31 October is a date many Muggles know all too well as a day for dressing up, achieving various levels of success carving pumpkins and simply celebrating all things spooky. For Harry Potter, Hallowe’en became a haunting part of his life from an early age for a very different reason. In fact, the eerie date seemed to follow him around. Observe…

The day his parents died

This was the date when everything changed, as Lord Voldemort stormed Godric’s Hollow and callously murdered Harry’s parents on 31 October 1981. This date would become legendary in two very different ways, for while Harry lost his parents and was plunged into a miserable life at the Dursleys’, the rest of the wizarding world celebrated their newfound peace, with Lord Voldemort mysteriously and temporarily vanquished. We saw the date once and for all in the emotional scene where Harry visited his parents’ graves.