Xtream Youth

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“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense…… When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts...!”

So that is how it began, a book that became a legend. The author of the fascinating book series J.K.Rowling was able to make a whole new era from her astonishing story telling. She made a new world in her books which was even able to cause a ‘Potter Mania’ in the world. The Harry Potter tale draws to a tighten with Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2 which is to be released on 15th of July.

It’s tough to contend goodbye to Harry Potter after a decade of examination him grow adult on a large shade though. However I feel that this is the best moment to have a complete flashback on this world wide phenomenon. To look over our shoulder and to see how the books, characters and the movies (actors and actresses too!) developed gradually with the time. Therefore here I sit, after watching all the released super awesome movies and with the set of seven Harry Potter books stacked up beside me ( rather a really high stack I should say! ), getting ready for a flashback!

"Let the magic begin!"
Once you have read Harry Potter, you will realize that Harry Potter is a name that will always be with you, for your whole life, no matter where you go, or how you live your life. Harry Potter will always be there, having an impact on your life.

You see, Harry Potter is not just a regular, common name, but the name of an amazing person, full of bravery, courage, fear, love, confusion, knowledge, and understanding. Despite being a fictional character, he is the kind of person you can just fall in love with by just reading about his courage, bravery, humor, and everything about him that makes him special and unique.

The mystery and magic about Harry is hypnotic and indulging. You can’t help falling in love with him, as you wait, eagerly anticipating his next adventures, feeling his emotions, laughing along with jokes, and just feeling satisfied when you close the book. That is what a truly classical and historical book is and Harry Potter is truly classical and historical.

Harry is this kind of person you know will prevail, yet there are points where you forget that and bite your nails in suspense, wondering if he will survive and if help will come for him and if he will win.

This character seems like such a real person that you actually almost feel his own emotions. You can feel his anger, happiness, embarrassment, confusion, pride, and annoyance, his energy is so strong.

The first book of the series Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997 and as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in September 1998.

Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happened to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone, directed by Chris Columbus and produced by David Heyman, broke all box office records when it opened in the UK in November 2001 and has since become the number two film of all time. Daniel Radcliffe was chosen to play the role of Harry Potter which made him one of the most sought after young actors of our time and also one of the youngest milliners in the world.

In An Interview with Nickelodeon Magazine he answered to the question,
“Was it hard to be a star of a movie when you didn't have much experience?” By saying, “It was nerve-racking. The first day on the set, I was very nervous. I was used to rehearsing with about eight other people, and then I got to the set and, including the extras, there were like 150 people there!”

Bossy and brainy Hermione Granger was made alive by Emma Watson, another one that soon became a teenage heartthrob who made a spectacular mark on the industry by her debut performance. She reveals how she got the role to the Nickelodeon Magazine saying,

“My drama teacher called out my name at assembly and asked if I'd like to do the audition. I went up with a couple of my friends for a bit of a laugh. Then it got more and more serious. It was really scary, but it was great.”

The last of the legendary trio, Ron Weasly was played by Rupert Grint. He too was able to get an immense popularity no less than his fellows.

He speaks about the role of Ron in a much simpler manner,

“He's really funny. And you also kind of fell sorry for him because he's always got hand-me-downs.”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in the USA) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication.

It's hard to fall in love with an earnest, appealing young hero like Harry Potter and then to watch helplessly as he steps into terrible danger! And in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the much anticipated sequel to the award-winning Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, he is in terrible danger indeed. As if it's not bad enough that after a long summer with the horrid Dursleys he is thwarted in his attempts to hop the train to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his second year. But when his only transportation option is a magical flying car, it is just his luck to crash into a valuable (but clearly vexed) Whomping Willow. Still, all this seems like a day in the park compared to what happens that fall within the haunted halls of Hogwarts!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second film, also directed by Chris Columbus and produced by David Heyman, went on general release on 15th November 2002.

The Spider hollow scene of this movie became a fan favorite.

In commenting of this scene Rupert Grint says, “I hate spiders; they are so scary I don't like them at all. And that scene with all the spiders and the four ton spider Aragog really didn't help my fear.”

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention. The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.

For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the non magic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig. Here in the book Harry meets his god father Sirius for the first time.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film, was released in the UK and US on June 4th 2004 and was directed by Alfonso Cuaron. This movie showed much contrast with the former ones highlighting the director by its darker and graver tone.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars, the Death Eaters are out for murder.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The fourth film, was released in the UK in November 2005. It was directed by Mike Newell. The growth and maturity of the characters of the novel as well as the ones who play them was special in this movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the series, was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series ( 766 pages! ) and broke the records set by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire as the fastest selling book in history.

Book five takes the series to a darker, more serious level, as we see Harry's attitude and feelings change dramatically as J.K. Rowling takes us deeper and deeper into the fight between good and evil. Normally safe at the Dursley's, Harry suffers an almost fatal dementor attack before being taken to the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a special group of wizards united in their efforts to defeat Voldemort and his followers. At the headquarters, Harry runs into Kreacher, a vile, horrible house elf and also Sirius' mother, who never misses an opportunity to scream the house down. Our hero returns to Hogwarts, where things begin to get ever more perilous as he encounters terrifying dreams, a teacher with an attitude like venom and corruption of the highest level and all the time, Harry still can't find out what exactly lies in the Department of Mysteries.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film, was released in the UK and US in July 2007, and was directed by David Yates. Mostly girls awaited much eagerly for this movie for this contained the first kissing scene of Harry. ;)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the series, was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.

The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was simply a breath taking volume that was full to the brim of love, valor, friendships and many more. It was one of such books that once you start, you won't stop until you reach the very last page.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film, was released in July 2009 and was also directed by David Yates. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the series, was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA, and sales are well over 400 million copies worldwide.

The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans had not seen, and were not likely to forget.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final adventure in the Harry Potter film series, was to be filmed in two full-length parts. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 opened in the UK and US on 19th November 2010, and Part 2 will be released on 15th July 2011.

The final installment of the "Harry Potter" series is primed to make magic at the box office, but it's already getting raves from critics as well. Early reviews of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" are positive across the board.

So then, That is Harry Potter. Developed by a wonderful person for how could J. K. Rowling not be if she made this wonderful character, if not putting some of herself into him? He is a representation of the grandeur that is possible in our lives if we only work toward that goal. A kind, hard, brave, fearful, humorous, smart character we can all relate to in some way or another and, of course, respect, Harry Potter is a symbol of our times and an illustration of the good side in all of us.

The journey is over. Books will come and books will go, but Harry will forever be eternal in our hearts as our hero and our childhood friend who we grew along with!

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Copyright © 2011 Xtream Youth. All rights reserved.

Written by Vindya Vithana (Creative Writer at Xtream Youth)

For further inquiries on articles please contact our administrators : Ignatious Jayathilake | Kasun Malith

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