Harry Potter’s student life is very much like ours; he hates classes and loves to play Quidditch (wizard equivalent to football – only that it’s played 20ft above the ground on broomsticks, with four balls, one of which used like a football - the Quaffle to be thrown into one of three hoops on each side to win 10 points, while two black ones – the Bludgers – attempt to knock you off your broom and a golden one, which is very elusive and fetches the team that catches it 150 points.) Together with his best friend Ron, he’s always complaining of homework, putting it off and regretting it later. They like to joke, especially when Fred and George, the Weasley twins are around. The next thrilling part in Harry Potter is his fight against the Dark Lord. Lord Voldermort studied at Hogwarts 50 years before Harry and then went astray. He and his followers (the Death-Eaters) like to torture and murder people and they plan to seize power in the wizard world and eventually rid the magical world of mudbloods (wizards born from a family of muggles or mixed parents - a muggle and a wizard or witch). Voldemort first fell from power when he attempted to kill Harry Potter as a baby and his killing curse “Avada Kedavra” bounced back onto him. He didn’t die, so he later tries to return to power, but Harry Potter foils his plans and delays his rebirth.

The reason muggles do not know about the wizard world is because a very effective ministry of Magic ensures that their secrecy is not violated, by passing relevant laws such as “The Statute of Secrecy” or the “Decree for Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery”. The Ministry has a court and jury, the “Warlocks” and a prison called Azkaban guarded by Dementors – horrid creatures that can make you feel as if you’ll never be happy again. Even international organisations exist, such as the International Confederation of Wizards or the International Magical Co-operation.

Harry Potter is not only thoroughly entertaining but it is something to think deeply about, to dream of even, for I know many people who’d willingly go into the wizard world if it existed like in Harry Potter. The story is not something that is simply discussed between friends like other books: it is a treasure to be intimately shared. I have now been sharing this treasure with my friends for two whole years and not a single day has passed when I have made no reference to Harry Potter. No one who’s read Harry Potter has ever said “Oh, I’m bored talking of Harry Potter, let’s talk of something else” – there’s always something you’d like to discuss just a little bit more.

I strongly recommend to anyone with the slightest sense of humour and a liking for intrigue and thrill to read the five books. They are outsold by the Bible only – and the Bible has been around 2,000 years while Harry Potter has been out since 1997 – 380 million books sold. J. K.Rowling has found the right way to mix our traditional school life with our interest in stories of good and evil as well as centuries of mythology about giants, dragons, goblins, elves, centaurs, unicorns and much more in the most natural way to make it seem so real. I’m just asking you to read the first chapter in the first book – then you’re bound to read the rest, becoming the new friend of more than 700 million kids (small and old alike) who’ve discovered Harry Potter. Happy reading!

<B>Nawal Husnoo,

Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts.</B>