Harry Potter Steps

Summer Moments

Every season is magical at Hogwarts (because, psst, they’re wizards!), but a wizarding summer is particularly special.
At first, summer isn’t exactly Harry’s favourite time of the year – which is probably to do with the fact it’s the only time of year he has to go back to the Dursleys. But thanks to a few good friends, the sunny season soon gets a lot more enjoyable for Harry, and over the books we’ve seen some properly brilliant magical summers. Here are a few of our favourite summery moments.
Harry’s first summer at The Burrow
After causing scandal in the Dursley household when Dobby the house-elf ruined a dinner party, Harry is whisked off to Ron’s home, The Burrow, in the nick of time. Although Ron’s ears may go red at the thought of showing Harry his ramshackle, topsy-turvy home, Harry instantly falls in love with The Burrow’s wonderful, magical, slapdash ways. Before they all head back to Hogwarts, Harry spends many happy days playing Quidditch with apples, de-gnoming the Weasleys' garden, and having fourth helpings of Mrs Weasley’s fantastic dinners
Table wars with the Weasleys
Bill and Charlie fight with tables in the Burrow's garden
In Harry’s fourth year, his trip to the Burrow was especially fantastic due to the impending Quidditch World Cup – this meant the arrival of bonus Weasleys. Ron’s two oldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, brought a new, cooler vibe to The Burrow, and in one particularly enjoyable scene, ignited a battle of old furniture in the garden.
The source of the commotion was revealed as they entered the garden and saw that Bill and Charlie both had their wands out, and were making two battered old tables fly high above the lawn, smashing into each other, each attempting to knock the other’s out of the air. Fred and George were cheering; Ginny was laughing, and Hermione was hovering near the hedge, apparently torn between amusement and anxiety.
The Quidditch World Cup
But Harry’s magical summer wasn’t just to be at The Burrow that year; this was the year of the Quidditch World Cup, one of the most esteemed magical sporting events ever. Seeing as Harry had only ever played at Hogwarts, this whopping great tournament really opened his eyes – first of all there was the experience of camping with so many other wizards, then came the revelation about other wizarding schools, then there was the big match itself
The mention of Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord who is responsible for numerous grisly murders throughout wizarding history, doesn’t exactly make you think ‘summer’. Oddly, a moment of peace with Ron and Hermione in Half-Blood Prince, at The Burrow in the glorious sunshine makes Harry feel so much better about his brutal task ahead: defeating the Dark Lord. After telling his two best friends about the mysteries of his prophecy, finally, he is suddenly relieved they still want to stand by his side when he tells them one summer
Bill and Fleur’s wedding
The lynx Patronus interrupts Bill and Fleur's wedding with a warning.
Despite Ginny Weasley nicknaming Bill’s wife-to-be ‘Phlegm’, Bill and Fleur Delacour’s glorious summer wedding positively glowed, which might be something to do with the fact Fleur is part-Veela. With Voldemort on the rise, and Harry about to embark on a journey to destroy him, the wedding served as a reminder that, even in the darkest of times, there was always hope, not to mention the potential for a rollicking good party.
Behind Harry, the entrance to the marquee revealed rows and rows of fragile golden chairs set either side of a long, purple carpet. The supporting poles were entwined with white and gold flowers. Fred and George had fastened an enormous bunch of golden balloons over the exact point where Bill and Fleur would shortly become husband and wife. Outside, butterflies and bees were hovering lazily over the grass and hedgerow