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My answer to a separate question on Hogwarts gifts states that Harry received gifts from Hagrid, Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Dumbledore on his first Christmas at Hogwarts. Harry isn't recorded as giving anything at all.

Harry is hardly poor. He has piles of wizarding gold hauled up in his Gringotts vaults. He was often quite generous in the later books; for example, on one occasion he gave his entire Triwizard Tournament winnings to the Weasley twins.

Did he ever give anybody anything in the earlier books, however? What was the first gift he gave?

By 'gift' I mean an object bought for somebody else or a possession of Harry's that he valued and gave away.

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The Dark Lord
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    The biggest and priceless gift he ever gave anyone was love. – user931 Oct 26 '17 at 18:18
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    @Discovery I don't understand love. Next. – The Dark Lord Oct 26 '17 at 18:25
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    It doesn't quite answer the question as asked, but JK Rowling did mention in an interview that Harry did buy Ron and Hermione birthday presents, but that she couldn't make it fit into the books. – Toast Oct 26 '17 at 20:42
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    Actually the first gift Harry gave is freedom to a snake, right? – Varun Nair Oct 27 '17 at 11:32
  • @TaylorOstberg If it was meant for a book but cut then I think it should go in an answer (maybe beside a book-cannon answer). – user3067860 Oct 27 '17 at 12:53
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    @TheDarkLord You're the world's greatest Legilimens and you can't find this out yourself? The best part is you could torture Potter while you're searching his brain (or even before, during and after). What a gift. – Pryftan Oct 27 '17 at 15:53
  • @VarunNair his first gift was freedom to all wizarding world by making the dark lord disappear. – atakanyenel Oct 27 '17 at 17:19
  • @FaheemMitha More thinking of how it was stated; that's why I didn't assume, see? Some might interpret it as an affront. Depending on my state I could see the way it was worded that way exactly that. But that would vary. That's where I was coming from but I was also willing to give the benefit of the doubt. In reality I know I'm the odd one of the bunch - and this state of mind fluctuates a lot (I can sort of put together where my mind was when I wrote that) and esp this year! That's all though; I apologise for any confusion [or whatever else]. – Pryftan Oct 27 '17 at 17:37
  • How consensual does it have to be? There's a lot of stuff that he "gave" to Dudley. – Acccumulation Oct 29 '17 at 00:54

3 Answers3

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The first thing he ever gives is a Pumpkin Pasty.

It's not quite a present, but Harry shares his sweets with Ron when he meets him on the Hogwarts Express.

“Go on, have a pasty,’ said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties and cakes (the sandwiches lay forgotten).”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 6 (The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Also not quite a gift, but he gives Ginny Lockhart's books.

When Harry got Lockhart's books for free from him, he gives them to Ginny and decides he'll buy his own. I'm not sure whether this would count as a gift, since despite Harry needing them for school, Lockhart giving them to him made him feel awkward and he wasn't happy about the situation. Him giving them to Ginny was not just out of kindness, but also of a desire to be rid of Lockhart's unwanted gift himself.

“Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron. ‘You have these,’ Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. ‘I’ll buy my own –”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4 (At Flourish and Blotts)

Harry buys Ron and Hermione Omnioculars at the World Cup.

Harry buys both of his friends Omnioculars at the Quidditch World Cup, when he sees Ron's disappointment at not being able to afford anything.

“Wish I hadn’t bought this now,’ said Ron, gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.

‘Three pairs,’ said Harry firmly to the wizard.

‘No – don’t bother,’ said Ron, going red. He was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did.

‘You won’t be getting anything for Christmas,’ Harry told him, thrusting Omnioculars into his and Hermione’s hands. ‘For about ten years, mind.”
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 7 (Bagman and Crouch)

Harry actually buys Ron a gift for their fourth-year Christmas.

Harry's first preplanned gift to someone is when he buys a gift specifically for Ron for Christmas during their fourth year.

“They’re only socks,’ said Ron, who had gone slightly pink around the ears, though looking rather pleased all the same. ‘Wow, Harry –’ he had just opened Harry’s present, a Chudley Cannon hat. ‘Cool!’ He jammed it onto his head, where it clashed horribly with his hair.”
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)

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Obsidia
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    Harry bought Ron and Hermione Omnioculars in their 4th year the QWC (prior to christmas) in lieu of future gifts for the next 10 years – NKCampbell Oct 26 '17 at 19:02
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    Does giving Dobby a sock count? – kojiro Oct 27 '17 at 02:17
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    @kojiro If giving Dobby a sock counts, then probably him giving sweets to Ron or books to Ginny would also count - meaning one of them would be his first gift instead. – Obsidia Oct 27 '17 at 06:37
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    @kojiro He doesn't give Dobby a sock. He gives Lucius Malfoy a sock (along with the empty notebook that Lucius had so carelessly misplaced almost a year earlier). Then Lucius passes the sock on to Dobby. – Arthur Oct 27 '17 at 07:44
  • @kojiro We could actually say that he gifted freedom to Dobby. The actual sock was technically given to Dobby by Malfoy. – John Hamilton Oct 27 '17 at 12:24
  • @Arthur so the point he gifted the sock still stands, only to Lucius Malfoy instead of Dobby. – Worse_Username Oct 27 '17 at 14:11
  • @Worse_Username I guess it would. – Arthur Oct 27 '17 at 14:22
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    @Bellatrix 'Also not quite a gift, but he gives Ginny Lockhart's books.' Yes, you're quite right. Not quite a gift; after all who would consider receiving books by a fraud to be a gift? And you're a formidable witch so I know you understand this all too well. But..maybe you don't understand gifts? That's possible too I guess. In which case good work! Maybe you have some hope after all. Humour or no I would say actually that it does count as a gift esp since 1. the Weasleys are poor; 2) he didn't actually know that Lockhart was a fraud; and 3) He selflessly gave them away with a good heart. – Pryftan Oct 27 '17 at 15:48
  • The latter three quotes don't reference the book names - they should. Personally I like to see chapters too. Specifically, I don't remember the gift of books to Ginny. – Faheem Mitha Oct 27 '17 at 15:56
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    I seem to remember him giving Ron a pair of Quidditch keeper gloves. Confirmed here plus more instances. The Triwizard gold to the twins, a broom compass for Ron and an arithmancy/numerology book for Hermione – Jay Oct 27 '17 at 20:22
  • @Arthur So then we can say that he gave Lucius a gift, right? – Engineer Toast Oct 27 '17 at 21:11
  • @Jay Yes, but none of those could possibly count as his first gift, there would have to things that counted before. – Obsidia Oct 27 '17 at 21:11
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The first gift that Harry gave was the second greatest gift anyone can bestow, the gift of freedom.

Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor’s tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on to the floor – people throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.

As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, ‘Brazil, here I come … Thanksss, amigo.’

Valorum
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In addition to the other answers here:

  1. Triwizard winnings to Fred and George in year 4
  2. He gives Ron a broom compass in year 5, and
  3. a pair of Quidditch keeper's gloves in year 6.
  4. He gives Hermione a book New Theory of Numerology in year 5.

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Jay
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