On his 11th birthday on July 31, 1991, Harry James Potter, then living with his maternal aunt Petunia Dursley and her family, came to know that he is actually a wizard. What followed is a youngster's struggle to adapt to the wizarding world, forging new friendships, realizations of a fate tied with the most powerful dark wizard of all times, Lord Voldemort, and the subsequent Battle of Hogwarts where he is able defeat him, spanning seven books.
Considered by many critics, readers and audiences to be one of the greatest literary and cinematic characters of all time, J K Rowling's creation who first appeared in the 1997 book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has long transcended the pages of the time, being turned into one of the most well-known characters in cinema and somewhere down the line, a living, breathing persona in the imaginations of every youngster out there.
Rowling’s creation would have turned 39 if he really were a ‘boy who lived’, and as we celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday, here’s looking at a few interesting facts about him.
Both Harry Potter and his creator J K Rowling, share birthdays. However, the author has maintained across interviews that Harry was not directly based on any real-life person and came just out of a part of her.
--According to Rowling, Potter was never actually a Horcrux, and when Voldermort destroyed the fragment of his soul that contained Harry, he lost his ability to speak Parseltongue.
--Interestingly, Potter is a surname of a wizarding family descended from Ignotus Peverell and Linfred Stinchcombe. The connection in bloodlines between Harry and Voldemort comes with the Peverell family. Peverell passed down the Cloak of Invisibility down from generation to generation until it rightfully landed in Harry's possession. The House of Gaunt was a pure-blood family that descended from Ignotus Peverell's brother Cadmus and Salazar Slytherin. This ancient family is where the two bloodlines meet.
--In an interview with Pottercast in 2007, Rowling explained that both Harry and Ron did not graduate from Hogwarts. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione returned to school and passed her NEWTS with flying colors before joining Harry and Ron at the Ministry of Magic.
--The death of Hedwig signalled the end of Potter's childhood. In an interview with Melissa Anelli for the website The Leaky Cauldron, Rowling clarified that there was an intention behind Hedwig's sudden and tragic death. When asked why she felt Hedwig's death was necessary, Rowling replied that the loss of Hedwig represented a loss of innocence and security for Potter. Voldermort killing her marked an end to his sense of security and childhood.
--Potter could not see Thestrals before witnessing the death of Cedric Diggory because even though his parents were killed in front of him as a baby, he was too young to comprehend his parents' death. According to Rowling, one had to let the realisation of death sink in before being able to see a Thestral. It makes sense that Potter would still be dealing with the full gravity of Cedric's death for a while before being able to see the magical creatures.
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