68 interesting facts about Harry Potter

Harry Potter, the brainchild of British author J.K. Rowling, has become a beloved phenomenon worldwide. From the humble beginnings of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 1997 to the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, released in 2007, the series has captivated audiences of all ages. It tells the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry’s struggle against the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who aims to become immortal and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people).

1. The idea for Harry Potter came to J.K. Rowling on a train journey from Manchester to London in 1990.
2. Rowling initially wrote the first book on scraps of paper and a manual typewriter.
3. Harry’s birthday is on 31st July, which is also J.K. Rowling’s birthday.
4. The Harry Potter series has been translated into 80 languages.
5. The books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling book series in history.
6. There were six sequels to the original “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, each of them released a year apart.
7. The character of Hermione Granger was loosely based on Rowling herself at a younger age.
8. Quidditch, the sport played by the characters in the books, was invented in a pub by J.K. Rowling, written on a sick bag.
9. Dementors, the frightful creatures in the series, were inspired by Rowling’s struggle with depression.
10. Rowling considered killing off Ron Weasley halfway through the series.
11. Each of the books represents one year at Hogwarts.
12. The scar on Harry’s forehead was described as a lightning bolt but was intended to resemble a hand movement for an ancient runic symbol.
13. Harry’s parents, Lily and James, were killed on Halloween night.
14. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry in the movies, reportedly broke over 80 wands during filming because he used them as drumsticks.
15. ‘Muggle’, a term used in the books to refer to non-magical people, is now in the Oxford English Dictionary and is defined as a person who lacks a particular skill or skills.
16. The Hogwarts school motto is “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus”, which is Latin for “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”.
17. Rowling revealed after the series concluded that Hogwarts’ headmaster Albus Dumbledore was gay.
18. The character of Voldemort was created as a personification of Hitler, being prejudiced against Muggles and Muggle-born wizards.
19. Harry’s glasses were round as a nod to the “wise fool” archetype, which includes characters like The Little Prince and Mr Magoo.
20. J.K. Rowling has revealed that she sees herself most in the characters of Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood.
21. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the films, initially auditioned for the roles of Harry and Ron.
22. Fred and George Weasley were born on April Fool’s Day, fitting their roles as pranksters.
23. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was originally intended to be titled “Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament”.
24. Rowling admitted she regretted pairing Hermione with Ron and not with Harry.
25. Rowling almost made Dudley Dursley, Harry’s cousin, have a magical child in the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.
26. The character of Severus Snape was largely inspired by one of Rowling’s old teachers.
27. The character Dolores Umbridge was based on a real person whom Rowling “disliked intensely on sight”.
28. The infamous platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station, from which students catch the Hogwarts Express, has a dedicated spot in the real King’s Cross Station.
29. “Expecto Patronum”, the spell that conjures a protective force against Dementors, means “I await a guardian” in Latin.
30. J.K. Rowling has stated that if Voldemort saw a boggart, it would take the form of his own corpse, since death was his greatest fear.
31. Professor McGonagall was a hatstall, meaning the Sorting Hat took over five minutes between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
32. The names of the Hogwarts Houses were all decided in the back of an aeroplane sick bag.
33. Voldemort’s pet snake, Nagini, was revealed by Rowling in 2018 to be a cursed woman, a Maledictus.
34. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all worked for the Ministry of Magic after leaving Hogwarts.
35. Harry and Ginny’s son, James Sirius Potter, starts school at Hogwarts on the same day as the epilogue’s release date.
36. The character of Moaning Myrtle was inspired by the frequent presence of a crying girl in communal bathrooms at J.K. Rowling’s school.
37. J.K. Rowling is the first author to become a billionaire.
38. Nearly every wizarding home mentioned in the books has a completely hidden, magical entrance, except for the Lovegoods, who have a front door.
39. The Hogwarts Express was specifically built in a completely enclosed, hidden platform for the reason that Muggles in the 19th century were already beginning to be wary of magic.
40. Dobby the house elf’s strange manner of speaking was meant to show that he was not fully cognizant of the rules of English grammar.
41. A prophecy about Harry and Voldemort could also apply to Neville Longbottom, another character in the series.
42. Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double was paralysed on the set of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.
43. Professor Flitwick and Goblin Griphook were played by the same actor, Warwick Davis, in the movies.
44. J.K. Rowling lost her billionaire status because she donated so much money to charity.
45. “Avada Kedavra”, the incantation for the killing curse, comes from Aramaic “Abhadda kedhabhra”, meaning “disappear like this word”.
46. The “Harry Potter” books were the most banned books in the US for the years 2000-2009, according to the American Library Association.
47. Hogwarts School didn’t always have bathrooms. Before adopting Muggle plumbing methods in the 18th century, witches and wizards simply relieved themselves wherever they stood, and vanished the evidence.
48. Harry and Voldemort are blood relatives, connected through the Peverells.
49. Harry’s lightning bolt scar has been applied with makeup about 5,800 times in the film series.
50. In the movie, the actor who played young Tom Riddle is related to Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort. They are uncle and nephew.
51. The final Battle of Hogwarts in the books took place in 1998, the same year the first book was published.
52. The first “Harry Potter” book was published under the name J.K. Rowling because the publisher thought the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman.
53. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”, a book of children’s stories mentioned in the series, was later published by Rowling as a stand-alone book.
54. Over 700 versions of the distinctive Harry Potter glasses were made for the films.
55. The actor who played Harry’s father, James, was only 20 years old when the movies were filmed, only 6 years older than Daniel Radcliffe.
56. J.K. Rowling made a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, but it was cut from the final film.
57. The Hogwarts motto, “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus”, translates as “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”.
58. Rowling created The Cursed Child play to give fans the story of the next generation, but she insists that it should be considered the final story in Harry’s journey.
59. Emma Watson brought her pet hamster to the set, and when it died, the set decorators created a small mahogany coffin for it.
60. Despite popular belief, J.K. Rowling has said that she doesn’t believe in magic herself.
61. Hogwarts castle was a composite of several locations, including Alnwick Castle, Durham Cathedral, and Gloucester Cathedral.
62. Over the course of the series, J.K. Rowling gradually made the books darker to reflect Harry’s increased understanding of the world.
63. There are 199 chapters in the entire series, with a word count of over one million words.
64. The most sold book of the series is “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” with over 120 million copies sold.
65. Rowling created Quidditch after having a quarrel with her boyfriend.
66. Michael Jackson wanted to do a musical of Harry Potter, but Rowling rejected the idea.
67. The total number of Harry Potter movies, including the two-part “Deathly Hallows”, is eight.
68. J.K. Rowling has said that she might revisit the world of Harry Potter in the future, but it would likely be for a prequel or a spin-off, not a direct sequel.

The world of Harry Potter, filled with magic, mystery, and incredible depth, has become an integral part of our popular culture. Its vivid characters, immersive world-building, and complex narrative have not only redefined the genre of children’s literature but also significantly impacted readers and audiences of all ages worldwide. As we look back on these intriguing facts about the series, we are reminded of its enduring magic and influence – proof that, indeed, the stories we love best do live in us forever. Just as Dumbledore wisely stated, “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.”

Harry Potter, the brainchild of British author J.K. Rowling, has become a beloved phenomenon worldwide. From the humble beginnings of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 1997 to the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, released in 2007, the series has captivated audiences of all ages. It…