open with Harry. I think there were things Sirius knew that he didn't tell Harry, but this is because he was ordered not to. Sirius may be reckless, but he did have Harry's best interests at heart, and he gave Harry things he did need: unconditional love, support and the idea that YES, your thoughts and feelings are just as legit as anyone else's and NO, you're not a baby anymore. And again, if you had to ask Harry who his best father figure is, he'd say Sirius. Best of all, Sirius would never try to replace James Potter. He'd give Harry the parentish support he needed but he would agree that nobody could ever fill James's shoes, or Lily's, for that matter. It's like trying to replace Freddie Mercury. You just can't do it.

Now, Lupin: I think Lupin gave Harry something Sirius could not. Lupin was very levelheaded, kind and gentle. If Sirius ever acted too rashly, Lupin, I think, could have balanced things out. Lupin is very wise and clever as well. So he was my second choice. I don't think he and Harry were as close as Harry and Sirius, but Lupin would make a good father figure over all.

Hagrid: This one was difficult. Someone said above that Hagrid was the one who was there from the beginning, and I agree. He was also close by, which wasn't possible for Sirius or Lupin. Always, his heart was in the right place. But I think he was more of a friend than a father figure. Also, I don't think he was exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, to be honest.

Arthur: I agree that Arthur was a wonderful man, but he and Harry were just never that close. I never got a "father figure" vibe from him like I did from Sirius and Lupin. Arthur Weasley was just "my best friend's dad".

Dumbledore: People get confused with "father figure" and "mentor". Dumbledore was a mentor, but not really what I would call a father figure. I don't really care for him, to be honest, mostly because of how he acted in OOTP and because he left Harry with the Dursleys and scarred his psyche forever. I know about Lily's love spell and all that, but there were other options. That's an argument for a different thread, however. Most of all, though, I think Dumbledore did use Harry as a weapon in a war that wasn't his, and, again, DIDN'T TELL HIM ANYTHING, which proved to be a horrible mistake later on.

Finally, Snape: No. Just no. Again, my feelings on Snape are an argument for a different thread.

Oh Sirius....


*cries*

w-why would someone vote for snape,,,

Guillermo wrote: "Sirius saw Harry as if he was James, never as a son. Not even as his Godson.
Dumbledore was barely present during the first 5 books. The only book in which he had a stronger relation with harry was..."

That was exactly me lol!

I totally agree

Sirius was a terrible father figure. He was irresponsible, never apologised for his past actions, immature, and willing to put Harry in all kinds of danger because he kept confusing him with James. Sirius was just a toxic person in general, I do not understand why I'm the only person I know who sees that.

Dumbledore was barely present for most of the series in any way that would have emotionally impacted Harry, and when he was present he was manipulative and used Harry as nothing more than a means to an end.

Hagrid was a wonderful familial figure, but I wouldn't say he embodied a lot of fatherly qualities. He often encouraged Harry to break rules and put him in danger, even without meaning to.

For me it's between Remus, who really tried to separate Harry from James in a way that Sirius never did, and tried to teach him to defend himself and succeed in their mission without putting him in mortal danger unnecessarily, and Arthur, who truly treated Harry as another of his own sons and was nurturing as well as protective.

Madge wrote: "Honestly, none of the above offered choices. I think Hagrid was more of a father figure for Harry. But, of the choices presented, definitely Arthur. Arthur really seemed to look at Harry as a part ..."

Too true. I saw Hagrid and Arthur as the biggest father figures in Harry's life: the ones who took him in and celebrated Christmas and birthdays with him and never thought he was crazy and did their best to lend their ear and their hand and their shoulder.

AAGH! All of them?! They all played important roles in Harry's life, and in the end Harry ended up appreciating all of them for it. I feel like Sirius was more of an uncle than a father, and Snape was doing it for Lily, not for Harry. Lupin was good, but somehow he doesn’t feel like a father. I can’t decide between Dumbledore, Arthur, and Hagrid. Great question, it made me think!

My original vote was Sirius (saved Harry's life), but I changed my vote because he was immature and I thought Hagrid was better (but he was suspicious in Knockturn alley) and Albus was only really impacting Harry in 6th and 7th books, so not him. Arthur was tied with Hagrid and no not Vernon he literally locked Harry up! Snape was good in the end, but I can't say he was fatherly. Well, he was, in a weird way, but Harry doesn't see that except when Snape dies, so no not him either. Not really Remus Lupin either....so my vote goes to Arthur and Hagrid!

even though their relationship was always written as one of friends with an age gap, and even though hagrid was often childish and a bit naive (lol), i think he also showed father-like qualities to harry. for example, he always felt protective over him, was generally supportive of him and his decisions and, well... he was present. also hagrid had no family in the picture (apart from grawp) so, in a way, they fulfilled the role of father-son to each other, i think.
i don't consider sirius as my first choice because he always saw harry as james, and dumbledore was just a dumbass.

for me, hagrid or arthur all the way <3.