Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone explains Harry's hidden past as the wizard son of James and Lily Potter, who were a wizard and witch respectively, and how they were murdered by the most evil and powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, which resulted in the one-year-old Harry being sent to live with his aunt and uncle. The strangest bit of the murder was how Voldemort was unable to kill him, but instead had his own powers removed and blasted away, sparking Harry's immense fame among the magical community. Hagrid introduces Harry to the wizarding world, bringing him to places such as Diagon Alley,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets his descendant. Gilderoy Lockhart's book on werewolves is entitled "Weekends with Werewolves" at one point and "Wanderings with Werewolves" later in the book. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was met with near universal acclaim. In "The Times", Deborah Loudon described it as a children's book that would be "re-read into adulthood" and highlighted its "strong plots, engaging characters, excellent jokes and a moral message which flows naturally from the story". Fantasy author Charles de Lint agreed, and considered the second Harry Potter book to be just as good as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", a rare achievement