The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy novels. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third series of a planned six in The Shadowhunter Chronicles but was the first one published. It follows Clary Fray, who interacts with a group of Nephilim known as Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The Shadowhunters protect the world of mundane/human people, who are also called mundanes or "mundies", from dark forces beyond their world. The book series falls under the young adult genre, specifically that of the paranormal romance/urban fantasy and supernatural genres. The series is based on Clare's The Draco Trilogy, a series of fan fiction based on Harry Potter, published under the name Cassandra Claire. There is a chapter in City of Bones, the first novel in the series, that was repurposed from Draco Dormiens, the first part of The Draco Trilogy, where Clary Fray and Jace Wayland replaced Clare's versions of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, respectively.