Weird And Wonderful Harry Potter Facts That Are Full Of Magic
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Among the many novels and movies that fall within the fantasy genre, the 'Harry Potter' franchise is one of the most popular to date.
Authored by J.K. Rowling, the 'Harry Potter' books account the life and experiences of a young wizard Harry, and his friends Ron, and Hermione. The three friends are students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The 'Harry Potter' series spans seven books, each with its cinematic counterpart. The role of Harry Potter is played by Daniel Radcliffe, whereas Emma Watson and Rupert Grint play Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively.
However, it's not merely the stellar cast that makes the series a pop-culture phenomenon today. Rowling's phenomenal authorship, the relatable characters, and the portrayal of the astonishing wizard world of Hogwarts make the books and films so famous.
Besides, the themes of love and friendship are beautifully conveyed through the series, making 'Harry Potter' an inspiration for children and young adults alike. As a stage sequel to the series, 'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' is about grown-up Harry, his friends, and their children.
So, let's get started with some amazing Harry Potter facts you didn't know!
If you liked reading these fun facts about Harry Potter, why not also read zodiac facts and what kind of bear is Baloo?
Mindblowing Harry Potter Book Facts
It has been long since the publish of J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows,' the last of the Harry Potter books. However, that has not stopped Potterheads from speculating about Harry Potter fun facts that are sure to get any fan interested in the books all over again!
'Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone,' the first book of the franchise by the then debut author J.K. Rowling was published in the U.S. in September 1998 with an initial printing of 50,000 copies.
The book was published as 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' in the U.K. Did you know that before they came about the U.S. name, one of the proposed titles was 'Harry Potter And The School Of Magic'? Well, if that doesn't surprise you, hear this.
Scholastic publisher Arthur A. Levine acquired the manuscript of J.K. Rowling's first book at an auction at a low six-figure price, the highest he had ever paid for a children's book!
The Harry Potter books have some of the highest sales records ever. 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince,' the sixth book in the series, sold a record 11 million copies within the first 24 hours of its release on July 16, 2005.
The final book, 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows,' published two years later, had an initial print of 12 million copies and sold a staggering 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours in the U.S.!
Had it not been for 8-year-old Alice Newton, the daughter of the chair at Bloomsbury Publishing, the series wouldn't have existed! She read the first book even before it was published and said it was 'so much better than anything else.'
J.K. Rowling has said that two of her favorite chapters in the entire book series are 'The Mirror of Erised' in the first book and 'The Forest Again' in the last book. Both chapters involve Harry's interaction with the memory of his parents.
In the first book, Hagrid says that he bought the three-headed dog Fluffy from 'a Greek chappie.' Three-headed dogs have a connection with Greek mythology.
Despite that, the film version of Hagrid said that Fluffy was bought from 'an Irish fella.' Also, we bet you didn't know that since the first publication of 'Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone' in 1997, it has been translated to around 70 different languages, including Ancient Greek and Latin!
Behind The Scenes: Harry Potter Movie Facts
The Harry Potter films brought alive the fascinating and mysterious wizarding world of Hogwarts that J.K. Rowling beautifully depicted in her books. So, you'll surely want to know some interesting Harry Potter facts from the movies.
J.K. Rowling was offered to play the character of Lily Potter, Harry's mother, but opted out eventually. What's more, the iconic Robin Williams almost played the character of Hagrid but was refused an audition because J.K. Rowling wanted only British actors!
Also, did you know that Steven Spielberg was taken on board for directing the magical movies but later dropped out because he didn't want to make an all-kids film? Hence, the job went to Chris Columbus.
Duke Humfrey's Library served as the setting for filming the restricted section scene in 'Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone,' 2001. Even though the library has strict rules against bringing flames into the place, an exception was made for the filmmakers for the first time in 100 years!
The iconic owls that appear throughout the Harry Potter films were trained to carry letters! To add to the realism, the production team of the film hand-wrote all the letters that were carried to Dursley's house in the first movie.
Talking of being real, actor Tom Felton who played the role of Draco Malfoy, made up his own line in 'Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets.'
When Harry transforms into Goyle after drinking the polyjuice potion and accidentally wears his glasses, Draco asks him what the glasses are for. 'Goyle' responds that those are for reading, to which, Draco says 'I didn't know you could read,' a made-up line since he couldn't remember his actual line!
Eddie Redmayne stars in the 'Fantastic Beasts' series as Newt Scamander. However, the Fantastic Beasts actor had auditioned for the character of Tom Riddle for 'Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets' but didn't get a callback.
Not just that, Hugh Grant was supposed to play the part of Gilderoy Lockhart but had to step away due to scheduling conflicts. What's more interesting, Shirley Henderson, who played Moaning Myrtle, was actually 36 years old when she first played the teen ghost!
Did you know these things about the Harry Potter cast?
It's impossible to imagine the wizarding world of the Hogwarts School without the exceptionally talented cast of the movies. So, here's a look into some of the most astonishing facts about the film cast.
In the book, the character of Luna Lovegood wears dirigible plum earrings. Actor Evanna Lynch who plays the character, actually showed up to the audition wearing a pair that she'd made herself and ended up wearing them in the film.
On the other hand, Tom Felton lied about reading the books at his audition! What's funnier, the pockets of Tom Felton's robes were sewn shut during the filming of 'Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban' to stop him sneaking food from the set.
The team of the first movie 'Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone' went to schools all over England for the casting process. Emma Watson, who played the role of Hermione, was pretty nervous for her audition.
During the filming of the first movie, Emma Watson's pet hamster Millie died and left the actor disheartened.
Plus, a sound-alike child actor was brought in to voice-over for Daniel Radcliffe because the latter's voice began to break a few weeks before wrapping up the first film. Also, actor Rupert Grint who played Ron Weasley, almost quit the film towards the end because he felt overwhelmed by all the pressure!
When Alfonso Cuarón, director of 'Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban,' asked Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson to write their own character essays, Watson turned in a 16-page essay while Rupert Grint wrote none!
Another true fact about Rupert Grint is that the actor is afraid of spiders in real life as well. Speaking of real-life Hermione, Emma Watson is no less smart than her fictional counterpart and even attended Brown University while shooting the movies.
As a result, Watson spent pretty little time on the film sets and had multiple body doubles.
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin who played young Tom Riddle in the movies is the nephew of Ralph Fiennes, the actor who played Voldemort. Also, do you know about the case of the three Dumbledores?
Well, the role of Professor Dumbledore was recast after the original Dumbledore (played by Richard Harris) passed away after 'Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets.' Henceforth, actor Michael Gambon played the role of Professor Dumbledore, who is often confused with Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the 'The Lord of the Rings.'
Surprising And Weird Harry Potter Facts That Make 'The Boy Who Lived' Famous
The wizarding world of Hogwarts is full of surprising and weird facts. So, wouldn't you want to know all the rarely known details about the witches and wizards of the magical school?
The Battle of Hogwarts was an important event in the Harry Potter storyline. Coincidentally, the first Harry Potter book was published in the same year the final Battle of Hogwarts was fought, in 1998. Also, author J.K. Rowling said that Harry, Ron, and Hermione went on to feature in the cool Chocolate Frog Cards after the Battle of Hogwarts.
J.K. Rowling also went on to say that Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to die in 'Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.' However, she went against that idea, and instead, Tonks and Lupin met a grim fate in 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.'
Rowling has also acknowledged that she regrets the relationship between Ron and Hermione, who, however, end up together! Furthermore, Rowling originally intended to use the name Hermione Puckle, instead of Hermione Granger, for the smartest witch of Hogwarts.
Talking about dementors, J.K. Rowling has said that she created the ghastly Death Eaters based on her personal experience with clinical depression. Rowling further said that the cloaked dementors represent the cold absence of feeling that the author was well acquainted with.
However, there was one particular question J.K. Rowling feared the most, which was, what was Dumbledore's wand made of? The author said that if she revealed that Dumbledore's wand is made from the elder or the Death Tree, it would give too much of the plot away.
In 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows,' Harry notes that Hermione and Ron had fallen asleep holding hands. Surprisingly, Hermione's Patronus is an otter, a creature that holds hands with other otters while they sleep in the water.
However, the weird part is that Ron's Patronus is a Jack Russell terrier that is known for chasing otters! Speaking of weird and funny, did you know that in old English, Dumbledore's name translates to 'bumblebee?'
The day Ron and Harry saved Hermione from the bathroom troll was October 31, 1991. Incidentally, it was the day when Lord Voldemort was defeated for the first time and also the 10th anniversary of Harry's parents' death.
Another weird fact that you didn't brace yourself for, J.K. Rowling came up with the concept of quidditch after she fought with her boyfriend!
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Harry Potter facts, then why not take a look at Mozart facts, or facts about Paris?
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