Why Harry Potter is not a hero

[Jorlem]

I'd like to point out, if you define hero using that definition, Hercules doesn't really qualify, nor do quite a few others.

Merriam-Webster defines the word 'hero' thusly:

a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
b : an illustrious warrior
c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
d : one who shows great courage

Under definitions A and B, it doesn't matter if you don't take initiative yourself (most of Hercules's great deeds were assigned to him as Tasks), just that you can do things that would be nearly impossible for others.  For those, Harry does qualify, up until the end, when his victories did not derive from his own power, but from his sheer luck, for reasons I have outlined previously. For D, Harry does quailfy, but theoretically, so should everybody in Gryffindor.  For C, there's the question of how much of his achievments are his own, and who is defining what exactly constitutes a noble quality, as that has changed over history.
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Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.