Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Profesor coordonator:
Prof. Soare Constanţa
Elev:
Micu Alexis-Andrei
SIBIU
2019
Scientific Advisor:
Student:
Micu Alexis-Andrei
Sibiu
2019
CONTENTS
CONTENTS.......................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................4
A. THE PLOT...................................................................................................6
B. THE CHARACTERS.......................................................................................7
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................22
BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................23
INTRODUCTION
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endurance, persistency, about school and the importance of education, as well as about
tolerance and altruism.
A further aspect to be taken into consideration is the dual approach of this book, as
it can be considered a book for children, but you see that even older readers appreciate it,
and one could say that especially towards the end the book is too dark for children.
Overall, Harry Potter is a great book with characters that can be considered role
models for the children growing up and reading this book, presenting a fantastic world
with amazing but also terrible creatures, with extraordinary adventures and very
captivating plot.
My paper will be structured in 2 chapters, Chapter I- Harry Potter, the Book and
Chapter II- Harry Potter, the Magical Creatures.
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CHAPTER I- ABOUT HARRY POTTER
a. The Plot
The story starts with a feast that takes place in the witch world. For many years this
world has been terrified by a very sorcerer, Voldemort. The night before, on October 31,
1981, he discovers the secret shelter of the Potter family, killing Lily and James Potter.
However, when he tried to kill his son, Harry Potter, the fatal spell Avada Kadabra he
produced returned to him. The body of Voldemort was destroyed, but its spirit survives,
being neither dead nor alive. The only sign of Voldemort's spell is a lightning scar on
Harry's forehead. Being the only survivor of the fatal curse, Harry is named by the wizard
community as "the surviving boy."
On November 1, Hagrid, a 'half-giant', leads Harry to his only living relatives, the
Dursley family, made up of Uncle Vernon, a tall, tall, almost neckless man, but with a very
rich mustache, aunt Petunia, a long-haired woman with a long neck who hated Harry, and
Dudley, their obese and spoiled son. They tried to vanquish his magic skills, hide his
origins from the wizarding world, and punish him harshly after every stranger event.
However, with the close of his 11th birthday (July 31, 1991), Harry has his first
contact with the magical world when he receives letters from Hogwarts School of Magic
and Witchcraft delivered by owls. However, his uncle intercepts them. On his birthday,
Hagrid, Keeper of Hogwarts, appears and tells him that he is a sorcerer and is expected at
school. Each volume features a year of Harry's life, most of which takes place at Hogwarts.
There he learns to use magic and produce potions. Meanwhile, Voldemort returns for the
second time and takes control of the wizard community, and Harry will face him for the
last time, helped by his friends and school.
The main protagonist is Harry Potter, an orphaned child who was raised by his
uncles. At age 11 he discovers by a letter and one mysterious guy called Hagrid that he is a
wizard and his parents were wizards. He follows the magic classes at Hogwarts - the
School of Wizard and Charm, under the guidance of director Albus Dumbledore who
becomes his mentor. There he becomes friend with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger
who will prove to be his best friends. Harry finds out that he is already famous in the magic
world, and that his fate is bound to Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard who murdered his
parents and who allegedly died when he tried to kill Harry.
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Harry at Hogwarts is learning to become a real wizard who succeeds in defeating
Voldemort to revenge his family and escape the tyranny of darkness, being helped by his
friends and backed by school. Throughout the 7 books, we see Harry Potter and his friends
go from childhood, teenage hood and adulthood, it is like a bildungroman with the main
characters evolving into strong independent adults, capable of great things.
The books are full of action and each volume revolves around an event in which
basically Harry and his friends are trying to save the school or those they care about and
are fighting Voldemort or his followers.
In terms of atmosphere, as it was previously stated, the first books are lighter and
more comical in tone, while towards the end the atmosphere gets darker and darker in tone,
with some of our favourite characters paying the ultimate price- their life.
b. The characters
There are many important characters in the books, but I will briefly refer to only
some of them, which to me are more important. The first, obviously, is Harry Potter
himself. Harry is an extremely brave, loyal, and selfless person who possessed tremendous
strength of character. He willingly goes to what he truly believes to be his death, because
he believes that this is the only way to defeat the Dark Lord. Harry is also marked by what
Lord Voldemort once deemed a "weakness for heroics" — he would go to great lengths
and take great risks in order to help others, particularly his loved ones.
Harry is also very strong-willed and unafraid to stand up for himself. The fact that
he is capable of repelling the Imperius Curse suggests that he has an unusually strong sense
of himself and his morals. Dumbledore once made parallels between Harry's traits and
qualities that Salazar Slytherin looked for in his own hand-picked students. He also noted
that Harry's choice not to draw on those qualities really defined who he was, rather than the
simple fact that he had them.
Harry was perfectly prepared to put his friends' needs and best interests first, shown
by how he ended his relationship with Ginny Weasley, due to his concern for her well
being. The amount of trust that Harry puts into his friends is so strong that he absolutely
refuses to consider that any of them could betray him to Voldemort. However, Harry was
also accused of being arrogant, in particular by Severus Snape (although in fairness, Snape
was extremely biased, and Harry often found being famous and admired very difficult),
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and could be hot-tempered and impulsive. This could sometimes make him rude to
authority figures such as Professor Snape.
Harry was prone to moodiness and unkind remarks towards even his friends during
his adolescence, though this is likely the result of the great emotional stress and trials he
endured during this period. Harry was also not one to let bygones be bygones. He had at
best a vengeful and at worst a spiteful streak towards those who did him wrong.
Harry possessed an instinctual, intuitive intelligence. This intelligence allowed him
to make intellectual leaps, as opposed to the logical intelligence of Hermione. For example,
Harry divined the truth about the Deathly Hallows well before Hermione would accept it.
[103] And although he was clever, Harry lacked intellectual curiosity. He rarely put forth
effort into school work; for instance, he relied on the notes of the Half-Blood Prince to get
ahead in his sixth year Potions class rather than devoting time to studying. Although he did
study reasonably hard for his Ordinary Wizarding Levels, the only set of wizarding
qualifications he sat at Hogwarts. Harry generally did his best magical work when tackling
practical exams rather than theoretical ones. This could be a result of the lack of
confidence that Harry developed from growing up with the Dursleys.
Harry's greatest strength was his ability to feel love, despite having a miserable
childhood of neglect. Harry was extremely loyal to and protective of his loved ones and
that love was what allowed him to overcome Voldemort. Dumbledore noted that Harry's
strength of will at resisting the temptation of the Dark Arts, even when granted a direct
insight into Voldemort's mind and methods was due to Harry's ability to love. Harry even
claimed that he felt sorry for Voldemort because of his inability to feel or understand love.
Ginny, his wife, commented that he was the kindest and most loving man anyone would
ever meet.
Albus Dumbledore noted that Harry was unfailingly kind and compassionate. This
is shown by how he freed Dobby from the Malfoys and by standing up for Muggle-borns,
half-bloods, and half-breeds (like Hagrid). This is likely attributable to his childhood,
during which the Dursleys deprived him of compassion and discriminated against him due
to his magical abilities.
Harry’s best friends are Hermione and Ron. While she’s not the protagonist,
Hermione is one of the most important characters in the series, and she has been hailed as a
role model for young girls everywhere. Hermione, an English Muggle-born, possessed a
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brilliant academic mind and proved to be a gifted student in almost every subject that she
studied.
J. K. Rowling has said that she loosely based Hermione at the age of eleven on
herself at the same age, though an exaggerated version. Hermione is a caricature of what I
was when I was eleven — a real exaggeration, I wasn't that clever — Hermione is a
borderline genius at points — and I hope I wasn't that annoying... sometimes she is an
incredible know-it-all.
Hermione is the only one who consistently has her eye on the big picture. She’s
very engaged in the world around her – she keeps up with contemporary politics
throughout most of the series – and frequently tries to change it. Hermione is constantly
examining and questioning the world around her on a massive scale, and even though she
has limited resources, she does her best to change it. Without Hermione getting stuff done,
Harry and Ron would probably have dropped dead from sheer incompetence in their first
year. Hermione is consistently the character who puts the clues together, who comes up
with the solutions, and who makes the plans work.
She is a very complex character. She is very brave because she fights for what she
believes in. In addition, her cleverness is inspirational as she is extremely good at spells
and has a great work ethic. Furthermore, her loyalty is demonstrated beautifully throughout
the Harry Potter series. These are the reasons why her character means so much to me.
For the most part, Hermione is a pretty consistent character. Her intelligence and
compassion remain a constant force throughout the series, and she never wavers in
pursuing her goals. Most of Hermione’s decisions are influenced by her own moral
compass or her determination to do well in school.
Hermione develops very naturally over the course of the Harry Potter series. She
learns the value of breaking the rules, the importance of standing up for what she believes
in despite the costs, and grows up into a young woman who is proud of who she is. This is
a very positive message for children everywhere, as well as very realistic character
development.
Ron Weasley is Harry Potter’s other best friend. Ron has been the best friend of our
hero Harry Potter. While he is often overshadowed by the fame of Harry, the brains of
Hermione, and the accomplishments of his 5 older brothers Ron deserves recognition in his
own right. Ron’s strengths are specifically his bravery, loyalty, and strategic thinking.
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The Weasleys may be an old wizarding family, but Ron grew up poor. He always
had hand-me-down clothes (and wands, and rats), and he was always struggling to hide his
jealousy of Harry's wealth. And he never hesitated to share his room in the Burrow with his
best friend, Harry. He didn't mind sharing his family with Harry, either, even though he
was already looked over as one of seven children.
He is also a very funny character, and although he is afraid of many things, and is
also a bigot in many respects, he has the courage to go for it in order to save his friends or
fight alongside with them in order to defeat evil.
Ron's flaws, along with his loyalty and his humor, are what make him such a great
character. We can relate to him. In the seventh book, he leaves his friends because he
doesn't think he's good enough. That's always been Ron's problem, and the route of his
jealousy: he has low self-esteem. Harry's rich and "the chosen one," Hermione's a genius
and way out of his league. But when he returns to his friends he saves Harry and destroys a
horcrux, he recognizes his own worth.
Ron makes the biggest transformation out of any of them. Yes, Harry, Hermione,
and all the rest of our Hogwarts faves grow and change over those seven books. But Ron
goes from an insensitive kid who’s afraid of werewolves and half-giants, who does not
care about house elves, and who cannot stand being in Harry’s shadow, to a mature wizard
who’s good enough for Hermione. He has the farthest to go, but his impressive character
development and his sharp sense of humour make him the best character of them all.
Another very important character in the books is Albus Dumbledore, the
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Grand Sorcerer decorated
with the Order of Merlin, First Class. Although his presence is not always strong in the
book, at least not directly, he is always there and you can practically fee his presence. He is
very old, around 115 years old, very wise and brave, and also a father figure to Harry.
Throughout the books, through the support, the trust he puts in Harry and his friends, but
mostly in Harry, as well as the advice and help he gives to Harry, makes us see him like a
father or grandfather to Harry. In fact, he is the perfect educator to all his students, always
supervising, yet never intruding. He is very respected by his students as well as fellow
professors, with very few exceptions, and in general his opinions are highly valued.
Albus Dumbledore is among the greatest wizards who ever lived, though his gentle,
eccentric nature belies his prodigious magical talents and superior intellect. Although he
confined himself to a quiet teaching career at Hogwarts, he has long been considered a
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major player in the wizard world, heading many prestigious organizations, and is often
consulted by the Ministry of Magic on magical matters. He is also an innovative thinker
who freely gives his opinion, and has acted as a rallying point during difficult times,
showing great leadership against both implacable foe and arrant stupidity. He is widely
believed to be the only wizard Lord Voldemort has ever feared, and is singularly dedicated
to defeating the Dark Lord, knowing he would eventually return, despite the Wizarding
world's adamant insistence he was long dead. Dumbledore is among the few in the magical
realm who has always openly spoken Voldemort's name, believing it is unable to harm
anyone. Though he does not fear Voldemort's name, when addressing Voldemort directly,
Dumbledore calls him "Tom," his birth name.
Perhaps unusually for a wizard, Dumbledore is also an inventor, specifically of
mechanico-magical devices. His office contains many small, clockwork mechanisms
performing unknown functions.
Dumbledore is also generous and fair with those disenfranchised from the
wizarding world, believing they deserve equal status. He employs Remus Lupin (a
werewolf), Argus Filch, and Mrs. Figg (both squibs), and also Dobby and Winky (free
elves no one else would hire). He also employed Rubeus Hagrid as Hogwarts grounds and
game keeper after his expulsion from Hogwarts, believing he was innocent, and eventually
promoted him to professor.
Dumbledore tended to believe the best in most people. This is most evident when,
after witnessing Severus Snape's deep remorse over his Death Eater past, permitted him to
teach at Hogwarts, though this also allowed him to procure Snape's cooperation as a double
agent in return. Many believe Dumbledore's bestowing so much trust in those with
questionable pasts was misguided, though his nearly succumbing to Dark magic in his
youth made him realize it is always possible to redeem oneself.
Family is also important to Dumbledore, and he deeply loved his deceased parents
and sister. Although he failed his mother and sister, he recognized and accepted
responsibility for how his actions contributed to their premature deaths, a fact that haunted
him the rest of his life.
Albus Dumbledore's greatest weakness seems to have been a certain inevitability
about his own failings. A brilliant student, Dumbledore often used his academic pursuits to
shield himself from family obligations, letting the burden for his impaired sister's care fall
upon his mother, Kendra, and his younger brother, Aberforth. Dumbledore did put aside
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his personal pursuits to head the family after his mother's untimely death, but he bitterly
resented taking on this responsibility and apparently did a poor job. This sense of
martyrdom contributed to his forming a close, albeit short-lived, relationship with Gellert
Grindelwald, a young Dark wizard. Albus was affected by Grindelwald's influence, and
was briefly seduced by Dark magic's powerful allure, though he never actively pursued it.
Unfortunately, his poor judgment regarding Grindelwald was a significant factor in his
sister's tragic death, and forever haunted him. Despite following a light path ever after,
Dumbledore never trusted himself around power, and instead spent his entire career at
Hogwarts, an isolated place away from temptation.
Dumbledore was prone to being aloof and secretive, and while this undoubtedly
helped him surprise his enemies, it may also have prevented him from gathering more
trusted confidants who could have acted as advisers.
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CHAPTER II- MAGICAL CREATURES
Magical creatures are a colourful aspect of the fictional wizarding world contained
in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven books of the series,
Harry and his friends come across many of these creatures on their adventures, as well as
in the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Rowling has also written “Fantastic
Beasts and Where to Find Them”, a guide to the magical beasts found in the series. Many
of these are derived from folklore, primarily Greek mythology, but also British and
Scandinavian folklore.
Many of the legends surrounding mythical creatures are also incorporated in the
books. "Children ... know that I didn't invent unicorns, but I've had to explain frequently
that I didn't actually invent hippogriffs," Rowling told Stephen Fry in an interview for BBC
Radio 4. "When I do use a creature that I know is a mythological entity, I like to find out as
much as I can about it. I might not use it, but to make it as consistent as I feel is good for
my plot.
Some of the most important magical animals and creatures are going to be
presented below in alphabetical order, with some which seem to have a more prominent
role and thus are given more details.
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Potter universe, the Acromantula is a
monstrous spider capable of human
speech. It originated in Borneo, where it
inhabits dense jungle. Its distinctive
features include the thick black hair that
covers its body; its legspan, which may
reach up to fifteen feet; its pincers, which
produce a distinctive clicking sound
when the Acromantula is excited or
angry; and a venomous secretion.
Basilisk
created by a Greek Dark wizard and Parselmouth named Herpo The Foul . Herpo made
this discovery by hatching a chicken egg under a toad. A male basilisk has a scarlet plume
on its head. A basilisk kills both with its powerful venom and its huge yellow eyes, which
are immediately lethal to any creature which looks at them directly. To anyone who looks
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at it indirectly, such as through a camera or in a reflection, it
creates a profound state of petrification similar to a Medusa
stare. Ghosts who look at it directly will become petrified,
since they could not die a second time. A phoenix tear is the
only known cure for the devastating effect of the basilisk's
venom. Spiders flee from the basilisk, as they are mortal
enemies. The basilisk itself flees only from the crowing of a
rooster, which if heard by the basilisk is fatal, and the weasel
whose odour will also kill a basilisk.
Centaurs
In the Harry Potter universe these are wild creatures who claim to possess
intelligence greater than humans. Their heads and torsos resemble those of humans but
they possess the four legs, lower bodies and tail of a horse. Although sentient, they have
not requested assignment as beings, preferring to remove themselves entirely from human
affairs. Centaurs who decide to associate with humans, such as Firenze, who agrees to
teach Divination at Hogwarts, can be seen as traitors and attacked by other centaurs.
Firenze's interest in human affairs resulted in violent reprisals by other centaurs and were it
not for Hagrid's intervention, Firenze could have been killed.
Dementors
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In the books, dementors have a generally human shape, approximately 3 metres in
height, covered in dark, hooded cloaks that reveal only their decayed-looking hands.
Beneath the cloak, dementors are eyeless, and the only feature of note is the perpetually
indrawn breath, by which they consume the emotions and good memories of human
beings, forcing the victim to relive its worst memories alone. According to the author,
dementors grow like fungi in dark, moist places, creating a dense, chilly fog. Although
they are implied to be sentient, this is left ambiguous. The presence of a dementor makes
the surrounding atmosphere grow cold and dark, and the effects are cumulative with the
number of dementors present. The culmination of their power is the 'Dementor's Kiss',
wherein the dementor latches its mouth onto a victim's lips and consumes its soul or
psyche, presumably to leave the victim in a vegetative state, without any memories and
feelings left. Dementors are invisible to Muggles, but affect them otherwise identically.
Dobby
Dobby is a "house-elf" in the Harry Potter series. He was once owned by the
Malfoy family, and he first appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to
discourage Harry from returning to Hogwarts. Dobby later tries to keep Harry away from
Hogwarts by magically sealing off the hidden entrance to Platform 9¾, only to be foiled
when the protagonists pilot Arthur's flying Ford Anglia to school. During a Quidditch
match, Dobby enchants a Bludger to chase Harry, hoping to cause him enough injury to be
sent home; but the Bludger only manages to break Harry's arm. Dobby discloses that when
an enslaved house-elf is presented with an article of clothing by his or her master, that
house-elf is subsequently set free; and when Harry (after returning from the Chamber of
Secrets) discovers that Dobby's master is Lucius Malfoy, he tricks Malfoy into setting
Dobby free, a feat that secures him the house-elf's undying loyalty. He was now willing to
save Harry Potter no matter if it would mean risking his life, because after all, "Harry
Potter set Dobby free!"
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Dragons - are giant winged, fire-breathing reptilian Creatures. Widely regarded as
terrifying yet awe-inspiring, they can be found all over the world and are frequently
referred to in Asian and medieval European folklore.
Able to fly and breathe fire through their nostrils and mouths, they are one of the
most dangerous and hardest to conceal creatures in the wizarding world. The Ministry of
Magic classifies them as XXXXX, known
wizard killers that are impossible to train or
domesticate. Despite how dangerous they are,
there are people who are trained to work with
them, called dragon keepers.
Giants - in the Harry Potter universe are capable of interbreeding with humans –
Rubeus Hagrid is half-giant, as is his love interest Olympe Maxime – but wizards as a
population have engaged in an active campaign to hunt giants out of civilisation. The last
giants in Britain were killed apparently by Ministry decree, but most deaths have been due
to territorial aggression among themselves, as wizards force them to live in ever more
confined spaces. The last few giants remaining in the world (the total number is between
70 and 80) are collected together in an isolated region east of Belarus. Giants range in
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height from twenty to
twenty-five feet (6 to
7.5 metres), and have
skin similar to
rhinoceros hide, which
grants them limited
immunity to magical attacks. Their society is
loosely governed by a chief called a Gurg, who
spends most of his time demanding food from his underlings.
Goblins are a highly intelligent race of small humanoids with long fingers and feet
that coexist with the wizard world. Their diet consists of meat, roots, and fungi. Goblins
converse in a language known as Gobbledegook, and are adept metalsmiths notable for
their silverwork; they even mint coins for wizarding currency. Due to their skills with
money and finances, they control the wizarding economy to a large extent and run
Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
The Griffin originated in Greece. It has the front legs, wings and
head of a giant eagle, and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion. The
main diet of the Griffin is raw meat. Griffins are known as fierce
creatures, however, despite this, skilled Wizards have been able to
befriend them. Griffins are often used by wizards as guards of treasure,
like Sphinxes.
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A Hippogriff is a magical beast that has the front legs, wings,
and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse.
It is very similar to another magical creature, the Griffin, with the
horse rear replacing the lion rear.
The Manticore is a magical beast and one of the wizarding world's most dangerous
creatures. A Manticore has a humanoid head, a lion's body, and a scorpions tail with a
stinger. A Manticores skin repels all known charms, so it is effectively hard to subdue a
Manticore with magic. It is known to be capable of human speech, and is considered a
sentient beast.
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The Sphinx is a magical creature native to Egypt. It has the head of human, and the
body of lion. Sphinxes are highly intelligent and capable of human speech, and are known
for their love of puzzles, riddles, and enigmas. When the Ministry of Magic began
categorising magical creatures, the Sphinx was placed in the Beast category rather than the
Being category due to their violent tendencies.
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caused by infection with lycanthropy, also known as werewolfry. Werewolves appear in
the form of a wolf but, there are distinctions between them and regular wolves.
A mixture of powdered silver and dittany applied to a fresh bite will seal the wound
and allow the victim to live on as a werewolf, although tragic tales are told of knowing
victims begging for death rather than becoming werewolves.
The Valcore was a giant humanoid creature with a large head covered in blunt
horns, thin arms, and thick legs.[1] It was presumably quite strong, as it was depicted as
being capable of ripping a full-grown tree out of the ground and wielding it like a club, and
probably also hostile, given its depiction of fighting against a human knight. This creature
was covered in The Monster Book of Monsters. It was thus part of the third-year Care of
Magical Creatures curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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CONCLUSION
Harry Potter is an amazing book that has managed to captivate millions of readers
of all ages; it is a book that has it all and once you lay your hands on it, it is impossible to
put it aside. Besides, having released films made after the book has made the book even
more popular, from one volume to the next, as much as there were higher expectations
with each release, and the public was never disappointed.
I enjoyed reading the books immensely, as each page was unveiling before my eyes
with unexpected events and twists of the plots, plus a lot of adventures of my favourite
characters and heroes. I could say I loved everything about the books, except, maybe, that
it ended. I mean, I and many other children have practically grown up alongside our
heroes, so it was a bit sad to have to say goodbye to this magical world.
Harry Potter is so much more than a book for children, as it illustrates the oldest
fight in human history: between good and evil and some of the events presented in the
book are quite tragic, unlike any other book for children. Besides being populated with
magical creatures, and thus we can consider Harry Potter a fantasy novel, it also has
realistic elements. The characters themselves, except for the fact that are wizards and
witches, are quite common people, with qualities and flaws, they are quite human. We
laugh with them, we cry with them when they suffer or are in pain, we basically live what
they are experiencing. The story is told in such a credible way that it seems it makes sense
to think that all those events and creatures are real. J. K. Rowling created something
magical through these books and Harry Potter will probably remain one of the best books
of the late 20th century.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter
2. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/the_pensieve_forums/
3. https://www.bustle.com/articles/132262-9-reasons-ron-weasley-was-the-best-harry-
potter-character
4. http://www.cosforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=80
5. https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/
6. https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Character-Analysis-of-Hermione-Granger-from-
Harry-P3JLV5GSVC
7. https://jowritesstuff.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/strong-female-characters-hermione-
granger/
8. https://www.pfspublishing.com/bookclub/2010/10/character-analysis-hermione-
granger.html
9. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/harry-potter-magical-creature-shown-
movies-937760/item/dre-head-prisoner-azkaban-942347
10. https://www.pottermore.com
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