1.
J. K. Rowling
–
Joanne Jo Rowling, OBE, FRSL, pen names J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, is a British novelist, screenwriter and film producer best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. The books have gained attention, won multiple awards. There were six sequels, the last, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Rowling has lived a rags to riches life story, in which she progressed from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years. She is the United Kingdoms best-selling living author, with sales in excess of £238M, the 2016 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowlings fortune at £600 million, ranking her as the joint 197th richest person in the UK. Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, in October 2010, Rowling was named the Most Influential Woman in Britain by leading magazine editors. She has supported charities including Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, her name, before her remarriage, was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman. As she had no name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name. Following her marriage, she has used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling and her entry in Whos Who lists her name also as Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling and her parents first met on a train departing from Kings Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965, One of her maternal great-grandfathers, Dugald Campbell, was Scottish, born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mothers paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was French, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War. Rowling originally believed he had won the Légion dhonneur during the war, as she said when she received it herself in 2009. She later discovered the truth when featured in an episode of the UK genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are. in which she found out it was a different Louis Volant who won the Legion of Honour. Rowlings sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old, the family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michaels Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and her headmaster at St Michaels, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore. As a child, Rowling often wrote stories which she frequently read to her sister
2.
Kazu Kibuishi
–
Kazuhiro Kazu Kibuishi is a Japanese–American graphic novel author and illustrator. He is best known for being the creator and editor of the comic anthology Flight and he is also the author and illustrator of the ongoing Amulet series. Kibuishi was born April 8,1978 in Tokyo, Japan and he moved to the United States with his mother and brother in 1982. Kibuishi enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1996 in pursuit of a film studies degree, while attending UC Santa Barbara, he credits the universitys newspaper, the Daily Nexus, as where his illustration career started. Despite previously drawing for his schools newspaper, all began when I started writing comics for the Nexus. I actually went to UCSB for film, I was trying to quit drawing. He would ultimately serve as the Art Director for the Daily Nexus for three and a half years, and developed his comic Clive and Cabbage during his tenure and he graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2000 with a B. A. in film studies. Kibuishi started drawing at age five and he has stated that. the sadness that came from no longer having cool robot TV shows like Ultraman around once we came to the States that triggered a lot of my early drawings and projects. He has also noted Garfield and the magazines Mad Magazine, after he graduated from UC Santa Barbara, Kibuishi worked as an animator for Shadedbox Animations for two years. He decided to leave animation to focus on comics, where he could spend time writing. He started producing the monthly comic Copper at his website which ran for seven years, Flight was conceived by Kibuishi as an anthology with contributions coming from friends. The project was promoted at the Alternative Press Expo, where it attracted the attention of Erik Larsen and this caused the project to explode, attracting talent from all over the industry. Image published the first volume in 2004 and the series concluded with the eighth volume in 2011. Following the conclusion of Flight, the Explorer series was Kibuishis anthology for children using many of the contributors to Flight. Seen as a series, Explorer covered three books and concluded with Explorer, The Hidden Doors. Kibuishi is the creator of Amulet, a series of novels which debuted in 2008 with The Stonekeeper. Scholastic won the rights to publish the series after they were victorious in a hotly contested auction. In addition to The Stonekeeper, other titles in the series include The Stonekeepers Curse, The Cloud Searchers, The Last Council, Prince of the Elves, Escape From Lucien, the series is scheduled to run through nine books
3.
Harry Potter
–
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the life of a wizard, Harry Potter. Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, on 26 June 1997, the series has now been translated into multiple languages including French, Irish, Spanish, German and Swedish to name a few. They have attracted a wide audience as well as younger readers. The series has also had its share of criticism, including concern about the dark tone as the series progressed, as well as the often gruesome. As of May 2013, the books have more than 500 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling book series in history. The series was published in English by two major publishers, Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. The original seven books were adapted into a film series by Warner Bros. Pictures, which has become the second highest-grossing film series of all time as of August 2015, in 2016, the total value of the Harry Potter franchise was estimated at $25 billion, making Harry Potter one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. A series of genres, including fantasy, drama, coming of age and the British school story. According to Rowling, the theme is death. Other major themes in the series include prejudice, corruption, Rowling updates the series with new information and insight, and a pentalogy of spin-off films premiering in November 2016, among many other developments. Most recently, themed attractions, collectively known as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, have built at several Universal Parks & Resorts amusement parks around the world. The wizarding world exists parallel to the Muggle world, albeit hidden and his magical ability is inborn and children with such abilities are invited to attend exclusive magic schools that teach the necessary skills to succeed in the wizarding world. Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, each novel chronicles one year in Harrys life during the period from 1991 to 1998. The books also contain many flashbacks, which are experienced by Harry viewing the memories of other characters in a device called a Pensieve. The environment Rowling created is intimately connected to reality, the full background to this event and Harry Potters past is revealed gradually through the series. After the introductory chapter, the book leaps forward to a time shortly before Harry Potters eleventh birthday, Harrys first contact with the wizarding world is through a half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts
4.
Fantasy novel
–
Fantasy literature is the body of written works that employ the motifs, themes, and stylistic approaches expected in the fantasy genre. Historically, most works of fantasy were written pieces of literature, since the 1960s, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music and painting. Stories involving paranormal magic and terrible monsters have existed in spoken forms before the advent of printed literature, homers Odyssey satisfies the definition of the fantasy genre with its magic, gods, heroes, adventures and monsters. Fantasy literature as a distinct type emerged in Victorian times, with the works of such as Mary Shelley, William Morris. J. R. R. Tolkien played a role in the popularization and accessibility of the fantasy genre with his highly successful publications The Hobbit. Rarely does one consider modern fantasy without conjuring the memory and image of Tolkien, Tolkien was largely influenced by an ancient body of Anglo-Saxon myths, particularly Beowulf, as well as modern works such as The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison. Tolkiens close friend C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, the tradition established by these predecessors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has continued to thrive and be adapted by new authors. Tolkiens fiction has—particularly over the genre of high fantasy—prompted backlash, at the turn of the millennium, the Harry Potter novels of J. K. Rowling achieved widespread popularity. R. Martin in 2005, and 2011, Neil Gaiman in 2005, authors often engage in worldbuilding, constructing a framework or entire world against which the narrative plays out. Symbolism often plays a significant role in literature, often through the use of archetypal figures inspired by earlier texts or folklore. Some argue that fantasy literature and its archetypes fulfill a function for individuals and society, le Guin, in her essay From Elfland to Poughkeepsie, presented the idea that language is the most crucial element of high fantasy, because it creates a sense of place. She analyzed the misuse of a formal, olden-day style, saying that it was a trap for fantasy writers because it was ridiculous when done wrong. Brian Peters writes that in various forms of fantasy, even the villains language might be inappropriate if vulgar. The fantastical details of the series fade away by the installment, revealing that the wizarding community of the Harry Potter books is just as bad, if not worse. Farah Mendlesohn argues the world of literature is broken up into four categories, the portal quest, the immersive, the intrusive. How the fantastic enters the world is what determines how a story fits into these categories. In a portal quest such as C. S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch, in the intrusion fantasies like Bram Stokers Dracula, the fantastic invades the fictional world. With liminal fantasy, for example Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife, tolkiens The Hobbit for example, allows the reader no escape from the fantastic
5.
Bloomsbury Publishing
–
Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British independent, worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index, the Bloomsbury Academic & Professional division won the Bookseller Industry Award for Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year in both 2013 and 2014. Imprints and book lists of publishing businesses acquired by Bloomsbury are assigned to the most relevant publishing division, the company was founded in 1986 by Nigel Newton, who had previously been employed by other publishing companies. It was floated as a registered company in 1994, raising £5. 5million. A rights issue of shares in 1998 raised a further £6. 1m, in 1998, Bloomsbury USA was established. Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, in December 2008, Bloomsbury opened a branch in Doha, Qatar, under joint-partnership with Qatar Foundation. The publishing house created, called Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, worked mainly with English, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals, an open access, peer review academic publisher, was created in December 2010 as a joint venture with Qatar Foundation. Journal research articles were published through BQFJs website Qscience. com, in 2012, Bloomsbury established a publishing office in India. The companys partnership with Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 and all of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing works were incorporated in Qatari-owned HBKU Press, at the time of BQFPs dissolution it had published over 200 books. BQFJs works were incorporated in HBKU Press
6.
Scholastic Corporation
–
Products are distributed to schools and districts, to consumers through the schools via reading clubs and fairs, and through retail stores and online sales. The business has three segments, Children Book Publishing & Distribution, Education, and International, Scholastic holds the perpetual U. S. publishing rights to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games book series. Scholastic is the worlds largest publisher and distributor of childrens books, Scholastic also publishes instructional reading and writing programs, and offers professional learning and consultancy services for school improvement. Clifford the Big Red Dog serves as the mascot for Scholastic, in 1920, Maurice R. Robbie Robinson founded the business he named Scholastic Publishing Company in his hometown of Wilkinsburg, right outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a publisher of magazines, the first publication was The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic. It covered high school sports and social activities and debuted on October 22,1920, in 1926, Scholastic published its first book, Saplings, a collection of selected student writings by winners of the Scholastic Writing Awards. For many years the company continued its focus on serving the market, publishing low-cost magazines. The company continued under the name Scholastic Magazines throughout the 1970s, after World War II, cheap paperback books became available. In 1948, Scholastic entered the book club business with its division T. A. B. or Teen Age Book Club. In 1957, Scholastic established its first international subsidiary in Toronto Scholastic Canada, later moving to Markham, by the 1960s, international publishing locations were added in England, New Zealand and Sydney. In 1974, Richard Dick Robinson, the son of founder M. R. Robinson, named Chief Executive Officer in 1975 and Chairman in 1982, he remains in these positions. Scholastic now publishes 33 classroom magazines including Scholastic News, Action, Scope, Storyworks, SuperScience, Science World, Math and more, classroom Magazines have 15 million subscribers. The EdTech and Services business was sold to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2015 for $575 million and it continues to publish Harry Potter books, each title a best seller. Scholastics growth has continued by acquiring other media companies, in 2015, Scholastic acquired Troubadour, Ltd. in the U. K. During the 2000 presidential election, Scholastic organized the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps, founded in 1923 by Maurice R. These Awards have been the largest source of funding for teenage artists and writers. In the U. S. A, the process begins as young artists, the most outstanding works of art and writing from each region are forwarded to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in New York City to be reviewed on a national level. Panels of professional jurors select the award recipients
7.
Raincoast Books
–
Raincoast Books is a Canadian book distribution and wholesale company. Today, Raincoast has over 90 employees and three divisions, Raincoast Distribution, Publishers Group Canada, and BookExpress, Raincoast Distribution provides Canadian representation to general trade and gift publishers from the United States and Canada. Companies distributed by Raincoast include Chronicle Books, Drawn & Quarterly, Hay House, Lonely Planet, Moleskine, Raincoast was awarded Book Distributor of the Year by the Canada Booksellers Association in 2004,2005, and 2006. AMACOM Beginning Press Berrett-Koehler Publishers Bilingual Books, Inc, based in Toronto, Ontario, PGC distributes independently owned book publishing houses including Grove Atlantic, New World Library and Egmont Books in Canada. BookExpress is a wholesale division supplying Canadian bookstores and retailers, BookExpress carries bestselling books from publishers including Random House Canada, Penguin Books Canada, HarperCollins Canada, H. B. Fenn, Andrews McMeel, Scholastic Canada, Diamond Book Distribution, between 1995 and 2008, Raincoast Books was also a Canadian book publisher. The Raincoast publishing program produced a range of fiction and non-fiction titles for both adults and children. Authors who published work with Raincoast included Anne Fleming, Alison Pick, Colin McAdam, Nick Bantock, George Bowering, Paul William Roberts, Naim Kattan, Roy Miki, Amanda K. Hale, and Bill Gaston. As a publisher, the company was noted for using large amounts of recycled paper in its books, on January 7,2008, Raincoast announced that it would cease to publish new books due to the rise in the Canadian dollar. Raincoast also ceased to be the Canadian publisher of J. K, rowlings Harry Potter books in 2010
8.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
9.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
–
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second novel in the Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling. These threats are found after attacks which leave residents of the school petrified, throughout the year, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione investigate the attacks. The book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury, several commentators have noted that personal identity is a strong theme in the book, and that it addresses issues of racism through the treatment of non-magical, non-human and non-living characters. Some commentators regard the diary as a warning against uncritical acceptance of information from sources whose motives, institutional authority is portrayed as self-serving and incompetent. The book is known to have some connections to the sixth novel of the series, Harry Potter. The film adaptation of the novel, released in 2002, became the seventh highest-grossing film ever, video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews. This comes to nothing, as Draco’s father only told his son the general facts of the opening of the Chamber. Hermione provides the last set of clues that inform them of the identity, It is a basilisk, that kills with a stare. Harry, Ron, and Lockhart enter the Chamber, but the dunderheaded professor causes a rockfall upon attempt to modify the boys’ memories with Ron’s damaged wand, and Harry must enter alone. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart return to the castle and reunite with McGonagall, Dumbledore. Lucius Malfoy bursts in after this meeting, demanding to know why and how Dumbledore has returned to the school and accompanied by Dobby, revealing the family to whom he is enslaved. The petrified students are cured, the exams are cancelled, Hagrid comes back in the middle of the final feast. Rowling found it difficult to finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets because she was afraid it would not live up to the expectations raised by Harry Potter, after delivering the manuscript to Bloomsbury on schedule, she took it back for six weeks of revision. In early drafts of the book, the ghost Nearly Headless Nick sang a song explaining his condition. This was cut as the editor did not care for the poem. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in the UK on 2 July 1998, in June 1999, it went straight to the top of three US best-seller lists, including The New York Times. First edition printings had several errors, which were fixed in subsequent reprints, initially Dumbledore said that Voldemort was the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin, instead of his descendant. Gilderoy Lockharts book on werewolves is entitled Weekends with Werewolves at one point, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was met with near universal acclaim
10.
Debut novel
–
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. First-time novelists without a previous published reputation, such as publication in nonfiction, magazines, or literary journals, sometimes new novelists will self-publish their debut novels, because publishing houses will not risk the capital needed to market books by an unknown author to the public. Most publishers purchase rights to novels, especially debut novels, through literary agents, for this reason, literary communities have created awards that help acknowledge exceptional debut novels. The books film rights were purchased soon after by producer Scott Rudin. For similar reasons that advances are not very large—novels frequently dont sell well until the author gains a literary reputation. There are exceptions, however, YouTube star Zoella published her debut novel Girl Online in November 2014, the novel saw huge sales because she already had an established audience, and publishers were willing to run a large print run. By comparison, bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey sold 14,814 copies in its first week, or later popular novels like Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, only receive small initial print runs. Debut novels that do well will be reprinted as sales increase due to word of mouth popularity of the novels — publishers dont often run large marketing campaigns for debut novelists, there are numerous literary prizes for debut novels often associated with genre or nationality. These prizes are in recognition of the difficulties faced by debut novelists and bring attention to deserving works, often an authors first novel will not be as complex stylistically or thematically as subsequent works and often will not feature the authors typical literary characteristics. As examples, Astor points to J. R. R, sometimes, instead of writing novels to begin their career, some authors will start with short stories, which can be easier to publish and allow authors to get started in writing fiction. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest attested usage of first novel is from 1876, however, the term is much older, with instances going back to at least 1800. The Oxford English Dictionary doesnt have an entry for debut novel, the earliest usage of debut novel in the Google Books database is 1930. The Google Books Ngram Viewer shows it becoming more used after about 1980
11.
Harry Potter (character)
–
Harry James Potter is the title character of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. The majority of the books plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter, thus, he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to practise magic under the guidance of the kindly headmaster Albus Dumbledore and other school professors. According to Rowling, the idea for both the Harry Potter books and its eponymous character came while waiting for a train from Manchester to London in 1990. She stated that her idea for this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didnt know he was a wizard became more and more real to me, while developing the ideas for her book, she also decided to make Harry an orphan who attended a boarding school called Hogwarts. She explained in a 1999 interview with The Guardian, Harry had to be an orphan—so that hes an agent, with no fear of letting down his parents. Hogwarts has to be a boarding school—half the important stuff happens at night, having a child of my own reinforces my belief that children above all want security, and thats what Hogwarts offers Harry. In a 2000 interview with The Guardian, Rowling also established that the character of Wart in T. H. Whites novel The Once, finally, she established Harrys birth date as 31 July, the same as her own. However, she maintained that Harry was not directly based on any real-life person, Rowling has also maintained that Harry is a suitable real-life role model for children. Harry first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, starting in 1981, when Harry was just one year old, his parents, James and Lily, were murdered by the most powerful Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort. He attempted to kill Harry too, but was unsuccessful and only left a lightning bolt shaped scar on Harrys forehead, Voldemorts body was destroyed, but his soul was not. Harry later learns that the reason why he survived was because of Lily sacrificing herself for him, according to Rowling, fleshing out this back story was a matter of reverse planning, The basic idea Harry. Didnt know he was a wizard. and so then I kind of worked backwards from that position to find out how that could be, when he was one year old, the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years attempted to kill him. He killed Harrys parents, and then he tried to kill Harry—he tried to curse him, Harry has to find out, before we find out. And for some reason, the curse didnt work on Harry. So hes left with this lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead, as a result, Harry is written as an orphan living with his only remaining family, the Dursleys, who are neglectful and abusive. On his eleventh birthday, Harry learns he is a wizard when Rubeus Hagrid arrives to him that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft. There he learns about the world, his parents. When he is sorted into Gryffindor House, he becomes fast friends with classmates Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, both feuds continue throughout the series
12.
Magician (fantasy)
–
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, warlock, witch, wizard, or wizardess is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural or occult sources. Magicians are common figures in works of fantasy, such as literature and role-playing games, and enjoy a rich history in mythology, legends, fiction. In medieval chivalric romance, the wizard often appears as an old man and acts as a mentor. Other magicians, such as Saruman, from The Lord of the Rings series, villainous sorcerers were so crucial to pulp fantasy that the genre in which they appeared was dubbed sword and sorcery. Le Guins A Wizard of Earthsea explored the question of how wizards learned their art and this theme has been further developed in modern fantasy, often leading to wizards as heroes on their own quests. Such heroes may have their own mentor, a wizard as well, wizards can be cast similarly to the absent-minded professor, being foolish and prone to misconjuring. They can also be capable of magic, both good or evil. Even comical wizards are often capable of feats, such as those of Miracle Max in The Princess Bride, although he is a washed-up wizard fired by the villain. Wizards are often depicted as old, white-haired, and with white beards majestic enough to occasionally host lurking woodland creatures. This depiction predates the modern fantasy genre, being derived from the image of wizards such as Merlin. In the Dragonlance Dungeons and Dragons setting, wizards show their moral alignment by their robes, terry Pratchett described robes as a magicians way of establishing to those they meet that they are capable of practicing magic. To introduce conflict, writers of fiction often place limits on the magical abilities of wizards to prevent them from solving problems too easily. In Larry Nivens The Magic Goes Away, once an areas mana is exhausted, a common limit used in role-playing games is that a person can only cast a specific number of spells in a day. Magic can also require various sacrifices or the use of materials, such as gemstones, blood. Even if the magician lacks scruples, obtaining the material may be difficult, a. K. Moonfire combines these limits in his book The Aubrey Stalking Portal. The magician expends power to fuel his spells, but does not replenish that power naturally, therefore, the extent of a wizards knowledge is limited to which spells a wizard knows and can cast. Magic may also be limited by its danger, if a powerful spell can cause harm if miscast. Other forms of magic are limited by consequences that, while not inherently dangerous, are at least undesirable
13.
Hogwarts
–
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, shortened Hogwarts, is a fictional British school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Hogwarts school was voted as the 36th best Scottish educational establishment in a 2008 online ranking, outranking Edinburghs Loretto School, according to a director of the Independent Schools Network Rankings, it was added to the schools listing for fun and was then voted on. J. K. Rowling says she visualises Hogwarts, in its entirety, to be, A huge, rambling, quite scary-looking castle, with a jumble of towers and battlements. Like the Weasleys house, it isnt a building that Muggles could build, in the novels, Hogwarts is somewhere in Scotland. The school is depicted as having numerous charms and spells on, Muggles cannot see the school, rather, they see only ruins and several warnings of danger. There is also an owlery, which all the owls owned by the school. Some rooms in the school tend to move around, and so do the stairs in the grand staircase, electricity and electronic devices are not found at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hermione indicates that due to the levels of magic, substitutes for magic Muggles use such as computers, radar. Rowling explains this by saying that the radios are not powered by electricity, Hogwarts is on the shore of a lake, sometimes called the Black Lake. In that lake are merpeople, Grindylows, and a giant squid, the giant squid does not attack humans and sometimes acts as a lifeguard when students are in the lake. Hogwarts is a coeducational, secondary boarding school, taking children from eleven to eighteen. Education at Hogwarts is not compulsory, with students being home schooled as stated in the seventh book. Rowling initially said there are one thousand students at Hogwarts. She later suggested around six hundred, while acknowledging that this number was still inconsistent with the number of people in Harrys year. She further explained that this had resulted from her creating only 40 characters for Harrys year, Rowling has said that Hogwarts is a multifaith school. She has further stated on the subject, The only people I never imagined there are Wiccans, in response to the query, o you think there are a lot of LGBT students in modern age Hogwarts. I like to imagine they formed an LGBT club, Rowling replied, according to the novels, admission to Hogwarts is selective, in that children who show magical ability will automatically gain a place, and squibs cannot attend the school as students. A magical quill at Hogwarts detects the birth of children and writes their names into a large parchment book
14.
Lord Voldemort
–
Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the central antagonist in J. K. Rowlings series of Harry Potter novels. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, which was released in 1997. Voldemort appears either in person or in flashbacks in each book and its adaptation in the series, except the third, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Voldemort is the archenemy of Harry Potter, who according to a prophecy has the power to vanquish the Dark Lord, nearly every witch or wizard dares not utter his unmentionable name, and refers to him instead with such expressions as You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or the Dark Lord. Voldemorts obsession with blood purity signifies his aim to rid the world of Muggle heritage. Through his mothers family, he is the last descendant of wizard Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is the leader of the Death Eaters, a group of wizards and witches dedicated to ridding the Wizarding World of Muggles. According to Rowling, the t in Voldemort is silent, as it is in the French word for death, in a 2001 interview, Rowling said Voldemort was invented as a nemesis for Harry Potter, and she intentionally did not flesh out Voldemorts backstory at first. The basic idea didnt know he was a wizard And so then I kind of worked backwards from that position to find out how that could be, when he was one year old, the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years attempted to kill him. He killed Harrys parents, and then he tried to kill Harry — he tried to curse him, Harry has to find out, before we find out. And – so – but for some reason the curse didnt work on Harry. So hes left with this lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead and the curse rebounded upon the evil wizard, in the second book, Rowling establishes that Voldemort hates non-pure-blood wizards, despite being a half-blood himself. In the same year, Rowling became more precise about Voldemort and she began to link him to real-life tyrants, describing him as a raging psychopath, devoid of the normal human responses to other peoples suffering. In 2004, though, Rowling said that she did not base Voldemort on any real person, in 2006, Rowling told an interviewer that Voldemort at his core has a human fear, the fear of death. She said, Voldemorts fear is death, ignominious death, I mean, he regards death itself as ignominious. He thinks that its a human weakness, as you know. Throughout the series, Rowling establishes that Voldemort is so feared in the world that it is considered dangerous even to speak his name. Most characters in the novels refer to him as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rather than say his name aloud, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a Taboo is placed upon the name, such that Voldemort or his followers may trace anyone who utters it
15.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
–
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is a 2001 British-American fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. It is based on the novel of the name by J. K. Rowling. The film was the first instalment in the long-running Harry Potter film series and its story follows Harry Potters first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999 for a reported £1 million. Production began in the United Kingdom in 2000, with Chris Columbus being chosen to create the film from a short list of directors that included Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner. J. K. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British or Irish, the film was released in theatres in the United Kingdom and the United States on 16 November 2001. As of December 2015, it is the 29th-highest-grossing film of all time and the film in the series behind Harry Potter. Harry Potter is an ordinary boy living with the Dursleys, his only remaining relatives who treat him badly, in Little Whinging, Surrey. Hagrid reveals to Harry that he has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, after buying his school supplies from the hidden London street, Diagon Alley, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts via the concealed Platform 9¾ in Kings Cross Station. On the train Harry meets Ron Weasley, a boy from a large but poor pure-blood wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, once they arrive Harry and all the other first-year students are sorted between four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Because Slytherin is noted for being the house of darker wizards and witches and he ends up in Gryffindor along with Ron and Hermione. Rons older brothers were all placed in Gryffindor as well, mischievous twins Fred and George, Percy the prefect, Charlie, at Hogwarts Harry begins learning wizardry and discovers more about his past and his parents. He gets recruited for Gryffindors Quidditch team as a Seeker, as his father was before him, one night he, Ron, and Hermione discover a large three-headed dog named Fluffy on a restricted floor in the school. They later find out Fluffy is guarding the Philosophers Stone, an item that can be used to grant its owner immortality, Harry concludes that his potions teacher, the unfriendly Severus Snape, is trying to obtain the stone in order to return Voldemort to a human form. After hearing from Hagrid that Fluffy will fall asleep if played music, Harry, Ron, Quirrell removes his turban and reveals Voldemort to be living on the back of his head. Voldemort attempts to convince Harry to give him the stone, by promising to bring his parents back from the dead, Quirrell attempts to kill him and take the stone, but Harrys touch turns Quirrell into dust. When Harry gets up, Voldemorts spirit rises from Quirrells ashes and passes through Harry, Harry wakes up in the schools hospital wing with Professor Dumbledore at his side. Dumbledore explains that the stone has been destroyed and that, despite Ron nearly being killed in the match, he
16.
Jane Austen
–
Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austens plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of social standing. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. With the publications of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma and she wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. Her novels have rarely been out of print, although they were published anonymously, a significant transition in her posthumous reputation occurred in 1869, fifty-two years after her death, when her nephews publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced her to a wider audience. Austen has inspired a number of critical essays and literary anthologies. Her novels have inspired many films, from 1940s Pride and Prejudice to more recent productions, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austens use of biting irony, along with her realism and social commentary have earned her great and historical importance to critics and scholars. The Bank of England has confirmed that the face of the new plastic £10 note will be Austen, the notes are expected to be released in summer 2017. There is little information about Jane Austens life except the few letters that survive. During her lifetime Austen wrote approximately 3,000 letters but only about 160 survive, many of the letters were written to Austens older sister Cassandra, who in 1843 burned the greater part of them and cut pieces out of those she kept. Cassandra believed that in the interest of tact and Janes penchant for forthrightness, the paucity of record of Austens life leaves modern biographers little to work with. The situation was compounded as successive generations of the family expunged and sanitized the already opaque details of Austens biography, Jane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, on 16 December 1775. She was born a month later than her parents expected, her father wrote of her arrival in a letter that her mother certainly expected to have brought to bed a month ago. He added that her arrival was particularly welcome as a companion to her sister. The winter of 1776 was particularly harsh and it was not until 5 April that she was baptised at the church with the single name Jane. For much of Janes life, George Austen served as the rector of the Anglican parishes at Steventon, and he came from an old, respected, and wealthy family of wool merchants. Over the centuries as each generation of eldest sons received inheritances their wealth was consolidated and he and his two sisters were orphaned as children and had to be taken in by relatives. His sister Philadelphia went to India to find a husband and George entered St Johns College, Oxford on a fellowship and she came from the prominent Leigh family, her father was rector at All Souls College, Oxford, where she grew up among the gentry
17.
Roald Dahl
–
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot. His books have more than 250 million copies worldwide. He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for children and adults and he became one of the worlds best-selling authors. He has been referred to as one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century and his awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and the British Book Awards Childrens Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 and his books champion the kind-hearted, and feature an underlying warm sentiment. Dahls works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and his adult works include Tales of the Unexpected. Roald Dahl was born in 1916 at Villa Marie, Fairwater Road, in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl, Dahls father had emigrated to the UK from Sarpsborg in Norway, and settled in Cardiff in the 1880s. His mother came over and married his father in 1911, Dahl was named after the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen. His first language was Norwegian, which he spoke at home with his parents and his sisters Astri, Alfhild, Dahl and his sisters were raised in the Lutheran faith, and were baptised at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff, where their parents worshipped. In 1920, when Dahl was three years old, his sister, Astri, died from appendicitis. Weeks later, his father died of pneumonia at the age of 57, Dahl first attended the Cathedral School, Llandaff. This was known among the five boys as the Great Mouse Plot of 1924, a favourite sweet among British schoolboys between the two World Wars, Dahl would later refer to gobstoppers in his literary creation, Everlasting Gobstopper. Thereafter, he transferred to a school in England, St Peters in Weston-super-Mare. Roalds parents had wanted him to be educated at an English public school and, because of a regular ferry link across the Bristol Channel. His time at St Peters was an unpleasant experience for him and he was very homesick and wrote to his mother every week but never revealed to her his unhappiness. Only after her death in 1967 did he find out that she had saved every single one of his letters, in 2016, to mark the centenary of Dahls birth, his letters to his mother were abridged and broadcast as BBC Radio 4s Book of the Week. Dahl wrote about his time at St Peters in his autobiography Boy, from 1929, he attended Repton School in Derbyshire. There are echoes of these experiences in Dahls writings and his hatred of cruelty
18.
Homer
–
Homer is the name ascribed by the ancient Greeks to the semi-legendary author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems which are the central works of Greek literature. The Odyssey focuses on the home of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. Many accounts of Homers life circulated in classical antiquity, the most widespread being that he was a bard from Ionia. The modern scholarly consensus is that these traditions do not have any historical value, the Homeric question - by whom, when, where and under what circumstances were the Iliad and Odyssey composed - continues to be debated. Broadly speaking, modern scholarly opinion on the authorship question falls into two camps, one group holds that most of the Iliad and the Odyssey is the work of a single poet of genius. The other considers the Homeric poems to be the crystallization of a process of working and re-working by many contributors and it is generally accepted that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century B. C. Most researchers believe that the poems were transmitted orally. The Homeric epics were the greatest influence on ancient Greek culture and education, to Plato, the chronological period of Homer depends on the meaning to be assigned to the word Homer. Was Homer a single person, an imaginary person representing a group of poets and this information is often called the world of Homer. The Homeric period would in that cover a number of historical periods, especially the Mycenaean Age. Considered word-for-word, the texts as we know them are the product of the scholars of the last three centuries. Each edition of the Iliad or Odyssey is a different, as the editors rely on different manuscripts and fragments. The term accuracy reveals a belief in an original uniform text. The manuscripts of the work currently available date to no earlier than the 10th century. These are at the end of a missing thousand-year chain of copies made as each generation of manuscripts disintegrated or were lost or destroyed and these numerous manuscripts are so similar that a single original can be postulated. The time gap in the chain is bridged by the scholia, or notes, on the existing manuscripts, librarian of the Library of Alexandria, he had noticed a wide divergence in the works attributed to Homer, and was trying to restore a more authentic copy. He had collected several manuscripts, which he named, the Sinopic, the one he selected for correction was the koine, which Murray translates as the Vulgate. Aristarchus was known for his selection of material
19.
Boarding school
–
A boarding school is a school at which most or all of the students live during the part of the year that they go to lessons. The word boarding is used in the sense of bed and board, i. e. lodging, some boarding schools also have day students who attend the institution by day and return to their families in the evenings. Many independent schools are boarding schools, Boarding school pupils normally return home during the school holidays and often weekends, but in some cultures may spend most of their childhood and adolescent life away from their families. In the United States, boarding schools comprise various grades, most commonly grades seven or nine through grade twelve—the high school years, other schools are for younger children, grades two through eight. A military school, or military academy, also features military education, in the former Soviet Union schools were introduced, these sometimes are known as Internat-schools. Some schools were a type of specialized school with a focus in a particular field or fields such as mathematics, physics, language, science, sports. Other schools were associated with orphanages after all children enrolled in Internat-school automatically. Also, separate boarding schools were established for children with special needs, general schools offered extended stay programs featuring cheap meals for children and preventing them from coming home too early before parents were back from work. In post-soviet countries, the concept of boarding school differs from country to country, the term boarding school often refers to classic British boarding schools and many boarding schools around the world are modeled on these. A typical boarding school has separate residential houses, either within the school grounds or in the surrounding area. Pupils generally need permission to go outside defined school bounds, they may be allowed to travel off-campus at certain times, depending on country and context, boarding schools generally offer one or more options, full, weekly, or on a flexible schedule. Each may be assisted in the management of the house by a housekeeper often known as matron. In the U. S. boarding schools often have a resident family that lives in the dorm and they also have janitorial staff for maintenance and housekeeping, but typically do not have tutors associated with an individual dorm. Nevertheless, older pupils are often unsupervised by staff, and a system of monitors or prefects gives limited authority to senior pupils, houses readily develop distinctive characters, and a healthy rivalry between houses is often encouraged in sport. Houses may also have common rooms for television and relaxation and kitchens for snacks, some facilities may be shared between several houses or dorms. In others, separate houses accommodate needs of different years or classes, in some schools, day pupils are assigned to a dorm or house for social activities and sports purposes. Each student has a timetable, which in the early years allows little discretion. Boarders and day students are taught together in school hours and in most cases continue beyond the day to include sports, clubs and societies
20.
Witchcraft
–
Witchcraft broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised by individuals and certain social groups. Witchcraft often occupies a religious, divinatory or medicinal role, and is present within societies. The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have existed throughout recorded history and it posits a theosophical conflict between good and evil, where witchcraft was generally evil and often associated with the Devil and Devil worship. Christian views in the day are diverse and cover the gamut of views from intense belief and opposition to non-belief. From the mid-20th century, witchcraft – sometimes called contemporary witchcraft to clearly distinguish it from older beliefs – became the name of a branch of modern paganism and it is most notably practiced in the Wiccan and modern witchcraft traditions, and no longer practices in secrecy. The Western mainstream Christian view is far from the only societal perspective about witchcraft, Beliefs related to witchcraft and magic in these cultures were at times influenced by the prevailing Western concepts. Suspicion of modern medicine due to beliefs about illness being due to witchcraft also continues in countries to this day. HIV/AIDS and Ebola virus disease are two examples of infectious disease epidemics whose medical care and containment has been severely hampered by regional beliefs in witchcraft. Other severe medical conditions whose treatment is hampered in this way include tuberculosis, leprosy, epilepsy, the word witchcraft derives from the Old English wiccecræft, a compound of wicce and cræft. This definition was pioneered in a study of central African magical beliefs by E. E. Evans-Pritchard, European witchcraft is seen by historians and anthropologists as an ideology for explaining misfortune, however, this ideology has manifested in diverse ways, as described below. Some modern commentators believe the malefic nature of witchcraft is a Christian projection, many examples appear in early texts, such as those from ancient Egypt and Babylonia. Malicious magic users can become a cause for disease, sickness in animals, bad luck, sudden death, impotence. Witchcraft of a benign and socially acceptable sort may then be employed to turn the malevolence aside. The folk magic used to identify or protect against malicious magic users is often indistinguishable from that used by the witches themselves, there has also existed in popular belief the concept of white witches and white witchcraft, which is strictly benevolent. Many neopagan witches strongly identify with this concept, and profess ethical codes that prevent them from performing magic on a person without their request. Probably the most obvious characteristic of a witch was the ability to cast a spell, spell being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. A spell could consist of a set of words, a formula or verse, or a ritual action, or any combination of these. Strictly speaking, necromancy is the practice of conjuring the spirits of the dead for divination or prophecy – although the term has also applied to raising the dead for other purposes
21.
Education
–
Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has an effect on the way one thinks, feels. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy, in most regions education is compulsory up to a certain age. Etymologically, the education is derived from the Latin ēducātiō from ēducō which is related to the homonym ēdūcō from ē-. Education began in prehistory, as trained the young in the knowledge. In pre-literate societies this was achieved orally and through imitation, story-telling passed knowledge, values, and skills from one generation to the next. As cultures began to extend their knowledge beyond skills that could be learned through imitation. Schools existed in Egypt at the time of the Middle Kingdom, plato founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in Europe. The city of Alexandria in Egypt, established in 330 BCE, there, the great Library of Alexandria was built in the 3rd century BCE. European civilizations suffered a collapse of literacy and organization following the fall of Rome in CE476, after the Fall of Rome, the Catholic Church became the sole preserver of literate scholarship in Western Europe. The church established cathedral schools in the Early Middle Ages as centres of advanced education, some of these establishments ultimately evolved into medieval universities and forebears of many of Europes modern universities. During the High Middle Ages, Chartres Cathedral operated the famous, founded in 1088, the University of Bologne is considered the first, and the oldest continually operating university. The Renaissance in Europe ushered in a new age of scientific and intellectual inquiry and appreciation of ancient Greek, around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press, which allowed works of literature to spread more quickly. The European Age of Empires saw European ideas of education in philosophy, religion, arts, the Enlightenment saw the emergence of a more secular educational outlook in Europe. In most countries today, full-time education, whether at school or otherwise, is compulsory for all children up to a certain age, formal education occurs in a structured environment whose explicit purpose is teaching students. Usually, formal education takes place in a environment with classrooms of multiple students learning together with a trained, certified teacher of the subject. Most school systems are designed around a set of values or ideals that govern all educational choices in that system, such choices include curriculum, organizational models, design of the physical learning spaces, student-teacher interactions, methods of assessment, class size, educational activities, and more
22.
Sociology
–
Sociology is the study of social behaviour or society, including its origins, development, organisation, networks, and institutions. It is a science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order, disorder. Many sociologists aim to research that may be applied directly to social policy and welfare. Subject matter ranges from the level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems. The traditional focuses of sociology include social stratification, social class, social mobility, religion, secularization, law, sexuality, the range of social scientific methods has also expanded. Social researchers draw upon a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques, the linguistic and cultural turns of the mid-twentieth century led to increasingly interpretative, hermeneutic, and philosophic approaches towards the analysis of society. There is often a great deal of crossover between social research, market research, and other statistical fields, Sociology is distinguished from various general social studies courses, which bear little relation to sociological theory or to social-science research-methodology. The US National Science Foundation classifies sociology as a STEM field, Sociological reasoning pre-dates the foundation of the discipline. Social analysis has origins in the stock of Western knowledge and philosophy. The origin of the survey, i. e, there is evidence of early sociology in medieval Arab writings. The word sociology is derived from both Latin and Greek origins, the Latin word, socius, companion, the suffix -logy, the study of from Greek -λογία from λόγος, lógos, word, knowledge. It was first coined in 1780 by the French essayist Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès in an unpublished manuscript, Sociology was later defined independently by the French philosopher of science, Auguste Comte, in 1838. Comte used this term to describe a new way of looking at society, Comte had earlier used the term social physics, but that had subsequently been appropriated by others, most notably the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet. Comte endeavoured to unify history, psychology and economics through the understanding of the social realm. Comte believed a positivist stage would mark the final era, after conjectural theological and metaphysical phases, Comte gave a powerful impetus to the development of sociology, an impetus which bore fruit in the later decades of the nineteenth century. To say this is not to claim that French sociologists such as Durkheim were devoted disciples of the high priest of positivism. To be sure, beginnings can be traced back well beyond Montesquieu, for example, Marx rejected Comtean positivism but in attempting to develop a science of society nevertheless came to be recognized as a founder of sociology as the word gained wider meaning. For Isaiah Berlin, Marx may be regarded as the father of modern sociology
23.
Philosopher's stone
–
The philosophers stone, or stone of the philosophers is a legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold or silver. It is also able to extend life and called the elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and for achieving immortality, for many centuries. The philosophers stone was the symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment. Efforts to discover the philosophers stone were known as the Magnum Opus, mention of the philosophers stone in writing can be found as far back as Cheirokmeta by Zosimos of Panopolis. Alchemical writers assign a longer history, elias Ashmole and the anonymous author of Gloria Mundi claim that its history goes back to Adam who acquired the knowledge of the stone directly from God. This knowledge was said to be passed down through biblical patriarchs, the legend of the stone was also compared to the biblical history of the Temple of Solomon and the rejected cornerstone described in Psalm 118. The theoretical roots outlining the stone’s creation can be traced to Greek philosophy, alchemists later used the classical elements, the concept of anima mundi, and Creation stories presented in texts like Platos Timaeus as analogies for their process. According to Plato, the four elements are derived from a source or prima materia. Prima materia is also the name alchemists assign to the ingredient for the creation of the philosophers stone. The importance of this philosophical first matter persisted throughout the history of alchemy, in the seventeenth century, Thomas Vaughan writes, the first matter of the stone is the very same with the first matter of all things. The 8th-century Muslim alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan analyzed each classical element in terms of the four basic qualities, fire was both hot and dry, earth cold and dry, water cold and moist, and air hot and moist. He theorized that every metal was a combination of four principles. From this premise, it was reasoned that the transmutation of one metal into another could be affected by the rearrangement of its basic qualities and this change would presumably be mediated by a substance, which came to be called al-iksir in Arabic. It is often considered to exist as a dry red powder made from a legendary stone—the philosophers stone, jabirs theory was based on the concept that metals like gold and silver could be hidden in alloys and ores, from which they could be recovered by the appropriate chemical treatment. Jabir himself is believed to be the inventor of aqua regia, in the 11th century, there was a debate among Muslim world chemists on whether the transmutation of substances was possible. Magnus does not confirm he discovered the stone in his writings, the 16th-century Swiss alchemist Paracelsus believed in the existence of alkahest, which he thought to be an undiscovered element from which all other elements were simply derivative forms. Paracelsus believed that element was, in fact, the philosophers stone. A mystical text published in the 17th century called the Mutus Liber appears to be an instruction manual for concocting a philosophers stone
24.
Rubeus Hagrid
–
In the third novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hagrid is promoted to Care of Magical Creatures teacher, and is later revealed to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Hagrid was among the characters that Rowling says she created on the very first day and she has explained the source of his name as another old English word, meaning – if you were hagrid – it’s a dialect word – you’d had a bad night. Hagrid is a big drinker – he has a lot of bad nights and his first name, Rubeus, was named after red in Latin to reflect alchemy and his paternal contrast to Albus Dumbledore, his passion to Dumbledores asceticism. In her article Harry’s Fame, Rosemary Goring notes the Forest of Dean is an influence on Rowling’s work, according to Goring, Hagrid’s dropped word-endings are a Chepstow speciality. She also claims that Hagrid is physically modeled on the Welsh chapter of Hells Angels who’d swoop down on the town and hog the bar, huge mountains of leather and hair. He was also one of the first characters to imply that the idea of thinking of wizards as pure-bloods and half-bloods is a dated concept, Rowling has stated in an interview that Hagrid was in Gryffindor house during his time as a student. When he comes into possession of an acromantula, he is expelled from Hogwarts as his pet is believed to be the monster of Slytherin, however, persuaded by Dumbledore, Headmaster Armando Dippet agrees to train Hagrid as gamekeeper, allowing the boy to remain at Hogwarts. By the time Harry attends Hogwarts, Hagrid is also the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, part of his job includes leading the first years across the lake in boats, upon their initial arrival at Hogwarts. She said she had planned from early on that Harry would walk to his death accompanied by the ghosts. In her own words, thats what always kept Hagrid safe and she also liked the circular notion of Hagrid both bringing Harry into the world, and then bringing him back from the dead. Hagrid is introduced in the chapter of the first novel. Following the death of James and Lily Potter, Dumbledore entrusts Hagrid with rescuing the infant Harry from his parents house after they have been murdered by Lord Voldemort. Ten years later, he is tasked to bring the Philosopher’s Stone from Gringotts to Hogwarts, Dumbledore also gives him the task of locating Harry, helping him to find his bearings in the wizarding world and to buy his school things. Hagrid is the first member of the Hogwarts staff to be introduced to Harry before he began attending the school, Hagrid later becomes friends with Ron and Hermione as well. Later in the book, a person gives him a dragon egg to elicit details about Fluffy. Readers first discover why Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts in the second novel and it is revealed that Hagrid was a student at Hogwarts at the same time as Tom Marvolo Riddle, the wizard who later became Lord Voldemort. Aragog escapes into the dark forest and starts a colony of spiders, during the events of the second book, the Basilisk is unleashed once again and Hagrid is sent to the prison of Azkaban, as he is believed again to be responsible for the attacks. However, before being arrested, Hagrid tells Harry and Ron to follow the spiders, so that they can meet Aragog, after Harry defeats the Basilisk and uncovers the truth, Hagrid is freed from prison
25.
Order of the Phoenix (fictional organisation)
–
The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organisation in the Harry Potter series of fiction books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the book of the series, Harry Potter. Several characters joined the organisation, seeking to prevent Voldemort from taking over the wizarding world, the Longbottoms were also tortured to insanity at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. Voldemorts first reign of terror ended after the murders of James and Lily Potter, when Harry reported that Voldemort had returned, towards the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore reactivated the Order. Many of the members returned and were soon joined by recruits who effectively replaced those who had died in service during the first conflict. The Order established their headquarters at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Sirius Blacks family home, Dumbledore was the Secret-Keeper for the Order, meaning that only he could reveal the location of the Orders headquarters to others. Dumbledores death on his own request at the hands of Severus Snape in book six made the location vulnerable, the Order led the fight against Voldemort in the fifth instalment while the Minister of Magic refused to accept the return of Voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, some Order members take turns guarding Sybill Trelawneys prophecy, Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts Grounds Keeper and an original Member of the Order, was accompanied by Olympe Maxime in an attempt to recruit the giants to the Orders cause. Some members also participated in a battle at the Department of Mysteries near the end of the fifth book, Order members patrolled Hogwarts, the Wizarding school, on the night of Dumbledores death in Half-Blood Prince, fighting the Death Eaters who managed to enter the castle. In the series finale, attention turns to escorting the Death Eaters main target, Harry Potter, the following characters were members of the Order of the Phoenix during Lord Voldemorts initial rise to power and several years prior to the main events of the Harry Potter series. Many of these characters later served as members of the revived Order and these characters joined the Order when Dumbledore reactivated it after Lord Voldemorts return at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is a list of members of the Order of the Phoenix. Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Rubeus Hagrid have their own pages, minerva McGonagall is listed under Hogwarts staff, Fred and George are listed under Dumbledores Army, and Peter Pettigrew is listed under Death Eater. Sirius Black, nicknamed Padfoot because his Animagus form takes the shape of a dog, is the last heir to the House of Black and he is the older brother of Regulus Arcturus Black and a cousin of Narcissa Malfoy, Andromeda Tonks, and Bellatrix Lestrange. He rejected his familys pure-blood elitism and reverence for the Dark Arts, in contrast to his home life, Sirius greatly enjoyed life at Hogwarts. He was proud of the fact that he was the only Black to be sorted into Gryffindor and he was inseparable from his best friend James Prongs Potter and befriended Remus Moony Lupin and Peter Wormtail Pettigrew. He was mentioned by Rubeus Hagrid in the first novel, but did not appear until the third in the series, Sirius, along with James, bullied Severus Snape while they were at school, nicknaming him Snivellus. Sirius left home at the age of sixteen and took refuge with James and his outraged mother burned his name off the family tree, but he was left financially independent by his Uncle Alphards generous bequest
26.
Fictional universe of Harry Potter
–
The fictional universe of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two distinct societies, the Wizarding World and the Muggle world. Any new works taking place in this universe are released under the J. K. Rowlings Wizarding World brand, the depiction of the Wizarding World is centered on magic, which not only imbues objects such as wands, but is portrayed as an inborn ability. It is also centered on the separation of the world from the non-wizarding world. Despite being an inherent talent, magic is honed through study of branches of magic. A great deal of effort is expended in keeping the Muggles unaware of magic, exceptions to the secrecy include wizards Muggle relatives and the high political leaders, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for instance. Some aspects of the Wizarding World are depicted as being less-than-modern in comparison to the Muggle world, if one has instant access to magical power, the development of modern technology and science in the Wizarding World would seem to be almost unnecessary. However, a number of technologically complex devices do exist. Such examples are rare, however, wizards rarely make use of Muggle technology, nor do they have much interest in doing so, pure-blood Wizards are baffled by how Muggle technology works and most have no interest in understanding it. Muggle Studies classes are offered at Hogwarts for those students with an interest, the Wizarding World has also not embraced modern Muggle modes of information collection and transfer. For instance, instead of pen/pencil, paper and electronic equipment like computers, Hogwarts students use ink-dipped quills and parchment to take notes and do their homework. Money is also old-fashioned, when Muggle Britain was decimalised in 1971, Magical Britons continued with their system of 17 silver Sickles to a gold Galleon, many aspects of the British Wizarding World have Muggle equivalents. For example, after reaching age of 17 wizards can be licensed to apparate, while Muggles can learn, in the fifth and seventh years of Hogwarts or Muggle secondary school, external examinations take place. Some aspects of Muggle pop culture are also mirrored in the Wizarding World such as music, posters. Wizards and witches who are Muggle-born, or are half-bloods find it easier to integrate into Muggle society, Gryffindor student Dean Thomas has frequent references to the adorning of his part of the dormitory with posters of West Ham United Football Club. Albus Dumbledore has expressed interest in Muggle knitting patterns and ten pin bowling, there is no separate magical land in the Harry Potter universe. The wizarding world not only alongside the world of Muggles. Only one settlement in Britain, the village of Hogsmeade, is home to an entirely magical population, the vast majority of witches and wizards locations are integrated within the wider non-magical area. Wizards will often live in communities of several families within Muggle villages such as Godrics Hollow in the West Country or Tinworth in Cornwall
27.
Places in Harry Potter
–
J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, the Weasleys home, known as the Burrow, is located outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole, also near the home of the Lovegoods, the Diggorys and the Fawcetts. The Weasley house has seven floors and it is also quite dilapidated, managing to remain standing only by magic. Despite the houses appearance, Harry remarks on his first visit that it was the best house he had ever been in. The well-hidden orchard nearby doubles as a Quidditch pitch for the Weasley boys, a multitude of garden gnomes infests the garden of the Burrow. Godrics Hollow is a village located in the West Country of England. It is noted for being home to a community like several other villages such as Ottery St Catchpole. The village was the home and final hiding place of James and it was at this time that their baby son, Harry, was left with his lightning bolt-shaped scar. Godrics Hollow was the home of James Potters family, and the home of long-dead Hogwarts founder Godric Gryffindor, after expressing his interest in returning to Godrics Hollow to visit his parents graves, Harry does so in the company of Hermione Granger. Dumbledores mother Kendra moved her family to Godrics Hollow after her husband, other notable residents of the village include Bowman Wright and Bathilda Bagshot, author of A History of Magic. Rowling was questioned in an interview for BBC Newsround and implicitly confirmed the connection between Godrics Hollow and Godric Gryffindor and this connection was also stated outright by Hermione in the final book of the series. Invisible to Muggles, the remains of Harrys old house are found at the end of the main street. Although the village first appears in Goblet of Fire, the volume in the series, it is not described until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The village occupies the floor of a valley, bounded by steep hills, not far from the larger settlement of Great Hangleton. Above the village on one side of the valley are a church, a cemetery and the Riddle House, the former estate of the aristocratic Riddle family and at one time the finest house in the village. It first appears in the opening of Goblet of Fire as the location of Frank Bryces murder and it is believed to be held by a rich man for tax purposes, although this is in reality to keep it from being sold or torn down. During his time as student, Tom Marvolo Riddle murdered his father, the Gaunt cottage is set in a copse alongside a winding road which climbed out of the valley. In Goblet of Fire, Voldemort and Harry fight in the graveyard of Little Hangleton, Little Whinging is a fictitious town in Surrey, England, located to the south of London
28.
London King's Cross railway station
–
Kings Cross railway station, also known as London Kings Cross, is a central London railway terminus on the northern edge of the city. It is one of the busiest railway stations in the United Kingdom, the station was opened in 1852 by the Great Northern Railway in the Kings Cross area to accommodate the East Coast Main Line. It quickly grew to cater for services and was expanded several times in the 19th century. It came under ownership of the London and North Eastern Railway as part of the Big Four grouping in 1923, who introduced famous services such as the Flying Scotsman and Mallard. The station complex was redeveloped in the 1970s, simplifying the layout and providing electric suburban services, in the late 20th century, the area around the station became known for its seedy and downmarket character, and was used as a backdrop for several films as a result. Adjacent to Kings Cross station is St. Pancras International, the London terminus for Eurostar services to continental Europe, beneath both main line stations is Kings Cross St. Pancras on the London Underground, and combined they form one of the countrys largest transport hubs. The Kings Cross fire at the station in 1987 led to improved fire safety standards across the London rail network. The station is located on the London Inner Ring Road at the end of Euston Road, next to the junction with Pentonville Road, Grays Inn Road. To the west, at the side of Pancras Road, is St Pancras railway station. Several London bus routes, including 10,30,59,73,91,205,390,476 pass in front of or at the side of the station, Kings Cross is spelled both with and without an apostrophe. Kings Cross is used in signage at the Network Rail and London Underground stations, on the tube map and it has been used on official maps from Underground companies since 1951 – the apostrophe was used on them only very rarely before then. Kings Cross is used in the National Rail timetable database and other National Rail railway pages, Kings X, Kings + and London KX are abbreviations used in space-limited contexts. The National Rail station code is KGX, the area of Kings Cross was previously a village known as Battle Bridge which was an ancient crossing of the River Fleet, originally known as Broad Ford, later Bradford Bridge. The river flowed along what is now the west side of Pancras Road until it was rerouted underground in 1825, the name Battle Bridge is linked to tradition that this was the site of a major battle between the Romans and the British Iceni tribe led by Boudica. According to folklore, Kings Cross is the site of Boudicas final battle, platforms 9 and 10 have been suggested as possible sites. Boudicas ghost is also reported to haunt passages under the station, Kings Cross station was built in 1851–1852 as the London hub of the Great Northern Railway and terminus of the East Coast main line. It replaced a station next to Maiden Lane that had been quickly constructed with the lines arrival in London in 1850. The station took its name from the area of London, named after a monument to King George IV that was demolished in 1845
29.
Ron Weasley
–
Ronald Bilius Ron Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and he is a member of the Weasley family, a pure blood family, who reside in The Burrow outside Ottery St. Catchpole. Along with Harry and Hermione, he is a member of the Gryffindor house, Ron is present in most of the action throughout the series. According to Rowling, Ron was among the characters she created the very first day, Ron is inspired by Rowlings best friend Sean Harris, but she has clearly stated that she never set out to describe Sean in Ron, but Ron has a Sean-ish turn of phrase. Like Harris is to Rowling, Ron is always there when Harry needs him, some of Rons qualities serve as foils to Harry. While Harry is an orphan with more gold than he needs, Ron comes from a loving but poor family, many of his possessions are hand-me-downs. Harry is famous but would prefer to avoid the spotlight, Ron, in comparison, is perceived as a mere lackey. Finally, Ron is the most mediocre of his siblings, being neither an excellent Quidditch player, All these factors have combined to cause Ron serious insecurities, this inferiority complex, and his need to prove himself, is the main thrust of his character arc. Rowling first introduces Ron with his family in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Harry is lost at Kings Cross railway station and the Weasleys guide him through the barrier of Platform 9¾ into the wizarding world. Ron and Harry share a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, and they begin their friendship, Ron fascinated with the famous Harry, Ron and Harry share the same classes throughout the series, and generally have similar academic successes and disappointments. Ron plays a part in the quest to save the Philosophers Stone. His strategy at Wizards Chess allows Hermione and Harry to proceed safely through a dangerous life-size, during the game, Ron allows his piece to be sacrificed and is subsequently knocked unconscious. These last-minute points help support Gryffindors win of the House Cup, the second instalment, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, takes place the year following the events of the Philosophers Stone. During the summer, Ron attempts to write to Harry several times and he receives no reply because Dobby the house elf is stopping Harrys wizard mail. Ron becomes so concerned that he and his brothers Fred and George fly their fathers enchanted Ford Anglia car to Harrys home at his aunt, Harry spends the next month at the Weasleys home, The Burrow. While attempting to depart from Kings Cross station, Harry and Ron find themselves unable to enter the barrier to access Platform 9¾, with Harry, Ron conceives the idea of taking the flying Ford Anglia to Hogwarts. The plan is successful, but the Anglia loses power at the end of the journey, Ron receives a Howler from his mother, berating him for taking the car. Later Ron is forced to come face-to-face with his worst nightmare, spiders, in the Forbidden Forest, giant spiders nearly devour the two of them, but the Weasley Ford Anglia returns from the Forbidden Forest and rescues the pair
30.
Hermione Granger
–
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. She first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and Ron save her from a troll in the girls toilets, she becomes best friends with them and often uses her quick wit, deft recall. Rowling has stated that Hermione resembles herself at an age, with her insecurity. Hermione Jean Granger is a Muggle-born, Gryffindor student who becomes best friends with Harry Potter, Rowling states that she was born on 19 September 1979 and she was nearly twelve when she first attended Hogwarts. She is an overachiever who excels academically, and is described by Rowling as a logical, upright. Rowling adds that Hermiones parents, two Muggle dentists, are a bit bemused by their odd daughter but very proud of her all the same and they are well aware of the wizarding world and have visited Diagon Alley with her. Rowling confirmed in a 2004 interview that Hermione is an only child, Rowling has described the character of Luna Lovegood as the anti-Hermione as they are so different. Hermiones foil at Hogwarts is Pansy Parkinson, a based on real-life girls who teased the author during her school days. Rowling stated that the character of Hermione carries several autobiographical influences, I did not set out to make Hermione like me but she is. she is an exaggeration of how I was when I was younger. She recalled being called a little know-it-all in her youth, moreover, she states that not unlike herself, there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure beneath Hermiones swottiness. Rowling also states that her feminist conscience is saved by Hermione and her original last name was Puckle, but Rowling felt the name did not suit her at all, and so the less frivolous Granger made it into the books. Hermione first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone when she meets Harry, here Hermione condemns Ron for his inability to perform a spell to turn his rat yellow. She proves just how much she knows by declaring that she memorized all the textbooks by heart and she constantly annoys her peers with her knowledge, so Harry and Ron initially consider her arrogant, especially after she criticises Rons incantation of the Levitation Charm. They heartily dislike her until they rescue her from a troll, for which she is so thankful that she lies to them from punishment. Hermione is the brains behind the plan to enter the place where the Stone is hidden and she responds to Harrys wariness of Professor Severus Snape and is also suspicious of him. She reveals to Harry and Ron that she does a lot of research in the library and she concocts the Polyjuice Potion needed for the trio to disguise themselves as Dracos housemates to collect information about the Heir of Slytherin who has reopened the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione is Petrified by the basilisk after successfully identifying the creature through library research, though she lies incapacitated in the hospital wing, her information is crucial to Harry and Ron in their successful mission to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets
31.
Draco Malfoy
–
Draco Lucius Malfoy is a character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. He is a student in Harry Potters year belonging in the Slytherin house and he is frequently accompanied by his two cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who act as henchmen. Draco is characterised as a bully who manipulates and hurts people to get what he wants, nevertheless. He was played by Tom Felton in the Harry Potter film series, Draco serves as a foil to the hero, Harry Potter and is loosely based on bullies Rowling encountered during her school days. Harry first encounters Dracos snobbish bigotry after their encounter at Madam Malkins. Rowling uses the Malfoys to introduce themes of intolerance and bigotry into a setting where people are judged solely by their blood lineage rather than their good character or accomplishments. Harrys first impression that the Wizarding community is a magical wonderland is instantly shattered, says Rowling, found out that many people in power in the wizarding world are just as corrupt and nasty as they are in our world. Malfoy was originally named Draco Spungen in the earliest drafts of Philosophers Stone, Spungen also appeared on her pre-canon class list, but it was crossed out and replaced with the surname Spinks, while Malfoy was later added after the completion of the list. Philip Nel believes that Malfoy is derived from the French phrase mal foi, in an article published in 2002, Nilsen and Nilsen argue that Draco has connotations with draconian, and that his name starts with mal, a French prefix for bad or evil. Many of Dracos relatives on his mothers side of the family are named for stars or constellations, Draco Malfoy eventually named his son for yet another constellation, Scorpius. Draco Malfoy makes his first appearance in the series when he and Harry meet while being fitted for school robes at Madam Malkins, Harry, however, is alienated by the arrogance of Draco, who asks whether the orphans parents are our kind. Draco then proclaims that the other sort should not be allowed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the two boys part without introductions, but meet again on the Hogwarts Express. After Draco ridicules Ron Weasleys family, Harry rejects his offer of friendship, demonstrated by a handshake, and their mutual antagonism is born. According to Rowling, Malfoy originally makes an effort to be Harrys friend because it will be cool to turn up at the school being Harry Potters friend, because Harry is so famous. However, Harry did not want Malfoy as a friend because he has been so rude about Rubeus Hagrid and about Ron, who Harry likes so much. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Draco becomes the new Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team after his father, Lucius Malfoy, donates new, high-quality Nimbus 2001 broomsticks. When Hermione Granger comments that the Gryffindor players made the team through talent and not bribery and this provokes an immediate, violent response from Ron Weasley. Because of Dracos contempt for Muggle-borns, Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect that Draco is the Heir of Slytherin, who has recently reopened the Chamber of Secrets
32.
Magical objects in Harry Potter
–
The following is a list of magical objects used in the Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger creates fake, due to the coins being infused with a Protean Charm, once Harry Potter alters his, every coin changes to suit. The coins grow hot when the change to alert the members to look at their coins. Draco reveals he got the idea from Hermiones DA coins, which were inspired by Lord Voldemorts use of the Dark Mark to communicate with his Death Eaters. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Neville Longbottom uses the DAs coins to alert people such as Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley that Harry, Ron and they then arrive at the Room of Requirement to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2,1998. A Howler is a letter sent to signify extreme anger or to convey a message very loudly and publicly. When it is opened, the voice, which has been magically magnified to a deafening volume, bellows a message at the recipient. If it is not opened or there is a delay in opening it, the letter smolders, explodes violently, and shouts the message out even louder than normal. In the film version, the Howler folds itself into a set of lips and eyes. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ron Weasley receives a Howler from his mother, Molly Weasley, after he steals his fathers enchanted car and flies it to Hogwarts with Harry. Neville Longbottom confessed that he once got a Howler from his grandmother, stating that he ignored it, subsequently, Neville receives another Howler from his grandmother after Sirius Black uses his list of passwords to enter the Gryffindor Common Room in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Hermione receives one in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire after Rita Skeeter publishes an article about the relationship between Hermione and Harry. In the film Harry receives a Howler from Mafalda Hopkirk to announce he has been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic outside school. A Deluminator is a device invented by Albus Dumbledore that resembles a cigarette lighter and it is used to remove or absorb the light from any light source to provide cover to the user. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Dumbledore uses the Deluminator to darken Privet Drive and it was next seen in Order of the Phoenix where Dumbledore loans the Deluminator to Moody, who uses it when transporting Harry from the Dursleys home to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. In Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore uses the Deluminator again to darken Privet Drive before collecting Harry, in Deathly Hallows, it is bequeathed to Ron by Dumbledore. After Ron had left his friends in anger, the Deluminator demonstrated an additional capability, Rowling stated that Dumbledore left it to Ron because he believed he might have needed a little more guidance than Harry and Hermione. Within the Harry Potter universe, an invisibility cloak is used to make the wearer invisible, all are very rare and expensive, and may be spun from pelts of the Demiguise, magical herbivores that are found in the Far East
33.
Severus Snape
–
Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. He is characterised as a person of great complexity, whose coldly sarcastic and controlled exterior conceals deep emotions, in the first novel of the series, Snape is a teacher who is hostile from the start toward Harry. As the series progresses, Snapes character becomes more layered and enigmatic, Rowling does not fully reveal the details of his true loyalties until the end of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Over the course of the series, Snapes portrayal evolves from that of a malicious and partisan teacher to that of a character of considerable intricacy. In the series, Snape is an exceptionally skilful wizard who primarily teaches Potions at Hogwarts school, in the sixth novel, he teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts, a position which he was known to have desired throughout the series. He ultimately becomes Headmaster of Hogwarts in the novel, after killing Dumbledore at the end of the sixth book. In the books epilogue, Harry describes Snape as probably the bravest man I ever knew, the character was widely acclaimed by readers and critics, Rowling described him as a gift of a character whose story she had known since the first book. Actor Alan Rickman portrayed Snape in all eight Harry Potter films, in an interview, Rowling described Snapes character as an antihero. However, she does suggest in the books that he is generally an effective teacher, for Snapes surname, Rowling borrowed the name of the village of Snape, Suffolk. In a 1999 interview and again in 2004, Rowling singled out Snape as one of her characters to write. Rowling was less forthcoming about Snape than she was for other characters, because his true loyalties, however, she hinted numerous times at Snapes important role, suggesting that people should keep their eye on Snape. In 1999, answering a question regarding Snapes love life and the pattern to his character. Rowling also disclosed that after the publication of Prisoner of Azkaban, there was one fan who guessed Snape loved Lily Potter. After the completion of the series, Rowling began to speak openly about Snape, Rowling said the series is built around, and maintained that she always knew what Snape would turn out to be at the end and that she carefully plotted his storyline throughout the series. I had to drop all the way through because as you know in the seventh book when you have the revelation scene where everything shifts. Rowling further said in an interview that she wanted Snape to find redemption and forgiveness, Snape is a complicated man. he was a human being. Harry forgives him. Harry really sees the good in Snape ultimately, I wanted there to be redemption. Snape first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, shortly after Harry arrives at Hogwarts and he is the schools Potions Master, though he is widely rumoured to covet the Defence Against the Dark Arts post
34.
Florence
–
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the Metropolitan City of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants, Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time. It is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, from 1865 to 1871 the city was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy. The Historic Centre of Florence attracts 13 million tourists each year and it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture, the city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florences artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, in 2008, the city had the 17th highest average income in Italy. Florence originated as a Roman city, and later, after a period as a flourishing trading and banking medieval commune. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, it was politically, economically, and culturally one of the most important cities in Europe, the language spoken in the city during the 14th century was, and still is, accepted as the Italian language. Starting from the late Middle Ages, Florentine money—in the form of the gold florin—financed the development of all over Europe, from Britain to Bruges, to Lyon. Florentine bankers financed the English kings during the Hundred Years War and they similarly financed the papacy, including the construction of their provisional capital of Avignon and, after their return to Rome, the reconstruction and Renaissance embellishment of Rome. Florence was home to the Medici, one of European historys most important noble families, Lorenzo de Medici was considered a political and cultural mastermind of Italy in the late 15th century. Two members of the family were popes in the early 16th century, Leo X, catherine de Medici married king Henry II of France and, after his death in 1559, reigned as regent in France. Marie de Medici married Henry IV of France and gave birth to the future king Louis XIII, the Medici reigned as Grand Dukes of Tuscany, starting with Cosimo I de Medici in 1569 and ending with the death of Gian Gastone de Medici in 1737. The Etruscans initially formed in 200 BC the small settlement of Fiesole and it was built in the style of an army camp with the main streets, the cardo and the decumanus, intersecting at the present Piazza della Repubblica. Situated along the Via Cassia, the route between Rome and the north, and within the fertile valley of the Arno, the settlement quickly became an important commercial centre. Peace returned under Lombard rule in the 6th century, Florence was conquered by Charlemagne in 774 and became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as capital. The population began to again and commerce prospered
35.
Albus Dumbledore
–
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts, as part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore is portrayed by Richard Harris in the adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and Harry Potter. After Harris death, Michael Gambon portrayed Dumbledore for all of the remaining films, Rowling stated she chose the name Dumbledore, which is an Early Modern English word for bumblebee, because of Dumbledores love of music, she imagined him walking around humming to himself a lot. The author has stated that she enjoys writing Dumbledore because he is the epitome of goodness, Rowling said that Dumbledore speaks for her, as he knows pretty much everything about the Harry Potter universe. Rowling mentioned that Dumbledore regrets that he has always had to be the one who knew, and he would rather not know. As a mentor to the central character Harry Potter, Dumbledore is a wise man who knows that Harry is going to have to learn a few hard lessons to prepare him for what may be coming in his life. He allows Harry to get into what he wouldnt allow another pupil to do, in a 1999 interview, Rowling stated that she imagined Dumbledore more as a John Gielgud type, you know, quite elderly and – and quite stately. During his time as a student, Dumbledore was in Gryffindor House, Rowling said in an interview that Dumbledore was about 150 years old. However, on her website, she states that Dumbledore was born in 1881, on 19 October 2007, Rowling was asked by a young fan whether Dumbledore finds true love. He led a celibate and a bookish life, in the opening chapter of the first novel of the series, Dumbledore arrives at number four, Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. When the evil wizard Lord Voldemort kills Harrys parents before being reduced to a form, Dumbledore decides to place the now-orphaned Harry in the home of Vernon. This old magic of binding love renders Voldemort incapable of touching Harry, Dumbledore leaves Harry upon the doorstep of the Dursley home with a letter explaining the situation. He departs with the phrase, Good luck, Harry. When Harry arrives at Hogwarts, Dumbledore tells him about the secrets of the Mirror of Erised, claiming that when he looks into it, he sees himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks. Harry later recalls in the book that this was probably the only dishonest answer Dumbledore ever gave him. He is also responsible for somehow enchanting the Mirror so that it hides the Philosophers Stone and only someone who looked into the Mirror, but not use it would receive it, as anybody else would only see themselves using the Stone due to the Mirrors special magic. He also has a conversation with Harry after the events down in the dungeons
36.
Quidditch
–
In the fantasy world of the Harry Potter childrens novels and movies, Quidditch /ˈkwɪdɪtʃ/ is a magical competitive sport involving flying contestants. Matches are played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks, using four balls, a Quaffle, two Bludgers, and a Golden Snitch, six ring-shaped goals are situated atop poles of different heights, three on each side of the pitch. It is a rough but very popular semi-contact sport, played by wizards. In the Wizarding World of the Harry Potter universe, Quidditch has a fervent fan following, Harry Potter plays an important position for his house team at Hogwarts, he is the Seeker and becomes the team captain in his sixth year at school. Regional and international Quidditch competitions are mentioned throughout the series, in Goblet of Fire, Quidditch at Hogwarts is cancelled for the Triwizard Tournament, but Harry and the Weasleys attend the Quidditch World Cup. Harry has owned two broomsticks, the Nimbus 2000 and the Firebolt, both of which are lost by the series end, the game has been adopted in the real world. In this game the players have brooms but run instead of flying, Quidditch matches are played on an oval-shaped,500 feet long and 180 feet wide pitch, with a small central circle approximately 2 feet in diameter. At each end stand three hooped goal posts, each at a different height, one at 30 ft, one at 40 ft, and one at 50 ft, comprising the scoring area. There is also a line that shows mid-field, which is 250 ft. Quidditch fields have white shaded areas around the goalposts, to mark the scoring area, both the Hogwarts and World Cup pitches have been shown turfed with grass. The surface is used primarily for launching off at the beginning of the game, Seekers, who sometimes fly close to the pitch surface, can be tricked into crashing into the surface occasionally at great speed. The Quaffle is spherical in shape, scarlet in colour, and approximately 12 inches in diameter and it is explained in Quidditch Through the Ages that the Quaffle is enchanted to fall very slowly through the air when dropped to prevent players from having to continuously dive to retrieve it. The backstory of Quidditch explains that the red colour was instituted to create a stronger contrast between the Quaffle and mud, the Quaffle is also enchanted to make it easy to grip with only one hand. Only one Quaffle is used in a game, and if a Chaser throws it through a hoop they score 10 points for their team, the Gryffindor team Chasers are Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. The two Bludgers are round, jet black balls made of iron, a Bludger is 10 inches in diameter. They are described as being bewitched to fly without any means of propulsion, although they do retain inertia. They act as obstacles, flying around the pitch and trying indiscriminately to knock players off their brooms. The Beaters carry short wooden clubs, which use to knock the Bludgers away from their teammates and/or toward the opposing team. The Bludgers do most of the damage in the game of Quidditch, they will occasionally injure players, a correctly bewitched Bludger with no jinxes will not side with a team, they will instead alternate players after they try and knock a player from one team off their broom
37.
Dumbledore's Army
–
Dumbledores Army is a fictional student organisation in J. K. It was founded in the book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This theory-only approach is widely unpopular among the students, especially those characters like Harry, exams on the subject later in the year. Harry also believes that lack of practical experience makes them vulnerable to Lord Voldemorts forces. This prompts Hermione to suggest founding a student group where Harry would teach practical Defence Against the Dark Arts, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Neville and Luna are distraught due to the fact that the D. A. no longer exists. When Hogwarts is invaded by Death Eaters, they are among the members who join the Order of the Phoenix in the ensuing battle. A, however, Luna is abducted and Ginny leaves school, leaving Neville as the D. A. s leader. The group thereafter hide from the Death Eaters in the Room of Requirement, the D. A. believed that if Harry returned hed lead them in a revolution against Snape and the Carrows and are disappointed when he initially refuses to let them help. In the books climax, the D. A. plays an important role in the Battle of Hogwarts, twenty years later, they still wage hopeless resistance against the all-powerful Voldemort, clandestinely helped by Severus Snape - in this reality still alive and still teaching at Hogwarts. Eventually, these remnants of Dumbledores Army sacrifice themselves to cover the escape of Scorpius Malfoy, Hannah Abbott is a Hufflepuff student in Harrys year, described as pink-faced with blonde hair worn in pigtails. W. L. Exams, and has to be given a Calming Draught and she is among the six D. A. members who prevent Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle from ambushing Harry aboard the Hogwarts Express at the end of the term. The adult Hannah becomes the landlady of The Leaky Cauldron, and has married Neville Longbottom, charlotte Skeoch played Hannah in the film adaptations of Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire, and voiced the character in the Order of the Phoenix video game. Katie Bell is a Gryffindor student who joins the Quidditch team in her year as a Chaser. She nonetheless succeeds in retaining her spot as Chaser alongside newcomers Ginny Weasley, in Half-Blood Prince, Malfoy secretly attempts to use Katie to deliver a fatally-cursed necklace to Dumbledore. Madam Rosmerta, whom he has placed under the Imperius Curse, herself puts Katie under the Imperius Curse, in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, in order to deliver it. Whilst arguing about the package with her friend Leanne, Katie ends up accidentally touching the necklace through the package and is badly cursed. Katie returns fully healed to participate in Gryffindors Quidditch Cup final win over Ravenclaw, in Deathly Hallows, she reunites with Oliver, Alicia and Angelina to assist the D. A. in the Battle of Hogwarts. Katie was portrayed by Emily Dale in a part in the first two films. Susan Bones is a Hufflepuff student in Harrys year who wears her hair in a long plait down her back
38.
Wand
–
A wand is a thin, hand-held stick or rod made of wood, stone, ivory, or metals like gold or silver. A stick giving length and leverage is perhaps the earliest and simplest of tools, long versions of the magic wand are usually styled in forms of staves or scepters, often with designs or an orb of a gemstone forged on the top. In ecclesiastical and formal government ceremonial, special officials may carry a wand of office or staff of office representing their power, compare in this context the function of the ceremonial mace, the sceptre, and the staff of office. Its age may be greater, as Stone Age cave paintings show figures holding sticks. The wand is also a unit of length used in the British Isles equal to approximately the modern metre. The wand survived for a time under the Normans, then when the yard was established, the wand came to be known as the yard and the hand, and then disappeared, either slowly or by being banned by law. Thus a true wand would be 1 m in length and not 30 cm, in classical Greco-Roman mythology, the god Hermes/Mercury has a special wand called a caduceus. Six to eight-foot-long staves with metal tips adorning them are carried in Freemasonry during rituals of the Craft. Ceremonial uses may have several wands for different purposes, such as the Fire Wand, in Zoroastrianism, there is a similar ritual implement called a barsom. While an athame is generally used to command, a wand is seen as gentle and is used to invite or encourage. Though traditionally made of wood, they can also consist of metal or crystal, in Wicca the wand usually represents the element air, or sometimes fire, although contemporary wand makers also create wands for the elements of earth and water. The wand is most often used by Neopagans, Wiccans, Shamans and others in rituals, healing, there is some scholarly opinion that the magic wand may have its roots as a symbol of the phallus. Wands is also name for the suit of Staves, Batons or Rods. It is normally associated with the element of fire, representing creative energy, passion, confidence, in music, the term sometimes applies to the modern model of conductors baton. In literary language, wand can be a synonym for rod as an implement for corporal punishment, in the sense, either a multiple rod or a single branch. Based on their symbolism, stage magicians often use magic wands as part of their misdirection. These wands are traditionally short and black, with tips, if deprived of his magic wand. A magic wand may be transformed into items, grow, vanish, move, display a will of its own
39.
Professor Dumbledore
–
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts, as part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore is portrayed by Richard Harris in the adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and Harry Potter. After Harris death, Michael Gambon portrayed Dumbledore for all of the remaining films, Rowling stated she chose the name Dumbledore, which is an Early Modern English word for bumblebee, because of Dumbledores love of music, she imagined him walking around humming to himself a lot. The author has stated that she enjoys writing Dumbledore because he is the epitome of goodness, Rowling said that Dumbledore speaks for her, as he knows pretty much everything about the Harry Potter universe. Rowling mentioned that Dumbledore regrets that he has always had to be the one who knew, and he would rather not know. As a mentor to the central character Harry Potter, Dumbledore is a wise man who knows that Harry is going to have to learn a few hard lessons to prepare him for what may be coming in his life. He allows Harry to get into what he wouldnt allow another pupil to do, in a 1999 interview, Rowling stated that she imagined Dumbledore more as a John Gielgud type, you know, quite elderly and – and quite stately. During his time as a student, Dumbledore was in Gryffindor House, Rowling said in an interview that Dumbledore was about 150 years old. However, on her website, she states that Dumbledore was born in 1881, on 19 October 2007, Rowling was asked by a young fan whether Dumbledore finds true love. He led a celibate and a bookish life, in the opening chapter of the first novel of the series, Dumbledore arrives at number four, Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. When the evil wizard Lord Voldemort kills Harrys parents before being reduced to a form, Dumbledore decides to place the now-orphaned Harry in the home of Vernon. This old magic of binding love renders Voldemort incapable of touching Harry, Dumbledore leaves Harry upon the doorstep of the Dursley home with a letter explaining the situation. He departs with the phrase, Good luck, Harry. When Harry arrives at Hogwarts, Dumbledore tells him about the secrets of the Mirror of Erised, claiming that when he looks into it, he sees himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks. Harry later recalls in the book that this was probably the only dishonest answer Dumbledore ever gave him. He is also responsible for somehow enchanting the Mirror so that it hides the Philosophers Stone and only someone who looked into the Mirror, but not use it would receive it, as anybody else would only see themselves using the Stone due to the Mirrors special magic. He also has a conversation with Harry after the events down in the dungeons
40.
Gamekeeper
–
Today, some five thousand full-time gamekeepers are employed in the UK, compared to as many as 10,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, there are people who spend their leisure time and money rearing game. There are several variations in gamekeeping, Lowland keepers, rearing pheasant and partridge, upland keepers, managing moorland for grouse in upland areas. Stalkers, keepers who specialise in the pursuit of deer. Gillies/river keepers, keepers who manage rivers such as the River Spey for trout, Gamekeepers and country sports enthusiasts hold that gamekeeping is an essential part of countryside conservation. Two thirds of the UK rural landmass is managed for shooting, the shooting industry creates £1.6 billion. £250 million is spent on conservation as a result of shooting, the League Against Cruel Sports estimates some 12,300 wild mammals and birds are killed on UK shooting estates every day and sees gamekeepers as playing a key role in the destruction of wildlife. On the other hand, the industry says that gamekeepers are vital wildlife conservation workers in the countryside. The National Gamekeepers Organisation claims that nine times as much of the British countryside is looked after by gamekeepers as is in nature reserves, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has criticised the poisoning of birds of prey on some shooting estates. This is probably the most controversial of all surrounding the gamekeeper. However, this is now rarer than in its heyday, due to knowledge of the ecology of birds of prey. The red kite is now widespread in England and Wales owing to persecution until recent years and it survived in South Wales and the increase in numbers was enhanced by controlled releases of birds in empty areas. The SGA chairman is Alex Hogg, a gamekeeper from Scotland, in 1997, the National Gamekeepers Organisation was set up for the same reasons and in addition they felt that the main shooting association was not representing the keepers properly. The NGO now has some 15,000 members, the NGO continue to promote gamekeeping, stalking, shooting and fishing. Its chairman is Lindsay Waddell, a gamekeeper from Co, the NGO also have dedicated moorland and deer branches. Some colleges in the UK now offer courses in gamekeeping up to, one of these is the Northern School of Game and Wildlife at Newton Rigg, Cumbria, England. The Elmwood Campus of Fife College in Cupar, Fife is Scotlands main gamekeeping college, the main campus for attaining both NC and HNC levels in gamekeepeing for south Scotland is borders college. Conservation officer Game preservation Game warden Gamekeepers thumb North American Game Warden Museum Alec Scudder in Maurice by E. M. Forster Mellors in Lady Chatterleys Lover by D. H. g
41.
Hogwarts staff
–
The following fictional characters are staff members and denizens of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books written by J. K. Rowling. The following are notable teachers and staff members who do not have their own articles or who are not listed in other articles, argus Filch is the caretaker of Hogwarts. While he is not a character, he is ill-tempered, which makes him unpopular with the student body. He tends to favour almost sadistically harsh punishments, leading to his alliance with Umbridge and he has an obsessive dislike of mud, animate toys, and all other things that might interfere with his creation of an immaculately clean and orderly Hogwarts. He is also portrayed as having a constant antagonism towards Peeves the poltergeist and he also likes to wander Hogwarts corridors at night, presumably in the hope of catching a student out of bed. Filch is revealed to be a Squib in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Harry accidentally discovers that he is trying to teach himself basic magic from a Kwikspell correspondence course. Nonetheless, Filch is at least able to use wizarding devices that have their own magic, such as the Secrecy Sensor used in Harry Potter. It is hinted that his dislike of students may stem from his disappointment, in the Half Blood Prince, Harry and Hermione jokingly suspect that he is in a relationship with Irma Pince, the librarian at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book and he is later seen overseeing the evacuation of younger students. Filch has a cat named Mrs Norris to whom he has a particular and she acts as a hallway monitor or spy for Filch. If she observes students engaging in activity or out of bed after curfew, she finds Filch. She has been known to follow Hagrid everywhere he goes in the school, Rowling, there is nothing particularly magical about Mrs Norris, other than her being just an intelligent cat. Its the ambition of many Hogwarts students to give her a good kick, in the Chamber of Secrets incident, Mrs Norris is temporarily petrified by the Basilisk, which causes Filch extreme distress. David Bradley portrays Filch in the film series, Mrs Norris was played by a Maine Coon cat named Peebles. Filius Flitwick is the Charms Master at Hogwarts and the head of Ravenclaw house and he is described as being a very short, dwarf-like person. He is also mentioned as having been a student and a former duelling champion. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone he uses his skills to help decorate the Great Hall for Christmas. During Harrys second year, Flitwick helps Professor Sinistra carry a petrified Justin Finch-Fletchley to the hospital wing
42.
Bun (hairstyle)
–
A bun can be secured with a barrette, bobby pins, one or more hair sticks, a hairnet, or a pen or pencil. Hair may also be wrapped around a piece called a rat, alternatively, hair bun inserts, or sometimes rolled up socks, may also be used to create donut-shaped buns. Buns may be gathered, or loose and more informal. Double or pigtail buns are often called odango, which is also a type of Japanese dumpling and they also wear two pigtails of hair that hang down from the two spherical buns, but this is not universal to the terms usage within Japan itself. The term odango in Japanese can refer to any variety of bun hairstyle, in China, the hairstyle is called niújiǎotóu. It was a commonly used hairstyle up until the early 20th century, man buns were worn in China as early as 200BC as depicted on the terracotta soldiers. They were worn until the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1644AD, the term man bun is a term used to describe long-haired men who do not wish to sport the traditional trend of short back and sides wearing their hair in a topknot
Harry Potter – Wikipedia book
Quotations related to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at Wikiquote
