Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Harry Potter
by Stacy Conradt - July 13, 2009 - 3:20 PM

q10

With Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince coming out in the U.S. later this week, it’s time to out myself as a Slytherin Supporter. Maybe you already knew that. Nothing against Gryffindors – I’m no Voldemort or anything – but I always tend to like the villains a little more than the do-gooders. To celebrate Harry and Co.’s sixth movie (and sixth book), here are a few facts that you may not have known about the gang in gold and red (and maybe a couple about the set in silver and green).

1. Hermione’s name was almost “Hermione Puckle.”hermione It has a sour tone to it, doesn’t it? J.K. Rowling thought so, too, and changed to something that suited the character better. Rowling has said that Hermione has a healthy dose of herself in there, as she was quite the know-it-all herself as a child. Hermione was originally going to have a younger sister, but Rowling never found the right moment to stick her into the books.
2. Gilderoy Lockhart, the insufferably vain professor and celebrity from The Chamber of Secrets, was based on someone Rowling knows in real life. The rumor is that she based him on her ex-husband, but she has been quite adamant about denying that. “He used to tell whopping great fibs about his past life, all of them designed to demonstrate what a wonderful, brave and brilliant person he was. Perhaps he didn’t really believe he was all that great and wanted to compensate, but I’m afraid I never dug that deep,” she has said. “He’s probably out there now telling everybody that he inspired the character of Albus Dumbledore. Or that he wrote the books and lets me take the credit out of kindness.”

hedwig3. Hedwig, Harry’s Snowy Owl, isn’t entirely accurate. After the first book was accepted for publication, she found out Snowy Owls are diurnal. And it was during the writing of book two that she realized that Snowy Owls are silent, meaning that Hedwig’s knowing hoots and conversational noises weren’t quite true-to-life. She admits this was just a research hole on her part, but says readers should feel free to assume that her unusual talents are just part of her magical ability. Incidentally, although Hedwig is female, she is played by a male in the movies because females aren’t wholly white like males are.

4. Collecting unusual and interesting names and words has been a lifelong habit for Rowling. She has said that she loves reading lists of them, from war memorials to baby name books, and made it a point to remember her favorites. Some of them found a new home in the Harry Potter books. She makes up some of the words too – “quidditch” is a Rowling original. She filled up five pages of made-up words that started with “Q” before she hit on one that sounded right. “Voldemort” and “Malfoy” were also invented.

hogwarts5. If a muggle were to happen across Hogwarts, all they would see is nothing but a ruined castle with large signs on it saying ‘keep out, dangerous building.’ This might sound a bit suspicious to those of us in the States, but it seems like the U.K. is rife with castle ruins.
6. Fred and George Weasley were born on April Fool’s Day. Go figure. While we’re talking about the Weasleys, there was a Weasley cousin named Mafalda who got edited out of The Goblet of Fire in order to make room for the love-to-hate-her invasive “journalist” Rita Skeeter. That’s probably best – Ginny Weasley is supposed to have been the first girl born to the Weasley family for several generations, so scrapping Malfalda supports that backstory.

7. Harry, Ron and Hermione all have wand cores based on their birthdays: the Celt assigned trees to people based on that kind of like we assign gemstones today. She had already assigned Harry’s holly-based wand when she discovered the Celt tree calendar and found that she had accidentally assigned him the “right” type of wood. She did the same thing with Draco Malfoy (Hawthorn wood). But Ron and Hermione both purposefully received wands based on their birthdays – ash for Ron and vine wood for Hermione. She didn’t carry this convention out for all of the characters, though.

8. Filch’s cat, Mrs. Norris, takes her name from the Jane Austen book Mansfield Park. Fittingly, Austen’s Mrs. Norris is also rather sour and bitter.

snape9. Snape was partially based on a teacher J.K. Rowling once had. She likes to write him, though, because she finds him such a pathetic creature.
10. As you probably know, King’s Cross station is where young wizards hop on the Hogwarts Express to get to school. What you might not know is that the station holds special meaning for J.K. Rowling: it’s where her parents met. They were coincidentally both headed to Arbroath in Scotland when they met on the train. King’s Cross was intentionally chosen as the gateway to Hogwarts in homage to Rowling’s parents.

There’s obviously a ridiculous amount of Harry Potter trivia out there, and since Harry Potter fever is about to sweep the world again, we might as well share it. If you’ve got some good HP trivia, share it in the comments! And if not… well, let me know if you’re a Slytherin supporter too.

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Comments (247)

  1. Re: #7 The wood is not the wand “core”. The cores from Ollivander wands are either unicorn hairs, dragon heartstrings, or phoenix feathers.

    posted by gospazha on 7-13-2009 at 3:37 pm

  2. I’m more of a Ravenclaw man myself, but I found out that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be divided into two movies with separate release dates.

    posted by Will on 7-13-2009 at 3:41 pm

  3. I always wanted to know why the first book has a U.K. title and a U.S. title? Anyone know why Americans read the “Sorcerer’s Stone” and Brits read the “Philosopher’s Stone”?

    posted by Tracie on 7-13-2009 at 4:22 pm

  4. I realize that the books were called Harry Potter and…. and were meant to be focused on Harry and his friends, but I have always wondered about the other Houses at Hogwarts. Like Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. What about a Sylverin character who wasn’t an evil wizard in the making? Just a very ambitious guy, with a strong desire to prove himself. A “hero” from Sylverin. Or maybe a what if? Like what if Harry was sorted to Sylverin? How would that change his relatiosnhips with his friends Ron and Hermoine? How would that change his relationship with Snape and Malfoy? Would he be treated like the second coming of Voldemort? Would He and Malfoy fight for control of their house? It could be a very interesting concept. Many of the same elements would be there, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Voldemort wanting to return through him. How much help would he get from House Sylverin when that happened? I would not mind an anthology of short stories set in Harry’s world focusing on these elements of the story. Like Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales.

    posted by Eric P on 7-13-2009 at 4:25 pm

  5. Tracie,

    The name was changed to “Sorcerer’s Stone” because the publishers felt that Americans wouldn’t understand that Philosopher was being used in a magical context.

    posted by jodie on 7-13-2009 at 4:28 pm

  6. 4. Collecting unusual and interesting names and words has been a lifelong habit for Rowling.

    I have more to add than I can type on this one. I’m a bit of a name nut myself. And have noticed (and researched) that most of the character’s names in HP are based in mythology or etymology.

    For example, professor and (spoiler alert!) werewolf Remus Lupin shares his name with one of the legendary brothers said to have founded Rome; they were supposedly raised by wolves…

    x

    posted by Jen on 7-13-2009 at 4:44 pm

  7. Great article! I always wanted to know what would’ve happened if a muggle ran into Hogwarts by accident.

    posted by Steve on 7-13-2009 at 5:36 pm

  8. Oh, I’ve always been a Slytherin supporter too!
    The film comes out in the UK on Wednesday and I have my tickets booked!

    posted by Nikki on 7-13-2009 at 5:54 pm

  9. I am huge fan of hufflepuff!!! I like that there’s a place for losers to hang out even in the magical world.

    posted by PoGo on 7-13-2009 at 6:39 pm

  10. Eric, if you read book 6, there’s a Slytherin who isn’t evil – potions teacher Horace Slughorn. Ambitious and uses people, but not evil or even mean. Just a bit self centered.

    Jodie’s right, too. While the Philospher’s Stone is a “real” thing, it wouldn’t make sense to American kids – why would a philosopher have a magical stone?

    I don’t think they should have changed it, though.

    posted by Leah on 7-13-2009 at 6:43 pm

  11. I’m a Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff gal, which is my sole reason for loving HP fan-fiction–we need some representin’ that we just don’t get in the books.

    I’m sure I know lots o’ random HP trivia (I knew all but the last on this list), but it’s escaping me at the moment. Still, I love the list. Can’t wait to see the movie tomorrow night!

    And yes, they should’ve kept Philosopher’s Stone for the 1st’s title.

    posted by nutmeag on 7-13-2009 at 7:08 pm

  12. Tracie,

    Specifically, the philosopher’s stone in ancient English history was a tool used by alchemists to turn any metal into gold. Nowadays, people in the UK would relate to the word philosopher like we think of unicorn – mythical and fanciful. In the US, a philosopher is a person in the academic field of philosophy, and the word has no magical context.

    posted by Simon on 7-13-2009 at 7:11 pm

  13. Stacy,

    I will happily join you on the Slytherin path…

    SNAPE and LUCIUS -are HOT as portrayed by Alan Rickman and Jason Isaccs . Though, I did kind of also like Jeff Rawle as Amos Diggory! :-)

    posted by Amy on 7-13-2009 at 7:37 pm

  14. My younger sister and I are OBSESSED with HP. We call each other Fred and George.(I’m Fred btw…) We aslo celebrated our “twin day” on April Fools by dressing up in our HP clothes and going to dinner!! So, of course, I like to think of myself as a Gryffindor.

    P.S. If anyone wants to do a fun Harry Potter quiz check mine out:

    http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/21823#comment-120915

    :o)

    posted by Lindsey on 7-13-2009 at 7:43 pm

  15. 5,6, & 7 are all mentioned within the books themselves. So if you read them, then you probably did know those things.

    posted by Really? on 7-13-2009 at 7:44 pm

  16. Trivia: QUaffle, bluDger, bluDger, snITCH all make up “Quidditch”

    Trivia: One version of The Goblet of Fire has Harry’s father come out of the wands before his mother does, while Voldemort’s and Harry’s wands are connected by Priori Incantatem. In another version, his mother comes out first.

    posted by Gabby on 7-13-2009 at 8:24 pm

  17. i’m surprised that there is not a large amount of ravenclaws representing here considering that this site is for people who like knowledge.

    I take pride in the fact i’m a ravenclaw. i also like how to get into their chambers you have to answer a riddle! though that makes me wonder how you get into hufflepuff’s chamber…

    i would make it have to have true friends with you because hufflepuffs are the people who need some friends.also no one is cute in hufflepuff which is an outrage!

    I’m so excited for the movie!
    even though it won’t be near the books awesomeness.

    posted by allison on 7-13-2009 at 9:36 pm

  18. I am partial to Ravenclaw thing. As for all Slytherins being evil, the story is told through Harry’s point of view. To him they are all evil because he is in a rival house. If you read 7, Snape is not evil and he was in Slytherin.

    Also, Nevile Lingbottom’s name was originally Pupp.

    posted by Mac on 7-13-2009 at 9:44 pm

  19. @Eric P. — Did you read the last book? One major Slytherin hero came to light? How did you miss that one? ;)

    I’m a proud RAVENCLAW!

    posted by Sarah on 7-13-2009 at 11:28 pm

  20. Nichloas Flamel was a real person who tried to make a real Sorcerer’s Stone so they say he tried to make one. I watched about the Sorecerer’s Stone on History Channel.

    posted by Kari on 7-14-2009 at 6:10 am

  21. @allison

    No one is cute in Hufflepuff? What about Cedric Diggory, teen heartthrob and sparkly vampire?

    I bet Tonks (a Hufflepuff alumna) isn’t too bad either, but I don’t know if you’re going by the books or the movies.

    posted by srah on 7-14-2009 at 7:04 am

  22. Haha, Stacy, I’ve always been a Gryffindor. Feel free to call me stupid. ;)

    I actually didn’t know #10 at all. That’s pretty neat!

    posted by Allison on 7-14-2009 at 8:17 am

  23. Just recently my sister pointed out that Diagon Alley and Nocturn Alley are plays on “diagonally” and “nocturnally”. I honestly never made the connection; I just thought they were made up names.

    Personally, I’d love JKR to write some “Tales of Hogwarts” short stories that are NOT about Harry, Hermione and Ron. I mean, wouldn’t you like to read an adventure of young Arthur Weasley? Or read details of Ginny and Neville’s guerilla war at Hogwarts during “Deathly Hallows”? It’s a rich universe with much left to tap.

    posted by TBV on 7-14-2009 at 9:23 am

  24. I’m a Ravenclaw, although if I had my choice, green and silver would be my house colors. I’m a big Luna Lovegood fan. Also a Draco Malfoy fan, I’ve heard the actor who plays him really steals the show in the new movie, can’t wait to see it.
    As for a piece of trivia I don’t think I have anything really cool to add, but as a language buff and latin scholar, I’ve always loved the vaugely latin spells, they make me giggle.

    posted by Hawkeyegirl on 7-14-2009 at 9:55 am

  25. I am outraged at the hufflepuff bashing here! I always seem to get hufflepuff whenever I take these little quizzes. We are just loyal, friendly and value hard work. Not losers!

    posted by jenny on 7-14-2009 at 3:35 pm

  26. I got used to Rowling’s names having meanings, so I specifically hunted down the history of Nymphadora, who was an early Christian tortured and killed for her beliefs. The original Nymphadora had two sisters, so I kept waiting (in vain) for them to appear in the Harry Potter books!

    posted by Julie on 7-14-2009 at 3:39 pm

  27. If you didn’t know, Voldemort in french means something like
    obber of death; apperently, Rowling made some studies in french. Yay french!!

    posted by Jess on 7-15-2009 at 10:41 pm

  28. “Vol” can mean “theft” or “flight” in French.

    posted by srah on 7-16-2009 at 9:48 am

  29. Yes, you’re right; I’ve read this article: http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5126BO20090203?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews . It said that it meant \flight of death\ in French; but French being my first language, I’ve always assumed it was theft of death :P I thought it made more sense…oh welllll!

    posted by Jess on 7-16-2009 at 10:52 pm

  30. About the name change on the sorcerer/philosopher thing:
    I was under the impression they changed the name in the UK and Canada to philosopher because sorcerer had evil connotations.

    Americans are not so daft as to be caught up by the word philosopher not being magical considering what book it is on the cover of, its a book about a magic boy doing magic things in a magic world. Children particularly could care less what the title is haha

    Book editing and publishing is strange. There isn’t any GOOD reason to change the names. Its all publicity i suppose.

    I’ve always wanted to know more about ravenclaw xP

    posted by Marsha on 8-14-2009 at 2:40 am

  31. The reason the title should not have been changed is that “The Philosopher’s Stone” was a real, sought after, object and not something that JK Rowling invented. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stone Nicholas Flamel was a real person and an alchemist. The sorcerer’s stone title just shows that the people who changed it had no real idea what the original title meant. You can find the philosopher’s stone in other stories too, like fullmetal alhemist

    posted by Blackbird on 8-14-2009 at 6:37 am

  32. Julie, Nymphadora did have two sisters in the books, bellatrix lestrange and narcissa malfoy :D

    posted by Jen on 8-14-2009 at 11:48 am

  33. Jen, Nymphadora is “Tonks.” Andromeda is her mother, and the sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa.

    posted by Lindsey on 8-14-2009 at 1:48 pm

  34. Marsha, the name was not changed from “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorcerer’s Stone,” but rather the other way around. JK Rowling is British, and therefore would have used the word “philosopher” freely. Only daft Americans would be so bigoted to believe that the world revolves around them. Clearly, Ravenclaw is not right for you.

    posted by Lindsey on 8-14-2009 at 1:56 pm

  35. Marsha, the book was changed from “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorcerer’s Stone” for the benefit of the daft Americans. Not the other way around. Clearly, the Hat wouldn’t put you in Ravenclaw.

    posted by KC on 8-14-2009 at 2:01 pm

  36. @ Jen, that’s actually Andromeda, not Nymphadora. Tonks didn’t have any sister, sadly.

    posted by teefie on 8-14-2009 at 2:48 pm

  37. Jen, Nymphadora’s mother, Andromeda Tonks is actually the middle sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. Andromeda was burned off the Black family tapestry for marrying a muggle, Ted Tonks.

    posted by Ikk on 8-14-2009 at 3:35 pm

  38. I’m also a Slytherin, but the only Slytherins I approve of are Lucius, Snape, and Blaise (and no, I don’t find the actors who play them terribly sexy).
    -
    Blaise isn’t necessarily evil either, he just holds similar prejudices as the rest of the students with pureblood lineage. I think his character could have fleshed out easily, seeing as he did get a good amount of mention in the sixth book.
    -
    I really do despise Draco and his cohorts, including Pansy. Mostly because they make a bad name for the house. I want more sophisticated evil, not hulking gluttons and a trophy wench. Too bad that won’t happen anywhere but fandom.

    posted by squidjoy on 8-15-2009 at 1:12 am

  39. I’ve always liked the idea that because Hufflepuff are supposed to be good friends and true, that in order to get into their dorms someone else has to let you in . . . you can’t get in by yourself.

    posted by hyzenthlay on 8-15-2009 at 12:57 pm

  40. I am so, so , so, glad I never read any Harry Potter stuff

    posted by tj on 8-15-2009 at 8:20 pm

  41. Gabby, actually that spells Qudditch, not Quidditch.

    posted by luke on 8-16-2009 at 2:05 am

  42. I’ve always rather thought that Draco wasn’t all bad – after all he wasn’t able to kill -spoiler alert- Dumbledore, I always thought that Rowling could have fit him in as being forced into being a Death Eater by his dad; or having changerd his mind, he could have gone to Dumbledore and helped the Order – without anyone else knowing, of course. But I guess that’s why I, too, love fan fiction.

    posted by Kaleigh on 8-16-2009 at 5:56 pm

  43. Voldermort is french for To Eat Death or Eat Death.. I guess she made up the french language huh.

    Malfoy is I believe french for something too .. I’m thinking Dragon :/

    posted by Nope on 8-17-2009 at 4:26 am

  44. i heard #2 somewhere on the net before. so it’s not totally new for some people.
    great list anyway.

    posted by robb on 8-17-2009 at 4:01 pm

  45. No one mentioned that the only thing between platforms 9 and 10 is a bunch of gravel? Or that these platforms are outside, and not under the trainshed like in the movies?

    shame on you, harry potter nerds.

    posted by Andrew on 8-18-2009 at 12:31 am

  46. also she stole the entire idea and concept from Neil Gaiman’s “books of magic”

    posted by merovingio on 8-21-2009 at 1:16 pm

  47. You know, there was a sweepstakes a month or so back on the radio asking just these questions, I wish I’d found this sooner =)

    posted by Rose on 9-12-2009 at 7:53 pm

  48. #5 is in the books. So anyone who has actually read the books would know that. Hermione explains it to Harry. It’s in Hogwarts, A History.

    @Nope:
    Actually Malfoy isn’t French for Dragon. You’re thinking “Draco” which is Latin for dragon.
    On the Hogwarts coat of arms it says “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus” which translates to “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.”

    posted by Hannah on 9-15-2009 at 1:15 pm

  49. Oh, and also @Nope

    \Manger\ is French for \To eat\
    So Voldemort doesn’t translate to what you say it does.

    posted by Hannah on 9-15-2009 at 1:18 pm

  50. I am a Slytherin Supporter because I am in Slytherin.

    Malfoy is French for Bad Faith (Mal foi)…

    Draco is awesome!!!

    posted by Katherine on 10-4-2009 at 7:50 pm

  51. Her use of names is based heavily on French. Vol-de-mort can translate to “stealer of death” or “flee from death” and Mal-foy translates to “bad faith” or “bad intentions”.

    posted by McLaughlin on 11-4-2009 at 3:04 am

  52. rowlings first job was with her sister cleaning a church after hours…. but thats not the trivia part.

    the name “harry potter” was a name in the guest book that was at the church. they never actually met the real person.

    i saw that on a jk special on tv right after this last movie came out. pretty cool.

    posted by drew on 11-28-2009 at 12:34 am

  53. @hyzenthlay Whoa, you’re using my usual screenname, but it’s cool to “run into” someone else who loves Watership Down as much as I did =D

    Although, the question I wanted to ask before I noticed that was if someone always has to let you in the Hufflepuff dorms, what happens at mealtimes and breaks?

    posted by Freya on 12-27-2009 at 10:33 pm

  54. lupin = lupine =wolf

    posted by cait on 1-19-2010 at 4:51 pm

  55. @Lindsey.

    I see you’d be in Slytherin considering your prejudices. not all Americans are “Daft.” We just believe in getting to the point.

    posted by Marissa on 2-6-2010 at 11:28 pm

  56. Draco is actually a constellation, which is the dragon.

    posted by Tammy on 2-14-2010 at 12:20 am

  57. Ravenclaw!!
    all of the black family names are constellations
    like sirius is the dog constellation
    draco is one also probably because his mother is in the family

    posted by kayla on 2-14-2010 at 1:36 pm

  58. im a Slytherin. Sirius is a star, not a constellation. Sirius is the brightest star on the sky and is in the Canis Maior constellation. Vol-de-mort means flight of death, that was the original meaning Rowling was aiming for. i did my share of research, my English grad paper was about Harry Potter. Potter was the last name of the family that lived next door to Rowling when she was a girl, although im not sure where she came up with Harry, probably as above stated from the guest book in the church. trivia: Rowling came up with the idea for HP while sitting on a Manchester-London train.

    posted by ms on 2-17-2010 at 9:17 pm

  59. OK-

    First off, I’m Gryffindor. :)

    Second, Snape was evil…he was a death eater. But he turned spy for the good side after a while. We have read of a couple of Death Eaters who get cold feet and want to back out[Snape and Regulus Black].

    About the title of the book- It WAS changed from Philosopher’s Stone to Sorcerer’s Stone for the Americans. JK Rowling felt it wouldn’t make sense to us[which it wouldn't]. There are also a number of terms in the books themselves that are different based on our cultures. This is the same for any book, translated into any other language. Although both the UK and the US speak English, our terms are very different and sometimes have very different connotations[such as Philosopher.]. We aren’t saying that the title was changed simply because we think the world revolves around us, but because it is what happened.

    :)

    Oh- and Cedric Diggory was hot as a wizard, NOT as a vampire. Guess that is what happens when Lord Voldemort kills you…he seriously destroys your life[or what you are in the after life].

    posted by Sarah on 2-25-2010 at 6:57 pm

  60. Ravenclaw all the way.

    Anyone else out there wish they could have a Voldemort-Raistlin showdown?

    posted by Solinari on 2-25-2010 at 11:01 pm

  61. I love slytherin =]

    posted by Jadie on 2-26-2010 at 2:41 am

  62. I am Ravenclaw all the way! My sissies say I am like Hermione and Luna: Nerdy, a little bossy & crazy all the way!

    P.S. Cedric is not hot he is stupid and I’m glad he dies. He looked creepy all dead in the movies.

    posted by The Mad Hatter on 3-15-2010 at 7:38 pm

  63. #3, #8 and #10 are interesting. Particularly the traits of a hedwig (not that anybody reading would notice) and King’s Cross where I caught a train to recently and found myself being drawn towards Platform 9 and 3/4′s.

    posted by Ben Atkinson on 5-2-2010 at 7:26 am

  64. the station used in the movies was actually York train station, those in the know might the GNER uniforms on the guards and the GNER trains in the background

    posted by Laura on 5-14-2010 at 8:22 am

  65. I like Ravenclaw,but im more of a Gryffindor. I even took a quiz and I was Gryffindor,then I took it again and I was Ravenclaw so…….. I don’t know. :D

    posted by bob on 6-15-2010 at 10:06 pm

  66. I am most definitely a Slytherin supporter. (:

    posted by Cari on 6-16-2010 at 1:10 am

  67. whenever me and my brother pretend to be wizards and i like to be hufflepuff…….only because ravenclaw seems kinda dark (my opinion) and slytherin is evil (also my opinion) and all my friends allways wanna be in griffindoor so i dont wanna do wut they do.

    GO HARRY POTTER!!!!!

    posted by Noah on 6-16-2010 at 8:32 am

  68. First up Ravenclaw all the way, would love to see what there dorms looked like after centuries of housing the best and the brightest Hogwarts had to offer.

    Sarah I think the point that was being made was that it was changed for the American release, the original poster seemed to imply it was changed for the British release… the point being that as a British book by a British author it would of course by the American version that was the altered one.

    Here is something I’ve always wondered and it’s bugged the hell out of me since I read book 3. In book 1 Ron says to Harry on the train that every wizard who ever went bad was a Slytherin. At this point Sirius Black (who we later learn was in Gryffindor) was in Azkaban for the murder of about 15 muggles and one wizard. Now obviously he was wrongly imprisoned but how did Ron know this. This line only makes sense if Ron’s parents, who knew Sirius through the order never believed he was guilty which you think might have been mentioned to Harry.

    Anyway GO RAVENCLAW

    posted by eddiezdi on 6-16-2010 at 8:05 pm

  69. @eddiezdi- Ron was an 11 year old boy. He was either just misspeaking or exaggerating or he didn’t know the story of Sirius Black. Don’t read too much into it

    posted by KatC on 6-17-2010 at 1:38 am

  70. Whoever said Hufflepuff is the “place for losers in the magical world” is sorely mistaken. Hufflepuffs are highly underestimated types who are not in the least bit “losers”. They take all of the best traits of each house and combine them into its wonderful own breed, including some valued traits that the other houses can’t boast themselves. They are stubborn, loyal, hard-working, ambitious, fair-minded (and have great judgment on justice and what is truly fair for all parties), and creative. They can also be, like other houses, brave, harsh, thorough in their thoughts, and sneaky!

    As for the person who asked about the Ravenclaw Common Room, it is described in marvelous detail in the seventh book. The Hufflepuff Common Room is the only one not depicted in a book, but you can find a small (and laaaame) description of it on JKR’s website.

    Good day, sirs. >_>

    posted by lyricmezzosoprano on 6-18-2010 at 2:31 am

  71. I kind of thought the muggles happening across Hogwarts thing was pretty common knowledge.

    posted by Brian Sheffield on 6-22-2010 at 4:31 am

  72. @Tracie : The first book was originally titled “The Philosopher’s Stone”, as it is in the UK. However, the American publisher for the book thought that that title would make the book seem like it was about Philosophy, and little kids wouldn’t want to read it, so it got changed to a more kid-friendly title, “The Sorcerer’s Stone”.

    posted by Jess on 6-27-2010 at 3:12 pm

  73. @all of you: AVADA KEDAVRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    posted by hEHPEHHee on 6-27-2010 at 3:14 pm

  74. @eddiezdi: ron never says that all bad wizards have been from slytherin… he said that slytherin has produced the most bad wizards of any house… as youll recall, peter petitgrew, the wizard who framed sirius, is also from gryffindor

    posted by chaise on 6-28-2010 at 2:35 am

  75. just to say,
    why does everybody think that jkr purposfully made voldemort to mean flight of death or whatever. dont any of you remember in the 2nd book that ” I am Lord Voldemort” is an anagram of Tom Marvolo Riddle?? or maybe its the other way around. i always thought she created the name voldemort to suit the anagram.

    posted by hannah on 6-28-2010 at 12:08 pm

  76. I’m a Hufflepuff (we are great finders!)
    and I got this really neat book a few years ago full of facts about the books and translations of most of the names and how things in the books are tied to things from history and mythology. Adding a little to #1 JK said that if she could become an animagus she would like to be an otter, her favorite animal, which is Hermione’s animagus as mentioned in the books and shown in the 5th movie. and it seems like she loves to use French for some of the darker spells and characters because the spell “morsmordre” loosely translates to “take a bite out of death”. Also, the books “Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them” and “Quidditch Through the Ages” were very helpful on this subject.

    posted by Megan on 7-2-2010 at 1:52 am

  77. I found these really interesting seeing as i had never really been into fan fiction before, and stumbling along this website has made me hungry for more information! i also found that JK gives background stories to all of the major characters and they can be found here:
    http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/articles/jk-rowling-goes-beyond-the-epilogue.html

    posted by Madi on 7-5-2010 at 4:42 pm

  78. a few of the names, tom riddle for instance, were discovered by JK in the Edinburgh cemetery (as you all should know where she wrote a lot of the first two books in the elephant cafe), there is also a hermoine (with a random last name, and several others there

    posted by yoyo on 7-7-2010 at 7:51 pm

  79. Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders. ;)

    posted by Halley on 7-11-2010 at 4:13 pm

  80. “Erised” (as in, “Mirror of”) is “Desire” spelled backwards.

    posted by Zed on 7-11-2010 at 5:41 pm

  81. @KC and Lindsay

    You rude, horrible, self-righteous asses. Sometimes people get facts wrong. It happens.

    Clearly neither of you are Ravenclaws, you’re letting your stereotypical beliefs cloud your logic

    posted by Nic on 7-12-2010 at 4:15 am

  82. The Wagga Wagga Werewolf, of Gilderoy Lockhart’s adventures, is named after an Australian town. Possibly in tribute to one of the news readers for the area who was born with the name Harry Potter.

    posted by truestory on 7-12-2010 at 9:21 am

  83. im pretty sure it states in the books what happens when a muggle comes across hogwarts.

    posted by Kate on 7-12-2010 at 9:09 pm

  84. here’s a random fact, i guess? most people have forgotten by now or else swear that i’m wrong, but the moving stair cases that everyone loved from the movie aren’t in the original books. at all. there are plenty of trapdoors, trick stairs, and secret passages, but the stairs don’t move around like the movies have them.

    posted by kelsey on 7-13-2010 at 12:15 am

  85. Awesome list, I knew a few of the things on here, but it was great nonetheless.

    posted by sb on 7-14-2010 at 9:02 am

  86. Wow, I thought I was a huge Potterhead but some of these facts were news to me! Great list! ;)

    posted by Allison Keene on 7-14-2010 at 9:21 am

  87. Sorry, the staircases are in the books. And just a bit of trivia… JK accidentally left Marcus Flint, the Slytherin quidditch captain in school an extra year. Or perhaps he failed a year, but either way he did not attend the typical 7 years.

    posted by Amanda on 7-20-2010 at 2:01 am

  88. With regards #5, the castle used for Hogwarts is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, and is far from an abandoned ruin, being a quite popular tourist attraction, and also inhabited by the Duke of Northumberland, who probably wouldn’t thank you for telling him he lived in a ruin!

    posted by Dale on 7-28-2010 at 10:36 am

  89. Voldemort was not invented. it means “flight of death” in French.

    posted by andygirl on 7-30-2010 at 2:32 am

  90. I’ve read some place that if a muggle came near where Hogwart is he suddenly turned around. Because he would suddenly remeber something he has to do right away =)

    I’m a rawenclaw person because I always like to correct persons and tell the right facts and add facts to conversations. I love having a lot of knowledge ^^

    posted by Tone on 7-30-2010 at 6:21 pm

  91. Did you know you can have lunch in Nicolas Flamel’s house? (the man who invented the philosopher’s stone). It’s been converted into a restaurant, and supposedly is one of the oldest existing private houses in Paris. If you’re a Potter fan it’s fun to go eat there. The food is excellent too.

    posted by DP on 8-1-2010 at 3:57 pm

  92. I’m a little bit of a history buff and noticed something a while back regarding Snape:

    Henry VIII’s final wife, Catherine Parr, had been previously married (but remained childless). During the northern revolt her then-husband was a front-runner on the rebel side. Throughout the whole thing he flip-flopped, meeting with the king and agreeing to a truce, then riding back home and starting up more trouble in the name of the rebellion. The name of his home was Snape Castle and I’ve always wondered if Prof. Snape’s duplicitous nature was the reason for the name connection.

    posted by Cat on 8-1-2010 at 10:57 pm

  93. How about the interesting little fact that after the last book was realized she announced that in the books dumbledore had always been gay. And in the 7th book, the wizard he duel with and had a falling out with (who’s name I cant remember) where actually a couple. And the fact that this news caused quite a stir, causing some people to ban there kids from reading the book or seeing the movie. And some went as far as burning there books. That seems like a nice piece of trivia, and if you dont believe me you can look it up, it was actually in news papers for a while.

    posted by Remme on 8-2-2010 at 5:52 pm

  94. *raises an eyebrow* I would connect Philosopher’s stone with the thing that alchemists used or sought after.

    Why would any other American have an issue understanding that since it is something taught in literature classes and even brushed over in early chemistry classes and even history.

    Rather it’s an insult assuming we are stupid and uneducated. I was actually confused as to why the stone was called a Sorcerer’s Stone when 1) the book was about Wizards and 2) that stone had more in common with a Philosopher’s stone.

    posted by Jack Faire on 8-2-2010 at 10:09 pm

  95. @Jack Faire I couldn’t have said it better myself. I am American and I knew that the Philosopher’s Stone was associated with alchemy and the pursuit of turning lead to gold. I’m not sure why anyone would assume that Americans wouldn’t understand or make the connection. I, too, was more confused by the title of ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ when, clearly, the stone they were describing in the book was none other than the Philosopher’s Stone.

    I think it would have been more appropriate to include a little note at the beginning of the book, maybe a quote from Nicolas Flamel (as the character portrayed in the book or from the real Flamel himself) in regards to the Philosopher’s Stone, to educate those who weren’t aware of the connection than to have the book re-titled.

    posted by Sylphi on 8-4-2010 at 11:43 am

  96. Here’s a good paradox:

    In the 5th book, harry can now see the horses that drag the carriages across the lake to Hogwartz, right? He’s able to because he’s “seen death” in reference to seeing Cedric Digory die right in front of him. Anyone who has not seen death death can not see these horses.

    HOWEVER, if you read the end of the 4th book, specifically after Cedric Digory dies and Harry has returned to Hogwatz, when the carriages take Harry and pals back to the trains, there are no mention of horses. So how come Harry, who’s clearly just seen death, not see the horses that take the carriages across the lake?

    Because that death period has a wait time of a whole book lol ;)

    posted by James on 8-8-2010 at 3:02 am

  97. @ Solinari

    so random, are you referring to raistlin from the dragon lance series?

    I got my middle name from him because my parents were so into the series.

    I am a huge HP fan too though. but Raistlin would kick butt : )

    posted by Kassiigirl on 8-9-2010 at 3:27 am

  98. In response to Tracie:
    The Philosopher’s Stone is what early alchemist’s spent countless time trying to find. They mixed various substances trying to find the combination of immortality. In Europe, people know more about this, and in America, people like the alliteration, and don’t know much about the Philosopher’s Stone. At least that’s what my Western Thought professor told us.

    posted by EmKay on 8-19-2010 at 9:18 pm

  99. I personally am a Ravenclaw, I always have been and always will be.

    @ James, I would imagine that the whole “OMG I JUST SAW SOMEONE DIE” would take priority over realizing you can see the horses. Hasn’t there been a time that something ordinary has changed in your life and you didn’t notice it until a LOT later?

    There have always been little mistakes in the books, little statements that contradict something that’s already been said, but I think that’s true in quite a few book series.

    posted by Kels on 8-24-2010 at 3:04 am

  100. And so the series ends without Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood hooking up. It just seemed to be a natural thing. A sad disappointment to me, as was the fact that the series is finished.

    posted by The Zenman on 8-24-2010 at 4:58 am

  101. tracey – in regards to why the americans have sorcerer’s stone – they had no idea what a philosopher was haha.
    im in australia, and we had philosopher for the first prints, then they starting printing sorcerer’s but there was a bit of an uproar, so it got changed back.

    posted by dovey on 8-26-2010 at 9:30 pm

  102. up slytherin

    posted by colin on 9-6-2010 at 9:39 pm

  103. tracey- i’m in America the sorcerer stone change is because there are probably few thousand that actually know who Nicholas Flamel was… and of course very few know the story behind of the philosopher stone.. my sister and realized that while we read the 1st book. :)

    posted by emily on 9-9-2010 at 8:35 pm

  104. Clearly the Thestrals needn’t have been put in straight after Harry saw Cedric die, sure the book was nearly over.. that kind of subplot would have been stupid just after one of his friend’s had died. :/
    But I’ve always wondered why Harry hasn’t always been able to see the Thestrals as he witnessed his mother dying when he was a baby, she was standing in front of him to shield him when Voldemort killed her. Anyone else ever think of that no?

    Anyway I’m a big Harry Potter nerd, Harry Potter ftw! :)

    posted by bananagram on 9-9-2010 at 11:02 pm

  105. Anyone else think Snape is a really childish petty idiot? Like the way he treats Harry just cos he didn’t like his Dad.. what adult would behave that pathetically? Especially a teacher.
    Having said that I still love his character though somehow! I just always found that aspect of him very unbelievable and sort of poor writing I suppose.
    Cool facts though, I especially liked the Gilderoy one. I’d love to write a book purely to base my characters on people I know and see if any would notice..

    posted by bananagram on 9-9-2010 at 11:08 pm

  106. I’m kind of a Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff hybrid. Huffleclaw? Ravenpuff??

    dovey, emily -I think the issue with the whole Sorcerer’s vs. Philosopher’s Stone thing has been pretty much beaten dead at this point, BUT plenty of Americans know what the Philosopher’s Stone is. It’s not some big European secret, and Americans aren’t really all that “daft”. I’m sure it just had to do with the different connotations with the word “philosopher”. Also, children here wouldn’t get what the Philosopher’s Stone even is, so I think that reference would be lost on them. I mean, when I was in second grade, and first read Harry Potter, I had no idea what that was really about.

    posted by haley on 9-9-2010 at 11:16 pm

  107. SCREW SLYTHERIN! GO GRYFFINDOR!!!

    posted by Ancalimon on 9-12-2010 at 2:18 am

  108. @not … Voldemort is in fact french but it is not Eating death or death eater… it is the “Flight of Death”

    posted by Ralph on 9-13-2010 at 7:04 pm

  109. definitely love slytherin. definitely my type.

    XP lifes no fun when you dont break the rules

    posted by emily on 9-15-2010 at 10:46 pm

  110. In the movies, the actors for Fred and George have blond hair, and when they got the part they told their friends in school the next day, but their friends didn’t believe them. . .that is until they had to get their hair dyed for the part.
    P.S. I’m a fan of Ravenclaw, although if I were truly sorted I can’t help but think I’d be put into Huffelpuff
    . . . Luna has always been, and will always be one of my favorites. Does anyone else thing her father is (was) onto something with the ‘new magical animals’? How else was did she know where to find Harry on the train when Malfoy charmed him and covered his body with his invisibility cloak? o.O

    posted by Sarah on 9-17-2010 at 12:43 am

  111. Draco is the dragon constellation. Sirius is named after the brightest star in the “dog constellation.”

    posted by Starwatcher on 9-17-2010 at 7:52 pm

  112. Also, how did Mad-Eye’s impostor see Harry through his “perfect” invisibility cloak?

    posted by Starwatcher on 9-17-2010 at 7:54 pm

  113. Starwatcher-
    Polyjuice potion didn’t work on the real Moody’s magical eye. The imposter took Moody’s eye, so the imposter’s magical eye and Moody’s eye were the same. Does not explain how the eye can see through the perfect cloak, but, hey, it’s a magical eye.

    Have you noticed that in the 3rd book when everyone’s in the Shrieking shack Ron crawls over to the bed and flops onto it and then crawls over to it and flops onto it again? Or something like that, I don’t have the book in front of me.

    posted by Lila on 9-18-2010 at 4:12 pm

  114. To answer your question, TRACIE
    “Anyone know why Americans read the “Sorcerer’s Stone” and Brits read the “Philosopher’s Stone”?”

    The book originally was called the “Philosopher’s Stone” and was changed later into the “Sorcerer’s Stone”. The philosopher’s stone is based off of real life. It is a legendary substance, possibly capable of turning inexpensive metals into gold. It was sometimes believed to be an elixir of life (why Voldemort wants it!). Many Alchemists searched and tried to find this substance for their whole lives (some even say they did discover it, like Nicholas Flamel) (yes he was a real person). Alchemists were sometimes known as “Sorcerers” and that’s probably why the name was changed. More people in England knew about the supposed stone than us here in the United States.

    I personally think Sorcerer sounds more interesting that Philosopher if I didn’t know the story behind the Philosopher’s Stone.

    posted by Mary on 9-25-2010 at 9:53 am

  115. I’m so glad someone said something about the stars & constellations: Bellatrix, Andromeda, Draco, Sirius….

    posted by K on 9-29-2010 at 2:08 pm

  116. another star thing from the Black family… Regulus is a star in the constellation Leo. Also that name is Latin for “little king” which is the same meaning of basilisk (a Greek word). A doubly fitting name considering the Slytherin loving family.

    I’m totally a Ravenclaw, and we are the best.

    posted by chuck on 9-30-2010 at 5:06 am

  117. Ravenclaw… sorry!

    posted by Shelly on 10-21-2010 at 12:26 pm

  118. Jodie-
    I’m from the US, and I prefer the title ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’ and if the publishers changed the name because they didn’t believe that we would catch the magical context, I’m slightly offended. It is much more fitting to call the stone in the story a philosopher’s stone rather than a sorcerer’s stone.

    posted by neomonni on 10-25-2010 at 8:33 pm

  119. Although it’s a nice idea for the purposes of the story, the celts did not follow any sort of “celtic tree calendar” or assign trees to birth months. This is a relatively modern invention by new age “wiccans” which originiated in the 19th century. Copy link for details:

    http://www.maryjones.us/jce/celtictreecalendar.html

    posted by Sally on 10-26-2010 at 7:13 pm

  120. @James Harry watched his mother die before the beginning of the first book. In theory he aught to have been able to see the Thestrals right from the star. And honestly, I’m an American I know what a damn Philosopher’s Stones is, so to all of you calling us stupid, stop stupidly stereotyping Americans.
    Good day to you.

    posted by Sam Cone on 10-27-2010 at 6:20 am

  121. So…Hogwarts have some sort of Mist too? Awesome. :D

    posted by Nj on 10-27-2010 at 12:45 pm

  122. The writing above the mirror says “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi” Backwards that reads “I show not your face but your hearts desire.”

    posted by mirror on 11-7-2010 at 11:20 am

  123. On the subject of names, it’s interesting that a folk name for Wolf’s Bane is Dumbledore’s Delight and it is a key ingredient for the potion Snape made in ‘Azkaban’ to prevent Lupin from bring dangerous during the full moon. According to folklore wolf’s bane is used by werewolves to cure themselves. Another interesting name choice is Draco, which is a folk name for Dragon’s Blood (a member of the palm family). According to folklore dragon’s blood resin is used for protection and to increase the potency of other incense.

    posted by Liz on 11-7-2010 at 1:49 pm

  124. I would like to make clear that, as an American, I take no personal offense to the title of a children’s book being altered to be made more accessible to the target audience for the book. The book has been enjoyed by millions of adults, myself included. It is, however, first and foremost, children’s literature and I appreciate the need of the publishers to spark a commercial interest based on first impressions, which in the case of a book is the cover.
    I also would like to make the point that the movies and the books are two entirely different experiences. As is necessary when creating a movie from a story originally published in novel form, liberties have been taken with the story line. I encourage all those who have only seen the movies to take the time to read each book in order to fully appreciate the gift that is the Harry Potter series.

    posted by Jo on 11-7-2010 at 3:10 pm

  125. The Books of Magic series wasn’t created by Niel Gaiman. FYI. However, no matter how much I love HP, I must admit Rowling lifted a ton of the series’ subplots and characters…especially Harry, who is a dead ringer for Tim.

    posted by Karianne on 11-11-2010 at 8:34 pm

  126. Thanks for the trivia. I love to baffle my friends with these things.
    Gryffindor FOREVER!!

    posted by Nikki on 11-26-2010 at 4:37 pm

  127. Wait, wait wait. Is everyone sure about the whole philosopher’s/sorcerer’s stone thing? Cuz I could have sworn Ive read several other books, not Harry Potter, that also mention a SORCERER’S STONE, not a philosopher’s stone, with the same properties. I know that when I read the first HP book in fourth grade I had already heard of it, Im sure! So either they were already two acceptable names for it, in which case who cares if they change it, or this whole “give it a new name for the americans” conspiracy has been going on long before HP. Well, in other stuff, I have no idea what house I would be in, I dont think Im brave enough for Gryffindor, I would probably be a Ravenclaw, but sometimes I worry Im evil like Slytherin. My fav characters are Hermione and Lupin! I just reread the seventh book to prepare for the new movie. I know I noticed some more interesting names when I was reading it. For Example, the Carrows, Alecto and Amycus, I think are named after the Furies from Greek mythology, Im pretty sure Alecto is. Not certain about Amycus though. I think its so sad how so many people die in the last book, but then again its a fitting ending.

    posted by CrashDancer on 11-27-2010 at 4:27 pm

  128. I think I’m a Ravenclaw; however, I could just as easily fit into any of the other houses, and I’ve taken many quizzes that place me in either Gryffindor or Slytherin.

    I’ve got an interesting piece of trivia for you: the order of names on the Marauders Map (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs) is the reverse order of which each of those four die – James, then Sirius, then Peter, then Remus.

    When Rupert Grint was auditioning for the part of Ron, he had to dance on stage in a tutu.

    There have been times, while reading the script, that Emma Watson has refused to say a line or do something she’s told because it’s “not something Hermione would do”.

    We all know that the Sorting Hat was considering putting Harry into Slytherin, but Hermione said in one of the books (I don’t remember which) that the Hat almost placed her in Ravenclaw.

    To someone who was mentioning this earlier (I don’t particularly feel like scrolling up to see who it was), the name of the wizard who Dumbledore was with was Grindlewald.

    The effects of the Dementors represent the effects of depression, and JK Rowling based much of it off her own experience with the disease, which also explains why chocolate is such a great remedy for a Dementor attack.

    This is probably fairly widely known, but JK Rowling is (or was, at one point) richer than the Queen of England.

    The actress who plays Moaning Myrtle is actually 37 years old, and is the oldest actress to play a Hogwarts student.

    The death of Hedwig represents Harry’s loss of innocence and coming of age.

    Colors play an important role in the Harry Potter novels. For example, shades of red represent goodness, such as Gryffindor’s scarlet robes, Harry’s red ink, and the crimson Hogwarts Express train. The Weasleys have red hair and a red roof. Green is largely associated with negative events, such as when Harry sees a flash of green when his parents die and the green-colored curse that made Ron vomit.

    There are many more I could put here, but if you search up “interesting Harry Potter facts” in whatever search engine you use, there are many places to find good trivia. Another piece of trivia: the first 5 bits I put in this post were things I knew without looking them up, as well as the one about JK being rich. The other 4 are ones I got from this site:

    http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/05/24_harry-potter.html

    posted by LadyTsunade on 11-30-2010 at 11:15 pm

  129. Also, Voldemort’s name isn’t the only one that is taken from French. The French girl, Fleur Delacour, literally translates to “flower of the heart” (fleur de la coeur)

    posted by LadyTsunade on 11-30-2010 at 11:19 pm

  130. bananagram, Snape is so horrible to Harry (most of the time, he also saves his life a few times!) because he hated his father, James, and Harry looked so much like him,
    I think he hated James so much because Snape was in love with Harry’s mother, Lily.

    Also to whoever it was who said that Snape was evil, I don’t think he was, in the end he was a good guy and helping Dumbledore, because of his love for Lily.

    posted by Gg on 12-1-2010 at 12:35 pm

  131. I was thinking about Harry Potter, and about how with this last movie, we will all have to move on to something other than waiting for the next Harry Potter installment, whether it be movie or book (yes, of course, the books are better, you don’t have to tell me), and I realized that I’d miss Harry and the gang, but more than that, I didn’t want to give up the magical world. So, I realized that what would be great is a “non-fiction” book about the history of magic. Possibly “written by Bathilda Bagshot”. A Silmarillion, Harry Potter style.

    posted by joeykip on 12-1-2010 at 6:33 pm

  132. J.K Rowling was a classist. She studied languages like ancient Greek and Latin. Therefore there are several allusions and translations to them. Sirius in Latin means big black dog and Lupin comes from lupine meaning wolf which is what the two of them turn into. There are also several in her spells. Expecto Patronum: expecto is Latin for ” I expect” or “I seek” and patronum is Latin for “protector” so the phrase means “I expect my protector” or “I seek protection” obviously from dementors. Another obvious spell is Expelliarmus: expello means “I expel” or “I drive away” and armus is “arms” or “weapons” so it translates to “I expel the weapon” which would be the act of taking someone’s wand away.

    posted by Carolyn on 12-27-2010 at 6:55 pm

  133. The name Draco, as in Draco Malfoy, has Greek roots. Draco was the ruler of Greece in 7th century B.C. He was known for having cruel punishments and laws. He was a mean ruler. Draco creates other words too, like dragon.

    posted by Liz on 1-10-2011 at 8:12 pm

  134. im a very proud Slytherin heir supporter:)

    posted by alona on 1-10-2011 at 10:45 pm

  135. The first book was changed to the sorcerer’s stone because most americans (me not being one) would not know that the Philosopher”s Stone is a alchemical stone that can turn lead to gold and produces the Elixir of life. Most americans are dumber then a bag of rocks and i agree with the change but dont like it

    posted by Jeff on 1-12-2011 at 4:43 pm

  136. @Jeff thats so mean i like that

    posted by Ethan on 1-12-2011 at 8:22 pm

  137. @karianne The Books of Magic was in fact originally a 4 comic book series written by Neil Gaiman. It was only later books that were written by other authors…one of these is probably the author you are thinking of. Or you could also be thinking of the Books of Magic novels that began coming out in 2003. Either way you really should look into what you are saying before you tell someone that they are wrong about something…makes you look kind of stupid in the end.

    posted by Kara on 1-20-2011 at 1:29 am

  138. I can’t believe no one said anything about the name Minerva (as in Mcgonagall) being the name of the Roman goddess of wisdom. Or maybe it’s just common knowledge or something. I don’t know… I just thought that was an interesting fact because she’s so brilliantly smart in the series. My favorite teacher. :) I do love how all the names mean something. It’s so cool if you look them all up. They all mean something else, while sounding original at the same time. It doesn’t sound like she took them from anywhere. Maybe it’s because she took parts from everywhere and combined them into her own magical world. :D

    Question: Who’s the Ravenclaw head of house? I once heard it was Professor Sinistra, but I’m not sure. In the movies, I think it was Professor Flitwick. They don’t tend to go into that head as much as the others. Makes me sad. I love Ravenclaw.

    Also, to whoever said that Luna found Harry on the train after Malfoy cursed him, that was only in the movie. In the book it was Tonks, I think, who found him.

    As for the whole Philosopher vs. Sorcerer thing, who cares. It’s in the past, the name is changed no matter how smart or dumb Americans are. But please, people, try to think before you so rudely stereotype such a large group (or anyone, really) next time. Not all Americans are stupid…

    posted by Anna on 1-20-2011 at 11:01 pm

  139. “Luna has always been, and will always be one of my favorites. Does anyone else thing her father is (was) onto something with the ‘new magical animals’? How else was did she know where to find Harry on the train when Malfoy charmed him and covered his body with his invisibility cloak?” In the book, it isn’t Luna that finds Harry, but Tonks, Luna only finds him in the movie. Also, for those of you who are calling Americans idiots, stop relying on stereotypes for your information, because I can guarantee that 99% of them are wrong…. (I lived in England for 8 years of my life, those years being 17-25, and the rest of my life has been spent in the United States.)

    posted by BCW on 1-21-2011 at 1:13 am

  140. While it might have been said: Mafalda was actually on the Prewitt side of the family, so whether or not she had been incorporated into the books, Ginny would still have been the first girl born into the WEASELY family in generations.

    posted by Lia on 1-23-2011 at 6:29 pm

  141. Slytherin, and proud of it. Gryffindors are obnoxious. And there’s a bloody good reason the other two houses scarcely get so much as a passing mention. I mean, what does anybody from Ravenclaw ever DO? Seems to me, the most notable Ravenclaw is Loony Luna Lovegood, and she’s completely barmy! Same goes for the Puffles – they had Diggory as the champion, but the best thing about him was that he wasn’t Potter! I really WOULD leave if I were sorted into Hufflepuff.

    As for the idiot who insists on spelling Slytherin as “Sylverin,” he should leave regardless of what house he’s sorted into. I mean, MERLIN, even Muggles are supposed to be able to SPELL.

    posted by Pure Blood on 1-26-2011 at 2:46 pm

  142. I’m Gryffindor forever!!!!! But did you know that in the book Harry Potter, the guy who plays Mr. Dursley, and J. K. Rowling all share a B-day. And the preson who plays Harry doesn’t his B-day is like 2 days later.

    posted by Madison on 1-26-2011 at 5:56 pm

  143. I’m definitely a Ravenclaw. Love the trivia. I always thought Hermione was wasting her potential as a Gryffindor–She would have made an amazing Ravenclaw. And just saying, Luna Lovegood is definitely the best character in the book. Her Patronus is a hare, which in the Chinese Zodiac symbolizes luck and good fortune. Rabbits are also famous for being the animal of Venus, the goddess of love.
    @Anna: Professor Flitwick is the Ravenclaw Head of House. His first name, Filius, means son. He has some goblin blood which is why he’s so short. Which reminds me: Crookshanks is part Kneazle. Also, when someone asked JK Rowling whatever happened to Neville’s toad, Trevor, she replied: “He’s still lurking.”

    posted by LucieP on 1-29-2011 at 12:52 pm

  144. Wow, so Rowlings is writing about one of her pathetic teachers in describing the character of Snape ? One of my teachers was straight out of the C’thulhu Mythos, that’s probably why I have permanent writer’s block !

    posted by Fred on 2-4-2011 at 1:10 am

  145. the whole “there’s not a witch or wizard that went bad that wasn’t in slytherin” line in the sorcerer’s stone is always a bit confusing.
    what ron means by that is that the only wizards who have gone bad were in slytherin, not that all slytherins are bad. Which is why we know slughorn is not bad.

    posted by autumn on 2-7-2011 at 3:35 am

  146. Just a few

    The inscription on The Mirror of Erised reads
    “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi”
    which backwards says
    “I show not your face but your hearts desire”

    A lot of the names really aren’t that original.
    Lupin – Lup is french for wolf. So he was a wolf in[side]
    Voldemort – translates in french to death flight. Vol being flight and mort being death.

    There’s loads more actually – there was a spot on QI about it. Muggle is term used in the 1920s and 30s for marijuana. Dumbledore is an old English word for Bumblebee.

    Can’t think of much more off the top of my head. I love spotting them in the books all these play on word type things.

    Also – damn rights there’s a hot Hufflepuff. Cedric Diggory!!! Aw, Rob Pattinson, Twilight really did ruin you a bit. I remember falling in love with him when I spotted him in the deleted scenes of Vanity Fair! lol.

    posted by Ruthie on 2-7-2011 at 5:22 am

  147. JK Rowling writes via Ron Weasley’s character that “there is not a wizard who went bad who didn’t come from Slytherin”.

    1. Grindelwald
    2. Karokauff (I can’t spell his name)
    3. Peter Pettigrew

    I’m just sayin.

    posted by Jena on 2-8-2011 at 10:00 am

  148. “Nowadays, people in the UK would relate to the word philosopher like we think of unicorn – mythical and fanciful. In the US, a philosopher is a person in the academic field of philosophy, and the word has no magical context.”
    - simon

    What?! I’m in the UK and I’ve STUDIED Philosophy. We don’t think Philosophers are mythical. What a ridiculous notion.

    posted by Jade on 2-9-2011 at 12:35 am

  149. Sirius and his brother Regulus, are both named after massive stars, much bigger than our sun!

    posted by Adam Cowdrey on 2-9-2011 at 2:23 pm

  150. I’ve always wanted to know Voldemorts reaction to knowing the truth about his parents. He never found out that his mom gave his dad a love potion and that is the reason why he later abondoned his family. Voldemorts anger towards muggles wasd based off a lie, or not knowing the truth about his parents. If anything he should hate his “magical” side of his family – his mom.

    Any thoughts?

    posted by Karen on 3-11-2011 at 4:31 pm

  151. I’ve read through a lot of these comments, and I can’t help but add a few things.

    We’re reading Harry Potter in my french class right now (which is pretty awesome) and we’ve discussed some of these topics.

    On the subject of the french translation behind voldemort, I feel that many go for the translation of “flee of death”, while there is also “thief of death”. Both are right, because vol mean both flight and theft.
    But I feel that “theif of death” is more appropriate.

    While “flee of death” fits because voldemort tries to be immortal and all, “thief of death” is more fitting to him as a wizard. “Thief of death” descibes how he is a wizard who has chosen the path of stealing the lives of others. He is a theif of death; death and the taking of lives is what he does.

    that’s just my input. This was all very interesting to read!

    posted by ChelseaM on 3-26-2011 at 10:29 pm

  152. Simon,

    It’s not at all true to say we in the UK think a “philosopher” is something magical and certainly not like a unicorn. I, along with most other people I know, interpret “philosopher” as a profession within the world of academia. I make no magical connection whatsoever, even if there is justification for such a connection (which, as you rightly point out, there is). They changed it probably because, regardless of whether it’s justified, the UK sees people in the US as being a little bit dim and/or easily offended. Another, mostly unrelated example is the Bond film “Licence to Kill”. That was going to be called “Licence Revoked” until they decided American’s wouldn’t understand what “revoked” meant. Come on chaps, keep up!

    posted by Bob on 3-27-2011 at 6:44 pm

  153. Karen,

    I wouldn’t say Voldemort should hate his mother – she is a very sad character, stuck in a horrid house with brutish, violent and dangerous relatives. She dreams of a different life but thinks so little of herself that she feels to only way to achieve that life is through deception. A character like that should surely be pitied, not hated?

    posted by Bob on 3-27-2011 at 6:48 pm

  154. Also, while I’m American-bashing, why do you insist on using the phrase “could care less” as in the context: “Children particularly could care less what the title is” (previously posted by another commenter)?

    It doesn’t make any sense! I refer you to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

    posted by Bob on 3-27-2011 at 6:54 pm

  155. There is a time for speech making, and this is not it. I consider myself to be quite the Potterhead, if you will. I feel that the change from “Philosopher” and “Sorcerer” is in no way connected to the way JKR or the publishers felt about American intelligence. I live in the US and I, for one, am in no way insulted by this change. I am a well-read, intelligent person and I did not know the original meaning of a “Philosopher’s Stone.” Anyone wanting to insult my intelligence may want to consider my Master’s Degree in English from Harvard.

    And I found all the facts posted in the article and in the comments to be quite entertaining. :)

    posted by Malerie on 3-28-2011 at 9:30 pm

  156. Uh… you’d know all this (except the one about Hermione’s original last name) if you read the books. o_O Sure, a lot of it is side commentary but still.

    posted by Molly on 3-29-2011 at 8:22 pm

  157. I love all the plays on words,

    I’ve always thought that narcissa must be based on the story of narcissus, the ancient god who preened above everything else. she is after all really only concerned with the status of the malfoys.

    also, i think the village where the Weasleys live (ottery st catchpole) is based on the town of ottery st. mary, which is very near Exeter where Rowling studied. (i live very near here).

    love this sort of stuff!

    posted by hannity 24 on 3-31-2011 at 5:14 am

  158. I’ve always assumed the change from Philosopher to Sorcerer was purely a marketing ploy. Which, as we know, does not accurately depict the intelligence of those to whom a product is marketed, so much as that of those doing the marketing. I’m guessing the thought process was something like: Sorcerer sounds magical/kid friendly, Philosopher sounds heavy/not kid friendly. Hard to believe, but it wasn’t always a for-gone conclusion that the series would succeed, and that kids would read something not spoon fed to them. I mean, Captain Underpants was on the shelf next to Sorcerer’s Stone.

    posted by KateMet on 4-3-2011 at 12:16 am

  159. Just to reiterate on the philosopher’s vs. sorcerer’s stone thing, I’m pretty sure it was really just to make the book more appealing. Harry Potter 1 was rejected by several publishers before the current publishers took it on, and even then as far as I know it was only on a fairly small print run to start with – fantasy fiction was not a money maker as far as the publishers were concerned. They couldn’t be sure when they published it in America that it would be a success and I suppose just wanted to give it – in their opinion – a more accessible title. Nothing to do with Americans or British people being any more or less intelligent. Thanks for the facts – loads of this had escaped me!

    posted by notaravenclaw on 4-3-2011 at 5:50 pm

  160. ChelseaM,

    I see how ‘thief of death’ is fitting for the translation of Voldemort’s name, but I do not know if I agree ‘thief of death’ is stealing of life. In that regard, Voldemort would be taking their death from them — wouldn’t this ultimately mean he would be giving them life? I would argue Voldemort steals their life, not their death. I agree more with the Voldemort ‘fleeing’ from death, as he constantly avoids dying.

    posted by ProfEroth on 4-5-2011 at 3:08 pm

  161. As a Ravenclaw, I don’t FIND that surprising at all…

    posted by Bryce on 4-9-2011 at 11:02 pm

  162. A much earlier comment had a fact incorrect.

    Animagus – to transform into a single animal form; this is rare and takes years to accomplish; it is very closely monitored by the Ministry of Magic; being an Animagus is not the same as Transfiguration into an animal form – in the latter, the witch or wizard takes on every aspect of the animal and would require the assistance of another witch or wizard to Transfigure them back; in the former, the witch or wizard has complete control over the transformation and their actions while changed

    Patronus – a protective figure conjured through use of positive thoughts and the correct spell; used as a shield against the depressive effects of Dementors

    The otter is the form Hermione’s Patronus takes. Hermione is not an Animagus. The only unregistered (read: illegal) Animagi in the series are as follows: James Potter (animagus: stag), Sirius Black (animagus: large, black dog), Peter Pettigrew (animagus: rat), and Rita Skeeter (animagus: beetle)

    posted by Jenn on 4-11-2011 at 3:35 pm

  163. Andromeda Tonks is Sirius’s closest cousin.
    The Andromeda galaxy is closest to our own.

    Draco is a constellation

    Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky in the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog)

    Bellatrix is in the constellation Orion.

    Luna obviously means moon.

    Lots of astronomical names!

    posted by Summer on 4-11-2011 at 3:38 pm

  164. Also, as far as the UK and american titles goes,

    The Philosopher’s stone has a bit different vocabulary. (I believe it is supposedly more vulgar)

    so I think that in order to be approved for American children, they changed some of the vocabulary, and ended up having to change the title so that people didn’t accidentally buy the UK version.

    posted by Summer on 4-11-2011 at 3:41 pm

  165. Slytherin all the way!!!!!

    posted by NIkki on 4-12-2011 at 5:19 pm

  166. The Harry Potter books were of course far superior to the movies, though I did enjoy them immensly. However there was one glaring plot hole that I noticed in the first part of The Deathly Hallows movie. In the book Harry is able to find the sword of Godric Gryffindor after Snape sends his patronus and leads Harry to the pool. The only reason Snape knew they were there was because Phineaus Nigellus (the portrait) heard them saying they were in the Forest of Dean. In the movie they did not take the portrait with them, so how would Snape know where they are and how would Harry get the sword? There was something else I noticed when I saw the movie but i forget it now. Anyway any insight or thoughts on how will they clear that up, if it all, in the second movie?

    posted by Amanda K on 4-13-2011 at 5:43 pm

  167. @Tone…surprised no one mentioned this. You’re thinking of the Quidditch stadium at the world cup. If a muggle approaches the stadium, they suddenly remember an urgent appointment and turn around.

    posted by KS on 4-14-2011 at 5:35 pm

  168. im a slytherin man

    posted by Drake on 4-16-2011 at 8:14 pm

  169. `About the Philosopher to Sorcerer’s Stone… As an American, I began to read the books as a third grader. Unless I was a brilliant kid, I probably wouldn’t have known what a Philosopher was. (I do now, of course)
    But Harry Potter is a great book, no matter what the name of it was.
    Also, just something funny, Harry Potter was the first time I saw the word Idiot in context. I thought it was pronounced ‘I-dot’.

    posted by Sasha on 4-19-2011 at 12:11 am

  170. IM A HHHUUUUGGGGEEEE harry potter geek!!! i started reading the books when i was 6 so ive known the answer since then and also im 11 and im a
    GRYFFINDOR fan all the way !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if any of your kids or you havent read these books what have they been reading???

    posted by calypso on 4-25-2011 at 2:22 am

  171. oh and also i agree they should make a series of books about other charecters, like all the anti-harrypotterfans in my class would most likely read the books if it was from dracos point of view

    posted by calypso on 4-25-2011 at 2:25 am

  172. pure blood!!!!!!!! you do not appreciate the amazing series of harry potter and what a bout pravatia patil and cho chang

    posted by calypso on 4-25-2011 at 2:34 am

  173. does anyone know what house Andromeda Tonks was in because if she was a slytherin that would be another good one:))

    posted by calypso on 4-25-2011 at 2:51 am

  174. Snape is not “a pathetic creature.” he’s “the bravest person” that harry ever knew. And I thought that Kings Cross was supposed to be Charing Cross, or at least that’s the one she was imagining it as

    posted by peter on 4-26-2011 at 12:34 am

  175. I’m a Ravenclaw/Gryffindor kind of girl from Canada that just wants everyone to know that while they changed the name to the Sorcerer’s Stone for the US because the kids there don’t understand the simplest of things, they kept the original name of the Philosopher’S Stone up here in Canada where pretty much everyone has the common sense to know tha the title does not actually refer to a philosopher.

    posted by Emily on 4-26-2011 at 4:47 pm

  176. in the spanish version of the first Harry Potter book the title is “Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal” keeping reference to the original title for “Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone” which was “Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone”.

    posted by adnerysaurus on 4-27-2011 at 10:13 pm

  177. “I always wanted to know why the first book has a U.K. title and a U.S. title? Anyone know why Americans read the “Sorcerer’s Stone” and Brits read the “Philosopher’s Stone”?”

    It was changed because the publishers thought that “Philospher’s Stone”sounded too educational an unappealing to the their audience, children in particular.

    posted by Bobby on 4-28-2011 at 5:19 pm

  178. Voldemort in French means Flight of Death. I highly doubt that this was coincidental.

    posted by nomnomnomnom on 4-29-2011 at 11:04 pm

  179. Actually, the reason why the titles were different in the UK and US for “Philosopher’s Stone” and “Sorcerer’s Stone” has to do with publishing rights. It’s very technical, but basically when it was published in Britain under “Philosopher’s Stone”, they weren’t allowed to publish it in the US under that title for a certain amount of time. To get around the publishing issues, you simply have to change the title of the book. Many books do this by dropping the “The” out of the title or similar things. It is an urban legend that publishers thought Americans wouldn’t understand what a “Philosopher’s Stone” was.

    posted by Marlee on 5-8-2011 at 1:21 pm

  180. I would like to point out to all of you, that you are not members of any house. You are humans and not witches and wizards and you don’t go to Hogwarts. Yes I am a fan of the movies and I like to watch and I go to the premieres and all of that. But you all need to wake up from the fantasy world. There are ‘flaws’ in the movie because ALL movies have flaws, not because a character “was mistaken” Wake up people and recognize although this is a great book and movie series, it’s just a book/movie!!

    posted by Axis on 5-16-2011 at 12:20 am

  181. voldemort isn’t a made up name, it is french for theft (vol) of (de) death (mort)

    posted by hpfan on 5-17-2011 at 12:47 am

  182. my heart sank when i was little to find that harry potter wasnt real (at the age of six)but on your 11 birthday you cant help wish youd get the letter even if it isnt true. to me one of the best things about the books is that you feel like you know the charecters and excatly what there going to do (it helps if you know all the books off by heart but still) and you feel like your part of the house, we all know that it isnt real but its fun to pretend anyway

    posted by calypso on 5-17-2011 at 11:48 pm

  183. Axis- Oh hush. You’re ruining the fun. ;)

    Anyway, here’s some trivia:

    The Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who and Barty Crouch, Jr. are played by the same actor (David Tennant).

    posted by Madeline on 5-19-2011 at 7:33 pm

  184. I’m a Slytherin supporter, too. :)
    Also, I’ve read all of those facts over the web at different points, but there are some very funny rumours and backstories not in the books if you search for the secrets of JKR’s website. There are so many secret pages on there, it’s like a minefield: But watch out if you still haven’t finished the series, there are spoilers.

    posted by Megan on 5-19-2011 at 11:18 pm

  185. Once again, no one listens to Hermoine. It’s in Hogwarts, A History! lol In her own words, of course. The bit about how Hogwarts would appear to a muggle. She said it in the…fourth installment, I believe. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I think. No news to me, although I could be the only one who finds her rantings about that large book adorable. (Apart from Ron, of course.) So yes. Also, the bit about the name collecting; I do believe that Trelawney could be a common name, but it is in a book that has something to do with the nautical world. I can’t remember which, though. Sorry.

    posted by gidge on 5-21-2011 at 3:54 am

  186. Hpfan, why is there a French word for “theft of death”? You mean a characterization such as a grim reaper or…?

    posted by gidge on 5-21-2011 at 3:56 am

  187. Oh, never mind. I see someone else posted it. I remembered a few other little things, which I’m sure most HP fans do know already. For instance, the Mirror of Erised has two secrets: 1) Erised spelled backwards is “desire”, and 2) the seemingly Latin phrase that lines its barrier “erised straeh ruoy tub ecaf ruoy ton wohs I” (good Lord, hard to type that correctly) should be read backward for yet another revelation. I would hope most people knew that already. And then there is Diagon Alley, which is pretty simple to guess. “Diagonally”, which is a pattern to tap the bricks to enter behind the Leaky Cauldron. There’s loads more, but I really do like Erised quite a bit, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

    (Also, as a side note, wasn’t Nicholas Flamel just as much an inventor as he was a wizard? I feel as though Americans could not care less about the difference in title, because he’s still a wizard regardless. However, I always thought that made more sense for the deviation in titles between the two countries.)

    posted by gidge on 5-21-2011 at 4:13 am

  188. Bob,
    If you are so educated, you would know that “licence” is correctly spelled “license.” I believe this was one of the words I had to spell in the county spelling bee when I was six years old. Also, Americans do know what “revoked” means, thank you.
    P.S.- I do not think all British people are jerks, just the ones who hate on Americans. I mean, come on now, the American Revolution ended in 1783. Why can’t we all just be friends?

    posted by Linsey on 5-21-2011 at 6:44 pm

  189. I’m so glad i am canadian. everyone loves us :) i dont think americans are daft just that their school system doesnt contain as much world history/geography as other country’s systems. which does make them seem dumb to us.

    One thing ive always wondered about harry potter: if there is a potion that makes one tell the truth, why is there the need for any court system? sirius could have been saved from azkaban. doesnt make any sense. any comments?

    posted by CanadianGirl on 6-1-2011 at 4:09 pm

  190. This is not a “LETS GET INVOLVED WITH THE WHOLE STUPID ARGUMENT” post, however, I felt that I should point out to Linsey that in England we spell ‘licence’ licence when its a noun and ‘license’ when it’s a verb :)
    Also:
    Harry Potter is awesome
    I am die-hard Gryffindor (because I love McGonagall)
    AND surely the Americans are stupid, no we’re not thing can finish now? It’s been going on for ages and is completely pointless. English peoples – It’s a stereotype, and therefore generally not true (I’m English and I don’t even LIKE tea)
    American peoples – It’s a stereotype, a bit of a joke, anyone with any sense whatsoever doesn’t believe it

    CanadianGirl: It’s illegal in the Wizarding world I believe? Probably something to do with morals and human rights and that kinda stuff :)

    posted by Frances on 6-1-2011 at 8:21 pm

  191. #9 is inaccurate. JK Rowling doesn’t find Snape pathetic. she actually thinks quite highly of him considering what you find out about him in the Deathly Hallows

    posted by Paige on 6-5-2011 at 2:22 am

  192. ‘Fenrir’ as in Fenrir Greyback is a Norse (more or less norweigian, think Vikings) mythological creature described as a monsterous wolf. Lots of Rowling’s spells are latin based or similar too. ‘Levi Corpus’ Levi-levitate corpus – corpse or body is the only one i can think of off the top of my head. But if you know anything about word origins or just have a good vocabulary you can spot them.

    posted by Erin on 6-8-2011 at 1:52 am

  193. Hello comenting on the coment by Sarah, saying that Snape was evil and that he and Regulus got cold feet. Well just mean to say your right on the part where you say Snape is evil, he is. But he didn’t get cold feet. He was in love and his love being the woman Voldemort was going to kill he asked him to spare her life. Not trusting Voldy to do so, he also went to Dumbledore to ask him to save her. Not being able to, Dumbledore told him that her son had survived and that if he loved the girl, he would have to protect the boy by puting his own life in danger, working for both sides. So that makes him not cold feet but one of the most courageous characters in Harry Potter, if not THE most courageous of them all.

    You might think I’m Slytherin for defending him, I’m not. I am Gryffindor. And so would be him if wizards weren’t selected to teams at so young age. So is said by the man himself, Dumbledore.

    ;)

    posted by Cláudia on 6-8-2011 at 1:09 pm

  194. This was all rather interesting. And Slytherin all the way!!!!

    posted by Shelby on 6-9-2011 at 1:40 am

  195. Just for the record, everytime someone says Americans are dumb, all I can think is, “all Brits have bad teeth”. Let’s get over the stereotypes, shall we?

    Slytherin. All the way.

    Emma Watson decided to drop out of Brown University because she was harassed by other students about her involvement in Harry Potter. They would scream out “10 points to Gryffindor!” every time she answered a question correctly. It got to the point where she left in the middle of a lecture.

    posted by kristine on 6-9-2011 at 4:25 pm

  196. Frankly as an American I don’t appreciate being called “daft” I’ve been reading the comments and I would just like to put out there that at the age of 8 I would have understood what Philosopher meant in the title of the book.Despite what many of you British brats think we all aren’t stupid. I happen to be a Gryffindor btw.

    posted by Kiwi on 6-9-2011 at 6:31 pm

  197. @Bob – We all certainly need spell check sometimes! :) @Author great post! I didn’t know there was so much more to “Harry Potter” beyond the novels!

    posted by David on 6-10-2011 at 1:17 am

  198. I’m an American.. and I would have gotten the Philosophers stone title…. but I agree that most probably wouldn’t. Loved this!

    posted by Miranda on 6-14-2011 at 3:07 am

  199. Okay…

    Last I checked when the first book came out, it was targeted and taken in by mostly kids my age. I was in third grade and can honestly say not once in my schooling did anyone even mention Flamel none-the-less the stone itself.

    It wasn’t until after I read the book did someone mention it was based off of histroy, so, being the curious little brat I was, I actually had to do my own research on it.

    Also, I don’t take kindly to being called “daft.” It’s plain rude. Not all Americans are vain or ignorant.

    (Ravenclaw by the way :D)

    posted by anon on 6-19-2011 at 7:36 pm

  200. I guess the world is never tired of Harry Potter. Can’t wait for the final part of the film…

    @Kristine – Wow, I guess some people just can’t distinguish between reality and fiction. I would be tired too if I had to be Hermione on screen and off screen.

    posted by Sarah on 6-22-2011 at 10:52 am

  201. Somebody said no Hufflepuffs are cute, how about Cedric!!!

    posted by Cat on 6-22-2011 at 1:27 pm

  202. Erm..I’m American, and I would’ve understood that Philosopher was meant in a magical context, as would most of my friends.
    Ravenclaw for the win. :D

    posted by Nynaeve on 6-30-2011 at 7:25 pm

  203. Ravenclaw! And, in the first book, the words on the mirror of Erised (Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi) are “I show not your face but your heart’s desire” backwards, with the spaces messed up.

    posted by Catherine on 7-1-2011 at 6:49 pm

  204. Wow, this discussion has been going on for a couple of years now.

    When someone says “all X nationality are Y” they’re proving more about themselves than they are about whoever they’re trying to defame. For starters, they’re showing themselves to be provincial and ignorant. This is not a good thing.

    @Summer, “so I think that in order to be approved for American children, they changed some of the vocabulary, and ended up having to change the title so that people didn’t accidentally buy the UK version.”

    To be approved for American children? Just who, exactly, would be doing that approving? (hint: nobody)

    There would be no way people could “accidentally” buy the UK version. The whole point is that different versions were sold in different countries. While it’s possible to buy a book from another country (I occasionally order overseas books when there’s a mass market paperback there, and only a trade paperback here … yes, I pay more for a MM PB than I could get a trade PB for at the bookstore, just so it’s the same form as the rest of the series) it’s something you have to actively seek out and do: order from a different Amazon website, for instance, complete with the overseas shipping charges and currency conversion. You can’t do it by accident. You certainly wouldn’t come across one at your local book shop because it is, y’know, a different country’s version, therefore sold IN THAT COUNTRY.

    As I understand it, the name change was because Scholastic (the publisher) thought “Philosopher” sounded too academic, and “Sorceror” sounded more magical. Given that they were a smallish publisher who picked up a book that nobody else wanted, if a title change was what it took to get them to publish the book, then a title change they would have. Remember, this was not at the time an umpty-million-selling series of books by one of the richest women in the world; this was one book by some random person nobody had ever heard of. Whether you’re Tom Clancy or Tom Smith can make all the difference.

    And no, there’s no requirement that a title be changed between countries. When it comes to national rights, publishers get whatever they and the author have negotiated. This rarely if ever involved what national rights the author might want to sell in any other country.

    As a random example, I read Sarah Graves’ “Crawlspace” a week or so back. It was published on December 29, 2009, in both the US and the UK, under exactly the same name. That’s true of most books.

    There’s nothing cryptic or underhanded about the name — just a publisher saying “y’know, I think this would sell better if we made the title sound more magical” and an obscure writer eager to be published in a huge market saying “whatever you think will work.”

    posted by Worldwalker on 7-4-2011 at 1:01 am

  205. @Kristine

    That bit about Emma Watson being bullied was a rumour. She said so herself. If you look it up online, you’ll see.

    Also, I can’t believe only ONE person said something about that comment from 2009–the one that kept saying SLYVERIN instead of SLYTHERIN.

    posted by Xavia on 7-7-2011 at 12:46 pm

  206. The Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra, get’s it’s name from the original pronunciation from the word Abrakadabra. According to Rowling, the word Abrakadabra originally meant “Let the thing be destroyed” and was used as a healing spell (the thing being the illness) she took it and turned it into the killing curse.

    posted by Allen on 7-8-2011 at 11:19 pm

  207. Also, Severus is the name of a Roman Emperor.

    posted by Allen on 7-8-2011 at 11:20 pm

  208. “4. Collecting unusual and interesting names and words has been a lifelong habit for Rowling. She has said that she loves reading lists of them, from war memorials to baby name books, and made it a point to remember her favorites. Some of them found a new home in the Harry Potter books. She makes up some of the words too – “quidditch” is a Rowling original. She filled up five pages of made-up words that started with “Q” before she hit on one that sounded right. “Voldemort” and “Malfoy” were also invented.”

    This isn’t completely true on “Voldemort” – Valdemort is an old German name meaning “famous”, interestingly enough.

    posted by Calace on 7-15-2011 at 8:21 am

  209. Actually, Mafalda would’ve been a Prewett cousin, her magical parent being Mrs. Weasley’s squib cousin.

    posted by Olive on 7-15-2011 at 6:44 pm

  210. @Allen: I really liked your comment about Avada Kedrava, I actually got the connection between it and Abracadabra just yesterday – well today technically but it seems like yesterday- when I went to the midnight showing, although I didnt know the history of what it meant. Right when Voldemort was trying to kill Harry in the Forbidden Forest, I heard him say Avada Kedavra and thought to myself, hey that sounds like Abracadabra! Speaking of the last movie, did anyone else start bawling their eyes out?

    posted by CrashDancer on 7-15-2011 at 8:57 pm

  211. @Linsey:
    Despite the acclaimed spelling bee win, clearly you need to learn a lot. Before you jump the gun in a typically daft and hasty fashion, you should know that the word IS actually “licence”. Just because Americans have ruined the spellings of a lot of English words (colour, behaviour, favour – and so on) for their convenience does not mean that the original and *correct* spellings have ceased to exist.

    @David: Yes, we all need spell check but then, I guess we all need to know the proper spellings too.

    posted by Bob on 7-16-2011 at 12:38 pm

  212. Another little-known JK Rowling fact is that she stole the name “Harry Potter” from a sketch in the ever popular british comedy “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” The sketch, entitled “science fiction sketch,” was about huge blancmanges from the planet Skyron in the galaxy of Andromeda coming to Earth and turning Englishmen into Scotsmen. The first man in this sketch to be turned into a Scotsman by these aliens was named “Harold Potter.” The video can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1sYgknWGSA

    posted by Maylen R on 7-19-2011 at 8:31 am

  213. actually muggles would see the castle as a construction site with keep out signs, not as a ruined castle.

    posted by tess on 7-23-2011 at 3:01 am

  214. I am replying to ‘Tracie’ who wanted to know why there was a U.K. and a U.S. title for the first book/movie. It was originally the Philosopher’s Stone but was changed to Sorcerer’s Stone so that young American children could understand it better, maybe it’s more of a ‘go-to’ word.

    posted by Catherine on 7-24-2011 at 6:25 am

  215. Im Ravenclaw/Gryffindor! Hufflepuff are too boring and Slytherin are cool but really mean!!

    The thing about the castle ruin in #5- yeah it is in the books but its still interesting and new to people that haven’t read them. And just for the record- The UK isn’t full of castle ruins, trust me I’ve seen about 2 in my life. Maybe there are more in Scotland where Hogwarts is, I wouldn’t know.

    posted by Lily on 7-26-2011 at 5:29 pm

  216. I got a question to all of those guys who say they’re in slytherin:
    as much as I love villains in all kinds of other movies, I’ve got a huge problem with those of HP! Don’t you think that this whole Mudblood/Blood-traitor talking is just the same as racism in ‘our world’? I could never support the idea of people hating each other because of their blood, no matter if it’s some kind of fiction or not! ..I don’t want to offend you guys, I’m just very curious what you think about it, cause in other movies or books I often feel some kind of sympathy for the bad guys but in harry potter I just can’t, cause what they do really is a horrible thing that, in a way, reminds us of how similar the magic world can be to the real world when it’s about racism.

    posted by cheetah on 7-29-2011 at 4:55 pm

  217. Sorcerer vs. Philosopher

    i don’t get why this is such a big debate for everyone. yay for you if you know what a philosopher’s stone is.

    reality check: the first book’s target demographic wasn’t high school students or adults.
    CHILDREN were reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Now really, how many 8-11 year old kids know what the hell a Philosopher’s stone is?
    I was in the 5th grade when the book came out and the title was what made me read it cuz i knew it was about magic. I wouldn’t have known that if the title had been otherwise.

    posted by Rlynn on 8-4-2011 at 11:43 pm

  218. Slytherin all the way!

    And Snape was not a jerk to Harry because of his dad James. As explained in the last book (spoiler) it was deeper than that extending all the way to Snape’s love for Harry’s mom Lily.

    posted by Rlynn on 8-4-2011 at 11:44 pm

  219. For whatever it’s worth, the Sorting Hat (sorting-hat.com) just placed me in Ravenclaw. I’m OK with that.

    -”BB”-

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 8-6-2011 at 10:48 pm

  220. When Voldemort died he was 71 years old.

    posted by Rachel on 8-16-2011 at 11:08 pm

  221. Wow I just read all of this and was amazed I LOVE Harry Potter Soo much! I plan on getting a tattoo of the inscription on the mirror all backwards like it is but I’m not sure where..any ideas?

    Also I read both The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Philosophers Stone and I FULLY understood and LOVED them both!

    P.S. I am an American…I’m not to sure if I say that proudly or not these days but thats what I am and I can not change that, BUT I am NOT ignorant and I do not judge others on race ethnicity education or geological locations. Yes there are ignorant people out there who do but you can not judge all Americans just because of that. I am NOT going to assume that all British people discriminate and are rude to Americans just because I’ve read some cruel comments on here so it would be GREATLY appreciated if you could find it somewhere in your heart and show the same curtsy and respect.

    posted by Brande on 8-23-2011 at 5:39 am

  222. I have just one problem with the entire series and that was the Time Turners that was used in book 3. If someone was to use the time turner it would create a continuously loop that played itself over and over. I am glad that Jo destroyed them in book 5.

    posted by callie on 8-23-2011 at 9:40 pm

  223. i dont think malfoy was evil he was just a brat who was all talk he was orobly forced to be a death eater but voldemort wouldve killed him if didnt become one and he wouldny kill dumbledore and in the last movie he didnt want to walk over to the death eaters army

    posted by austin on 8-25-2011 at 8:51 pm

  224. Voldemort comes from the French “vol de mort” and means either flight of death or theft of death. Malfoy comes from the French “mal foi” meaning “bad faith”.

    posted by anna on 8-27-2011 at 8:03 pm

  225. Well if everyone read all of the books and paid very close attention then they probably already know this about Harry Potter, but he and Voldemort are actually distant cousins on James’ side. Both of them are the last of the Peverell family. I’ve read each of these books at least three-four times and I just made the connection when I was re-reading the series a couple of weeks ago!

    posted by Katie on 8-29-2011 at 7:03 am

  226. @Katie! Yes, you’re right!! In the sixth book, Voldemort’s grandfather yelled at the Ministry of Magic guy that he was related to the Peverells. And then we have Harry’s father who was ALSO related to the Peverells because he got the original invisibility cloak handed down to him which later went to Harry. Whoo hooo for the two of us to be the first to mention this!!

    posted by Alexa on 8-29-2011 at 10:53 am

  227. anyone ever notice that avada kedavra is like a bad turn on abracadabra? I always thought that was kinda neat if J.k. did that intentionally just like she did with the two alleys.

    posted by lauren on 8-31-2011 at 7:23 pm

  228. J.K. Rowling has said that she once took a “which house are you in” quiz and got Hufflepuff! Me and J.K. are in the same house!!

    posted by Zoe on 9-1-2011 at 11:02 pm

  229. The King’s Cross was also where Harry and Ginny first met.

    posted by Melody on 9-3-2011 at 2:58 pm

  230. Oh gosh. I love Harry Potter a lot and some of things up there were new to me. I’ve read all the books so many times, I’ve lost count. Anywho, my trivia is:
    The number that is used in the visitor’s booth to the Ministry of Magic–62442–spells magic under a typical cell phone keypad.

    posted by PotterFan on 9-4-2011 at 4:58 am

  231. i knew a lot of those haha (: and i love slytherin

    posted by betsy on 9-5-2011 at 6:50 pm

  232. WOW its amazing how much you can find out by just reading between the lines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Just mentioning something on this english VS americans and i have to say i’m a kiwi and i know theres ment to be this Kiwi ozzy rival but i think quite highley of heaps of people in australia
    AND all the people that inspire me are eather from england or america
    And…………………………………………………………………..
    GO GRYFINDOR!!!!!!:D

    posted by calypso on 9-17-2011 at 11:58 pm

  233. @PoGo,

    Hufflepuffs are absolutely not losers.

    posted by cassandra on 9-19-2011 at 8:33 pm

  234. I am a Gryfindor gal, But i noticed in the movies they say that Harrys dad is a seeker when in fact he was a catcher

    posted by Heather Potter on 9-23-2011 at 3:35 am

  235. If you ever get to read this,… Did you know that voldemort’s birthday is on Christmas eve?

    posted by Harry Potter on 10-1-2011 at 9:17 am

  236. @Heather- In the books, James is a chaser, not a catcher. ;)

    I bet now that Pottermore has opened up, there’s a lot more trivia floating around (and unfortunately probably a lot more house bashing!)

    There’s a few Pottermore spoilers in the rest of this comment.

    Replying to another thread of conversation happening a while ago in these comments, Ron was pretty young and biased when he made the statement about all of the wizards who went bad being from Slytherin. Wormtail is one obvious example. All of the houses have produced dark wizards (according to Pottermore – Hufflepuff has produced the fewest of all of the houses at Hogwarts), so Slytherin is not alone in that.

    Other Hufflepuff trivia (aside from the fact that we’re good finders) is that it’s are the only house at Hogwarts that also has a repelling device for people trying to break in. If someone makes a mistake entering the code into their common room and dorms, they get sprayed with vinegar, and because of this “in more than a thousand years, the Hufflepuff common room and dormitories have never been seen by outsiders.” -Pottermore.

    posted by Beck on 10-4-2011 at 2:33 pm

  237. Who ever said there are no cute Hufflepuffs obviously never saw Cedric Diggory. And Hufflepuffs are not losers. Hello? TONKS. Jeez. You people are all racist.

    posted by Torie on 10-9-2011 at 4:42 pm

  238. @cheetah: For you to say that slytherins all boast pureblood mania and that this is a form of racism, you seem to be harboring a bit of prejudice yourself. Not all slytherins have the pureblood vs mudblood beliefs. Horace Slughorn valued students with great talent, brains, or other good qualities (or for having a famous family member) regardless of their blood status. Lily Potter was one of his favorite students, and she is muggle born. Also, Harry is in the slug club (half blood) as well as Hermione (muggle born). Snape is also a good example. He fell in love with Lily Potter knowing from the beginning that she was muggle born. Lily asks him if not have wizard parents made a difference and he said “no, it doesn’t matter”. Slytherins deserve some fair representation here.

    And before you ask, I’m a ravenclaw. I just feel like all houses deserve to be fairly represented.

    @Harry Potter: Voldemort was born on New Year’s Eve, not Christmas Eve. In Dumbledore’s memories, The woman from the orphanage states that Merope showed up at the orphanage on New Year’s Eve and had the baby within the hour. In a later interview, Rowling was asked if “born within the hour” meant that he was born on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. She clarified that he was born on New Year’s Eve.

    posted by Melissa on 10-10-2011 at 12:34 am

  239. I am really disappointed in this whole American vs. British argument. Can we all accept that people are people. Some know what a philosopher’s stone is others don’t. Personally, I think it is just silly. Does it really matter who knows and who doesn’t? There are smart people in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, India, South Africa, Mexico, and pretty much every country in the world.

    I really enjoyed these facts! Thanks everyone! :)

    posted by Annonymous on 10-20-2011 at 2:40 pm

  240. Voldemort, when translated in to French means flight of death.
    Vol – flight
    de – of
    mort – death

    posted by Quincy on 10-31-2011 at 9:06 pm

  241. I resemble what youse guyse are sayin’. If I were from the UK youse can call me daft. But I’m American so ya gots ta call me stupid!

    posted by anttna on 11-24-2011 at 9:33 pm

  242. I’m not only a Slytherin supporter, but also wife of Scorpius Malfoy. <3 Slytherin

    And I knew all the facts cuz I kno my mother, father, moter-in-law, and father-in-law very well.

    posted by Kaylee Malfoy on 11-30-2011 at 9:15 pm

  243. the actor that plays harry potter is glad to not have to wear his scar make up anymore

    posted by Kay on 12-6-2011 at 11:37 pm

  244. JK Rowling also said that the snake that harry let out of the tank at the zoo in the first book was nagini, voldemorts last horcrux. However, in the first movie, the snake was a large over sized boa constrictor, later when nagini was portrayed she was portrayed as a Burmese python with similar boa markings, allowing her to look 3 times bigger.

    posted by Jaxxyn on 1-4-2012 at 11:20 am

  245. I’m so glad i am canadian. everyone loves us :) i dont think americans are daft just that their school system doesnt contain as much world history/geography as other country’s systems. which does make them seem dumb to us.

    One thing ive always wondered about harry potter: if there is a potion that makes one tell the truth, why is there the need for any court system? sirius could have been saved from azkaban. doesnt make any sense. any comments?

    comments for this, i am canadien to woot woot. because they can have their memory modified or some other spell on them. i would work for most cases i guess but some it wouldn’t.

    posted by Claire on 1-16-2012 at 11:48 pm

  246. Re. the Uk is littered with ruined castles. Well first things first, some of the films were filmed at a real castle. Nowerdays this castle is a working museam (I’ve been there) It is most definatly not in ruins. As for the other locations, you probably won’t find any danger keep out signs, castles aren’t in the middle of cities. Most ruins are in the middle of nowhere and people don’t generally go snooping around them. And if they did, no one would care. what harm would they do? I find it hilarious that all you Americans are surprised that there are castles in England, try learning a bit of georgraphy? Its because we have history in England…

    posted by eloise on 1-19-2012 at 2:05 pm

  247. First off, we do still have philosophers in the UK. Despite what Americans seem to think, we didn’t stop being at the forefront of academia hundreds of years ago….
    Secondly, of course an american wouldn’t understand seeing a completely ruined castle, most of our castles are older than your country.
    Thirdly, kings cross station and platform nine and three quarters are filmed at several locations across britain.

    posted by james on 1-27-2012 at 9:35 am

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