At first, summer wasn’t exactly Harry’s favourite time of the year – probably to do with the fact it was the only time of year he had to go back to the Dursleys. But thanks to a few good friends, the sunny season soon got a lot more enjoyable for Harry, and over the books we saw 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 was whisked off to Ron’s home, The Burrow, in the nick of time. Although Ron’s ears may have gone red at the thought of showing Harry his ramshackle, topsy-turvy home, Harry instantly fell in love with The Burrow’s wonderful, magical, slapdash ways. Before they all headed back to Hogwarts, Harry spent many happy days playing Quidditch with apples, de-gnoming the Weasleys’ garden and having fourth helpings of Mrs Weasley’s fantastic dinners.

The end of the summer holidays came too quickly for Harry’s liking. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at The Burrow had been the happiest of his life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when he thought of the Dursleys and the sort of welcome he could expect next time he turned up in Privet Drive.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Table wars with the Weasleys

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.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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...

It was Quidditch as Harry had never seen it played before. He was pressing his Omnioculars so hard to his eyes that his glasses were cutting into the bridge of his nose. The speed of the players was incredible – the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to each other so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

A Warming Moment

The mention of Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord who was responsible for numerous grisly murders throughout wizarding history, doesn’t exactly make you think ‘summer’. Oddly, a moment of peace in the glorious sunshine at The Burrow with Ron and Hermione in Half-Blood Prince 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 was suddenly relieved they still wanted to stand by his side.

Harry did not really listen. A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He knew that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Bill and Fleur’s wedding

Despite Ginny Weasley nicknaming Bill’s wife-to-be ‘Phlegm’, Bill and Fleur Delacour’s glorious summer wedding positively glowed, which might have been something to do with the fact Fleur was 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.
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows *