J K Rowling’s World of the Wizards has a certain charm to it that absolutely captures our hearts. Even though we are ‘muggles’, that doesn’t stop us from having the dream of becoming a wizard like Harry Potter. There are lots of Harry Potter facts that we still don’t know about. So, as we know, the Harry Potter movies, adapted from the books have managed to portray the same magical experience. The cast of the Harry Potter films has done a fabulous job as well.
If you want to know about the facts about Harry Potter, then you are at the right place. So, in this article, we shall discuss the top facts about Harry Potter. If you are a Potterhead, then you will surely like to know about these facts. So, without further ado, it’s time to give this article a read.
Here Are Some Of The Best Harry Potter Facts To Know About
It’s a dream of many to go to Platform number 7 ½ at the King’s Cross and set off on a magical adventure at Hogwarts. As a reader or someone who has watched all the films, you may like to know certain facts about Harry Potter. Well, you are in luck because in this article we shall present you with some of the best facts about your favorite wizard, Harry Potter. So, now’s the time to follow this article and check out those magical facts.
1. Platform 7 ½ At King’s Cross Is Real
In the book, the author of Harry Potter J.K Rowling sketched with words the idea of the platform number 9 ¾, where a train was to be used to travel from London to the magical Hogwarts. However, it’s not only the only one that’s hidden at King’s Cross station. So, according to the sources, there’s a train that does visit all the places at Platform 7 ½.
2. Dementors Are Based On J.K Rowling’s Own Depression
So, there’s a backstory about the icy cold and murky & shadowy creatures whom we also know as Dementors. The author of Harry Potter, J.K Rowling, based these foul creatures on her own experiences of grief and depression following the death of her mother. So, in an interview, she told the media that, “it’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there, because it’s not sadness…I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling- that really hollowed-out feeling. That’s what dementors are.”
3. It Was Really Tough To Make Voldemort’s Nose
One might argue that it’s easy to use makeup or prosthetics to achieve the eerie nose of Voldemort, right? However, it’s worth noting that lots of effort went into making Voldemort’s nose. So, according to Paul Franklin, the visual effects supervisor, the team had to use extensive face recognition software to fabricate Voldy’s flat nose. Moreover, it was equally difficult to put the snake-like slits and track it using dots on the face. So, overall, it was a laborious effort to make Voldemort’s nose look like what it was.
4. Eddie Redmayne Auditioned To Be Tom Riddle In The Chamber Of Secrets Film
So, a lot of people may not know this but the Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them actor, Eddie Redmayne actually gave an audition for the role of Tom Riddle in Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets. Luckily, the team turned him down after he had said only a single line. Eddie was then lucky enough to play the role of Newt Scamander in the spin-off film, Fantastic Beasts. Moreover, it’s also worth noting that he won the Oscar in 2015 for the category of Best Actor.
5. Rowling & Harry Have The Same Birthday
It’s really interesting that the author and the main character have the same birthday. Yes, J.K Rowling and Harry Potter’s birthday falls on the same date- July 31st. However, it’s worth noting that the author has revealed again and again that it’s Hermione who was a bit like her when she was younger. In addition, Rowling’s favorite animal is also an Otter, and Hermione’s patronus, is as we know, an Otter.
6. All The Harry Potter Spells Are Latin-Based
Latin may be a dead language to all parts of the world, but most certainly in the books of J.K Rowling. The brilliant author has used Latin-based words for all the magical spells in the series. For example, Imperius, Crucio, Expelliramus, and Obliviate, all of these are based on the Latin language. So, is that a reason to learn Latin once again? Well, that’s something that the Potterheads can decide for sure.
7. The Biggest Fear Of Tom Riddle
In the Harry Potter films and books, we have seen that a Boggart manifests itself as something that we fear the most. So, a lot of readers of Harry Potter do know that many of the wizard’s biggest fear was Voldemort or He-who-must-not-be-named. However, do you know about the biggest fear of Tom Riddle aka Voldemort? So, J.K Rowling has mentioned that Tom Riddle’s biggest fear is his own death. Therefore, his boggart would most likely show his own corpse.
8. Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) Originally Auditioned For The Role Of Harry Potter
So, it’s a bit of an interesting thing to note that the actor who plays the role of Draco Malfoy, Tom Felton actually auditioned for the role of Harry Potter. In fact, he did mention somewhere that initially, he had a hope to either play Harry or Ron. However, as we know, the casting team selected him for the role of Draco Malfoy. Despite this, Felton and Radcliff never had any hard feelings toward each other at all.
9. Rowling Had Another Idea About The Title Sorcerer’s Stone
If you are a Potterhead and want to know about Harry Potter facts, then you may like to know that the first book’s title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone had an alternative title. So, JK Rowling in an interview mentioned that she titled the book initially Harry Potter and the School of Magic. However, due to many reasons she just didn’t feel it right and that’s why she changed the title to what we know now.
10. The Malfoy Family Had Relations With The Royal Family
So, there’s no doubt about the fact that the Malfoys love to take pride in the fact that they are purebloods. However, it’s worth noting that they had relations with the courts of Muggle England.
11. Steven King, The Famous Author Praised The Character Dolores Umbridge
Dolores Umbridge is perhaps one of the worst-ranked characters in the Harry Potter universe. In other words, she is truly ‘evil’ as many potterheads would say. However, Steven King, a very famous writer doesn’t feel the same about her. On the contrary, in a review that he wrote for Order of the Phoenix, he actually praised Umbridge.
12. Alan Rickman Knew About The True Nature Of Snape
If you have watched all the Harry Potter films, then you should surely rewatch them all and most importantly, watch closely the facial expressions, the reaction time, etc of Alan Rickman. There’s no doubt about the fact that Alan Rickman is a fabulous character. The fact that he knew about the true motivations of Professor Snape, his character, speaks a lot about his actions as well. You’d only get his reactions if you watch the films for a second time. In fact, Rowling also did clarify that she had told Alan Rickman about the true character of Snape. She said, “I told him really early on that Snape had been in love with Lily, that’s why he hated James, that’s why he projected this amount of dislike onto Harry.”
13. Emma Watson Almost Quit The Harry Potter Franchise
So, it must come as a shock to many but Emma Watson who plays the role of Hermione in Harry Potter once almost quit playing her role. Just before the filming of Order of the Phoenix, Hermione admitted that was almost close to calling it quits.
14. JK Rowling Almost Killed Off The Characters Ron & Arthur Weasley
According to the reports, the author of Harry Potter almost killed off Ron and Arthur Weasley in the books. In fact, in an interview, she said that she had seriously considered killing off those characters. However, it’s a good thing that it didn’t happen.
15. Mathew Lewis Wore A Fat Suit
So, it’s worth noting that Mathew Lewis, who played the role of Neville Longbottom had to wear a fat suit for the character. Whilst filming The Prisoner of Azkaban and Half-Blood Prince, Mathew wore a fat suit. In addition, he also wore false teeth for the 3rd and the 4th film.
Conclusion
So, as we can see, there are tons of Harry Potter facts out there. JK Rowling has made the world of the wizards a pervasive one. Therefore, every day we discover new stuff about our favorite fantasy series.
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