Harry Potter – A Magical Year: The Illustrations of Jim Kay

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Rowling said that, to her, the moral significance of the tales seems "blindingly obvious". In the fourth book, Dumbledore speaks of a "choice between what is right and what is easy"; Rowling views this as a key theme, "because that ... is how tyranny is started, with people being apathetic and taking the easy route and suddenly finding themselves in deep trouble". [51]

Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Herbology are compulsory subjects for the first five years, as well as flying lessons for the first year, which becomes optional for the remaining six years. At the end of their second year, students are required to add at least two optional subjects to their syllabus for the start of the third year. The five choices are Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, Divination, Study of Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Very specialised subjects such as Alchemy are sometimes offered in the final two years, if there is sufficient demand. There is a total of twelve named Professors at Hogwarts, each specializing in one of these subjects. Rowling has spoken about thematising death and loss in the series. Soon after she started writing Philosopher's Stone, her mother died; she said that "I really think from that moment on, death became a central, if not the central theme of the seven books". [42] Rowling has described Harry as "the prism through which I view death", and further stated that "all of my characters are defined by their attitude to death and the possibility of death". [43] Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995 and the manuscript was sent off to several prospective agents. [56] The second agent she tried, Christopher Little, offered to represent her and sent the manuscript to several publishers. [57] Publishing history The logo used in British, Australian, and Canadian editions before 2010, which uses the typeface Cochin Bold [58] Teare, Elizabeth (2002). "Harry Potter and the technology of magic". In Whited, Lana A. (ed.). The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a literary phenomenon. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. pp. 29–342. ISBN 978-0-8262-1549-9.a b c "Scholastic Marks 25 Year Anniversary of The Publication of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (Press release). New York, New York: Scholastic. 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023 . Retrieved 6 February 2023. Herbology is the study of magical plants and how to take care of, utilise, and combat them. There are at least three greenhouses described in the books, holding a variety of magical plants. Herbology is also the only subject Neville Longbottom excels in and later on also becomes a professor in the same subject. The epilogue to Deathly Hallows explains that he later replaces Professor Pomona Sprout as the Herbology teacher. a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879). "q.v., inferus, as positive noun I.B, as comparative adjective II.A". A Latin Dictionary. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.

Brown, Jen (24 July 2007). "Stop your sobbing! More Potter to come". TODAYshow.com. NBC . Retrieved 24 July 2007. There are numerous examples in the series of food seeming to have been conjured from nothing, such as the sudden materialization of ingredients in the pots of Molly Weasley's kitchen, and when Professor McGonagall creates a self-refilling plate of sandwiches for Harry and Ron in Chamber of Secrets. In all cases, these events can be reasonably explained as food either being multiplied, or transported from elsewhere. One example of the latter is banqueting at Hogwarts – the food is prepared by elves in the kitchens and laid onto four replica tables, directly below the actual house tables in the Great Hall. The elves then magically transport the food from the replica tables up to the house tables.J.K. Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall". Live events. msn.co.uk. MSN. 26 June 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2006 . Retrieved 12 May 2022. Rich, Mokoto (17 July 2007). "The Voice of Harry Potter Can Keep a Secret". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019 . Retrieved 6 September 2019.

The Unforgivable Curses are the most powerful known Dark Arts spells. They were first classified as unforgivable in 1717. Used by the books' villains, such as Voldemort and the Death Eaters and in some cases the Ministry of Magic, their use inspires horror and great fear amongst others. The curses are so named because their use is forbidden and unforgivable in the wizarding world and is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. The only exception is if a person is proven to have done them under the influence of mind control. These curses are thus very rarely used openly. Other known parselmouths include Salazar Slytherin and his descendants, including the Gaunts and Voldemort. Dumbledore could also understand parseltongue; he learned it and did not naturally possess the ability. [14] In Half-Blood Prince, he repeats Morfin Gaunt's words "the big house over the way", which were spoken in parseltongue. The United States editions were adapted into American English to make them more understandable to a young American audience. [85] Cover art An ability attributed to veela and those of veela heritage, such as Fleur Delacour, veela charm is used to charm males, much as the sirens do in The Odyssey. Men who are exposed to it over time become more resistant to it, although the veela charm takes full effect if the veela surprises the man, as noted by Ron in Half-Blood Prince.A metamorphmagus (a portmanteau of metamorph and magus) is a witch or wizard born with the innate ability to change some or all of their appearance at will. The talent cannot be learnt; a witch or wizard must be born with it. The series was originally published in English by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. A series of many genres, including fantasy, drama, coming-of-age fiction, and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, horror, and romance), the world of Harry Potter explores numerous themes and includes many cultural meanings and references. [1] Major themes in the series include prejudice, corruption, madness, and death. [2] [3]