10+ Surprising Facts About Harry Potter Movies That Were Hidden From Viewers
It’s been so many years since the Harry Potter franchise changed our lives for good. Be it books or movies, the author of the book herself has kept Pottermania alive and well with lots of wizarding world trivia to stun us. Even every movie had such impressive cinematography and details that the hardcore fans may have to do a double take if they missed out on something.
So 5-Minute Crafts made it easy for you to go through these tiny tidbits that you might’ve never noticed in the HP movies, that will make you say, “Mischief managed.”
1. McGonagall was a Quidditch pro.
In the first movie, when Harry had doubts about playing Quidditch, Hermione claims that he’ll be pretty good because it’s in his blood. Then he drags Harry and Ron to show them the trophy case where his dad, James Potter won an award for Quidditch when he was a student. If you look closely, the smaller plaque on the right mentions McGonagall’s name, meaning she won an award for Quidditch too, when she was a student in 1971.
2. The Griffin-door in Dumbledore’s quarters
Before Dumbledore’s office, you might’ve seen a huge standing griffin. It’s more of an intended pun that it’s a griffin-door. It’s a clever move because Dumbledore himself is a member of Gryffindor, the Hogwarts House.
3. Neville’s remembrall
In the first movie, you may remember a scene where owls were flying through the castle dropping mail. Neville was gifted with a remembrall that fills up with red smoke when you forget something. And Neville wasn’t able to figure out what he forgot. Fans believe that all of the students in the scene were wearing their black cloaks, but Neville had forgotten his.
4. The Chocolate Frog
Again, in the first movie, when Harry and Ron met for the first time on the train, the Chocolate Frog jumps out the window. And if you notice, there’s a sweet Easter Egg in Deathly Hallows: Part 2, a frog also jumps on the opposite side through the window of the compartment where Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s kids are headed to Hogwarts too.
5. The Harry Potter novels showed up in one of the movies.
In the second movie, the Weasley family makes use of the Floo network to magically reach Diagon Alley with the help of their fireplace. Harry mispronounces Diagon Alley before teleporting and reaches a shady Knockturn alley, and then is luckily rescued by Hagrid. So, when going back to Diagon Alley with Hagrid, they both pass a bookstore. On their window, you can see the Harry Potter novels on display. If Harry could’ve seen them, he would’ve gained insight into what will happen in his future.
6. The misspelling on The Marauder’s Map
In the third movie, the Weasley twins gave Harry The Marauder’s Map that tracks everyone’s movements in Hogwarts castle. The first shot of the map showed its front cover with the nicknames of its creators: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Eagle-eyed fans can catch the name Moony being mistyped as Mooney. As per the trivia, this was done on purpose. It was actually done with the fun intent of slipping in the movie’s visual effects supervisor’s name, Karl Mooney.
7. The number 7 is very special in the Harry Potter universe.
The number 7 has made many appearances and patterns in the Wizarding World. In Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry’s friends drank the Polyjuice Potion that created 7 Harry lookalikes. In Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. sealed Mad-Eye Moody in a chest with 7 locks to replace him in Hogwarts with Polyjuice. The Quidditch team has 7 players too. The door of the Chamber of Secrets has 7 snakes. There are 7 Weasley kids, Ginny is the first female Weasley after 7 whole generations, and lastly, there are 7 HP books, but 8 movies.
- We also placed an Easter Egg by making it point no. 7. *wink wink*
8. The access code to The Ministry of Magic
When Harry and Arthur Weasley were going to the Ministry of Magic in the movie Order of the Phoenix, Arthur flawlessly goes through every muggle innovation like underground public transport and bicycles, as Harry was guiding him to navigate London.
But when they reached a phone booth, Arthur shocked Harry with something magical. That phone booth was a visitor’s entrance to the Ministry of Magic. To access it, Arthur puts some money in and dials
9. Hermione’s Patronus
You might have noticed Hermione’s Patronus in the Order of Phoenix movie. It’s an otter (a type of weasel), and Ron’s Patronus was Jack Russel Terrier, who is famous for chasing otters (or weasels). It was a subtle clue about Hermione and Ron’s future romance.
10. Tom Felton’s beau
In the last scene of the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were sending their kids off to Hogwarts at the train station. You can also find Draco, his wife, and their son in the same scene.
It holds a special story for Draco’s wife in this very scene. It was played by Tom Felton’s own girlfriend at that time, Jade Olivia, who was a stunt assistant on the HP movies and dated Felton for some time.
11. Longbottom and Lord of the Rings
If you’re a LoTR fan, you may also notice that Longbottom’s last name was mentioned in one of the LoTR movies. In this movie universe, Longbottom is a place in the Shire which is renowned for growing plants. And in the HP franchise, Neville Longbottom becomes passionate about plants. Coincidence? We think not.
12. The sneaky Leaky Cauldron sign
In the first movie, when Hagrid was showing Harry around Diagon Alley, they come across a wizarding pub called The Leaky Cauldron, which becomes one of Harry’s favorite spots later. If you notice the upper left screen, you can see that the pub sign looks blank and black.
But the sign’s message shows up as Harry and Hagrid get closer to the pub. This means that it’s an enchanted sign that reveals itself when wizards approach, and stays blank when muggles approach, to keep them at bay.
13. Lucius Malfoy’s tattoo
In the last movie, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, you might see Lucius Malfoy has a new tattoo on his neck. It’s his prisoner number from Azkaban.
Do you know more Harry Potter Easter Eggs that you think others might have missed out on? Share with us!