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Introducing our new Wizarding World video series for beginners, Discover Harry Potter 

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Do you have someone in your life who doesn’t know their Muggles from their Mugwumps? Your ghouls from your gargoyles? Your Quidditch from your Quibblers? Then this series is especially for them.

In our new series, Discover Harry Potter, we’ll be helping budding Harry Potter experts learn all about wizarding life, Hogwarts and beyond with these easy guides to get you started. After all, there is a lot of magic crammed into those seven stories. Where to even begin? 

Never fear. You can peek at our first episode in the series here, where we boil down quite a big question: what exactly is the wizarding world, anyway?

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Of course, this video is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a Hogwarts education. Be sure to check out the rest of our Discover Harry Potter series on YouTube over the coming weeks as we get ready for Back to Hogwarts season in style. We’ll be exploring such themes as the true meaning of your Hogwarts house, an evaluation on Wizarding World heroes, how magic even works and much, much more. 

And look out for an extra-special episode courtesy of our friends at The LEGO&reg; Group, who have been exploring the mysteries of Harry’s school, Hogwarts castle, using iconic locations such as Dumbledore’s Office, the Chamber of Secrets and the Whomping Willow. You can visit the LEGO&reg; [website](https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/harry-potter) to see which Harry Potter characters, sets and locations are available in brick form, including a few new goodies especially for 2022’s Back to Hogwarts season.

Be sure to sign up to the [Harry Potter Fan Club](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register) where you can learn about later Discover Harry Potter episodes, upcoming Back to Hogwarts goodness and our general slew of regular magic!

A guide to surviving your first year of Hogwarts

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Harry, Ron and Hermione by the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and Ron are leaning out of one the doors while Harry is next to them.They are all smiling slightly. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 

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and the Philosopher's Stone 

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## Enter into negotiations with the Sorting Hat 

One of the first initiation tasks at Hogwarts is to get sorted into your Hogwarts house (which you can do with us [right here](https://my.wizardingworld.com/sorting-hat) if you haven’t before) but you don’t have to just sit there without a discussion. During Harry’s experience, he had a full-on internal debate with the Sorting Hat (which can communicate with you inside your head) on whether he should be in Slytherin or Gryffindor. More people should try this! The next seven years of your life is pretty tied to this moment after all. 

In fact, the Sorting Hat can get stumped itself – this phenomenon is called a “[Hatstall](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/hatstall)”, where the Sorting Hat takes over five minutes to decide on a student’s house. Both Hermione and Neville nearly ended up outside of Gryffindor due to the hat’s indecision.


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## Remember your password (or just generally how to get into your common room) 

Once the small matter of your Hogwarts house is determined, it’s important to know how on earth to get into your common room, seeing as every one has its own set of rules. For Gryffindors and Slytherins, a simple password is all you need, but for Hufflepuffs, you must tap a barrel in a specific sequence to enter your common room, and for Ravenclaw, even worse! – you answer a new riddle every time to get in, which feels exhausting. Sure, Ravenclaws famously have wit beyond measure, but we all have off-days. 


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## Watch out for ghosts (and one poltergeist) 

It's always a big deal moving to a new place, meeting new people, etc. – but it’s an even bigger deal when some of your co-inhabitants are dead. Despite this small fact, they are still very active around Hogwarts (Nearly Headless Nick is particularly talkative) and if you walk through one, you’ll be hit by an awful, icy chill. Still, we’ve all had frosty exchanges with new acquaintances, right? 

You’ll also want to stay clear of a different sort of apparition, Peeves the poltergeist, who has dwelled in the castle for centuries with nobody successfully being able to remove him. Some of Peeves’ favourite pastimes include making up mean little songs about you, causing general chaos and tormenting the cantankerous caretaker, Argus Filch. 


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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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and the Chamber of Secrets

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## Also, watch out for Filch and Mrs Norris 

Speaking of Filch, he’s not much fun to run into either. There’s also his beloved pet, Mrs Norris, who will grass you up if she sees you wandering around the castle after-hours too. For a cat, she’s remarkably purr-ceptive.

But play by the rules, and Filch usually leaves people alone, even if he is prone to confiscating fun magical objects. To be fair to Filch, though, being a Squib (AKA not having magical powers) and having to deal with the chaos left behind by Peeves all day would put us in a bad mood too.


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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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and the Half-Blood Prince

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## Befriend the portraits 

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and in the case of the Hogwarts paintings, that’s actually quite true. Indeed, the portraits that hang around the castle all feature old witches and wizards of yesteryear who magically still hold a presence long after they’ve passed. While sometimes, you might not fancy small talk with a piece of sentient art, (Sir Cadogan is usually quite hard work) they do sometimes come in handy for pieces of advice, spying on people or passing on messages, etc. And if you’re a Gryffindor, you really don’t want to get on the wrong side of The Fat Lady, seeing as she’s the one who lets you into the common room.


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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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## If someone challenges you to a duel – maybe don’t?

There’s always one kid in the class who thinks they’re about five years older than they actually are. In Harry’s case, this was Draco Malfoy, who challenged him to an actual grown-up wizards’ duel, in their very first year. In classic Draco style, he was all talk and no action – and confronting an eleven year old with a wand that can cause actual explosions is never a good idea anyway. 


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## Bear in mind Hogwarts likes to mix it up 

If you’re a little Geographically-challenged (AKA, you get lost a lot) you might want to watch your step a bit when roaming the Hogwarts corridors. The staircases like to move around, which is not ideal when you’re trying to get to your next class in time. Isn’t being a young student with a busy timetable enough stress? 


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## Reading Hogwarts: A History might help! 

Look, we acknowledge that Hermione was showing off a little when she mentioned (on several occasions) that she had read Hogwarts: A History as prep for her magical education, but to be fair, you can’t blame Muggle-borns for wanting an extra leg up on these sorts of things. And Hogwarts: A History does seem genuinely helpful, almost like a cheat code to the castle. Without Hermione having read this book, we might not have known so readily that you can’t Apparate within the school grounds, Muggles cannot see the castle, or even about the Chamber of Secrets! 


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Learn more about the magic of going Back to Hogwarts with our [handy page all about it](https://www.wizardingworld.com/back-to-hogwarts-2022).

Those wholesome little moments in the Wizarding World 

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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and the Order of the Phoenix

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## Mealtimes at Hogwarts

There’s nothing like a big, hearty, delicious, seasonal meal to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, and there wasn’t much Hogwarts did better than big, hearty, delicious, sea-sonal meals. From Christmas feasts to end-of-term celebrations, Halloween extravagan-zas to Yule Ball excesses, there’s something about those magically appearing plates of yorkshire pudding and treacle tart and mint humbugs that’s as comforting as it is deli-cious.


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## Neville’s love of Herbology

With his humble nature and loveable quirks (extreme forgetfulness, awkward shyness, perseverance, bravery), Neville Longbottom is up there as one of the most wholesome characters in the wizarding world. But his dedication to the Herbology cause has to be one of the most endearing things about Neville. Who else – apart from, possibly, Profes-sor Sprout – would express such enthusiasm for the grotesque, Stinksap-producing Mimbulus mimbletonia plant, or be cheered up by a book about Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants? And Neville’s enthusiasm for magical plants was more than a loveable quirk – finding out he’d gone on to become a Professor of Herbology himself was a real heartwarming moment.

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Neville Longbottom stands at the edge of the lake while holding up a plant

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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and the Goblet of Fire

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## Family time with the Weasleys

From the moment Harry spotted the Weasleys on platform nine and three-quarters, he was drawn to their loud, slightly chaotic family dynamic. His first visit to The Burrow did not disappoint on that score. The Weasley’s magically-enhanced, lop-sided home was full of noise, people and enchanted objects that combined to make Harry feel more wel-come than he’d ever felt before. But of course, it was more than the house. Whether he was camping at the Quidditch World Cup, spending summer holidays at The Burrow, or joining them on their trips to Diagon Alley, the Weasleys provided Harry with something he couldn’t remember having before: a family. All together now – awwww.


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## Luna’s general perspective on life

Surely another contender for Most Wholesome Character is everyone’s favourite Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. Her idiosyncratic ways and seemingly eternal inner-calm might have given Luna an aura of “distinct dottiness,” but these qualities also gave her a uniquely brilliant outlook. Despite believing some pretty unbelievable things, she had a knack for disarming honesty. Truly un-self-conscious and with an innate serenity, she was unashamedly herself, and always a true friend. Her words to Harry after the death of Sirius was one of the only things to give him real comfort:

> "You heard them, just behind the veil, didn’t you?...In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that’s all. You heard them.”


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Luna and Xenophilius Lovegood doing an eccentric dance together at Bill and Fleur's wedding

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

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and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

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## Dobby’s funeral

OK, hear us out: it was tragic, sure, but Dobby’s funeral was a wonderful tribute to per-haps the most wholesome character of all. He may have shown his allegiance to Harry in strange ways at times – attempting to stop him returning to Hogwarts, nearly killing him with a rogue Bludger – but Dobby was a constant, if unpredictable, support, and his fu-neral shows just how much his loyalty and bravery meant to those around him. Harry dug his grave by hand, Ron peeled off his own shoes and socks to put on Dobby’s feet, Her-mione struggled outside to pay her respects, Luna delivered a trademark simple, honest speech. The respect and love they showed for Dobby reflects how pure he truly was. Sob.

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## Hagrid’s attitude to magical creatures

A giant three-headed-dog. An enormous, carnivorous spider. A baby Norwegian Ridge-back. Only Hagrid could have as much love for these frightening creatures as he did – and only Hagrid could assign a snarling magical book called The Monster Book of Mon-sters for his Care of Magical Creatures class. His enthusiasm for even the most mon-strous-seeming creatures certainly got Hagrid in to trouble (and in to Azkaban), but it was also kind of sweet to witness this half-giant with the giant heart as he fretted about dogs and Hippogriffs and dragons. We’re not so sure about Aragog, though.

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Hagrid sat outside of his hut playing the flute. Fang is lying on the grass in front of him.

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## Scorpius and his sweet collection

Sharing sweets onboard the Hogwarts Express bought Harry and Ron together, so when Scorpius Malfoy boarded the train in Cursed Child armed with handfuls of treats at the suggestion of his mum, Astoria, he was following a somewhat established tradition. And it worked. The sweets helped Scorpius get the attention of Albus Potter and another life-long friendship was born, cemented by Fizzing Whizzbees and Pepper Imps. Bless you, Astoria.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

For beginners, for novices, for Harry Potter superfans going 20 years-strong, dig deep into the Wizarding World with our collection of features.

Features - Wizarding World

For beginners, for novices, for Harry Potter superfans going 20 years-strong, dig deep into the Wizarding World with our collection of features. We also have 'first-year' quizzes for Harry Potter beginners!

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What is the story behind each of Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes?

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Harry Potter sits down with Ravenclaw's diadem, a blue tiara, alongside various other trinkets.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

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and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

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## But first, a reminder: what is a Horcrux?

To create a Horcrux is to commit a horrific sin in the wizarding world. A Dark wizard of yesteryear called [Herpo the Foul was known as the first to dabble with Horcruxes](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/the-hardest-wizarding-world-spells) and would be one of the rare ones to do so. For this magic involves carrying out a terrible atrocity, which then begins to tear apart your soul. 

For Lord Voldemort, he callously murdered several people in order to invest a piece of his soul into (what he considered to be) a valuable object. Committing such a horror meant that Lord Voldemort could prolong his life, unless the Horcrux was destroyed. 

While researching the topic, Hermione could barely uncover any information about this profoundly Dark magic (and you know that Hermione is usually good at this sort of thing!) apart from a sinister slice of text from one book aptly named *Magick Moste Evile...*

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...of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction.

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This is how taboo the topic of Horcruxes was, not that this stopped Voldemort from endeavouring to have seven pieces of his soul, as seven is usually considered to be the most magical number. Here is the story behind each object he chose.

__And as you’ve probably guessed from even being here, you can expect to stumble upon many a spoiler.__

## The diary 

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__Who was murdered to create it? Myrtle Warren 
Destroyed by who? Harry Potter__

Lord Voldemort’s first Horcrux was created when he was still at Hogwarts, known then as Tom Riddle. After murdering a [schoolgirl called Myrtle](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/ten-moaning-myrtle-moments), with the help of the ancient monster that dwelled within the castle, the Basilisk, his soul was split for the first time. The object that enveloped a piece of his soul was a simple diary, one that he attained from a Muggle bookshop. Years later, when others came across the diary, such as a young, impressionable Ginny Weasley, she would meet an echo of a young Lord Voldemort at the time he created the Horcrux, that was able to communicate through the object. In fact, the diary had the ability to take hold of Ginny’s strength, even nearly killing her.

The diary was the first of Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes to be destroyed, by Harry Potter in the [Chamber of Secrets](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/chamber-of-secrets), who stabbed it with the fang of the very Basilisk that was used to commit murder in the first place. Basilisk venom is extremely rare and powerful, one of the few things powerful enough to destroy a Horcrux.

As for Myrtle, she did not go quietly, and would go on to haunt the girls’ bathroom of Hogwarts mournfully for many decades to come, eventually helping Harry to avenge her murder. 

## Marvolo Gaunt’s ring

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__Who was murdered to create it? Tom Riddle Sr. 
Destroyed by who? Albus Dumbledore__

Okay, this will be a long one! Albus Dumbledore, the man who discovered Voldemort’s Horcrux plan and deigned to destroy them, long suspected that many of said Horcruxes would hold some sort of historical or personal value to the Dark wizard, and that was extremely true of this Horcrux, a family heirloom, and transformed by murdering his own father. 

Lord Voldemort’s family stretched back centuries and were known as one of the last ‘pure-blood’ wizarding clans, [the Gaunts](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/the-sad-history-of-merope-gaunt). The Gaunts’ ancestry stemmed all the way back to Hogwarts house founder Salazar Slytherin, with a lot of his values imprinted on the generations to come. 

Lord Voldemort’s immediate family were a despicable lot, obsessed with their heritage, cruel and violent to each other and instilled with a burning hatred of anyone who wasn’t pure blood. The awful Marvolo, the head of the household, along with his son Morfin, tormented the timid Merope, the youngest of the family, while committing foul acts of violence against Muggles. These tensions rose to a climax when Merope fell in love with a local, rich Muggle called (you guessed it…) Tom Riddle. Albus Dumbledore theorised that Merope used love potions in order to attract him, and eventually, she fell pregnant with the future Lord Voldemort. The magical enhancements didn’t last forever, though, and once they were gone, so was Tom Riddle, leaving a pregnant Merope to give birth, then die of a broken heart. 

Years later, Tom Riddle Jr. returned to his old family home, only to find a lone Morfin, with his grandfather Morvolo long since dead after a spell in Azkaban for his crimes against Muggles. There, he took the only object in the house worth any value, an ancient ring, encrusted with a mysterious stone. That stone would later turn out to be the Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows, with the power to bring back people from the dead, showing just how old the heirloom was. After a time of wearing the ring himself, Voldemort eventually transformed the ring into a Horcrux, and buried it deep within the ruins of his old family home, protecting it with enchantments. However, all of this was no match for Albus Dumbledore who was able to retrieve the Horcrux and destroy it with the Sword of Gryffindor. For his troubles, he discovered the ring to be cursed, which blackened his hand and left him with a death sentence placed upon him. However, he was able to retrieve the [Resurrection Stone](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/what-truly-is-the-best-deathly-hallow), and was able to coach a young Harry Potter to finish what he started. 

## Slytherin’s locket

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Slytherin's locket lies on the floor among grass and dead leaves.

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__Who was murdered to create it? A homeless Muggle 
Destroyed by who? Ron Weasley__

Beyond the ring, another heirloom was transformed into a Horcrux, and was one of the hardest to find and destroy. This immaculate piece of jewellery, encrusted with emeralds in the shape of a serpentine S, was once the possession of Salazar Slytherin. Again, this heirloom passed down to the Gaunt family, but was taken by Merope when she eventually escaped her cruel household. Not knowing the true value of such a trinket, Merope sold it for ‘a pittance’ to Knockturn Alley’s local wheeler and dealer Caractacus Burke, one half of Borgin and Burke, who owned a shop of Dark and mysterious artefacts. 

There, the locket was acquired by a boastful collector by the name of Hepzibah Smith, but it didn’t remain with her for long when she met a young Lord Voldemort, then a handsome and charming Tom Riddle. After befriending Hepzibah, he soon killed her, pinning the death on her house-elf, Hokey. 

Once again, Voldemort chose a personal place to hide the Horcrux. In his youth, Riddle had tortured two children from his orphanage in a nearby cave. It was here, he chose to return to, and thus hid the locket once he had turned it into a Horcrux. For this kill, he simply chose a local Muggle to be his victim. It would be one of his former followers, Regulus Black, who would be the one to eventually find the locket, after he defected from being a Death Eater. After making a copy of the locket and leaving a note, he took it away to destroy it, but was killed before getting the chance.

While the locket remained at Regulus’s family home for some time undisturbed, (at one point, we frustratingly come across it in an old cupboard while Mrs Weasley is tidying the house!) one of the less trustworthy members of the Order of the Phoenix, Mundungus Fletcher, eventually stole it. However, this was in turn stolen from him, by Dolores Umbridge – leading to a dramatic break-in at the Ministry of Magic to find it. 

However, it would not be easy to destroy the locket. After such hardship finding the copy, finally seeking the original, Harry, Ron and Hermione found that the Horcrux instilled terrible thoughts in the one who possessed it, nearly driving a particularly vulnerable Ron to madness. Eventually, he would be the one to destroy it, after Severus Snape sent his Patronus to guide Ron into finding a weapon that would help him: the [Sword of Gryffindor. ](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/the-sword-of-gryffindor)

## Hufflepuff’s cup

Harry Potter holds a sword aloft in a vault full of treasure

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__Who was murdered to create it? Hepzibah Smith 
Destroyed by who? Hermione Granger__

You may have been wondering why Tom Riddle did not use Hepzibah Smith’s murder to create a Horcrux out of the locket. This is because he acquired one other item from her. A fervent collector of priceless items, Hepzibah loved to show things off, and piqued Tom’s interest with another curio, again once owned by a Hogwarts house founder. This time, it was a cheerful golden cup, embossed with Hufflepuff’s animal, the badger, which was an heirloom from Hepzibah’s own family, once owned by Helga Hufflepuff herself.

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‘A badger,’ murmured Voldemort, examining the engraving upon the cup. ‘Then this was ...?’ 
‘Helga Hufflepuff’s, as you very well know, you clever boy!’ said Hepzibah, leaning forwards with a loud creaking of corsets and actually pinching his hollow cheek. ‘Didn’t I tell you I was distantly descended? This has been handed down in the family for years and years. Lovely, isn’t it? And all sorts of powers it’s supposed to possess, too, but I haven’t tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here ...

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Eventually, Harry, Ron and Hermione would find this Horcrux’s whereabouts within Bellatrix Lestrange’s Gringotts vault, and it would come down to Hermione to take care of that one. But why Hufflepuff in the first place? For Lord Voldemort was a staunch Slytherin through and through.

In his research, Dumbledore deduced that Voldemort ‘could not resist an object so steeped in Hogwarts history’, leading on to our next Horcrux...

## Ravenclaw’s Diadem 


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__Who was murdered to create it? An Albanian peasant 
Destroyed by who? Vincent Crabbe__

Not content with having so much Hogwarts paraphernalia already, Lord Voldemort was able to secure the tiara of the Ravenclaw house founder, Rowena, whose daughter Helena was murdered at the hands of Slytherin’s house ghost, [the Bloody Baron](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/hogwarts-ghosts).

The sad story goes that Helena was jealous of her mother’s great wisdom that comes with the diadem and stole it, then going into hiding. Distraught, Rowena sent The Bloody Baron to go and find her. However, the Baron was intensely in love with Helena, and ended up finding her in the forests of Albania and murdering her instead, when she did not return his feelings. He then killed himself shortly thereafter. As for the diadem? Helena had already hidden it in a hollowed tree. Both Helena’s ghost (otherwise known as the Grey Lady) and the Bloody Baron’s haunted Hogwarts for centuries after. 

Lord Voldemort managed to find this ancient diadem, that supposedly brings wisdom to the wearer, by persuading Helena to tell him. Out in the forests of Albania is where Lord Voldemort eventually uncovered it, bringing it back to Hogwarts.

Again, somewhat infuriatingly, Harry had passed by this very tiara before knowing what Horcruxes were, as it was living amongst all manner of junk in [the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts!](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-room-of-requirement) 

Upon recovering it, a showdown between Harry’s enemies Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle ensued, with Crabbe using the cursed flames of Fiendfyre to destroy the room. However, he ended up both dying in the ensuing struggle – and destroying the diadem, as Fiendfyre was another Dark magic that could take on a Horcrux.

## Nagini

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__Who was murdered to create it? Bertha Jorkins 
Destroyed by who? Neville Longbottom__

It wasn’t just inanimate objects that could become Horcruxes. Lord Voldemort’s beloved snake companion, Nagini, was also transformed into one, and Dumbledore seemed to know it, ominously predicting that a day would come where Voldemort would ‘fear for his snake’. 

It was the [Ministry of Magic](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ministers-for-magic) employee Bertha Jorkins that fell to Voldemort on this occasion, after Voldemort found out valuable information from her regarding the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts.

At this stage, Voldemort did not have a body, and was working with Nagini and defector [Peter Pettigrew](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/everything-we-know-about-the-marauders) in order to devise a plan to return to one. It would be during the Triwizard Tournament that Voldemort was able to execute his idea, and it all started with the murder of poor Bertha. 

It would come down to Harry’s class mate Neville Longbottom, to destroy Nagini, heroically using the Sword of Gryffindor at the Battle of Hogwarts.

## Harry

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__Who was murdered to create it? Lily Potter 
Destroyed by who? Lord Voldemort__

And then, as it transpired, came the knowledge that not all Horcruxes are forcibly made. And in fact, Lord Voldemort’s downfall happened right at the beginning of Harry’s story.

During Voldemort’s attack on Godric’s Hollow, where the Potter family had lived, his killing of Harry’s parents inadvertently created another Horcrux, one that would dwell on inside Harry.

This explained everything – why Harry’s lightning bolt scar pained him every time Lord Voldemort was up to something, why Voldemort had a psychic link to him, why Harry could speak [Parseltongue](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/everything-you-didnt-know-about-parseltongue), a skill usually known throughout Slytherin’s lineage. When Harry was told his mother ‘died to save him’, he had no idea just how poignant this was. In killing Lily, Lord Voldemort created a Horcrux within Harry, creating a connection between them that one day be severed. 

When Lord Voldemort eventually found himself face to face with Harry to finally kill him in the Forbidden Forest, he instead ended up destroying his last Horcrux, the final shield between himself and his inability to die.

In the end, Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes ended up being his undoing, leaving him a husk of the Dark wizard he once was.

Why we should all try and be a bit more Ginny Weasley

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## Her loyalty

Although the Ginny we met in *Philosopher’s Stone* was shy and awkward, particularly with Harry – [a far cry from the Ginny](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/favourite-couple-moments-harry-ginny-ron-hermione-cursed-child) of *Cursed Child*, who had no problem challenging Harry’s behaviour – there was one consistent thread that runs through all Ginny’s rela-tionships: she was fiercely and unendingly loyal. 

Whether it was defending Harry to Malfoy after that whole Lockhart bookshop debacle, sticking up for Neville and Luna, fighting to protect her loved ones during the Battle of Hogwarts, or forcing Harry to engage with their son, Albus, on his terms, Ginny always had everyone’s best interests at heart, and she’d do whatever was needed to protect them.

## Her determination

Despite being desperate to follow in her older brother’s footsteps Ginny did not have the most auspicious start at Hogwarts. But while being slowly possessed by an early version of Lord Voldemort might be enough to knock the stuffing out of other first-years, for Ginny, her experience with Tom Riddle’s diary did not defeat her.

That’s not to say she ever forgot it. When Harry was struggling to understand what had happened after the vision he had of Voldemort attacking Arthur Weasley, it was Ginny who made him realise that refusing to talk wasn’t helping.

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‘Well, that was a bit stupid of you,’ said Ginny angrily, ‘seeing as you don’t know anyone but me who’s been possessed by You- Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.’

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 

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and the Order of the Phoenix 

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Perhaps it had something to do with [surviving a personal encounter with Voldemort at a young age](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/what-if-ginny-had-never-possessed-tom-riddles-diary), but as Ginny got older she only became more resilient. Like Harry, Ginny had a built-in determination to keep fighting. In many ways, her experience with Voldemort gave her an insight and a strength that few others could ever hope to have. With the ex-ception of Harry, of course. 

## Her bravery

Another trait Ginny shared with Harry was bravery. As she says of him in *Cursed Child*:

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“After I came out of hospital – everyone ignored me, shut me out – other than, that is, the boy who had everything – who came across the Gryffindor common room and challenged me to a game of Exploding Snap. People think they know all there is to know about you, but the best bits of you are – have always been – heroic in really quiet ways.”

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This is something that could equally apply to Ginny. Yes, she showed undeniable brav-ery when she escaped Umbridge’s Inquisitorial Squad; when she, Neville and Luna followed Harry to the Department of Mysteries; when she tried to steal Gryffindor’s sword; and – of course – during the Battle of Hogwarts. But Ginny was also brave in other ways. 

After shedding her initial awkwardness, she pursued romantic relationships without fear or embarassment. She was never afraid to call out the bad behaviour of her brothers, her teachers, even Harry. And she, too, supported others in quietly heroic ways. She insisted on sitting with Luna on the Hogwarts Express, when others were avoiding her. She refused to let Neville call himself a nobody. And as a mother, she recognised that what Albus needed from Harry was acceptance, not heroics.  

## Her talent

Ginny was a witch of many talents: [Quidditch](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/things-you-might-not-know-about-quidditch), sports writing, Bat Bogey Hexes.

But even more admirable than her skills was her confidence in, and open enjoyment, of them. She preferred playing Chaser to Seeker, because she liked scoring goals. She was a committed [member of the DA](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/which-member-of-dumbledores-army-are-you-like). And she was a fierce dueller – singled out by her brother George as evidence of the fact that “size is no guarantee of power.” 

So while we might not share Ginny’s magical talents, we can still try and emulate the pleasure she took in practicing the things she excelled at.

## Her way of looking at the world

Ginny may have originally been overshadowed by other members of her family, she may have taken a few years to find her voice, and she may have once poured her heart out to the preserved memory of Voldemort. But as she grew up, Ginny emerged as one of the Wizarding World’s most fearless characters. Perhaps this is best summed up in *Order of the Phoenix*:

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“The thing about growing up with Fred and George,” said Ginny thoughtfully, “is that you start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”

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And it wasn’t just Fred and George’s nerve that Ginny inherited. Growing up with her older brothers also taught her when to find the humour in a situation – she had that light-hearted Weasley touch that made even difficult situations seem a bit more fun. After all, who else would shut down an annoying classmate with a Bat Bogey Hex, nickname their sister-in-law Pleghm, or openly tell Harry he was being stupidly noble?

So thanks, Ginny, for all the times you supplied that silver lining we were looking for. Oh, and happy birthday.

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Uncovering the magic behind the new digital Harry Potter book covers

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They say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but when it came to [redesigning the Harry Potter ebook and audiobook covers](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/pottermore-publishing-reveals-new-ebook-and-audiobook-harry-potter-covers), every creative decision was meticulously analysed by the experts.

Pottermore Publishing and The Blair Partnership sat down with Jack Bedford of Studio La Plage, the creative agency that reimagined the Harry Potter stories with a vibrant suite of new covers. In this roundtable interview we delve deep with the team as they discuss the core themes and visual choices they explored when developing this new look.

## “Not just a book cover” 

This is a particularly special year in the Wizarding World, marking 10 years of Pottermore and [25 years since the first Harry Potter book was published in the UK](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/bloomsbury-celebrates-harry-potter-25th-anniversary). What better time to reimagine the ebook and audiobook covers originally designed by Olly Moss. In this series, the team discuss the challenges of reimagining the stories, incorporating new digital trends and reflecting how the wizarding world is represented for a new generation. From colour palette choices to deciding how many freckles Hermione should have, the minutia of every artistic decision was taken very seriously! Take a look.

Uncovering the Magic | Why create new covers now?

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## “The little details” 

The first thing you notice in the new covers is their vibrant use of colour, but look closer and you’ll discover that each of the seven covers have their own unique flourishes. The team was extremely conscious about creating something relevant and contemporary for digital readers whilst respecting the most magical moments from each of the stories for fans who have followed Harry Potter since the very beginning. 

Uncovering the Magic | Finding the goalposts

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## “Weird conversations”

When it came to actually picking which moments to highlight on each of the seven book covers, the team faced an embarrassment of riches. For the first book cover, the team decided that Harry playing Quidditch was the perfect way to represent his first adventure, with meticulous choices being made to reflect him at his happiest whilst also showing how young and inexperienced he was (for example by showing his leg at a crooked angle whilst riding the broom).

“Showing that naivety was super important,” the team observed. Beyond Harry, characters, such as Ron, Hermione, Neville and Dumbledore were all important to feature, leading to “weird conversations” about how many freckles Hermione should have and the size of her teeth! No stone was left unturned when depicting beloved characters and iconic scenes.

Uncovering the Magic | Choosing the moments

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## “Easter eggs”

For each cover, it’s not just about what’s going on in the foreground – the backgrounds deserved just as much attention. Fans can spot nuances throughout the series, including giving the [Knight Bus](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/the-knight-bus) a number and adverts just like a Muggle bus, and Krum’s shark head in the *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire cover*.

Challenges of canonical accuracy remained at the forefront of everyone’s mind, including questions you may not think about, such as how Lord Voldemort would hold his wand. But certain artistic liberties were also taken, including ensuring Harry’s “beloved feathered companion” Hedwig featured in the covers somewhere, even if she wasn’t technically in the original scene.

Uncovering the Magic | Being true to canon

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“We went back and forth over those moments”.

***

To watch the full interview, [head to the Wizarding World YouTube channel.](https://www.youtube.com/c/WizardingWorld/videos)

The most memorable journeys on the Hogwarts Express

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From the moment Harry first stepped onto a packed [platform nine and three-quarters](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/platform-nine-and-three-quarters) and spied the Hogwarts Express, we knew we were in for a trip. Some of the most important relationships in the wizarding world began aboard that magical scarlet steam train. Here are some of our favourite moments.

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## When Harry met Ron

Basically, that first journey to Hogwarts set the tone for the rest of Harry’s school career. Hermione referenced three books within seconds of meeting him. Neville showed up, in tears, looking for something. A sneering Malfoy barged in, accompanied by [Crabbe and Goyle](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/top-five-stupidest-things-crabbe-and-goyle-ever-did), throwing insults around. Harry even got his first proper look at Dumbledore, via the medium of a Chocolate Frog card – at least, until Dumbledore wondered out of the frame and left Harry bewildered.

But arguably it was his initial meeting with Ron that really sealed his fate. The two got on instantly, cementing their bond with a selection of the Trolley Witch’s sweets and a run-in with Malfoy. And that friendship also gave Harry something he’d never really experi-enced before: a sense of family. So when Ron’s (apparent) rat Scabbers bit Goyle’s finger, it was just the icing on the Cauldron Cake.

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## The Dementors’ visit – and Professor Lupin

Harry’s second outbound journey on the Hogwarts Express was just as eventful, if less enjoyable, thanks to some unwanted passengers. This was when Harry first came face-to-almost-face with a [Dementor](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/dementors-and-chocolate), which stirred up some feelings...


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An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart ...

Harry’s eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn’t see. He was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was being dragged downwards, the roaring growing louder ...

And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams …