In the end, convinced that Lord Voldemort -- most wizards are too scared to even pronounce his name, and call him You Know Who -- is trying to get his hands on the hidden treasure in Hogwarts and that it will give him back his powers, Harry and his friends tackle the security system put in place by the school's teachers to guard the treasure.
Harry comes face to face with Lord Voldemort and prevents him from returning back to human form and full power.
Sprinkled liberally within the main plotline -- a combination of child detective stories and P G Wodehouse-ish school stories -- are clues and questions that will take on bigger meaning as the books progress.
For instance, just why does Voldemort want to kill Harry so desperately? It is also revealed, through an incident at the zoo, that Harry is a Parseltongue -- someone who can speak to snakes.
And that is not a good power to have, even for a wizard.
The film version, however, failed to capture the magic of the book. Harry's yearning for family, just how deeply he bonds with the wizarding world, and the depth of the plot was left unexplored by the movie.
But then, most books are better than their movie versions, no?
Don't Miss our recap of the second book, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets on Friday, July 6.
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