<Li> Harry Potter is an orphan whom Rowling imagined as a `` scrawny , black - haired , bespectacled boy who did n't know he was a wizard . '' She developed the series ' story and characters to explain how Harry came to be in this situation and how his life unfolded from there . Apart from the first chapter , the events of this book take place just before and in the year following Harry 's eleventh birthday . Voldemort 's attack left a lightning bolt - shaped scar on Harry 's forehead , which produces stabbing pains whenever Voldemort is present . Harry has a natural talent for Quidditch and became the first person in decades to get on their team in their first year . </Li>
when does harry potter and the philosopher 's stone take place
just before and in the year following Harry 's eleventh birthday