I've been thinking about this, and maybe I mentioned some of this in an earlier post, but HP isn't a very interesting person, considering who and what he is, and what he's been through. Consider: Here is a boy who was traumatized as a baby and left on his relatives doorstep. At some point not long after that he was given a bedroom in a closet, and treated like garbage by his caregivers. The only other child in his life, his cousin, is spoiled rotten and given every advantage, and not punished for bullying and/or demoralizing Harry. Meanwhile, weird stuff happens to Harry that no one can explain. His hair won't stay cut. What's up with that and why is that magic? Magic people don't get to get haircuts? Seems odd. He's never gotten any mail. He doesn't have any friends at school. The only other adult in his life is a creepy lady who shows him pictures of cakes or whatever. Never mind that it turns out she's a spy for Dumbledore, in the first book she's a throwaway character that Rowling never planned to use again, until she started working on Book 5.
So Harry should be straight-up scarred for life. If he were like most kids who go through similar experiences, he would have some serious trouble relating to others, trusting anyone, or making friends. He'd have a difficult journey just to start feeling like he's a normal kid. Being part of a secret society where everyone has super powers would make some parts of that journey more difficult. On the one hand, he'd have a group of peers with which he shares a similarity - that would be good. On the other hand, that similarity is a thing that alienates them from all but a few thousand people. On earth.
If I were exploring a character like this, I might read up on some psychology studies about kids who have lived through childhood experiences like Harry's.
Next, and this has nothing to do with his crappy childhood (How is it better than just growing up around magical people? They could have sent him to live with the Weasleys, fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix, right? Or to some childless magical couple that have been yearning for a child of their own but haven't been able to have one. Oh right. The only thing Harry gets to have in his life is utter isolation from anyone who might care about him. That's healthy.) Harry should have some quirks. Why? Because everyone has quirks. No one goes through their day as a blank slate, waiting to be filled up by other people's personal expectations. Harry is an empty shell that we pour ourselves into as readers, so we can live through his experiences and be amazing. He's a video game avatar in the world's longest first person cut-scene.
He collects things that no one else thinks are particularly interesting, maybe. We learn that quirk about Ron in the first five seconds after meeting him - he collects those wizard trading cards. Of course, Harry would not have been able to collect anything too normal, in his life under the stairs, but it's possible he could have developed an attachment to some thing in the real world that connects him to his childhood, or to the world of magic, in a way that he doesn't realize until later. I was thinking he could collect playing cards, then secretly practice card tricks in his cupboard, knowing that his aunt and uncle hate magic of any kind. Maybe he saw a magician on the television when he was a kid, and was amazed by the tricks until the channel was changed. Later he sneaks a deck into his cupboard and practices different card tricks. Later, he could impress his magic friends with sleight-of-hand tricks - that reminds me a little of Willow, actually.
He could draw. Maybe he's a really good artist, and he draws very detailed pictures of mystical animals and magical looking places.
He could really love hats. That doesn't have anything to do with his magical background, but so what? He freaking loves hats and has a collection of forty or so that he takes everywhere and wears for different occasions.
He could be a neat-freak. Loves to sweep, especially. Has actually made his own brooms.
Quirks help give a character a personality, and add a dimension to their experiences. A character with some quirks will say and do things in various situations that express those quirks.
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