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Bringing Hogwarts to You

Harry Potter At Home

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Harry Potter At Home brings you magical treats to keep you entertained, including quizzes, puzzles, crafts.

Thank you to everyone for watching all of our contributors over the past months. Our video series has now ended.

A trip down memory lane with Harry Potter At Home 

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This year, the Wizarding World family all banded together on a very magical project, where a collection of free initiatives were introduced to help children, parents, carers and teachers find comfort and [escapism through the Harry Potter stories](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/seven-ways-lifelong-fans-and-first-time-readers-showed-their-love-for-hpah). This culminated in the Harry Potter At Home hub – to the delight of both new and familiar fans.  

Watch how the journey unfolded just below.  

A trip down memory lane with Harry Potter At Home

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Now, the time has come to say goodbye to the Harry Potter At Home hub, which, among many things, saw both familiar faces and a few new friends get together to read the first Harry Potter story, *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone.*

To everyone who took part, the Wizarding World thanks you for joining us on this incredible journey.  

You still have a little bit longer to [enjoy our chapter readings](https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters), which will be available until 31st December. 

But the magic doesn’t end here. You can take part in our many craft tutorials, quizzes, puzzles and family-friendly activities for all ages, simply by exploring wizardingworld.com.

*[Sign up to the Harry Potter Fan Club](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register) to get all of our latest updates before anyone else.*

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Starting Harry Potter

The Starting Harry Potter Collection

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Get sorted for Hogwarts

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A handy guide to reading the Harry Potter books for the first time 

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Illustration Jonny Duddle © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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So, you’ve probably heard of Harry Potter already, right? Probably caught a film on TV, probably got a mate who has a Hogwarts robe. And you’ve probably been thinking – ‘who is this Dumbledore fellow, anyway?’ ‘What is a Wingardium Leviosa?’ 

### So what are the books about, exactly? Like, actually?

Okay: in a nutshell, a young 11-year old boy with glasses and a lightning bolt scar called Harry Potter finds out that he’s a wizard with magical powers and must go to a special school to learn how to do magic. Along the way, he learns many secrets about his past, and discovers that not all wizards are good...

### You’re going to be reading a lot of strange words

Quaffle. Flobberworm. Riddikulus! Get ready for all manner of weird and wonderful words, guys. These are not your every-day books. But don’t worry, everything will be explained as you go along, and soon, the words of the wizarding world will be a second language! And if you get really stuck, [here’s a handy glossary](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/web-ten-words-you-need-to-know-for-hp1 "Bloomsbury glossary") to get you started.

### And meet a lot of interesting people 

Albus Dumbledore! Professor McGonagall! Who are all these curious people? For a book called “Harry Potter”, you do get a lot of fascinating names in this series... no offence, Harry. You’ll soon learn that wizards and witches are rather different to us, wear different sorts of clothes, and have many different interests. And it’s not just people too – prepare to meet magical creatures and even portraits that talk! 

### You may know a few things already – but that’s OK 

If you’ve not read the books, that doesn’t mean you haven’t seen a Harry Potter film on the television. Or maybe a friend or family-member has told you all about how they’re a [Gryffindor](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/gryffindor), and you’re like, ‘What?’ So you might know bits and bobs about the adventure already – but don’t worry. It’ll all make sense once you start at the beginning. Just maybe ask your friends to be nice and not spoil anything for you! 

### Things might get a little scary...

Are you squeamish? Be on your guard, then! At Hogwarts school, not everything is as it seems. Sometimes these books get a little frightening, especially when a certain someone called Lord Voldemort makes an appearance... but also watch out for giant spiders, werewolves, and more things we won’t spoil for you now.

Remember, at the end of the day, it’s just a book – so you can always snap it shut if things get too much! 

### And the books will magically start getting bigger and bigger 

As you read more Harry Potter books, you’ll learn that there’s just so much in the wizarding world that the books start getting fatter! But trust us, once you’ve read the first one and got hooked in, you’ll be even hungrier for more pages.

### It’s a marathon, not a sprint 

Don’t feel bad if you’re not the fastest reader in the world. There are seven Harry Potter books, and that’s a lot of magic to get through! Take your time, because you don’t want to speed through it too fast and miss something – there are loads of important mentions in the books that will become important in later books. We’ll give you a heads up on one: in the first chapter of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* (or *Sorcerer's Stone* for our US readers), a character called ‘Sirius Black’ is mentioned. Keep an eye on that name in particular... 

### And once you’re done, that’s definitely not the end 

When we first finished the Harry Potter books, to say we were sad is an understatement. But chin up, you’ve actually started reading the stories at an exciting time. Now, there’s a new story, *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child*, that looks at the adventures of the wizarding world 19 years later. And then, if you fancy going back in time, you can watch the Fantastic Beasts films, which go all the way back to the 1920s where we meet a host of brand-new witches and wizards.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to read a Harry Potter book (except, maybe, upside down!) so give them a go, and you can always visit WizardingWorld.com if you want to learn more about the wizarding world as you go along. 

So, chapter one... 

__Illustration Jonny Duddle © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc__

Make reading Harry Potter fun with these three easy tips

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Children deserve reading experiences that resonate with their joyful spirits, and their desire to explore and play. These three activities will help.

## 1.	Read aloud, read aloud, read aloud

To help children become super readers, one persistent theme is the power and fun of the read aloud. It's a simple, yet transformative act that brings families together and helps kids learn thoughtfully.

Make the read aloud a daily experience for kids, and use best practices to keep them engaged. Before even opening the book, look at the cover – the Harry Potter books have magical illustrations – and make predictions together on what the book is about. 

As you read, stop to ask your child questions about the text – what shape is the scar on Harry’s forehead? Who is their favourite character so far? Which shops would they like to visit in Diagon Alley? Read with enthusiasm and expression by making silly voices, faces, and gestures to bring the text to life. Don’t be shy — the more dramatic the better!

Also remember that reading aloud is for kids of ALL ages. So, start early and don’t stop!

## 2.	Incorporate art

Setting up an art station during read-aloud time is just one way to combine reading and writing with creative expression through art. Bring out the crayons, coloured pencils, construction paper and all varieties of art supplies, and have a child design their own cover for a book they love!

When it comes to Harry Potter-themed inspiration, you can find fun create-at-home ideas on [Wizarding World’s Crafting Magic page.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/crafting-magic "Crafting Magic Collection") Examples of crafting challenges include helping your child learn how to knit a Weasley-inspired scarf, as well as making their very own Ravenclaw shoelaces. Who doesn’t love craft time?

## 3.	Use new kinds of reading sources

Beyond the traditional read aloud, stories can come from a variety of sources, including poems, oral tales, and wordless books! Technology can also be a great outlet – think about ebooks or audiobooks. 

Think outside of the box when it comes to reading and watch your child light up with excitement. Making reading fun fosters a love of reading and captivating our kids with great stories is where true magic lies.

For more brilliant articles, book recommendations and reading advice and tools for parents and guardians, visit [Scholastic’s, Raise a Reader blog here](https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog.html "Scholastic raise a reader")

__Illustration by Mary GrandPré © Scholastic__

Make your own Hogwarts house bookmarks

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Whether you’re a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Hufflepuff, these bookmarks are a great way to show off your house colours – and mark your place in that great book you’re reading!

If you don’t know which house you belong to yet then, don’t worry! You can find out in the [Sorting Ceremony on our website here](https://www.wizardingworld.com "Sorting link"). If you’re one of our younger fans, you’ll need an adult to help you register.

Now you know where your house loyalty lies, watch the video below and learn how to make these Hogwarts house bookmarks at home… 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GvgiBPVzbT8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



For more of our arts and crafts videos, check out our [Crafting Magic page](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/crafting-magic "Crafting Magic"), as well as our [Wizarding World YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChPRO1CB_Hvd0TvKRU62iSQ "Youtube"). 
And for even more stay at home fun, check out our [Harry Potter At Home hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home "HPAH hub"), and bring the magic to you!


Learn some friendship lessons and discover your Hogwarts best friend with Bloomsbury

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Sometimes making new friends can seem a little scary. Let’s take a look at some of the witch and wizard friends from *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* (or *Sorcerer’s Stone* for our US readers), and see what we can learn from them about friendship. 

## Harry Potter & Ron Weasley 
Harry and Ron first made friends on the Hogwarts Express. Although Harry grew up with Muggles and Ron with wizards, they still had a lot to talk about! 

__Friendship lesson__: *being different from someone doesn’t mean you can’t be their friend. In fact, it can make your friendship really exciting as you learn about each other!*

## Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter 
Harry and Ron didn’t really know Hermione very well before they decided she was annoying. It wasn’t until she was attacked by a mountain troll and stuck up for them in front of a teacher, that they got to know her properly. Then, of course, they realised how great she really was.

__Friendship lesson:__ *you can’t really know whether you want to be friends with someone before you get to know them. Give them a chance, and you might find a best friend.*

## Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe 
We first saw Draco, Goyle and Crabbe together on the Hogwarts Express, and they were rarely seen without each other after that. 

__Friendship lesson:__ *you might not be able to see why people are friends, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a strong friendship*.

## Albus Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall 
Professor McGonagall waited for Albus Dumbledore on the Dursleys’ wall as a cat— all day! And she missed out on lots of parties. Now that’s friendship!

__Friendship lesson__: *sometimes being friends means you put your friend first rather than yourself.*

## Rubeus Hagrid and Fang the boarhound 
Hagrid and Fang were rarely seen without each other. And even though Fang was scared of going into the Forbidden Forest – he still came along with Hagrid!

__Friendship lesson:__ *your friends don’t have to be people! Sometimes animals can make you feel just as loved as your human friends.*

## Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger
A fellow Gryffindor, Neville made friends with Ron, Harry and Hermione – Harry even rescued Neville’s Remembrall from Malfoy. But one night, Neville had to make a brave choice to stand up to the three of them. When awarding him house points for courage, Professor Dumbledore said: ‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.’

__Friendship lesson:__ *being friends with someone doesn’t always mean you’ll always agree with them. Sometimes you need to tell them the truth, even if you’re worried about what they’ll think.*

Now you’ve read all about the friendship lessons we can learn from the first Harry Potter book, it’s time to find your own Hogwarts best friend!

Click here to take [Bloomsbury’s 'Who Is Your Hogwarts Best Friend' quiz](https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/fun-stuff/who-is-your-hogwarts-best-friend/ "Harry Potter best friend quiz Bloomsbury"). Who are you hoping for? Harry? Ron? Hermione? Draco? Or someone else?

__Illustration by Jim Kay © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc__


The First Year Harry Potter Quiz

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Try our four Hogwarts house-themed wordsearches 

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Simply click and drag to find all the words, all connected to each of the four Hogwarts houses. And if you don't know which house you're in, [remember you can get sorted with us right here.  ](https://my.wizardingworld.com/sorting-hat)

## The Gryffindor wordsearch 

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200617/00023/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## The Ravenclaw wordsearch

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200612/00022/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## The Hufflepuff wordsearch

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200522/00019/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## The Slytherin wordsearch

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200620/00025/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

For more puzzles, [visit our puzzles hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles) or check out our Wizarding World app. 

Harry Potter Who’s Who - Muggles Edition: Introducing the Dursleys

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## Vernon Dursley:
Vernon Dursley, or Uncle Vernon as Harry Potter calls him, lives at number 4, Privet Drive with his wife, Petunia and son, Dudley. He is a director of a firm called Grunnings, which makes drills. He is a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, and he has a moustache. He doesn’t like people who dress in funny clothes (particularly cloaks), he hates Harry talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn’t – like a motorbike flying, and he is irritated by most things his nephew, Harry does. He does however like large doughnuts.  

## Petunia Dursley:
Petunia Dursley, or Aunt Petunia as Harry Potter calls her lives at number 4, Privet Drive with her husband Vernon and her son, Dudley. She is the sister of Lily Potter, Harry’s mother but that doesn’t mean that she treats Harry any better than Uncle Vernon. Petunia is thin and blonde with nearly twice the usual amount of neck – which comes in very useful when she’s spying on the neighbours over the garden fence. She has some funny nicknames for her son, like Dinky Duddydums and she sometimes looks as though she’s swallowed a lemon. 


## Dudley Dursley:
Dudley Dursley lives with his parents, Vernon and Petunia and Harry at number 4, Privet Drive. He is Harry's horrible, non-magical and slightly older cousin. He is blond, hates exercise and bullies Harry whenever he can, including at school where Dudley has a gang that he gets to pick on his own cousin. A very spoiled little boy, he insists on having more birthday presents than the year before and he pretends to cry to get whatever he wants. He likes watching television and never likes to miss his programmes.  

And now you’ve read their descriptions, why don’t you try drawing their portraits?

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For our complete guide to the characters in the Harry Potter books, you can [visit Bloomsbury’s Who’s Who page on the Bloomsbury website](https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/fun-stuff/harry-potter-whos-who/ "Who's Who Bloomsbury")!

And you can watch [Noma Dumezweni reading about the Dursleys in Chapter Two of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone here](https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-vanishing-glass "Vanishing Glass")!

__Illustration by Jim Kay © Bloomsbury__

Harry Potter Who’s Who: Harry, Ron & Hermione

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## Harry Potter:
Harry Potter is a wizard, the only child of James and Lily Potter. He is famous for having survived an attack by Lord Voldemort when he was a baby. He is also sometimes known as ‘The Boy Who Lived’. For the first eleven years of his life Harry lives with his mean aunt and uncle and is unaware of his wizarding roots. It is only on his eleventh birthday that he finds out he is a wizard and is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At Hogwarts Harry is in Gryffindor house.

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## Ron Weasley:
Ron quickly becomes one of Harry’s best friends at Hogwarts. He has bright red hair and freckles, like his five older brothers, Charlie, Bill, Percy, George and Fred. He also has a younger sister called Ginny. Ron is also in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts and has a pet rat called Scabbers.

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## Hermione Granger:
Hermione, along with Ron Weasley, becomes one of Harry’s best friends. She, too, is in Gryffindor house. She is very clever and hardworking and always gets top marks in her exams. Her parents are Muggle dentists. 

For our complete guide to all the much-loved characters in the Harry Potter books, you can visit our [Who’s Who page on the Bloomsbury website here](https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/fun-stuff/harry-potter-whos-who/ "Bloomsbury Who's Who"). 

__Illustration by Jim Kay © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc__

Harry Potter Who’s Who Professors Edition: Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape

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## Albus Dumbledore:
Headmaster of Hogwarts and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. The finest wizard of his generation, Dumbledore is the only wizard that Voldemort is afraid of. Tall, thin and very old, he has blue eyes, a crooked nose and a long silver beard. He wears half-moon spectacles and a long purple cloak. He has a scar on his left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground. As a schoolboy, he was in Gryffindor house. 

## Minerva McGonagall:
Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. She is a rather serious-looking woman, with jet-black hair scraped back into a tight bun on her head. She wears square glasses and an emerald-green cloak. Professor McGonagall is head of Gryffindor house and is the Transfiguration teacher. If you’ve read Chapter One of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone you will know that she can turn into a tabby cat! 

## Severus Snape:
Potions master at Hogwarts, although apparently he knows an awful lots about the Dark Arts. He is tall and thin with sallow skin, greasy black hair and a hooked nose. He teaches his classes in the dungeons, where there are pickled animals floating in jars. Snape appears to hate Harry Potter, whilst Draco Malfoy is one of his favourite students. Though that isn’t surprising, as he is also head of Slytherin house. 

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And now you’ve read their descriptions, why don’t you try drawing their portraits? 

For Bloomsbury's complete guide to all the much-loved characters in the Harry Potter books, you can [visit the Who’s Who page on the Bloomsbury website](https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/fun-stuff/harry-potter-whos-who/ "Who's Who Bloomsbury link").

__Illustration by Johnny Duddle © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc__


Take part in our official wand ceremony

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As you enter the pages of the first story, join Harry as you discover the wizarding world together. Here, you’ll find quizzes, puzzles, crafts and much more to help guide you through your very first journey into Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Adventure and magic awaits both you and the Boy Who Lived – and we guarantee, once your imagination reaches Hogwarts, you won’t want to turn back!

Introducing the Starting Harry Potter hub

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The Starting Harry Potter hub is a free online collection of family-friendly activities, including videos, puzzles, quizzes, crafting ideas, articles and much more. Collated with children, teachers and carers in mind, the Starting Harry Potter hub is the official first stop as new readers embark on their first journey into the wizarding world alongside Harry himself. With it, our hope it to inspire children to read for pleasure, as they read or listen to the stories for the first time and help to bring some magic-infused joy and entertainment to all the family. This hub is all about helping imaginations spark as bright as a magic wand!

The Starting Harry Potter hub is a magical guide for new readers or listeners as they step into the wizarding world for the first time and is the perfect accompaniment to their introduction to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. With an array of ever-changing content, we’ll introduce characters with ‘Who’s Who’ guides, share tips for first-time readers or listeners and set challenges with crafting videos, quizzes and wordsearches all primarily focused on the first book. And we won’t be doing it alone! Our wonderful friends at Harry Potter’s UK and US publishers – Bloomsbury and Scholastic – will be helping us to provide fun and educational articles as well as activities for the hub. And don’t forget, new fans will also be able enjoy our ultimate Harry Potter experience – being sorted into their Hogwarts house!

While you’re on WizardingWorld.com, how about [signing up to the Harry Potter Fan Club newsletter](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register) for free (you may need an adult to help you do this)? As a Harry Potter Fan Club member, you’ll be among the first to receive the latest wizarding world news, events, activities, exclusives access and more – straight into your inbox.

And a final word from us – we hope you love Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone as much as we do, and that this hub helps you along your magical way. Welcome to the Wizarding World family, your journey is only just beginning! And don’t worry, Harry will be standing by your side all the way. 

__Illustration by Mary GrandPré © Scholastic__