1

Table of contents

Introduction 2
1. About the author and fiction 4
2. The world of Harry Potter 9
2.1.Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone 9
2.2.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 17
2.3.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 22
2.4.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 28
2.5.Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix 34
2.6.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 38
2.7.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 40
3. Harry Potter between novel and movie 47
4. Main themes in the Harry Potter series 54
4.1. Friendship 54
4.2. Home 58
4.3. Death 61
Conclusion 63
Bibliography 65







2


Introduction
I have chosen this theme for a very simple reason. When this entire Harry-Potter-mania
appeared, I considered myself of a higher status than to read or watch another book or movie
about a boy with extraordinary talents, acting in extreme circumstances having to deal with some
problems then ending by winning the girl or starting his adult life with a good job and promising
future.
In this period I have been taking extra English lessons, with a teacher who is a big Harry
Potter fan. She gave me reading the first volume of Harry Potter as homework. I need not say
that I was extremely angry with her, for giving me a homework she knows that I detest. But then,
homework is homework it must be done, so with great effort I have opened the book and started
to read. The first thing that shocked me was how easy it was to read. It wasnt the typical
contemporary novel with a messed up context and not understandable words. Some humour of
the author was visible in the very first lines, and it was such an easy reading that I continued.
From the second chapter it started to increase my interest. I had a feeling that this book is not
going to be an ordinary one, so I continued reading page after page, chapter after chapter, until I
realized that I have finished it. In a few hours time and with no breaks, I have finished reading a
book which I have catalogued, without knowing anything about it, as a boring repetitive novel.
From that moment, I started looking for the other volumes, and I could hardly wait the
new ones to be published. I have been and still am amazed by the genious of Rowling, to have
invented such a plot, such an adventure leaving out the one thing children are most addicted to
technology. Rowling managed to attract me and many other readers from the magic of the
internet, play stations and inappropriate TV shows, to doing an activity which is slowly
disapearing from youngsters lives. I must have read the entire saga at least five times from head
to tail even before going to university.
Being at university a big question was raising in my head. What should I write about in
my final paper? Harry Potter was an obvious choice, but I didnt know what should I write about
it, or is it even considered a literary work to such an extent so that it could be used for this
purpose. In this situation the question already had the answer. I will show that the Harry Potter
deserves to be considered a part of world literature, and that it also bears educational purposes,
3

for there are so many things a child or younster can learn about, by following the course of a
yound wizards life.
So, in the following pages, I will present the author and the action of the novel,
highlighting those events which are educational, I will show where the Harry Potter series stands
as a literary species, I will draw a comparison between the novels and the movies, and I will also
present the main themes, again highlighting the effect these themes have on a childs education.

















4

1. About the author and fiction
Joanne Rowling is a British novelist best known for her septology, the Harry Potter
series which will be discussed in the present paper. She was born on the 31
st
of July, 1965, in
Gloucestershire. She took up a pen name, J.K. Rowling, at the publishers demand, owing to the
fear that boy-readers would not want to read something written by a woman.
Unhappy events from her life became inspiration for many elements in the novels. For
instance, the death of her mother is the reason for which Harrys loss of his parents is so deeply
felt, mostly in the lines of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone; about
which she had never spoken to her mother, unlike she did about other things. Later on, after a
divorce from Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes, Rowling attempts suicide and is
diagnosed with clinical depression, out of which mental state the figures of Dementors are
inspired. Suffering of depression, one has to deal with a constant sadness and the feeling of being
incapable of doing anything, accompanied by a strong feeling of never being able to be happy
again. The Dementors provoke all these feelings and that is why these creatures are destined to be
the guards of Azkaban, wizards prison.
1

After graduating she felt quite miserably; her marriage failed and she had to raise a child
without a job. Rowling herself confesses:
Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I
was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the
only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never
have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set
free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a
daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea. And so rock bottom
became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.
2

Regardless of what her private life was/is like in ten years time, Rowling wrote and
published no less than seven high quality volumes (which attract young readers from television

1
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling, consulted at March 12, 2014
2
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fljl45lkm/jk-rowling-failure-can-be-the-foundation-of-success/,
consulted at March 12, 2014
5

and internet back to reading, this being a nearly impossible battle to win against technology
nowadays) and three additional books, which complete the series. The total of ten volumes comes
as they follow: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone published on the 26
th
of June, 1997;
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets published on the 2
nd
of July, 1998; the third volume,
published on the 8
th
of July 1999 with the title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban;
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire published exactly a year after the previous; for Harry
Potter and the Order of Phoenix the readers have waited no less than three years, until the 21
st
of
June, 2003; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published on the 16
th
of July, 2005;
and the last one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows published on the 21
st
of July, 2007. The
other three books are: Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them (2001), Quidditch through the
Ages (2001), and The Tales of Beedle the Bard (2008). Each of the seven volumes corresponds
to one year at Hogwarts, except for the last one, because in that, Harry is not attending classes but
searching for horcruxes in order to be able to execute Voldemort. However, the time span in
which the plot is set in every book is of approximately a year.
As the series is now part of world literature, it can be placed within a literary genre. Since
the entire novel is based on an imaginary world born from the authors imagination (the
fascinating world of magic including wizards and wondrous creatures) we can agree that the
literary genre of the books is fantasy fiction.
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole,
with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginarythat is, invented by the
author.
3

According to the same source, there are three types of fiction: realistic fiction (including
works in which the plot is untrue, but it could happen), semi-fiction (in which the plot includes
real, true elements such as a reconstructed biography, or a novel based on a true story), and non-
realistic fiction (in which the actions of the plot could not happen in real life either because these
actions are supernatural, or because they involve an alternate form of life or inexistent
technology). The Harry Potter series belongs to this last category; it presents the world of wizards
living alternately with the muggles (non-magic people). The existence of creatures like
Dementors, thestrals, elves, goblins is another proof that the Harry Potter series is a fictional

3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction, consulted at March 20, 2014.
6

literary writing, with the remark that it is also a post-Tolkien fantasy fiction. Fantastic literature is
bi-dimensional, oscillating between realism and imaginary. Let us take the example of the school
itself: it is not unimaginable for a school to be in a castle on a remote land, this is actually
possible, but the candles floating in mid-air in the Great Hall, and the bewitched ceiling are as
imaginary as possible. Geographical details and character descriptions have the role of inviting
the reader to ignore the texts artifice, to suspend ones disbelief, exercise poetic faith and
thereby indulge in the narratives imaginative world
4
. Some authors go even further sustaining
that fictional elements are those which complete reality, where it lacks something.
As critics have pointed out repeatedly, novels need conflict. There are several types of
conflict, however, categorized on the basis of the conflicting elements: person vs. self; person vs.
person; person vs. society; person vs. nature; person vs. supernatural; person vs.
machines/technology.
In Rowlings septology, four of the six categories are present. Firstly, the person vs. self-
type of conflict is the most visible, because Harry, the protagonist, is constantly forced to choose
between what he wants and what he must do. This can also be considered the choice between the
good path and the easy one, which is a constant theme throughout the series. For instance, at the
end of the first book, Harry faces Voldemort and his servant, who want to convince Harry to hand
over the Philosophers Stone with the promise that his dead parents will be brought back to life.
Being as it is, growing up without his parents, seeing them and living in the midst of a loving
family is Harrys greatest wish, thus, it would have been understandable if he gave up in front of
the Dark Lord. However, learning how dark times have been while Voldemort was in his power,
he chooses to make a sacrifice and stand up against the evil. He refuses to risk many peoples
lives for his own good. This action also marks the first sacrifice, Harry must make in order to
stop Voldemort, furthermore, it offers a hint about the price he will have to pay for saving the
wizarding world (and not only that, but also the muggles) from the terror of the greatest dark
wizard of all times.
Secondly, the person vs. person type of conflict is also present, there are many conflicting
pairs in the seven volumes: straight from the beginning Harry is in a constant conflict with his

4
George W. Young, Subversive Symmetry. Exploring the Fantastic, in Mark, 6:45-56, Brill, Leiden
1999, p. 98, 106-109.
7

cousin, Dudley; then the conflicts go on between Harry and Voldemort, Harry and Draco Malfoy,
Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore, there are moments where the three friends (Harry, Ron and
Hermione) stand against the entire Ministry of Magic, and, of course there is also the great
conflict between Good and Evil.
The third type of conflict is not as spread as the primer two, it appears rather occasionally
and it is not long lasting but rather very intense. The first major appearance of conflict between
Harry and the collective of students from Hogwarts comes in his second year at the school, which
corresponds to the second book. It is the moment when everybody (including Harry) finds out
that Harry Potter is a Parselmouth, that is, he can talk to snakes. The reason for which this ability
creates a conflict is that of Voldemort himself being a Parselmouth. The symbol of Slytherin (one
of the four school houses besides Gryffindor, Rawenclaw and Hufflepuff) is a serpent, and this is
quite an interesting coincidence, because, as Ron Weasley put it during the sorting ceremony in
their first year: theres no witch or wizard who went bad who wasnt in Slytherin. In these
chapters, everybody thinks Harry is the heir of Slytherin who will open the Chamber of Secrets
and release the monster that lies within in to kill all the muggle-borns who are in the school.
The second great person vs. society conflict appears at the end of the fourth book, when
Harry states that Voldemort gained all his powers back. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge,
refuses to accept the facts declaring Harry a liar, and Albus Dumbledore an old fool for standing
on Harrys side and believing every single word the boy says.
As I mentioned before only four of the six types of conflict appear in Rowlings books.
There is no conflict with nature, on the contrary. In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry is attacked,
in the Forbidden Forest while spending his detention, by the Dark Lord himself, in disguise. He is
saved however by a centaur, Firenze. During his second year, a house elf, Dobby, tries to save
Harry from the plot that has been made up in order to annihilate Harry. In the last book, Dobby
saves Harrys and his friends life risking and losing his own life. Dobbys death is one of the
most touching episodes of the entire series, along with the death of Sirius and Dumbledore. Of
course, in the second volume, there are the spiders which want to attack and nevertheless eat
Harry and Ron, so this could be considered as a conflict between man and nature. However, this
is an action which, I think, cannot happen in real life, so the mad spiders can be taken as part of
the fantasy-fiction world instead of a conflict with nature.
8

The conflict with the supernatural is however present, in the person of Voldemort. Owing
to the immense magical power he has gained, he is considered to be supernatural. Consequently,
every character that stands against him, or is in conflicting situation with the Dark Lord, is in
conflicting situation with the supernatural.
There is no conflict with machines or technology because no such things are present in
Harry Potter. The plot of the series is focused upon a boys growing up, his feelings, deeds and
sufferings; there is no place for complicated super technology in the series because in the
character of Harry Potter, Rowling personifies the stages of maturity we all must attain on our
inevitable path toward death.
5
Yes, no matter how incredible, Harry Potter is destined to die.
Dumbledore knows this, but he does not reveal this secret, except to Severus Snape, who, before
dying in the last book, gives Harry a memory in a tear drop. That is when the boy, now a
teenager, finds out that he must make the ultimate sacrifice if he wants to save the world from
Voldemorts terror. He, who has been searching for and destroying horcruxes
6
, is himself one of
the things that must be destroyed. Harry is a horcrux made involuntarily in the night when
Voldemort tried to kill the Potters. He managed to kill the parents, but Lily, giving her life to
protect her son, has performed a special kind of magic, which is unknown to the Dark Lord: love.
Until Harry is underage and lives in one house with one of his mothers relatives, he cannot be
touched because Lilys sacrifice lives within his own blood.
In conclusion, because of the unreal characters and situations, and because it has several
types of conflicts, and given that it presents a story implying magic and acts of sorcery, the Harry
Potter series is a non-realistic fictional novel. And if it came about the conflicts and the unreal
characters, let us see these in particular, by going through the summary of the seven books.




5
Los, Fraser; Ross, Nicola; Harry Potter and the Nature of Death; Alternatives Journal; 2008; 34, 1;
ProQuest Central, pg. 32
6
The horcrux is an ordinary object in which a powerful wizard can hide a bit of his soul. Horcruxes were
favored by Voldemort in his efforts to become immortal.
9

2. The World of Harry Potter
J. K. Rowling proved to have an extraordinary talent and an imagination without limits,
by creating an alternative world which will capture the attention of the majority of children,
teenagers and even adults. Every literary work exists within its own imaginary world, where
special laws are in force, but these also contain some generalities which are common with the real
world. The Harry Potter series is no exception to these statements; moreover it is quite an
existential story, as Fraser Loss and Nicola Ross have said: Harry Potter is primarily an
existential story, in both the literal and philosophical senses. The series invokes some profound
thoughts regarding life and death, while remaining fully grounded in the natural world, rather
than in some heaven above.
7
Well, even if the world of Harry Potter is not what one would call
natural, it is however dominated by the inner thoughts and struggles of a boy who grows mature
under the eyes of the readers.
2.1 Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
The first book presents Harry Potter as a boy aged 11, who lives with the Dursley family,
which is made up by his aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon, and their son and Harrys cousin, Dudley, a
very spoiled, bad mannered, aggressive and extremely stupid boy. A characterization of Harry is
given by the author herself in the third novel, in which the fact that Harry is a wizard is also told,
as-a-matter-of-factly: Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he
hated the summer holidays more than any other time of the year. For another, he really wanted
to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened
to be a wizard.
8
His aunt and uncle knew about his abilities but never told him; moreover Harry
was punished for anything that happened in curious circumstances. Anyway, number 4 Privet
Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey is the only home Harry has ever known about. He was left at his
relatives at the age of 1, after his parents `died in a car crash` as the child was told. It could not be
said that Harry had a pleasant life; he was treated as an unwelcome guest by his relatives.
Illustrative in this sense are the authors words when describing uncle Vernons attitude towards

7
Los, Fraser; Ross, Nicola; Harry Potter and the Nature of Death; Alternative Journal; 2008; 34, 1;
ProQuest Central, pg. 32
8
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; pg. 1;
10

his nephew : He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the
bank, and Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects
9
.
Regardless of what happened to Harry in his early childhood, his first encounter with his
future life takes places when he turns 11. Mr Dursley took him and his family on an island to stop
Harry reading his letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which was being
brought to Harry by owl post (the common way for wizards to send letters). No matter how hard
he tries Harry still manages to read the letter when Rubeus Hagrid (a half-giant), the keeper of
keys and grounds at Hogwarts, broke into their borrowed little cabin. He is the one who tells
Harry the truth about how his parents died, namely that they were killed by the cruellest wizard
of all times, Lord Voldemort
10
.It is Hagrid who is Harrys first friend, the first one who does not
look at him like he was dirt, and he also happened to be of great help because he took Harry to
London to buy all the things he needed for school. Buying a cauldron, a wand, robes and other
things used by wizards would have been an impossible job for somebody who has never heard
about Diagon Alley and, consequently, doesnt know where to look for them. The link between
Muggle-London and Diagon Alley the place in London where wizards make their shopping,
have inns, even a bank, Gringotts is the Leaky Cauldron, a messy and dark little pub. This is the
place where Harry becomes aware of the fact that in the wizarding world everyone knows him,
without exception. When he enters following Hagrid, every person hurries to shake hands with
him and welcome him back in their midst. Entering on Diagon Alley is the moment of Harry
entering in the world where he truly belongs to. He was extremely fascinated and wished he had
about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying
to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, and the people doing their
shopping.
11
Harry finds out soon that what Hagrid told him was true. Everybody knew him, Mr
Ollivander, the wand maker even remembered his parents buying their first wands; which is not
quite a big deal because Mr Ollivander remembers every wand he has ever sold, and the person to
whom he sold it. Nevertheless, no matter how exciting the trip on Diagon Alley was, the journey
to the school from platform 9 will be even more outstanding.

9
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone; pg 16;
10
Also known as: the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; but his real name was
Tom Marvolo Riddle.
11
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone; pg 46.
11

After buying all the necessary thing for school, Hagrid leaves Harry but not before
handing him his ticket. While Harry looks at it Hagrid disappears leaving Harry in serious doubts.
When the moment of departing arrives, Harry meets a few members of the Weasley family,
namely Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and their mother, Molly. The latter helps him getting on the
platform and onto the train. During the journey he makes friends with Ron. This is an essential
moment in the outcome of Harrys future because Ron will be his best friend. However, Harry
learns that even wizarding families can have problems. Rons family for example is very poor;
Harry learns this from Rons expression when he sees all the sweets from the food trolley on the
train. Harry, who has his own money for the first time in his life, buys a bit of everything, but he
needs the help of his new friend in figuring out this new sort of snacks, because there was nothing
there he had seen before. There were Bettie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Droobles Best
Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a
number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.
12
Harry did not mind the
helping hand, and Ron, on his turn did not mind helping Harry through all his goods. This was a
new feeling for Harry who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share
with.
13
Harrys initiation in the magical world was also his initiation in society because he had
never had any friends, this being the result of several facts. Firstly because every kid was afraid
he/she will get a nice fight from Dudley and his gang if they were nice to Harry; and secondly
because of Harrys appearance which could always be better. He had to wear Dudleys old
clothes which were not exactly his size.
While still being on the train, Harry tells Ron about his fears regarding the huge amount
of expectations everyone might have towards him, after all he had defeated the Dark Lord but not
only he does not remember the event but also he does not know anything about the wizarding
world either, and although he did defeat the greatest dark wizard of all times, he did not even
know about it until Hagrid has told him. In this moment he really profits of his new friend, who
explains him that many students are muggle-borns but even students from wizarding families
come to Hogwarts with great gaps regarding their knowledge.

12
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone pg 65;
13
Idem, pg. 66;
12

The following great moment, or better said series of happenings, in Harrys life bear an
enormous influence upon his future. Firstly, he meets Draco Malfoy, whose father was known to
be one of the greatest supporters of the Dark Lord. He offers his friendship to Harry highlighting
the fact that ...some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You dont want to go
making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there. Not taking Malfoys hand marks the
point from whereon Draco and he will be enemies. Secondly the Sorting Hat has also got a role in
the outcome of Harrys future. He is sorted in Gryffindor together with Ron Weasley and
Hermione Granger, who will shortly become their good friend. However, they need a shock to
find out that they care about each other. A troll is released into the castle in the eve of Halloween;
while the students are lead to their common rooms, Harry remembers that Hermione is in the
girls bathroom crying after Ron upset her. They go after her but the troll gets there first; they risk
their lives to save her. This action is the first in which proof of disregard for the rules, is visible,
which will be followed by many other during their seven years attendance at Hogwarts.
After the first moments of shyness, Harry comes to the conclusion that he actually settled
in. Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that hed already been at Hogwarts two
months. The castle felt more like home than Private Drive ever had
14
. A similar kind of feeling
arose in Harry when he returned to Hogwarts for his third year of study: Harry climbed the
spiral stair with no other thought in his head except how glad he was to be back. They reached
their familiar, circular dormitory with its five-poster beds, and Harry, looking around, felt he
was home at last.
15
He had never felt like home with the Dursleys, and they, in their turn, never
wanted to make him feel like that. That is why he gets so excited when his godfather, Sirius
Black, offers him the possibility of living with him:
<<Wellyour parents appointed me your guardian, said Black stiffly. If anything
happened to them
Harry waited. Did Black mean what he thought he meant?
Ill understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle, said Black.
Butwellthink about it. Once my names clearedif you wanted aa different
home

14
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone; pg 110.
15
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; pg 60.
13

Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of Harrys stomach.
What live with you? he said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock
protruding from the ceiling. Leave the Dursleys?
Of course, I thought you wouldnt want to, said Black quickly. I understand, I just
thought Id
Are you insane? said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Blacks. Of course I want to
leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?
Black turned right around to look at him; Snapes head was scraping the ceiling but
Black didnt seem to care.
You want to? he said. You mean it?
Yeah, I mean it! said Harry. >>
16


This is probably the most emotional moment in the series and in the positive sense.
However, until this event, there are many others which worth mentioning. In the following few
pages I will make a short summary of the Harry Potter books, mentioning all the actions that lead
to a grandiose ending.
The first book starts by presenting Harry Potter, a baby less than one year old, left on the
threshold of his aunt and uncle, after his parents being murdered. He is raised alongside his
cousin, but under opposite circumstances: he did barely get everything he needed, while his
cousin was spoiled; he even had two rooms in order for all his toys to fit in. Meanwhile Harry
was sleeping and spending his time in a cupboard under the staircase. Besides this, Harry was
never taken anywhere where the Dursleys went, until one day, when having no one to babysit
him; Harry was taken to the zoo for the first time. This trip was not quite an unusual one,
because, Harry actually set a snake on his cousin. Dudley pushed him, and Harry, getting angry
because he felt, somehow made the glass of the boas terrarium disappear, for which he got
punished even though he kept saying that the glass just disappeared.
Later on in the novel, Harry is sent to bring in the mail. Between bills and postcards he
finds a letter addressed to him. Being very surprised he stares at it until Mr Dursley takes it away
from him. However other letters arrive, all addressed to Harry, but his uncle stops him from
reading them. The owls which keep on bringing the great number of letters push Mr Dursley to

16
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; pg 243.
14

the decision of leaving their home, in order to escape. They arrive to the sea side, where Vernon
takes the entire family on a rock, on the sea, which has a little cabin on it. Even the storm forecast
wasnt able to make Mr Dursley give up his plan. During the night Harry meets Hagrid, the first
person who acts friendly and he gets his very first birthday cake. Despite uncle Vernons
definitely forbidding it, the half giant reveals Harry his true nature, namely that of being a wizard.
He also takes him to Diagon Alley to buy all the necessary things for the start of school, and also
gets a present, again from Hagrid, a beautiful snow owl, Hedwig. When being at Gringotts
(wizards bank) Hagrid takes something out from a vault and refuses to tell Harry what the little
package hides, telling that it is Hogwarts business, very secret! He will find out later, however,
what it is, with the help of his friends.
The journey from platform 9 does not come easy as well. Not only Harry is discouraged
by his relatives, but also he is unable to find the platform. Luckily, he overhears a woman
complaining about Kings Cross railway station that it is packed with muggles of course. The
woman kindly helps him; she, Molly Weasley, will become the only mother figure in Harrys
life. On the train, a friendship starts between him, and Ron Weasley, which will grow stronger
and stronger. After arriving to the castle and being sorted into Gryffindor, the school year starts.
Ron and Harry make friends with Hermione Granger, after saving her from a troll, and Harry is
taken into the Quidditch team, as the youngest seeker in the century, because first years were not
allowed to practice this sport, owing to the high number of serious accidents.
Time passes quickly and Harry proves to settle in very well. One day, the three friends
accidentally enter the third floor corridor which is forbidden. They soon find out why it is
forbidden; nothing less but a three headed dog is placed there to guard a trap door, about which
they later find out that Hagrid lent it to Dumbledore and it is called Fluffy. After the Halloween
incident with the troll, Harry notices an injury on Severus Snapes leg; he shares his thoughts
with Ron and Hermione, and the together they come to the conclusion that the dog guards that
thing Hagrid brought from Gringotts and Snape tries to still it. At Christmas Harry got an
invisibility cloak, which proved to be very useful for his night time wanderings around the castle.
He finds the Mirror of Erised which, according to Dumbledore shows the greatest wish of
whoever stands in front of it. This will later be very useful, when finding the Philosophers Stone.
With some incidental help from Hagrid, they also find out that the Philosophers Stone is hidden
in the castle, which besides its ability of turning any metal into pure gold it also produces the
Elixir of Life which will keep the drinker immortal. The three friends now decide to pay attention
15

for any curious happenings; they think that Snape wants to steal the stone for Voldemort, who
plans to return and finish what he had started eleven years earlier. However, the stone comes into
action only at the end of the first book. Until then Harry is to prove not only his generosity, but
also courage and determination. When they put the puzzle together, Harry, Ron and Hermione
decide to go to their friend Hagrid to tell him that Snape wants to steal the stone. They find
Hagrid in the companion of a dragon egg that is about to hatch telling them that he had won it in
the pub. Fearing that Hagrid might have accidentally told the stranger about Fluffy, the way he
did with them abut Nicolas Flamel, the other creator of the Philosophers Stone besides
Dumbledore, they decide to tell the headmaster what Snape is planning. Unfortunately, professor
McGonagall tells them that Dumbledore had left just a few minutes earlier. Fearing that Snape
would manage to steal the stone, they decide to go down the trap door during the night and take
the stone before him. In the dungeon, they find themselves against a series of obstacles, that they
take successfully by helping each other. Firstly there was the three headed dog of course,
secondly the Herbology teachers (Professor Sprout) Devils Snare, an enormous plant that
strangles its victims, thirdly there where the flying keys, charmed by Professor Flitwick, between
which Harry had to catch the one that opens the door, the following obstacle is the giant chess
board with its chessmen transfigured by professor McGonagall; they each had to the place of one
figure and this way play their way through the table to the next door. Unfortunately, Ron had to
sacrifice himself in order for Harry to checkmate the king so he does not join them forward. In
the next room, Harry and Hermione find a troll; luckily for them it was still unconscious. As they
entered in the room, fire burst at both its doors. This was Snapes magic with which Harry needed
Hermiones help very much because this obstacle required logic rather than magic:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wines left side;
16

Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight?
17

Hermione quickly sorts out the poem; she drank the potion which made her safe to return
and take Ron to the hospital wing, leaving Harry to cope with the following tasks on his own. On
his turn, Harry also drank the potion and moved forward but instead of Snape or Voldemort he
found Professor Quirrel, a stuttering and very nervous man, whom no one would suspect of
anything evil. Soon Harry finds out that not everything what shines is gold. Soon he will meet
Voldemort, who lives under Quirrels turban. Soon, Harry will prove that he is capable of giving
up his wishes for the good cause. Voldemort promises him to bring back his parents from the
lines of the dead if Harry gives him the stone. For a boy who has dreamed his entire life about
how good it could be to live with his parents, this is the greatest temptation. Still, he refuses to go
on Voldemorts side, in consequence he is attacked. He is saved, however by her mother. Not
literally because she is dead, but according to Dumbledore, the fact that Lily by giving her life to
protect her son left a mark on Harry, an invisible mark that lives with him, in his own blood:
love. Such an enormous feeling that links a mother and a child is incomprehensible by some who
did not love anyone in his entire life, not even after his nearly death. Voldemort cannot
understand the power of the sacrifice a loving person is capable of, which is why he will be
defeated in the end. There is no better explanation of this event than Albus Dumbledores words
addressed to Harry:
Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot
understand, it is love. He didnt realize that love as powerful as your
mothers for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible signto have
been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will
give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrel, full of
hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not

17
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone; pg 185.
17

touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by
something so good.
18

After the encounter with Voldemort, Harry wakes up in the schools hospital wing. His
first thoughts turn to his friends, Ron and Hermione. This makes a great difference between
Harry and Voldemort: caring more about others than about you. This is not only generosity,
which Harry had already proved on the train when sharing everything he owned with Ron, but
also empathy and love.
The end of the first book is as great as the entire novel; still a very important idea is better
expressed in the movie. After saying good-bye to Hagrid, Harry hurries to get onto the train, but
before departing, he gets involved in a short dialogue with Hermione :<<Feels strange to be
going home, doesnt it?(Hermione asked.) Im not going home, not really!>>.
2.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets continues the story from
where it stopped at the end of the first volume. Immediately after arriving home, Harrys all
belongings had been locked up in the cupboard by his aunt and uncle. Nevertheless, Harry had
other things to worry about. It was his twelfth birthday and not only did the Dursleys forgot it,
which did not bother Harry to much as he has never got any presents, but he did not get any card
from his friends neither. He was feeling quite miserably thinking that Ron and Hermione have
forgotten him. After doing a lot of house work because of the guests his uncle Vernon will have
in the evening, he went to his bedroom to rest and continues worrying about everything being just
a dream, but he could not lie down because he had an unexpected visitor. A strange creature was
on his bed. A house elf named Dobby who came to worn Harry not to go back to Hogwarts
because someone plots against him. Soon Harry finds out that Dobby was the reason why he has
not got any mail from his friends. The elf hid the letters hoping that Harry would not want to
return to school if he thinks he has no friends there. Harry became very furious, the whole action
ending with Dobby throwing Petunias after dinner pudding on the floor, and Harry getting
almost immediately an owl from the Ministry of Magic because of breaking the rule of underage
wizards performing magic in the company of muggles. Not only did he get punished for the
destroyed pudding, but also for forgetting to mention that he is not allowed to do magic outside
Hogwarts. Vernon put bars on his window, and he was not let out of his room only twice a day to

18
Idem; pg 193.
18

go to the bathroom. Then one night, his friend, Ron, appeared at his window in a flying car
driven by Rons elder twin brothers, Fred and George. The twins went after Harrys school stuff
in the cupboard and they have just managed to pull Harry into the car before uncle Vernon could
get a firm grip of him. By dawn, Harry will arrive to the second place he will feel like at home,
the Burrow, where he meets Rons parents and younger sister, Ginny. He spends the last weeks of
the summer holiday with his new friends. Molly Weasley has an extremely important role in
Harrys life because she partly stands for his mother. Before going back to school, Harry will
experience how it is to travel by Floo Powder, and together with Ron, they will meet Hermione in
Diagon Alley. They will also meet, Gilderoy Lockhart, their new Defence against the Dark Arts
teacher.
The journey to school will prove to be a challenge for Ron and Harry, who cannot get
onto platform nine and three quarters. Dobby, blocks the passage onto the platform, thus, Harry
and Ron will go to school with Mr Weasleys enchanted car. Just as the trip was not, the landing
proved to have the same standards; they hit a Whomping Willow, a tree which hits everything
that comes into its area with its branches. Not only Ron and Harry are scared and hurt, they are
also almost expelled by professor Snape.
Several other things happen in this second book, but there is no need to mention each of
them. However, some happenings are rather strange, and these make the difference between the
real, normal world and the world of Harry Potter.
First of all there is a conflict between two Quidditch teams, the Gryffindor and the
Slytherin, which ends with Draco Malfoy calling Hermione mud blood. This is a rude way to
name those witches and wizards who come from muggle families, in other words, muggle-borns.
The pure bloods are those whose family is made up exclusively by witches and wizards, muggles
being excluded. Pure bloods consider themselves to be greater than others, while, according to
them, muggles and thus, muggle borns are a disgrace and do not deserve to belong to the magical
world, not to mention attending to Hogwarts. It is also the purebloods, in the vast majority, who
were the followers of Voldemort. It is also them, who pretended to be on the Dark Lords side
because they were threatened, this being a proof of their cowardice. However, throughout the
seven volumes, Rowling shows countless times that muggle borns are more courageous, more
capable of empathy and sacrifice. Harry himself is not a pureblood, his mother was a muggle
born; but this has other reasons, which will be discussed later on. Hermione Granger on the other
hand is also a muggle born, but she proves many times to be loyal to her friends, and helping
19

them; she even erased her parents memories about her to be able to join Harry and Ron in their
hunt for horcruxes in the first half of the last book so that they could not give a hint, unwillingly
of course, to Voldemort about what the three friends are doing.
The higher status of a half blood is not uncommon in world literature. We can find one
example of it in William Faulkners `The Bear` in which in order to hunt down a great bear
which every dog fears, the hunters chose Lion, an Airedale and mastiff mix, which proves to be
the only true opponent of the beast. The reason for a half-blood being better than a pureblood is
that of the former being taintless, purer and incorruptible.
Secondly, messages appear on the walls at Hogwarts, written in blood; Harry starts
hearing voices no one else can hear; the caretakers cat and two students (Colin Creevey and
Hermione Granger) are petrified and everyone believes Harry done these. The first message says:
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened; Enemies of the heir...beware. On his way to the
dormitory Harry meets Ron and Hermione, and together they find the message and the petrified
Mrs. Norris, the caretaker Argus Filchs cat. The Chamber of Secrets that has been opened
according to the one, who wrote the message, is legendary:
Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago the precise date is uncertain by
the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after
them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Rawenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.
They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic
was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. For a
few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed
signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements
sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin
wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that
magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of
Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious
argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.
Reliable historical sources tell us this much, he said. But these honest facts have been
obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin
had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.
Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be
able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able
20

to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the
school of all who were unworthy to study magic.
19

After hearing this, Harry starts to believe that he has something to do with the horror happening
in the school. He remembers the Sorting Hat wanting to put him in Slytherins house: You could
be great, you know, its all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to
greatness, no doubt about that; he only became a Gryffindor because he asked to. However,
due to given circumstances, with the headmasters approval a duelling club is formed by
Professor Lockhart. During the first meeting, Harry faces a snake which wants to attack one of
the students. After this encounter almost everyone thinks he is the heir of Slytherin that has come
to open the Chamber because he talked to the snake in Parsel tongue, snake language. The sign of
the Slytherin house is a serpent because; Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth too. From now on
nearly until the end of the book Harry is thought to be responsible for everybody who has been
petrified. Finding Harry besides another petrified student another of the schools ghosts also
petrified, does not help clearing himself from accusations. He also comes across a diary, known
to be the propriety of a Tom Marvolo Riddle which has nothing written in it. He however finds
out how it works. Everything he writes in the diary only lasts for a few seconds, and then the
words vanish. To Harrys surprise, the diary also answers to him, just as if he were chatting.
Harry instantly asks about the Chamber of Secrets; Riddle offers to show him what happened:
The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping
halfway through the month of June. Mouth hanging open, Harry saw that the little
square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a minuscule television
screen. His hands trembling slightly, he raised the book to press his eye against
the little window, and before he knew what was happening, he was tilting forward;
the window was widening, he felt his body leave his bed, and he was pitched
headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of colour and shadow. He
felt his feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around him
came suddenly into focus.
20


19
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; pg. 97;
20
Idem; pg. 155;
21

Riddle shows Harry how he caught the one who had opened the chamber fifty years
earlier. According to him it was Hagrid, the gamekeeper. The three friends dont want to believe
this as Hagrid is their friend, and thus, they agree not to ask him about what had happened.
Things change however when Hermione is petrified, Ron and Harry go to Hagrid covered by
Harrys invisibility cloak. Before Hagrid could answer their question, the headmaster and no less
than the Minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge, come to take Hagrid to Azkaban, wizards prison.
Lucius Malfoy arrives, bringing an Order of Suspension to the headmaster, signed by the school
governors. They cannot see Harry and Ron, so Hagrid give them a hint about where to look for
answers. They are sent in the Forbidden Forest, where they find a huge spider, Aragog. From the
spider they find out that Hagrid had never opened the Chamber of Secrets, and that the girl who
died fifty years earlier was found in a bathroom. From these, Ron and Harry figure out that the
girl that died is Moaning Myrtle, whose ghost has been teasing them while making the Polyjuice
Potion, to interrogate Draco Malfoy about who is the heir of Slytherin. They also hear that Rons
sister, Ginny, had been taken by the monster into the chamber itself, and that the teachers leave
Gilderoy Lockhart to deal with searching for her. They decide to tell Lockhart what they know so
as to help him find Ginny, but when arriving to the professors office, they find him packing,
ready to leave. It is now that they find out that all the heroic deeds written in Lockharts books,
presented as though he did them, were actually made by others, whose memory Lockhart has
erased. He is however forced by the boys to go into the chamber, for which the entrance is
opened by Harry, by speaking Parseltongue. Lockhart attempts to perform the memory charm on
them with the wand he had just stolen from Ron. Unluckily for him, Rons wand was snapped at
the start of term when they hit the Whomping Willow with the enchanted car, and it does not
work properly since then. Lockharts memory charm backfires and his memories are erased,
however the stone ceiling collapses as a result of the big bang Lockharts spell produced, and
thus, Ron is separated by Harry by a massive amount of rock. Harry is henceforth constrained to
continue his quest to finding Ginny on his own. He finds her almost dead in the company of Tom
Riddle, who reveals his being none else by Voldemort himself. His full name, TOM MARVOLO
RIDDLE, is an anagram for `I AM LORD VOLDEMORT`. He also tells Harry that is was Ginny
who opened the Chamber of Secrets and who wrote the message on the wall, while being in a sort
of Trans. Furthermore, he tells Harry that with Ginnys death he will return to power, and not
only this but he also calls the basilisk to face him against Harry. Fawkes, Dumbledores phoenix,
brings Harry the old Sorting Hat out of which he pull Godric Gryffindors sword, which is a
22

proof of him being a true Gryffindor, as he will later find out from the headmaster himself. Harry
fights and finally defeats the basilisk but he is touched by one of the basilisk fang, thus he only
has minutes to live, because the basilisk venom is a very quick killer. With his last powers, Harry
grabs the basilisk fang and thrusts it into Riddles diary, which made Ginny do all the things she
did. By doing so, Harry, unknowingly, destroys the first horcrux. Ink comes out of the diary as if
it was blood, and the figure of Riddle disappears as if he would have died. The moment Riddle
disappeared, Ginny woke up. Harry begins to tell her that she must go back alone, when Fawkes
comes to him and drops tears on his wound. Phoenix tears have healing powers, so Harry is saved
from death.
They all go back to Dumbledores office, where Harry remains with the headmaster to
discuss what has happened downs in the Chamber. Lucius Malfoy arrives but he is not alone, he
comes with Dobby. Harry is amazed to find out that Dobbys family is the Malfoy family. When
Malfoy left, Harry grabbed the diary and hid one of his socks in it. He ran after Malfoy to make
him give it to Dobby, a plan which turns to be a success. A house elf is freed when he is given
clothes by his master. Angered by Harrys deed, Lucius tries to kill him with the killer curse,
Avada Kedavra, but Dobby stops him.
All the happenings in this book and Harrys response to these sustain evidence for his
character as being a selfless, courageous, resourceful and determined. The third book ends with
Hermione, Harry and the Weasleys saying good bye to each other in Kings Cross with the
promise of keeping in touch until they meet again.
2.3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, begins in a different manner
from the previous two books. Firstly because Rowling goes instantly into the characterization of
Harry, the first few words from the third book being: Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in
many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For
another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of
night. And he also happened to be a wizard.
21
And secondly because this is the first time Harry
acts against his relatives will. Although he tries hard to behave as the Dursleys want, because
they have to sign the permission for Harry to be allowed to visit Hogsmeade, he just loses

21
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, pg1;
23

control. After uncle Vernons sister, Aunt Marge, making fun of Harrys dead parents, he runs
away from home, with the only thought that he may not live with those people again. He is taken
on by the Knight Bus taking him to Diagon Alley, where the minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge
will be waiting for him.
This is a rather emotional volume of the series, because in this, Harry gets a godfather, in
the person of Sirius Black. He has been in Azkaban since Harrys parents have died, for him
being thought responsible for murdering no less than thirteen people. Moreover, he is believed to
have revealed to Voldemort the place where Lily and James Potter were hiding, thus being the
cause their death. The Potters were protected by the Fidelius Charm, this working as such: a
person is named to be Secret Keeper of those hiding; therefore nobody can find them unless the
Secret Keeper betrays them. The Potters Secret Keeper was believed to be Sirius Black.
Harry will stay at Leaky Cauldron for the last two weeks of his summer holiday, where he
will meets his closest friends, Hermione and the Weasleys. Before their departing for school, Mr
Weasley asks Harry to promise he will not go looking for Black whatever he might hear about
him. Harry does not understand this especially after learning that most probably Black wants to
kill him.
On the train, Harry tells this story to Ron and Hermione of course but a very strange thing
happens. The train stops and someone gets on board. Everything goes dark and freezing, when a
cloaked creature opens the door of their compartment and Harry faints. He is waked up by
Professor J. R. Lupin, the new teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts, who was all along with
them in the compartment fast asleep. He explains that the creature was one of the Dementors of
Azkaban and it was probably looking for Sirius Black.
Arriving to school, they join the feast in the Great Hall, where professor Dumbledore
explains that in light of recent events, Hogwarts will be host for a few of Azkabans guardians.
To diminish this bad news, he introduces the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, who proves
to be Rubeus Hagrid, the half giant gamekeeper of the school. However, his first class does not
go too well, mostly because of Draco Malfoy, who does not take into serious Hagrids warning
about the creatures they were being taught about. This made Hagrid loose his courage, although
many have tried to give his confidence back, the following Care of Magical Creatures classes
were extremely boring. The other new teacher on the other hand proved to be outstanding,
24

everyone liked it, and furthermore, Neville Longbottom did well, which is unusual, because
Neville could not do even the simplest things, especially at professor Snapes classes. Harry, Ron
and Hermione also took up Divination as a new subject; Hermione of course took more new
subjects than any other student. This did not prove to be very fascinating as well, although
professor Trelawney had predicted Harrys death in the very first class. Things are not calm
between Ron and Hermione. They are in a constant argue because of their pets. Ron had Scabbers
since before he first came to Hogwarts, and there were no problems whatsoever. But since
Hermione has bought Crookshanks, a tabby and not exactly lazy cat, she and Ron wont stop
fighting. Ron states that Hermiones cat is plotting to murder his rat. However, things are not as
clear as they seem, but this is something to be discussed later on.
Leaving Crookshanks to deal with Scabbers and all the other less interesting school stuff
in background, we can focus on other, more important things. Lets take the example of the role
of the presence in this book of Sirius Black. What everyone knows at this point of the novel,
Black was a very good friend of Harrys parents, but he had betrayed them to Voldemort. He is
also known to have killed Peter Pettigrew, another good friend of the Potters. The state of things
is soon to be changed however. The portrait of the Fat Lady, which guards the entrance into
Gryffindor common room has been torn by Sirius Black, consequently, everyone thinks he came
to finish what Voldemort had started but could not finish. Besides he has to take care because of a
murderer gone mad, Harry also has problems with the Dementors. Although they are not
supposed to go near the school, they appear at the first Quidditch match in large number, making
Harry fall from more than fifty feet high and nearly die. And to cap it all, he had something else
to fear of. Professor Trelawney predicted his death after seeing the Grim in his teapot. The Grim
is one of the most dangerous death omens showing itself under the form of a great black dog.
This alone would not be anything to be frightened of, if on the night he ran away from home
Harry hadnt seen a black dog in the bushes just before the Knight Bus picked him up. The dog
was not the Grim, but Sirius Black, who is an animagus, which is a wizard capable of
transforming himself into an animal, but this is something Harry will only find out later.
As returning to the Dementors, Harry asks professor Lupin to teach him how to defend
himself against them. Another promising event is made by the Weasley twins, Fred and George,
who give Harry an early Christmas present, the Marauders Map. This is a map of Hogwarts
castle and its grounds, which also shows everyones whereabouts. With the help of this weapon,
25

Harry is able to sneak out of Hogwarts and join his friends to Hogsmeade. He does not know
whatsoever, that he will overhear a discussion which will make him clear why everyone feared he
might want to go and find Sirius Black. The discussion is between professor McGonagall,
professor Flitwick, Cornelius Fudge, Hagrid and madam Rosmerta, the owner of Honeydukes
22
.
Harry hears the story of what Sirius Black has done, the one for which he was imprisoned. Harry
learns that Sirius Black and his father were best friends, and that he betrayed his parents in favour
of Voldemort. What is more astonishing is that Sirius Black is Harrys godfather. He also hears
that another friend of his parents has captured Black but he was killed: Pettigrew cornered
Black. They say he was sobbing, Lily and James, Sirius! How could you? And then he went for
his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens
23
.
Harry is of course outraged by what he had just found out. He is determined to ask Hagrid
why he did not tell him anything, but he finds him in a bad shape because of the hippogriff which
will have a hearing because of the attack on Hagrids first lesson, and decides to postpone the
unfriendly discussion. Christmas does not pass without problems whatsoever. Harry gets a new
broom, a Firebolt, as a gift, but it is sent to him anonymously, and Ron an Hermione keep
arguing because of her cats continuous attempts towards his rat, and to cap it all, Hermione tells
professor McGonagall about Harrys new broom which is confiscated by the teacher in order for
it to be searched for jinxes. Harry is very angry with Hermione, although he knows that she only
meant to protect him because the broom might have been sent by Sirius Black with the aim of
killing him. Ron is also feeling sad because his rat disappeared, and he thinks Crookshanks had
eaten it. However, Harry got his broom back before the next Quidditch match, and he also
learned the Patronus Charm with the help of professor Lupin. However, as it is a very difficult
charm, he could not do it properly, and seems very unpleased with himself, even though Lupin
told him that even great wizard have problems with this particular charm, because of its
complexity. All in all, Harry was looking forward for his next match with the hope that they will
win thanks to his great broom and knowing the Patronus Charm. Gryffindor won the match,
which made students so cheerful; they decided to throw a party in the common room. During the
night Sirius Black got into the bedrooms with a knife. He went to Rons bed but he woke up;
everyone thought Black tried to kill Harry but he confused the beds.

22
A pub in Hogsmeade, where students often go to have a delicious butter beer;
23
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; pg. 132;
26

As the end of term comes, the last Quidditch match takes place which is won by
Gryffindor team, but to keep balance between good and bad, which Rowling is very attentive to
throughout the entire series, students also have their exams. At the Divination exam, a curious
thing happens. Professor Trelawney makes a prediction, heard by Harry alone: THE DARK
LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. HIS SERVANT
HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS. TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHTTHE
SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER. THE DARK LORD
WILL RISE AGAIN WITH HIS SERVANTS AID, GREATER AND MORE TERRIBLE THAN
EVER HE WAS. TONIGHTBEFORE MIDNIGHTTHE SERVANTWILL SET OUTTO
REJOINHIS MASTER
24
Harry hurries to tell everything to Ron and Hermione but he is
interrupted by Ron telling him that Hagrid lost the case and the hippogriff, Buckbeak will be
executed in the evening. The three decide to go and see Hagrid to console him, and to Rons
relief they find Scabbers, his rat. Not having time to lose, they have to sneak out of Hagrids
house because a committee comes to execute Buckbeak and they are not allowed to leave the
castle. They cannot stay hidden, because Crookshanks appears and Scabbers tries hard to get
away, but Ron is holding him. The big black dog appears the same which Harry saw the night he
ran away, but to his surprise, the dog goes after Ron and not Harry. It grabs and drags Ron into a
large gap at the roots of the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione try to go after their friend
but they cannot because of the tree trying to hit them with its branches. Then, to their
astonishment, Crookshanks helps them by putting his paw on one of the trees knots. Harry tells
Hermione that the cat is friends with the dog that is how it knows what to do. They find a tunnel
which leads the into the Shrieking Shack
25
, where they find Ron, with a broken leg, but there is
no sign of the dog, but instead of him there is Sirius Black, he is an animagus. A fight breaks out
ending with Harry fixing his wand towards Sirius ready to kill him when Crookshanks seats
himself on Blacks chest. Then Lupin arrives and disarms Harry; an interesting dialogue starts
between the two adults ending with Lupin offering his hand to Sirius. Seeing this, Hermione
reveals Lupins secret, namely that he is a werewolf. She further accuses Lupin of having helped
Sirius get inside the castle and wanting Harry dead. Lupin tells them that Sirius is not after Harry
and that they have not betrayed them. He also reveals the reason for which Sirius has escaped

24
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; pg. 207;
25
An old house believed to be haunted by ghosts in Hogsmeade village;
27

from Azkaban. He was not after Harry, but after Rons rat, Scabbers, who is in fact a wizard, an
animagus, Peter Pettigrew, believed to have been killed twelve years earlier by Black. It was an
arrangement made up by Pettigrew himself. That his parents secret Keeper was not Sirius after
all, so he had never betrayed them. There had been a last moment ship in the plan, and Pettigrew
was made Secret Keeper instead of Black and it was him who betrayed Lily and James. Pettigrew
played his own death, even cut one of his fingers as proof it. However Lupin tells the story of
how he was admitted to Hogwarts and all the things Dumbledore arranged in order for him not to
be dangerous. Lupin made friends at school, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and James Potter, who
worked hard for three years in order to become illegal animagi, and thus, to keep company for
Lupin when he transformed. But Severus Snape, who was also they school mate, discovered their
secret but he would have paid with his life if Harrys father would not have saved him.
At this moment, Snape pulls down the invisibility cloak. Still angry about what his school
mates have done to him, he wants to hand over both Sirius and Lupin to the Dementors. Harry
disarms him and asks Lupin to continue the story. Sirius tells the real happenings of the day he
had been caught and how he came to know from a piece of newspaper that Peter lives disguised
as a wizard boys pet, who will return to Hogwarts, where his godson was. This made him escape
the prison. Ron however does not want to let his pet, and the word comes to Scabbers illness for
which he blames Crookshanks. Sirius tells them that the cat was helping him, trying to get the rat
for him. Harry still believes Sirius is the one who has betrayed his parents but Black proves him
wrong. HarryI as good as killed them, he croaked. I persuaded Lily and James to change to
Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of meIm to
blame, I know itThe night they died, Id arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still
safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, hed gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It
didnt feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents house straight away. And when I saw
their house, destroyed, and their bodiesI realized what Peter mustve donewhat Id
done
26
Next thing, Sirius and Lupin transformed Peter to his human form. Every doubt is
cleared, Sirius and Lupin want to kill Pettigrew but Harry stops them, he does not want his
fathers best friends to become murderers. He decides to hand over Pettigrew to the Dementors,
this way also proving that Sirius is innocent. It is now that Sirius tells Harry that he is his
godfather and offers him the possibility of living with him. This moment of happiness does not

26
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; pg. 234;
28

stand for long, because Lupin transforms at the moonlight and Pettigrew, who is the evidence to
Blacks innocence, escapes. Sirius tries to stop him from hurting anyone but he is injured by the
werewolf. Harry goes after him and is faced with a huge number of Dementors. Luckily he is
saved by a Patronus, but he did not see who sent it. When Harry woke up he was at the hospital
wing, hearing the dialogue between the minister of magic and Snape. Harry manages to speak to
Dumbledore, trying to tell him that Sirius is innocent. However Dumbledore cannot help with
more than a hint: What we need is more time. Hermione understands and acts immediately. She
used the Time-Turner the whole year to manage to get to all her classes, and how Dumbledore
wants them to turn back in time and save not only Sirius but also Buckbeak. They return three
hours into the past and manage to save both Buckbeak and Sirius, but both have to go hiding.
As it is expectable from Rowling, this book also ends with Harry arriving at his aunt and
uncle. The writer realizes certain circularity throughout her novels. Each of them starts at No.4
Privet Drive continues at Hogwarts where before departing, Harry takes part in extraordinary
events, then returns where he had left from. This time, his return is cheerful, for him at least.
Harry tells the Dursleys that he has met his godfather who happens to be a murderer, and he has
to keep in touch with him and assure him that he, Harry, is happy. To make sure his life is not
going to be made miserable, Harry forgets to mention that Sirius was accused on basis of false
evidence and he is in fact innocent.
2.4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The fourth book begins with Harry waking up from a dream with his scar hurting. He had
seen Voldemort killing a muggle. He also saw Pettigrew beside the Dark Lord and another person
which Harry does not know. Pettigrew and Voldemort were talking, in Harrys dream, about a
person whom they have killed, but Harry could not remember the name. He decides to write to
his godfather and ask him if he knows anything about curse scars. It did hurt only when
Voldemort was near Harry, but this, he cannot imagine being the cause in this case.
Harry will soon forget about his scar because his friends, the Weasleys, have asked the
Dursley to let Harry spend the rest of the summer holiday at their house. They also got tickets to
the Quidditch World Cup, which is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. Vernon agrees to let Harry
stay at the Weasleys only because he is afraid Sirius will do something to them is Harry is badly
treated. So Mr Weasley, Ron, Fred and George come after him, to take him to the Burrow. There
29

he meets Rons two older brothers who have already finished at Hogwarts, Charlie and Bill. They
will all go to the World Cup by portkey.
27
The Weasleys are to share their portkey with Amos
Diggory and his son, Cedric who also attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Before the match starting, they meet Ludo Bagman and Bartemius Crouch. After the World Cup
a strange thing happens, the sign of the Dark Lord appears on the sky, frightening everyone
present at the event. It is called the Dark Mark and it was used in Voldemorts time, after every
murder the Death Eaters conjured the Mark on the sky. The Mark was conjured by someone
standing close to Harry, Ron and Hermione, but they could not see them because of the darkness.
People from the Ministry of Magic arrive to the scene firstly accusing the three, but then they
find Mr Crouchs elf, Winky, in the woods holding Harrys wand. They are cleared of charges of
course, but Winky gets clothes, that is, she is sent away from Mr Crouchs house.
Getting back to school, students are told that that year at Hogwarts the Triwizard
Tournament will take place. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven
hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of
wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each
school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to
host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way
of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is,
the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued.
28
Delegations of
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are due to arrive at Halloween and remain there as guests almost
the whole school year. Until then however, they will have classes as usually. They have a new
Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, in the person of `Mad-Eye` Moody, an ex-Auror
29
.
Thought to have been mentally affected by the long hard working years, Professor Moody starts
his teaching by presenting the students the Unforgivable Curses. These are three: the Imperius
Curse used to make people whatever the curser wills; the Cruciatus Curse used for torturing;
and finally the Avada Kedavra the killing curse.

27
Objects bewitched to have the propriety of transporting a number of wizards from one place to another at
a prearranged date;
28
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; pg. 121;
29
A person working for the Ministry of Magic; his job is to catch dark wizards and send them to prison.
30

As the readers had accustomed with it, throughout the book Harry will have to deal with
several problems. Firstly, as a continuation of the previous idea, Professor Moody, put the
Imperius Curse on each student in turns. Seeing that Harry was fighting against it from the first
time, the teacher repeated the exercise several times, until Harry was able to completely stand
against the curse.
Secondly, Harry gets in trouble because somebody puts his name into the Goblet of Fire
30
.
This is very dangerous because once one has been chosen as a Triwizard champion one must
participate at the three tasks. Harry is chosen as the fourth champion, this causing a serious
argument between the three headmasters, especially Madame Maxine from Beauxbatons and Igor
Karkaroff from Durmstrang; which accuse Hogwarts of cheating by allowing an underage wizard
to participate and moreover for having two champions, raising the chances of Hogwarts to
double. The Goblet of Fire must have been put under a very strong curse to choose four
champions, according to Dumbledore and professor Moody, curse which cannot be made by a
fourth year student.
Whatever might have happened, Harry has no choice but to compete, whether he wants it
or not. Not only had Harry to deal with his excitement and fear regarding the tournament, nut he
also had to endure the hatred in his schoolmates looks. They all thought he just wanted even
more attention than he was already getting. Even Ron did not believe him and this was hurting
Harry the most. To Hermiones advice he wrote to Sirius about what happened. Still, nothing he
could do would stop the flow of time, and the first task was getting nearer.
For the first task the champions had to get a golden egg from a nesting female dragon. Not
only dragons are very dangerous creatures, but the organizers have chosen females in their most
sensitive period when they protect their eggs ferociously. All the champions including Harry
managed to get through this with very little damage.
While waiting for the second task to take place, another rarely seen event took place on
Christmas Day. The Yule Ball was a traditional way of the three schools participating at the
Triwizard Tournament of celebrating together by dancing. It is also tradition that the champions

30
The Goblet of Fire chooses the champion of each school participating at the Triwizard Tournament.
Everybody who wants to try entering the competition has to write their name on a piece of parchment and
throw it into the Goblet. The Goblet then chooses on person for each school.
31

may open the dance with their partners. Finding a partner seemed harder than dealing with the
dragon in Harrys opinion. While trying to ask someone to go with them, Harry and Ron mostly
Ron got into argument with Hermione about the reason why she did not want to go with neither
of them and she refused telling who she is going to the Ball with, making Ron believe she had
only lied about having been asked. She was not lying, however, she went to the Ball with none
else than Viktor Krum. The Ball ended with no interesting thing happening except for Hagrid
being overheard by Harry, while he admits being a half-giant. This alone would not be a problem
is the Daily Prophets reporter, Rita Skeeter, would not have heard too. She wrote a disgusting
report about it, which was not unusual of her, because she already tried to destroy Harry in a
similar type of writing. Yet, Harry had other problems to deal with. The date for the second task
to take place the 24
th
of February was approaching and he still did not know what he will
have to do, because he did not find out what to do with his golden egg to get the clue from it. He
was given a hint by the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, but he just could not trust
him. Cedric went to the Yule Ball with Cho, the girl Harry wanted to go with. However, having
little time and no better idea, he decided to try what Cedric advised him to. And to his surprise it
work he got the clue he needed:
Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you are searching, ponder this:
Weve taken what youll sorely miss,
An hour long youll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour- the prospects black,
Too late, its gone, it wont come back
31

From this moment, Harry will spend every spare minute in the library trying to find a way
to breathe underwater for one hour. He does not find anything, however, not even with the help
of Ron and Hermione. On the night before the second task taking place, Ron and Hermione are
called by professor McGonagall in her office, leaving Harry to search on his own. Not finding
anything makes him very nervous, he is also nearly late next morning. It is Dobby who wakes

31
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; pg. 298;
32

him up, and gives him a plant which, according to Dobby, will help him breathe in the water.
Harry manages to do the task and ends up in first place tied with Cedric Diggory.
Until the third and last task, Harry had nothing to worry about, because champions will be
told about this task later. Several things have happened, though, which did not make this time
space calm. First, there were the reports Rita Skeeter kept writing about Harry, and she also
involved Hermione, outraging the latter to such an extent that she started to search after how the
reporter hears every bit of conversations, when she is never spotted, even bound off the grounds
of Hogwarts. Harry also falls asleep once at Divination class and wakes with his scar hurting. At
the beginning of the book, the same thing happened; back then, Harry wrote to Sirius to tell him
about his scar. Sirius advised him to go to Dumbledore if his scar hurt again, and so he did.
The third task, as the champions were told is going to be a maze. The Triwizard Cup will
be hid inside it and the champions must find it passing a series of obstacles. Harry prepares with
the help of his two best friends. When the moment comes, he enters hopefully into the maze, but
odd things happen. Harry hears Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion, screaming, and then
he meets Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum. Krum was using the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric, when
Harry stunned him from behind; and after saving each others lives, they decide to take the Cup
together. This immediately proves to be a great mistake, because the cup is a portkey. It was
bewitched by the same person who had put Harrys name in the Goblet of Fire. It took them to a
cemetery, more precisely to the grave of Tom Riddle, who, as Harry will later find out, was
Voldemorts father. Cedric is killed by the killer curse almost instantly at their arrival. He was
killed by Wormtail or on his real name, Peter Pettigrew on the commands of something he
was carrying in his arms but Harry could not see. Pettigrew had tied him, Harry, to the statue
above the grave. Pettigrew then made a potion in which he put a bone from the grave, his own
hand and a few drops of Harrys blood; from this potion stepped out Voldemort, having body
once again; he has returned. The Dark Lord calls the Death Eaters; then he forces Harry to a duel.
Harry is put under the Cruciatus Curse before Voldemort speaks the incantation for the killer
curse. Harry fights back causing the wands to connect, that moment a very rare thing happened. It
is called Prior Incantatem. This was the most unbelievable event Harry has ever seen. Ghosts
came out of Voldemorts wand, first Cedric then, Bertha Jorkins an employee of the Minister of
Magic gone missing for about a year then the old man Voldemort killed in Harrys dream, and
then Harry could not believe his eyes Lily, his mother followed by James. They all were
33

encouraging him not to give up. His father tells him, that they will be able to keep up Voldemort
for a few seconds in which time he has to reach the Portkey taking him back to Hogwarts. Cedric
asks him to take his body back to his parents. Harry manages to get both Cedrics body and the
Portkey and get back to Hogwarts, where a very loudly cheering crowd awaits for him. It took a
few moments for everyone to realize that Cedric was dead. Harry only felt being grasped by
somebody from behind and drag him towards the castle. It was Moody, who gave Harry
something to drink and started asking him questions about Voldemorts return. He then reveals
the fact that it was him who put Harrys name in the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore arrives, stunning
Moody and tells Harry that he is not the real Alastor Moody. Harry is convinced because the
effect of Polyjuice Potion was wearing off and Moody turn back to Barty Crouch Jr. the son of
the Barty crouch working for the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore gives peculiar orders to the
teachers accompanying him and to Harrys surprise they all obey even to the most
incomprehensible command of his, which is addressed to professor McGonagall asking her to
take a black dog into the headmasters office and tell it to wait for him there. The dog was of
course Sirius transformed, but no one except for Harry and Dumbledore knew it. Snape was sent
to bring a truth potion which is force feed to the stunned Barty Crouch. His late house-elf, Winky
is also brought into the room. Dumbledore starts questioning Crouch and soon they find out how
he escaped from Azkaban, how his father was hiding him under the Imperius Curse leaving the
house-elf to care for him, how he started to fight against the Imperius Curse and escaped at the
Quidditch World Cup and conjured the dark Mark with a stolen wand, how he took Moodys
place and helped Harry through the Triwizard tasks and how he transformed the Triwizard Cup
into a Portkey to take Harry to the graveyard where Voldemort was waiting for him. Further on
Dumbledore sent Harry to the hospital wing, where he had to drink a sleeping potion, but he was
woken up by the voice of Cornelius Fudge who was arguing with professor McGonagall about
bringing a Dementor to the interrogation of Barty Crouch. Dumbledore arrives and tries to
persuade the minister to accept that the Dark Lord has returned but the minister refuses to admit
it, whatsoever. After the ministers departure, Dumbledore steps into action. First he makes Sirius
reveal himself in front of Snape and make them shake hands, as they both stand on the same side.
The he sends Sirius to find Lupin, and other people, and asks Snape to take up his old job as a
spy; Harry is given some more sleeping potion.
At the end of term feast Dumbledore makes a speech. He tells that Cedric was killed by
Voldemort and that the Ministry is not willing to accept his return. He also brings attention to the
34

importance of the friendships students have made with their guests, and encourages them to keep
in touch, and help each other, because being united is the strongest weapon they can have in the
war against Voldemort. Harry, Ron and Hermione already did their bit of making friends; they
are in very good terms both with Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour.
While saying good-bye to each other, harry gives his Tournament prize, one thousand
galleons, to Fred and George who want to open a joke shop, with the conditions of not telling
their mother about the money and buying Ron some new dress robes he was very embarrassed
to wear his dress robes owing to the fact that is was bought second hand and it was really out-
fashioned. While getting into the Dursleys car Harry thinks about what might be following now
that Voldemort has returned to power and he consoles himself with Hagrids words: what would
come would comeand he would have to meet it when it did.
2.5. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
This is how the fourth book ends. Witnessing the death of a school mate is part of the
stages Harry has to go through towards maturity. It is the first time he sees someone dying; it is
something he must learn to deal with, as during his battle with the dark forces, he will see many
people dying. He had heard of course their parents die, but that was not the same, an indirect
memory about something he did not remember until facing a Dementor.
Speaking about Dementors, they are present in the first chapter of the fifth book, Harry
Potter and the order of Phoenix. Being very angry by having no news from the wizarding world
and furious about his friends telling him in letters that they are not supposed to tell him anything,
Harry tries to cool down by teasing his cousin, Dudley, when Dementors attack them. Harry
managed to make them go away with the Patronus Charm, when he saw Mrs. Figg an old lady
at whom the Dursleys left Harry most of the times they had to go somewhere and did not want to
take him too coming along. He tried to hide his wand but the old lady knew about it. She told
Harry that she was asked by Dumbledore to keep an eye on him, together with Mundungus
Fletcher but he had disapparated leaving old Mrs. Figg to defend Harry in case something
happens but she would be of no help for him, given that she is a Squibb.
32
As soon as he dragged
his cousin home, his aunt and uncle started to question him about what he had done to their son.
Owls came, bringing letters from the Ministry, from Arthur Weasley and from Sirius. Angered

32
A person born from wizard parents but who does not possess any magical powers;
35

about Petunia and Vernon making him responsible for what the Dementors did to Dudley, and
everybody from the wizarding world telling him to stay in the house but not giving any
explanations, Harry sent three letters one for each, Ron, Hermione and Sirius asking for
explanation, asking his owl not to leave his friends and god father rest until they dont write long
explaining letters.
But Hedwig, his owl, did not return. On the fourth night from her departure Harry met his
guard. Lead by `Mad-eye` Moody a number of wizards came to take him safely to the new
Headquarters. There was Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias
Doge, and Dedalus Diggle. They left No. 4 Privet drive on brooms and arrived at No. 12
Grimmauld Place, the Headquarters of the Order of Phoenix. Harry meets Ron and Hermione
here, and also Sirius, from who he finds out that the house which is the Headquarters of the Order
is his. Sirius also tells Harry what the Order is doing against Voldemort.
Being as it may, this was the first time Harry could actually spend some time with his
godfather. He did not even mind cleaning the house from morning to night, as long as he could
stay there. He did not leave Grimmauld Place until he had to go to the hearing, regarding his
improper use of magic when he was attacked by the Dementors. He was cleared of all charges
thanks to Dumbledore and was free to go back to Hogwarts.
Ron and Hermione were made Prefects. On the train Harry meets Luna Lovegood, who
although they would not have thought, will become a very good friend. Arriving to Hogwarts,
Harry sees for the first time the things that pull the school carriages. He asks Ron and Hermione
about them, but they cannot see. Feeling strange Harry gets into the carriage. They also notice
Hagrid missing which makes them feel uneasy. They also find a new person sitting at teachers
table in the Great Hall, whom Harry recognizes as she had been there at his hearing, Dolores
Umbridge.
Starting with this book many things change as that Umbridge woman
33
, as Harry named
her, was so kind to let out some hints about during her speech, which was not understood by
many. As the title suggests (Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix) this volume marks the point
in this story when the easy path is separated from the right one. The Order of Phoenix is a secret
association, gathered under Albus Dumbledore, the founder. Their main aim is to fight

33
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix; pg. 151;
36

Voldemort and to stop him from returning to power. As for Hogwarts things are not going on the
easy way. Fifth years are due to have OWLs (Ordinary Wizarding Level exams) at the end of the
year and Umbridge is not willing to teach them the spells they will need to pass the exam. She
also tries to make Harrys life impossible with detentions. But the worst is still not letting
students use the spells they should know, this making Hermione propose for them to practice
themselves, with Harrys help, as a teacher. Harry is very surprised at this request, but he is
convinced even if only hardly. They agree to meet with people who might be interested when
they will next go into Hogsmeade. They gather in quite big number, and depart after the meeting
with the task of thinking about a place where they could practice. Dobby comes to their aid in this
question. He tells Harry that there is a so called Come and Go Room, or the Room of
Requirements which appears under the form which is fit for its users need. They get through the
first meeting very well but then, after the first Quidditch match of the season the Weasley twins
and Harry were bound from playing this sport for ever. There is nothing anyone could do, so life
just goes on until Harry has a dream again. This time he sees Mr Weasley being attacked by
Voldemorts snake, Nagini; moreover Harry sees the happenings from the perspective of the
snake, as if he would have been the snake. Dumbledore acts immediately, he sends members of
the order to look for the wounded Mr Weasley. Luckily, he is found shortly after the attack, and
his life being saved, he is free to leave the hospital and spend the Christmas holiday with his
family at Grimmauld Place. The person, who is the happiest because of the Weasleys celebrating
the winter holiday at the headquarters, is none other than Sirius. But his joy fades away
immediately after Christmas, as the children will go back to school, the house will be empty once
again, and he will be left alone as before.
Returning to the school, Harry has to face a new class he takes, with Severus Snape, and
that is Occlumency. This branch of magic is very rare but also very useful, as it means closing the
mind before those who attempt to break into ones thoughts. After Harry seeing Mr Weasley
being attacked by Voldemorts snake, he decides that it is for the best for Harry to start learning
how to shut his mind.
The action speeds up when Dolores Umbridge discovers that Harry and some other
students meet regularly to learn Defence against the Dark Arts, illegally. Harry is caught and
taken to the headmasters office where he also finds the minister of magic who wants to expel the
boy from school and punish him for in the ministrys opinion training a troop against the
37

ministry. Dumbledore however resolves the situation by pointing out to the minister the name of
the troop, which is Dumbledores Army. The minister wants to arrest Dumbledore but he escapes.
Leaving the school, a new headmaster is in charge, in the person of Dolores Umbridge. Angered
by the new headmasters actions, and swearing revenge for Dumbledore, the Weasley twins leave
the school but not before making a huge chaos, during which Harry tries to speak with Sirius
about what he had seen during Occlumency, in Snapes memories regarding his father.
As the novel presents the school years to, Harry and his friends are further presented
giving their exams, but during the last one Harry sees a vision about Voldemort using the
Cruciatus Curse on Sirius. Harry immediately wants to go to his rescue, but at Hermiones pleas
he agrees to try to contact his godfather before leaving. In order to do this, Hermione, Ron,
Ginny, Neville and Luna Lovegood try to help him but they are caught by Umbridge. Unable to
force Harry to tell the truth about who he was speaking to, she wants to use the Cruciatus, but
Hermione improvises. She pretends to beg Harry to tell Umbridge what they know. Making use
of her curiosity, Harry and Hermione take Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest telling her that
they know about a weapon prepared by Dumbledore against the ministry; but there is no such
weapon, they take the headmaster where Grawp
34
is. They are attacked by the heard of centaurs
living in the forest, but Harry and Hermione are free to go back into the castle as centaurs do not
harm the young and innocent. Meanwhile, the others managed to escape and they start their
journey to London, to the Ministry of Magic, where Harry said Voldemort is holding Sirius. At
their arrival it becomes evident that Sirius is not there, he was just use as a bait to make Harry go
there. It is now that Harry finds out what the weapon that Voldemort is looking for, is. It is a
prophecy, made before Harry was born. Arriving at the ministry, Harry and his friends find
themselves facing death eaters. They start fighting and soon members of the Order of the Phoenix
join in. The outcome of the fight is sad, given that Sirius is hit by the killer curse under Harrys
eyes. Voldemort himself is present, he is fighting with Dumbledore and to the greatest surprise of
the former the minister of magic also arrives to the ministry. The Minister has now no other
option than to accept that the Dark Lord has returned. At their returning to Hogwarts, Harry
finally gets the explanation he longed for, from Dumbledore himself. Dumbledore shows Harry
the prophecy: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approachesborn to those
who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month diesand the Dark Lord will mark him as

34
Grawp is a giant and Hagrids half-brother whom he keeps hidden in the Forbidden Forest;
38

his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows notand either must die at the hand of
the other for neither can live while the other survivesthe one with the power to vanquish the
Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies
35
. It tells about a boy born in July who will
become a true enemy for the Dark Lord, and that the Dark Lord himself will mark the child as his
equal. This is also the explanation of why Voldemort murder Lily and James Potter and why he
wanted to murder Harry too, and for the fact that Voldemort has lost all his powers when he tried
to kill Harry. The power which the prophecy tells about, which Voldemort does not know, is an
ancient magic which the Dark Lord does not understand and underestimates; and this is love.
There is nothing left in this volume than the journey to London, where a surprise waits for
Harry. The Weasley family and other member of the Order of the Phoenix had come to meet him
on Kings Cross, namely, Moody, Lupin and Tonks. The fifth book ends with the order
threatening the Dursleys to behave well with Harry for which the latter is grateful.
2.6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The sixth volume begins with Dumbledore asking Harry to accompany him while he
visits someone, before the headmaster would take Harry into the Burrow. The visited person is
Horace Slughorn, a retired Hogwarts teacher, whim Dumbledore wants to call back. That is why
he needs Harry to go with him, Slughorn has an odd hobby. He likes to collect people around
himself; interesting is how all the people who are between the professors favourites, eventually
occupy jobs. For such a person, Harry would be the cherry on the cake.
Nevertheless, Professor Slughorn becomes a key character for the action of the novel.
Given that this volume does not contain crucial information regarding Harrys school life except
for his become captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, I will not focus on these. Basically,
there are two important lines to follow in this book. The first one is of course about the first real
sparkles of love and jealousy, presented on the one hand by means of Hermione and Ron, and on
the other hand by Harry and Ginny. The second is between Harry, Dumbledore and eventually
Voldemort.
In his sixth year Harry is going to have special courses with his headmaster. Until their
first meeting, the trio make guesses of what will Dumbledore teach to Harry. The secret is soon

35
Rowling, J.K, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, pg.626;
39

revealed. During their first few meetings, Harry is invited to watch some of the headmasters
memories doubled by discussing their ideas and impressions. Of course, these memories are
related to the Dark Lord, and according to Dumbledore, it will help Harry defeating the dark
wizard. First, Harry meets the Dark Lords mother, father and grandfather and later he meets the
circumstances in which Dumbledore met the young Voldemort, or on his real name, Tom Riddle.
This moment is very important because, as Dumbledore points out to Harry, Tom had the habit of
keeping souvenirs from those whom he had tortured in a way. This, as Harry will later find out is
the key to finding the horcruxes, as the bits of Voldemorts soul are hidden in important objects.
But before speaking about horcruxes, Harry gets homework. One of the memories from the
headmasters collection has been modified, it is the memory of professor Slughorn and it
remembers the night when Tom Riddle asked him about the horcruxes. Harry hardly manages to
get the real memory. The truth is that Professor Slughorn has told everything he knew about the
horcruxes and how to make them, believing that Toms interest was purely theoretical. Before
getting this memory, Harry is shown other two memories. The first one shows how Voldemort
visits an old lady, who shows him two artefacts belonging to two of the founders of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore tells Harry that a few days after Toms visit, the old woman has been found dead
and the artefacts hag gone missing. The following memory belongs to Dumbledore and it
presents the day when Voldemort returned to Hogwarts asking the headmaster to give him a job
as a teacher. Voldemort is refused, so he leaves, but Dumbledore believes that his visit had other
reasons, because, in Dumbledores opinion, Voldemort had never wanted to be a teacher. Now it
is up to Harry that they continue Voldemorts life story by getting Professor Slughorns memory.
Harry finds this a very difficult job, but finally he figures out the way he can manage.
During the first class of Potions, he had won a bottle of Felix Felicis, or, on its other name liquid
luck. Harry drinks it and with its help, he manages to make the old professor give him the
memory.
After this discovery, Dumbledore tells Harry what he had been doing when he leaves the
school. He was looking for horcruxes. Two of them have already been destroyed: one was the
ring of Salazar Slytherin, which Voldemort has inherited, given that he is the last heir of the old
schools founding father; the second is the diary which Harry had destroyed in the Chamber of
Secrets, in his second year at school. According to Dumbledore Voldemort has made a total of
seven horcruxes, which all must be destroyed in order to make the dark wizard mortal once again.
40

The headmaster takes Harry with him in the search of the third horcrux, which is a locket, hidden
in a cave by the seaside. They manage to take the locket, but Dumbledore is very weak after the
effort he has made. At their return to Hogwarts, they meet Draco Malfoy who seems to be
attempting to murder the headmaster. Draco does not see Harry because Dumbledore told him to
put on his invisibility cloak, then, with a spell he immobilised the boy. A few of the Death Eaters
arrive helped by Draco, the Severus Snape, who, seeing that Draco cannot speak out the killing
curse, takes the responsibility unto him. Harry, still unable to move is a witness to the entire
action, but he is freed from the bound of the spell in the instant that Dumbledore is hit by the
killing curse.
Dumbledores death is not discovered until the end of the fight that followed it. Owing to
the danger increased by the headmasters death, teachers want to send students home. Being
present at this debate, Harry asks Professor McGonagall to permit the students to stay until after
Dumbledores funeral.
Before leaving the school, Harry tells his friends that he will not come back to school for
his seventh year, and he is truly surprised to see that Rom and Hermione were waiting for this,
but he is even more surprised when they express their determination to join him in his mission of
searching for horcruxes and conquer Voldemort.
2.7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The seventh and final volume of the series is different from the rest. Regarding
chronology it also presents approximately one year, but our heroes are not in school anymore. At
the beginning, Harry is taking the last goodbye from his aunt, uncle and cousin before he is taken
to a safe place for the last time. A guard arrives to accomplish this mission lead by Mad-eye
Moody. The plan is to transform six people into Harrys clone. This is made with a potion called
Polyjuice Potion. During the trip death eaters attack them, and Harry loses Hedwig, his owl.
Moody also dies.
After this shock, Harry decides to leave in order not to endanger his beloved ones safety,
but he is stopped by Ron who points out that Harry is still underage; therefore the ministry can
track him, wherever he goes. Harry agrees to stay until after his seventeenth birthday,
consequently he will also stay to the wedding of the Weasley familys oldest son, Bill, with Fleur
Delacour, whom Harry met in his fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament. During the
41

preparations for the wedding the Minister of Magic makes a visit to the Burrow to hand over the
objects that Harry, Ron and Hermione were left in Dumbledores testament. Hermione got a
book of stories, Ron got the Deluminator (an object invented by Dumbledore; it has the ability to
make light or darkness at one click), and Harry got the Snitch he caught during his very first
Quidditch match. The minister leaves without getting any kind of useful information. The
following day the wedding ceremony takes place, during which a Patronus sent by a member of
the Order of the Phoenix, announcing that the Ministry had failed under the control of the death
eaters, and that the minister of magic had been murdered. Death Eaters arrive to the Burrow
almost instantly, but Harry Ron and Hermione manage to disapparated. Having left the Burrow,
the trio is on the run.
After Dumbledores death, Harry had taken the locket believed to be a horcrux. But it
contained a message from an R.A.B. to the Dark Lord telling that the former had stolen the
horcrux and replaced it with a fake locket, trying to destroy it as soon as he could. They went to
stay at Grimmauld Place where their attention is captured by the room of Sirius brother, Regulus
Arcturus Black, or R.A.B. They search the entire room after the real horcrux but cannot find it.
From the house elf they find out, that after Sirius has died, Mundungus Fletcher had stolen many
artefacts from the house, including the locket. The elf also tells that his master (Regulus) told
Kreacher to destroy it, but the elf could not. Harry asks the elf to find and take Mundungus to
Grimmauld Place. The elf leaves but he only returns after a few days. The trio interrogates the
thief from who they found out that the locket has been taken by none other than Dolores
Umbridge.
Knowing all these, the three friends attempt a brake-in into the Ministry of Magic to steal
the locket from Umbridge. In spite of their careful planning, they are almost caught, and they
cannot go back to Grimmauld Place either, because when they disapparated, on death eater hold
on to Hermione, so he had seen their hiding place. They have got the locket, but neither do they
know how to destroy it, nor do they have a place to hide. From this moment they live in a tent,
moving from one place to another, and wearing the horcrux in turns, in order not to miss it.
Containing a piece of Voldemorts soul, the locket makes its wearer see untrue things, things that
he fears becoming real. Losing his temper, Ron leaves them. The horcrux made him think That
Hermione loves Harry more than she loves him, and that he will always be just second near
Harry.
42

Harry and Hermione are left alone, spending their days similarly and hardly speaking to
each other but trying to guess where might have Dumbledore hidden Gryffindors sword. Their
mutual agreement about not to mention Rons name makes their situation even harder. It seems
crucial to find the sword as it has the characteristic that it encloses everything that makes it more
powerful; therefore, when Harry had killed the basilisk with the sword in the second book, it had
been impregnated with the huge snakes extremely poisonous venom. Then they decide to go to
Godrics Hollow, but they have different reasons. Therefore Harry wants to visit his parents final
resting place, but Hermione wants to see if the sword isnt there. They meet Bathilda Bagshot, a
famous historian. This meeting is very important because, as Harry and Hermione have found
out, Bathilda knew the Dumbledores and therefore Hermione believes that Dumbledore may
have left the sword or a horcrux.
Unfortunately, the old lady has been dead a long time ago at their arrival, but her body
was possessed by Nagini, Voldemorts snake, which is also a horcrux. Thanks to Hermione, they
escape alive, but Harrys wand is broken. Not only that they were in extreme danger but, their
bad mood was also made worse by Hermiones guilt of breaking Harrys wand, and of Harrys
feeling of loss both of his wand and his best friend.
This situation is solved in one night when Harry was on charge in front of the tent. He
saw a Patronus which made him follow it. The Patronus led to a frozen lake, at the bottom of
which Harry saw Gryffindors saw. Unwillingly, he gets undressed and jumps into the freezing
water. This alone would not be a big problem, but before jumping, Harry did not take off the
locket. The horcrux, when feeling the closeness of a powerful object that can destroy it, tried to
strangle Harry, and it would manage it, if someone did not pull out both Harry and the sword. To
Harrys biggest surprise, the helping hand was Rons.
Before returning to the tent where Hermione was sleeping, they destroyed the horcrux, but
this wasnt enough to stop Hermione being angry with Ron. But at least, they could continue
guessing the whereabouts of the remaining horcruxes. But having no clues, they decide to
discover the meaning of a symbol, Hermione found in the book which she got from Dumbledore.
Remembering that they have seen the symbol under the form of a necklace, worn by Xenophilius
Lovegood during the wedding, they decide to make him a visit. They found out that the sign
represents the symbol of the Deathly Hallows: the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the
Cloak of Invisibility. From Mr Lovegoods explanation the trio becomes almost certain that at
43

least one of the Hallows is real and it is in the possession of Harry: the Invisibility Cloak. While
debating the possibility of the Hallows existence, Mr Lovegood called death eaters; his daughter,
Luna, had been kidnapped because he supported Harrys cause, and he called them in the hope
that he will get Luna back if he hands Harry over, but once again, the three friends escape due to
Hermione. Returning to their temporary shelter, they begin to argue fiercely, which ends with
Harry pronouncing Voldemorts name. The name had been made Taboo, which means that if one
speaks the Dark Lords name, he will know where the person is. Harry, Ron and Hermione had
been caught and taken to Malfoy Manor but they were not the only ones, their fellow prisoners
were Dean, a school mate, and a goblin called Griphook. They were closed in the basement
where they found Luna and Ollivander, the famous wand maker. Hermione, being a mud-blood
had been put under interrogation after Bellatrix Lestrange saw the sword. She looked terrified
because the sword supposed to be in her vault at Gringotts. She kept questioning Hermione about
where they got the sword from, and what else have they took from her vault. Being made by
goblins, the sword can be recognized as being real or not by a goblin. Griphook lied that the
sword is a copy at Harry pleas. Then Dobby appeared in the basement to save them. Harry asked
him to disapparate taking Luna and Mr Ollivander to Shell Cottage where Bill and Fleur have
been living since their wedding. When Dobby arrives back he finds Harry and Ron facing the
entire Malfoy family and Bellatrix Lestrange holding a knife at Hermiones neck. Dobby saves
his friends taking them too to Shell Cottage, but he is hit by the knife thrown by Bellatrix. Dobby
dies in Harrys arms, and moaning the elf, he later makes him a grave, manually, without magic.
Dobbys death is a tragic and emotional moment. It increases Harrys guilt that once again
someone, a close person, has paid with his life for helping him. The feeling of loss also gives
Harry the power to continue his quest. He has to speak with both Griphook and Mr Ollivander,
but the question is who to speak first. The decision is not as infantile as it may seem, as it
represents the choice between searching for horcruxes or for the Deathly Hallows. As it may be
obvious, Griphook has the sword, one of the very few weapons that can destroy horcruxes;
meanwhile Mr Ollivander might have information about the Elder Wand.
Harry chooses to follow the path shown by Dumbledore; he speaks to Griphook first
asking him to help brake in into Gringotts, into the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, because he
thinks, judging Bellatrixs reaction at seeing the sword, that there might be a horcrux. With
Griphooks help they steal the horcrux and manage to escape riding a blind dragon, but the goblin
44

has taken the sword. Harry once again gets in touch with Voldemort, and he sees into the
wizards mind, who finds out that Harry knows about his horcruxes, and fearing that the boy
might have more of them, he involuntarily shows Harry that a horcrux is in Hogwarts.
Harry wants to go there immediately. But going to a Hogwarts where Snape is headmaster
and several teachers place had been taken by death eaters is more than a life threatening
situation. Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to aparate in Hogsmeade, and then walk into the
castle using one of the secret passages. In the village they are almost caught by death eaters sent
there by Voldemort to wait for Harry to appear. They are saved by Dumbledores brother,
Aberforth. He tries to make Harry give up his mission and run away abroad to save himself, but
the friend are decided to go into the castle. The old man sends a message after which Neville
Longbottom appears on a passage made secretly. He leads the trio into the Come-and-Go-Room
where they find many of their school mates, hiding from death eater-teachers. They all are willing
to help Harry in his task even if they dont know, and Harry himself doesnt know what to search
for.
Voldemort also arrives to Hogwarts but teachers lead by McGonagall are determined to
fight in order to save the school and the pupils, and to give Harry as much time as possible to do
his task. In short time members of the Order of Phoenix also arrive and they also help to keep
Voldemort out of the school. Harry manages to find the horcrux and destroy it, but the snake is
still alive, it still carries the Dark Lords soul, or at least a piece of it. Harry realises that
Voldemort is in the Shrieking Shack and where the dark lord is, there is the snake. They arrive
under the Invisibility Cloak and witness Voldemort killing Snape. The reason for this murder is
that, as far as Voldemort knows, it was Snape who killed Dumbledore, and given that
Dumbledores wand was the Elder Wand, it does not work properly only to a wizard who has
won it in battle. This means that the wand should be Snapes But Voldemort doesnt know that
Draco disarmed Dumbledore before Snape hitting him with the killer curse. So he murders the
person that, in his opinion, had been his double agent for years. Before dying, Snape gives a
memory to Harry in a teardrop. Seeing the memory, Harry finds out the reason for which
Dumbledore trusted Severus all the time. Severus was in love with Harrys mother, and begged
Voldemort to spare her life, but he didnt. It was that moment in which Snape talked to
Dumbledore, promising his help for protecting Lilly Potter. Harry also finds out from the
memory that he is the last horcrux Voldemort has made, that is why he can see into the wizards
45

head and he can speak Parseltongue. After watching the memory he knows that he has to die,
killed by Voldemort.
In this moment he gets a message. Voldemort speaks to the fighters saying that he orders
his troops to retreat giving one hour to collect the bodies of those who have died. He also speaks
to Harry that he will wait for him one hour time in the Forbidden Forest, and after the hour will
have passed without Harry giving up, he will kill everyone in the castle. Walking along the Great
Hall, Harry sees that Fred, Remus Lupin and Tonks died, alongside many other persons.
Knowing that he has to die, Harry decides not to endanger more lives and sets off to the Forest
under his Invisibility Cloak in order not to be stopped by anybody.
Harrys arrival to the place where Voldemort is waiting for him is one of the most breath-
taking moments in the entire saga. Voldemorts keenness to eliminate the last obstacle towards
his becoming incontestably the worlds most powerful wizard is contrasted by Harrys calmness
and determination to save his beloved ones by perpetrating the ultimate sacrifice. The Forbidden
Forest, the place which Voldemort had chosen, is symbolic for this final act of heroism.
Voldemort fears death because he knows nothing about it, in the same time the Forbidden Forest
is scary because it is mysterious, and therefore it has secrets, thinks that people dont know about.
Even though, Harry is not afraid. Before arriving, he discovered how to open the Golden Snitch
in which Dumbledore has hidden the Resurrection Stone. Harry decides to use it; therefore he is,
for the first time in his life, able not only to see, but also to speak to his parents who encourage
him.
When the moment comes, Voldemort sends the killer curse and hits Harry but he once
again survives the curse that no one has ever escaped of. The only thing Voldemort has managed
to kill was the part of his soul that hanged on to Harry. Then the Dark Lord is betrayed. Narcissa
Malfoy is sent to check is Harry is dead. But, being a mother, the worry about her child is bigger
than any threat. When noticing that the boy is alive, she asks him whether Draco lives or not, and
when Harry nods, she firmly tells to Voldemort that Harry is dead. Desiring to prove his
supremacy, Voldemort obliges Hagrid to carry Harrys body back to the castle to show it to those
who are still determined to fight until the end. At their arrival Voldemort proposes to accept
anyone who decides to join him; but nobody moves except for Neville Longbottom and just when
everyone thinks that he is joining the dark side, he begins to speak, telling his audience that it
doesnt matter that Harry died, because he continues living in their hearts and that they should
46

never give up the fight. This is the moment when, t everybodys surprise Harry gets unto his feet.
In the chaos, Nagini gets far from her master and she is killed by Neville, therefore Voldemort is
left without his horcruxes. And this is not the only change. Voldemort can harm nobody fighting
against him because Harry, by facing the killer curse without trying to defend himself, has
offered every person the same protection that his mother has given to him. With his last strength,
Harry raises his wand and with one last spell he ends the ordeal and sufferings that have lasted
for many decades.
The last volume of the saga ends with an epilogue, telling about Harrys life nineteen
years after the big war from Hogwarts. He is once again on Kings Cross station, on platform
nine and three quarters, but this time joined by his wife, Ginny and their three children Lily,
James and Albus Severus. There they meet Ron and Hermione and their children, Rose and
Hugo. When the train sets off, Harry instinctively touches the scar on his forehead which did not
hurt since nineteen years ago.













47

3. Harry Potter between novel and movie

The Harry Potter saga is a very complex story. It is known by the majority of young
readers and not only. It was not a big surprise to anyone who has read the novels that it has been
put on screen. Each volume corresponds to a separate movie, except for the last one, Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows which is displayed in two parts, owing to its very complex and
sophisticated story.
The series was produced by David Heyman and distributed by Warner Bros. Four
directors worked hard until the eight movies were born. Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarn, Mike
Newell and David Yates, had the honor of making their voices heard and their vision screened in
what has become one of the most popular novel-movie pair.
It was hard for J. K. Rowling to settle with a director, first of all because she did not want
the series to contain non-author-written parts. Even Steven Spielberg negotiated for the
directorial chair, but later he declined. He wanted an animated adaptation of the series. However,
Heymans suddenly awoken enthusiasm convinced Rowling to sell the author writes, with a
demand that the principal cast should remain British. But she agreed with Irish infusions, such as
the actor who plays Dumbledore, Richard Harris.
If it came about actors, the roles of the main characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and
Hermione Granger, are interpreted by (in order) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma
Watson. But finding the perfect persons for these roles, and not only, was a difficult job. The
castings lasted more than seven months, after which the producer discovered the one who will
become the main character of the saga; There sitting behind me was this boy with these big blue
eyes. It was Dan Radcliffe. I remember my first impressions: He was curious and funny and so
energetic. There was real generosity too, and sweetness. But at the same time he was really
voracious and with hunger for knowledge of whatever kind.(David Heyman).
36
The other two,
Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, were only ten, respectively eleven years old when they have

36
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/uncategorized/when-harry-met-pally-rare-photo-of-day-dan-radcliffe-
met-rupert-grint/, consulted at May 27, 2014.
48

been chosen to play their roles. Even though they have only played in school plays before, they
managed to perform well, during the eight movies.
Other actors cannot be omitted from the list, as their contribution too, had lead the rode to
what the Harry Potter saga is today. In this order of ideas, I would like to mention a few names
of those who played key-roles in the movies. First of all there is Richard Harris playing the role
of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, friend and supervisor of the young orphaned
Harry. A sorrowful event
37
led to his replacing with Michael Gambon starting with the third
movie. Secondly, Tom Felton is in the role of Draco Malfoy, Harry Potters everlasting enemy
during his school years; and if talking about enemies, one should not omit Ralph Fiennes in the
role of Lord Voldemort. And last, but not least, one should not forget about Robbie
Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, Maggie Smith as Minerva
McGonagall, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick,
Brendan Gleeson as Alastor Moody, Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, Jason Isaacs as Lucius
Malfoy, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley, Timothy Spall as Peter
Pettigrew, David Thewlis as Remus Lupin, Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney, and Julie
Walters as Molly Weasley.
Regarding the settings of the movies, the majority of the actions presented are happening
at Hogwarts, but not only; there are more important places, where Harry, Ron and Hermione turn
up during their challenges. Production designer Stuart Craig, along with Rowling, has created
memorable settings and interiors such as the Great Hall of Hogwarts, inspired by the Hall of The
Christ Church in Oxford, England; or the residence of the Ministry of Magic. But the greatest
challenge was adapting Hogwarts Castle to the constant changes which appeared in the new
novels. Each movie was made soon after the book has been published, and therefore the
miniature made for the castle for the first movie needed improvements, as the action of the story
moves to new stages and places. For example the Astronomy Tower was not there in the first
movie, but later it was added to the miniature. The same happened with the battlefield from the
last movie, when Lord Voldemort initiated an attack on the castle. That field was not there in the
first movie.
38


37
Richard Harris passed away on the 25
th
of October, 2002.
38
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_(film_series), consulted at May 16, 2014.
49

However, the main idea is that no matter how good the actors are, it is impossible to
represent everything from a novel in a movie that must be kept under four hours. This is the most
difficult thing, the major challenge in directing a movie, that is why the producer and the director,
or in this case, directors, recur to visual representations.
There is a similarity in the series, both at the level of novels and movies, regarding the
beginning and the ending. The novels are written in such a way that one book covers one year of
school at Hogwarts, except for the last book. In each book/movie Harry is shown when he leaves
the Dursleys at the beginning of the book to start a new school year in his hope a calm one,
with no special events , respectively when he returns to them; therefore the movies also start
with Harry being at his aunt and uncle in the end of the summer, and ends with his saying good
bye to school at the end of the school year.
The difference between the movies and the novels consists of a set of representations of
the important characters and how the cooperation between the producer and the directors lead to
those wonderful grounds on which the actions take place.
First of all one should take into consideration the presentation of the main character. In
the book, the reader finds a description of an eleven year old, orphaned boy, who is left in the
care of his aunt and uncle. But, he is badly treated and neglected to such an extent as if he were
not there. The question is how to put all this on screen. In the first captions of the movie, Harry is
woken up by his aunt Petunia in a rather aggressive way, this being one of the many bits that
show the nearly, if not totally, inhuman treatment. Instead of gently whispering a wake-up call,
Mrs. Dursleys is shaking and hitting the wardrobe door, which stands for Harrys room. Next, the
camera slides along the Dursleys living room, stopping on family pictures from which Harry has
been carefully left out. As Rowling writes in the first book The room held no sign at all that
another boy lived in the house, too.
39
In the first caption in which Harry appears presents the
negligible part of the house he lives in. He always wears too large clothes which are always of
dark colours in order not to attract attention. These shadowy colours have the purpose to make
the main character as uninteresting as possible. His adoptive family is ashamed of what Harrys
parents were, and consequently of what Harry is. However, throughout the movies, Harry is
never put in the light, he is never being focused on or put against an attention drawing

39
Rowling, J.K, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, pg.12;
50

background as in other movies like those about Superman, for instance, mainly because in this
series the focus is not upon the characters, I mean not about the looks of the characters, but on
their actions, feelings and thoughts.
Secondly, one should pay attention to other characters because, there are almost as
important as the main character, mainly because they represent the cause of all changes and thus,
the outcome of the novels, respectively the movies. In this order of ideas there are some relevant
characters. The first one is Rubeus Hagrid, whom Harry first meets from the wizarding world,
when he is handed his letter from Hogwarts. Hagrid looks fearful and even the environment in
which he appears could be taken as an ill omen; he appears in the middle of a stormy night,
breaking the door and telling Harry about his being a wizard in such an as-a-matter-of-factly way
that the entire scene falls in the other extreme, namely that of humour, which is an important
element because, the entire series began as a story for children. Hagrids fearful side is underlined
even by the background music, which plays a very important role in a movie, when it comes
about creating several effects. But the question is why should a character like Hagrid, who will be
one of Harrys best friends until the end, be presented in such an inappropriate way? Well, my
opinion is that this, again, is just a technique of highlighting the abnormality of the character in
question. And in abnormality I understand his being a half-giant, which is an element belonging
to the magical world, as long as muggles do not believe in their existence. The second relevant
pair of characters which have a role in the evolution of Harrys future is composed by the pair of
Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy. Harry meets Ron on the Hogwarts express, as a young wizard
apprentice. The sympathy between them is due not only to the similarity between the Weasley
familys poor economic situation with which Harry can compare his life so far, but also by
judging after his own experience, according to which being poor is not equivalent to being
unfriendly, selfish, arrogant, or any other negative attribute. Harry, who has had no friends until
this very moment, due to his appearance and the fear his cousin provokes in their surroundings.
Ron is grateful to Harry, but the sympathy is not due to the latters possessions or his fame, as it
is the case with Draco. Arrived in the castle of Hogwarts, Draco tries to make friends with Harry,
not because he likes him, but because he is famous. This, lets say malicious act of false
friendship is presented on the screen by the actor who plays the young Malfoy, Tom Felton. He
speaks almost crunching his teeth, with a voice that shows disrespect, for whoever is poor or
common or different from him, like Ron, for example. The contrast between Ron and Draco
makes Harry decide in favor of the friendship of the former, this leading to the great adventures
51

which are due to come. Because, let one think what would have happened if Harry accepted
Draco as his friend. He would have been invited, probably to spend the summer holidays at
Malfoy Manor, and then? Would have the Malfoys hand him over to Voldemort to be murdered,
or would he have been turned into a follower of Voldemort? But this is not the readers or
spectators choice. Harry chose Ron, and consequently the good side, leaving Voldemort to try
and murder him.
The third character with whom Harry could and must be compared with is his enemy,
Voldemort. Voldemorts character is very important because the outcome of the story depends on
it. Therefore, being the most powerful dark wizard in the world he is differentiated from other
characters by his look. The snake like face, the hissing voice and the extremely fade skin are just
a few of the techniques used to make the representative of the dark side different from all the
other characters. The opposition between god and evil is emphasized also by the looks of the
representations of the two sides, that is why Voldemort face is so denatured. But if it came about
comparing Harry and Voldemort there is another aspect that should be taken into account.
Voldemorts Hitleristic mania of joining his entire sort (and it is a good comparison indeed, for
the father of Nazism, who wanted all Germans in the lead off the world was not German himself,
just like Voldemort, the character who detests half-bloods and muggles but he is one of them, his
own father being a muggle), that is the pure-bloods, under his rule and murdering everyone who
is different, is contrasted by Harrys friend circle which includes not only pure-bloods but also
half-bloods and muggle-borns. And let us not forget that whoever is on Harrys side has not been
threatened or forced as in the case of the other side. The best example for this is the friendship
between Harry and Hermione, who is the boys second best friend after Ron. Harry is not
interested in someones blood status, and he is not denying his roots, whereas Voldemort, so sure
of the superiority of the pure-bloods denies his own self.
Other two important characters playing a great deal in Harrys outcome are Albus
Dumbledore and Molly Weasley. The latter is the only adult female character, who treats him as
her own son and the own from whom Harry gets motherly affection. Dumbledore, on the other
hand, can be interpreted as a father-figure, leading his son on the right way, giving him help and
hints, but never solving his problems. This is what a father should do, in my opinion, teaching his
children how to cope with problems instead of resolving them.
52

An important moment for both the novel and the movie is Harrys arrival to Hogwarts;
and not because of the reaction of surprise of his future classmates, but because of the
representation of his feelings regarding his new situation. After dinner, everybody retires to their
dormitory to get a well-deserved sleep, but Harry is shown sitting by the window, gazing at the
grounds of the school, having beside him his owl, Hedwig, to keep him company. In my opinion,
this momentarily loneliness has the role of representing Harrys life until the very moment. Then,
an encouraging but also timid smile appears on his face, expressing hope for the future and
happiness for the present.
And if speaking about Hogwarts, the castle being the place of almost the entire action of
the movies needs to come to life. By this I mean that this place is almost as important as
characters in this movie. Just think about the first time everybody gets the chance to see it; and by
everybody I mean not only the characters but also the spectators of the movie. There is a tradition
at Hogwarts and namely that the first year students enter the castle by boats on the lake. This is
an excellent opportunity for both the characters and the spectators to get the most wonderful view
of the castle: rising in the night on a hill top, spreading light from all its windows it is a magical
view. Its magical appearance is one reason for which this building can be considered as a
character of the movies. The other is that Rowling created the figure of the castle in such a way
as to give help to its students. Let us take the example of the staircases, which have the habit of
changing their position. If in the first movie the staircase had not moved, then how would have
Harry, Ron and Hermione find out about Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the entrance of
the dungeon which held the Philosophers Stone? If the friends were not guided by the castle (or
its stairs in this case), they would not have started to wonder about what was the dog guarding,
they would not think anyone to want to steal the stone, therefore Voldemort should have returned
to his powers long before Harry would have been able to stand against him. Another example one
can find in the fifth movie. In this, after Voldemort regaining his powers was crucial for all
wizards to prepare themselves and to be able to defend themselves, especially Harry. But, the
Ministry of Magic denying the truth, sent a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who not only
did not teach the students how to fight, but she forbid them to learn for themselves. Once again
the castle comes to their rescue, showing a room where they can practice, and what is most
important, they cannot be found. This is the Come-and-Go-Room.
53

Many things could be said about these films, opinions are shared, but most of the people
who have heard about, read the books or watched the Harry Potter series, have enjoyed them.
These movies are a very good choice to spend an evening, and for these fans have to thank the
producers who considered it worth to spend so much time and energy on a book which has not
been considered by many publisher houses to be given a chance.


















54

4. Main themes of the Harry Potter series

Several themes can be found in novels, more than one could expect. The exact number
depends mainly on the readers point of view. In the property of this knowledge I was most
confused to come across a fragment of John Killingers work: Love, Death, and Friendship in the
Harry Potter Novels
40
in which a comparison is drawn between Harrys final encounter with
Voldemort and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. After the first shock, I had to agree with Killinger,
not only because he brings convincing arguments to his hypothesis, but also because I personally
see the similitude between the fictional and the religious events. Harry is named the Chosen One
several times throughout the seventh book and his final act of sacrifice when surviving the killer
curse for the second time is like the fictional reproduction of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and
furthermore, he has been chosen to be the one person who has the ability to save the world from a
great evil, just like Jesus died for the sins humanity has committed.
Given that this religious theme only appears in the last book, I will not deal with it any
longer, because I focus on those themes which are omnipresent in the series.
However, after a thoroughly close and attentive reading completed with watching the
movies it becomes evident that the major themes are however classic: friendship, love, family,
home, sacrifice, maturity, death. These can be discussed about arranged in three subchapters:
friendship, home and death these being the elements most concerning and involving the
protagonist.
4.1. Friendship
Friends play an extremely important role in every persons life whether by offering help
and advice or by just being there for the other. When starting the first Harry Potter book,
Rowling was in a serious crisis within her personal life. Being through a divorce and left alone
with a child she was in urgent and, we can probably say, desperate need of friends. This could be
the reason for which the friendships in the series are so deep and strong.
Friendship is a mostly sympathy based relationship between two or more persons. Besides
sympathy, friendship also needs a base built on the followings: sincerity, loyalty and trust; these

40
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/61116.pdf, consulted at March 13, 2014.
55

being just a few main necessities. Being such a widespread phenomenon it is no wonder that it
has been taken by writers into literature. Universal literature plays host to many pairs of best
friends such as: Alexandre Dumas musketeers, Mark Twains Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry
Finn. These friendships fame will be equalled, if it is not already, by the famous trio of Harry,
Ron and Hermione whose friendship is challenged and resists even in front of mortal danger.
Given the fact that Harry was brought up in unfriendly conditions, it is no wonder that the
first time he gets into friendly contact with somebody is when he meets Hagrid. Being the first
person who acts friendly towards him, Harry almost immediately feels a bond between them, in
spite of the first shock provoked by seeing a man the size of gamekeeper. Even though Hagrid
will not stop being a good friend of Harry, he will not learn the feeling of having a best friend
until meeting Ron Weasley on the Hogwarts Express. Alongside with Ron, Harry also
experiences feelings he had never felt before such as sharing what he has: It was a nice feeling,
sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harrys pasties, cakes, and candies
41
. Harry
also has the opportunity of choosing whom he wants to be friends with. Draco offers his hand but
Harry does not take it; he dislikes Dracos attitude towards those who are not wealthy and also he
dislikes the way he talks about his new friend. Being as famous as he is, one might think he has
the possibility of making contact with any social class he wants to, but Harry, who knows from
experience that those who are avoided are not necessarily bad persons, chooses to keep Ron as a
friend and Draco as an enemy. Maybe enemy is a hard word to use to describe Harrys relation
with Draco. It is true that they do not like each other, but they never meant to do real harm. Their
constant battle is more likely to be a result of Dracos father being a supporter of Voldemort,
influencing his son to follow his ways. And Harry, knowing the circumstances of his parents
death, is likely to behave unfriendly with anyone who has a close bound with their murderer.
Harrys second closest friend becomes Hermione Granger. This friendship is the evidence
to the fact that Harry is not similar to Voldemort. He does not take into consideration a persons
blood status when judging him. Although Hermione is muggle born, she deserves to take a place
next to Harry in these novels, because she proves to be a loyal and helping partner; her loyalty
and support towards Harry goes far beyond what Voldemorts supporters could and will ever feel
even in spite their being pure bloods. Hermione, as well as Ron, always stand by Harrys side
regardless of what everyone else thinks. For example, in the second book, the whole collective of

41
Rowling, J.K, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, pg. 66;
56

students is absolutely sure that Harry is the heir of Slytherin who sets a basilisk on muggle borns;
curiously one of the students who deny the truth of this statement is Hermione herself. If she had
any doubt regarding Harrys innocence, this moment would have turned out her true opinion
about him. Instead of hiding from him, fearing an attack, she is one of the few persons who
support Harry openly.
The trio formed by Harry, Ron and Hermione is one of the best evidence for the existence
of true friendships in literature, and not only. Many times, Ron and Hermione have helped Harry
even if this meant leaving their responsibilities in the background. When Harry was chosen a
Triwizard champion, his two friends were helping him in preparing, even if they remained behind
with their homework. Their priority has always been helping the other rather than dealing with
personal affairs. This friendship is bound by all the things in which they have been through
together. In their first year at Hogwarts, they went through a series of advanced magical obstacles
and they stopped Voldemort from returning to power, by helping each other, and by being ready
to make the ultimate sacrifice for each other. In their second year, they have cleared Hagrid of
unfair accusations. The moment which clearly proves that Hermione and Ron are true friends
takes place after the funeral of Dumbledore. Harry tells them that he has something to do on the
late headmasters order and to his astonishment, both Ron and Hermione were already planning
their trip. There was not one moment when they thought about not joining Harry, no matter what
dangers he is to face. I could go on with enumerating examples, as the series is full of similar
deeds. However, the greatest proof of friendship and caring for others is shown by Harry, when
he prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save not only his friends but also people
who he does not even know.
I believe that there are two types of friendship in the Harry Potter series: true friendships
formed on the basis of sincerity, loyalty and trust in different circumstances; and false friendships
(called this way in absence of a better term) formed basically because of fear; weak and coward
people swear loyalty to the strong hoping for protection. If one chooses to search for a structure
of the saga based on the theme of friendship, this is the key. We can decompose the entire
collection of seven volumes into the war between the good represented by the groups of true
friends and the bad presented through the representatives of false friendships. This structure
can be imagined as three sets of circles intersecting each other, two of which represent the good
side. Just for the sake of clearness I will enumerate the characters from each side. The good side
57

is divided into two main categories classified by age, namely adults and children, both group
having a leader. Harry is in the smallest circle, alone. He is surrounded, then, by the circle
including Hermione and Ron, a third circle is formed around them with members of the D.A
(Ginny, Fred, George, Neville, Luna, are the most important characters), followed by the biggest
circle including all the students from Hogwarts, except for the Slytherins. On the other hand, the
group of adults is formed around Albus Dumbledore. His circle is surrounded by that of the
members of the Order of Phoenix (Mr and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and Snape, to
mention just the most important) and a group of teachers from school including McGonagall,
Flitwick, Sprout and Hagrid. This group is again surrounded, this time by a more fading circle
than in the case of the childrens, including all of Harrys supporters who do not have a specific
contribution in the fight against the evil and whom I will name for the sake of simplicity, neutral
or indirect supporters. The intersected circles representing the good side looks as it follows:

On the evil side the leading figure is the Dark Lord himself surrounded by his faithful
Death eaters, and they all being surrounded by those who have been blackmailed or threatened by
the formers. In this outer circle also enter giants, Inferi, Dementors and other wondrous, fictional
beasts controlled by Voldemort. They outnumber by far Harrys and Dumbledores crew, but yet
again, why does the good triumph over the evil? I am sure many would try to give a deep
structured and complicated answer after a serious search of similar examples in literature, but the
58

answer is quite simple: friendship. The bounds tied under the sign of friendship are strong not
only in peace, but doubled by love and care for the dear ones when being in danger, it gives such
determination and power which no death threatening and blackmails could bring down. Harry
Potter is saved by his capability of having friends, and caring about them to such an extent that he
is capable of making the ultimate sacrifice in order to spare them.
If talking about love, I think this is the right moment for me to talk about the thing which
motivates Harry throughout the series. Beside the love felt for his friends, our hero experiences
another type of love, which he felt towards two characters in the novels: Cho Chang and Ginny
Weasley. On the one hand, Harrys relationship with Cho is not long lasting, and it is shadowed
by the imminent loss of Chos late boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, who died at the end of the fourth
book, killed by Voldemort. Cho represents the first experience of this type for Harry, but it is not
a really happy one owing to Chos confusion whether she loves Harry or just sees someone to
whom she can talk about Cedric, as Harry has been the only eye witness of his passing away. On
the other hand, Harry gets a closer experience of love when he admits being in love with Ginny.
Motherly love is also present in the series, having two representatives: an absent
character, Lily Potter, and Molly Weasley. I will talk about Harrys relation to Molly when
dealing with the theme of home. What regards Lily, she managed to save her sons life by loving
him. The similarity between the Harry Potter series and a biblical moment is again visible. James
sacrificed himself to save Lily and Harry, and Lily also sacrificed herself trying to save Harry.
The immense power of her love towards her son is what works as a shield between Harry and
Voldemort. It is love that makes Harry so different from Voldemort, the capability to love, and
this feeling being unknown to the Dark Lord it will be the cause of his defeating in the end.
4.2. Home
Home sweet home! What a wonderful thing it is, to know that whatever happens there is a
place one can go where one can feel safe. But can one talk about home when speaking about
Harry Potter? It is a rather difficult mission because throughout the novel, the readers come
across a young boys struggles to find his place in the world. He does not live on the streets of
course, but considering the way he is treated in the Dursleys house, one might think that it would
be better for him to be there.
59

The themes of home and inclusively family are present from the first pages of the series.
Although Harry does not come to know what a real home is like until the second volume, the
motif has a very important role in the boys safety. This provides a strong connection between
this theme and the previous one. Lilys love was so powerful that it not only made her son
untouchable by Voldemort, but her sacrifice also made a protective hiding place for Harry, where
he can grow up. So, in this case, having a place to call home means the difference between life
and death, if one takes the consideration to extremes.
But since these pages are concerned with the places Harry can call his home, it is not
relevant to talk about the house in which he lived until the age of 11. No. 4 Privet Drive is just a
building; no emotions tie Harry to that house. A home is where one feels safe, where one lives
with people whom one loves, but the home of his aunt and uncle is just a place to stay for Harry.
He has always been treated miserably, for him the house in which he spent his childhood is like a
prison, whereas Hogwarts represents the first place Harry feels like being home. Very similar is
the motif of home as prison in Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights in which Catherine Earnshaws
home at Wuthering Heights later becomes a prison for her daughter, Cathy Linton.
However, Hogwarts becomes Harrys home very fast, Harry could hardly believe it
when he realized that hed already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home
than Privet Drive ever had.
42
This was the first place where Harry wasnt treated as an
unwelcome guest, or worse, as dirt. Hogwarts is the place where he had his first friends, and
where almost everybody else acted friendly towards him.
Nevertheless, the moment Harry learns what home means is at the beginning of the
second book, when the Weasley boys saved Harry from his uncles house, where he had been
closed into his room, with bars on the window. One would expect for Harry not to be pleased
with the Burrow
43
as the Weasleys are very poor, and Harry having a little fortune in his safe at
Gringotts (the wizards bank). But Harrys reaction, on seeing the place was the best one can
imagine; he considered the house great. This is a proof of Harry preferring to be with people who
can offer him affection instead of wealth. He prefers affection instead of comfort and this

42
Rowling, J.K; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, pg. 110;
43
The name of the Weasley familys house;
60

preference is in many moments the reason for continuing and resisting to the ease and other
utilities and pieces of comfort offered by the dark side.
Given that he spent every summer end at the Weasleys, Harry had the chance to learn how
it is to live in the middle of a loving family. He was not treated as a celebrity; he was not being
stared at as he is used to be treated by almost everyone he met nor as a bothering fly which
keeps one awake during the night. The Weasley children become as dear as if they were Harrys
brothers, and Mrs. Weasleys careful affection and motherly attention is something what Harry
has never had until this moment.
Another possibility for Harry to have a home comes in his third year at Hogwarts, when
Harry meets his godfather, Sirius Black. At the beginning, Harry thinks owing to the rumours
he has heard that his godfather is responsible for his parents death, but later he finds out that
this is not true. Having a short time to talk, Sirius takes the opportunity and invites Harry to live
with him, which Harry would love to do, but due to certain events and circumstances, Sirius is
not cleared of the charges of being a murderer so, Harry is left no choice but to return to Privet
Drive, at the end of the school year.
Two years later, when Harry is before his fifth year at Hogwarts, he is taken to spend the
last weeks of the summer holiday at No. 12 Grimmauld Place, London. This being the
headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and nevertheless, the house the Black family, which
Sirius has inherited after his parents and brother died. Yet again, the motif of home as prison
reappears, because for Sirius, this house means the recollection of his childhood, and his being
different from his family. He left his family at the age of sixteen, because he could not accept that
his relatives were so cruel and full of their selves being pure bloods. Several of their actions
which Sirius did not agree with is described throughout the fifth volume of the saga but as this
paper does not concern the life of Sirius Black, this remains at ones choice to read in details.
The last two books, do not deal with the theme of home, except for the short description
of Harry leaving No.4 Privet Drive for ever, at the beginning of the seventh book. He is taken to
the Burrow, before time that is before he turns seventeen. At the age of seventeen the wizards
turn mature, therefore, reaching this age for Harry means that he loses the protection granted to
him by his mothers sacrifice. From this moment, Harry has nothing to do with the concept of
61

home, until he establishes at his own, with his own family, but since this is not included in the
Harry Potter saga, this analysis ends here.
4.3. Death
When this word comes into discussion, one may instantly think about a skull, for it is the
symbol of death. But what is Death after all? A definition of death is given by Stanford
Encyclopaedia of Philosophy: Death is life's ending. Let us say that vital processes are those by
which organisms develop or maintain themselves. These processes include chemosynthesis,
photosynthesis, cellular respiration, cell generation, and maintenance of homeostasis. Then death
is the ending of the vital processes by which an organism sustains itself.
44

Well, there is nothing more to be said about this, straight forward and underlining the
main idea, this fragment explains the essential about this phenomenon. However, one might ask
what does such a theme has to do with a novel about a school boy? The answer is given by
Fraser Los as it follows: Harry Potter is fundamentally about death the most existential theme
of all. Harrys coming of age is synonymous with his coming to terms with his
immortality.
45
This is in fact, the explanation to the question How does Harry survive all the
time? simply because he is prepared to die. Instructed by his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore
Harry learns not only spells and incantations, but he also gets very wise pieces of advice and a
high knowledge about let us say the art of life. Regarding death, Dumbledore has pointed out
so wisely that its the unknown that we fear when we fear death, nothing more. Mentored by
his wise headmaster, Harry manages not only to defeat the darkest wizard of all times, but he also
manages to stay alive, owing to the fact that he entrusted Dumbledore beyond the headmasters
death. In fact, Harry has already won the fight the moment he understood and accepted that he
may have to die in order to save the others: his friends, schoolmates and acquaintances.
Regarding the theme of death, the series is symmetric: somebody dies. Though not
literally but by means of its results, the story begins with the presentation of Harrys parents
death, and as if the author wanted to re-establish the balance in the world, it is Voldemort who
dies in the end. In the final battle, the good wins over the bad.

44
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/death/#1, consulted at April 17, 2014.
45
Los, Fraser; Ross, Nicola, Harry Potter and the Nature of Death; Alternatives Journal; 2008; 34, 1;
ProQuest Central, p. 33;
62

Harry meets death at a very early age, so early that he does not even remember what
happened. Of course he will see flashes of how his mother died giving her life to save his, when
he encounters Dementors. But being only one year old when this unfortunate event happened, he
does not have concrete memories. Still he feels its consequences during his entire life. Due to
Voldemorts murder Harry is brought up in unfriendly circumstances, with a family-substitute he
had to accept. However this is not the only moment when somebodys death changes Harry.
In his fourth year at school, he witnesses Voldemorts returning to power, altogether one
of his schoolmates is murdered before his eyes. Then the next year, Harry loses Sirius, his sixth
and seventh years being marked by the loss of Dumbledore, Dobby, Remus Lupin and Tonks. Of
course Remus and Tonks are not his relatives, but the former having been his fathers
schoolmate, Lupin represented the last sort of connection between him and his parents. Harry
later finds out that Dumbledores death had been pre-arranged between the headmaster and
Severus Snape, who also dies, but not before revealing Harry the last bit of the great puzzle he
was left to sort out. Dumbledore directed his on the path forward to destroy the Dark Lord, but he
never told him so much as for Harry could find out what he will have to do in the end. In the
memory given by Snape, Harry finds out, that he is a last horcrux of Voldemort, consequently he,
Harry, has to be killed and by the hand of the Dark Lord himself.
After seeing many people dying for him, Harry makes the decision to give himself up.
This decision proves to be the one that makes the difference between life and death. Voldemorts
killing curse destroyed his own piece of soul living in Harry, but Harry survived once again.
In my opinion, the ways in which Harry encounters and escapes death so many times
owing to his courage, contains a moral message that suggests that death is not something to be
afraid of, because it is part of our life cycle. It suggests that a life should be lived without it being
shaded by the fear of deaths approach. Life happens while you are busy making other plans
says the proverb; if one spends his life fearing the moment of its end, in the end he will not have
what to end.
These themes that I have discussed are very common, but still they bring new examples
and encouragement for youngsters not to lose their faith in certain moral values and in the
appropriate punishment/reward of Providence.

63

Conclusions
In the previous pages I have tried to explain some of the features of a very popular saga,
taking its most important elements under light. But the question is, does the Harry Potter deserve
to get a place among the titles enlisted as educational literature?
My answer is yes. Firstly, I must say that this story has more in common with the real
world than one would think after a first reading. Of course a special school where magic is taught
must be taken as a metaphor, in this order of ideas, but if one does not take Hogwarts as a
wizarding school, but a boarding school, it is more than realistic. All the actions, all the feelings
that these characters live can be considered as metaphors for those minor difficulties, which for
school-aged children are very difficult to deal with. Let us take the example of a child leaving the
warmth of his home, the safety and stability offered by his loving and caring family, to set off
towards a totally new world where he will be on his own. The way Harry is leaving his home to
take up an opportunity has a highly educational value, for children being in the same situation.
Reading through the young wizards experiences of life, children become aware of the fact that
they can manage even in more difficult situations. They also learn that, teachers can offer them
help and support if they have any kind of problems, which is very important nowadays, when
there are so many cases of violence and abuse towards children. They must learn who they can
ask for help if being in need. And it is not only about the minor difficulties that children need to
learn how to deal with.
Secondly, the themes covered by the seven volumes are very general, and can be seen in
the majority of literary works, which are compulsory for literature classes. Why not ask students
to read something new and up-to-date, instead of learning about the same characters that their
parents and grandparents have learned about. The fact that a piece of literature is modern does
not mean that it is not fit for educational purposes, on the contrary. Young students need to read
about something they are familiar with from their lives. Therefore, the theme of friendship, for
instance, is very well covered by the Harry-Ron-Hermione trio, and students can learn not only
about a true friendship, but also about how one is should not chose ones friends judging by their
appearance or their economic wellbeing. Illustrative in this sense is the scene from the first book,
when Harry meets Ron Weasley and then Draco Malfoy.
64

Thirdly, there is the theme of home and family. Children should be aware that family is
the most important thing, and they should appreciate that they have a home and a loving family.
The Harry Potter series points to this need of every child, therefor reading about or watching
Harry longing for such a condition, makes children think of what they have, and what they think
is natural, and be grateful that they do have all those things offered by the warmth of the family.
And last, but not least there is the theme of death. Relating to this, one would argue that it
is not an appropriate theme for a child, but unfortunately, many of them already know what death
means, that is losing a beloved one. There are many literary works which deal with death, and
even some novels or short stories which are in the compulsory school reading list. Even if death
is taken metaphorically, children still have a lesson to learn from this saga.
We live in an unstable and harsh world, where children are not granted to live without
seeing death, loss of their parents, being left to take care of themselves as they can. This saga
contains a message to those who are in similar situations to that of Harrys, and the message is:
no matter how hard it is, being good and honest always gets its prize, no matter how hard it as to
get started in life, it can all become something good.
Therefore, It can be stated that the Harry Potter saga is a fitting lecture even for young
readers, and also bears educative values, which youngsters should not only be allowed to read,
but also encouraged in doing so.








65

Bibliography

Specific bibliography
1. Rowling, J.K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. London: Bloomsbury.
2. Rowling, J.K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury.
3. Rowling, J.K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury.
4. Rowling, J.K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury.
5. Rowling, J.K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury.
6. Rowling, J.K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. London: Bloomsbury.
General bibliography
1. Armstrong, A. Religion in Harry Potter Skeptic Magazine, (2011), 17:1 ProQuest Central
2. Baker, Ernest Albert; A guide to the best fiction in English, George Routledge & Sons,
1913, London.
3. Barnet, Sylvan; Berman, Morton; Burto, William; An introduction to literature: fiction,
poetry, drama; Little, Brown and Company, 1963, Boston.
4. Los, Fraser; Ross Nicola Harry Potter and the Nature of Death, Alternative Journal
(2008), 34:1, ProQuest Central.
5. McKenna, T. (2011). Harry Potter and the Modern Age, Critique: Journal of Socialist
Theory, 39:3, 355-364.
6. Mills, A. Harry Potter: Agency or Addiction in Childrens Literature in Education
41:291-301, published online 19 October 2010, Springer Science Business Media LLC.
7. Talamo, J.A. (2009). Harry Potter and the Haunted Prophet, Psychological Perspectives:
A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought, 52:3, 335-346.
Electronic bibliography
1. David Heyman in Potter producer David Heyman reflects on the magical journey
and shares a photo of a special moment: When Harry met pally, Geoff Boucher,
July 21, 2009
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/uncategorized/when-harry-met-pally-rare-photo-of-day-
dan-radcliffe-met-rupert-grint/
66

2. Fiction, Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction
3. Forbes, JK Rowling: Failure Can Be the Foundation Of Success
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fljl45lkm/jk-rowling-failure-can-be-the-foundation-of-
success/
4. John Killinger, Love, Death, and Friendship in the Harry Potter Novels
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/61116.pdf