The Magical Journey...

It all began on a train journey from Manchester to London, back in 1990, when J. K. Rowling conceived the original idea for her black-haired, bespectacled boy-wizard. But it wasn’t until seven years later that the world was finally introduced to Harry, when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published.

For the first time, readers became aware of the wizarding world; met Harry, Ron and Hermione; visited the hallowed halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; and discovered the terrible peril Harry would face, confronted by one of the most dangerous Dark wizards of all time.

And so, the phenomenon of Harry Potter grew.

Six more books followed, with the last appearing in 2007, and each one awaited with breathless anticipation by an ever-expanding army of Harry Potter fans around the world. Translated into more than 80 languages, over 500 million copies have now been sold, making Harry Potter the best-selling book series in history.

Could anyone have predicted such an extraordinary success story? Well, yes, one person did. Wise old Professor McGonagall who, in the opening chapter of the first book, says of Harry, “He’ll be famous – a legend . . . every child in our world will know his name!”

Today, among readers of all ages across the globe, he is, undeniably, the best-known and best-loved wizard there has ever been.