The Writer and

The Series of

Harry Potter

The Writer

At a glance

Joanne "Jo" Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965) is an English fiction writer who writes
under the pen name J. K. Rowling. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter fantasy
series, which has gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold over 325
million copies worldwide.
In 2007, The Sunday Times Rich List estimated her fortune at £545 million (about $1
billion US), making her the first person to become a US-dollar billionaire by writing
books. She is ranked as both the 136th richest person and the 13th richest woman in
Britain. In 2006, Forbes named Rowling the second richest female entertainer in the
world and ranked her as 48th on the 100 most powerful celebrities list of 2007.

Early life

As a child, Rowling enjoyed writing fantasy stories, which she often read to her sister. "I
can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed
strawberries by the rabbit family inside it," she recalls, "Certainly the first story I ever
wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles
and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee".
Rowling read for a BA in French and Classics at the University of Exeter, which she says
was a "bit of a shock" as she "was expecting to be amongst lots of similar people–
thinking radical thoughts." Once she made friends with "some like-minded people" she
says she began to enjoy herself.
With a year of study in Paris, Rowling moved to London to work as a researcher and
bilingual secretary for Amnesty International. In 1990, while she was on a four-hour-
delayed train trip from Manchester to London, she developed the idea for a story of a
young boy attending a school of wizardry. When she had reached her Clapham Junction
flat, she began to write immediately.
Rowling then moved to Porto, Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. While
there, she married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes on 16 October 1992.
They had one child, Jessica, who was named after Jessica Mitford. They divorced in
1993.
In December 1994, Rowling and her daughter moved to be near her sister in Edinburgh,
Scotland. Unemployed and living on state benefits, she completed her first novel. She did
her work in numerous cafés (e.g. Nicolson's Cafe and Elephant House Café), whenever
she could get Jessica to fall asleep. There was a rumor that she wrote in local cafés to
escape from her unheated flat, but in a 2001 BBC interview Rowling remarked, "I am not
stupid enough to rent an unheated flat in Edinburgh in midwinter. It had heating”.

Honors

In June 2000, Queen Elizabeth II honored Rowling by making her an Officer of the Order
of the British Empire.
In July 2000, the University of Exeter (of which she is a graduate) awarded her an
honorary DLitt degree.
In April 2006, the asteroid (43844) Rowling was named in her honor. The name was
submitted to the International Astronomical Union by astronomer Dr. Mark Hammergren,
who has been a fan of the Harry Potter series since 2004.
In May 2006, the newly-discovered Pachycephalosaurid dinosaur Dracorex hogwartsia,
currently at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, was named in honor of her world.
In June 2006, the British public named Rowling “the greatest living British writer” in a
poll by The Book Magazine. Rowling topped the poll, receiving nearly three times as
many votes as the second-place author, fantasy writer Terry Pratchett.
In July 2006 Rowling received a Doctor of Laws (LLD) honorary degree from University
of Aberdeen for her "significant contribution to many charitable causes" and "her many
contributions to society".
At the end of a Harry Potter Blue Peter Special (broadcast 20/07/07), J.K. Rowling's third
appearance on the show, she was presented, by Gethin Jones, a Gold Blue Peter Badge.
This, the highest award given by the show, reduced her to tears. She recounted being told
on her previous appearance, when she got a silver badge, that she wouldn't get the gold
unless she saved lives.

The Series

Overview

At a Glance

The Harry Potter series of seven fantasy novels was written by British author J. K.
Rowling about an adolescent boy named Harry Potter. The story is mostly set at
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for young wizards and witches,
and focuses on Harry Potter's fight against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed
Harry's parents as part of his plan to take over the wizarding world.
Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) in 1997, the books have
gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide,
spawning films, video games and assorted merchandise. The seven books published to
date have collectively sold more than 325 million copies and have been translated into
more than 63 languages. The seventh and last book in the series, Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, was released on 21 July 2007. Publishers announced a record-breaking
12 million copies for the first print run in the U.S. alone.
The success of the novels has made Rowling the highest-earning novelist in literary
history. English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the
United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia and
Raincoast Books in Canada.
The first five books have been made into highly successful motion pictures by Warner
Bros. The sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is set to begin filming in
September 2007, and has a scheduled release of 21 November 2008.

Universe

The wizarding world in which Harry finds himself is both utterly separate from and yet
intimately connected to our own world. While the fantasy world of Narnia is an
alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding
world of Harry Potter exists alongside ours and contains magical elements analogous to
things in the non-magical world. Many of its institutions and locations are in towns and
cities, including London for example, that are recognizable in the primary world. It
possesses a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and ancient pubs, lonely
country manors and secluded castles that remain invisible to the non-magical population
(known as "Muggles" e.g.: The Dursleys). Wizard ability is inborn, rather than learned,
although one must attend schools such as Hogwarts in order to master and control it.
However it is possible for wizard parents to have children who are born with little or no
magical ability at all (known as "Squibs" e.g.: Mrs. Figg, Argus Filch). Since one is either
born a wizard or not, most wizards are unfamiliar with the Muggle world, which appears
stranger to them than their world does to us. The magical world and its many fantastic
elements are depicted in a matter-of-fact way. This juxtaposition of the magical and the
mundane is one of the principal themes in the novels; the characters in the stories live
normal lives with normal problems, for all their magical surroundings.

Structure and genre

The novels are very much in the fantasy genre; in many respects they are also
bildungsromans, coming of age novels. The stories are predominantly set in Hogwarts, a
British boarding school for wizards, where the curriculum includes the use of magic. In
this sense they are "in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes's Tom Brown's
School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British public school life".
They are also, in the words of Stephen King, "shrewd mystery tale[s]", and each book is
constructed in the manner of a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery adventure; the books leave
a number of clues hidden in the narrative, while the characters pursue a number of
suspects through various exotic locations, leading to a twist ending that often reverses
what the characters had been led to believe. The stories are told from a third person
limited point of view; with very few exceptions (such as the opening chapters of Goblet
of Fire, Philosopher's Stone, and Deathly Hallows, and the first two chapters of Half-
Blood Prince), the reader learns the secrets of the story when Harry does. The thoughts
and plans of other characters, even central ones such as Hermione and Ron, are kept
hidden until revealed to Harry.
Criticism and praise

Literary
Early in its history, Harry Potter received overwhelmingly positive reviews, which helped
the series to quickly grow a large readership. Upon its publication, the first volume,
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was greatly praised by most of Britain's major
newspapers: the Mail on Sunday rated it as "the most imaginative debut since Roald
Dahl"; a view echoed by the Sunday Times ("comparisons to Dahl are, this time,
justified"), while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an
inventive wit" and The Scotsman said it had "all the makings of a classic".[Following the
2003 release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix however, the books received
strong criticism from a number of distinguished authors and academics.
…..
A Telegraph review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and of the series as a
whole, observed that Rowling's success was entirely self-made and not due to hype of her
books by the publishing world, which has instead followed in her wake.
Feminist
Yet another vein of criticism comes from some feminist circles, Christine Schoefer
prominent among them, who contended that the novels are patriarchal and male
chauvinistic. According to Schoefer the series presents a world filled with stereotypes
and adherence to "the conventional assumption that men do and should run the world."
Schoefer cites Harry's courage in dangerous situations in contrast to Hermione's apparent
emotional frailty when confronting the same, along with her need for Harry and Ron's
approval. Similarly, she contrasts the female Professor McGonagall and her similar
frailty under stress compared to the composed and farsighted Dumbledore. In addition to
this is the attachment of fraud to females (Professor Trelawney, Professor Umbridge),
immaturity (constantly giggling, naive and catty school girls), and a general lack of
daring, bold heroines. She also criticized the fact that the young Ginny Weasley is
described as "the foolish little brat" and how boring it would be to listen to "the silly little
troubles of an eleven-year-old girl", although she did not mention that these views are
those of the young Voldemort, rather than of Rowling herself.

On conservative vs. liberal values

The critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. His overall view of
the series was very negative – "the Potter saga was essentially patronising, very
conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for a bygone Britain", and he adds
that "several of the Whitbread judges agreed with me".
However, conservative groups such as the John Birch Society, whose articles are referred
to by Rowling's Christianity-based opponents, have criticised her for a supposed
liberal/socialist bent and for her admiration for "unrepentant socialist and death-fetishist
extraordinaire" Jessica Mitford, who has been her heroine since the age of 14. "The Potter
books read in places like diatribes against the modern middle class, especially whenever
Harry confronts his ludicrously dysfunctional and downright abusive adopted family, the
Dursleys."
According to liberal writer Mike Hersch, the books' heroes "defy adults, break rules, and
exemplify bold courage in the face of oppressive authority. Their "subversive" attitudes
refute rigid right wing dogma....This is the right wing's worst nightmare, because right
wingers see the world – especially morality – in stark, simplistic black and white."

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, known in the United States as Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone, is the first volume in a series of seven books by British author J. K.
Rowling and featuring the fictional character, Harry Potter, a young wizard. It was
published 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London, and has also been made into a
feature-length film of the same name. This is also the most popular of the books in terms
of number sold--an estimated 107 million copies worldwide. As of July 2007, the book is
number nine on the best selling book list of all time
Plot

Lord Voldemort, an evil and powerful dark wizard, has just been defeated. When he tried
to kill a one-year-old boy, Harry Potter, the killing curse rebounded upon him, destroying
his body. Harry is left an orphan with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, Voldemort
having killed his parents Lily and James Potter. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall
leave him on the doorstep of his ultra-conventional, insensitive, negligent Muggle (non-
magical) relatives, the Dursley family, who take him in. They decide to conceal his
magical heritage from him and make him live in a cupboard under the stairs for eleven
years.
……
Finally, at the end-of-year feast, the House Points totals are given: Gryffindor is in last
place. However, Dumbledore gives a few "last-minute additions", granting points to
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, so that Gryffindor wins the House Cup.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling, is the sequel to Harry Potter
and the Philosopher's Stone. It is the second book in a series of seven Harry Potter books.
The book was published on 2 July 1998. A film was theatrically released in November
2002.

Plot

While home with the Dursleys for the summer, Harry Potter is not getting any mail from
his friends, Ron and Hermione. On his twelfth birthday (July 31) Harry is visited by
Dobby, a house-elf, who warns Harry that he will be in mortal danger if he returns to
Hogwarts. Harry is determined to return despite Dobby's dire warning. It turns out that
Dobby was collecting Harry's letters, in the hope that if Harry thought his friends had
forgotten him, he might not want to return to Hogwarts. Dobby, seeing that he will have
to use force, decides to destroy a large cake that Aunt Petunia baked through the use of a
charm. Harry is blamed by the Ministry of Magic for Dobby's charm, and is told that if he
does magic outside of school again, he will be expelled. The Dursleys, upon learning that
he cannot perform magic outside of school, have locked away Harry’s books and wand;
Mr. Dursley has fitted bars onto his window, making Harry a prisoner.
……..
Dumbledore dispels Harry's fears that he could have been put into Slytherin rather than
into Gryffindor when he tells Harry that it is his choices that define him and not his
abilities, and that Harry could not have wielded the sword of Gryffindor if he did not
truly belong to that house.

Points to consider
Dumbledore says that Voldemort was the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin,
instead of descendant. J. K. Rowling said this was a "deliberate mistake"[citation
needed]. This mistake was fixed in further printings.
The Hand of Glory and the opal necklace that first appear when Harry is in Borgin &
Burkes also come into play in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
At his death day party, Nearly Headless Nick "took several deep breaths". But later in the
series, Moaning Myrtle says that ghosts don't breathe.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter series of
books by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on 8 July 1999. A film based on the
book was released on 31 May 2004, in the United Kingdom and June 4, 2004 in the U.S.
and many other countries.

Plot

J.K. Rowling's third book opens with Harry Potter spending yet another miserable
summer at the Dursleys. When Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge, viciously insults him,
Harry's anger causes her to inflate and float to the ceiling. Still seething, and despite his
uncle's threats, Harry runs away, and amid the street's dark shadows, he sees a large black
dog ominously watching him.
……..
As the dementors are about to attack the "other" Harry and Black, Harry waits for his Dad
to come. As the minutes pass Harry realizes that the mysterious figure he saw earlier was
actually himself. He casts the powerful Patronus that disperses the dementors. Black then
mounts Buckbeak and escapes as the timeline restores itself to normal. Harry is deeply
disappointed he will be unable to live with his godfather, but takes comfort in knowing
that Black is safe.

Trivia

This is the first & only time in the Harry Potter series that Voldemort does not make an
appearance, although he is mentioned and still plays a large role in this book.
Nobody dies in this book, which is a first. Buckbeak and Sirius Black were supposed to,
but due to the help of the time-turner of Hermione Granger's she and Harry Potter saved
them both.
Ron is absent from the final scene, only Hermione and Harry are there. This is not a first,
as in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry is alone at the end, and in Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets Hermione is not there, but Ron in this is absent while
Hermione herself is present.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series by J.K.
Rowling. Published on July 8, 2000, the release of this book was surrounded by more
hype than any other book in recent times - outdone only by its successors, Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows. The book attracted much additional attention because of a pre-
publication warning from J.K. Rowling that one of the characters would be murdered in
the book. This started a stream of rumor and speculation as to who the murdered
character would be.
The novel won a Hugo Award in 2000. The book was made into a film which was
released worldwide on November 18, 2005.

Plot

The fourth book begins as Frank Bryce, the Riddle manor's elderly caretaker, sees lights
inside the abandoned house. Investigating, he overhears Lord Voldemort and Peter
Pettigrew (Wormtail) plotting Harry Potter's death. Frank is discovered and killed; at that
same moment, Harry awakes with his scar hurting and having seen the murder in his
dream.
…..
Dumbledore quickly revives the Order of the Phoenix. At Cedric's memorial,
Dumbledore, against the Ministry's orders, tells students the truth about Cedric's death
and that Voldemort has returned stating "It would be an insult to his memory".

Points of Interest

The book presents the second instance in which the opening narrative is not delivered
through a point of view close to Harry: Chapter 1 - "The Riddle House". The first
instance is Chapter 1 of Philosopher's Stone - "The Boy Who Lived" which is told from
the perspective of Vernon Dursley. Although in the first case the infant Harry appears
near the end, and in the second case Harry observes at least some of the events in his
dreams.
Mentions the name of a real person - Natalie McDonald, who was a terminally ill child. A
friend wrote to Rowling, asking her to divulge the plot of "Goblet of Fire" as a favour to
Natalie. With the exception of people of ancient times, such as Nicolas Flamel, this is the
only Harry Potter book to so honor an individual.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth novel in a series of seven books by
J.K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series. It is also the longest book of the all the books,
and was released on June 21, 2003.
Plot

Harry is spending an agitating summer in Privet Drive: not only is he bracing himself for
the catastrophe that is certain to accompany Voldemort's return, but he has had little
contact from the wizarding world. When Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by
Dementors in Little Whinging, Harry repels them with a Patronus Charm. An owl letter
soon arrives stating Harry has been expelled from Hogwarts for performing magic
outside school. Several more letters arrive in quick succession: Arthur Weasley and
Sirius Black instruct Harry to remain in the house, while another overturns his expulsion
and orders him to appear at a hearing at the Ministry of Magic.
…..
Later, Dumbledore apologizes to Harry for withholding information over the past year.
He reveals the lost prophecy, for it was to him that it was first told: either Harry or
Voldemort must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.
Dumbledore also reveals that due to when the boy was predicted to be born, Neville
Longbottom could also have been the child in the prophecy. Dumbledore believes
Voldemort chose to attack Harry because he is a half-blood like himself; Neville is a
pureblood. In so doing, the Dark Lord marked Harry as his equal.

Notes

The access code for the visitor's entrance for the Ministry of Magic is 6-2-4-4-2 on the
telephone, which spells M-A-G-I-C.

Translation

The first official foreign translation of the book appeared in Vietnamese on 21 July 2003,
when the first of 22 installments was released. The first official European translation
appeared in Serbia and Montenegro in Serbian, by the official publisher Narodna Knjiga,
in early September 2003. Other translations appeared later, e.g. in November 2003 in
Dutch and German. The English language version has topped the best seller list in
France; while in Germany and The Netherlands an unofficial distributed translation
process has been started on the net

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on July 16, 2005, is the sixth of seven
novels in J.K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year
at Hogwarts, the novel explores Lord Voldemort's past, and Harry's preparations for the
final battle amidst emerging romantic relationships and the emotional confusions and
conflict resolutions characteristic of mid-adolescence.
In 24 hours, the book sold 6.95 million copies in the United States alone, or 287,564
books per hour, making it the fastest selling book in history at the time. It generated over
£100 million in sales on its opening weekend, outpacing even the combined take of the
top movies at the box office that same weekend. Bookseller Barnes and Noble reported
sales averaging 105 copies per second in the first hour of sales.

Plot

Voldemort and his Death Eaters openly wreak havoc and chaos throughout Britain.
Following public outcry over Cornelius Fudge's mishandling of the Voldemort situation,
he is forced to resign, and is succeeded by Rufus Scrimgeour as the new Minister for
Magic. As a result, Arthur Weasley receives a promotion.
……..
The school year ends abruptly with Dumbledore's funeral, which is attended by hundreds
of people, including the students past and present, teachers, and magical creatures that
live in the Forbidden Forest. Professor McGonagall is appointed Hogwarts' interim
headmistress, although the school may not reopen. Professor Slughorn replaces Snape as
the head of Slytherin house. Regardless, Harry decides to leave Hogwarts forever to
search for the remaining Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione vow to accompany him, while
Harry ends his relationship with Ginny in an attempt to protect her from Voldemort. The
book concludes as Harry looks forward to Bill and Fleur's wedding and being comforted
that "...there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione."
Controversies

The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy.

In May 2005 bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die
in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high value bets were made on
the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where, it was
believed, the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened.Other
controversies included the "right to read" Potter books inadvertently sold before the
release date, environmental concerns over the source of the paper used in the printing of
millions of books, and fan reactions to the plot developments and revelations of the
novel.
Right to read
In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore (a Canadian big-box grocery chain) in
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-
Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast
Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting
the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or from discussing
the contents. Purchasers were offered a Harry Potter T-shirt and an autographed copy of
the book if they returned their copies before July 16.
In the same week, a Chicago Walgreens mistakenly sold a copy of the book. When the
purchaser read about the Canadian incident on the Internet she said she would not return
the book, but that she would not read the novel until the U.S. release date.

Environmental concerns
Before and after the release of the book, the environmental organizations Greenpeace and
the National Wildlife Federation urged consumers in the United States who planned to
buy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to do so from the book's Canadian publisher,
Raincoast Books,which published on 2% recycled, chlorine-free, ancient forest-free
paper. The U.S. edition of the book, published by Scholastic Press, was printed with a
percentage of recycled paper that Scholastic declined to make public. The Scholastic
Hardcover edition of the book claims, on the last page, to be free of fibres from ancient
forests.

Dedication
Rowling became pregnant with her third child during the writing of this book, and often
joked about them racing each other into the world. For this reason, the book has this
dedication:
To Mackenzie,
my beautiful daughter,
I dedicate
her ink and paper twin

Movie release date

Box Office Mojo reports that the movie based on the sixth book is scheduled to be
released on November 21, 2008. Steve Kloves is expected to write the screenplay, and
David Yates is set to direct.

Spoilers
The plot detail "Snape kills Dumbledore", along with a list of chapter titles, were leaked
on the Usenet group alt.fan.harrypotter as early as July 14, 2005 - two days before the
official release date. Weeks earlier, betting patterns on the website "Blue Square"
recorded an unusual surge in bets originating in a town where the book was being printed
(as pointed out in the Guardian newspaper May 24, 2005).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

At a Glance

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter
series of novels by J. K. Rowling. On 21 July 2007, all editions but the American were
released at a minute past midnight (00:01) BST; the American and Canadian editions was
released at a minute past midnight (00:01), local time. It was released globally in 93
countries. The book reached the top spot on both the Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble
best-seller lists just a few hours after the date of publication was announced on 1
February 2007.
The book chronicles the events directly following Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince, leading to the long-awaited final struggle between Harry Potter and his allies, and
the ever-more-powerful and influential Voldemort and his allies, the Death Eaters.
Retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders reported that more orders
had been placed for this book than for any other in history, and American publisher
Scholastic announced an unprecedented initial print run of 12 million copies.
Scholastic reported that 8.3 million copies were sold in the U.S. on the book's first day of
sales, breaking the record of 6.9 million held by the sixth book. Borders reported that its
1,200 stores worldwide sold 1.2 million copies on the book's first day of sales, the highest
single-day sales of any title in Borders history. In comparison, Borders sold 850,000
copies of the sixth book on its first day.

Plot

The book begins with a Death Eater meeting taking place at the home of Lucius Malfoy.
Snape and a Ministry official inform Lord Voldemort of the date Harry Potter will
permanently leave the Dursleys' house. As Harry's safety at the Dursley's house expires
when he turns 17, he must be moved to a new location before this; Voldemort plans to
kill Harry in transit.
…..
In the story's epilogue, set nineteen years later, Ginny Weasley and Harry have three
children named James, Albus Severus, and Lily. Ron and Hermione have two children
named Rose and Hugo. The two families meet at King's Cross Station when they are
taking their children to Platform Nine and Three Quarters for their departure to Hogwarts.
Lily is too young to attend Hogwarts just yet, Albus is entering his first year at the
school, and James is already an experienced Gryffindor. James finds Harry's godson
Teddy Lupin, the son of Lupin and Tonks, kissing a girl named Victoire, who James says
is his cousin and so can be assumed to be the daughter of Bill Weasley and Fleur
Delacour. Neville is now the Herbology professor at the school and is close friends with
Harry. At the station, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione spot Draco across the platform
with his unnamed wife and their son Scorpius; it is suggested that the former rivals have
reconciled their differences. The book ends with the line: "The scar had not pained Harry
for nineteen years. All was well."
……
The Dedication of this book is split in seven ways: To Neil, to Jessica, to David, to
Kenzie, to Di, to Anne, and to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.
The dedication is written on several lines, and the words form the shape of Harry's
lightning-bolt scar, arranged so that only the words "The" and "end" are centered.
Unlike the other Harry Potter books, the book is prefaced by two epigraphs, both on the
themes of death and friendship. The first is from Aeschylus' The Libation Bearers, and
the second is from from William Penn's More Fruits of Solitude.