Harry Potter (plot)
This page contains a detailed synopsis of all the books in the Harry Potter series. For more information on the plots of the specific books see the article on the appropiete book.
Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry, born on July 31, 1980, is orphaned on October 31, 1981, when the evil Lord Voldemort murders his parents. His mother dies trying to save him; this act of self-sacrifice and love gives Harry some magical power against further attacks by Voldemort.
Harry is put in the care of his Muggle (non-magical person) relatives, his mother's sister Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon. They live in Little Whinging, a suburb of London, along with their spoiled son Dudley Dursley (born June 22, 1980). The Dursleys conceal from Harry any knowledge of his magical abilities, and tell him that his parents were killed in a car crash. The Dursleys are not fond of Harry, and they favour their own son, Dudley. Harry's room is a cupboard under the stairs.
A week before his 11th birthday, Harry receives a letter informing him of his acceptance at Hogwart's. The groundskeeper Hagrid comes to take him to school.
Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is in a castle in Scotland, according to a margin note in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Rowling's own comments in an interview. Most students get to school on the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station, London.
Harry's closest friends at Hogwarts are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and his biggest rival is Draco Malfoy.
Harry, Ron and Hermione discover that a giant dog named Fluffy guards a trapdoor in a forbidden coridor and they speculate as to what to guards. They soon find it is the Philosopher's Stone that Fluffy guards and they come to beilve Severus Snape is trying to steal.
When they feel they have no choice, Harry, Ron and Hermione go through the trapdoor to get the Stone first. They find that Professor Quirrell, not Snape, is trying to steal the Stone and Harry survives a second encounter with Lord Voldemort.
Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The story continues with Harry's second year at Hogwart's. Several new characters, such as Moaning Myrtle, Gilderoy Lockhart, Colin Creevy, Ginny Weasley and Dobby, are introduced.
Harry is warned not to return to Hogwarts by Dobby, who says that if he return to Hogwarts he will be in mortal danger. Harry dosen't heed the house-elf's words and returns anyway. At school, Harry finds himself at the center of attention of three people; Gilderoy Lockhart, Colin Creevy and Ginny Weasley.
However, his year takes a really bad turn when the Chamber of Secrets is opened and someone or something starts Petrifing students. According to legend, the Chamber was built by Salazar Slytherin and can be opened only be his true heir. Harry, Ron and Hermione spend the majority of the book trying to discover the identy of the Heir of Slytherin and end up solving a fifty year old mystery.
They discover at the end that it was Ginny who opened the Chamber of Secrets, but that she wasn't acting of her free will. She was possessed by Tom Riddle, alias Lord Voldemort. Riddle(Voldemort) tries to kill Harry again, but fails. Ginny is saved and, despite her fears, is not punished.
Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry's life at the Dursleys takes a horrible turn when his Aunt Marge comes to stay. Harry grows so anger at her insulting his parents that he "blows her up."
Harry runs away from the Dursleys and is picked up by the Knight Bus and learns that a criminal named Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. Harry is found, but, to his bewilderment, not punished by the Ministry of Magic for blowing up his aunt.
Harrys soon learns why, Sirius Black is after him. The school is now protected by the Dementors of Azkaban to prevent Black from getting onto the grounds. The mystery deepens as Harry discovers that Black has mysterious ties with his own parents' death at the hands of Lord Voldemort.
The story takes an unexpected turn why Harry finds that Sirius Black was inocent and wrongly sent to Azkaban. The real criminal is Peter Pettigrew, who is beilved dead at the hands of Sirius Black. Pettigrew has really spent the last twelve years disgised as Ron's rat, Scabbers.
Pettigrew gets away and the Ministry refuses to beilve Harry, Ron and Hermione's tale. Dumbledore does, and they sneek Sirius to freedom on the back of hippogriff.
Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Peter Pettigrew returns to what remains of Lord Voldemort and begans helpping him. Harry attends the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys and sees the flying legend of Viktor Krum. At night, there is a riot and the Dark Mark appears in the sky for the first time since Voldemort was at the height of his powers.
At Hogwarts, Harry discovers that the Triwizard Tournament, a compition between the magical schools of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang is to take place at Hogwarts. When representatives from the other schools arrives, and they find that Viktor Krum is a student at Durmstrang.
The Goblet of Fire is the selector who selects a champion for each school. Dumbledore explains that nobody and under seventeen is allowed to enter, and he draws an age line around the Goblet to prevent any younger students from submitting their names.
Naturaly, many underage students, including Fred and George Weasley, attempt to get past the age line using aging potion, but they are unsuccessfull. The champions chosen are Viktor Krum for Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, but, as usual, something goes wrong; Harry is chosen as a second champion for Hogwarts even though he never entered his name.
Harry focuses most of his energy on getting through the Tournament alive, but he and his friends also speculate on who put his name in the Goblet. There tops suspects are Snape and Igor Karkaroff. They beilve whoever is responsible wants Harry killed in the Tournament.