More art work on Harry Potter Series

Symbols of four houses in Hogwarts

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore

Art work by Raghav Sharma (10 years)

Book 7 - Some thoughts 1

Shouldn't it have been Harry Potter and the Seven (Eight?) Horcruxes? Why Deathly Hallows? Maybe this is Rowling's way of highlighting something that is not so obvious.

In the chapter King's Cross, there is a significant part of the conversation, where Dumbledore tells Harry about his trying to unite the Hallows to conquer death.

Dumbledore turned his whole body to face Harry, and tears still sparkled in the brilliantly blue eyes.
'Master of death, Harry, master of Death! Was I better, ultimately, than Voldemort?'
'Of course you were,' said Harry. 'Of course - how can you ask that? You never killed if you could avoid it!'
'True, true,' said Dumbledore, and he was like a child seeking reassurance. 'Yet, I, too, sought a way to conquer death, Harry.'
'Not the way he did,' said Harry. 'Hallows, not Horcruxes.'
'Hallows,' murmured Dumbledore, 'not Horcruxes. Precisely.'

This fits in well with their conversation about choices at the end of HP 2.

So we have here a triangle with Harry, Dumbledore and Voldemort at the three vertices. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort sought to conquer death. The paths they took, were, however, significantly different.

Voldemort chose to immortalize himself by making Horcruxes, living or non-living beings into which was incorporated a piece of his soul. He had to kill to be able to split his soul every time. Reminds me of an old fairy tale where a rakshasa (demon) could not be killed because he had lodged his soul in a bird, which was then kept under layers of security, and the protagonist had to breach each level of the protection to get to the bird, kill it, and so kill the rakshasa. The megalomania of the demon comes across in such a story, where there is complete disregard for the safety of or any pain suffered by anyone else. The deaths are deliberate.

Dumbledore, too, dreamt of conquering death. It was initially a nebulous wish, together with his teen-hood friend, Gellert Grindelwald. It begins with a common dream of conquering the world, of being the top-dog, so to say. Events that follow lead to a separating of ways for the two friends.

When Dumbledore defeats Grindelwald (now a feared dark wizard) much later, he wins the Elder wand, the first Hallow, from him. When he finds that James had the Invisibility Cloak, the third Hallow, he realizes that the legend of the Hallows is true. Consequently, he is tempted by the ring containing the second Hallow, the Resurrection Stone, and attempts to put it on. The ring is cursed by Voldemort, and it almost kills Dumbledore.

Note, here, that Voldemort had held in his hand a Hallow, and had turned it into a Horcrux. We realize that he had no knowledge of the Hallows, as he had been raised by muggles, and was later likely to be disdainful of 'mere children's stories' and anything to do with emotion.

Dumbledore, though, had never united the Hallows, though he possessed one or two of them at all times since obtaining the Elder wand. He had given the Invisibility Cloak away to Harry before he got the Resurrection Stone.

Harry, the third corner of the triangle, had never considered the possibility of doing either and conquering death. He, however, did possess all three Hallows after defeating Draco while escaping from Malfoy Manor. As Draco had overpowered Dumbledore on top of the Astronomy tower, he had won the allegiance of the Elder wand, and Harry won it on overpowering Draco.

So although Voldemort tried to kill him using the wand that he had forcibly removed from Dumbledore's grave, the wand gets snatched from his hand by Harry's signature Expelliarmus, and flies to its true owner, turning in an arc to hit Voldemort instead with his own killing curse.

The Invisibility Cloak belonged to him by rightful inheritance, and the Resurrection Stone had been bequeathed to him by Dumbledore. So, at the point where he walks into the Forbidden Forest, he has united all three, making him Master of Death.

The most important point to note here is that, he has not got any of these by killing or destruction. Even his overpowering of Draco had been an Expelliarmus in defence. He did not aspire to conquer death, and so he did, when he had all three Hallows.

Conquering death here could be looked at in two ways:
1) He had been frightened for his life until then, even until he finally walked into the forest. "He felt his heart pounding fiercely in his chest...Terror washed over him as he lay on the floor, with that funeral drum pounding inside him. Would it hurt to die?"

When he opened the Snitch and turned the Stone over, his dead loved ones appear and reassure him. This part is reminiscent of the end of Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities where the poor seamstress requests Sydney Carton to hold her hand till the end.
"You'll stay with me?"
"Until the very end," said James.
Harry was no longer frightened of death and walked to face his death with a sense of detachment.

2) Now that he had the three Hallows together, he no longer could be killed. Voldemort's Avada Kedavra in the forest selectively destroys the Horcrux bit in Harry. That was the fussing mass of humanity in the bundle behind the bench at King's Cross. The killing curse sends Harry, too, to the place in transit, but he has the option of coming back, and lives.

Dumbledore had the right idea in HP 1 when he hid the Philosopher's Stone in the Mirror of Erised. "Only a person who wanted to find the Stone -- find it, but not use it -- would be able to get it. That is one of my more brilliant ideas. And between you and me, that is saying something."

Choosing the Hallows over the Horcruxes is the fork in the road taken. And that has made all the difference, to quote Robert Frost.

Book 7- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

pic courtesy amazon.co.uk

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

I have read several school stories. Each character behaves differently when they know it's their last year there. I wondered how Harry would react when he had to leave. True, he skips his last year at Hogwarts. I would have liked to know how he would have finished school, and thus, had to leave.
　
So, coming to the book, it starts with a death. Then the amazing idea of having 7 Harrys. Another death.
　
In Dumbledore's will, he left Harry the snitch he had caught in his first year at Hogwarts. He left Ron a Deluminator and Hermione, his copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".
　
Hermione and Ron accompany Harry in his mission to find and destroy all the Horcruxes. Here's the list of Horcruxes already found- the ring and the diary. Only 2 out of 7! 5 to go.
　
The Book left for Hermione proves to be useful as she finds a strange sign in it. Xenophilius Lovegood (Luna Lovegood's father) explains to the three of them that it was the sign of the three Deathly Hallows. These were- the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. Together they make one a master of Death.
　
They decide to live at Sirius' house. A trip to the ministry helps them find the locket. But how can it be destroyed?
　
Hermione realizes that the sword of Godric Gryffindor had basilisk venom in it and could thus destroy Horcruxes. So the locket is destroyed.
　
Later comes the search for and destroying of the rest of the Horcruxes and a huge battle. Deaths everywhere.
　
A dead Dumbledore tells Harry that he had tried to use the Hallows to become invincible. He points out to Harry how much like Voldemort that made him. Quoting from the book, "Hallows", murmured Dumbledore, "Not horcruxes". 
　
Harry almost dies. Voldemort is destroyed. Harry does not use Avada Kedavra, the killing curse. Then how does Harry kill him?
　
Voldemort casts a killing curse at Harry. An Expelliarmus from Harry's side. This causes Voldemort's wand to fly out of his hands, turning around to direct the killing curse at him.

Harry possessed all three hallows because-
1)He had his father's Invisibility Cloak
2)The snitch contained the Resurrection Stone
3)Dumbledore had gotten the Elder Wand by defeating his childhood friend. Then Draco Malfoy had  disarmed Dumbledore before Snape killed Dumbledore. Harry overpowers Draco.

Voldemort was under the impression that as Snape killed Dumbledore, he would be the true owner of the Elder Wand. Voldemort wanted the Elder Wand to kill Harry as it was the most powerful wand in the world.
So, he kills Snape to gain the Elder Wand.

That brings us to the end of these stories. I would like to share a poem with you:
There is a group of seven tomes
Of which I have read all
And when I finished reading them
I wished they weren't so small!
　
Really, I would have loved more!
***************************************************

This review is by my 11 yr old daughter, A.

Book 7 - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Title : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author : J.K.Rowling

Publisher : Bloomsbury (in UK) and Scholastic Inc. (in USA)

Date of Publishing : 21 July, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series.

Did you know that : It was the fastest selling book ever.  The novel has also been translated into over 120 languages including Ukrainian, Swedish and Hindi.

Book ends with the final words : "The scar had not painted Harry for nineteen years. All was well."

Book 6- Some thoughts 2

Time to speak of the Pensieve. A wordplay on
pen:- the instrument used normally for putting down one's thoughts
sieve:- a pan like vessel with holes through which things can fall --one literally 'falls' into the memories and can 'see' them happening
pensive:- contemplative, reflective, thoughtful. When a person's mind is brimming over with thoughts and memories, and it all becomes too much for them, one can literally 'siphon off' the troublesome thoughts, calm down, and examine them at leisure.

The Pensieve, which has featured in HP 4 & 5, is put to maximum use here, and is significant even in the last book. A way of giving a flashback, or avoiding having a direct narrative in the story.

All the Voldemort related memories are shown by Dumbledore to Harry, building up a comprehensive, more three-dimensional picture of Voldemort's persona, rather than the linear persona of a terrifying monster that we have till now. We see the lonesome, strange child that he had been, the quick-witted and manipulative teen and the sinister, ambitious, smooth-talking adult with his quest for immortality.

**********************************************
The Horcruxes.

The Ring, the Diary, the Cup, the Locket, the Diadem, Nagini, Voldemort himself and Harry. That's 8, isn't it? So what was all that about 7 Horcruxes?

The first 5 were objects of consequence that Voldemort knowingly made into Horcruxes. Harry was made into a Horcrux by accident when Voldemort killed his parents, and Voldemort was completely unaware of that fact. The bit that remained in Voldemort was the 7th.

Since he was unaware of Harry becoming a Horcrux, and he had wanted to make 7, which is believed to be a magical number, Voldemort makes Nagini into one, after his resurrection. By that time, however, Harry had destroyed the diary unbeknownst of the existence of any such thing. So, at any one time till the beginning of HP 6, there had been 7 Horcruxes.

*********************************************
Dumbledore's death was a shock to me. I was quite upset, and somehow worried for the trio, as he is the one person who seems omnipotent. It is as if Harry had been orphaned once more after Sirius' death.

Snape's actions are the ultimate betrayal, and half-blood prince or not, he has never seemed blacker to us than at the end of HP 6.    

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The order of Phoenix is in full operation, Harry's Godfather - Sirius Black is dead and there is fear everywhere. The ministry is still not ready to accept the return of Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has decided to give private lessons to Harry Potter, our Hero.

Quite unexpectedly, there has been a change of charge and Professor Snape gets his favourite subject, 'Defence Against Dark Arts' while a certain Professor Slughorn gets to teach 'Potions'. This change allows Harry to continue 'Potions' in his 6th year, despite not managing the top grade in 'Potions' O.W.L. in the previous year. Here he gets to use a book which previously belonged to someone who called himself 'Half-Blood Prince' and who had written wonderful side notes about spells and potion making. With the help of these side notes, Harry performs well and becomes a favourite of Professor Slughorn.

Alongside, Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin and Harry's biggest rival was upto something. He spent all his time in the Room of Requirement, doing something, keeping his faithful friends, Crabbe and Goyle on guard, wherever he went. Malfoy does not even trust Snape, his most favourite teacher.

Some strange accidents keep happening here and there. Katie Bell was attacked and Ron Weasley gets poisoned.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore has told Harry much about Harry's past and how he had divided his soul into 7 fragments and that he could only be divided if each of these 7 parts (or Horcruxes) were destroyed. He also takes Harry to hunt down one Horcrux , Slytherin's locket. When they return, they find that the Death Eaters have taken over the school. Snape kills Dumbledore and Harry discovers that the locket they had brought was fake.

J.K. Rowling actually has the emotions of the readers in this book. How Harry finally decides that he has to fight his own battle and that he can no longer have other people shield him and die - like his parents, Sirius and now Dumbledore.

A powerfully mesmerizing and power-packed book. What more can be said about Rowling's books, they are brilliant beyond human comprehension. A most definite must read for one and all. Do read the book to find who the Half-blood Prince was and why?

Book 6- Some thoughts 1

A new school year. Prefect badges. Harry is Quidditch captain. Having done well in their OWL, the trio is all set to take subjects of their choice. A new Potions teacher who accepts 'Exceeds Expectations' in Potions leads Harry and Ron to return to Potions. Books? Well, they just pick up old books from the cupboards.

A master stroke by Rowling, which puts an unusual book into Harry's hands. Now Harry is not only 'the boy who lived', he is also a potions whiz! Making him the top candidate for Professor Slughorn's page 3 ...err... gallery of collectible stars.

****************************************

All seems well, though it apparently is not. What about the strange actions of Draco Malfoy? Has he really been inducted among the Death Eaters? The recruits certainly seem to be getting younger- a comment on terrorism and the way very young children get pushed into it. Pawns in a war not of their choice. Certainly it is cause for worry for Draco's mother, who ropes in Snape to protect and assist him.

What makes Snape take on this responsibility? Is he a double agent? Pretending to be loyal to Dumbledore and acting for Voldemort? There is also the fact of his having overheard the prophecy, that Harry comes to know of purely by chance. Doesn't that make him blacker than he is, since it would undoubtedly be he who went to Voldemort with that information?

****************************************

Romance. How can we have a story involving 16-17 year olds without it? It blossoms in every heart. Dark theme or not. There is love, longing, infatuation, kissing, jealousy, hatred- the full range. There is also love potion and the brewing of it-
Amortentia: It smells differently to different persons, based upon their individual likes. Quoting from the Harry Potter wikipedia:


"It has a different aroma for everyone who smells it, reminding each person of the things that they find most attractive, even if the person themselves don't acknowledge or are unaware of their fondness for the object of their affection e.g. Hermione Granger smells fresh cut grass, new parchment and spearmint toothpaste. Harry Potter smelled treacle tart, a broomstick, and 'something flowery that he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow' (which he later realized as the smell of Ginny Weasley's hair). Ron Weasley smelled his mother's cooking, bacon and the perfume he gave Hermione in their 5th year for Christmas."

A question to my readers- what would it smell of to you?

For me- New books, jasmine and the first rains on parched earth.

Book 6- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

pic courtesy amazon.co.uk

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

Harry knew that the wizarding world was getting more and more dangerous. He was still stuck with the Muggle Dursleys. He is desperate to meet his friends.

He, Ron and Hermione realize that Draco Malfoy is up to something. They try to investigate, without much success, at first. At Hogwarts, they find out a lot more.

A Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is needed. Snape (“Not Snape, Harry, Professor Snape!”) takes up that post while Professor Slughorn takes up his earlier post as Potions Master. He used to teach Voldemort.

Harry goes to Dumbledore’s office every now and then to help him with some important work. What important work? Finding out more about Voldemort and how to defeat him by watching memories in the Pensive.

Also, Harry has a second hand copy of the Potions textbook. It has tips for making better potions, strange spells, and other things scribbled throughout. This both helps and hinders Harry in many ways. It says-“THIS IS THE PROPERTY OF THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE”. Who is the Half-Blood Prince???

The memories reveal Voldemort’s secret to remain alive through everything: Horcruxes.

The word ‘Horcruxes’ always gave me that sense of disgusting, evil and strange. I remember opening this book somewhere in the middle when I had just finished reading the first one. I saw the word ‘Horcruxes’ and it had given me the same sense then, even when I didn't  know what it meant.

Finally, another death occurs. Everyone mourns for this much loved person. I had overheard some friends discussing this before I read it. I was absolutely horrified.

Still, a great story, to be read many times. Truly fantastic.

************************************************
A review written by my 11 yr old daughter, A.

Book 6 - Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Title : Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Author : J.K.Rowling

Publisher : Bloomsbury (in UK) and Scholastic Inc. (in USA)

Date of Publishing : 16 July, 2005

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth and penultimate book in the Harry Potter series.

Did you know that : 9 million copies of the book were sold within the first 24 hours of its release, a record which was eventually broken by none other than its sequel - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

J.K.Rowling first considered this title for the second book - Chamber of Secrets but then decided otherwise as she felt that the information disclosed belonged to sixth book better.

Book 5- Some thoughts 2

Sirius Black.

Came from a long line of dark wizards, and was the first to be sorted into Gryffindor. His family disowned him after he broke away to stay with the Potters.

The animosity between him and Snape is an example of childhood resentments carried over into adulthood. Both strong personalities, both hot headed, sworn enemies. It was probably only their loyalty towards Dumbledore and his instructions, and a bit of Remus Lupin's levelheadedness that kept them at bay against each other.

Even after his death, some of his bequests to Harry were instrumental in keeping him safe. His London house, Kreacher, the 2-way mirror are some of those things.

Sirius is named after the brightest star seen from earth- the main star in the Canis Major constellation. It is also called the dog-star, and is characterised as sparkling and scorching. Fits well with our character who is brave, hot tempered but loyal to his friends, with a ferocious dog as his animagous.

****************************************************

There are many old magical artefacts in the House of Black. Molly Weasley's efforts to clean and de-clutter the house, to make it more habitable after years of disuse throws up a lot of curious things. Among a long list that is recounted somewhere in the middle of page 108 is 'a heavy locket that none of them could open'. I had to open this chapter to re-read and locate it after reading the chapter in HP 7 where the trio are interrogating Kreacher about the locket Horcrux.

******************************************************
Luna Lovegood. We encounter her for the first time in HP 5. The complete antithesis of the pragmatic, competant, logical, scientific tempered Hermione.

"She had straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Harry knew at once why Neville had chosen to pass this compartment by. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of Butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down."

Named after the moon goddess, Luna is airy, slightly incomprehensible with a tendency to go off on a tangent, Luna nevertheless had the uncanny ability to cut straight to the heart of the matter, and an eerie sixth sense about other people's perceptions. Considered uncool, she is often picked upon by people, but remains unfazed by it all.

********************************************************
Harry's connection to Voldemort's mind gets stronger now, and even worse, Voldemort is now aware of it, and tries to use it to Harry's detriment. If only he had persisted at Occlumency, Voldemort would not have been able to lure him to the Department of Mysteries and Sirius would have been alive. If only Sirius had been kinder to Kreacher, he would not have acted against Sirius' interests, and Sirius would have been alive.

So many if onlys...

**********************************************************
Dumbledore's Army- In  the earlier war against Voldemort, the Order of the Phoenix had been formed. DA was the junior, students' version of it. Both are forms of underground resistance. It is finally the unfair sanctions put in place by Umbridge that spawn the DA.

Umbridge, her saccharine sweet unpleasantness, and the increasing sanctions are reminiscent, again, of the Holocaust, with its increasingly intolerable laws against the Jews, denying them their basic humanity. The connection Rowling has tried to make to the Holocaust is underlined by Hermione's comment in HP 7 on the statue in the ministry- the powerful witch and wizard sit on a throne which seem to have carvings on it. Only they are not a design. They are bodies, dead, dying, emaciated bodies of Muggles piled together.

*************************************************************
The battle at the ministry has one positive effect. Cornelius Fudge can no longer deny the existence of a resurrected Voldemort!

Book 5 - Innocence Lost ?

We followed a strategy to go through Harry Potter series - we to read each book followed by watching the same movie before moving to the next one. It turned out to be an interesting experience as we enjoyed pointing out the seemingly significant parts that could not be squeezed into a couple of hours of screen time.

The first movie will always have a special place in my heart and mind because of a couple of main reasons - firstly, the newness of a thing is impossible to be replicated, secondly, the endearing Harry and his friends just entered the hearts of all readers and movie watchers. The pristine looks of Harry, his goodness, his compassion for others were just some of the things which simply made him a hero within a few minutes into the movie.

While watching the movie - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I simply missed the innocent looking, unsure lad who looked out of the Hogwarts Express to have a first peek at what his life is going to be in the new world of Hogwarts.

I know a human cannot remain a little child forever, but knowledge of inevitable does not make you not miss some things.

Do write if you share the same feelings.

Image courtesy : kismet85

Book 5 - Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Title : Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Author : J.K.Rowling

Publisher : Bloomsbury (in UK) and Scholastic Inc. (in USA)

Date of Publishing : 21 June, 2003

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series.

Did you know that - Fans of Harry Potter had to wait three years between the releases of fourth and fifth books. The series had already become a global phenomenon and thousands of people queued outside the book stores on 20th June, 2003 to grab a copy at midnight. 

Book 4 - Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Title : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author : J.K.rowling

Reviewed by : Mallika Srinivas (9 and a half years)

This book is the best of the Harry Potter series (not that you should read this one first). Harry Potter, the boy who lived even after the mighty Dark Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, is now starting his fourth year in Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A new Hogwarts tradition, the Triwizard Tournament is for the three wizards from the three Wizarding Schools: Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts. Three wizards, one from each school will be chosen to take part. The Goblet of Fire chooses three wizards. It also chooses another name~ Harry Potter, who is an underage wizard and he becomes the fourth participant in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry has to go through three horrible tasks, the last one being the worst where he comes face-to face with Lord Voldemort!

This book is funny, scary, sad, happy and mysterious all at the same time! An

excellent book for young and old.

The best!

Book 4- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Pic courtesy amazon.co.uk

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

Contests or tournaments always have some sort of age limits. The contest in the wizarding world are no different. The Triwizard tournament was one in which Harry was forced to compete. Why?

The Goblet of Fire is a magical object in which one must only drop a chit with their name and school’s name to stand for the tournament.

Harry couldn’t remember putting his name in, but he is chosen by the Goblet to be the fourth (!) Triwizard contestant.

What with dragons, underwater trips and mazes, Harry’s year is packed full of exciting, interesting and scary incidents.

At the end, Harry meets his worst enemy. Again, Voldemort fails to destroy Harry, but a good friend of Harry’s is killed.

What is more, the next three books are darker because Voldemort comes to power in this book. The first death after the ones of Harry’s parents is in this books.

*****************************************************
This review is by my 11 year old, A.

Quidditch

Are you missing the thrilling game of Quidditch today, it being absent in Book 4? You don't have to wait more..

Quidditch game illustrated by two young artists, just for you :)

1. 'Harry Playing Quidditch' by Mallika....

2. 'A Quidditch game on in Hogwarts' by Raghav...

Thanks Mallika and Raghav for sharing your creativity.

Book 4 - Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fite

Title : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author : J.K.Rowling

Publisher : Scholastic
Reviewed By : Abhinav Behl (10 years)

In this book, Harry is chosen for a contest. It starts with the night, Harry was dreaming. His dream was true to life but he didn’t know that yet. In the morning his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger told him that they were going to the QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP! It was great!                             

At Hogwarts a strange competition called the Triwizard Tournament was being held. In this competition, other wizard schools will compete with Harry’s school. But only kids who are 17 can compete. Surprisingly, Harry’s name comes out of the goblet of fire even though Harry is only 14! Still, Harry has many adventures like battling a dragon or going through a maze. He even meets his enemy, LORD VOLDEMORT!

But who put Harry’s name in the goblet in the first place? Read the book to find out.                                                   

I liked this book a lot and I recommend people to start the Harry Potter series! You won’t regret it!

Harry Potter And Me

We welcome Rekha on ZR who is generous enough to be sharing her experience of getting to know Harry Potter and the world of magic through the books.

Being an ardent fiction fan, I stayed away from reading Harry Potter series until 4-5 months back. Why? Because I never enjoyed reading stories on black magic, witchcraft and I believed Harry Potter series was for ‘kids’.

I did read about the Potter mania and its wide appeal among all age groups. But I thought it wasn’t my kind of book. When my friends and my daughter’s friends convinced me to read at least one, I decided to give it a go. I remember picking up the first, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and there was no stopping me.

I found myself in Hogwarts, one among the 11 year olds, attending Prof. McGonagall’s classes, loving Dobby, Hagrid and Dumbledore, wanting to save Harry, Ron and Hermione from You-know-who and his supporters, hating Prof. Snape…… One book led to the other and I read all of them back to back.

My 6 year old son waited for me to finish a book so that I could tell him the story. He believes he is in Gryffindor only because he is in the red house in his school. My 10 year old daughter enriched my Potter knowledge by sharing Potter trivia. I saw her and her friends playing Harry Potter games, using ‘spells’ on each other.

The magic J.K. Rowling has created with Harry Potter series has surely taken all Potter fans to a magical land, which at times, I tend to believe could be real. If ever I go to King’s Cross station, I, who is in my thirties now, would definitely look for between platforms 9 and 10. What if there is a Hogwarts Express waiting there for me?

Rekha Rajagopal

Thanks so much Rekha. We are sure a child in each one of us wishes to take a ride on Hogwarts Express and to see Hogwarts at least once :) This speaks volumes about the creative genius of the author. 

Book 4 - Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Title : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author : J.K.Rowling

Publisher : Bloomsbury (in UK) and Scholastic Inc. (in USA)

Date of Publishing : 8th July 2000

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series.

Did you know that -

1. This was the first book in the series which was published in UK and USA on the same date unlike the previous three books.

2. As a publicity gimmick, a special train named Hogwarts Express was organised by Bloomsbury and run from King's Cross to Perth carrying J.K.Rowling, a consignment of books for her to sign and sell and some representatives of Bloomsbury and the press. 

Image Courtesy : FanPop

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is undoubtedly my most favourite of the seven books in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. A welcome change from the past two books which deal with something about Voldemort, this one enlightens us about Harry's past, his parents and a lot many more hidden facts.

The main plot of the story is that a convicted mass murderer, Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban and is supposed to be on a lookout for Harry. 

There is a shift from an ostentatious Gilderoy Lockhart as Defence against Dark Arts teacher to a humble warewolf Remus John Lupin as a rather powerful one. In one of the later books Lupin actually refers to himself as "too poor, too old and too dangerous"!! We surely come to understand that external factors like appearance, physical abilities and disabilities do not hold any direct or indirect relationship with the nature of person. The brain is no indicator of the heart. Lupin, amidst all the criticism, happens to be the DADA teacher under whom Harry learns the most and the best skills, including fighting off the dementors using the patronus charm or fighting against 'fear' in the form of boggarts and many other odd magical creatures.

One of the most interesting things that happens here is that Harry makes his team lift the Quidditch cup. Another is the introduction of something called the 'time-turners'. The way the book sees several turn of events, from grim to godfather, from rat to enemy, from cheers to tears and much more it a piece must read. 

Read on to find if Sirius Black is seriously 'black' or not...

Rating: 9.9/10

Book 3 - Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Title : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Author : J.K.Rowling

Harry's third year in Hogwarts is the theme of third book in the Harry Potter series. The readers expected another encounter with 'you know who' but this time Harry has another battle in hand.

The story begins when Sirius Black, a convicted mass murderer escapes Azkaban prison and the speculation is rife that he may be after Harry. Dementors are called out to guard Hogwarts but when Dementors come very close to an individual, they tend to suck out all the happiness out of that individual. But their services are mandatory in this uncertain time so Harry has to face his grief, fear and all disturbing memories and emotions. He eventually learns the secret of Sirius Black, his relation with his parents and about the actual killer.

Introduction of Lupin as teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts is a great addition to the series. He effectively teaches the students to tap their inner strength and energies in order to fight against the evil and despair. No one is devoid of happy or hopeful feelings. 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' is primarily devoted to emotions and feelings and learning the capability to steer them favourably.

I really liked the way author brings out the angst and inner turmoil of Harry and how eventually his positivity triumphs over all negativity. It is so true in general too, no matter how difficult the impediments are, they just need to be combated with more positive energy and thoughts.