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Harry Potter

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For the character, see Harry Potter (character).
The Harry Potter logo, used first in American editions of the novel series and later in movies.
J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books.
A set of all seven UK Edition Harry Potter novels.

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels and eight movies by J. K. Rowling, a British author. It is named for its main character and hero, Harry Potter. Seven books in the series have sold over 500 million copies across the world in over 70 languages including Latin, Welsh and Ancient Greek, and is the best-selling book series of all time. They were adapted into movies by Warner Bros. The first one was released in 2001. The second, third, fourth, and fifth were released respectively in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released in 2009. The final movie was divided into two parts. The first part, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, was released in 2010. The second part, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, was released in 2011. Several spin-off movies have been released in 2016, 2018, and 2022 respectively, some TV specials in 2022 for the streaming service HBO Max, and a reboot of the franchise is officially in the works.

Plot

Harry Potter was born in England, United Kingdom. His parents, Lily and James Potter, were killed by an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort, while Voldemort was trying to kill Harry. Yet Harry escaped with no harm except a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, and Voldemort ends up dead or is he? Harry is raised by his non-magical Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin (Dudley), and is mistreated by them. He believes the false words of the Dursleys that Harry's parents were killed in a car crash. As a child, he did not know that he was a wizard. He eventually discovers that there are many magical people, living secretly and hiding from non-wizards (known as "Muggles"). When Harry turned eleven on July 31, he received a letter inviting him to go to a school called Hogwarts for young witches and wizards. Each book tells the story of one year of his life at the school and tells how he struggles. On Hogwarts Express, the train they use to get to Hogwarts, he meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who become his best friends. Harry also later meets Myrtle Warren, a ghost, who also becomes his friend. Voldemort tries several times to return to life and kill Harry. In the fourth book, Voldemort comes to life with help from his follower, Peter Pettigrew. The series ends with an epic battle between Harry and Lord Voldemort and a final epilogue that shows Harry and his friends safe and happy with their partners and children.

Books

Secondary books

Adaptations

The seven books were all adapted into different forms of media, including toys, movies, spin-off movies, TV specials, video games, and a stage play as well.

Movies

Spin-off movies

TV specials

Video games

Other games

Stage

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play based on a new story by J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. It is billed as being the "eighth story, nineteen years later." It stars Jamie Parker as Harry, Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, and Paul Thornley as Ron.

"While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."[1]

The play officially opened July 30, 2016 at the Palace Theatre in London.[2]

Characters and actors of the movies

Main characters

  • Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe): The hero of the stories. Harry is a special young wizard. Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, were killed by Lord Voldemort when he was a baby. He lives with and is raised by his Aunt Petunia, his mother's sister, and Uncle Vernon, along with their son Dudley for the duration of the series.
  • Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint): Harry's best friend. Ron was born to Arthur and Molly Weasley, a large magical family, with five older brothers and one younger sister. He is the second youngest child in the Weasley family. He often helps Harry out on his many adventures, including the fight to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort.
  • Hermione Granger (Emma Watson): Harry's other best friend. Hermione's parents are not wizards, but "Muggles" (non-magical people). She is the brightest student in a class. She also faces much prejudice for her muggle family from both students at school and Voldemort's followers, the Death Eaters.
  • Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright): Ron's younger sister and the last of 7 children. She is seen having a crush on Harry as a little girl in the first book, and would eventually go on to date him and marry him.
  • Albus Dumbledore: Headmaster at Hogwarts. His full name is "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore". He is a very powerful wizard. Voldemort fears only him. Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris in the first two movies. After Richard Harris's death, Michael Gambon took over the role, and a younger version of the character has been played by actor Jude Law. Albus Dumbledore is said to be gay by author J.K Rowling.[3]
  • Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane): Hagrid is originally just the Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, but in the third book gets the position of teacher. He teaches "Care of Magical Creatures" from the third book until the seventh, when he leaves the school to escape the Death Eaters. He is a friend of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and a "half-giant."
  • Lord Voldemort: The main villain of the series and responsible for the death of Harry's parents. He is feared throughout the wizarding world, and is often referred to as "The Dark Lord", "He Who Must Not Be Named", or as "You Know Who", as wizards believe naming him will somehow call him. Prior to his infamy he was known as Tom Marvolo Riddle. The part has been played in different movies by actors Richard Bremmer, Christian Coulson, Ralph Fiennes, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, and Frank Dillane.
  • Sirius Black (Gary Oldman): Sirius Black was James Potter's best friend in school and before James' death. He was charged for the murder of another of James' friends, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was innocent, but convicted anyway. In the third novel, the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius breaks out of prison (the wizarding prison is called Azkaban). He is Harry Potter's godfather. He is a major character in the third, fourth and fifth books, before his death at the end of the fifth book, the Order of the Phoenix.
  • Severus Snape (Alan Rickman): Severus Snape was the Potions master at Hogwarts for the first five books. In the sixth book, he gets the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. After the death of Dumbledore, Snape becomes headmaster. Throughout the books, Snape shows much bias for his own school house, Slytherin. He treats students from the other houses very badly.
  • Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton): Draco Malfoy is a Slytherin student. In the first five books, he exists primarily as a foil (opposite) to Harry. In the sixth book, the Half-Blood Prince, he is ordered to kill Dumbledore but cannot bring himself to do it.
  • Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis): He is a Gryffindor student and he is one of the members of Dumbledore's Army. His parents were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange when he was sixteen months old. At the end of the series, during the battle of Hogwarts, he kills Nagini with Godric Gryffindor's sword, making it easy for Harry to defeat Voldemort.

The Weasleys

Character Relation Actor Notes
Arthur Weasley Father of the Weasleys Mark Williams Works for the Ministry of Magic
Molly Weasley Mother of the Weasleys Julie Walters Busy mother of seven children
Bill Weasley eldest son Domhnall Gleeson Cursebreaker for Gringotts Bank
Charlie Weasley second eldest son Alex Crockford Works as a Dragon-tamer in Romania
Percy Weasley third oldest son Chris Rankin Works for the Ministry of Magic
Fred Weasley Fourth son
Older Weasley twin 		James Phelps Owns the wizarding joke shop, left Hogwarts in the fifth book, "Order of the Phoenix."
George Weasley Fifth son
Younger Weasley twin 		Oliver Phelps Owns the wizarding joke shop, left Hogwarts in the fifth book, "Order of the Phoenix."
Ronald Weasley Sixth son
 Rupert Grint One of Harry's two closest friends at Hogwarts who helps him

kill Voldemort.

Ginny Weasley Daughter, youngest Bonnie Wright The youngest of seven. Harry's girlfriend from the sixth book on.

Teachers at Hogwarts

Character Actor Subject
Minerva McGonagall
(Head of Gryffindor house) 		Maggie Smith Transfiguration
(changing something into something else)
Severus Snape
(Head of Slytherin house) 		Alan Rickman Potions
(brewing magical mixtures)
Horace Slughorn Jim Broadbent
Rubeus Hagrid
(Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts) 		Robbie Coltrane Care of Magical Creatures
(studying mystical creatures)
Filius Flitwick
(Head of Ravenclaw house) 		Warwick Davis Charms
(making things happen)
Pomona Sprout
(Head of Hufflepuff house) 		Miriam Margoyles Herbology
(caring for magical plants)
Sybill Trelawney Emma Thompson Divination
(predicting the future)
Madame Hooch Zoe Wannamaker Flying on broomsticks
also: referee and teacher for Quidditch
Quirinus Quirrell Ian Hart Defence Against the Dark Arts
(defensive magic)
Gilderoy Lockhart Kenneth Branagh
Remus Lupin David Thewlis
Alastor Moody (impersonated in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Barty Crouch, Jr.) Brendan Gleeson
Dolores Umbridge Imelda Staunton
Severus Snape Alan Rickman
Alecto Carrow Suzanne Toase

Other students

Student House Actor Notes
Cho Chang Ravenclaw Katie Leung Former girlfriend of Cedric Diggory, and then girlfriend of Harry. Member of "Dumbledore's Army".
Vincent Crabbe Slytherin Jamie Waylett Draco's friend.
Cedric Diggory Hufflepuff Robert Pattinson Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Took part in the Triwizard Tournament. Took Cho Chang to the Yule Ball. Killed by Voldemort's "Avada Kedavra" curse in the maze during the competition.
Gregory Goyle Slytherin Joshua Herdman Draco's friend.
Neville Longbottom Gryffindor Matthew Lewis Harry's friend. Member of "Dumbledore's Army." Has a pet toad. Great in Herbology. Killed Voldemort's snake, Nagini, the sixth Horcrux, in the Final Battle, making it possible for Harry to finally kill Voldemort.
Luna Lovegood Ravenclaw Evanna Lynch Harry's friend. She attends one of Professor Slughorn's 'Slug Club' parties with Harry in the Half-Blood Prince. She is strange, yet wise and people often find her company uncomfortable.
Susan Bones Hufflepuff Eleanor Columbus She is a student we see in the first movie of Harry Potter. She is in Hufflepuff. Her grandparents have been killed by Voldemort. Her aunt, Madam Bones, works at the Ministry of Magic.

Other characters

  • Vernon Dursley (played by Richard Griffiths) is the uncle of Harry Potter. He usually treats Harry badly.
  • Petunia Dursley (played by Fiona Shaw) is Vernon's wife and Harry's aunt. Like Vernon, she usually treats Harry badly. She was jealous that her sister lily was a witch.
  • Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones) is a house-elf who used to belong to the Malfoy family. Unlike other house-elves, Dobby wishes to be free.
  • Merope is the descendant of Salazar Slytherin and is also the mother of Lord Voldemort.
  • Michael Corner (played by Ryan Nelson) is Ginny's boyfriend who makes Harry jealous in the later books.
  • Madame Rosmerta (played by Julie Christie) is the owner of 'The Three Broomsticks', the pub where butterbeer is often served.
  • Madame Malkins (played by Paula Arundell) is the owner of the wizard robes shop.
  • Mr. Ollivander (played by John Hurt) Wandmaker, owner of Ollivanders, was taken away by the Death Eaters, but is broken out of his cell by Dobby and Harry Potter.
  • Rita Skeeter (played by Miranda Richardson) Reporter for the Daily Prophet, author of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, Animagus.
  • Stanley Shunpike (played by Lee Ingleby) is the conductor of the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard.

Magical creatures

The book has many non-human magical characters. Some of them are from mythology and others Rowling wrote herself. Some of these magical creatures have their own culture and some are like animals. According to the real-world book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Ministry of Magic makes three groups of creatures: Being, Beast and Spirit. Beings are creatures like humans and house elves, who are smart enough to manage their own business and Beasts are not.[4]

  • Centaurs live in the Forbidden Forest near the school. They are smart and study the stars. They are proud and do not like it when humans bother them. Even though centaurs are smart enough to be called "Being" by the Ministry of Magic, they asked to be called "Beast" instead because that meant more humans would leave them alone. There is a Centaur Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic, but no one ever uses it.
  • Mermaids live in the lake near the school. They speak a language called Mermish and have scary faces.
  • House Elves work in the school and for wizarding families. They cook and clean. A house elf can only be freed if its owner gives it clothes. Otherwise, they wear pillowcases, tea towels or other cloth that is not clothing. House Elves have their own kind of magic, which is very strong.
  • Veela can look like beautiful women or like winged creatures with scary faces. They can throw fireballs and magically appear attractive to human men.
  • Giants are large and brutal. Human beings hunted them so that now they have to live close together in mountains. Some giants can have children with humans.
  • Werewolves are humans who have been bitten by another werewolf. Other humans act as if they have a dangerous disease. There are laws saying they can only work in certain places. Wizards and non-wizards can be werewolves.
  • Ghosts are dead people who are gray and transparent. There are ghosts at Hogwarts who talk to the students. The history teacher is a ghost.
  • Phoenixes are fire birds. They catch fire once every five hundred days and come out of the ashes a young baby bird again. Their tears can heal even an almost dead person. In the second book, a phoenix saved harry from the Basilisk, another venomous creature. In the books, Dumbledore has a pet phoenix named Fawkes.
  • Vampires are magical creatures of the night which appear in the series only sporadically. The only known vampire in the Harry Potter series is Sanguini.
  • Leprechauns are magical beings; tiny, bearded men, they are the official mascots of the Irish National Quidditch Team.

Harry Potter Media

  • The Elephant House was one of the cafés in Edinburgh where Rowling wrote the first part of Harry Potter.

  • The former 1st floor Nicholson's Cafe now renamed Spoon in Edinburgh where J. K. Rowling wrote the first few chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

  • The logo used in British, Australian, and Canadian editions before 2010, which uses the typeface Cochin Bold

  • The Russian translation of The Deathly Hallows goes on sale in Moscow, 2007

  • Crowd outside a book store for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

  • Sculpture of Harry Potter in Leicester Square, London

  • "Platform 9+3⁄4" sign on London King's Cross railway station

  • The locomotive that features as the "Hogwarts Express" in the film series

References

  1. ↑ "New details on Cursed Child, the 'eighth Harry Potter story'". www.pottermore.com. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. ↑ JK Rowling outs Dumbledore as gay. 20 October 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7053982.stm. 
  4. ↑ J.K. Rowling (2009). Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. ISBN 978-0747554660.

Other websites

  The English Wikibook Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter has more information on:

Official sites

Other resources

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