How to Get Into the Harry Potter Series

Understanding the Storyline

Read all 7 original books in order. Start by reading the first book of the series, and progress through all 7 original books. The Harry Potter series is extremely popular, so you should be able to find all 7 books at your local library. If your library doesn’t have them, check with a local bookstore. Book #1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) Book #2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Book #3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Book #4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Book #5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Book #6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Book #7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Watch the original 8 movies in order from first to last. There are 8 films in the Harry Potter series, because Warner Brothers split the final movie into two parts. The movies were filmed in the same order that the books were released, so start from the first movie and watch them in order for the best experience. While the movies do a good job portraying the most important parts of the books, there are a lot of details that aren’t included. Read the books before you watch the movies to get a more comprehensive understanding of the series.

Invest time in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling released this book in the summer of 2016, well after releasing the 7th novel of the original series. It’s written in the form of a play script, rather than a novel, and picks up where the last book left off. While it’s not considered part of the original series, it’s a good investment to help you understand the entire plot of the series a little bit better.

Check out Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The first Fantastic Beasts movie was released in 2016, and is set in the middle of 1920s New York. It revolves around young versions of characters that are in the original Harry Potter series and is directed by J.K. Rowling herself. This series is the newest installment of the Harry Potter plot and should be taken seriously by any fan. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the title of a book that Harry Potter reads during his first year at Hogwarts. The first reference of this book is in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling wrote a book with the same title in 2001, penning it under the author’s name from the series, Newt Scamander. It’s an encyclopedia-like book that gives detailed information about different magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. There is also The Crimes Of Grindelwald, a sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

Look into other informational, offshoot books that revolve around the series. J.K. Rowling has written a number of books with the same titles as books that appear throughout the original series. Each book is styled after a particular book in the series, and is written under a ghosted author’s name. These books are primarily informative, and can expand your knowledge on a wide variety of trivial details in the Harry Potter universe. Aside from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, the other main offshoot books are Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp and The Tales of Beedle the Bard by Albus Dumbledore.

Immersing Yourself in the Virtual Wizarding World

Sign up for an account on Pottermore.com. Pottermore is a digital publishing, entertainment, and news company maintained by J.K. Rowling herself. It features news articles and tons of information about various Harry Potter characters, creatures, magical spells, and the wizarding world in general. It’s an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the Harry Potter universe. In 2014, J.K. Rowling created a Quidditch World Cup page where fans can follow news articles and reports detailing the fictional sporting event. She even included audio reports and detailed history of the Quidditch world cup for anyone wanting to truly immerse themselves in the event.

Have the Sorting Hat sort you into a Hogwarts house. One of the most exciting parts of the Harry Potter series is the Sorting Ceremony, where First Year students are placed into one of four Hogwarts houses. They will be identified by this house throughout the rest of their stay at Hogwarts. Once you sign up for an account on Pottermore, you can take a quiz to figure out which Hogwarts house you belong in. The four Hogwarts houses are: Gryffindor, which is associated with courage, bravery, and determination. Its crest is a lion. Hufflepuff, which is associated with patience, loyalty, and hard work. Its crest is a badger. Ravenclaw, which is associated with wit, intelligence, and wisdom. Its crest is a raven. Slytherin, which is associated with pride, ambition, and cunning. Its crest is a serpent. J.K. Rowling recently announced the name of the North American school of wizardry, Ilvermorny, and its four associated houses: Thunderbird (for warriors), Horned Serpent (for scholars), Pukwudgie (for healers), and Wampus (also for warriors). Pottermore now has a quiz to sort you into your Ilvermorny house as well.

Take a quiz to discover the form of your Patronus. Pottermore offers a quiz that you can take to determine the shape of your Patronus. It’s possible for a person’s Patronus to change over time, so if you don’t like your result, take it again! You can take it as many times as you’d like. In the Harry Potter world, a Patronus is a sort of guide which can protect you against evil creatures called Dementors. Each Patronus takes the form of a creature, and the form it takes varies between individuals. In this way, it can be considered a sort of spirit animal. There are various other quizzes on Pottermore that you can take to tell you more about your relationship to the Harry Potter universe, such as what your wand type is and what magical creature you should have as a pet.

Explore Harry Potter fan sites to delve deeper into the series. Many of these sites post fan art, fan fiction, and recent news surrounding the cast or series itself. These sites are run by and tailored specifically for fans of the series. One of the most popular Harry Potter fan sites is Mugglenet, located at http://www.mugglenet.com/. This site has a strong focus on fan fiction and fan art, but it also puts out a weekly podcast, editorials, and countless resources for fans wanting to enhance their Harry Potter knowledge.

Check out YouTube videos that are based on the series. Do a quick search on YouTube for "Harry Potter in 99 Seconds", which is a popular, fan-made video that gives a brief, humorous description of the series. Another fan favorite is "Potter Puppet Pals", which is a musical parody centering around several of the main characters in the series. It can be found on YouTube as well.

Join a forum to interact with Potter fans across the world. Forums are an excellent way to interact with other people with similar interests, and there are a variety of Potter-themed boards all over the internet. Whether you want to connect with like-minded individuals, discuss your favorite book, or debate about the best character in the series, you can find plenty of message boards with fans on them who will welcome you with open arms. One popular forum for Harry Potter fans is https://www.snitchseeker.com/. On this site, fans can write fan fiction, draw fan art, share reviews on books and movies, and interact with other Harry Potter fans across the world. You can also get sorted into a house and earn points for it throughout the year.

Exploring the Series in the Real World

Plan a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Grab a butterbeer in Hogsmeade, have lunch at The Leaky Cauldron, or take a ride on the Hogwarts Express. At this park, you can visit areas modeled after locations in the book, such as Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts castle. If you consider yourself a true fan of the Harry Potter series, there’s possibly no better way to immerse yourself in the wizarding world than visiting this park. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in 2010, is located in Orlando, Florida, is a part of the Universal Orlando Resort. Tickets can be purchased on the Universal Orlando Resort website.

Attend a real-life Quidditch match. A lot of colleges and universities participate in the sport of Quidditch, so hit up a school in your area and see if they have a team. You can also check the official Quidditch website to see if there are any teams in your area. Take time to attend one of these events, and consider jumping in with them. There are nearly 200 Quidditch teams and over 4,000 registered athletes in North America alone. US Quidditch, the national governing body for the sport of Quidditch in North America, was founded in 2010.

Attend a Harry Potter convention to network with other fans. Potter-themed conventions are incredibly popular and take place in many different locations throughout the year. Cast members are often special guests at conventions, and there are also a variety of forums and discussion panels on Potter-themed topics. Harry Potter cosplay is also popular at conventions. If dressing up like your favorite character or wearing your favorite Hogwarts house’s emblem sounds magical to you, get into character and try it out!

Get involved in local Potter-themed events. Check with your local bookstores, libraries, and community organizations to see if there are any upcoming Harry Potter themed events. Harry Potter is an incredibly popular series, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to find opportunities to show off your knowledge of and love for the series.