The entire Harry Potter series is set from 1991 to 1998, except for the opening chapter of the first book, which takes place on November 1, 1981, and the epilogue of the seventh book, which takes place on September 1, 2017. The story begins in 1991 when Harry is 11 years old and ends in 1998 when he is all grown up. The books take place through the decade of the 1990s, with each book taking place during a separate year of Harrys schooling at Hogwarts. The Harry Potter movies are also set in the 1990s, with the majority of the first film taking place in 1991, but the true start of the film is technically 1980, the year when Harry was born.