Гарри Поттер (1)

1.

Harry Potter is not just a book series; it is a whole world that
millions of people love. The story was written by J.K. Rowling,
a British author. The first book came out in 1997, and soon it
became very popular all over the world.
The main character is Harry Potter, a boy who lives with his
aunt, uncle, and cousin – the Dursleys. They are not kind to
him. Harry has to live in a small cupboard under the stairs.
He thinks he is a normal boy, but on his eleventh birthday,
everything changes. He gets a letter from Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. He learns that he is a wizard and
that his parents did not die in a car accident – they were
killed by a dark wizard named Lord Voldemort.

2.

Harry goes to Hogwarts on a special train called the Hogwarts
Express. At school, he makes two best friends: Ron Weasley
and Hermione Granger. Ron comes from a large poor family of
wizards, and Hermione is a very clever girl from a nonmagical family (Muggles). Together, they have many
adventures. They learn magic spells, fly on broomsticks, and
fight against evil creatures.
Hogwarts is a huge old castle with many secrets. There are
four houses: Gryffindor (brave and chivalrous), Hufflepuff
(hardworking and loyal), Ravenclaw (wise and clever), and
Slytherin (ambitious and cunning). Harry, Ron, and Hermione
are in Gryffindor. Their headmaster is Albus Dumbledore, the
wisest wizard of all time.

3.

The main problem in the story is Lord Voldemort. He wants to
become immortal and control the whole magical world. Nobody
wants to say his name, so they call him "You-Know-Who" or "HeWho-Must-Not-Be-Named". Harry is the only person who survived
Voldemort's killing curse. This happened because Harry’s mother
gave her life to protect him, and that created a powerful old magic
– love.
Throughout seven books, Harry and his friends grow up. They
face many difficulties: a giant three-headed dog, a basilisk (a
giant snake), dangerous tournaments, and even death. Some
characters die, which makes the story very emotional. For
example, Sirius Black (Harry’s godfather), Albus Dumbledore,
and many others die while fighting against evil.

4.

At the end of the story, Harry understands that he must die to
destroy Voldemort forever. But because he bravely accepts death,
the magic of love protects him again. In the final battle, Harry
defeats Voldemort. Nineteen years later, Harry is an adult with
his own family. He sends his children to Hogwarts, and the
magical world lives in peace.
The Harry Potter books teach us important things: friendship,
courage, and love are stronger than any dark magic. They also
show that it is okay to be different, and that our choices show
who we truly are – not our abilities.

5.

Even for high school students, these books are interesting because the
characters become older and face real problems like loss, fear, injustice, and
difficult decisions. That is why Harry Potter is loved not only by children but
also by teenagers and adults all around the world.
Interesting facts about Harry Potter:
1. J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury agreed to
publish the first book. The publisher’s daughter, Alice, read one chapter
and said, “This is much better than anything else.”
2. The names of the houses have Latin roots. “Gryffindor” means “golden
griffin,” “Slytherin” sounds like “serpent” (snake), “Ravenclaw” means
“black claw,” and “Hufflepuff” means “soft and kind.”
3. J.K. Rowling invented the word “Muggle” from the English word “mug,”
which means a foolish or boring person.

6.

1. The character of Hermione Granger is based on J.K. Rowling herself when
she was young. Rowling was also a very clever and hardworking student.
2. The name “Voldemort” comes from French. “Vol de mort” means “flight of
death” or “theft of death.”
3. In the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the American
version was called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because the
publishers thought American children would not know what a “philosopher’s
stone” is.
4. Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry) had to wear green contact lenses
because Harry has green eyes in the books, but Daniel’s eyes are blue.
However, the contacts hurt his eyes, so in most movies, his eyes are blue.
5. The actor who played Professor Snape, Alan Rickman, knew the secret of
Snape’s true loyalty from the very beginning. J.K. Rowling told him
personally so he could play the character correctly.
6. The letters from Hogwarts were written by hand. The film crew made over
2,000 letters for the first movie.

7.

1. There is a real platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station in London. The
filmmakers put a special sign there, and now it is a famous tourist spot.
2. The books have been translated into more than 80 languages, including
Latin and Ancient Greek.
3. J.K. Rowling wrote a special book called The Tales of Beedle the Bard. She
wrote only seven copies by hand and gave them to her closest friends. One
copy was sold for almost £2 million.
4. The final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was so popular that
on the day of its release, it sold 11 million copies in just 24 hours.
5. Many names in Harry Potter have hidden meanings. For example, “Remus
Lupin” – Remus was one of the founders of Rome, raised by a wolf, and
“Lupin” comes from “lupus” (wolf in Latin). So his name almost tells us he
is a werewolf.