The Harry Potter franchise is one of the largest in the world, and with that comes fans that know more about the books and movies than the cast, it seems!
But these are tiny details that fans might not even have noticed!
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1. McGonagall The Quidditch Ace
There was a moment in Quidditch history some fans may have missed, and it’s in the above picture.
Sure, we knew James Potter was good at the sport, but check out the name next to his (on the right).
That would be Minerva McGonagall.
Let’s not forget it was Professor McGonagall herself who first discovered Harry’s talents.
Maybe she saw something in him she also saw in herself!
2. The Woods Of Wands
The wood for each wizard’s wand is related to the Celtic tree calendar.
Harry is born on the 31st of July, so he gets Holly. Hermione is born in September and she gets vine. Ron is born in March and gets ash.
3. Hedwig Isn’t A Snowy Owl
We know that Hedwig screeches and makes bird noises, but did you know snowy owls are supposed to be silent?
Then again, she could be a magical snowy owl.
4. Ron Notices Hermione
One of the most important parts of The Prisoner Of Azkaban is the Time-Turner, and yet no one really notices that Hermione can somehow appear out of nowhere.
Everyone except Ron, who comments on it a bunch. Because he likes her.
5. The Scar
Quick, without looking back up at the picture, type where Harry’s scar is located.
Alright, now lookup. Did you ever notice that the scar was off-center? It’s supposed to be in the middle.
6. The Books Make An Appearance
In The Chamber Of Secrets , when Harry goes to Diagon Alley, there’s a book store that has the hardcover copies of the Harry Potter books on display.
That’s pretty neat!
7. The Mirror Erised’s Border
Ever wonder what it said on the border of the Mirror of Erised? Well like its name, it’s just something spelled backward. Specifically:
“I show not your face but your heart’s desire.”
8. Newt Scamander
We know him from the Fantastic Beasts franchise , but he actually made an appearance in Prisoner Of Azkaban on the Marauder’s Map.
Maybe he was coming back for a visit!
9. The Number 13
There’s a moment when Professor Trelawney refuses to sit down at the table in the Great Hall, saying:
“I dare not, Headmaster! If i join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dines together, the first to rise will be the first to die.”
And she was right.
Even though she didn’t sit down, Peter Pettigrew (as Scabbers) was at that table, making 13 people. And guess who was the first to rise from the table?
Dumbledore. And just in case you forgot, he died.
10. The Remembrall Turns Red… But Why?
Remember the moment where Neville gets his Remembrall and it immediately starts to fill up? But he can’t remember what he’s forgetting?
Notice how he’s the only student without black robes in the picture? Well, that’s probably what he forgot.
11. Daniel Radcliffe Was Drunk For Some Scenes
It’s not widely known that Daniel Radcliffe struggled with alcoholism during his time as Harry Potter.
He’s even admitted to being hammered during a couple of the scenes in the movies.
As he puts it:
“I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes.”
Which scenes, you ask? Well, in the Deathly Hallows alone, he might be drunk during Aragog’s death scene and the liquid luck scene.
12. Lucius Malfoy Tries To Kill Harry Early
One of the biggest moments of triumph during the Harry Potter films is when Harry sneaks Dobby a sock, freeing him from servitude under the Malfoys.
Lucius, the patriarch of the Malfoy clan, isn’t pleased.
He steps forward and if you listen closely…
You can hear him say “Avada”, which Harry Potter fans will know is the beginning of “Avada Kedavra” the spell that just straight up ices people.
If it wasn’t for Dobby, Voldemort probably would have had a much easier time.
13. Petunia Knew Snape
There was a point in Order Of The Pheonix that surprised everyone: Aunt Petunia, the decidedly not magic aunt of Harry Potter, knew what a Dementor was.
But how is this possible?
Sure, she was Lily’s sister, but the two grew apart after it was revealed Lily had magic powers.
So where would she have heard about them from? Well, when she was asked about it, she said: “I heard that awful boy telling her about them years ago.”
Who could that awful boy have been?
I mean, Snape, probably.
When we go into one of Snape’s flashbacks, we see him telling Lily about the evil creatures that guard Azkaban. Obviously, Petunia must have overheard that whole conversation.
Small world, eh?
14. The Millennium Bridge
We all remember that iconic bridge scene from The Half-Blood Prince .
You know, the one where the Death Eaters descend on the bridge and totally muck things up? Yes, that one.
The scene is cool, no doubt, there’s just one teeny weeny little problem with it.
The Bridge is called The Millennium Bridge, and it was built in 2000.
That would be fine, except the Harry Potter series is supposed to be taking place in the late ’90s.
Get where I’m going with this?
The bridge wouldn’t have been built yet.
Then again, this is an alternate timeline where magic is real, so maybe they built the bridge a couple of years early.
Alright, this gets a pass.
15. Snape’s Coded Message
While for the first couple of movies we’re meant to see Snape as a jerk , we find out, in the end, he was just a bullying victim with a serious case of the nice guys.
In his first meeting with Harry Potter, he asks him a seemingly impossible potions question: “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”
It seems like Snape being a jerk, but it actually is a coded message.
Asphodel is a form of Lily and carries a “my regrets follow you to the grave” message.
And wormwood’s message is: “absence” and “bitter sorrow”
So, with a little bit of creative wordplay, we’re able to infer that through this jerky question, he’s actually saying “I’m really sorry about Lily’s death.”
He could have just said that, you know.
16. Mooney vs Moony
We know the creators of the Maurauder’s Map are Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. But in the movie, Moony is spelled “Mooney.”
That’s because the visual effects supervisor on the project is Karl Mooney, and they wanted to slip in his name.
17. There Was Product Placement
It seems that not even Harry Potter was free of the scourge of product placement. Luna Lovegood wears Converse.
In Deathly Hallows , we see that Harry is wearing a Belstaff jacket.
18. Dragon Activists Can Be At Ease
Before you get all uppity PETD (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Dragons), know that in the end credits of Goblet Of Fire they assured everyone no dragons were harmed in the making of this film.
19. Peter Pettigrew’s Clothes
When people change from human to animal in the Harry Potter universe , they tend to leave their clothes behind.
This was the case for Peter Pettigrew, who did such a thing in Prisoner Of Azkaban .
But then in “Goblet of Fire,” we see him in the same outfit!
So either A) he’s got a spell to get his clothes back, B) he only shops at one store, or C) the filmmakers forgot.
20. The Number 7
Not only does 13 have significance in this series, so does 7!
There are 7 locks in the chest that imprisoned Mad-Eye Moody, 7 companions that hang with Harry in The Deathly Hallows Part 1 .
And you’ll never guess what number Horcrux Harry is.
He is, in fact, the 7th.
And to top it all off, Harry’s Quidditch jersey number is also 7.
