Today, The Fosters and TheGrandma have joined TheOrder of the Phoenix, a secret society founded by AlbusDumbledore to oppose Lord Voldemort andhis Death Eaters.
The original members of theOrder of thePhoenix
include Sirius Black, EmmelineVance, Benjy Fenwick, Kingsley
Shacklebolt, Edgar Bones, Lily Potter, James Potter, Sturgis Podmore,
Caradoc Dearborn, Alice Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Dorcas Meadowes,
Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Hestia Jones, Remus Lupin, Severus
Snape, Aberforth Dumbledore, Dedalus Diggle, Minerva McGonagall and
Marlene McKinnon.
The family thinks their personal skills will be useful for theOrder and they want to help it in its fight between Hogwarts and the DeathEaters.
Before joining the Order, the family has been preparing their Cambridge Exam studying some vocabulary about OtherCountries and In The Classroom.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series.
It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts Schoolof Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of the antagonist Lord Voldemort, O.W.L. exams, and an obstructive Ministry of Magic.
The novel
was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom,
Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. It sold five
million copies in the first 24 hours of publication. It is the longest
book of the series.
Harry Potter
fans waited three years between the releases of the fourth and fifth
books. Before the release of the fifth book, 200 million copies of the
first four books had already been sold and translated into 55 languages
in 200 countries.
As the
series was already a global phenomenon, the book forged new pre-order
records, with thousands of people queuing outside book stores on 20 June
2003 to secure copies at midnight. Despite the security, thousands of
copies were stolen from an Earlestown, Merseyside warehouse on 15 June
2003.
Harry Potter and the Order ofthePhoenix was met with mostly positive reviews and received several awards.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series.
The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,
was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with an initial print-run of
500 copies in hardback, 300 of which were distributed to libraries.
The second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in the UK on 2 July 1998.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published 8 July 2000, simultaneously by Bloomsbury and Scholastic.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the series, yet it is the second shortest film at 2 hours and 18 minutes.
After the publishing of Order of the Phoenix, the sixth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published on 16 July 2005.
The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published 21 July 2007.
In 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
was released in a film version directed by David Yates and written by
Michael Goldenberg. The film was produced by David Heyman's company,
Heyday Films, alongside David Barron. The film opened to a worldwide 5-day opening of $333 million, the third best of all time.
The Order of the Phoenix was a secret society founded by Albus Dumbledore to oppose Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
The original Order was created in the 1970s.
It was constructed after LordVoldemort returned to England from abroad and started his campaign to take over the Ministry of Magic and persecute Muggle-borns.
The Order worked with the Ministry to oppose the Dark Lord and his followers, and played a crucial role in the First Wizarding War. Their first victory came in 1981, with Lord Voldemort's first defeat at the hands of Harry Potter. The victory came with the high cost of many of their members.
The Order disbanded but was reconvened after Harry Potter informed Dumbledore of Lord Voldemort's return.
The Ministry refused to admit that the Dark Lord had returned, thus the Order alone worked to protect Harry Potter and the prophecy concerning him and Lord Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries.
After an intense battle occurred there between the Order, Dumbledore'sArmy, and the Death Eaters, the Ministry finally admitted the truth.
The following year would see the Order losing their leader and the Ministry being conquered by Lord Voldemort. The Order
remained an underground resistance, trying to protect Muggles and
broadcast the truth during the worst days of the Second Wizarding War.
They answered the call to arms by Dumbledore's Army, fighting LordVoldemort and his Death Eaters for the final time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Today, The Fosters and TheGrandma have started to prepare their participationin The Goblet of Fire, an interesting tournament that it is going to be celebrated in Hogwarts. The Fosters have been invited by AlbusDumbledore and it has been a great honour for them to have this chance. The rivals are very powerful and strong but The Fosters are
going to offer their best result.
Before, the family has been preparing their Cambridge Exam studying some vocabulary about Transport and Useful Things.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantasy book written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series. It follows Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the mystery surrounding the entry of Harry's name into the Triwizard Tournament, in which he is forced to compete.
The
book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury and in the United
States by Scholastic. In both countries, the release date was 8 July
2000. This was the first time a book in the series was published in both
countries at the same time. The novel won a Hugo Award, the only Harry Potter
novel to do so, in 2001. The book was adapted into a film, released
worldwide on 18 November 2005, and a video game by Electronic Arts.
Throughout the three previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties of growing up and the added challenge of being a famed wizard. When Harry was a baby, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard in history, killed Harry's parents but was mysteriously defeated after unsuccessfully trying to kill Harry, though his attempt left a lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. This results in Harry's
immediate fame and his being placed in the care of his abusive Muggle,
non-magical, aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, who have a son
named Dudley.
Albus Dumbledore & The Goblet of Fire
On Harry's eleventh birthday, he learns he is a wizard from RubeusHagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraftand Wizardry,and enrols in Hogwarts. He befriends RonWeasley and Hermione Granger andconfronts Lord Voldemort,who is trying to regain power.
Albus Dumbledore & The Goblet of Fire
In Harry's first year, he has to protect the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort
and one of his faithful followers at Hogwarts. After returning to
school after summer break, students at Hogwarts are attacked by the
legendary monster of the Chamber of Secrets after the Chamber is opened.
Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and thwarting another
attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength.
The following year, Harry hears he has been targeted by escaped mass murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry encounters
Black at the end of his third year and learns Black was framed and is
actually Harry's godfather. He also learns that it was his father's old
school friend Peter Pettigrew who betrayed his parents.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series. The first, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published by Bloomsbury on 26 June 1997.
The second, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published on 2 July 1998. The third, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, followed on 8 July 1999. Goblet of Fire is almost twice the size of the first three books, the paperback edition was 636 pages.
Rowling stated that she knew from the beginning it would be the biggest of the first four. She said there needed to be a proper run-up for the conclusion and rushing the complex plot could confuse readers. She also stated that everything is on a bigger scale, which was symbolic, as Harry's horizons widened both literally and metaphorically as he grew up. She also wanted to explore more of the magical world.
Until the official title's announcement on 27 June 2000, the book was called by its working title, Harry Potter IV. Previously, in April, the publisher had listed it as Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament.
However, J. K. Rowling expressed her indecision about the title in an Entertainment Weekly interview. I changed my mind twice on what the title was. The working title had got out -Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament. Then I changed Doomspell to Triwizard Tournament. Then I was teetering between Goblet of Fire and Triwizard Tournament. In the end, I preferred Goblet of Fire because it's got that kind of cup of destiny feel about it, which is the theme of the book.
Rowling mentioned that she originally wrote a Weasley relative named Malfalda, who, according to Rowling, was the daughter of the second cousin who's a stockbroker mentioned in Philosopher's Stone. This
stockbroker had been very rude to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the past, but
now he and his (Muggle) wife had inconveniently produced a witch, they
came back to the Weasleys asking for their help in introducing her to
wizarding society before she starts at Hogwarts.
Malfalda was supposed to be a Slytherin and was to fill in the Rita Skeeter subplot, but she was eventually removed because there were obvious limitations to what an eleven year old closeted at school could discover.
Rowling considered Rita Skeeter to be much more flexible. Rowling
also admitted that the fourth book was the most difficult to write at
the time because she noticed a giant plot hole halfway through writing.
In particular, Rowling had trouble with the ninth chapter, The Dark Mark, which she rewrote 13 times.
It was pointed out that bigotry is a big theme in the Harry Potter novels and Goblet of Fire in particular. it was mentioned how Voldemort and his followers are prejudiced against Muggles and how, in Goblet of Fire, Hermione forms a group to liberate Hogwarts' house-elves who have been indentured servants so long they lack desire for anything else.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was adapted into a film, released worldwide on 18 November 2005, which was directed by Mike Newell and written by Steve Kloves.
Today, The Fosters and TheGrandma have received uncomfortable news in Hogwarts.
A dangerous man has escaped from Azkabanprison, a fortress on an island in the middle of the North Sea, for convicted criminals built in the 15th century.Azkaban is one of the darkest places of the magic world.But they do
not believe this story and have decided to meet and help this supposed
criminal.
Before, the family has been preparing their Cambridge Exam studying some vocabulary about Staying Healthy and The World Around Us.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J.K. Rowling and is the third in the Harry Potter series.
The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry investigates Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, believed to be one of Lord Voldemort's old allies.
The
book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by Bloomsbury
and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic, Inc. Rowling
found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she began
writing it.
The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its
release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in
the country. The book won the 1999 Whitbread Children's Book Award, the
Bram Stoker Award, and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and
was short-listed for other awards, including the Hugo.
The
film adaptation of the novel was released in 2004, grossing more than
$796 million and earning critical acclaim. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter
series. The first, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US, was published by Bloomsbury
on 26 June 1997 and the second, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
was published on 2 July 1998.
Rowling started to write thePrisoner of
Azkaban the day after she finished TheChamber of Secrets. Rowling's favourite aspect of this book was introducing the character Remus Lupin, Rowling additionally said in 2004 that Prisoner of Azkaban was the best writing experience I ever had... I was in a very comfortable place writing number three. Immediate financial worries were over, and press attention wasn't yet by any means excessive.
The New York Times said, So far, in terms of plot, the books do nothing new, but they do it brilliantly...so far, so good.
In a newspaper review in The New York Times, it was said that The Prisoner of Azkaban may be the best Harry Potter book yet. A reviewer for KidsReads said, This crisply-paced fantasy will leave you hungry for the four additional Harry books that J.K. Rowling is working on. Harry's third year is a charm. Don't miss it. Kirkus Reviews did not give a starred review but said, a properly pulse-pounding climax... The main characters and the continuing story both come along so smartly... that the book seems shorter than its page count: have readers clear their calendars if they are fans, or get out of the way if they are not.
The Horn Book Magazine said that it is quite a good book. In addition, a Publishers Weekly review said, Rowling's wit never flags, whether constructing the workings of the wizard world... or tossing off quick jokes... The Potter spell is holding strong.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
was released in hardcover in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8
September. The British paperback edition was released on 1 April 2000,
while the US paperback was released 2 October 2001.
The film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
was released in 2004 and was directed by Alfonso Cuarón from a
screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film débuted at number one at the box
office and held that position for two weeks. It made a total of $796.7
million worldwide, which made it the second highest-grossing film of
2004 behind Shrek 2.
However, among all eight entries in the Harry Potter franchise, Prisoner of Azkaban
grossed the lowest, yet among critics and fans, the film is said to be
one of the best in the franchise. The film ranks at number 471 in Empire
magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.
Today, The Fosters have started to search TheChamber of Secrets, a hidden place in Hogwarts.
Searching The Chamber of Secrets
is a difficult work full of dangers, magic and riddles but the family
has accepted this challenge and they are ready to start this adventure.
Altogether, they have listened to the instructions of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, the best friends of Harry Potter.
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secretsis a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the second novel in the Harry Potter series.
The plot follows Harry'ssecond year atHogwartsSchool of Witchcraft andWizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls of the school's corridors warn that The Chamber ofSecrets has been opened and that the heir of Slytherinwould kill all pupils who do not come from all-magical families. These
threats are found after attacks that leave residents of the school
petrified. Throughout the year, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione investigatethe attacks.
The
book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury
and later in the United States on 2 June 1999 by Scholastic Inc.
Although Rowling says she found it difficult to finish the book,
it won high praise and awards from critics, young readers, and the book
industry, although some critics thought the story was perhaps too frightening for younger children. Much like with other novels in the series, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secretstriggeredreligious
debates; some religious authorities have condemned its use of magical
themes, whereas others have praised its emphasis on self-sacrifice and
the way one's character is the result of one's choices.
Several
commentators have noted that personal identity is a strong theme in the
book and that it addresses issues of racism through the treatment of
non-human, non-magical, and non-living people. Some commentators regard
the diary as a warning against uncritical acceptance of information from
sources whose motives and reliability cannot be checked. Institutional
authority is portrayed as self-serving and incompetent.
The
film adaptation of the novel, released in 2002, became at that time the
fifth highest-grossing film ever and received generally favourable
reviews. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews. Rowling
found it difficult to finish Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secretsbecause she was afraid it would not live up to the expectations raised
by Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. After delivering the
manuscript to Bloomsbury on schedule, she took it back for six weeks of
revision.
In early drafts of the book, the ghost Nearly Headless Nick
sang a self-composed song explaining his condition and the
circumstances of his unknown death. This was cut because the book's
editor did not care for the poem, which has been subsequently published
as an extra on J. K. Rowling's official website. The family background of Dean Thomas was removed because Rowling and her publishers considered it an unnecessary digression, and she considered NevilleLongbottom's own journey of discovery more important to the central plot.
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
was published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. It
immediately took first place in UK bestseller lists, displacing popular
authors such as John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Terry Pratchett and
making Rowling the first author to win the British Book Awards
Children's Book of the Year for two years in succession. In June 1999,
it went straight to the top of three US bestseller lists, including
inThe New York Times.
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secretscontinuesto examine what makes a person who he or she is, which began in the first book. As well as maintaining that Harry'sidentity is shaped by his decisions rather than any aspect of his birth, HarryPotter and The Chamber of Secrets provides contrasting characters who try to conceal their true personalities. Gilderoy Lockhartlacks any real identity because he is nothing more than a charming liar. Tom Riddle also complicates Harry's struggle to understand himself by pointing out the similarities between the two both half-bloods, orphans raised by Muggles, probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin.
Opposition
to class, death and its impacts, experiencing adolescence, sacrifice,
love, friendship, loyalty, prejudice, and racism are constant themes of
the series. In Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets Harry's consideration and respect for others extends to the lowly, non-human Dobby and the ghost NearlyHeadless Nick.
Immorality and the portrayal of authority as negative are significant themes in the novel. There are few absolute moral rules in Harry Potter'sworld, for example Harry prefers to tell the truth, but lies whenever he considers it necessary -very like his enemy Draco Malfoy.
At the end of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore retracts his promise to punish Harry, Ron, and Hermione if they break any more school rules -after Professor Minerva McGonagall estimates they have broken over 100- and lavishly rewards them for ending the threat from The Chamber of Secrets. Krause further states that authority figures and political institutions receive little respect from Rowling.
William
MacNeil of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia states that the
Minister for Magic is presented as a mediocrity. In his article Harry Potter and the Secular City, Ken Jacobson suggests the Ministry as a whole is portrayed as a tangle of bureaucratic empires, saying that Ministry
officials busy themselves with minutiaeand coin politically correct
euphemisms like 'non-magical community' for Muggles and 'memory
modification' for magical brainwashing.
This novel implies it begins in 1992. The cake for Nearly-Headless Nick's 500th death day party bears the words Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington died 31 October 1492.
Today, The Fosters have started their first day in Hogwarts. They have assisted to the Hat's ceremony where a magic Hat has sent every one of them to a House.The family has been chosen to be members of Gryffindor under the orders of Professor Minerva McGonagall.
Before, the family has been preparing their Cambridge Exam studying some vocabulary about Animals and Jobs.
Gryffindor values are courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry. Gryffindor'smascot is the lion, and its colours are scarlet and gold. During the books, the Head of this house is the Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall
until she becomes headmistress, and the house ghost is Sir Nicholas de
Mimsy-Porpington, more commonly known as Nearly Headless Nick. According
to Rowling, Gryffindor corresponds roughly to the element of fire. The founder of the house is Godric Gryffindor.
The Gryffindor common
room is in one of the castle's highest towers, and its entrance is on
the seventh floor in the east wing of the castle and is guarded by a
painting of The Fat Lady, who is garbed in a pink dress.
She permits entry only after being given the correct password, as was established in the third book, when Sirius Black tried forcing entry into the tower, only to be blocked by The Fat Lady after he could not give the correct password.
In the first book, Neville Longbottom tends to forget the password and must wait near the painting until other Gryffindors arrive to open the way.
The Fosters have started to search the Philosopher's Stone, which grants its user immortality as well as the ability to turn any metal into pure gold. The Grandma has told them the story of this magic stone.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry'sparents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
The book was first published in theUnited Kingdom on 26 June 1997 by Bloomsbury. It was published in the United States the following year by Scholastic Corporation under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It won most of the British book awards that were judged by children and other awards in the US.
The book
reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in
August 1999 and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and
2000. It has been translated into at least 73 other languages, and has
been made into a feature-length film of the same name, as have all six
of its sequels.
Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's
imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction,
although a few complained that the final chapters seemed rushed.
The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling'sfavourite authors; Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories beforethe appearance of Harry Potter; and the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer.
While some
commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and
Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre
firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social
issues, as well as overcoming obstacles like bullies.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter
series, has been attacked by some religious groups and banned in some
countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft
under the guise of a heroic, moral story.
Other
religious commentators have written that the book exemplifies important
viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which
people's decisions shape their personalities. The series has been used
as a source of object lessons in educational techniques, sociological
analysis and marketing.
The book, which was Rowling's debut novel, was written between approximately June 1990 and some time in 1995.
In 1990 Jo Rowling, as she preferred to be known, wanted to move with her boyfriend to a flat in Manchester and in her words, One weekend after flat hunting, I took the train back to London on my own and the idea for Harry Potter fell into my head... A scrawnylittleblack-haired bespectacled boy became more and more of a wizard to me... I began to write Philosopher's Stone that very evening. Although, the first couple of pages look nothing like the finished product. Then Rowling's mother died and, to cope with her pain, Rowling transferred her own anguish to the orphan Harry. Rowling spent six years working on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,and
after it was accepted by Bloomsbury, she obtained a grant of £8,000
from the Scottish Arts Council, which enabled her to plan the sequels.
By mid-2008, official translations of the book had been published in 67 languages. By November 2017, the book had been translated into 80 languages,
the 80th being Lowland Scots. It was translated by Matthew Fitt, who
said that he was honoured to be the Scots translator, and that he wanted to do it for a long time.
The translation is considered significant by Heart, who described it as probably the most incredible version so far, The Guardian, who believed that it may just be the best of all, and Stylist. Bloomsbury have published translations in Latin and in Ancient Greek, with the latter being described as one of the most important pieces of Ancient Greek prose written in many centuries.
The Philosopher's Stone, more properly philosophers' stone or stone of the philosophers, in Latin lapis philosophorum, is a legendary alchemicalsubstance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (chrysopoeia, from the Greek χρυσός khrusos, gold, and ποιεῖν poiēin, to make)
or silver. It is also called the elixir of life, useful for
rejuvenation and for achieving immortality; for many centuries, it was
the most sought goal in alchemy.
The Philosophers' Stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the Philosophers' Stone were known as the MagnumOpus (Great Work).
The earliest known written mention of the Philosophers' Stone
is in the Cheirokmeta by Zosimos of Panopolis (c. 300 AD). Alchemical
writers assign a longer history. Elias Ashmole and the anonymous author
of Gloria Mundi (1620) claim that its history goes back to Adam
who acquired the knowledge of the stone directly from God. This
knowledge was said to be passed down through biblical patriarchs, giving
them their longevity. The legend of the stone was also compared to the
biblical history of the Temple of Solomon and the rejected cornerstone
described in Psalm 118.
The
theoretical roots outlining the stone's creation can be traced to Greek
philosophy. Alchemists later used the classical elements, the concept of
anima mundi, and Creation stories presented in texts like Plato's
Timaeus as analogies for their process.
According
to Plato, the four elements are derived from a common source or Prima
Materia first matter, associated with chaos. Prima Materia is also the
name alchemists assign to the starting ingredient for the creation of
the Philosophers'Stone. The importance of this
philosophical first matter persisted throughout the history of alchemy.
In the seventeenth century, Thomas Vaughan writes, the first matter of the stone is the very same with the first matter of all things.
Early
medieval alchemists built upon the work of Zosimos in the Byzantine
Empire and the Arab empires. Byzantine and Arab alchemists were
fascinated by the concept of metal transmutation and attempted to carry
out the process. The 8th-century Muslim alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan
(Latinized as Geber) analyzed each classical element in terms of the
four basic qualities. Fire was both hot and dry, earth cold and dry,
water cold and moist, and air hot and moist.
He theorized that every metal was a combination of these four principles, two of them interior and two exterior.
From this premise, it was reasoned that the transmutation of one metal
into another could be affected by the rearrangement of its basic
qualities. This change would be mediated by a substance, which came to
be called xerion in Greek and al-iksir in Arabic from which the word
elixir is derived.
It was
often considered to exist as a dry red powder also known as al-kibrit
al-ahmar, red sulfur made from a legendary stone -the Philosophers' Stone.Theelixir powder came to be regarded as a crucial component of transmutation by later Arab alchemists.
In the
11th century, there was a debate among Muslim world chemists on whether
the transmutation of substances was possible. A leading opponent was the
Persian polymath Avicenna (Ibn Sina), who discredited the theory of
transmutation of substances, stating, Those of the chemical craft know well that no change can be effected in the different species of substances, though they can produce the appearance of such change.
According to legend, the 13th-century scientist and philosopher Albertus Magnus is said to have discovered the Philosophers' Stone. Magnus does not confirm he discovered the stone in his writings, but he did record that he witnessed the creation of gold by transmutation.
The 16th-century Swiss alchemist Paracelsus believed in the existence of alkahest, which he thought to be an undiscovered element from which all other elements (earth, fire, water, air) were simply derivative forms. Paracelsus believed that this element was, in fact, the Philosopher's Stone.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was divided into four houses: Gryffindor, founded by GodricGryffindor; Hufflepuff, founded by HelgaHufflepuff; Ravenclaw, founded by RowenaRavenclaw; and Slytherin,founded by Salazar Slytherin.
Gryffindor is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was founded by Godric Gryffindor.
Gryffindor instructed the Sorting Hat
to choose students possessing characteristics he most valued, such as
courage, chivalry, and determination, to be sorted into his house. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick is the House ghost.
Gryffindor corresponds roughly to the element of fire,
and it is for this reason that the colours scarlet and gold were chosen
to represent the house. The colour of fire corresponds to that of a lion as well, with scarlet representing the mane and tail and gold representing the coat.
The emblematic animal is a lion, and its colours are scarlet and gold.
Gryffindors and Slytherins have shared a fierce house rivalry since their founders, Godric Gryffindor
and Salazar Slytherin, respectively, had a severe falling out over
Slytherin's emphasis on blood purity. There might also be an element of
feeling wronged, as Harry and his fellow Gryffindors tend to win in a lot of circumstances which, when viewed from a neutral point of view, may be considered unfair.
The Gryffindor Common Room is located in one of the castle's towers (Gryffindor Tower), the entrance to which is located on the seventh floor and is guarded by an oil painting of the Fat Lady,
who is garbed in a pink silk dress. She permits entry only after being
given the correct (regularly changing) password. Behind her painting is a
large common room, with a fireplace, and two staircases leading up to
the girls' and boys' dormitories. There is a spell on the girls'
staircase that prevents boys from using it; however, there is no such
enchantment on the staircase to the boys' dormitory, allowing girls to
use it whenever they wish, due to the founders' belief that girls were
more trustworthy. The common room is very comfortable, and members of
the Gryffindor house meet there for study groups, celebrations,
or relaxation. The walls are lined with portraits, each one depicting a
previous or current Head of Gryffindor.
The head of house before and during Harry Potter's time was Minerva McGonagall. Minerva became the head of house possibly in 1956, when she was appointed Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
taking over Albus Dumbledore's previous teaching position when he
became Headmaster. It is unknown who later became the head of house when
she was made Headmistress in 1998 following the end of the Second
Wizarding War.
You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry, Set Gryffindors apart...
Hufflepuff is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its founder was the medieval witch Helga Hufflepuff.
Hufflepuff
is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work,
dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular
aptitude in its members. Students in Hufflepuff are known to value everyone and treat them as equal.
Hufflepuff
corresponds roughly to the element of earth, and it is for that reason
that the House colours were chosen: yellow represented wheat, while
black was emblematic of soil. The Hufflepuff point hourglass contains yellow diamonds. Students sorted into Hufflepuff often demonstrate exceptional abilities in Herbology, owing to their correspondence to earth.
The emblematic animal is a badger, and yellow and black are its colours.
Hufflepuff
appears to have the least rivalry with the other houses, except in
Quidditch, although the Triwizard Tournament did temporarily put a great
deal of strain on the relationship between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, due to unusual circumstances of the selection of both Gryffindor student Harry Potter and Hufflepuff student Cedric Diggory as Champions. This was mended by 1998, where a majority of Hufflepuffs rose to defend Harry from Pansy Parkinson and later helped to defend Hogwarts.
Hufflepuff
is the house that produced the fewest dark wizards through out its
history. Their cheerful and friendly demeanor can probably account for
this property of the House. Hufflepuff firmly demonstrated its
loyalty during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, when they were second
only to Harry Potter's own house of Gryffindor in the number of students willing to stay and fight against Voldemort and his forces in the defence of their school. The Hufflepuff dormitories
and common room have never been seen by outsiders and is the only house
with repelling devices in case of intruders. They are accessed through a
pile of large barrels, found stacked in a shadowy stone recess on a
right-hand side corridor near the kitchens. The barrel two from the
bottom, middle of the second row, will open if tapped in the rhythm of HelgaHufflepuff.
The Hufflepuff's head of house before and during Harry Potter's timewas Pomona Sprout. She was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts Schoolof Witchcraft and Wizardry.
You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, And unafraid of toil...
Ravenclaw is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its founder was the medieval witch Rowena Ravenclaw.
Members of this house are characterised by their wit, learning, and wisdom. Ravenclaw
House prizes learning, wisdom, wit, and intellect in its members. Thus,
many Ravenclaws tend to be academically motivated and talented
students. They also pride themselves on being original in their ideas,
and methods. It's not unusual to find Ravenclaw students practising especially different types of magic that other houses might shun. Ravenclaws tend to be curious about the world and pay attention to the world around them. Ravenclaws are known to be logical and rational.
Ravenclaw
corresponds roughly to the element of air, and it is for that reason
that the House colours were chosen; blue and bronze represent the sky
and eagle feathers respectively, both having much to do with air. The Ravenclaw points hourglass contains blue sapphires.
The emblematic animal symbol is an eagle, andblue and bronze are its colours.
Ravenclaw
House appears to have little rivalry with the other houses, except in
Quidditch. Harry Potter believed that they tended to side with
Gryffindor in its rivalry with Slytherin, as did Hufflepuff house.
The Ravenclaw
common room is in one of the castle's towers and is wide and circular.
You have to climb a tight spiral staircase to get there. It has graceful
arched windows, and the walls are hung with blue and bronze silks. The
domed ceiling is painted with stars, which are echoed in the
midnight-blue carpet. Tables, chairs, and bookcases cover the expanse of
the floor, and a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw sits
next to the door that leads to the dormitories above. Harry Potter
entered the common room in 1998 while searching for clues to the
location of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Unlike the other common rooms
in the school, a logical riddle given by a bronze eagle-shaped knocker
must be answered to enter.
The Head of Ravenclaw is Filius Flitwick and the house ghost is the Grey Lady, otherwise known as the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, HelenaRavenclaw.
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind...
Slytherin is one of the four Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Salazar Slytherin.
In establishing the house, Salazar instructed the Sorting Hat
to pick students who had a few particular characteristics he most
valued. Slytherins tend to be ambitious, shrewd, cunning, strong
leaders, and achievement-oriented. They also have highly developed
senses of self-preservation. This means that Slytherins tend to hesitate
before acting, so as to weigh all possible outcomes before deciding
exactly what should be done.
Slytherin
corresponds roughly with the element of water due to serpents being
commonly associated with the sea and lochs in western European
mythology, as well as serpents being physically fluid and flexible
animals. Similarly, in Celtic mythology, water is seen as a portal to
another world, leading some to speculate that the element was chosen to
symbolise many Slytherins' hope for a pure-blood only community.
The colours also correspond with waters around lakes and lochs often
being green, and silver being often associated with grey rainwater.
The emblematic animal of the house is a snake and its colours are green and silver.
Slytherin
and Gryffindor are generally rivals in Quidditch and for the House Cup,
of which the former had won seven years in a row prior to Harry
Potter's arrival at Hogwarts in 1991. It is also rare for Slytherin
and Gryffindor students to be friendly with one another, and is also
quite common for them to share animosity. There are exceptions, such as
Slytherin Merlin who had a friendship with Gryffindor Sir Cadogan and Slytherin Severus Snape and Gryffindor Lily Evans, who were best friends until Snape's use of the slur Mudblood as well as his aspirations to be a Death Eater caused Lily to sever their ties.
The Slytherin common room is in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle
and underneath the Black Lake. Because of this, the light in the common
room is green. Harry Potter along with Ron Weasley entered the common
room in his second year to find out if Draco Malfoy was the one opening the Chamber of Secrets. To enter the Slytherin
common room one must merely speak aloud the current password in front
of a stretch of a damp stone wall; once the word is uttered a concealed
stone door will slide aside leaving a rectangular hole in the wall
leading to the Slytherin common room.
Slytherin's head of house for Harry's first six years of school was SeverusSnape; however, as he fled with the Death Eaters at the end of Harry's sixth year, Potions Master Horace Slughorn became the head of SlytherinHouse.