History Literature / HarryPotter

* ThemeNaming: Not just the characters (most notably, everyone in the Black family is named after a celestial object, with the exception of Narcissa); there's also Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, which are puns.

* MagicVersusScience: Electronics don't even work around Hogwarts, wizards are disdainful of Muggle technology, and most Muggles have no idea magic exists. Interestingly, while wizards can do most things much more quickly and efficiently with magic, there are a few cases where the wizard method just ''sucks'' compared to the Muggle method - most notably communication, where the wizards have nothing as effective as a cell phone or the Internet. They send letters by owl, which is better than the postal service, but nowhere near as good as an email (and subject to getting owlnapped/eaten on the way). The closest thing they have to a phone is sticking your head in a magic fireplace, which is not portable like a cell phone.

** With regards to e-mail, it's worth noting that the books take place between 1991 and 1998. The internet only got big about half-way through that period.
*** The internet and e-mail (or its precursor) existed well before then, however. It was largely limited to the government and universities prior to 1990 when it officially went commercial (ie anyone could use it; before it was limited to government and science/research), but after that it expanded quite quickly. Even in 1991 it was a huge advancement over any telecommunications systems used by wizards.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids[=/=]WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Seems to fall into both. Rowling did indeed conceive the books as a children's series, despite the protestations of many older fans that it's not ''really'' for kids. But it's fair to say that the books "grew" with the original fanbase, and the last three or four aren't appropriate for the books' original elementary-school-age audience. Evidenced by the fact that the ratings of the Harry Potter [[TheFilmOfTheBook movies]] seem to be increasing with each sequel.

* StrangeSecretEntrance: Formerly named after PlatformNineAndThreeQuarters, a secret entrance at King's Cross station between platforms nine and ten. The Room of Requirement also fits this trope.

* PlatformNineAndThreeQuarters

* HangingSeparately: [[spoiler:The ''HalfBloodPrince'' DVD has a chapter entitled "Free Agents", a clever reference to not only Harry and Ron's Quidditch issues, but their romantic lives, as well.]]

*** The internet and e-mail (or its precursor) existed well before then, however. It was largely limited to the government, universities, businesses, and hobbyists, but even that primitive text only state it was a huge telecommunications advantage over anything Wizards had. Rowling may not have known much about it though.

* TheNotSoHarmlessPunishment: Detentions at Hogwarts often involve dangerous tasks, such as retrieving unicorn blood from the Forbidden Forest. Then there's the Umbridge/Carrows version of detention, which involves ColdBloodedTorture.

* EvilTeacher: Averted with [[spoiler:Snape]] but played very straight with Quirrell, Umbridge, and the Carrows.

** With regards to the internet, it's worth noting that the books take place between 1991 and 1998. The internet only got big [[NewerThanTheyThink about half-way through that period]].

* KilledOffForReal: *deep breath* [[spoiler:Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Dobby, Fred, Lupin, Tonks and Colin.]]

* OffstageVillany: We hear Neville's accounts of the abuse [[SadistTeacher the Carrows]] have been dishing out to students during his seventh year, but never actually see any of it.

* OffStageVillany: We hear Neville's accounts of the abuse [[SadistTeacher the Carrows]] have been dishing out to students during his seventh year, but never actually see any of it.

*** Just think of a good guy who's still alive by this point in the story. Any good guy at all, no matter how obscure. ''They show up''. [[hottip:*:Okay, not Charlie Weasley and some other "minor" characters who get the shaft.]]

** Even better? ''We didn't know who he was until Deathly Hallows.'' In both ''Order of the Phoenix'' and ''Half Blood Prince,'' he is only referred to as "the barman of the Hog's Head," though there are hints to his identity regarding his [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean inappropriate charms on goats...]]

* [[spoiler:The Cedric]] (SacrificialLion)
* The Dumbledore (EccentricMentor)

* [=VoldeMart=] (PredatoryBusiness).

* VoldeMart (by way of {{portmanteau}} with Wal-Mart).

* BadPowersBadPeople: Double subversion. Parseltongue is usually an ability only found in evil wizards. Harry is good and runs into trouble when people assume he's bad because he possesses it. [[spoiler:It turns out in the last book that the reason Harry has it is because it belongs to Voldemort, who gave him the ability when he accidentally turned Harry into an eighth Horcrux. And when Harry loses the fragment of Voldemort's soul residing in his body, he supposedly loses the ability with it.]]

** During the Battle at the Ministry in the fifth movie, Mad-Eye Moody's walking stick is revealed to have been enchanted while he also duals with his wand. Lucius Malfoy also seems to have enchanted his walking stick to function as some form of shield.

* EarlyBirdCameo: Several supporting characters were mentioned in passing long before their importance to the plot was revealed, among them [[spoiler:Mrs. Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Grindelwald, Aberforth Dumbledore, and, of course, Sirius Black and his brother, Regulus Arcturus Black.]]