Inside the Stories | Puffs 2024

INSIDE LOOK AT THE STORIES

Here is where the in-depth analysis of the books comes into place.

Now there are TONS of context, hidden messages, inside jokes, incomplete story lines, MAJOR differences, complex character development, the list goes on and on but here is a summary of each of the books and major plot points.

Now, with these stories, there is more to just the titles that happen that are needed to help explain the CONTEXT of many of the events that happen over the course of the series as well as this play. With this, it provides surface level and a little in depth look at the things that happen that make this story so recognizable so many years later.

Again...SPOILER ALERT.

Sorcerer's Stone

Harry does not know he is a wizard until acceptance letters to Hogwarts School swarm the house of his aunt and uncle, where Harry is living.
Other first-year students, along with Harry, arrive at Hogwarts, to be sorted by the Sorting Hat into one of the four houses at Hogwarts: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor.
Harry, along with his friends Ron and Hermione, get sorted into Gryffindor for their bravery and courage-related traits.
As the school year progresses, Harry is noticed by a Professor McGonagall for his natural flying abilities on a broomstick and is chosen to be on the Quidditch Team for Gryffindor as a Seeker, someone who tries to catch a little flying ball with wings, also known as a Snitch.
The rumor of there being a stone that holds great power is said to be at Hogwarts. Ron, Hermione, and Harry suspect that the stone is in great danger, and someone is trying to steal it with the suspicious activity that is going on with many of the professors.
Through their confrontation with these professors, the final one leads the group of friends past many protective measures to keep the stone safe. Past a three-headed dog, a room filled with a deadly plant, a flying key obstacle, and a life-size and playable chess game, Harry finds himself face-to-face with Professor Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.
All this time, it has been Professor Quirrell who has been trying to get the stone that is possessed by Lord Voldemort. With the stone, Lord Voldemort would strengthen again and try to take over the wizarding world.
The stone appears in Harry's pocket. Realizing this, Harry uses it to fight against Lord Voldemort and Quirrell making them weak against Harry's courage, bravery, and determination.
The stone then vanished and was destroyed by Dumbledore. Dumbledore then warns Harry that there is much to come years of the dark wizards coming to Hogwarts.
The students then return home for the summer holiday for a break before another year of school approaches in the fall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Here are the 1st publication front covers of the books that correlate to the Sorcerer's Stone/ Philosopher's Stone.

Above - US Version

Below - UK Version

***INTERESTING FACT***

The name change from Philosopher to Sorcerer was made due to the fact that Scholastic (well recognized US book publisher) did not think that many people would know what a Philosopher was in the US. They offered a name change even having a previous potential change to "Harry Potter and the School of Magic" before J.K.Rowling went with what we know as the Sorcerer's Stone.

Chamber of Secrets

Harry is back for the summer with his aunt and uncle, the only remaining family that he has. During a dinner party, Harry is visited by a house elf named Dobby that has come to warn Harry Potter not to return to Hogwarts. Harry does not draw attention to this, leaving Dobby to cause issues with the guest's downstairs in the kitchen. Harry is then locked in his room for the remainder of the summer.
Ronald Weasley comes to the rescue, and they escape through the window with the help of the family's flying car. As the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione are shopping for school supplies, they run into Lockhart and Snape for reasons that end up confrontational.
Back at school, Harry and Ron ran into trouble right away as they stole the flying car again, leading them to detention.
On Halloween night, it is discovered that the school's caretaker's cat was petrified and the wall read the following "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware." With this and research done by Ron, Hermione, and Harry find out that this is the first time in 50 years that the chamber has been opened.
In front of Lockhart's defense again the dark arts class, Harry speaks Parsetongue (snake language) leading to students thinking that Harry is the heir of Slytherin and is the one that opened the chamber in the first place. While determined to find the underlying cause of proving that the heir is not Harry, the three friends brew a potion that will allow them to get some inside scoop in the Slytherin house to see if Malfoy is the heir and will not admit it.
After a while with nothing particularly standing out, Hermione and a Ravenclaw girl are petrified. With this, Harry and Ron seek out Hagrid to see if he has any answers to what has been happening. Hagrid and Dumbledore are escorted out of Hogwarts, Hagrid tells the boys to follow the spiders. Following this, and the adventure of following spiders, the boys find out that Moaning Myrtle, must had been the girl that was originally killed by the master years before.
With a visit to Hermione in the hospital wing, the boys find a clue that the monster is a basilisk, the monster that has been causing all the events that have been happening this year is a large snake. Before Ron and Harry can tell anyone, the teachers announce that Ginny Weasley has been taken into the chamber.
Harry, Ron, and Professor Lockhart enter the chamber, and Harry finds Ginny's body and Tom Riddle, the one who has been telling Ginny what to do all this time and who is a younger version of Lord Voldemort.
Harry defeats the backlist and Tom Riddle, waking Ginny and escaping with Ron and Lockhart.
Back in the castle, Harry explains to Dumbledore what happened. Lucius Malfoy storms in with Dobby and is stunned that Harry is talking with Dumbledore. Harry, recalling that house elves can only be free when a master gives a piece of clothing to them, gives Dobby a sock. This then lets Dobby be under Harry and not the Malfoy Family.
Following this, students leave once again leave another year behind them and venture off for summer break.

***INTERESTING FACT***

While adapting the film into different languages, Tom Marvolo Riddle, had to be changed so the appropriate anagram could be formed for Lord Voldemort's connection to Riddle.

Some of them include:

English - Tom Marvolo Riddle - Lord Voldemort

Spanish - Tom Sorvolo Ryddle - Soy Lord Voldemort

French - Tom Elvis Jedusor - Je suis Voldemort

Prisoner of Azkaban

Another year surrounding the unrealistic eventful events that take place, Harry finds out via the TV in the living room of his aunt and uncle that a man with the last name of BLACK is on the loose from Azkaban (the wizard prison)
Harry "runs away" from home and is picked up via the KNIGHT BUS but sees a strange black dog before he gets on. From the ride, Harry is dropped off at Diagon Alley where Harry is greeted by the Minister of Magic.
Fast forwarding, on the Hogwarts Express to get to school, the train stops and is attacked by dementors. Harry ends up fainting and is then given chocolate by Professor Lupin, the new defense against the dark arts teacher (...there is a theme here, but I cannot put my wand on it.)
Throughout different classes, Harry is given a huge warning, a natural talent of flying bareback, and faced with his greatest fear.
Sirius Black, the same one from the TV, breaks into Hogwarts and leads to magical paintings being feared for their life for what Black had done to the Fat Lady that protected the Gryffindor Corridor.
The Weasley Twins, Fred, and George, give Harry the Marauder's Map with allows for anyone to see secret passageways as well as the location of all at a location in an instant.
Christmas comes round again and harry receives a Firebolt! (This is one of the most impressive broomsticks out there. BUTTTTTT, it is feared that it could be cursed by Sirius Black so Hermione and Ron advise Harry not to ride it.)
Afterwards, Harry works with Professor Lupin to come face to face with dementors, including how to defend them.
Through an eventful taking of Ron (by the same black mysterious dog Harry had seen earlier in the story) dragging him under the Whomping Willow and underground tunnels, it is revealed that the dog is Serious Black. Professor Lupin comes to the rescue as Black is out to kill Harry, but Black is unsuccessful. Through explaining all of the events that have been happening, Lupin and Black go and explain everything including why they see dogs (werewolves in this case), why some wizards are animagi (humans that can turn into animals), why there is a connection between the Potters - Pettigrew- Black, and other in-depth moments. AND Snape was there all along...
Harry and Hermione, using the ability to travel back in time, save characters including himself from events that piled to his current state.
Once again, the students leave Hogwarts for summer break, but Harry has one last thing for him. A letter including permission letter, words of confirmation that Sirius Black is safe, and Sirius was the one that sent the Firebolt at Christmas to Harry.

***INTERESTING FACT***

THE KNIGHT BUS

Now, this bus is not only named after a bus service at night, but also is a play on words.

The word "knight" goes to give connection towards the rescue just like a knight in shinning armor would do in other well known stories.

Dementors, Demons, and Depression

With the soul sucking-dark creature that feeds on human happiness makes the debut in this book, there is a real connection on the depiction of these characters.

In an interview in 2000, J.K. Rowling revealed that the inspiration for these characters was her own depression that she battled with over many years.

Goblet of Fire

Another year surrounding the unrealistic eventful events that take place, Harry finds out via - Harry has this dream or some sort of vision back at the Dursley’s House that is associated with pain coming from the scar on his forehead.
The following morning, Harry is invited via letter asking to join the Weasley’s at the Quidditch World Cup. Uncle Vernon lets Harry go surprisingly for one of the few times he said yes to Harry all his life.
Along with the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Cedric Diggory, and Mr. Diggory head off to the Quidditch World Cup traveling by a Portkey (using a piece of “trash” to travel across the world). The night after the game, a crowd of Death Eaters torture Muggles (non-magic folks) making the thousands that attended the Quidditch game to scatter with Ron, Harry, and Hermione to escape by fleeing into the woods.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione take a cab to the train station and aboard the Hogwarts Express once again going back to another fun filled school year.
After the new students get sorted into their houses via the Sorting Hat, Dumbledore has a few announcements for the school year.
Hogwarts will be holding the Triwizard Tournament and Mad-Eye Moody will be the new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The school that attends the Triwizard Tournament arrives both delegates from Beaxbatons and Durmstrang in October with the names of the champions that will compete against through different tasks, will be spit out from the goblet and be chosen. These delegates that will compete representing their given school:
Cedric Diggory - for Hogwarts
Fleur Delacour - for Durmstang
Viktor Krim - for Beaxbatons
Harry Potter - for Hogwarts as well
A huge backlash occurs as Harry is not of age despite being obligated to compete. Someone else must have put his name in the fire without Harry knowing, but who?
Before the first task, Hagrid talks to Harry about what is going to happen: Dragons. Once returned to the Gryffindor common room, in the fireplace, the head of Sirius Black goes to tell and warns Harry about things that are going to happen in this competition.
The next day, Harry tells Cedric about the first task and what could happen to them from the information that Harry got from Hagrid. During the first task, Harry uses his broomstick and the summoning charms to fly past the dragons to receive the golden egg that will give the clue about the next task. With the help from Cedric, Harry is given a hint to open the egg under water while taking a bath with the golden egg. With this advice, Harry finds out the next task has something to do with water and the beauty that comes with it.
While still not knowing how to breathe underwater, he is woken up in the library by Dobby that gives Harry gillyweed and sends him to the lake for the task is about to start. The second task is to swim through the lake to rescue someone close to the competitors. By using the gillyweed and allowing him to breathe underwater, Harry finds Hermione, Ron, Cho, and Fleur’s sister all tied up at the bottom of the lake. He saves two of the four even though the task only allows for one.
The third task comes about, and all members compete in the maze to look for the Goblet hidden inside. Fleur and Crum are quickly out of the run only to leave Harry and Cedric. With escaping and different paths taken, Harry and Cedric approach the cup and touch it at the same time as neither of them want to selfishly take the winnings over the other. By touching the trophy, both are transported to a cemetery that neither of them recognizes.
Cedric is killed instantly by a dark hooded figure and the same hooded figure ties up Harry for the events that are about to unfold. Voldemort appears and is faced with becoming stronger by the minute. Harry is then faced with dueling Voldemort. As Harry is preparing for his death, using all the magic that he has learned at Hogwarts, disarms Voldemort spell, escaping to touch both the Goblet and Cedric returning them to the start of the maze at Hogwarts.
One-Eye Moody carries Harry back to the castle where Moody reveals that he is a Death Eater, responsible for putting Harry’s name in the Goblet in the first place and making the Goblet into a Portkey transporting them into the graveyard. Moody carries out the plan to murder Harry at once when Dumbledore and other teacher burst into the room reveling that Moody is not who he says he is. Moody is disused version of Mr. Crouch’s son. By using Polyjuice potion every hour, the disuse worked until he was caught revealing that this plan all along was to bring Voldemort back by killing Harry.
Harry is sent to bed after telling Dumbledore what he says and witnesses with Lord Voldemort at the graveyard. The following morning, the school gathers and Dumbledore is faced with telling the students the truth about how Cedric was murdered.
The other students that were at Hogwarts for the tournament go back to their school and Harry is then sent back home to Dursley’s for the summer.

***INTERESTING FACT**

Originally the film adaptation was to be split into 2 separate parts at the 700+ pages via the studio, but with the help from other directors of this series, the decision was quickly made to make the movie into a single film.

Along with the movie and book, it is the only part of the series that does not open with Harry, rather a crucial part of the storytelling aspect with Voldemort.

Order of the Phoenix

In the Muggle World, Dementors attack Harry and Dudley. After using magic to defend himself, Harry is visited by a group of wizards, and then flown to Number 12 Grimmauld Place in London. Before knowing this is the place of his grandfather, Sirius Black also being the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix
A group of wizards and witches, outside the Ministry of Magic, that are dedicated to fight off Lord Voldemort while protecting everyone including muggles.
Reunited back at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione, they learn that Dolores Umbridge, an employee of Fudge, will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.
With this being the 5th year of many, the students are required to start on their studies for the O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations).
In class for defense against the dark arts, Umbridge refuses to teach her students how to perform defense spells. Umbridge is quickly given the role as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and starts her own rule making for the students to follow.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione see this and make their own student run group to particle Defense Against the Dark Arts known as the D.A. (Dumbledore’s Army). 25 other students signed up and they meet as often as they can to learn spells and defend themselves.
Harry started to have dreams or even realities of long, dark hallways with glass and spheres that are associated with the Ministry of Magic.
With these dreams, Professor McGonagall sees that Harry is seen by Dumbledore right away. During this meeting, Dumbledore instructs Harry that he should see Snape to endure in protection against anything further to do with Voldemort.
The D.A. continues to have meetings while also studying for O.W.L.s. Harry goes and tries to protect Sirius but when returning to Hogwarts, he is told that many of his friends are trapped and held in Umbridge’s office. With the help of Hermione, Harry leads Umbridge into the forest where they have claimed to be hiding something of Dumbledore’s that they think she would like for herself. Once in the forest, two centaurs carried Umbridge away with Harry and Friends then flew to the Ministry of Magic.
Using the skills taught in the D.A., Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and members of the Order of the Phoenix help fight off Death Eaters. During fighting, Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange kills Sirius leaving Harry devastated. His only blood related family (besides the Dursleys) has died right in front of him.
Voldemort and Estrange escape and Dumbledore send Harry and his friends back to school. This is where it is explained why Harry was seeing all the dreams and visions throughout the year and why Harry must spend the summer at the Dursleys.
With this, Harry is once again sent back for another miserable summer at Privet Drive.

***INTERESTING FACT**

At the time of the release of the book, it was one of the most anticipated books of the series as it was nearly 3 years after the previous of the series (Goblet of Fire).

With this, it it also the longest book of the series, there is also a direct correlation to the movie as it is the first book to be released along with the film.

FILM INSIGHT

From a Behind the Magic segment presented many tricks and filming about the series, many secrets are revealed with the movie adaptation.

One of the major things that they highlight is the set pieces and locations that are used in the film. With convinces, it was much easier to build three set pieces. These being Privet Drive, Grimmauld Place, and The Ministry of Magic.

Half-Blood Prince

Lord Voldemort has returned (did he ever disappear? That is a darn good question.) to both the muggle world and the wizarding world.
Dumbledore goes to collect Harry from his aunt and uncle to then go to the Burrow to stop and recruit another teacher at Hogwarts along with the help of Ron and Hermione.
Back at school, Snape announced that he is going to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Harry receives a used potions textbook that has a previous owner that went by "The Half-Blood Prince." Along with this owner, notes and other drawings are sprawled across pages and margins of the book leading to Harry wondering who the previous owner was.
Dumbledore arranges regular meetings with Harry to ensure his safety at Hogwarts and looks at Harry and Voldemort's memories to see if there is another threatening event this year. Through these meetings, it is discovered that there are Horcruxes, provided by Voldemort splitting his story into seven parts. Of these seven, two of them have already been destroyed: Tom Riddle's Diary and Marvelo's ring.
Horcruxes: an object that has a part of a dark witch or wizard inside that keeps the witch or wizard alive. After committing such horrid murder or an act of evil, this can be possible as you can live undamaged or destroyed via a horcrux still existing.
Harry ends up falling in love with Ginny while also maintaining the role of Gryffindor captain in Quidditch.
Dumbledore and Harry go outside of Hogwarts to destroy a locket. By overcoming many traps and challenges for both, they get the locket, return it to Hogwarts, and do so, but Draco is in the way again. Draco assumes that Dumbledore is up to something and is a killer himself.
Snape burst into the room, killing Dumbledore as Draco stood there. Snape then reveals to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince all along.
While the students mourn the death of the headmaster, Ron, Harry, and Hermione open the locket that Harry still had and realized that the locket is a fake all this time. The friends then set to agree to endure one more year at the school to try and get the rest of the Horcruxes destroyed with the limited time they had left.

FILM/BOOK INSIGHT

There is no secret that 7 is a major number for the series just starting with the 7 books. We see the importance of 7 in this film with a small detail in a flashback of Tom Riddle's Bedroom as there are 7 stones in the windowsill (these correlate with the 7 horcroxes that are created).

Other connections to 7 include but are not limited to: 7 Weasley kids, 7 years at Hogwarts, 7 core classes at Hogwarts, 7 players on a quidditch team, 7 ingredients in Polyjuice Potion, the list goes on.

Deathly Hallows

At the Malfoy resident, Snape tells Voldemort the details that Harry and his friends are planning to get Harry from Privet Drive to a safe location. Back at Privet Drive, Harry is packing when he receives two obituaries for Dumbledore. This makes Harry question if he even knew Dumbledore in the first place.
The Order of the Phoenix arrives to take Harry to his new home at the Weasleys resident. Harry's friends take Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as they protect Harry.
Harry arrives at the Burrow when he learns that Moody has been killed and George Weasley was involved. Harry, Ron, and Hermione gather materials that are deemed necessary to find and destroy the Horcruxes that are keeping Voldemort alive.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit the Lovegood place and makes the connection that the strange symbol that they have been seeing in the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, the 3 objects that were made by death - the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak. Harry accidentally says Voldemort's name causing a tracking spell to go off and the trio is caught by Voldemort's followers.
Harry makes a guess that the horcrux could be one of the founding items that one of the founders made. Alongside Ron and Hermione, the trio breaks in and steals the Hufflepuff Cup. Although it was not the cup, With the help of Dumbledore's Army and Neville Longbottom, help Harry think about what the last horcux could end up being.
While Harry is looking, students and professors rally at Hogwarts in defense that Voldemort and his followers ate to attack the school in a great battle. Harry then witnesses Voldemort murdering Snape as Snape is the holder of Dumbledore's most powerful wand. Now with Voldemort with the power that Dumbledore once had.
Harry learns that there is still another part out in the world that is keeping Voldemort alive: Harry Potter. Harry is the final Horcrux and will have to die for Voldemort to also die. Through a dream that Harry has, it is told by Dumbledore that he is not dead and that a charm that Harry's mother put on him years ago was keeping Harry alive.
Voldemort takes Harry to Hogwarts demanding that he is dead, but the students and teachers do not make that to be true. Neville and other students and teachers help to kill the last remaining Horcrux that is keeping Voldemort alive. Harry is still alive and with all that he has learned from professors and years at Hogwarts, goes to successfully kill Voldemort.

Epilogue: 19 years later, Harry married Ginny, Ron married Hermione, and are all sending their kids to Hogwarts

FILM/BOOK INSIGHT

This is the only film where Harry Potter does not deliver the last line. The last line is delivered by Harry's son, Albus Severus Potter responding to Harry as Albus is getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express.

It is the fastest selling Harry Potter book released receiving a Guinness Book World Record for Fastest Selling Book of Fiction in 24 Hours. On July 21st, 2007, 8.3. MILLION copies in the US and 2.65 MILLION copies in the UK were sold.