When Harry is first introduced as the boy who lived, it's not entirely clear what kind of wizard he's going to become – and for much of the series, he questions himself and his choices. Of course, fans know that eventually he becomes a young man who makes the right decisions and saves the wizarding world … and from the beginning he makes good decisions.
Of course, Harry also makes some bad decisions Harry Potter in this first part of – from trying to do things without the help of his friends (a recurring theme in the series), to putting a snake on his cousin (satisfying and random, but still not the best move). Overall, though, his decisions were pretty fantastic.
5 Asking Molly Weasley for help
One of Harry's defining moments is when he prefers Gryffindor to Slytherin when he is sorted out. As Dumbledore tells him later, it's choices, not skills, that show who someone really is. Harry's story would have been completely different if he had been sorted into Slytherin, and he might not even have been able to save the wizarding world!
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Of course, this was also a spur-of-the-moment decision – Harry didn't know he was going to influence the Talking Hat's decision, and all he knew about the houses was a single comment about "evil witches and wizards" coming out of that house! Fortunately, it still turned out to be right.
3 According to memory
When Draco tries to take Neville's Remembrall and hide it on the roof (after Neville is injured and taken to the hospital wing by the teacher), Harry makes the brave decision to jump on his broom and chase Draco… flying experience! This was a risky decision, as it could have landed him in jail or in the infirmary himself.
However, it's that decision that actually got him on the Quidditch team – a great move for his early years, but also one that got him the flying practice he needed in the Triwizard Tournament, and many other times when it wasn't a game, but it was a matter of life and death.
2 Hermione to track on Halloween
Not many young wizards would have actively gone to rescue someone they didn't even like when a mountain troll is on the loose, but this isn't Harry! Instead, he decides to look for her on Halloween, knowing she has no idea about the troll and is in danger.
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This decision not only saved Hermione's life at the moment, but it later saved Harry's own life and probably the entire wizarding world as well. Without the friendship with Hermione that came out of that Halloween night, Harry would undoubtedly have been killed in the first few books! He relies on them all the time, and if he had not looked for them, everything would have been different.
1 Make Ron see the mirror
When Harry discovers Erised's mirror, he decides not to keep it for himself, but immediately wants Ron to show it to him. Of course, at the time he thinks the mirror is showing his own parents and he wants his friend to see it, but the decision to include Ron is important for so many reasons.
For one thing, knowing that Ron is seeing something else allows Harry to figure out what the mirror is doing. Arguably, Dumbledore would have told him anyway, but Ron (or at least his presence) can still take some credit here. This, of course, is of vital importance when he goes up against Voldemort for the stone. More than that, though, this is one of the times he and Ron really solidify their relationship – and like his relationship with Hermione, he needs that friendship to save his life over and over again.