Where To Start: A Beginner’s Guide To Harry Potter
I would love to preface this article with my personal story so that you may have an inkling of why Harry Potter is so important to me and other Millennials…
I was born in the Summer of 1993 and in the Summer of 1999 we moved to Hawaii, just before my 6th birthday. At the time, before the Age Of Information, Hawaii had the habit of being culturally behind the mainland. So, it was because of my grandmother who lived in South Carolina, that Harry Potter was introduced to our lives. She was always on top of the latest trends, always on top of what was popular… so when Harry Potter exploded in the United States, she set us Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, and the most recently published Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban for Christmas.
It is because of these books that I fell in love with literature, with reading, and with storytelling. It was because I was so hungry to learn the whole story that I taught myself how to read quickly and efficiently, so I wasn’t reliant on anyone to read it to me. It is because of Harry Potter that I have lived thousands of lives in many different worlds and it is because of Harry Potter that I became an author.
I grew up with Harry in a way that only my generation could and everything to do with Harry Potter has seeped into every critical thing that makes us “Millennials”. Though the next generations can meme that we should remove our Hogwarts House from our bios, that is something we wear with pride because it is such a fundamental part of who we are, what we identity with, how we can be described, and how we form relationships.
As Harry grew, we grew. As Harry made friends and enemies, so did we. As Harry questioned what was right and what was wrong, so did we. As Harry started to understand that life is complicated, messy, and difficult, so did we. And as Harry learned that his heroes were human and made mistakes, so did we.
Harry Potter is our past… present… and future, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
“You’re A Wizard, Harry.”
The Harry Potter series consists of seven books by the author J. K. Rowling. They were originally published by Bloomsbury in The United Kingdom and then came to The United States to be published by Scholastic. The seven-book series follows the story of “The Boy Who Lived”, Harry James Potter.
Harry James Potter is the son of Lily and James Potter who were killed by Voldemort the night the first book starts. Lord Voldemort, also known as “The Dark Lord”, “The One Who Must Not Be Names”, “You Know Who”, and Tom Marvolo Riddle, is a Hilter-like power that wanted to take over and reform the wizarding world. It is unclear at the beginning and assumptions are only made by the end of why Harry lived and The Killing Curse rebounded to hit Voldemort, (the only information we are given is the implication of Lily’s sacrifice and mother’s love somehow magically evolved to protect him).
After his parents were killed and Voldemort disappears, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, takes Harry to live with his Aunt Pentuna and Uncle Vernon Dursley, who are Muggles [non-magically folk] and are “perfectly normal, thank you very much”. In the first ten years of his life with the Dursleys, Harry is treated horribly and knows nothing of his parents or the magical world they were apart of. Then… just as he turns eleven, letters start arriving by owl for him, to explain that he has been accepted into Hogwarts School For Witchcraft And Wizardry and expected to arrive with the other first years on September 1st.
Hagrid, the groundskeeper of Hogwarts, comes to rescue Harry from the Dursleys and take him shopping for all his school supplies in the wizarding sub-city of Diagon Alley. Later, he is given the train ticket for the Hogwarts Express, meets both Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is sorted into Gryffindor House.
Other notable characters that are important from beginning to end are Minerva McGonagall – Transfiguration professor, Severus Snape – Potions master, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. While Harry, Hermione, and Ron are known as “The Golden Trio”, Ginny, Neville, and Luna Lovegood are known as “The Silver Trio”.
Magic
All that is really known is that magic comes from the blood. But, just as there are Pure-Bloods, there are also random witches and wizards that are Muggle-Born. A Pure-Blood example is Draco Malfoy and just one example of a Muggle-Born is Hermione Granger. There are also people called Squibs, like the caretaker of Hogwarts, Argus Filch, who are Wizard-Born but who possess no magical powers whatsoever (which is extremely sad).
All witches and wizards are connected with a wand in their childhood. Which, for Hogwarts students such as Harry, is at eleven years old. Wands can be made of various woods with a few different magical cores, and have personalities just like their owners. For example, wands can bond with their owner in a way that means they will never work for someone else or can be so biased they work best for the Dark Arts. (J. K. Rowling has provided only the very basic information when it comes to wood types and cores, so fans have the freedom to really get creative with their own.)
It is important to note, though, that the more powerful the witch or wizard, the less reliant they may be on wands and verbal spells. A few times do we see Dumbledore and Voldemort – arguably the two most powerful wizards in the time of the story – do magic without their wands or without saying a word. But, we even see Snape whispering a spell – no sound, but with moving his lips.
Other important “powers” that come with various stages of magic are: 1. The shape-shifting ability, which we see McGonagall have to turn into a cat and Peter Pettigrew into a rat. 2. Mind-reading, which is a plot between Harry and Voldemort and Snape. 3. The Patronus spell, which is a sort of corporeal representation of a person’s soul that is made of pure happiness and love and keeps Dementors away. And 4. The Apparition spell, Floo Powder, and Port-Keys that are different versions of teleportation.
It must be mentioned, as well, that there are three “Unforgivable Curses”, that are illegal to use: 1. Avada Kedavra – The Killing Curse. 2. Crucio – The Cruciatus Cruse, that causes pain so intense you could go insane. 3. Imperio – The Imperius Curse, which is mind-control. Also, there is “The Unbreakable Vow” which is a promise magically made between at least two individuals that if broken, causes death.
Hogwarts
Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry is one of many magic schools worldwide. In Scotland, it houses and teaches all the magical children in The United Kingdom. It was founded by two witches and two wizards, which is why there are the four houses – Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. The Sorting Hat is a magical, talking hat that “looks inside” the minds of first-years to place them in the house they belong to and will most succeed in. Within the castle, there are the four dorms, all of the classrooms, and the Great Hall (which is where meals are held, announcements made, mail delivered, and exams taken). On the grounds of Hogwarts, there is The Great Lake and The Forbidden Forest which are important to various plots within the seven books.
1. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone
Published By Scholastic In 1998
Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.
All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley – a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry – and anyone who reads about him – will find unforgettable.
For it’s there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.
2. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Published By Scholastic In 1999
The summer after his first year at Hogwarts is worse than ever for Harry Potter. The Dursleys of Privet Drive are more horrible to him than ever before. And just when he thinks the endless summer vacation is over, a creature named Dobby the house-elf shows up issuing a grave warning to Harry not to go back to school or disaster will happen! Of course, Harry has to go back- and he does so in grand style, in a flying-car magicked by his friends Ron and Percy Weasley. But getting back to Hogwarts isn’t the cure Harry expects it to be. Almost immediately a student is found turned to stone, and then another. And somehow Harry stands accused. Could Harry Potter be the long-feared heir of Slytherin?
Harry and friends Hermione and Fred are stretched to their limits in a desperate fight against Draco Malfoy and his gang, the hideously stuck-up new professor Gilderoy Lockheart, the malevolent owner of the diary of Tom Riddle, giant spiders, and perhaps even…Hagrid!
3. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Published By Scholastic In 1999
For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter’s defeat of You-Know-Who was Black’s downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, “He’s at Hogwarts . . . he’s at Hogwarts.”
Harry Potter isn’t safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
4. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Published By Scholastic In 2000
Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that’s supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal – even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.
5. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
Published By Scholastic In 2003
There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?
It’s not just the upcoming O.W.L. exams; a new teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a venomous, disgruntled house-elf; or even the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Now Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts.
Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice.
6. Harry Potter And The Half-blood Prince
Published By Scholastic In 2005
The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. And yet…
As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate – and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.
So it’s the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort – and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.
7. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
Published By Scholastic In 2007
Harry Potter is leaving Privet Drive for the last time. But as he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid’s motorbike and they take to the skies, he knows Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters will not be far behind.
The protective charm that has kept him safe until now is broken. But the Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything he loves. And he knows he can’t keep hiding.
To stop Voldemort, Harry knows he must find the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them.
He will have to face his enemy in one final battle.
Movies
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone came out in theaters November 16th, 2001, (before they started doing midnight releases), and my parents actually took us out of school so we could go to the first showing that morning. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows had a midnight release in theaters July 15th, 2011, and I was lucky enough to see it with my best friend in the theater I saw Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, (I open at the close). I will be forever grateful for the movies because that is what lead to some of my favorite merchandise and the theme parks.
The seven movies have Hary Potter played by Daniel Radcliff, Hermione Granger played by Emma Watson, and Ron Weasley played by Rupert Grint. The Silver Trio has Ginny Weasley played by Bonnie Wright, Neville Longbottom by Matthew Lewis, and Luna Lovegood by Evanna Lynch.
The Professors of Hogwarts were Albus Dumbledore played by Michael Gambon (for movies three through eight), Minerva McGonagall by Maggie Smith, and Severus Snape by Alan Rickman. The Weasleys were Molly by Julie Walters, Arthur by Mark Williams, Fred And George by James and Oliver Phelps. Other notable characters were Hagrid played by Robbie Coltrane, Sirius Black by Gary Oldman, Draco Malfoy by Tom Felton, Lord Voldemort by Ralph Fines, Bellatrix Lestrange by Helena Bonham Carter, and Lucius Malfoy by Jason Isaacs.
Though there are some interesting storylines missing from the movies, all of the important plots are there. One of the major things I would like to correct, though, is that in the books Harry does not break and throw away the Elder Wand in the end, he hides it safely in the headmaster’s office.
Universal Theme Parks
Universal Orlando was the first to open a Wizarding World Of Harry Potter theme park, Hogsmeade, in Islands Of Adventure in June 2010. They then opened their second Wizarding World theme park, Diagon Alley, in Universal Studios in July 2014.
Currently, Hogsmeade includes Honeydukes Sweets Shop, the Three Broomsticks restaurant and Hogshead pub, Dervish And Bangs and Owl Post, Hogwarts Forbidden Journey, Flight Of The Hippogriff, and Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure.
Currently, Diagon Alley includes the London waterfront with the Knight Bus and Grimmauld Place, the Leaky Cauldron, Knockturn Alley with Borgin And Burkes, Madam Malkin’s Robes, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, Magical Menagerie, Escape From Gringotts, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Ollivander’s Wands, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, and the Quidditch Supply Shop, plus shows from Celestina Warbeck.
To connect the two parks, of course, is a life-sized replica of the Hogwarts Express to take from King’s Cross Station to Hogsmeade Station and back, (that is also an attraction, that requires a park-to-park ticket).
Wizarding World
J.K. Rowling created PotterMORE to house all of the additional information she may have when it comes to anything in the Wizarding World universe.
She also wrote the screenplays and had her hand in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them and Crimes Of Grindlewald are prequels to the Harry Potter series, leading up to the battle between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, where Dumbledore will win The Elder Wand.
Other important pop culture references in the Wizarding World community are the YouTube videos Harry Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise and the Very Potter Musical, featuring Darren Criss (pre-Glee). I have been in all areas of the park when both Harry Potter Puppet Pals and the Very Potter Musical are quoted and sang.
“Always.”
As a Beginner’s Guide, I hope this has become your one-stop-shop to understand where to start when it comes to Harry Potter and gives you a greater understanding of the world-wide phenomenon. Comment below any other Harry Potter facts you may think is important and keep an eye on Society19 for other entertainment news!
