169-596: The Death Eaters are characters featured in the Harry Potter series of novels and films. They are a radical group of wizards and witches, led by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort , who seek to purify the wizarding community by eliminating wizards and witches born to non-magical parents. They attempt to create a new order within the Ministry of Magic by spreading fear through the wizarding community and murdering those who speak out against them. Their primary opposition
338-475: A Death Eater . If a wizard is unable to Apparate or is travelling with an underage companion, a Portkey can be used. A Portkey is usually an ordinary object that has been enchanted. The user touches the Portkey and uses the charm "Portus" to travel to the desired destination. A Portkey is often a mundane object such as an old boot or tin can, which allows the device to avoid scrutiny from Muggles. Characters in
507-452: A "secondary secondary world, made up of intelligently patchworked derivative motifs from all sorts of children's literature ... written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip." Michael Rosen , a novelist and poet, held the opinion that the books were not suited for children, as they would be unable to grasp
676-415: A Christian moral fable in the psychomachia tradition, in which stand-ins for good and evil fight for supremacy over a person's soul. Children's literature critic Joy Farmer sees parallels between Harry and Jesus Christ . Comparing Rowling with Lewis, she argues that "magic is both authors' way of talking about spiritual reality". According to Maria Nikolajeva , Christian imagery is particularly strong in
845-545: A God-like character, the divine, trusted leader of the series, guiding the long-suffering hero along his quest. In the seventh novel, Harry speaks with and questions the deceased Dumbledore much like a person of faith would talk to and question God. Harry Potter 's overarching theme is death. In the first book, when Harry looks into the Mirror of Erised, he feels both joy and "a terrible sadness" at seeing his desire: his parents, alive and with him. Confronting their loss
1014-408: A bygone Britain", and he speaks of "a pedestrian, ungrammatical prose style". Ursula K. Le Guin said, "I have no great opinion of it [...] it seemed a lively kid's fantasy crossed with a ' school novel ,' good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited." By contrast, author Fay Weldon , while admitting that the series is "not what
1183-494: A combination of Muggle-repelling charms, illusions, and other protections. Some magical locations, such as the prison Azkaban and the stadium used for the Quidditch World Cup, are rendered "unplottable", meaning they are impossible to locate on a map. The castle of Hogwarts appears as abandoned ruins to any Muggle close enough to see. Some extremist wizards oppose wizard-Muggle marriages, arguing that it dilutes
1352-461: A decade in which we have followed the publication of the liveliest, funniest, scariest and most moving children's stories ever written." Charles Taylor of Salon.com , who is primarily a movie critic, took issue with Byatt's criticisms in particular. While he conceded that she may have "a valid cultural point—a teeny one—about the impulses that drive us to reassuring pop trash and away from the troubling complexities of art", he rejected her claims that
1521-594: A derogatory name for those born to non-magical parents ( Muggles ). Death Eaters have also attacked pure-bloods who oppose them. Examples of this are pure-blooded members of the Order of the Phoenix such as Sirius Black , the Prewett brothers, who were murdered because of their loyalties, and the entire Weasley family. Such people are often called "blood traitors" by those who subscribe to Death Eater ideologies. In reality,
1690-409: A fairly serious and dark tone throughout, though they do contain some notable instances of tragicomedy and black humour. In many respects, they are also examples of the bildungsroman , or coming of age novel, and contain elements of mystery , adventure, horror , thriller , and romance . The books are also, in the words of Stephen King , "shrewd mystery tales", and each book is constructed in
1859-773: A few of the more notable creatures described in the series. The Ministry of Magic is the government of the British wizarding community. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, first appears in Chamber of Secrets . Young wizards in Britain usually attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Following completion of a Hogwarts education, there is no standard tertiary education, and there are no known wizard universities. Successful Hogwarts students are considered ready to function as adults, though some wizarding professions require special training programmes after Hogwarts. These include
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#17327869154372028-490: A given book could only start after it had been released in English, leading to a lag of several months before the translations were available. This led to more and more copies of the English editions being sold to impatient fans in non-English speaking countries; for example, such was the clamour to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that its English language edition became the first English-language book ever to top
2197-579: A great deal of effort keeping Muggles unaware of magic and the wizarding world. The novels explain that in the past, the two worlds co-existed. Over the centuries, persecution of wizards by Muggles resulted in the creation of laws designed to keep the wizarding world hidden, such as the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692. Enchantment of Muggle artefacts is forbidden, underage wizards are restricted from using magic outside of school, and any deliberate revelation of magical ability to
2366-494: A letter of acceptance to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . Harry learns that his parents, Lily and James Potter , also had magical powers and were murdered by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort when Harry was a baby. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, his curse rebounded, seemingly killing Voldemort, and Harry survived with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. The event made Harry famous among
2535-536: A moment. The silver hand turns against him and strangles him to death as punishment for his moment of pity. In the films, Pettigrew is portrayed by Timothy Spall as an adult and by Charles Hughes as a teenager. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 , Pettigrew is not strangled to death by his own silver hand in Malfoy Manor as in the book; he is instead struck by Dobby and collapses. It
2704-465: A more gender-neutral pen name in order to appeal to the male members of this age group, fearing that they would not be interested in reading a novel they knew to be written by a woman. She elected to use J. K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling), using her grandmother's name as her second name because she has no middle name . Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published by Bloomsbury,
2873-444: A quarter Veela ; Rubeus Hagrid , who is half- giant ; and Filius Flitwick , who has goblin ancestry. Prejudiced wizards sometimes use the derogatory term "half-breed" to refer to mixed-species individuals. The Harry Potter universe is home to many magical creatures. Some are derived from real-world folklore and mythology, while others were created by Rowling. Some are modified versions of creatures from real-world lore. Below are
3042-510: A recipient. A Patronus is conjured with the Patronus Charm and is primarily used to repel Dementors . It can also be used for communication by a talented wizard. Albus Dumbledore devised a method of using Patronuses to deliver vocal messages, which he used in the service of Order of the Phoenix . Minerva McGonagall is the only character in the series who demonstrates the ability to project multiple message-carrying Patronuses. While
3211-485: A secret group to continue the teachings. Harry has recurring dreams of a dark corridor in the Ministry of Magic, eventually dreaming that Sirius is being tortured there. He races to the Ministry with his friends, but it is a trap, planted in his head by Voldemort. The group are attacked by Death Eaters and saved by the Order of the Phoenix, but Sirius is killed in the battle. A duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort convinces
3380-499: A separate best-seller list for children's literature in 2000, just before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . By 24 June 2000, Rowling's novels had been on the list for 79 straight weeks; the first three novels were each on the hardcover best-seller list. On 12 April 2007, Barnes & Noble declared that Deathly Hallows had broken its pre-order record, with more than 500,000 copies pre-ordered through its site. For
3549-536: A small band of pure-bloods. The Death Eaters not only seek the restoration of pure-blood rule over the Wizarding community, but also the eventual subjugation of the Muggle community under Wizarding rule. During their control over the Ministry of Magic, they severely persecuted Muggle-born wizards, sending them to Azkaban for life or feeding them to Dementors. Alecto and Amycus Carrow are siblings who participate in
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#17327869154373718-598: A somewhat anime-influenced style. The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other Harry Potter related license holders. This success has made Rowling the first and thus far only billionaire author. The books have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide and have also given rise to the popular film adaptations produced by Warner Bros. Pictures , all of which have been highly successful in their own right . The total revenue from
3887-476: A story about good vs. evil, its moral divisions are not absolute. First impressions of characters are often misleading. Harry assumes in the first book that Quirrell is on the side of good because he opposes Snape, who appears to be malicious; in reality, Quirrell is an agent of Voldemort, while Snape is loyal to Dumbledore. This pattern later recurs with Moody and Snape. In Rowling's world, good and evil are choices rather than inherent attributes: second chances and
4056-429: Is (seemingly posthumously) awarded the Order of Merlin, and hides during the next twelve years. Wanting to keep an eye on the wizarding world, he masquerades as a rat, first as Percy Weasley 's pet, and then as Ron Weasley 's. In this form (named "Scabbers" by the family), he is missing a toe from one paw due to the finger he cut off. Although Pettigrew appears in the first two books in the form of Scabbers, his identity
4225-599: Is Quidditch, which is a team sport played up in the air on broomsticks . Every House at Hogwarts has a Quidditch team and competes in the Quidditch Cup. Outside of Hogwarts, the Quidditch World Cup is a major international event that draws teams and spectators from countries around the world. Wizard's Chess is a version of chess played with pieces that are magically animated. In Philosopher's Stone , Harry, Ron and Hermione become human chess pieces in
4394-538: Is a magazine first mentioned in Order of the Phoenix . It is edited by Xenophilius Lovegood and often prints articles about conspiracy theories and cryptozoology . In Order of the Phoenix , Hermione blackmails Rita Skeeter into writing an article about Harry's encounter with Voldemort. The interview is published by Xenophilius, and he later sells it to the Daily Prophet . The most popular wizard radio station
4563-405: Is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling . The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard , Harry Potter , and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley , all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . The main story arc concerns Harry's conflict with Lord Voldemort , a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow
4732-533: Is captured by the Ministry of Magic along with Bellatrix , Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange. His father, Barty Crouch Sr. , who heads the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at this time, sentences him to life imprisonment in Azkaban . Crouch Jr. later imprisons Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody , a famous Auror, and uses Polyjuice Potion to assume Moody's appearance and infiltrate Hogwarts as the new Defence Against
4901-568: Is central to Harry's character arc and manifests in different ways through the series, such as in his struggles with Dementors . Other characters in Harry's life die; he even faces his own death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . The series has an existential perspective—Harry must grow mature enough to accept death. In Harry's world, death is not binary but mutable, a state that exists in degrees. Unlike Voldemort, who evades death by separating and hiding his soul in seven parts, Harry's soul
5070-437: Is described as a neat, fussy-looking man with an oily voice and manner who sports a small grey goatee. While unctuously pleasant most of the time, he is capable of violent rage. He is also described as "a man with yellowish teeth whose smile does not reach his cold stare". Karkaroff is angered and threatens to withdraw from the tournament when Harry is selected as a fourth champion and second representative for Hogwarts. Although he
5239-498: Is described as a veiled society wherein magic is commonly used and practised; the wizards live in self-enforced seclusion and hide their abilities from Muggles. The novels are set in 1990s Britain, which contains both Muggle and wizard communities. Any new works taking place in this universe are released under the Wizarding World brand. The plot of the Harry Potter series occurs between 1991 and 1998. The exceptions are
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5408-465: Is imprisoned again and returns to Azkaban . He escapes once more some time before the events of Deathly Hallows . Dolohov later participates in the Battle of Hogwarts, killing Remus Lupin . Professor Flitwick finally defeats him. He is portrayed by Arben Bajraktaraj in the film adaptations of Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows – Part 1 . Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf involved with
5577-828: Is in production at HBO . The success of the books and films has allowed the Harry Potter franchise to expand with numerous derivative works, a travelling exhibition that premiered in Chicago in 2009, a studio tour in London that opened in 2012, a digital platform on which J. K. Rowling updates the series with new information and insight, and a trilogy of spin-off films premiering in November 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , among many other developments. Themed attractions, collectively known as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter , have been built at several Universal Destinations & Experiences amusement parks around
5746-534: Is more important than his involvement in the war. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he pleads with Voldemort to let him onto the battlefield so he can find his son. He is reunited with the rest of his family at the end of the book. Because Narcissa aided Harry in the Forbidden Forest , the Malfoys all manage to avoid being sent to Azkaban after Voldemort's death. Lucius's ultimate fate after Deathly Hallows
5915-753: Is not revealed until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , in which he is the main antagonist. When a photograph of the Weasley family appears in the Daily Prophet newspaper, Sirius recognises Pettigrew's Animagus form and escapes from Azkaban to track him down. The two confront each other in the Shrieking Shack , where Lupin and Black compel Scabbers to resume his human form. Pettigrew confesses his treachery, claiming to have committed it only to save his own life. With Sirius and Lupin about to take their revenge, Harry begs Sirius to turn Pettigrew over to
6084-399: Is often a mouthpiece for the Ministry of Magic; as described by Rita Skeeter , " The Prophet exists to sell itself!" The Prophet remains respectable for the first three books, but by Goblet of Fire , it has hired Rita Skeeter, an unscrupulous journalist who supplies several thrilling and blatantly false articles. When Minister Fudge takes the stance of firmly denying Voldemort's return,
6253-504: Is one of two Death Eaters known to have been in a House other than Slytherin (Gryffindor) while at Hogwarts. There, he was a close friend of Sirius Black , James Potter , and Remus Lupin , although he was the least intelligent and least talented of the group. With Sirius and James' help, Pettigrew becomes an Animagus , with the ability to transform at will into a rat . After leaving Hogwarts, Pettigrew joins forces with Voldemort, and in exchange for his own life becomes Voldemort's spy within
6422-436: Is portrayed as paranoid, insane, sadistic, and fanatically devoted to Voldemort, seeing service to him as the noblest duty for any true wizard or witch. Draco Malfoy is the pure-blooded son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy . He was a notorious bully to Harry Potter and his friends throughout the series. Draco becomes a Death Eater in his sixth year at Hogwarts and is assigned to kill Dumbledore. However, he fails and Dumbledore
6591-416: Is portrayed by Jason Isaacs as an adult. Scenes with Tony Coburn as a teenage Lucius were cut from the final movie. According to Isaacs, Lucius's desire to be in a position of supremacy and a "fear of the future he doesn't belong in" drive his actions; Isaacs described Lucius as "a repulsive creature[...]a racist.[...] a eugenicist.[...] a bully.[...] a terrible father". Peter Pettigrew (a.k.a. Wormtail )
6760-421: Is quite difficult to Apparate; therefore underage wizards and witches are forbidden to do it. There are many examples of failed Apparition attempts made by people who have not passed their "Apparition test", which is like a Muggle driving test. If not Apparating correctly, a person may lose a body part in the process, referred to as "splinching". In Deathly Hallows , Ron gets splinched after being grabbed by Yaxley,
6929-478: Is resurrected, faces Voldemort and kills him. An epilogue titled "Nineteen Years Later" describes the lives of the surviving characters and the impact of Voldemort's death. Harry and Ginny are married with three children , and Ron and Hermione are married with two children . The novels fall into the genre of fantasy literature , and qualify as a type of fantasy called " urban fantasy ", "contemporary fantasy", or " low fantasy ". They are mainly dramas, and maintain
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7098-589: Is talked down and agrees to stay, he nevertheless shows evident favouritism towards the Durmstrang champion, Bulgarian Quidditch player Viktor Krum . Sirius Black later identifies Karkaroff as a former Death Eater. In the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Remus Lupin states that Karkaroff was found dead in a shack with the Dark Mark hovering over it, an indication that he
7267-543: Is the Order of the Phoenix . Death Eaters recognise one another by the Dark Mark , a sigil branded on each of their left forearms that allows Voldemort to summon any of them instantly. Their typical attire includes black hooded robes and masks. The Death Eaters as a group first appeared in the novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , although individual members of the group, such as Severus Snape , Lucius Malfoy , and Peter Pettigrew had appeared in earlier books in
7436-624: Is the Wizarding Wireless Network . Harry learns about the wizarding band The Weird Sisters from his peers who listen to the WWN. In Deathly Hallows , Ron introduces Harry and Hermione to Potterwatch, an underground anti-Voldemort radio program. Butterbeer is a drink popular with young wizards. It can be served cold or hot, but either way it has a warming effect. Rowling said she imagines it tastes like "less-sickly" butterscotch . The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed area at
7605-495: Is the brutal-faced Death Eater who is present in the battle in which Snape killed Dumbledore. He is one of the more prominent Death Eaters, and one of Voldemort's spies in the Ministry of Magic . In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , Yaxley is invited to Malfoy Manor to witness the murder of Charity Burbage , and argues with Snape about the correct date of Harry's departure from the Dursleys', but John Dawlish , an Auror who
7774-577: Is the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , in which Harry and his friends spend most of their time away from Hogwarts, and only return there to face Voldemort at the dénouement . The Harry Potter stories feature imagery and motifs drawn from Arthurian myth and fairytales . Harry's ability to draw the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat resembles the Arthurian sword in
7943-501: Is the term applied to a person who is born to magical parents, but has no magical abilities. The only Squibs mentioned in the novels are Argus Filch , Arabella Figg , and a cousin of Molly Weasley . Unlike Muggles, Squibs are aware of the wizarding world and can see magical places (such as Hogwarts) and magical creatures (such as Dementors). Some wizards are the offspring of unions between humans and magical creatures. Examples include Fleur Delacour and her sister Gabrielle, who are both
8112-425: Is the term applied to a wizard whose parents are Muggles. Pure-blood supremacists often use the derogatory term "Mudblood" to refer to a Muggle-born wizard. When Voldemort returns to power, Muggle-borns are required by law to register with the Ministry of Magic. Under Voldemort's leadership, the Department of Mysteries claims that Muggle-borns acquire their magical ability by stealing magic from "real" wizards. "Squib"
8281-587: Is tricked by an Order member, gives him incorrect information. Yaxley places the Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse , the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement . He uses Thicknesse to Imperius the other major department heads and they allow Voldemort to murder Rufus Scrimgeour ; thus Thicknesse becomes Minister for Magic. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione, disguised as ministry officials, enter
8450-635: Is truly "pure", but those who wish to claim purity deny the existence of Muggles and Squibs in their ancestry. Some families inbreed to maintain blood purity, which can result in offspring with mental instability and violent natures. "Half-blood" is the term applied to wizards who have both magical and Muggle ancestors. Half-blood is the most common blood status, far outnumbering pure-bloods and Muggle-borns. Rowling has stated that fifty per cent of first-year Hogwarts students each year are half-bloods. Pure-blood supremacists view half-bloods as inferior to them but superior to Muggles and Muggle-borns. "Muggle-born"
8619-539: Is ultimately killed by Snape. Draco, like his family, is part of Slytherin house. Draco repaired a vanishing cabinet to let the Death Eaters in from the inside. In the Cursed Child , Malfoy was married to Astoria Greengrass , and has a child named Scorpius, one of the two main protagonists in the eighth Harry Potter book, and best friends with Albus Severus Potter. He is portrayed by Tom Felton in all of
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#17327869154378788-416: Is unknown whether he was simply stunned or killed. He only appears in a flashback in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 . Severus Snape is characterised as a person of considerable complexity, whose coldly sarcastic and controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. In the first novel of the series, Snape is a teacher who is hostile from the start toward Harry and is built up to be
8957-419: Is unknown, but actor Jason Isaacs stated in an interview with Syfy Wire that he believes Lucius would not feel like a member of wizarding society again after Voldemort's fall, as society would shun him. Isaacs also states that Lucius would become a shell of his former self, lose the respect of his wife and son, protect himself with his money, and drink himself into an early grave. In the film series, Lucius
9126-456: Is whole, nourished by friendship and love. Love distinguishes Harry and Voldemort. Harry is a hero because he loves others, even willing to accept death to save them; Voldemort is a villain because he does not. Harry carries the protection of his mother's sacrifice in his blood; Voldemort, who wants Harry's blood and the protection it carries, does not understand that love vanquishes death. Rowling has spoken about thematising death and loss in
9295-624: The Naughtiest Girl series, and Frank Richards's Billy Bunter novels: the Harry Potter books are predominantly set in Hogwarts , a fictional British boarding school for wizards, where the curriculum includes the use of magic . In this sense they are "in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes 's Tom Brown's School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British public school life", though they are, as many note, more contemporary, grittier, darker, and more mature than
9464-538: The Dark Arts . When Hermione is attacked and Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley , abducted, Harry and Ron uncover the chamber's secrets and enter it. Harry discovers that Ginny was possessed by an old diary, inside which the memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle , Voldemort's younger self, resides. On Voldemort's behalf, Ginny opened the chamber and unleashed the basilisk , an ancient monster that kills or petrifies those who make direct or indirect eye contact, respectively. With
9633-524: The Death Eaters , and Harry manages to escape after a duel with Voldemort. Upon returning to Hogwarts, it is revealed that a Death Eater, Barty Crouch, Jr , in disguise as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody , engineered Harry's entry into the tournament, secretly helped him, and had him teleported to Voldemort. In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of
9802-467: The Prophet initiates a smear campaign against Dumbledore and Harry, the most influential proponents of the opposing view. After Fudge is forced to admit that Voldemort has returned, the Prophet changes its stance overnight, calling Harry "a lone voice of truth". According to Rowling, Ginny Weasley becomes Senior Quidditch correspondent at the Prophet after the events of the novels. The Quibbler
9971-472: The Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. Blood traitor The fictional universe of the Harry Potter series of novels contains two distinct societies: the "wizarding world" and the " Muggle world". The term "Muggle world" refers to a society inhabited by non-magical people ("Muggles"), while the term "wizarding world" refers to a society of wizards that live parallel to Muggles. The wizarding world
10140-715: The Universal Orlando resort sells a line of food and beverages inspired by Butterbeer, and the Jelly Belly candy company has produced Butterbeer-inspired sweets. The celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal created a version of the drink for his show "Heston's Tudor Feast". Many types of magical sweets are mentioned in the series. Some have bizarre side effects, particularly those created by Fred and George Weasley . Chocolate Frogs are packaged with collectible cards depicting famous wizards. According to Rowling, Harry and his friends are featured on Chocolate Frog cards after
10309-564: The potions professor, Severus Snape , who displays a dislike for him; and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirinus Quirrell . Quirrell turns out to be allied with Voldemort, who is still alive as a weak spirit. The first book concludes with Harry's confrontation with Voldemort, who, in his quest to regain a body, yearns to possess the Philosopher's Stone , a substance that bestows everlasting life. Harry Potter and
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#173278691543710478-538: The summer term , near or just after final exams , when events escalate far beyond in-school squabbles and struggles, and Harry must confront either Voldemort or one of his followers, the Death Eaters , with the stakes a matter of life and death—a point underlined, as the series progresses, by characters being killed in each of the final four books. In the aftermath, he learns important lessons through exposition and discussions with head teacher and mentor Albus Dumbledore . The only exception to this school-centred setting
10647-502: The "purity" of wizard blood. These extremists use the term "pure-blood" to refer to a wizard who has very little Muggle blood in their ancestry, or who claims to have none at all. Pure-blood supremacists believe that blood purity is a measure of a wizard's magical ability, although Ron Weasley refutes this idea by pointing to the existence of so-called pure-blood wizards with low magical skills. He also claims that "most wizards these days are half-blood". J. K. Rowling stated that no bloodline
10816-526: The 10.8 million initial print copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold in the first 24 hours. The final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows became the fastest selling book in history, moving 11 million units in the first twenty-four hours of release. The book sold 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US. The series has also gathered adult fans, leading to
10985-666: The 1920s. These laws differ in some ways from those in 1990s Britain. For example, the film reveals that American wizards are forbidden from having any contact or relationships with Muggles. In the Harry Potter series, some aspects of the wizarding world are depicted as being less-than-modern compared to the Muggle world. Candles are used for illumination instead of electrical or gas lamps, and owls are used to send messages instead of phone calls or emails. Instead of using pens or computers to take notes and write essays, Hogwarts students use ink-dipped quills and parchment. Wizards do not use paper currency, but instead rely on three types of coins:
11154-560: The 3rd century AD. The second volume has also been translated into Latin. Some of the translators hired to work on the books were well-known authors before their work on Harry Potter , such as Viktor Golyshev , who oversaw the Russian translation of the series' fifth book. The Turkish translation of books two to seven was undertaken by Sevin Okyay , a popular literary critic and cultural commentator. For reasons of secrecy, translation on
11323-503: The Chamber is opened and Lucius uses the ensuing terror (and threats to attack their families) to influence the school's Board of Governors to discredit and dismiss Dumbledore as Headmaster. After the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets is killed, Dumbledore is reinstated as Headmaster. Lucius, whose part in the scheme to remove Dumbledore is exposed, is ultimately stripped of his title as a Hogwarts school governor. In Harry Potter and
11492-401: The Chamber of Secrets describes Harry's second year at Hogwarts. Students are attacked and petrified by an unknown creature; wizards of Muggle parentage are the primary targets. The attacks appear related to the mythical Chamber of Secrets and resemble attacks fifty years earlier. Harry discovers an ability to speak the snake language Parseltongue , which he learns is rare and associated with
11661-554: The Dark Arts , but as Neville Longbottom puts it, it becomes just " The Dark Arts " in which students are forced to perform the Cruciatus Curse against students who have been assigned to detention. Alecto teaches Muggle Studies , which becomes a compulsory subject, and teaches students that Muggles are like animals. Ralph Ineson plays Amycus, and Suzie Toase appears as Alecto in the films, wherein they are reduced to non-speaking roles. Bartemius "Barty" Crouch, Junior
11830-617: The Dark Arts teacher. The revived Triwizard Tournament is held at Hogwarts, and Voldemort tasks Crouch Jr. with making sure Harry wins. To do so, he puts Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire , bewitches Viktor Krum to attack Cedric Diggory in the maze, and stuns Fleur Delacour . When Harry and Cedric simultaneously touch the Triwizard Cup, which is a portkey , it transports them to the graveyard in Little Hangleton, home of
11999-403: The Death Eaters. He works alongside Lord Voldemort because of his promises of fairness to werewolves around the country. He does not carry the Dark Mark as he is not a Death Eater. He is known as the most savage werewolf ever to live and is greatly feared throughout the wizarding world. To fulfil his agenda of creating as many werewolves as possible, Greyback has infected scores of people, including
12168-434: The Deathly Hallows , Harry uses a shard of his broken mirror to call for help from the Malfoys' cellar, and later finds out that Aberforth Dumbledore had been watching over Harry using Sirius' mirror, which he obtained from Mundungus Fletcher. Apparating is disappearing from a place and appearing almost instantly in another. Wizards and witches often Apparate to their destinations, which is quite similar to teleportation. It
12337-538: The Deathly Hallows , Rowling makes the book's Christian imagery more explicit, quoting both Matthew 6:21 and 1 Corinthians 15:26 ( King James Version ) when Harry visits his parents' graves . Hermione Granger teaches Harry Potter that the meaning of these verses from the Christian Bible are "living beyond death. Living after death", which Rowling states "epitomize the whole series". Rowling also exhibits Christian values in developing Albus Dumbledore as
12506-575: The Floo Network is intended for use as a method of transport, it also occasionally serves as a method of communication. A wizard can throw a pinch of Floo Powder into a lit fireplace connected to the Network and put their head into the flames, causing it to appear in the fireplace of the wizard with whom they intend to speak. This use of the Network is first seen in Goblet of Fire when Harry observes
12675-587: The Goblet of Fire ), Hogwarts hosts the Triwizard Tournament , a contest between Hogwarts and the schools Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Harry is unwillingly entered into the contest, becoming Hogwarts' second participant after Cedric Diggory , an unusual occurrence that causes his friends to distance themselves from him. Harry claims the Triwizard Cup with Cedric, but he is teleported to a graveyard where Pettigrew kills Cedric, then resurrects Voldemort using Harry's blood. Voldemort convenes his supporters,
12844-544: The Goblet of Fire , a discussion is held around the politics of importing flying carpets . Thestrals are winged horses which can only be seen by those who have experienced loss through death. They pull the Hogwarts school carriages and can also be tamed and ridden. The Daily Prophet is the most widely read daily newspaper in Britain's wizard community. Its journalistic integrity is lacking; it has been known to be more concerned about sales than about factual accuracy and
13013-422: The Goblet of Fire , when Voldemort rises again and summons his Death Eaters , Malfoy rejoins him and asserts that he had done everything he could to help his master, who however remains unimpressed. Harry reports Malfoy's declarations to Minister Fudge, who refuses to believe him. During the climax of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , Malfoy is the leader of the Death Eaters who are sent to retrieve
13182-562: The Goblet of Fire . Antonin Dolohov has a long, pale, and twisted face. He is confirmed in Half-Blood Prince to be one of Voldemort's first Death Eaters. Dolohov is one of the five Death Eaters who murder Gideon and Fabian Prewett ( Molly Weasley 's brothers). Dolohov is imprisoned in Azkaban but escapes during the mass break-out. He participates in the battle of the Department of Mysteries , where he injures Hermione, but
13351-485: The Half-Blood Prince Snape treats him as a servant, and in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows he is tasked with keeping watch over prisoners in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. While Harry and Ron are being kept there, Pettigrew checks on the prisoners and is attacked. Pettigrew begins strangling Harry with the silver hand, but when reminded by Harry that he once saved his life, Pettigrew hesitates for
13520-486: The Killing Curse he casts at Harry rebounds on him. Voldemort's Death Eaters practise illegal and dangerous spells known as dark magic. They follow a racist ideology that places pure-blooded wizards at the top of a racial hierarchy , above all other magical or non-magical people and entities. They believe wizards are, as a genealogy book within the story phrases it, "Nature's Nobility"; other magical creatures and
13689-585: The Ministry of Magic instead, to prove Sirius' innocence. Pettigrew escapes while being led out of the Shack when Lupin transforms into a werewolf. Harry's actions result in Pettigrew owing him a life debt, and Pettigrew had in fact shown gratitude to Harry for sparing his life. This would be the reason behind Pettigrew (fruitlessly) trying to convince Voldemort to use the blood of another wizard when Voldemort wanted to use Harry's blood to restore his corporeal form in
13858-641: The Ministry to find Slytherin's locket, it is revealed that Yaxley has become Head of Magical Law Enforcement. He also assists Dolores Umbridge in leading the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, and the two seem to have a good relationship, together humiliating the Muggle-borns. Both are immobilised by Harry, but Yaxley recovers and grabs Hermione while she is Apparating her friends to safety. Yaxley arrives with them at Grimmauld Place, thus revealing their headquarters, but not
14027-753: The Muggle community is punishable. These laws are enforced by the British Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards. There are some exceptions: Muggle relatives of British wizards are allowed to know about the wizarding world, as is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) depicts wizarding laws in the United States during
14196-516: The Order of the Phoenix to maintain their secrecy. Because of the Ministry's refusal to remove the Dementors from Azkaban, which Dumbledore advised immediately following Voldemort's return, the Death Eaters recruited the Dementors to their cause and made similar progress with the giants; the Dementors' revolt against the Ministry of Magic also allowed the Death Eaters to bolster their ranks with
14365-485: The Order of the Phoenix, the books began to receive strong criticism from a number of literary scholars. Yale professor, literary scholar, and critic Harold Bloom raised criticisms of the books' literary merits, saying, "Rowling's mind is so governed by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writing." A. S. Byatt authored an op-ed article in The New York Times calling Rowling's universe
14534-521: The Order of the Phoenix, of which Pettigrew is a member. When the Potters know that their son, Harry, is Voldemort's target, Sirius suggests to them to use Pettigrew as Secret-Keeper because he does not believe Voldemort would ever suspect a "weak, talentless thing" like Pettigrew. Pettigrew betrays the secret to Voldemort, an act that leads to James and Lily's deaths (and, ironically, Voldemort's near-destruction). Sirius seeks revenge on Pettigrew, but during
14703-459: The Phoenix , the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe that Voldemort has returned. Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix , a secret society to counter Voldemort; meanwhile, the Ministry tightens control of Hogwarts by appointing Dolores Umbridge as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, and she gradually increases her powers. When Umbridge bans practical teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry, Ron and Hermione form " Dumbledore's Army ",
14872-719: The Potter stories are inspired by a 14th-century French Arthurian romance, Claris et Laris , writing of the "startling" similarities between the adventures of Potter and the knight Claris. Arden and Lorenz noted that Rowling graduated from the University of Exeter in 1986 with a degree in French literature and spent a year living in France afterwards. Like C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia , Harry Potter also contains Christian symbolism and allegory . The series has been viewed as
15041-492: The Riddle family. There, after killing Cedric, Death Eater Peter Pettigrew uses Harry's blood in a ritual that re-embodies Voldemort. The Dark Lord attempts to kill Harry, but with the help of the ghost-echoes from Voldemort's wand, Harry escapes via the Portkey. When Harry reappears at Hogwarts, the still-disguised Crouch Jr. hopes to succeed where his master failed; however, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall foil his plot. Under
15210-505: The Sword of Gryffindor, with which they destroy the locket. They steal a Horcrux from Gringotts and travel to Hogwarts, culminating in a battle with the Death Eaters. Snape is killed by Voldemort out of paranoia, but he lends Harry his memories before he dies. Harry learns that Snape was always loyal to Dumbledore, and that Harry is himself a Horcrux. Harry surrenders to Voldemort and is killed. The defenders of Hogwarts continue to fight on; Harry
15379-412: The UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 at the same time by Bloomsbury and Scholastic. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the series, at 766 pages in the UK version and 870 pages in the US version. It was published worldwide in English on 21 June 2003. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
15548-507: The United States within twenty-four hours of its release. Warner Bros. Pictures adapted the original seven books into an eight-part namesake film series . In 2016, the total value of the Harry Potter franchise was estimated at $ 25 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time . Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play based on a story co-written by Rowling. A television series based on books
15717-507: The West Country. Many wizarding homes in Harry Potter are depicted as being on the outskirts of a Muggle town. Only one settlement in Britain, the village of Hogsmeade , is home to an entirely magical population. The wizarding high street Diagon Alley lies in central London, just off Charing Cross Road . The Hogwarts Express train departs from King's Cross station using the fictional Platform 9¾ . Magical locations are hidden by
15886-507: The age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who did not know he was a wizard became more and more real to me. Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995 and the manuscript was sent off to several prospective agents . The second agent she tried, Christopher Little , offered to represent her and sent
16055-443: The assault on Hogwarts at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . Amycus is described as being squat and lumpy, with a lopsided leer and a wheezy giggle; Alecto is described as a "stocky little woman" and shares her brother's squatness and laugh. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , Alecto and Amycus become "teachers" at Hogwarts, severely disciplining students who oppose Voldemort. Amycus teaches Defence Against
16224-548: The best-seller list in France. The United States editions were adapted into American English to make them more understandable to a young American audience. For cover art, Bloomsbury chose painted art in a classic style of design, with the first cover a watercolour and pencil drawing by illustrator Thomas Taylor showing Harry boarding the Hogwarts Express, and a title in the font Cochin Bold . The first releases of
16393-553: The book sales is estimated, as of November 2018, to be around $ 7.7 billion. The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the bestselling books in history. The films have in turn spawned eight video games and have led to the licensing of more than 400 additional Harry Potter products. The Harry Potter brand has been estimated to be worth as much as $ 25 billion. The great demand for Harry Potter novels motivated The New York Times to create
16562-465: The books (including a very American Hogwarts Express) without depicting people, but later shifted to partial colourisation with a picture of Slytherin's locket on the cover of the final book. International and later editions have been created by a range of designers, including Mary GrandPré for US audiences and Mika Launis in Finland. For a later American release, Kazu Kibuishi created covers in
16731-482: The books comprise "a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry " and that they also pass on a message to "question authority and... not assume that the establishment or the press tells you all of the truth". In 1990, Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry suddenly "fell into" her head. Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website saying: I had been writing almost continuously since
16900-442: The books have received mixed reviews from critics and literary scholars. As of February 2023 , the books have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling book series in history , available in dozens of languages . The last four books all set records as the fastest-selling books in history, with the final instalment selling roughly 2.7 million copies in the United Kingdom and 8.3 million copies in
17069-416: The books, some more complex than others, and some including political subtexts . Themes such as normality , oppression, survival, and overcoming imposing odds have all been considered as prevalent throughout the series. Similarly, the theme of making one's way through adolescence and "going over one's most harrowing ordeals—and thus coming to terms with them" has also been considered. Rowling has stated that
17238-417: The community of wizards and witches . Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts and is sorted into Gryffindor House . He gains the friendship of Ron Weasley , a member of a large but poor wizarding family, and Hermione Granger , a witch of non-magical, or Muggle , parentage. The trio develop an enmity with the rich pure-blood student Draco Malfoy . Harry encounters the school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore ;
17407-458: The complex themes. Rosen also stated that "J. K. Rowling is more of an adult writer." The critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards . His overall view of the series was negative—"the Potter saga was essentially patronising, conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for
17576-411: The confrontation, Pettigrew publicly accuses Sirius of the Potters' deaths, murders twelve Muggles, and cuts off his own index finger before transforming into a rat, thereby framing Sirius for the betrayal of the Potters, as well as for his own murder and that of the bystanders. Despite having done these above treacherous acts, Pettigrew genuinely felt remorse to a certain extent for his betrayal. Pettigrew
17745-502: The dementors, he reaches out to Remus Lupin , a new professor who teaches him the Patronus charm . On a windy night, Ron is dragged by a black dog into the Shrieking Shack , a haunted house, and Harry and Hermione follow. The dog is revealed to be Sirius Black. Lupin enters the shack and explains that Sirius was James Potter's best friend; he was framed by another friend of James, Peter Pettigrew , who hides as Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. As
17914-410: The diary is cleverly enchanted, but is not aware that it is a horcrux containing a part of Voldemort's soul. He is careless with it and punished by Voldemort himself. Lucius intends to use the opening of the Chamber of Secrets by Ginny to discredit her father, Arthur Weasley , and Dumbledore. Lucius' plans are ultimately thwarted with the help of the Malfoys' house-elf Dobby, and Harry, but not before
18083-418: The early life of Voldemort in a device called a Pensieve . Harry learns from a drunken Slughorn that he used to teach Tom Riddle, and that Voldemort divided his soul into pieces, creating a series of Horcruxes . Harry and Dumbledore travel to a distant lake to destroy a Horcrux; they succeed, but Dumbledore weakens. On their return, they find Draco Malfoy and Death Eaters attacking the school. The book ends with
18252-429: The effects of Veritaserum , he recounts his plan to them. Although he is closely guarded so he can later repeat his testimony, a Dementor acting as bodyguard to Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge attacks Crouch and sucks out his soul before anyone can stop it. Crouch thus lives in a vegetative state , bereft of his memories or sense of self. He is played by David Tennant in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and
18421-415: The end of the battle and Malfoy is captured and sent to Azkaban. By the final book, Voldemort has given Malfoy his freedom, though he looks significantly the worse for wear, having lost Voldemort's favour. Voldemort treats him with great contempt by hijacking his house for Headquarters, and is forcing his son to do dark deeds against his nature, sparking sympathy for the notorious family for the first time in
18590-501: The events in the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . In the climactic confrontation in that book, Pettigrew murders Cedric Diggory on Voldemort's orders, and brews the complex potion to regenerate Voldemort, severing his hand as one of the ingredients. Upon his return to corporeal form, Voldemort replaces Pettigrew's missing hand with a silver one that possesses five intact fingers and great strength. Despite his actions, Pettigrew's fortunes remain low; in Harry Potter and
18759-552: The events of the Harry Potter novels, torturing and murdering Muggles (non-magical people), as well as anyone who opposed them. When a deadly curse from Voldemort rebounded off Harry Potter and disembodied the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters largely disbanded and vanished. Early in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , a group of Death Eaters gathers at the Quidditch World Cup , which spreads chaos and fear amongst
18928-408: The events of the novels. Both Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans have been manufactured in the real world. The Bertie Bott's Beans produced by Jelly Belly include flavours such as black pepper, dirt, earwax, grass, sausage, soap, and vomit. The Hershey company has also produced various candy items based on Harry Potter. The most prominent sport in the Harry Potter universe
19097-532: The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . He reprised the role in both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . Igor Karkaroff ( Cyrillic : Игорь Каркаров) is the Headmaster at Durmstrang Institute, one of the three schools (together with Hogwarts and Beauxbatons Academy) that enter the Triwizard Tournament. As Headmaster, Karkaroff is also one of the judges. He
19266-617: The films and by Tom Stephens in the Cursed Child . Lucius Malfoy is the head of a wealthy pure-blood wizarding family. He lives with his wife Narcissa Malfoy and their son Draco at the Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. Lucius was a school governor of Hogwarts before being sacked, and has very close connections at the Ministry of Magic . He was educated at Hogwarts, where he was a prefect in Slytherin House. He debuts as
19435-415: The final scenes of the series: Harry dies in self-sacrifice and Voldemort delivers an " ecce homo " speech, after which Harry is resurrected and defeats his enemy. Rowling stated that she did not reveal Harry Potter ' s religious parallels in the beginning because doing so would have "give[n] too much away to fans who might then see the parallels". In the final book of the series, Harry Potter and
19604-490: The form of links to Pottermore, which controlled pricing. All seven Harry Potter novels have been released in unabridged audiobook versions, with Stephen Fry reading the British editions and Jim Dale voicing the series for the American editions. On Audible , the series has been listened, as of November 2022, for over a billion hours. The series has been translated into more than 80 languages, placing Rowling among
19773-561: The former Hogwarts headmaster Phineas Nigellus travels between Dumbledore's office and his other portrait in Grimmauld Place. Another form of closed communication used in the books and films is a set of mirrors that belonged to Sirius Black. Sirius gives Harry one mirror in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , with a note explaining to Harry that Sirius and James Potter used to use the mirrors to talk to each other when they were put in separate detentions. In Harry Potter and
19942-490: The formulaic beginning of all seven books. Sameer Rahim of The Daily Telegraph disagreed, saying "It depresses me to see 16- and 17-year-olds reading the series when they could be reading the great novels of childhood such as Oliver Twist or A House for Mr Biswas ." The Washington Post book critic Ron Charles opined in July 2007 that "through no fault of Rowling's", the cultural and marketing "hysteria" marked by
20111-478: The full moon rises, Lupin transforms into a werewolf and bounds away, and the group chase after him. They are surrounded by dementors, but are saved by a figure resembling James who casts a stag Patronus. This is later revealed to be a future version of Harry, who traveled back in time with Hermione using a device called a Time Turner . The duo help Sirius escape on a Hippogriff , while Pettigrew escapes. In Harry's fourth year of school (detailed in Harry Potter and
20280-476: The gold Galleon, the silver Sickle, and the bronze Knut. The wizarding world does have at least one train, the Hogwarts Express , which is pulled by a steam locomotive. The novels depict wizards using radio but not television. The wizarding world of the Harry Potter universe is embedded within the Muggle world. Wizards often live in magical enclaves within Muggle villages, such as Godric's Hollow in
20449-614: The head of Amos Diggory in the Weasleys' fireplace. Harry uses this method to communicate with Sirius Black on several occasions during the series. Voldemort uses a method of communication called the Dark Mark, which is like a brand on the inner forearms of the Death Eaters. When the mark is pressed, contact is made with other Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. Pressing one's Dark Mark causes every other Death Eater's mark to burn, signalling them to Disapparate from wherever they were and immediately Apparate to Voldemort's side. Hermione uses
20618-434: The help of Dumbledore's phoenix , Fawkes, and the Sword of Gryffindor , Harry slays the basilisk and destroys the diary. In the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry learns that he is targeted by Sirius Black , an escaped convict who allegedly assisted in his parents' murder. Dementors , creatures that feed on despair, search for Sirius and guard the school. As Harry struggles with his reaction to
20787-614: The idea of blood purity is a misnomer – Voldemort himself is a half-blood – and it is unlikely that all of them could be pure-bloods, as very few, if any, such people could exist given the small gene pool. In Half-Blood Prince , Rowling depicts the Gaunts as a family who are obsessed with their ancestry and driven to inbreeding to preserve its integrity. Rowling has stated on her website that there are no true pure-blood families left but that those who call themselves such simply strike Muggles, Squibs , and half-bloods from their family records. On
20956-583: The killing of Dumbledore by Professor Snape, the titular Half-Blood Prince. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , the seventh and final novel in the series, Lord Voldemort gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron and Hermione learn about the Deathly Hallows , legendary items that lead to mastery over death. The group infiltrates the ministry, where they steal a locket Horcrux, and visit Godric's Hollow , where they are attacked by Nagini, Voldemort's snake. A silver doe Patronus leads them to
21125-417: The location to which the trio subsequently apparate. He participates in the Battle of Hogwarts, where he duels with Professor Flitwick and is later seen among those who wait with Voldemort for Harry Potter to come to him, mistakenly believing that Harry would not come within the allotted time. When the battle resumes, he is defeated by George Weasley and Lee Jordan . Harry Potter Harry Potter
21294-519: The main antagonist in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , in which just before Draco and Harry's second year at Hogwarts, Lucius plants Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny Weasley 's potions cauldron while she is shopping for school supplies at Flourish & Blotts , in a plot to use her to reopen the Chamber of Secrets , which would lead to attacks on Muggle-born students. Lucius knows
21463-402: The makings of a classic", and The Glasgow Herald , which called it "Magic stuff". Soon the English newspapers joined in, with The Sunday Times comparing it to Roald Dahl 's work ("comparisons to Dahl are, this time, justified"), while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit". By the time of the release of the fifth book, Harry Potter and
21632-504: The manner of a Sherlock Holmes -style mystery adventure. The stories are told from a third person limited point of view with very few exceptions (such as the opening chapters of Philosopher's Stone , Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows and the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince ). The series can be considered part of the British children's boarding school genre , which includes Rudyard Kipling 's Stalky & Co. , Enid Blyton 's Malory Towers , St. Clare's and
21801-419: The manuscript to several publishers. After twelve other publishers had rejected Philosopher's Stone , Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book. Despite Rowling's statement that she did not have any particular age group in mind when beginning to write the Harry Potter books, the publishers initially targeted children aged nine to eleven. On the eve of publishing, Rowling was asked by her publishers to adopt
21970-451: The mass break-out of several imprisoned Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange. Towards the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , the Death Eaters attack Hogwarts for the first time, leading to the death of Albus Dumbledore and injuries to several of the school's defenders. A second, more deadly attack near the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows results in over 50 deaths, including Voldemort, who dies when
22139-533: The ministry of Voldemort's return. A prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort is revealed: one must die at the hands of the other. In the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Snape teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts while Horace Slughorn becomes the Potions master. Harry finds an old textbook with annotations by the Half-Blood Prince, due to which he achieves success in Potions class. Harry also takes lessons with Dumbledore, viewing memories about
22308-423: The moral significance of the tales seems "blindingly obvious". In the fourth book, Dumbledore speaks of a "choice between what is right and what is easy"; Rowling views this as a key theme, "because that ... is how tyranny is started, with people being apathetic and taking the easy route and suddenly finding themselves in deep trouble". Academics and journalists have developed many other interpretations of themes in
22477-500: The most translated authors in history. The books have seen translations to diverse languages such as Korean , Armenian , Ukrainian , Arabic , Urdu , Hindi , Bengali , Bulgarian , Welsh , Afrikaans , Albanian , Latvian , Vietnamese and Hawaiian . The first volume has been translated into Latin and even Ancient Greek , making it the longest published work in Ancient Greek since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in
22646-488: The motifs of the Potter stories, such as the hero's quest invoking objects that confer invisibility, magical animals and trees, a forest full of danger and the recognition of a character based upon scars, are drawn from medieval French Arthurian romances. Other aspects borrowed from French Arthurian romances include the use of owls as messengers, werewolves as characters, and white deer. The American scholars Heather Arden and Kathrn Lorenz in particular argue that many aspects of
22815-446: The mundane. Paintings move and talk; books bite readers; letters shout messages; and maps show live journeys, making the wizarding world both exotic and familiar. This blend of realistic and romantic elements extends to Rowling's characters. Their names are often onomatopoeic : Malfoy is difficult, Filch is unpleasant, and Lupin is a werewolf. Harry is ordinary and relatable, with down-to-earth features such as wearing broken glasses;
22984-415: The next book. Pettigrew returns to the service of Voldemort, seeking him out in the forests of Albania and helping him to return to a feeble baby's body. He abducts a Ministry of Magic employee named Bertha Jorkins , who is able to provide Voldemort with valuable information. Pettigrew (almost always referred to as "Wormtail" hereafter) assists Barty Crouch Jr. in overpowering Mad-Eye Moody , setting up
23153-403: The non-magical are inferior and should be subjugated. Within the wizarding community, only those who are born to wizard parents are worthy of magical power, despite the fact that parentage does not in fact determine who possess such powers. They categorise wizards according to blood purity ; "pure-bloods" (those with only wizards as parents) out-rank "half-bloods" (mixed parentage) and "mudbloods",
23322-535: The opening chapter of the first novel, which takes place in 1981, and the epilogue of the seventh novel, which takes place in 2017. At various points throughout the Harry Potter timeline, flashbacks and flash-forwards depict time periods ranging from the 1920s to the 2020s. The depiction of the wizarding world is centred on magic , which not only imbues objects such as wands , but is also portrayed as an inborn ability of individuals. This organic ability can be honed and mastered through study and practice. Wizards expend
23491-417: The other hand, "in rare circumstances" a Muggle-born wizard can become a Death Eater. They are also not above recruiting creatures they deem inferior, as proven by werewolf Fenrir Greyback and the giant clan from continental Europe, as long as they help further the larger Death Eater agenda. The Death Eaters seek complete power and control over the entire Wizarding world, wishing to restrict leadership to
23660-493: The poets hoped for", nevertheless goes on to say, "but this is not poetry, it is readable, saleable, everyday, useful prose". The literary critic A. N. Wilson praised the Harry Potter series in The Times , stating, "There are not many writers who have JK's Dickensian ability to make us turn the pages, to weep—openly, with tears splashing—and a few pages later to laugh, at invariably good jokes ... We have lived through
23829-510: The possibility of redemption are key themes of the series. This is reflected in Harry's self-doubts after learning his connections to Voldemort, such as Parseltongue; and prominently in Snape's characterisation, which has been described as complex and multifaceted. In some scholars' view, while Rowling's narrative appears on the surface to be about Harry, her focus may actually be on Snape's morality and character arc. Rowling said that, to her,
23998-510: The primary antagonist until the final chapters. As the series progresses, Snape's portrayal evolves from that of a malicious and partisan teacher to that of a complex, pivotal character of moral ambiguity, whose true loyalties are not revealed until the end. Snape is, as revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , actually a spy in Voldemort's ranks for Dumbledore. Alan Rickman plays Severus Snape in all eight movies. Corban Yaxley
24167-473: The principle of the Dark Mark in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . Instead of burning/engraving the message into the members of Dumbledore's Army's skin, she uses fake Galleons which all mimic each other and have messages on the rim. Later Malfoy and Madam Rosmerta, who was under the Imperius Curse, used Galleons to contact each other. Characters painted into magical portraits can carry messages between locations where their portraits hang. For example,
24336-686: The professions of the Auror and the Healer. In addition to Hogwarts, the novels mention the French wizarding school Beauxbatons and the Northern European school Durmstrang . In 2016, Rowling created four additional schools and described them on the Wizarding World website. These four schools are Ilvermorny (United States), Castelobruxo (Brazil), Mahoutokoro (Japan) and Uagadou (Africa). Wizards use owls to deliver mail, newspapers, and parcels. The novels do not explain how an owl locates
24505-520: The prophecy from Harry in the Hall of Prophecy. Lucius tries several ways to get the prophecy from Harry without breaking it, but the boy and his friends manage to escape from the Hall. Malfoy finally meets him in the Death Chamber, where Harry is about to give it to Malfoy when the Order of the Phoenix breaks into the Ministry and begins to duel with the Death Eaters. Dumbledore himself arrives at
24674-674: The publication of the later books "trains children and adults to expect the roar of the coliseum, a mass-media experience that no other novel can possibly provide". Jenny Sawyer wrote in The Christian Science Monitor on 25 July 2007 that Harry Potter neither faces a "moral struggle" nor undergoes any ethical growth and is thus "no guide in circumstances in which right and wrong are anything less than black and white". In contrast Emily Griesinger described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9 + 3 ⁄ 4 as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with
24843-459: The publisher of all Harry Potter books in the United Kingdom, on 26 June 1997. It was released in the United States on 1 September 1998 by Scholastic —the American publisher of the books—as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , after the American rights sold for US$ 105,000—a record amount for a children's book by an unknown author. Scholastic feared that American readers would not associate
25012-400: The release of Goblet of Fire , 9,000 FedEx trucks were used with no other purpose than to deliver the book. Together, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble pre-sold more than 700,000 copies of the book. In the United States, the book's initial printing run was 3.8 million copies. This record statistic was broken by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , with 8.5 million, which
25181-458: The release of two editions of each Harry Potter book, identical in text but with one edition's cover artwork aimed at children and the other aimed at adults. Early in its history, Harry Potter received positive reviews. On publication, the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , attracted attention from the Scottish newspapers, such as The Scotsman , which said it had "all
25350-481: The scholar Roni Natov terms him an "everychild". These elements serve to highlight Harry when he is heroic, making him both an everyman and a fairytale hero. Each of the seven books is set over the course of one school year. Harry struggles with the problems he encounters, and dealing with them often involves the need to violate some school rules. If students are caught breaking rules, they are often disciplined by Hogwarts professors. The stories reach their climax in
25519-415: The series is lacking in serious literary merit and that it owes its success merely to the childhood reassurances it offers. Stephen King called the series "a feat of which only a superior imagination is capable", and declared "Rowling's punning, one-eyebrow-cocked sense of humor" to be "remarkable". However, he wrote that he is "a little tired of discovering Harry at home with his horrible aunt and uncle",
25688-688: The series make use of several magical devices and artefacts to transport themselves within the Wizarding World and to the Muggle world. Among the most common of these objects are broomsticks , the Floo Network (a network of fireplaces magically connected to one another), the Knight Bus , and the Hogwarts Express . Some characters have been known to enchant Muggle vehicles to have magical features, such as Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia or Sirius Black's Flying Motorbike . In Harry Potter and
25857-469: The series were so eager for the latest instalment that bookstores around the world began holding events to coincide with the midnight release of the books, beginning with the 2000 publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . The events, commonly featuring mock sorting, games, face painting, and other live entertainment have achieved popularity with Potter fans and have been highly successful in attracting fans and selling books with nearly nine million of
26026-432: The series. Soon after she started writing Philosopher's Stone , her mother died; she said that "I really think from that moment on, death became a central, if not the central theme of the seven books". Rowling has described Harry as "the prism through which I view death", and further stated that "all of my characters are defined by their attitude to death and the possibility of death". While Harry Potter can be viewed as
26195-505: The series. The group had also been mentioned indirectly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , when followers of Voldemort were mentioned. They were mentioned the first time directly in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . During a Carnegie Hall event in 2007, Rowling compared the Death Eaters to the Nazi party of Germany. The Death Eaters first existed over 11 years before
26364-450: The series. Voldemort borrows Lucius's wand, which is accidentally destroyed by Harry Potter. Later in the book, Lucius, along with his wife and sister-in-law, accidentally allow Harry and his friends to escape from Malfoy Manor. Voldemort punishes them severely, eventually putting them under house arrest. Despite his long-standing position as a Death Eater and Voldemort's advocate of pure-blood supremacy, Lucius decides his love for his family
26533-578: The stone legend. His life with the Dursleys has been compared to Cinderella . Hogwarts resembles a medieval university-cum-castle with several professors who belong to an Order of Merlin; Old Professor Binns still lectures about the International Warlock Convention of 1289; and a real historical person, a 14th-century scribe, Sir Nicolas Flamel , is described as a holder of the Philosopher's Stone. Other medieval elements in Hogwarts include coats-of-arms and medieval weapons on
26702-421: The successive books in the series followed in the same style but somewhat more realistic, illustrating scenes from the books. These covers were created by first Cliff Wright and then Jason Cockroft. Due to the appeal of the books among an adult audience, Bloomsbury commissioned a second line of editions in an 'adult' style. These initially used black-and-white photographic art for the covers showing objects from
26871-472: The typical boarding school novel, addressing serious themes of death, love, loss, prejudice, coming-of-age, and the loss of innocence in a 1990s British setting. In Harry Potter , Rowling juxtaposes the extraordinary against the ordinary. Her narrative features two worlds: a contemporary world inhabited by non-magical people called Muggles , and another featuring wizards. It differs from typical portal fantasy in that its magical elements stay grounded in
27040-495: The walls, letters written on parchment and sealed with wax, the Great Hall of Hogwarts, which is similar to the Great Hall of Camelot, the use of Latin phrases, the tents put up for Quidditch tournaments, which are similar to the "marvellous tents" put up for knightly tournaments, imaginary animals like dragons and unicorns that exist around Hogwarts, and the banners with heraldic animals for the four Houses of Hogwarts. Many of
27209-455: The wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic , and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people). The series was originally published in English by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. A series of many genres, including fantasy , drama , coming-of-age fiction , and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery , thriller , adventure , horror , and romance ),
27378-424: The wizarding community. Voldemort regains his full strength at the end of Goblet of Fire , and summons his followers to him. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge , deluded himself into believing that Voldemort could not have come back and that it was all a lie cooked up by Dumbledore, who Fudge believed had designs on his political office. The Death Eaters use this tactical advantage throughout Harry Potter and
27547-400: The word "philosopher" with magic, and Rowling suggested the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the American market. Rowling has later said that she regrets the change. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published a year later in
27716-506: The world of Harry Potter explores numerous themes and includes many cultural meanings and references. Major themes in the series include prejudice, corruption, madness, love, and death. Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , on 26 June 1997, the books have found immense popularity and commercial success worldwide. They have attracted a wide adult audience as well as younger readers and are widely considered cornerstones of modern literature, though
27885-528: The world. The series follows the life of a boy named Harry Potter . In the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ( Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US), Harry lives in a cupboard under the stairs in the house of the Dursleys , his aunt, uncle and cousin, who all treat him poorly. At the age of 11, Harry discovers that he is a wizard . He meets a half-giant named Hagrid who gives him
28054-494: The young Remus Lupin . Unlike most werewolves, Greyback thirsts for blood even in his human form. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Greyback first appears on the night of Dumbledore's death, when he attacks Harry and badly scars Bill Weasley . Greyback does not transmit his lycanthropy to Bill because he was in human form at the time. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom combine forces to defeat him. Dave Legeno portrayed Greyback in
28223-470: Was killed by other Death Eaters. Predrag Bjelac appeared as Karkaroff in the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire . Bellatrix Lestrange is the aunt of Draco Malfoy and Nymphadora Tonks. She is introduced in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . She is the most faithful member of Voldemort's inner circle. She is described as being highly attractive yet emaciated due to her time in Azkaban. Bellatrix
28392-470: Was published on 16 July 2005. The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , was published on 21 July 2007. Rowling herself has stated that the last chapter of the final book (in fact, the epilogue) was completed "in something like 1990". Rowling retained rights to digital editions and released them on the Pottermore website in 2012. Vendors such as Amazon displayed the ebooks in
28561-406: Was then shattered by Half-Blood Prince with 10.8 million copies. Within the first 24 hours of its release, 6.9 million copies of Prince were sold in the US; in the UK more than two million copies were sold on the first day. The initial US print run for Deathly Hallows was 12 million copies, and more than a million were pre-ordered through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Fans of
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