Hero's Journey Steps and Examples from Harry Potter

Hero’s Journey Step	Description	Example from H.P	Other
Call to adventure	The heroes journey begins here, when the hero becomes aware of the world outside of his hometown where the hero has lived his whole life in. His journey is usually given to him by a herald, who acts as a guide along the heroes journey	Hagrid comes and informs Harry that he is ready to go to Hogwarts
Refusal of Call	In some instances the hero may refuse the call, usually from from fear. Eventually the hero is on his way, either from encouragement, or an event that forces him to leave.	Harry is confused, and says “me, I’m not a wizard, I’m just Harry.” As well as the uncle and aunt are denying Harry’s entry into Hogwarts.
Supernatural Aid	As the hero continues his journey, he meet some aiding peers, usually an old man, a god/goddess or a messenger that will give him a weapon or supernatural abilities.	Hagrid gave Harry his money back, and allowed him to buy a wand, enabling Harry to perform magic, allowing himself to protect himself. Harry would also want to go to Hogwarts because his aunt and uncle+cousin are very mean and cruel to him.
Crossing the first threshold	This threshold the hero needs to cross separates the hero from the comforts of home, and an adventurous world filled with mystery and unknown dangers.	This event occurs when Harry enters platform 9 ¾. Also, Harry crosses over when he reaches Diagon Alley.
Belly of the whale	After the hero crosses the threshold he may find himself alone in the darkness, there he will discover the purpose of the journey and come out as a different person.	Harry finds his purpose after he enters the pub and is famous in this new magic world.
Road of Trials	The hero faces a variety of challenges, and quests to strengthen his or her character and skills.	When Harry is attending school, he is continuing to accept challenges and strengthen. When Harry becomes the first seeker to be in year one.
Meeting with the Goddess	The hero encounters a motherly figure that is known as either a queen or goddess and then has to return his or her rightful path. This is because the goddess has shown him/her what awaits at the end of his/her quest.	Harry meets Hermione and she always advises him to do the right thing. She always bosses him around and hates it when him and Ron break the rules.
Woman as the Temptress/Temptation from the True Path:	The meeting with a woman in the story can be either rewarding or degrading. In this step, the hero would have to return to his/her quest even though it is unappealing to his/her selfish desires.	This stage of the heroes journey was not displayed in the film “Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone” When the sorting hat tells Harry that he could do great things in slytherin but he still chose Gryffindor.
Atonement with the Fatherte	In the story, the hero will also encounter a fatherly figure(like the goddess) that has high authority. The fatherly figure can be portrayed as either a person that wants to help the hero or as someone that wants to take him down.	Dumbledore finds Harry looking at himself in the mirror of Erised and tells him that the only thing the mirror shows is lies. Dumbledore tells Harry that he should never go to the mirror again and go on and achieve greater things.
Apotheosis	In this part of the story, the hero starts viewing the world differently and this is because of a realization that he/she has. This realization either makes him/her think of his/her purpose or life. In this stage, the hero most likely turns into a selfless person that will put other in front of him.	When Harry Potter finds out that Dumbledore is gone to Europe and Harry realizes that he is not safe with him gone. This causes Harry to look at the world in a more heroic way and he has to make sure that his decisions result in positive things for all his loved ones.
The Ultimate Boon	During the Apotheosis, the hero will get some knowledge that he/she wants to share with the rest of the world. This knowledge changes the lives of others and the hero forever.	The Ultimate Boon was displayed in the film of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” through the philosopher’s stone and Harry finds out that the holder gets immortality.
Refusal of Return	The hero has finally finished his quest. It is time to go home back to the normal life he lived in before. The hero will feel unwelcome back to in the world because everything has changed.	When the year of Hogwarts is over, Harry is devastated and does not want to come back. This is because the family he lives with is very mean and cruel to him.
The Magic Flight	When the hero goes home, he has to flee from the people he has hurt and angered. This action is not performed alone, he is accompanied by his protector and he/she guides him safely back from the danger.	To return to the human world, Harry takes the train that takes him to the gate 9 ¾. He is accompanied by Hagrid, he makes sure that nothing disastrous happens to him.
Cross of Return Threshold	In this step, the hero tries to go back to the “normal world” but first, he must fight a gatekeeper or threat so he/she can return.	Harry does not have to fight any gatekeepers will exiting platform 9 ¾
Master of two worlds	The hero is home at last and comes to figure out that the “normal world” has not changed even though something big and different had happened. It must still be taken into account that the “big difference” occurred in the other dimension. Sometimes, the hero might realize that the big difference(in the supernatural world) is slowly creeping in the mundane world.	Harry knows everything is the same at “home”. He is still known as the loser Harry without any family. For the wizard world big news spread out that Voldemort is back. Harry is known as a celebrity and everyone knows that he the only one who can fix things.
Freedom to live	The hero is free at last to live his/her life in balance between the two worlds and himself. He can be in peace but still have to remember and know about the supernatural world.	When Harry destroys Voldemort for now and the school year is over and he can go home. Harry still has no freedom to live because the people he lives with are very cruel to him. He is taken away from the supernatural world for the summer.