Who doesn't want to believe in a world where magic is real? Author J.K. Rowling, whose sixth "Harry Potter" tome hits shelves tonight at midnight, has convinced her readers that the woes faced in enchanted places like Hogwarts are not that different from those in our own. Bullies, money issues, romantic disasters — all can be as troubling to Harry, Ron and Hermione as that pesky dark wizard who's out to kill them.

Here's a refresher course on what our favorite sorcerers were up to at the end of Book 5.

When we last left Harry ...

In his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry's usual worries (his sometimes painful scar, his longing for his dead parents, mounting piles of potions homework) were trumped by three events. First, Harry lost the closest thing he had to a parent when the Dark Lord's most faithful Death Eater killed Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Then headmaster Albus Dumbledore told the orphan that spending the summers with his wretched Muggle relatives is part of keeping Harry out of harm's way. Finally, Harry learns the prophecy: Eventually he will have a confrontation with Lord Voldemort that will end in death — though he doesn't know whose.

When we last left Ron and Hermione ...

In Book 5, the romantic tension between these two wasn't as high as it was when Viktor Krum doted on Hermione and Ron showed his jealous streak. Still, the fire was smoking. When Hermione wishes the boys luck before a Quidditch match, she kisses Ron on the cheek — a spot the overcome redhead touched as he walked away. Talk about smitten.

When we last left Fred and George ...

The twins left school with a bang, turning a school corridor into a swamp before hightailing it to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, their new joke shop in Diagon Alley. Starting a small business is a risky venture, even for those with magical talents.

When we last left Cornelius Fudge ...

The wizarding government's highest elected official spent all of his energy discrediting Dumbledore and Harry with reports to the Daily Prophet that the pair were delusional, attention-seeking criminals. Fudge went so far as to enlist the insufferable Dolores Umbridge as a spy to make sure the public didn't buy into the rumor that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. But the minister's scheming blew up (literally) in his face when Voldemort revealed himself — in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic of all places!

When we last left He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ...

Voldemort's wicked plans suffered a blow when his return to power became public knowledge and some of his most loyal followers were sent back to prison at Azkaban. Still, no one comes back from failure, disappointment or the brink of death better than the Dark Lord. He leaves Book 5 with even more of a determination to destroy "the boy who lived" (Harry Potter) and eradicate any witch or wizard not of pure blood.