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Harry Potter
Harry Potter
is aseries of seven fantasy novelswritten by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizardHarry Potter, together withRon WeasleyandHermione Granger, his friends from theHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The centralstory arc  concerns Harry's struggle against the evil wizardLord Voldemort, who killedHarry's parents in his quest to conquer thewizarding worldand subjugatenon-magical (Muggle) people to his rule. Several successful derivative films,video games and other themed merchandise have been based upon theseries.Since the 1997 release of the first novelHarry Potter and the Philosopher'sStone, which was retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the UnitedStates, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim andcommercial success worldwide.
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As of June 2008, the book series has soldmore than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages,
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and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-sellingbooks in history.English-language versions of the books are published byBloomsburyin theUnited Kingdom,Scholastic Pressin the United States,Allen & Unwinin Australia, andRaincoast Booksin Canada. Thus far, the first five books havebeen made intoa series of motion picturesbyWarner Bros.The sixth,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is scheduled for release on 15 July 2009.
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 The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potterbrand worth£7 billion.
Plot
Further information:Harry Potter universe The novels revolve aroundHarry Potter, an orphan who discovers that he is awizard.
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Wizard ability is inborn, but children are sent to wizarding school tolearn the magical skills necessary to succeed in thewizarding world.
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Harryis invited to attend the boarding school calledHogwarts School of Witchcraftand Wizardry. Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life, and most of theevents take place at Hogwarts.
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As he struggles through adolescence, Harrylearns to overcome many magical, social and emotional hurdles.
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The wizarding world
Flashbacks throughout the series reveal that when Harry was a baby hewitnessed his parents' murder byLord Voldemortwho was a dark wizardobsessed withracial purity.
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For reasons not immediately revealed,Voldemort's attempt to kill Harry rebounds.
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Voldemort is seemingly killedand Harry survives with only a lightning-shaped mark on his forehead as amemento of the attack.
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As its inadvertent saviour from Voldemort's reign of terror, Harry becomes a living legend in the wizard world. At the orders of his
 
patron, the wizardAlbus Dumbledore, Harry is placed in the home of hisMuggle(non-wizard) relatives, who keep him completely ignorant of his trueheritage.
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 The first novel in the series,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, beginsnear Harry's 11th birthday. Half-giant Rubeus Hagridreveals Harry's history and introduces him to thewizarding world.
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The world J. K. Rowling createdis both completely separate from and yet intimately connected to the realworld. While thefantasy worldof Narniais analternative universeand the Lord of the Rings’Middle-eartha mythic past, the Wizarding world of Harry Potter exists alongside that of the real world and contains magical elementssimilar to things in the non-magical world. Many of its institutions andlocations are in places that are recognisable in the real world, such asLondon.
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It comprises a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlookedand ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remaininvisible to the non-magical population of Muggles.
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With Hagrid's help, Harry prepares for and undertakes his first year of studyat Hogwarts. As Harry begins to explore the magical world, the reader isintroduced to many of the primary locations used throughout the series.Harry meets most of the main characters and gains his two closest friends:Ron Weasley, a fun-loving member of an ancient wizarding family, andHermione Granger, an obsessively bookish witch of non-magical parentage.
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Harry also encounters the school's potions master,Severus Snape, whoappears to have a deep-seated and irrational hatred of him. The plotconcludes with Harry's second confrontation with Lord Voldemort, who in hisquest for immortality, yearns to gain the power of thePhilosopher's Stone.
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 The series continues withHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets describing Harry's second year at Hogwarts. He and his friends investigate a50-year-old mystery that appears tied to recent sinister events at the school. The novel delves into the history of Hogwarts and a legend revolving aroundthe "Chamber of Secrets", the underground lair of an ancient evil. For thefirst time, Harry realises that racial prejudice exists in the wizarding world,and he learns that Voldemort's reign of terror was often directed at wizardswho were descended from Muggles. Harry is also shocked to learn that hecan speakParseltongue, the language of snakes; this rare ability is oftenequated with thedark arts. The novel ends after Harry saves the life of Ron'syounger sister,Ginny Weasley, by defeating an attempt by Voldemort toreincarnate himself through the memories he stored within a diary.
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 The third novel,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, follows Harry in histhird year of magical education. It is the only book in the series which doesnot feature Voldemort. Instead, Harry must deal with the knowledge that hehas been targeted bySirius Black, an escaped murderer believed to haveassisted in the deaths of Harry's parents. As Harry struggles with his reactionto thedementors—dark creatures with the power to devour a human soul—which are ostensibly protecting the school, he reaches out toRemus Lupin, a
 
Defence Against the Dark Artsteacher with a dark secret. Lupin teachesHarry defensive measures which are well above the level of magic generallyshown by people his age. Harry learns that both Lupin and Black were closefriends of his father and that Black was framed by their fourth friend,PeterPettigrew.
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Voldemort returns
During Harry's fourth year of school, detailed inHarry Potter and the Gobletof Fire, Harry unwillingly participates in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous magical contest.
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The plot centres on Harry's attempt todiscover who has forced him to compete in the tournament and why.
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Ananxious Harry is guided through the tournament byProfessor Alastor Moody,the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The point at which themystery is unravelled marks the series' shift from foreboding and uncertaintyinto open conflict. The novel ends with the resurgence of Voldemort and thedeath of a student.
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In the fifth book,Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry mustconfront the newly resurfaced Voldemort. In response to Voldemort'sreappearance, Dumbledore re-activates theOrder of the Phoenix, a secretsociety which works to defeat Voldemort's minions and protect Voldemort'stargets, including Harry. The Order includes many of the adults Harry trusts,including Lupin, Black, and members of theWeasley family. Despite Harry'sdescription of Voldemort's recent activities, theMinistry of Magicand manyothers in the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.
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In an attempt to enforce their version of curriculum, the Ministry appointsDolores Umbridgeas the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She transformsthe school into a quasi-dictatorial regime and refuses to allow the students tolearn ways to defend themselves against dark magic.
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Harry forms a secretstudy group and begins to teach his classmates the higher-level skills he haslearned. The novel introduces Harry toLuna Lovegood, an airy young witchwith a tendency to believe in oddballconspiracy theories. Moreover, itreveals an important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort.
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Harryalso discovers that he and Voldemort have a telepathic connection, allowingHarry to view some of Voldemort's actions. In the novel's climax, Harry andhis school friends face off against Voldemort'sDeath Eaters. The timelyarrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix saves the children's lives andallows many of the Death Eaters to be captured.
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 The sixth book,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, shows clearly thatVoldemort is leading another wizarding war, which has become so violentthat even Muggles have noticed some of its effects. Harry is relativelyprotected from the danger as he completes his sixth year at Hogwarts. At thebeginning of the novel, he stumbles upon an old potions textbook filled withannotations and recommendations signed by a mysterious writer, the Half-Blood Prince.
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While the shortcuts written in the book help Harry to finally
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