Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy stories written by Scottish author
Joanne Rowling. She writes under the pen name of J. K. Rowling. She got the
idea for Harry Potter during her journey from Manchester to London in
England.
Harry Potter books tell a tale that is twofold: a boy coming of age into
young manhood and the power of good versus that of evil.
The book tells the story of a boy named Harry Potter whose parents James and
Lily Potter were killed by the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. He was born on
July 31. He was raised by his aunt Petunia Dursley and uncle Vernon Dursley
till the age of 11 years. On his 11th birthday, he learns that he is a
“half-blood” wizard because although both his parents were magical, his
mother was "Muggle-born". So he will be attending Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The seven books tells about Harry,s seven years in Hogwarts School. The
story is mostly set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry a school
for young wizards. It focuses on Harry Potter's fight against the evil
wizard Lord Voldemort.
Harry’s full name is Harry James Potter. He got his middle name ‘James’
after his father. He had bright green eyes like his mother and jet black
hair like his father. He is thin and skinnywitg knobbling knees. His
appearance is characterized by round glasses. He is quiet except when he is
angry.He has a lightening bolt scar on forehead the result of the Dark
wizard Lord Voldemort’s attempt to murder Harry as a baby. Harry is famous
throughout the wizarding world for being the only known person to have
survived the Killing Curse, and in doing so brought about Lord Voldemort's
first downfall.
Character traits
- Harry is easily angered when those he cares for are insulted or threatened.
- He has little tolerance.
- Harry's greatest strengths is his ability to love others despite continuous
grief and hardship in his life.
- He has leadership skills and ability to teach his classmates Defence
Against the Dark Arts enables them to defend themselves against Death Eaters
during the Battle of the Ministry.
- He is loyal to his friends and so he is surrounded by friends whose skills
complement his own and who would willingly risk their own lives to defend
him.
- He dislikes being the center of attention.
- Harry has the ability to remain level-headed.
- He is clever-minded and quick-witted.
- He has very strong intuition.
- He has a positive outlook on life despite the burdens placed on him.
- He is determined and self-reliant.
Magical Skill that Harry possesses
Harry has a number of unusual traits and talents as a wizard.
- The lightning-bolt scar on his forehead serves him later at Hogwarts,
burning painfully as an indicator of Voldemort's presence. The scar was the
magical window into Voldemort's mind.
- Harry is a Parselmouth. Harry is able to communicate with snakes. He gained
this ability from Voldemort who, unwittingly transferred some of his powers
to Harry when he tried to kill him.
- He has the ability to fully resist the Imperius Curse.
- Due to great practice in duelling, Harry has developed above-average wizard
duelling skills and has overpowered numerous Death Eaters.
- Harry is an excellent broom flyer.
Magical Devices used by Harry Potter
- Broom Stick
- Wand
- Invisibility Cloak
- Marander’s Map
- Pocket Sneakoscope
- Two Way Mirror
- Socks with Spiders
There are a number of magical skills that Harry has yet to master:
* Harry has difficulty performing non-verbal magic.
* He has difficulty with wandless magic.
* Harry has serious self-control issues. He is then unable to control his
emotions.
* Harry cannot non-verbally block strong spells.
* Harry has weakness in some classes which includes Potions, History of
Magic, and Divination. Due to these weaknesses he has inability in these
magical branches.
Characters in the Novel
- Harry’s Professors: Albus Dumbledore • Severus Snape • Horace Slughorn •
Hagrid
- Order of the Phoenix Members: Alastor Moody • Sirius Black • Minerva
McGonagall • Remus Lupin
- Death Eaters: Voldemort • Regulus Black • Fenrir Greyback • Lucius Malfoy
The Novels written by J. K. Rowling are:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (26 June 1997)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 July 1998)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (8 July 1999)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (8 July 2000)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21 June 2003)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (16 July 2005)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ( 21 July 2007)
Harry Potter Films
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (16 November, 2001)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (15 November, 2002)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(4 June, 2004)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (18 November, 2005)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (11 July, 2007)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (21 November, 2008)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (TBA; production is confirmed, but no
date has been set).
Awards and honours
J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series have been the recipients of many
awards:
· Four Whitaker Platinum Book Awards (all of which were awarded in 2001)
· Three Nestle Smarties Book Prizes (1997-1999)
· Two Scottish Arts Council Book Awards (1999 and 2001)
· The inaugural Whitbread children's book of the year award (1999)
· The WHSmith book of the year (2006)
· In 2000 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was nominated for Best
Novel in the Hugo.
Awards
· In 2001 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won the award.
Honours include:
· A commendation for the Carnegie Medal (1997)
· A shortlisting for the Guardian Children's Award (1998)
· Best books lists of the American Library Association, New York Times,
Chicago Public Library, and Publishers Weekly.
In the Harry Potter film adaptations, Harry has been portrayed by British
actor Daniel Radcliffe.