So can I get a short list of people who actually qualify as heros? So far I only can thing of the guy from Atlas Shrugged (which I've never read) and a deranged Player Character that does everything him/her because of the attrition rate of party members.
Also, I've noted twice now that it is after the beast is slain that Harry does the really heroic bit. You know... shrugging off the dieing in hidious melting pain and snuffing out the infested diary?
Well the point about him going after the beast in the first place as well... but before that point it was largely a kind of annoying... but not really dangerous. It made noise and stasised people and made Hagrid look badish. However it was perfectly content sleep for its entire existence. The snake is a midboss at best, but more a tool with unrequited munchies. The villian was the soul eating literature... and that is the thing that Harry death matched.
Oddly enough the 1000 year old Death Beast was a tool made by someone else...if we take the your idea that a hero must never use items made by anyone else... then Riddle isn't a villian for doing that. Hell, the snake and the sword are two versions of the same exact item! Just from different house creators... both are tools... both run on the qualities of their House founder. The Sword isn't a de'ex machinia... its an entirely valid counter measure... but the snake and the sword are tools not the hero and the villain.
The Book of Voldie 'died' by the 'dagger' strike from Harry... I'm pretty sure an improvised weapon made from breaking off part of a legendary monster lodged in your arm after slaying it... and stabbed through the heart of your enemy counts as making your own equipment anyway.
Also, I've noted twice now that it is after the beast is slain that Harry does the really heroic bit. You know... shrugging off the dieing in hidious melting pain and snuffing out the infested diary?
Well the point about him going after the beast in the first place as well... but before that point it was largely a kind of annoying... but not really dangerous. It made noise and stasised people and made Hagrid look badish. However it was perfectly content sleep for its entire existence. The snake is a midboss at best, but more a tool with unrequited munchies. The villian was the soul eating literature... and that is the thing that Harry death matched.
Oddly enough the 1000 year old Death Beast was a tool made by someone else...if we take the your idea that a hero must never use items made by anyone else... then Riddle isn't a villian for doing that. Hell, the snake and the sword are two versions of the same exact item! Just from different house creators... both are tools... both run on the qualities of their House founder. The Sword isn't a de'ex machinia... its an entirely valid counter measure... but the snake and the sword are tools not the hero and the villain.
The Book of Voldie 'died' by the 'dagger' strike from Harry... I'm pretty sure an improvised weapon made from breaking off part of a legendary monster lodged in your arm after slaying it... and stabbed through the heart of your enemy counts as making your own equipment anyway.