Do you consider yourself to be an expert on The Boy Who Lived? Think again. Many of us feel we know all there is to know about the spectar-wearing, lightning scarred, young wizard brought to massive fame by author J.K. Rowling. But as you will find out after reading this peace, there is quite a few extremely interesting details it turns out you didn’t know about the famed franchise.
With that in mind let’s talk about a fascinating list with 35 intriguing facts about Harry Potter that you may not have known but are thirsty to find out.
Things You Didn’t Know About Harry Potter
1. Harry Potter And His Author J.K. Rowling Share A Birthday
Their relationship as an author and her book’s subject isn’t the only thing Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling share. They also have the same birthday. Rowling has ties to other characters in her novel as well. For instance, she claimed that she was very similar to Hermione when she was younger, and much like Hermoine’s patronus, the otter was Rowling’s favorite animal. She also finds her sage wizard Dumbledore’s taste for sherbert lemons to be particularly appealing.
2. J.K. Rowling Came Up With Hogwart House Names On The Back Of A Barf Bag
Scholastic gave American kids the chance to ask Rowling questions about Harry Potter in 2000. One student inquired about what made her think of the dormatorie and character names for her novels, Rowling revealed that she made up most of the house names and wrote them down on the back of a sick bag from an airplane. She went on to say that she often collects unique and unusual names in a notebook she keeps, allowing her to have her choice for interesting names when she needs to develop a new character.
3. Writing Harry Potter Books Was Aided By J.K. Rowling’s Education
Rowling minored in Classics in college, and she made full use of it by sprinkling Latin throughout her literary works. She claimed to very interested in the idea that wizards in her world would use Latin for their spells as if it was a still a living language. It was one of the methods she used for crafting her creative wording in casting spells, considering it a type of mutation that the her sorcerers employ.
For instance, expelliarmus, which combines the Latin words expellere, (meaning “drive out” or “expel,”) and arma, (meaning “weapon”) knocks weapons out of an enemy’s hands. The word incendio, or “fire-raising,” is derived from the Latin word incendiarius. Draco Dormiens Numquam Titillandus, or “Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon,” is Hogwarts’ motto.
4. J.K. Rowling Wrote A Sketch Of The Series’s Final Chapter Very Early On
There have been many rumors about Rowling stashing the first chapter of Deathly Hallows away, having written it years earlier than most of the other books even came out. She disputes that claim as utterly untrue, but she did admit that within about her first year of writing, she wrote a rough sketch of what she foresaw as being the final book’s final chapter, a fact that she shared with Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in a Deathly Hallows Part 2 DVD extra featured interview.
Rowling said she always knew that a presumably dead (but really not) Harry would be carried out of the forest by Hagrid, that the final battle at Hogwarts would take place, and that the ghosts she planted throughout the story would accompany Harry as he walked to his death at the end. It was that mental image that permitted Hagrid to stay alive throughout her epic, despite being naturally inclined sacrifice Hagrid to the story. The mental image of the end had always stopped Rowling of doing away with Harry’s large friend, meaning that his character was one of the safest in all of Potterverse.
5. Rowling’s Struggle With Depression After The Death Of Her Mother Was The Inspiration For The Dementors
In 1990, after a battle with MS, Rowling’s mother passed away, sending the would be author into a period of battle with depression. It also was the inspiration for the characterization of the Dementors in her Harry Potter novels. The creepy creatures who feasted on human feelings were comparable to depression for Rowling in several ways. She distinguished between sadness and depression with the former being the emotive feelings and crying, while the latter as a cold feeling, devoid of emotion, much like the Dementors themselves.
6. Quidditch Was Invented After A Fight Between Rowling And Her Boyfriend
In 2003, Rowling said that to create the idea for a game such as Quidditch, it was necessary to have a huge fight with a boyfriend. After storming out of the house in a huff after the argument, Rowling came to a pub, and Quiddich came to her mind, though she is not sure that she could draw a solid line between the two events, the game’s relatively violent nature reflected her desire to see her then boyfriend hit by a bludger.
7. Plants In Harry Potter Books Come From An Actual Book
If you ever wondered where Rowling derived all of those creative plant names from in Potter-world, she got it from Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, a book that features fleaword, flax weed, toadflax, knotgrass, grommel, Goutwort, Mugwort, and every other witching sounding plant. Ironically, the book she sourced the names from was written by a 17th century English herbalist and botanist Nicholas Culpeper.
8. Before Being Named The Philosopher’s Stone, The First Book’s Original American Title Was Meant To Be Harry Potter And The School Of Magic
The title of Harry Potter And The School Of Magic was proposed to Rowling by American publisher Arthur Levine, but quickly turned down since Rowling didn’t feel it was right for the series’s opening tome. She proposed the Sorcerer’s Stone instead, and it was agreed upon. Even the French edition of the book is called Harry Potter a L’ecole Des Sorciers.
9. The Outlines For Rowlings Books Were Quite Complex
The outline that Rowling put together for the Order Of The Phoenix was first a general plot map, then appended with more specific plot points for particular characters. In an interesting tidbit, Elvira Umbridge was set to be the name for Dolores Umbridge before ultimately getting changed.
10. Arthur Weasely Was Not Meant To Survive
J.K. Rowling told Meredith Viera that when good battles evil in her epic series, not everyone will be able to survive the war at the end. She believed that this would have led to uninteresting, cozy, and fluffy books which would be as unappealing to her as an author as they would be to her prospective readers. She didn’t want to be halfway through the Goblet of Fire and have her plot go AWOL because all of the characters were suddenly living their happiest lives.
With that said, Rowling didn’t know exactly which of the series’ favorites would be killed off. One of those she considered to be on the chopping block was Arthur Weasely when he suffered the Nagini attack in the Order Of The Phoenix. She chose to spare him because she wanted to make sure that there are good fathers in the book, seeing as there was already a shortage of them.
She even argued that Arthur may have been the finest of the fathers in all of her literary works of the Potter-verse. She also said that she even considered killing Ron off, but realized that was not going to be the best plot decision.
Instead, the final Battle of Hogwarts resulted in the deaths of Lupin and Tonks, two characters she had no intention of sacrificing, but wanted to use to show just how evil Voldemort’s actions were. One of the most horrendous aspects of any war is the children left behind in its wake. In the Potter world, Harry was left behind after the first war, so the decision to have Tonks’s and Lupin’s newborn son to be left behind after the second was something Rowling considered a very important aspect of the story.
11. Stephen King Praised Dolores Umbridge As Terrific Villain
Stephen King reviewed the Order of the Phoenix in Entertainment Weekly, and claimed that Dolores Umbridge with her gentle smile, girly voice, stubby fingers, and toadlike facial features was one of the finest fictional villains since Hannibal Lecter that he had personally come across in modern literature.
12. Bloomsbury Gave Deathly Hallows Code Names To Keep It From Leaking Early
To prevent the book leaking, the final installment of the Potter series was given fake names by the publishers that included Ediburgh Potmakers and The Life and Times of Clara Rose Lovett: An Epic Novel Covering Many Generations. Not too many people would have been jumping on those for a read.
13. The Role Of Harry Potter Could Have Been Played By Haley Joel Osment
In its early incarnation, the Harry Potter franchise was going to be helmed by Stephen Spielberg as a director, and he was considering having the role of Harry be played by Sixth Sense star, Haley Joel Osment. Ultimately, Spielberg’s creative vision for the film clashed with Rowling’s, so he left the project, and Chris Columbus took over with different lead actor ideas.
300 children auditioned for Harry’s role over a 7-month long process, including Jerry McGuire star Jonathan Lipnicki. Columbus was beginning to think that they would never find the ideal candidate for Harry.
That is until Heyman went with screenwriter Steve Kloves (who was attached to all but one Harry Potter film scripts) to the theater and saw a young boy with big blue eyes sitting behind him, who ended up being Dan Radcliffe. Heyman remembered thinking that Radcliffe was energetic, funny, sweet, and generous. On top of that he seemed to be ravenous for learning and knowledge of any sort. He pleaded for the future Potter star’s parents to allow the young man to audition, so when they finally agreed, it turned him into one of the biggest stars in the world.
14. Rupert Grint Had Quite An Unusual Audition
When Emma Watson, then only 9 years old, auditioned for the part of Hermione, she did so eight times at a school gym. Conversely, Rupert Grint, as a 10 year old, found out that auditions could be done by sending in information to Newround with a picture of himself, so he sent in a video audition instead. In it he pretended to be his drama teacher (who was female) and rapped (the script to which he composed himslf), in the video about why he wanted the role of Ron, and sent it in. While he faced some competition, including Tom Felton who auditioned for both Ron and Harry (before landing the role of Draco Malfoy), he ultimately got the role.
15. Harry’s Eyes Are Not Green In The Film For A Good Reason
Radcliffe’s eyes are blue, while Harry’s eyes in the books are bright green. So how did this issue get reconciled? Contacts, post production recolorization, and other methods were tried, but ultimately it was decided that the main reason his green eyes were important is that they looked like his mother’s, meaning that the actress who would play his mother, Lily Potter, would need to resemble Daniel Radcliffe in some way.
This was great news for Radcliffe whose eyes did not do well at all in response to contacts. In fact, he didn’t even do great with glasses which triggered an allergic reaction that made him experience acne breakouts.
16. No Regular Brooms Used In Harry Potter Movies
The brooms in the Potter films were not run-of-the-mill props, but rather made out of aircraft-grade titanium by modeler Pierre Bohama. Eddie Newquist, the chief creative officer from Global Entertainment Services explained to Popular Mechanics that these brooms weren’t just props to be carried around, they had to be sat on by perpetually heavier cast members throughout the films.
They were mounted onto motion-control bases when green screen shots were performed, so it was imperative that they were very durable, yet very thin. Most kids weight between 80 and 90 pounds (at the start of the film franchise), but would grow into 120 to 130 pound adults who still had to sit on the brooms.
17. The Sorcerer’s Stone Feature A Cast And Filmed Role For Peeves, Which Was Then Cut
The part of Hogwart’s prank-loving poltergeist Peeves was offered to Rik Mayall, a British comedian, but though he showed up and shot his scenes for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Chris Columbus decided that he was not satisfied with Mayall’s ghost’s look, and the scenes were all cut from the film.
In a 2011 interview, Mayall said that he had a tough time getting through scenes on the set because the youngsters playing the students would get the giggles when he did his scenes and it forced the scenes to have to be interupted. This was even the case when his back was to them, so they asked if he would go behind the cathedral, then should his lines. This drew laughs anyway, so the crew decided to do his lines with someone else.
After a bit of filming he was sent home and paid. A month he received an apologetic call from one of the members of the film crew, saying that they had to cut him from the film entirely. He kept the money, so that was a win for him, though this was the most exciting film he had been in up to that point.
Mayall didn’t even tell his children that his scenes were cut from the movie, so when they went to see it they thought the make up made him look unrecognizable. In fact, the kids thought he was playing the role of Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid.
18. There Is An Interesting Inspiration Behind Moaning Myrtle
The whiny ghost who dwells in the girl’s bathroom of Hogwarts was inspired by a presence that Rowling frequently noted in communal restrooms, particularly at parties and clubs she visited in her youth. Since this is not a common occurrence in male bathrooms, Rowling’s idea was to put Ron and Harry in a particularly uncomfortable spot in the scenes that involved Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
19. The Actress Who Portayed Moaning Myrtle In The Chamber Of Secrets Was Not A Student’s Age
The ghost of the 14-year-old Myrtle, whose character was killed by a basilisk’s start in Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets, was portrayed by Shirley Henderson, a 36 year old actress. She told BBC that playing a ghost was harder than playing a real person due to the technical aspects involved in the role, such as being strapped to a harness so it looked like she could fly through the air, twisting and turning in every direction as she was instructed to do.
She stated that it was physically tiring, and requiring lots of concentration since various people kept shouting to turn in different ways and look in various directions at her. Though computers take care of a large part of the effects, she still had to try to act it out. Blocking out her ghostly presence made it more fun according to Henderson, however.
20. Radcliffe, Watson, And Grint Were All Asked To Write Essays About Their Characters By Prisoner Of Azkaban Director Alfonso Cuaron
Cuaron asked the three young stars to write essays from a first person perspective about their characters, to which they responded very much true to their character, or in other words, Rupert didn’t do it, and Watson wrote 10 pages. Grint explained to Entertainment Weekly that he didn’t do his because Ron likely would not have either.
At least that was his excuse for not doing it, but in reality, he was very busy with schoolwork, tests, and he just wasn’t feeling up to it. Luckily, this lined up with what his character would have likely done anyhow.
21. One Of Alfonso Cuaron’s Ideas Was Shot Down By Rowling
Rowling was not a massive stickler for book details in the films (as already evidenced with the example of the color of Harry’s eyes). She recognized that the movies would need to depart from the books’ storyline, and told Radcliffe as such. She said that the books were just too lengthy to make films that are entirely faithful to the text.
However, there were some points where she would dig in, and some of them were for very unusual reasons. For instance, she was fine with costume alterations of certain characters, but doing a spell in a location or situation where it was not warranted was a big no-no for the author.
A good example of this being the case is when Rowling called Cuaron’s writing of Prisoner of Azkaban “rather bizarre.” She understood that something like Flitwick conducting an orchestra of miniature performers was visually exciting, but she believed that one of the things that fans enjoyed the most about the literary world is its underpinning logic. Rowling was a stickler for always having logic involved in her magic.
The way and reason magic is performed, therefore, had to always make sense. In other words, magic had to have a point and should not have been filmed without thought involved.
22. Rowling Gave Alan Rickman A Head’s Up About Snape’s True Motivations
Rowling told Alan Rickman, who portrayed Snape, that the reason he is so nasty to Harry is that he vehemently disliked his father, though he was in love with his mom. Therefore he went into the role understanding what was going on, though he had a hard time accepting the true nature of his character in that regard.
Rowling saw Radcliffe in Equus, and upon seeing the author, he asked her point blank if Harry’s character would die in her story. She revealed Harry’s (partial fate) by telling Radcliffe that he gets a “death scene.” Her soon to be husband at the time asked her what Daniel inquired about, and she told him. When he pressed for an answer too, she refused to give it (though he knew about what fate would meet Dumbledore before it came). Other than that, Rowling kept Harry’s fate quiet until the world found it out.
23. Harry Potter Actors Were Not Permitted To Play Contact Sports
Oliver Phelps, who portrayed George Weasley told Entertainment Weekly that none of the actors in the Potter films were permitted to play contact sports. So his brother and Rupert Grint played golf instead, though it was indoors, on a 150-yard mat with a cone at the end of it. Golf was one of the few physical activities they were permitted to engage in as it was regarded as relatively safe.
24. Harry Potter Movies Were Filled With Very High Tech Visuals
To bring all of the magical elements to life in the Harry Potter films, visual effects artists were tasked with quite the ask. They had to produce everything from club-swinging trolls to fire-breathing dragons, the zombie-esque Inferi and the snake likeness of Voldemort’s face (which included removing Ralph Fienne’s nose digitally and practical makeup applications).
One of the series’ toughest sequences was when the Order of the Phoenix arrive at Privet Drive to take Harry away to safety early in the Deathly Hallows. They had several members transform into Harry by drinking Polyjuic Potion, in Mad-Eye Moody’s plan to confuse the Death Eaters.
This was a big feat for the visual effects crew to pull off, as they needed to have some of Harry’s attributes, and some from whoever the transformation was occurring to (Ron, Fed, George, Hermione, etc.) As Nicolas Aithadi, the visual effects supervisor from the Moving Picture Company explained to Popular Mechanics, that they needed to read both Harry and George’s part, and keep the things about both that were perfect.
They did so by using UV paint to coat the actors’ faces, then had them make faces for the 29 Mova Contour Reality cameras to capture 50,000 information points to create a 3D mesh that could then be used for facial transformation.
Phelps noted that his company had never done anything like this before. He said he had to do at least 30 varying facial expressions, and learned that his mouth can go far wider than he ever thought. With the UV paint on them, the VFX artists offered the crew some advice too: don’t go to nighclubs unless you want to look like a floating head.
25. Some Effects In The Potter Movies Were Not CGI
Not all of the effects in the Potter films were computer generated. Some, including Hedwig, Buckbeak, the Monster Book Of Monsters, and baby mandrakes were actually animatronics. They were able to do a range of motions including following actors with their eyes and bow. Every one of Buckbeak’s feathers were dyed and individually put in manually (which is impressive considering there was tens of thousands of them).
Some of the other creatures, like the huge Jack-in-the-Box from Prizoner of Azkaban and Kreacher, the house elf, were build to guide the animators in terms of lighting.
26. The Lightning Bolt Scar On Harry’s Head Was Applied Thousands Of Times By Makeup Artists
It took 5,800 times of applying Harry’s lighting bolt scar throughout the movies according to a 2014 interview with Potter star Radcliffe. In the first two films it was basically painted on, and then Pros-Aide was used, by essentially glueing it to his head. He had the scar applied many times to himself, and his stunt doubles had it applied many more. He also went through 160 pairs of the round-frame spectacles that are so iconically tied to Harry Potter from the start of the first film to the wrap of the final one.
27. Helena Bonham Carter Got To Keep Bellatrix’s Teeth
The actress told Entertainment Weekly that she loved the teeth of her character so much that she kept them. Besides, they were customized for her and would fit no one else anyway. When she misses Bellatrix, she goes to her bathroom and brings out the blue plastic container that they are stored in.
28. A Harry Potter Musical Was A Real Possibility
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rowling confessed that she had been offered a lot of Harry Potter ideas, and she turned down most of them, including a Michael Jackson produced musical. Eventually, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child play production was brought to the big stage, playing on the West End for a couple of years until finally making its way to the bright lights of Broadway.
29. Dumbledore Was A Gay Man
Since the Potter books and film series wrapped, Rowling came out with a number of revelations, including one that Dumbledore was actually gay. She was asked by a fan in 2007 about her favorite headmaster at Hogwarts, and she mentioned that Dumbledore was gay in her answer, and that he had fallen in love with Grindelwald, turning horrified when he showed his true colors.
She was not sure why the reaction to this piece of information was controversial, because she never saw it as a big deal. Dumbledore was an old man with a terrible job, so his orientation was never really pertinent. To her, however it did mean that he was very lonely. In fact, in Deathly Hallows, there is a hint about his sexuality due to his relationship with Grindelwad. Rowling noted the tragic irony of the fact that Dumbledore, a perpetual champion of love, had to fall hard for someone like Grindelwald.
This fact actually led to the script of Half-Blood Prince being tweaked, by cutting the part where Dumbledore to tell Harry that he remembered a young raven-haired, flashy eyed woman. The script writer wondered about the reason for its omission, to which Rowling explained Dumbledore’s sexuality.
30. Rowling Admitted That Harry And Hermoine Would Have Worked As A Couple
In a 2014 interview with Wonderland magazine, Rowling said that her writing of the relationship between Ron and Hermoine was a fulfilment of a wish, saying that the two ended up together more due to her clinging to her original plot and less due to the literature of her books. Their attraction is at first combative, which worked because they were so young, as no pair of adults could get past those distinctions of character.
In many ways, Rowling admitted, Hermoine and Harry would have been a better match, and she especially felt that in a tent scene with the two in Deathly Hallows. She said Steve Kloves felt the same way when he wrote the script from that very scene.
31. The Malfoy Family Enjoyed The Company Of Rich Muggles, According To Rowling
Rowling wrote on Pottermore that the Malfoy families vehiment opposition to the Statuete Of Secrecy in 1692 stemmed from the fact that until then, they were active mempers in the social cicles of wealthy Muggles. Lucius Malfoy The First, some evidence suggests, was an aspiring candidate to being the hand of Elizabeth I, though an unsuccessful one.
In fact, wizarding historians suspected that the reason Elizabeth I never married was due to a hex place upon her by the thwarted wizard. When the new heart of power, the Ministry Of Magic was founded, the Malfoys abdicated their socializing with Muggles.
32. Muggles Cannot Craft Potions
Potions can only be made with wands, which Muggles did not posses. Rowling wrote that simply throwing together asphodel and dead flies into a pot would not have been enough to craft potions, though it would result in a very gross and very poisonous soup. She admitted that chemistry was her least favorite school subject, but in her books, she always loved crafting potions and researching which ingredients were suited to make them.
A variety of potions that Harry makes for Snape, are believed to have once existed and the properties in them in the books are consistent to the ones that historical attempts included.
33. What Is Rowling’s Most Feared Harry Potter Question?
The question that the Harry Potter author was most fearful of being asked was what Dumbledore’s wand was made of. She told Time magazine that it would have been a very telling question because in her mind, he is an elder, and that associated him with the folklore of the death tree. Luckily for her, this is also one question she was never asked.
34. A Crumple-Horned Snorkack Can Be Spotted In The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
In The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, if one was to travel to the second floor of the Magical Menagerie, one could find the Crumple-Horned snorkack. The reason that this is interesting is that Luna believes that of the magical and mystical claims made by Xenophilus Lovegood, her father, were likely to be false. When she became a naturalist, she eventually came to accept that her father made it up. But did he though…?
35. The Flying Ford Anglia Can Also Be Found In The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
Just before entering the castle in the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, visitors could spot the Ford Anglia, the flying car that Ron and Harry used to fly into Whompin Willy, and then used to save Acromantulas, is located along the line to the Dragon Challenge roller coaster.
Things You Didn’t Know About Harry Potter: Conclusion
Harry Potter is a beloved and iconic book and film series that has captivated audiences for over two decades. However, there are still some lesser-known facts about the wizarding world that even the most dedicated fans may not be aware of. From the inspiration behind the characters to the hidden meanings within the story, these fascinating tidbits reveal a deeper level of understanding and appreciation for the magical world of Harry Potter.
Just like the magical creatures and folklore in the world of Harry Potter, Filipino culture also has its own fascinating supernatural creatures. Our next article explores 10 unbelievable Trese supernatural creatures and the folklore behind them, from aswangs to tikbalangs. Don’t miss out on this exciting journey into the supernatural realm. Read our article now and expand your knowledge of mythical creatures!
Frequently asked questions:
how long is the longest harry potter book?
At a whopping 766 pages, “Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix” takes the title for the longest book in the Harry Potter series. This installment is known for its complex plot, character development, and the introduction of new themes. Despite its length, it remains a fan favorite and a must-read for any Harry Potter enthusiast.
is harry potter witchcraft?
No, Harry Potter is a fictional story and is not real witchcraft. It is a work of imagination and does not promote or endorse any specific religion or belief system. While the story features magic and wizards, it is not intended to represent any real-life practices or beliefs.
what color is harry potter’s hair?
Harry Potter’s hair is famously described as “jet-black” in the book series. This distinctive feature is often associated with his iconic lightning bolt scar on his forehead. While the film adaptations may have portrayed his hair in varying shades of dark brown, the original book descriptions describe it as black.
Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Idammah, and I am the founder of this site dedicated to exploring the world's mysteries, uncovering fascinating facts, and delving into science's weird and beautiful aspects. I have always been fascinated by the unknown and the unexplained, and I love nothing more than digging deep to find the answers to some of life's greatest mysteries. Whether it's exploring the depths of the ocean, investigating ancient civilizations, or unraveling the mysteries of the universe, I am always on the hunt for new knowledge and insights. As a self-proclaimed weirdo and science enthusiast, I believe that there is always more to learn and discover, and I am constantly seeking out new and exciting ways to expand my understanding of the world around me. Through FoxPeek blog, I hope to share my love of all things strange and wonderful with like-minded readers and inspire others to embrace their inner curiosity and seek out the world's mysteries for themselves.
