Do all the books follow the same pattern?
Yes, for books 1-6. Each Harry Potter book has opened at the period immediately before his birthday, and ends just as or immediately after the school term ends at Hogwarts. In between, readers can expect at least one Quidditch match (Goblet of Fire had the Quidditch World Cup and no school matches), a bit of class time, some rule breaking, exams, and holidays. The Halloween and Christmas holidays feature prominently within the series, and serve as markers to help keep track of time between events. In Deathly Hallows, the story opened at the period immediately before Harry’s birthday, did not take place at Hogwarts, but did conclude around the end of the school year.
