Welcome to the Harry Potter Lexicon
The most compleat and amazing reference to the wonderful world of Harry Potter
est. 2000 A.D.
Phase of the Moon: Waxing Crescent
5 GBP = 1 Galleon 
Galatea Merrythought retires from Hogwarts
Merrythought has been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for fifty years. Her impending retirement becomes known to Tom Riddle, who asks Headmaster Dippet for the position upon leaving school. Read More
Making the Calendar Fit
I recently received two comments on two different entries in the Lexicon which brought up the same problem: the real world calendar doesn’t always agree with the days and dates in the books. I’m sure some of you are saying “Of course, we know that, this has been discussed in fandom for years and years.” That’s because you’ve been in… Read More
Harry imprisoned in his room after Dobby’s visit
Harry is punished by being locked in his room and only allowed out to use the bathroom twice a day (CS2). Furious with Harry for Dobby’s effect on the Dursleys’ dinner with the Masons and newly aware that Harry cannot legally use his magic to avoid punishment, Uncle Vernon has bars put on Harry’s bedroom window and installs a… Read More
Floo Powder accident lands Harry in Knockturn Alley
Using Floo powder for the first time, Harry fails to follow all the instructions he’s given by the Weasleys and ends up one fireplace off. It happens to be the fireplace in Borgin and Burkes, a shop in Knockturn Alley selling all manner of dark magic items. He barely hides himself before Lucius and Draco Malfoy enter to conduct business. Read More
Harry’s first visit to Diagon Alley
31 July 1991 — Harry and Hagrid visit Diagon Alley. Harry realizes how famous he is when he is recognized at the Leaky Cauldron. At Gringotts, Harry learns of his parents’ fortune and Hagrid retrieves the Philosopher’s Stone. Harry meets Draco Malfoy for the first time at Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Harry buys… Read More
Lily and James Potter welcome baby Harry into the world
Harry James Potter was born to James Potter and Lily Evans Potter. His birth appeared to fulfill a prophecy given months before by Sybill Trelawney. This prophecy would be the impetus for many events, including the death of James and Lily 18 months later. Sadly, James’ parents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, died before they had a chance to meet their only… Read More
On this day in 1981...
The Fidelius Charm is cast to hide the Potters, with Peter Pettigrew acting as Secret Keeper
Dumbledore had offered to be secret keeper, but James and Lily had refused, planning to… Read More
“I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”… Read More
Latest from the Lexicon Blog
Draco’s Six
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So much has been made of how seven is “the most powerfully magical number” (HBP23) in Harry Potter, with it serving as something of a motif throughout the series… to the point where my podcast, The Three Broomsticks, has a recurring segment about the “seven ingredients of today’s… Read More
The Fallen Fathers of Goblet of Fire
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Jo’s portrayal of mothers in the HP books is fairly straight-forward: mother’s love is the be-all end-all of the series, so we can move right along. But her portrayal of fathers, on the other hand, is incredibly nuanced and intriguing. The turning point appears to be the middle book of… Read More
The Book of Prophecies: How "Order of the Phoenix" Predicts the Plot of "Deathly Hallows" - Part 2
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In Part I of this series, I delved into specific chapter-level comparisons between Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows, and how the events in the former predict or foreshadow those in the latter. In this article, I will… Read More
The Book of Prophecies: How "Order of the Phoenix" Predicts the Plot of "Deathly Hallows" - Part 1
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The Harry Potter series is masterfully plotted, both as individual books and across the series as a whole. Within the fandom, there is a large focus on ring theory for understanding how the series is structured. In ring theory, each book has its… Read More
The Russian Philosopher’s Stone
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It’s a process familiar to most of us trying to brush up on a foreign language – get the Harry Potter books in one of the 85 languages they’ve been translated into, and read the story you know backwards and forwards in a language you may not. My first language… Read More
Mapping the Wizarding World
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Making the Calendar Fit
• Article
I recently received two comments on two different entries in the Lexicon which brought up the same problem: the real world calendar doesn’t always agree with the days and dates in the books. I’m sure some of you are saying “Of course, we know that, this has been discussed in… Read More
The Secrets of Dumbledore ... still a secret?
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