Literature

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)

J.K. Rowling

In-fiction date: 12/25/1991

On Christmas morning, 1991, Harry Potter wakes at Hogwarts to find a small pile of presents — his first proper Christmas gifts. One package contains a cloak, silvery and fluid as water, that renders him completely invisible. An unsigned note reads: 'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.' Harry has owned the Invisibility Cloak for less than an hour before he is in the restricted section of the library at midnight.

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Sep 1, 1991 On September 1, 1991, eleven-year-old Harry Potter passes through the barrier at King's Cross Station Platform 9¾ for the first time and boards the Hogwarts Express. He meets Ron Weasley in a compartment, shares his trolley of sweets, and is met midway by Hermione Granger, who is already testing spells on Ron's rat. By the time the scarlet engine pulls into Hogsmeade station after dark, the three of them are friends — though none of them has thought to say so.

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