Harry Potter influences and analogues Potter" involve an average eleven-year-old, better at sport than academic study, who is sent to boarding school. Upon arrival, the boy gains a best friend (in Tom's case, East, in Harry's case, Ron Weasley) who helps him adjust to the new environment. They are set upon by an arrogant bully – in Tom Brown's case, Harry Flashman, in Harry's case Draco Malfoy. Stephen Fry, who both narrates the British audio adaptations of the "Harry Potter" novels and has starred in a screen adaptation of "Tom Brown", has commented many times about the similarities between the two books. "Harry Potter –
Tom Brown (police officer) Tom Brown (police officer) Thomas Archibald Brown (1889–1959), known as "Big Tom", was police chief of St. Paul, Minnesota in the 1930s. During his time in office he presided over a period of unprecedented corruption in which he assisted several major criminals, notably the Barker-Karpis gang and John Dillinger. He was eventually dismissed as chief, but retained a senior role in the Kidnap Squad, during which he continued to assist criminals. Later he was demoted to detective, in which role he was involved in the killing of Homer Van Meter. Though finally dismissed from the force, he was never successfully