Christmas is truly a magical holiday — wishes of children are granted and the most magical movie series, Harry Potter, plays on the television screens around the world. Interestingly, even after so many years since the first books and movies were released, some things remain a mystery. As they should in Hogwarts! Thus, there are a lot of Harry Potter facts that are yet to be uncovered. Things that you might not know about. If you were to take a deeper look into them, facts about Harry Potter can be quite... Mesmerizing.
Like the school of Hogwarts, the Harry Potter franchise is filled with secrets, in the form of facts that you might have missed out on. Harry Potter fun facts vary from subject to subject. With the books and movies being so popular, there is a lot to learn not only about the process of writing and filming, but also about the characters in Harry Potter, who had a lot of impact on starting unique fandoms, and much more!
Interesting Harry Potter facts are addictive. It might be hard to resist that uncontrollable urge to scroll down. One Harry Potter fact after another, you might not even notice how fast time just seems to disappear. Well, to save you from wasting time searching for facts on the internet, we are here to help you. Take a look at the facts below and upvote the ones that you like the most. If you have anything more to add, be sure to add a comment below.
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No one could have portrayed the character of Severus Snape like Alan Rickman did. He was able to portray that lost man’s image and still mix some of his tricks into it. To make the role more realistic, author J.K. Rowling told spoilers to Rickman, ones that no one else knew about. This prepared him to portray the best Snape possible.
He took some of those secrets to his grave. He had been interviewed a number of times after the series ended, and reporters always tried to get all the secrets out of him, but he would always stand firm and say some things he was told were never meant to be shared to anyone else but him.
While Harry Potter was played by either babies or Daniel Radcliffe, the character of Voldemort was played by multiple different actors. While we know Voldemort as being Ralph Fiennes, he was also portrayed by Richard Bremmer, Christian Coulson, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (nephew of Ralph Fiennes), and Frank Dillane.
Gloucester Cathedral was used as the backdrop for outside shots of the Hogwarts school. It was filmed in Gloucestershire, England, where Moaning Myrtle's laments were also captured on camera. However, the Great Hall at Hogwarts was modeled after the Great Hall of Christ Church in Oxford, England.
and areas like Hagrids Hut on the outer grounds of Hogwarts were filmed around the area of Glencoe, Scotland.
In Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe and his character Harry Potter go through a lot of things and suffer a lot of pain throughout the movies. The makeup department had to work a lot to bring that needed look to the character. More than 100 pairs of glasses were replaced and 2000 times makeup artists had to apply scars onto Harry's face.
A motto is a thing that can separate a simple school from other schools. Hogwarts also has its own: "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" translates to "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."
Ron Weasley might not be the brightest person in the room, but his deeds are some of the greatest and bravest ones. Moreover, Ron’s name is quite powerful too. Ron, or Ronald, is based on the Old Norse Rögnvaldr, who was a ruler's advisor. Funnily enough, Ron is a friend to Harry, a leader.
Ron was very smart. No only a chess wizz (see what I did there), got almost exactly the same grades as Harry (6 exceeds expectations!!!), but he often worked out solutions to puzzles and problems that the others did not (or at least when Hermione wasn't around).
In the Harry Potter universe, colors have deeper meanings. Because red is a color associated with kindness, Gryffindor's robes and the Weasley family's hair are both red. When Harry's parents passed away, he noticed a flash of green, which is typically connected with sad occasions.
On November 16, 2001, the first Harry Potter movie was released. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had its U.S. release in 3,762 theaters and made $90 million during its first weekend there. With a £16 million total for the opening weekend, it also broke records in the U.K.
Professor Trelawney refused to sit at a table with the other 12 characters in Prisoner of Azkaban because she would be the thirteenth and the first person to leave the table would be the first one to lose their life. Sirius was the first member of the Order of the Phoenix to rise as all 13 members were seated and this pretty much sealed his fate.
There was already 13 people at the table when Trelawney came in. Ron had Scabbers (Peter Pettigrew) with him. So she would have been #14. That being said, Dumbledore rose to greet her, thus fulfilling the superstition as he was the first from the group to die.
All of the Platform 9 3/4 sequences were filmed at King's Cross Station in London, Platforms 4 and 5 in particular. The outside pictures were captured at St. Pancras Station in the interim. The bridge that Harry and Hagrid crossed was located at York Train Station.
For those who aren't familiar with London, St Pancras station and King's Cross are right next to each other. In fact they're often referred to as "King's Cross St Pancras). So although the station exteriors are of the St Pancras building, it is still outside King's Cross (which is a very unremarkable entryway, whereas St Pancras is a beautiful, Victorian, Grade 1-listed hotel building)
Schools vary in size and the number of students that visit them. While the great wizarding school of Hogwarts is located in a large castle, the number of students that go to it is quite small. Since it’s impossible to get official statistics from a government department or an agency, according to some reports, there are around 600 students in Hogwarts school.
There were 5 boys in Harry's dorm and 3 named & 2 unnamed girls. That's 10 per year. 10x4 houses=40 (JK confirmed an original list of 40 names)X7 years= 280 Students. However... We need to take a few things into account; Firstly, it's not likely that the houses would have been split evenly. Harry's year (and likely the year directly above and below) would have had less students than usual due to the wizarding war. The The year 2 years below Harry would likely have had a baby boom so likely had more than usual. The upper years would have less than average as not everyone would have stayed on to do their N.E.W.T's. In GOF, it mentions that there was 100 carriages to take them from Hogsmeade station to the castle, In OOTP, we know 5 can fit in the carriage, making it safe to assume they could fit 6. So that's 600 carriages for 6 years worth of students (1st years take the boat remember). That's an average of 100 per year so 700 Students.
The greatest wizard of them all might just be Dumbledore. Even his name sounds menacing, serious and carries quite a reputation behind it. But his name can take another form. If one were to translate Dumbledore from old English to modern English, one would get bumblebee.
Ron and Hermione are destined for each other. Not only in the friendship they have, but also in the patronuses (guardians) they can summon. While Hermione can summon otters, Ron can summon a Jack Russell terrier. An additional animal fact to that: Jack Russell terrier dogs are known for chasing otters.
At the start it seemed like it was Hermione and Harry but later on Harry edges to Cho and Hermione to Ron whereas Ron’s just clueless and always will be. Then Harry edges to Ginny and stays with her from there and ends up marrying her where as Hermione marries Ron.
Like the real world we are living in, bound to rules of science and law, the world of Harry Potter and wizarding is also bound to its own set of particular rules. To create the best possible setting, 5 years were spent by J.K. Rowling ironing out the rules of Harry Potter, to make sure that the story made sense, even in a fantasy setting.
Dobby, a house elf, wasn't set free until 1993. Poor Dobby was held as a slave by the Malfoy family for years until Harry used a ploy to get Lucius Malfoy to give him a sock and grant him freedom. Then, Dobby worked at Hogwarts for money while effectively aiding and defending Harry.
After a heated argument with an ex-boyfriend, J.K. Rowling came up with the idea for Quidditch. She claimed that aside from the thought that "in my deepest, darkest soul I would quite want to see him hit by a bludger," she couldn't recall the connection between the fight and the game. If this argument started a great sport, hats off to her.
We all fear something. That is what secures us from the dangers of the world. In Harry Potter, fears can sometimes take a physical form, thanks to boggarts. Voldemort, the villain of the series, has one too. With his greatest fear being passing away, his boggart is his corpse. Even the evilest people fear the unavoidable.
The most iconic feature of the Harry Potter series and the character of Harry Potter is the lightning bolt. It has a lot of meaning in the story, but actually, it’s just a cool thing that J.K. Rowling added spontaneously. Soon enough, the context for the mark was added and this feature soon became a recurring thing in the books and the series.
Americans and British people are once again in a feud over their shared language. While the rest of the world gets to enjoy Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, the people on the other side of the pond call this book Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone to appeal to the younger American audience.
The movies are known for their long watching time: 1169 minutes, or about 20 hours, to be precise.
The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron was filmed at the Leadenhall Market in London. The Market, which opened in the late 19th century, served as a prime example of a Victorian market. As a result, it made for the ideal shooting location for the outside sequences of Diagon Alley.
Side fact: Lacock village and Abbey are often used as filming locations for period dramas due to it being almost entirely comprised of buildings from the 18th century and earlier, protected by the National Trust. For example, the popular 90s BBC dramatisation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth in his breakout Mr Darcy role, was filmed there
The London Borough Market served as the backdrop for some scenes from The Leaky Cauldron. It was depicted in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But at the Leavesden Film Studios, some of the interior images were produced using computers.
Multiple locations were used to film the Harry Potter movies, some used once or twice, while others were used more commonly. Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire served as the location for filming the Hogwarts hallways. In addition to the hallways, Snape's potions lesson was filmed there as well.
A detailed eye might have noticed that the scars in the Harry Potter books and the movies are different. In the books, it’s more in the middle of the forehead, while in the movies it is more off-center.
The Harry Potter book series reaches 7 books, all written by J.K. Rowling. With so much information, it’s hard to imagine how the author was able to fit the majority of it into just 7 books.
It isn’t hard to notice that one of the most prominent characters in the movies, Albus Dumbledore, is played by two different actors. The first version of Dumbledore is played by Richard Harris, but sadly he passed away in 2002. Another actor, Michael Gambon, replaced him in this role.
Richard Harris was better. He had all of the book Dumbledore’s qualities
Some plants are just there to bring harm to us and everyone around us. In Harry Potter, this plant is Venomous Tentacula. As the name gives out, it’s venomous, like, very venomous. Defending itself from any harm by using poison, this spiky and red “bundle of happiness” is one of the most lethal plants in the wizarding world.
While trees in The Lord of the Rings can protect the race of humanity, in Harry Potter, some trees are just out there to bring harm. The Snargaluff, a flesh-eating tree, is just that — a dangerous lethal tree. It has some uses, especially for the pods and other things inside the trunk, but in reality, it is as dangerous as it looks.
“Avada Kedavra” might sound funny now since it’s being thrown around by every fan of the series, but this curse brings the most horrible side effect to its victim — instant demise. Only one person was able to survive it, the title hero Harry Potter.
The spell “Expecto Patronum” is one of the most advanced spells. With it, the caster can summon a guardian spirit that can defend them against many dark creatures. This spell is unique to every person.
“Expelliarmus” is one of the signature spells of both the series and the character Harry Potter. It's not complex to use — if another person holds something in their hands, used correctly, this spell will push the item out of the hands of the victim.
The good guys are not the only ones with school spells in Harry Potter. Some belong to the dark side. The spell-like “Morsmordre” allows its users to cast a dark mark, also known as the mark of death, which became a trademark of the evil cult in the series. It appeared multiple times in the story and it is thought to be created by Voldemort.
If we follow the patter of Greek, Latin and old English seen in the other spells, this translates to 'To bite death'. In other words 'Death Eaters'! Although I've been told that it is also Norwegian work and means 'Mother killers'.
At Oxford's Bodleian Library Divinity School, the Hogwarts Infirmary was filmed. The area, often referred to as the Hospital Wing, was managed by Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the matron of the school. It is also where the basilisk's petrified victims received care.
The actual Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland is crossed by the Hogwarts Express. Students riding the train to and from Hogwarts cross this bridge throughout the Harry Potter movies. The Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel may be seen from the bridge thanks to its location on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Inverness-shire.
The female of the trio, Hermione got her name thanks to a play by William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale. Since her parents are scholars, this was meant to be a clever twist on the name. This name perfectly represents Hermione, one of the smartest people in the wizarding world and a talented witch.
It is said to be Livraria Lello, a real-life bookstore in Porto, Portugal, where J.K. Rowling spent a few years residing, serving as inspiration for her works.
Hermione from the books and the movies is quite different. While the image we might all see is that from the movies, in the books, Hermione had buck teeth. During the filming of the movies, the production did try to use buck teeth, but after Emma Watson was unable to speak properly, the teeth were taken out.
While Tom Riddle might be the original name of the Dark Lord, Voldemort is the preferred one, being catchy and simpler to remember. The French people even have a meaning for this name — “Flight of death.”
While “Avada Kedavra” sounds scary on its own, its actual meaning comes from a certain phrase in Aramaic culture. The phrase “bhadda kedhabhra” sounds like gibberish at first, but when you translate it to "disappear like this word," you see just how connected both the spell and the phrase are.
When you are creating an iconic character, you most certainly will put a little bit of yourself into them. For J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter, there is one thing that united both of them — their birthday. Both J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter were born on July 31. So, if you are celebrating the birth of Harry Potter, know that J.K. Rowling is celebrating it too.
Literature works are great in that you can change aspects and names of characters and no one will bat an eye. In Harry Potter, not every name we see is the first name that appeared in J.K. Rowling's head. In a small game, try to guess the real names of the characters: Hermione Puckle, Draco Spinks, Neville Puff, and Lily Moon.
Nothing sounds as annoying as the cries of the Moaning Myrtle character in the Harry Potter movies. Haunting a restroom in Hogwarts, Moaning Myrtle was inspired by a common sight in bars and clubs.
Myrtle was played by Shirley Henderson, who was 35. She was the oldest actor to play a student.
A happy accident can lead to some wonderful results. You might even call Harry Potter the happiest fantasy accident in history. Yet unknown to the world, in the 1990s, while waiting for a train, an idea popped into J.K. Rowling's mind for a book. With five years of planning, Harry Potter books were born and the rest is history.
It’s important to establish the timeline of a series. It becomes easier to map out the events of the story and establish precedence. According to some sources, Harry Potter’s main story takes place from 1991 to 1998. Some events take place outside this timeline, like the epilogue, which takes place in 2017, and the beginning, which takes place in 1981.
If you are a fan of the books, you might have noticed that one character is missing from the movies. The poltergeist named Peeves does not appear in the movies. This poltergeist has existed since 993 and gave the Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch a huge pain, while the higher-ups were able to control him with ease.
Speaking of the cloak of invisibility, there is a lot to learn about this magical material. For one fact, Harry Potter only learned the true nature of the cloak of invisibility in 1998, when it was revealed that it belonged to Ignotus Peverell, the youngest of the three brothers that were blessed to each carry one of the deathly hallows.
While we know Daniel Radcliffe as being the main face of Harry Potter in the movies, in reality, multiple people portrayed this young wizard. Since Harry Potter is shown as a baby multiple times, Daniel Radcliffe was unable to age back and several baby actors were used to represent the younger Harry Potter.
To lose your position in a team is one thing, but to lose a person you like to the same person — now that is rough. Cormac McLaggen, a member of the Gryffindor team, poisoned Ron Weasley to steal his spot, but in return, he lost Hermione to Ron and the goalkeepers' position too. A double loss that was well deserved.
Oh no he didn't! The poisoned mead was meant for Dumbledore. Malfoy gave Rosmerta (Under the Imperious Curse, placed my Malfoy) the orders to poison the mead, and give it to Slughorn as a present for Dumbledore. However, Slughorn being Slughorn, he opened the bottle to drink with Harry and Ron after Romilda's love potion was accidentally ingested by Ron. Ron drak first, and the poison took effect before Harry or Slughorn could drink.
Sometimes you need some light in your life, especially when you have to fight dark spirits and dark creatures day after day. To the rescue comes the spell of "Lumos". Once used, the end of a wand starts to emit light and allows the caster to see clearly. There is also a more extreme version of this spell, the Lumos Maximus, which once cast, starts to emit blinding light.
Translates to 'To have light'. And 'Nox', the counter spell, literally means 'night'.
Hogwarts took place in a castle. Northumberland's Alnwick Castle served as the backdrop for the interior scenes of Hogwarts. It appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as well. Harry had his broomstick instruction there as well.
Clachaig Gully served as the backdrop for the filming of Hagrid's hut and its surroundings. Glencoe, Argyl, Scotland, is known for its stunning scenery; however, the cabin no longer exists there.
Now, Harry Potter isn’t Game of Thrones — characters aren’t written off one by one. J.K. Rowling is writing a children's fantasy book, so these things usually have to be left out or portrayed in a different color. Well, luckily for Ron, he was on the chopping block when J.K. Rowling was feeling a bit down. Good thing he survived.
The movies we know today might have been different if not for the argument between “America” and “Britain.” At first, Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct the first movie and Haley Joel Osment was supposed to play the role of Harry. But after getting into an argument with J.K. Rowling, the project changed a bit.
Nothing says real like basing elements in the books on real things in life. In the wizarding realm, plants have names that are based on real names. According to Rowling, they come from Culpeper's Complete Herbal, a work by English botanist and herbalist Nicholas Culpeper that was published in the 17th century.
Sometimes the role you audition for is just not the role for you. Tom Felton might be a good actor, but the only role that fit him was the role of Draco Malfoy. Originally, he auditioned for the roles of Harry and Ron. We can be glad that even after failing these auditions, he was offered the role of Draco Malfoy.
While in the movies, wands are powerful and hard to break, in reality, they are quite fragile. It’s only a stick with some extra material attached to it and that's it. They are also quite fun to use, not only for casting magic spells and curses but also to play with. Radcliffe alone broke about 60 wands, due to the fact that he played the drums with them.
If he'd learned the proper spell, the drums would have played themselves.
You can always leave a mark of your family in the work you create. For the Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling was sure to not only include a couple of details of her life, but also a bit about her other family members. For example, the Ernie and Stanley characters, the conductor and driver of the “Knight Bus”, are named after J.K. Rowling's grandparents.
If you are trying to capture the heart of the reader, it’s important to make it as relatable as humanly possible. If you are writing a children’s book — it’s best to make the main character a child. In Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, the hero Harry Potter is 11 years old. Logical, since he started to go to a wizarding school.
A wizard is as good as his pet is. The same goes for the witches of Hogwarts. Professor Minerva McGonagall, one of the best professors at the wizarding school, has a cool name, but her cat's name is even cooler. Simply named Mrs. P. Head, the imagination can go wild on the meaning of the P. Good thing she isn’t going to school.
It’s easy to refuse the assistance of any other person, but when we are talking about Michael Jackson, only J.K. Rowling could so openly refuse his help. A fan of Harry Potter, Michael Jackson offered to create a musical of Harry Potter, but J.K. Rowling refused. It would be interesting to see just what kind of music would be in this musical of fantasy.
There is a character in the movies that we can universally hate. Dolores Umbridge, known for her pink style and cruel character, acts like a villain in the Harry Potter series. It seems like she doesn’t respect the students or the wizards' authority. For this reason, you can be glad that she got what she deserved, getting imprisoned in Azkaban for life.
Snape wasn’t always the one who was supposed to “defeat” Dumbledore. Draco Malfoy was the one who intended to do the deed. Dumbledore was able to talk Draco down for a moment, offering to help and protect him. While Dumbledore knew the unavoidable was near, he wanted to go out his way, not Voldemort’s.
Nothing says true friendship like that which formed between Sirius Black and Harry Potter. Sirius was a good friend of James Potter, the father of Harry Potter. Thanks to this bond, Sirius is the godfather of Harry Potter and tries to do his best to help him. Sadly, he passed away during a battle with Voldemort's lackeys, and his body was never found.
Minerva McGonagall is someone you just don’t want to mess around with. She might be one of the most powerful witches in the world of Harry Potter. Serving decades in high-ranking positions, she stepped up once Dumbledore passed away and led Hogwarts into one of the biggest wizarding wars.
Even in the world of fantasy, love can sometimes bloom into something more wonderful. Harry Potter was able to find his true love in Ginevra Molly Weasley. Harry married the sister of his best friend, Ron, in the 2000s and even had three children, all of whom were named after the most important people in their lives.
Right after making amends with one of his brothers, Percy Weasley, Fred Weasley passed away. He shares ownership of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a purported novelty store in Diagon Alley, with his twin George. Unfortunately, Fred passed away during the Battle of Hogwarts after being struck by an unexpected explosion.
During a Christmas celebration, Dumbledore anonymously gifted Harry Potter the cloak of invisibility. Only a note was left with it — use it well. Following this advice, Potter was able to pull some awesome pranks and help destroy the multiple Horcruxes of Voldemort.
Hagrid wouldn’t be a great character in the movies if not for the superb work of the actor behind him. Robbie Coltrane, the actor behind Hagrid, was able to bring the character and his essence in front of the camera. This Scottish actor portrayed the character in all 8 adaptations of J.K. Rowling's works.
While Robin Williams was able to conquer the hearts of the American audience, sadly, he wasn’t able to do this with the British. Having auditioned for the role of Hagrid, Williams wasn’t given the part for quite a clear reason — J.K. Rowling had a strict rule of casting only British or Irish actors for the main characters.
Love is something that happens instantaneously. It’s not something that can be manufactured, it takes time for it to form. Well, at least not in Harry Potter. To try and seduce Harry Potter, Romilda Vane used a lovers’ potion, but unluckily for her, it backfired, and instead created a lot more problems for Ron Weasley and his dating life.
Nothing says legendary like beating Draco Malfoy in his own game of arrogance. Well, Blaise Zabini is just the one who did it. He wasn’t afraid of standing his ground against the more arrogant and feared Draco Malfoy, a known Death Eater. Rich and powerful, Blaise Zabini might be the most heartwarming underrated character.
Justin Finch-Fletchle, a young wizard and student of Hogwarts, encountered so many snakes through his school years that it would not be strange if he had developed a phobia of snakes. Not only did he have to fight multiple snakes during training, but he also encountered a basilisk, a giant snake. So ophidiophobia is quite understandable.
To survive a curse is rare, but to survive one whose name is the “Imperium” curse is another great feat. Chaser Katie Bell, a member of the house of Gryffindor, was able to not only survive this horrible curse but also made a full recovery, returning to victories for the Gryffindor team in the game of Quidditch.
Sometimes, reality and fantasy mix so well that real-life elements need minimal change to look believable in a fantasy setting. In Harry Potter, the mandrake is one of them, a real-life plant that is categorized as one of the magical plants in Harry Potter. When pulled out from the ground, the scream can invoke shock and fear in the people around it.
We all have those spaces we wanted to visit, but just couldn’t — there was no key around to try out on the lock. Luckily for the wizards of Harry Potter, they have a spell to use just at this moment — “Alohomora.” Use that on a lock or door, and just watch as it opens up to reveal the contents inside.
Imagine a constant stream of pain being inflicted on you. That is what the “Cruciatus” curse creates for its victim. One of the three happily named “unforgivable curses,” this curse is a cruel one. With it, you practically torture the victim. It is not uncommon for the victim of it to go insane and for the caster to be put in Azkaban.
The curse “Imperius” is one of the unforgivable curses that removes it all and places the victim at the mercy of the caster. While most victims fall prey to it, strong-willed people are able to resist it effectively.
Fire is one of the most universal things in our universe, so it’s only natural that there will be a spell associated with this phenomenon. “Incendio” is a spell for people who just can’t keep their fingers away from fire. It’s also versatile, like when Hagrid used this spell to light up a fire in the hearth when he brought Harry to London with him.
I'd've liked to know more about fiend-fire (fyre?). When the Room of Requirement was being gutted by this spell, slamming the door contained it. Did the R of R survive?
For every spell, there is a contrariety. As there is light, there is also darkness. While Lumos creates a beacon of light, its counterspell is “Nox,” a wand-extinguishing charm. Its purpose, as the name says, is to distinguish a light on a wand. Perfect for when you need to hide from an enemy or stalk something.
A charm happily named “Obliviate'' is used to remove specific parts of memory in a person's head. It was used several times in the series, most specifically, when Hermione removed specific pieces of memory from the heads of her mother and father, returning them later.
Must've been an interesting trip to Australia. This girl shows up at this couples' house, says "Hello", utters some incomprehensible words, and they suddenly realize that she is their grown-up daughter.
If you want to make something non-scary and ridiculous, there is a spell for it. It is known as the boggart-banishing spell, or "Riddikulus." The Boggart is a shape-shifting entity that takes the form of a person's biggest phobia. “Riddikulus,” the incantation that weakens the Boggart, may only be cast on the beast if the caster concentrates on hilarious things.
It is hard to concentrate on hilarious things when plagued by a phobia. I'd love for that spell to work for me.
Sometimes, a spell can be so unique and specific, that it soon becomes a trademark sign of a person. For Severus Snape, this spell was “Sectumsempra.” More like a curse than a spell, when cast, it brings harm to the receiver, creating bleeds and damage inside. The pain can be compared to being sliced with a sword.
“Stupefy” is a commonly used spell to quickly end a duel or knock out a needed person. It works against any enemy, and as an additional detail, it’s also quite fun to yell out when you are alone.
While wizards and witches might fight quite commonly among each other, it’s important to keep things safe and make sure you are not hurt. Well, in the case of being harmed by something, “Vulnera Sanentur” is used to heal wounds that might appear and is the perfect countermeasure against “Sectumsempra.”
It’s easy to fantasize about flying in the open air, like the birds in the sky. Well, in Harry Potter, there is a spell just for this reason — “Wingardium Leviosa.” This spell's name has been joked about many times, but it is quite useful. While it does focus on the levitation, it was used multiple times as comic relief and as a tool for an action piece.
J.K. Rowling was a writer even before Harry Potter. Her first ‘novel’ was a story about a rabbit, titled “Rabbit,” written when she was 6 years old. The story focused on 7 diamonds and the people owning them.
The author's birth name is Joanne Rowling. While this explains the J and the Rowling part, what does the K stand for? The K stands for her paternal grandmother Katheel and was added to create more mystery around the author.
Not every sequel can evoke that initial “Wow!” that the first movies were able to. The same goes for the third installment of Harry Potter, Prisoner of Azkaban. This movie is the lowest-grossing part of the Harry Potter series. While the movie itself is fine and unique, other adaptations were considered much better.
I hated what the movie did to the knight bus scenes. Also, Gambon was a far different Dumbledore.
When a new threat arises, students of Hogwarts must unite to survive it. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tries to showcase this scenario in just 257045 words. This book explores how, while the villain of the wizarding world is back, the Ministry of Magic tries to cover it up and hide the truth from others, halting any actions from being taken.
You need a good book to set up a proper finale of the last book. In the case of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, this book, in just 168923 words, explores how the Dark Lord becomes a more important figure, one that can't be ignored anymore, and how the golden trio have to cope with their troubles, relationship and magic-wise.
In Edinburgh, The Elephant House is referred to as "Harry Potter's birthplace." In the 1990s, J.K. Rowling started writing down her ideas there. She frequently visited the upscale tea and coffee shop on one of Edinburgh's main walkways for their free heating at the time because she was still having trouble making ends meet.
The Elephant House contains a "wall" belonging to Rowling. It has pictures of the author of the Harry Potter books as well as her thoughts and quotes posted on it. Other coffee shops in the city also claim to have hosted Rowling, but only The Elephant House has such conclusive evidence.
You might get angry at the Dursley family for treating Harry Potter badly and not bringing him into the ranks of their family. You sure can envy them for the house they have on 4 Privet Drive. So if you want to try your chances, you can even find the real address of this house. In real life, the house was located at 12 Picket Post Close.
When imagining the world of Harry Potter, London or England overall pops into mind. England is the setting of Hogwarts and Harry did live in London, but in actuality, J.K. Rowling drew inspiration from Edinburgh, Scotland, the place where the author lived for a while.
Harry lived in Surrey, which is the county to the south of London
It’s easy for an author to draw inspiration from the saddest period of their life. For J.K. Rowling, she remembered the feeling of being depressed and drew from that to create the Dementors. Described as being cold and hollow, the Dementors are the representation of the most damaging thing that can happen to a person.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the part where Sirius Black passes away was first intended to go to Arthur Weasley. While it would have been sad, Sirius passing away was able to deliver quite an emotional punch to the story.
Amortentia potion is a powerful love potion in the universe of Harry Potter. To create it, you need quite a few specific ingredients, but the effects will be worth it. You might even guess who’s the right person for you if you were to take a whiff. For example, when Hermione took a sniff of the potion, she smelled Ron’s hair.
Usually, in the movies, when we see a plate of nice food, it’s most commonly fake and created to just look nice. Harry Potter pulled out all of the punches and in The Sorcerer's Stone, included a lot of real food. But sadly, the crew didn’t get to enjoy most of it, because the lights above generated quite a lot of heat towards the food.
As someone who works in film and TV, I beg to differ. Food on set is usually real, typically prepared by a home economist. The exception might be where there are large volumes of background food, such as at a market. Anything featured, such as on the tables at Hogwarts, will be real. I did agree that no-one in the crew would want to eat it though!
This one hit the fandom like a curveball. Unexpected, but slightly hinted. After the books and movies were done, J.K. Rowling decided to take the story a step further and expanded it through social media. For example, J.K. Rowling did state that Dumbledore is gay. It didn’t add to the story, so it’s not obvious why she did that.
While the Harry Potter books captured the hearts of fans all around the world, the movies weren’t quite so lucky in capturing the minds of the critics in Hollywood. While the Harry Potter movies were nominated for twelve Oscars, they didn’t win any. Most of these nominations came from art direction, original score, and other categories.
There isn’t a wizard in all of us. Some are destined to live their lives missing out on the magical world. All those buildings are hidden from plain view. Funnily enough, non-wizarding people, Muggles, as they are called, can’t even enter them. A sign usually hangs on the entrances of buildings, warning us of the danger inside.
Pop quiz, how do young wizards go to the wizarding school of Hogwarts? Well, multiple ways. Some arrive on their means of transportation (cards and brooms), while others take a more traditional way by train. Funnily enough, in the King’s Cross Station, a real place, there are different fractionated platforms for both the wizards and witches.
To the author, inspiration is like a well to draw some creativity from. Writing seven Harry Potter books requires a lot of work and patience, mixed in with a bunch of inspiration. For J.K. Rowling, it comes from close to home. Her motivation came from her mother. Sometimes, all it takes to write a world-famous series is to have a loving mother.
Every “Potterhead” knows the houses of Hogwarts like the back of their hands. You got the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. If you ever wanted to find out where you belong, J.K. Rowling and the internet have you covered. Through simple questions, you can find the right house for you.
Sometimes the aspects of a character can come from the day they are born. Fred and George, the pranksters of the wizarding world, twin brothers, and the comedic relief of the series, are happily born on April Fool’s day. Since they pull some funny pranks every day, one can only wonder what pranks they can think of on their birthday.
Nothing sounds as menacing as “Killing Curse.” As far as curses go, this one has the most impact on the story of Harry Potter. Starting from the very beginning of the story, Lily Potter, the mother of Harry Potter, saved her son from the curse that Voldemort cast. In fact, due to this, Harry became a Horcrux of Voldemort.
Dumbledore is old. Like very old. Even his name sounds oldish, like from the Victorian ages. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Sounds old? Luckily for the fans, his name is simplified to just Albus Dumbledore. At 115 years old, Albus Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the wizarding world.
To this day I think Rowling made a mistake by killing him off permanently. He's a member of the Order of the Phoenix, they made such a big show of his being re-born, it was perfect fore-shadowing of the rebirth of Albus. I knew this would happen. And yet, it didn't. And he should have.
The dark lord, Voldemort, is probably stuck in many of the fans' minds as a noseless man, but he wasn’t always like this. Voldemort, or Tom Marvolo Riddle, was a normal person once, with a nose and everything. But his journey through the wizarding world soon shifted his view to the darker arts.
There is a clear divide among the fans when it comes to the character of Snape. People who know the big spoiler like him, while those who don’t know hate him. But no one can doubt that he is powerful. He is one of the most terrifying potion makers out there. A character with only good intentions, it seems that only love can change the heart of a dark man like this.
A beloved character of the Harry Potter fandom, you can hardly find any faults in the character of Hagrid. A half-human, half-giant, this character of large proportions is lovable and there is no real reason to hate him. He isn’t just standing around Hogwarts doing nothing, he is a guardian of Harry Potter and the one who introduced him to the wizarding school.
Get a bit of beer into Hagrid and he gives in to his less safe desires (raising a dragon?)
Colin Creevey — huh? You are not the only one who is a bit confused about this character. Who is he? Who knows! He might be the most underused character in the Harry Potter series. A photographer by heart, and a wizard by profession, Colin Creevey is always there to take a picture of Harry and his friend.
A summoning charm called "Accio" can call something to the caster. After the invocation, you only need to call the object out loud for it to come into your hands or your direct line of sight, even if it was previously out of sight. A spell with many uses in the wizarding world, and it would be interesting to see it being used in real life.
“Just for safety, why not store your soul in seven different things?” thought Voldemort calmly and used a Horcrux-making spell to store his evil soul in 7 different things. One of them is the titular character — Harry Potter. This was all done to insure the dark lord’s survival and to corrupt the people using the Horcruxes.
Like with The Lord of the Rings, a single country was used to film this fantasy series. Numerous locations across the United Kingdom were used to film the Harry Potter movies. External photos were taken at several sites in Scotland, Oxford, and London. However, Leavesden Film Studios served as the backdrop for imaginary sites like Diagon Alley.
The United Kingdom is not a "single country." The United Kingdom is made up of four individual countries: England, Wales, Scotland and North Ireland.
Harry Potter — there is a lot of meaning behind that name. Starting from Harry, while it rhymes and sounds about right, the name Harry has a lot of hidden meanings you might not have known about. Harry, the English version of Henry, was also the name of a popular English king.
Harry is not the English version of Henry. Henry is an English name, Harry is a mediaeval version that is sometimes used as a nickname for Henry. There have been 8 Kings of England named Henry, some popular, some very much not
The most wonderful thing about hair is that it grows back. For the role of Harry, Daniel Radcliffe had to give up some of his hair. There is a scene where Harry explains the situation of the missing sock and for that scene, Daniel Radcliffe had to shave one of his legs.
Usually, when a fandom forms, the members pick a name. While there are plenty of names to choose from in Harry Potter, from the schools of Hogwarts, the fans of Harry Potter decided on another name. A “Potterhead” is someone who belongs to the fandom of Harry Potter. Remove the -ter- and you will get another “fandom”.
The last two movies were based on a single book. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and Part II were based on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Nobody likes an imposter among them, especially when magic and allegiances are involved. In Harry Potter, Zacharias Smith was a student who joined Dumbledore's Army to snitch. Unluckily for him, the prankster Weasley brothers caught up to the fact and proved their loyalty by taking Zacharias Smith down.
A good start can set up a wonderful journey ahead. The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, set up the world of wizarding and created the chance for a new fandom in the fantasy genre to rise. With around 76944 words in this book, the basic elements and rules of Harry Potter were set up for future sequel books.
The second book is a bigger one, as it should be. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a perfect sequel to the first book. With 85141 words, the second book took a deeper look into the golden trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione and the dark secrets that hide in the corners and shadows of the school.
The third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is 107253 words long. With Sirius Black being presented here, Prisoner of Azkaban is both legendary in its action and also in its story. This entry also introduces one of the coolest creatures in the world of wizarding — the dementors.
Nothing says grand like a magical tourney in a fantasy world. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has around 190637 words and explores the dangerous tournament that is The Triwizard Tournament and how Harry Potter, an unwanted contestant, tries to win it. But when the tourney comes to an end, a new, grander enemy is revealed — Dark Lord Voldemort.
A good finale to a good book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with 198227 words, closed off the story for a moment and allowed new ideas to be explored. This book is just exploring the all-out war between the forces of Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix/allies.
Most of these are just something like, "The movies took a very long time to watch" and "The movies 'the Deathly Hallows part 1 and 2' were based off of the book the Deathly hallows. Crazy, right?" Still, there were a bunch of good ones. They could probably have changed this from 124 to 60.
Definitely could have. They basically mansplained the Harry Potter books
Load More Replies... There were lots that everyone knows,like "there is a spell that does this and another that does that!!" Most people, including those who haven't read the books, know this stuff
Most of these are just something like, "The movies took a very long time to watch" and "The movies 'the Deathly Hallows part 1 and 2' were based off of the book the Deathly hallows. Crazy, right?" Still, there were a bunch of good ones. They could probably have changed this from 124 to 60.
Definitely could have. They basically mansplained the Harry Potter books
Load More Replies... There were lots that everyone knows,like "there is a spell that does this and another that does that!!" Most people, including those who haven't read the books, know this stuff
