139 Fun Facts About Harry Potter Movies

What password opens the Gryffindor common room in the first Harry Potter film?

Caput Draconis, Latin for 'dragon's head', is what prefect Percy Weasley tells the Fat Lady's portrait, which swings open to let the new first-years climb through.

Which actor portrayed Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films?

Richard Harris played the headmaster in the first two films and died in October 2002, three weeks before Chamber of Secrets opened, so the part had to be recast.

Which subject does Professor Snape teach in the first Harry Potter film?

Potions is Snape's subject for Harry's first five years; in the sixth film he finally moves to Defence Against the Dark Arts, when Horace Slughorn returns to teach Potions.

What position does Harry Potter play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?

Seeker: Professor McGonagall puts Harry on the Gryffindor team after seeing him dive to catch Neville's Remembrall in his first flying lesson, when he expected to be punished for flying at all.

Which Horcrux does Harry stab with a fang at the end of Chamber of Secrets?

Tom Riddle's Diary is the first Horcrux destroyed: Harry stabs it with a fang from the Chamber's monster, whose venom is one of the few things that can do the job.

What animal form does Wormtail take to hide for years as a Weasley family pet?

Rat: as Scabbers, the Weasleys' pet, he hid for twelve years, until he was unmasked and forced back into human form in the Shrieking Shack.

Who is revealed in Prisoner of Azkaban to have really betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort?

Peter Pettigrew, long thought murdered by Sirius Black, had betrayed the Potters himself, then faked his own death and left Black to spend twelve years in Azkaban for it.

From which platform do students board the Hogwarts Express?

9 and 3/4 is reached through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross; the film crew shot it between platforms 4 and 5, because the real 9 and 10 have no brick wall between them.

What is the incantation for the Wand-Lighting Charm?

Lumos lights the tip of a wand and Nox puts it out; Harry whispers both over the Marauder's Map in the third film, either side of 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'.

Who took over as Albus Dumbledore from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, after the original actor died in 2002?

Michael Gambon took over for Prisoner of Azkaban and, rather than imitate his predecessor, gave Dumbledore a slight Irish lilt as a nod to him.

Who plays Lord Voldemort from Goblet of Fire onwards?

Ralph Fiennes first appears as the reborn Voldemort in Goblet of Fire; his nephew later played the 11-year-old Tom Riddle, cast, the director said, mainly for his dark, haunted quality, though the family likeness helped.

Which device lets Hermione attend overlapping classes in Prisoner of Azkaban?

McGonagall lends Hermione a Time-Turner so she can take every elective; Harry and Hermione later use it to save Buckbeak and Sirius.

What kind of monster lives in the Chamber of Secrets?

A Basilisk, a giant snake whose stare kills; this one's victims are merely petrified because each met its gaze only indirectly, as in a mirror.

Which of these schools participates in the Triwizard Tournament alongside Hogwarts?

Durmstrang, the northern school with a dark-arts reputation, sends Viktor Krum; Beauxbatons sends Fleur Delacour, and Harry and Cedric both end up standing for Hogwarts.

Who directed the first Harry Potter film?

Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone, chased the job after his daughter persuaded him to read the books, and won it against some 25 other directors who wanted it.

What kind of creature is Buckbeak, who slashes Draco Malfoy's arm in Hagrid's first lesson?

Hippogriff: half eagle, half horse, Buckbeak strikes only after Draco insults him, yet Draco's father has him sentenced to death, and Harry and Hermione secretly set him free.

Which colors are associated with the Hogwarts house of Gryffindor?

Scarlet and gold stand for fire: Rowling tied each Hogwarts house to one of the four elements and chose its colours to match, with Gryffindor the house of fire.

Which two colors are traditionally associated with the Hogwarts house of Ravenclaw?

Blue and bronze are Ravenclaw's colours, with an eagle as mascot in the novels and a raven in the films; the house prizes wit and wisdom.

Which two colors mark Hufflepuff house at Hogwarts?

Yellow and black belong to the badger house, which prizes loyalty and hard work, and is headed by Herbology teacher Pomona Sprout.

What do Harry and Ron drink to impersonate Crabbe and Goyle in Chamber of Secrets?

Polyjuice Potion, brewed by Hermione in a girls' bathroom, turns the drinker into whoever's hair is added, so Harry and Ron can question Draco in the Slytherin common room.

What animal does Harry Potter's Patronus take the form of?

A stag, the same form James Potter took as an Animagus; Harry's Patronus drives off hundreds of Dementors in Prisoner of Azkaban.

What is the name of Albus Dumbledore's loyal phoenix companion?

Fawkes flies into the Chamber of Secrets carrying the Sorting Hat, blinds the monster and then heals Harry's poisoned wound with his tears.

Where is Gringotts Wizarding Bank located?

Diagon Alley houses the goblin-run bank, which the trio rob in the final film before escaping on the back of the dragon that guards its vaults.

Which director was in talks to make the first Harry Potter film before walking away in 2000?

Steven Spielberg negotiated to direct Philosopher's Stone but left the project in early 2000; he reportedly favoured an animated version with Haley Joel Osment voicing Harry.

Whose threat never to speak to him again made the first Dumbledore actor accept the role?

His granddaughter, then 11, said she would never speak to him again if he turned it down; he had first refused, wary of signing up to a long run of films.

When its first run ended, Philosopher's Stone trailed only which film on the all-time box-office list?

Titanic alone had earned more: Philosopher's Stone took about $974 million in its first run, passing The Phantom Menace, and re-releases have since lifted it over $1 billion.

David Thewlis, cast as Lupin, had earlier auditioned for which role in Philosopher's Stone?

Quirinus Quirrell went to Ian Hart, who later talked Thewlis into playing Lupin by telling him it was the best part in the book.

Which Chamber of Secrets cast member made Warner Bros.' three-name shortlist to direct Prisoner of Azkaban?

Kenneth Branagh, the film's Gilderoy Lockhart, was shortlisted beside Callie Khouri and Alfonso Cuarón, who got the job; Guillermo del Toro had already passed, finding the earlier films too bright and happy.

Which Oscar-winning actress plays Three Broomsticks barmaid Madam Rosmerta in Prisoner of Azkaban?

Julie Christie, Best Actress Oscar winner for Darling (1965), played Three Broomsticks landlady Madam Rosmerta in Prisoner of Azkaban, a film itself nominated for score and visual effects.

Which future Doctor Who plays Barty Crouch Jr. in Goblet of Fire?

David Tennant's Death Eater spends almost the whole school year disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, so Tennant himself appears in only a handful of short scenes.

Which film, adapted from the longest book, is the only one Steve Kloves did not write?

Order of the Phoenix was scripted by Michael Goldenberg while Steve Kloves was busy elsewhere; the longest novel became the second-shortest film of the eight.

Which fan of the books beat about 15,000 girls at an open casting call to play Luna Lovegood?

Evanna Lynch, a 14-year-old from Ireland who had never acted professionally, had written to Rowling for years as a fan; the author thought her perfect for the part.

Which Hogwarts character did Rik Mayall film scenes as, only to be cut from Philosopher's Stone entirely?

Peeves the poltergeist was filmed with Rik Mayall in the role, but every scene was cut before release, and the troublemaker never appears in any of the eight films.

In Deathly Hallows – Part 1, who ends up wearing Slytherin's locket after Mundungus Fletcher steals it?

Dolores Umbridge got the locket from Mundungus Fletcher and wears it at the Ministry, so the trio sneak in disguised as officials and take it from around her neck.

Which Harry Potter film was the only one released fully in 3D in its original run?

Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was the only one shown fully in 3D; Part 1 was meant to be too, but Warner Bros. dropped the conversion six weeks before release, unable to finish it to standard.

Who rescued Philosopher's Stone from a low-priority shelf at producer David Heyman's office and urged him to read it?

A secretary read the book and passed it to Heyman with a glowing report; he had been put off until then by what he called 'the rubbish title'.

What did Warner Bros. reportedly pay Rowling in 1999 for the screen rights to the first four Harry Potter books?

£1 million is the reported price for the first four books; the eight films that followed went on to take about $7.7 billion at the box office.

Who was the production designer for all eight Harry Potter films?

Stuart Craig was production designer on all eight films and later the Fantastic Beasts series, working with set decorator Stephenie McMillan; he repeatedly redesigned Hogwarts as new books revealed new locations.

Shirley Henderson was in her thirties when she auditioned to play which 14-year-old Hogwarts student?

Moaning Myrtle is the ghost of a schoolgirl; the casting director told Henderson to audition anyway and keep her age secret, and she returned to the role three years later.

At which real zoo did the crew film Harry setting a python loose on Dudley in Philosopher's Stone?

London Zoo lent its Reptile House for the scene; a plaque now marks the enclosure, which in real life holds much smaller reptiles than a Burmese python.

Which spell does Harry cast in his final duel with Voldemort, turning the Killing Curse back on him?

Expelliarmus, a simple disarming charm, wins the war: the Elder Wand already answers to Harry, so the Killing Curse it fires rebounds on Voldemort.

Where did the London Symphony Orchestra record Desplat's score for Deathly Hallows – Part 2?

Abbey Road Studios hosted Desplat and the London Symphony Orchestra, yet the epilogue is not scored with his music: it plays John Williams's 'Leaving Hogwarts' from the first film.

Which actor plays both Professor Flitwick and the goblin Griphook in the Deathly Hallows films?

Warwick Davis took over Griphook for the two-part finale; in the first film the goblin was played on screen by Verne Troyer, with Davis dubbing his voice.

Which editor cut films five through eight of the series?

Mark Day edited Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and both Deathly Hallows films for David Yates; the first four films each had a different editor, starting with Richard Francis-Bruce.

Which Oxford college's staircase leads Harry's class up to the Great Hall in Philosopher's Stone?

Christ Church lent its staircase for the first-years' arrival and its dining hall was copied at the studio as the Great Hall; fans have since swelled its visitor numbers.

Who was the original choice to play Snape before turning it down for Planet of the Apes?

Tim Roth chose to play the ape general Thade for Tim Burton instead, so Snape went to Alan Rickman, who kept the part through all eight films.

Which cathedral turned down Warner Bros. over the 'pagan' theme of the first Harry Potter film?

Canterbury Cathedral said no, uneasy about the story's 'pagan' theme, so the production turned to Gloucester Cathedral, which went on to appear in three of the films.

Which London building stood in for Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Philosopher's Stone?

Australia House on the Strand, home of Australia's High Commission, lent its grand hall to the goblins; at election time the same building is usually Australia's busiest polling station.

Which GWR steam locomotive played the Hogwarts Express through the series?

GWR Hall class No. 5972 Olton Hall, repainted in Hogwarts red, pulled the Hogwarts Express throughout the series; Southern Railway's Taw Valley had been tried first but was rejected as too modern-looking.

Why were scenes mentioning the stone shot twice for the first Harry Potter film?

The US title used a different word, Sorcerer's for Philosopher's, so every scene that names the stone was filmed twice, with the cast saying each version in turn.

What did Daniel Radcliffe stop wearing on Philosopher's Stone after it caused extreme irritation?

Daniel Radcliffe's green contact lenses caused a severe reaction, so Rowling agreed Harry could have blue eyes on screen; the first pair of glasses also set off his allergies.

Which Carry On veteran voiced the Sorting Hat in the first Harry Potter film?

Leslie Phillips, famous for his purring 'Ding dong!', voiced the hat in the first two films and returned a decade later for the Battle of Hogwarts in the finale.

Which John Williams leitmotif recurs in all eight films?

Hedwig's Theme became the signature tune of the whole series: Williams scored only the first three films, yet every composer after him kept it in.

Which Monty Python alumnus plays Nearly Headless Nick?

John Cleese plays Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, in Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets; the character was dropped from the later films.

Arthur Weasley's enchanted flying car is which model of British family car?

Ford Anglia: after Harry and Ron crash it into the Whomping Willow, the car runs wild in the Forbidden Forest, then roars back to rescue them from the giant spiders.

Who voiced Dobby in Chamber of Secrets?

Toby Jones voiced the house-elf in the second film and came back eight years later for the first Deathly Hallows film, in which Dobby dies rescuing Harry and his friends.

Which Harry Potter film grossed the least worldwide?

Prisoner of Azkaban took about $800 million worldwide, the least of the eight, even though it was 2004's biggest film outside North America, ahead of Shrek 2.

Which young cast member never handed in the character essay Alfonso Cuarón set for Prisoner of Azkaban?

Rupert Grint told Cuarón, 'I'm Ron; Ron wouldn't do it'; the director agreed that showed he understood his character, while Emma Watson handed in the longest essay by far.

Which actress was offered Sybill Trelawney before Emma Thompson took it?

Tilda Swinton turned the Divination teacher down; a former boarder herself, she has since spoken out against boarding schools, Hogwarts included, and Emma Thompson took the part.

The choir piece 'Double Trouble' in Prisoner of Azkaban takes its words from which Shakespeare play?

Macbeth's witches supply the words, 'Double, double toil and trouble'; Williams wrote the piece during the shoot so the school choir could be filmed singing it in the Great Hall.

Which actor admitted taking the role of Sirius Black because the money was needed?

Gary Oldman had taken no major work for several years while raising his children; he then found the part harder than expected, likening its plot-heavy dialogue to Shakespeare.

Which future Superman lost the role of Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire?

Henry Cavill auditioned for Cedric and lost to Robert Pattinson; soon afterwards he came second for James Bond too, edged out by Daniel Craig.

Which Goblet of Fire role did Rosamund Pike turn down?

Rita Skeeter went to Miranda Richardson after Pike judged the part too small, a choice she later said she regretted; the columnist was then cut from the next film altogether.

Which fabric did costume designer Jany Temime choose for Beauxbatons' blue uniforms in Goblet of Fire?

Silk in French blue set the visitors apart from the muted colours of the other schools; it clings to the figure, unlike the stiff uniforms of the Hogwarts girls.

Members of which band joined Jarvis Cocker in the on-screen wizard rock group?

Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway played alongside Jarvis Cocker in the Yule Ball band; after a lawsuit from a Canadian folk group, the band went unnamed in the film.

Which wizard band went unnamed in Goblet of Fire after a Canadian folk group sued?

The Weird Sisters clashed with the Wyrd Sisters, a folk group from Winnipeg; a judge refused to block the film's release, and the band still appears on screen without a name.

Goblet of Fire was the first Harry Potter film to receive which rating from Britain's BBFC?

12A, given for dark themes, fantasy violence and frightening images, meant under-12s needed an adult with them, after three PG films; America rated it PG-13, also a first for the series.

Which composer took over from John Williams to score Goblet of Fire?

Patrick Doyle, who had worked with the film's director before, was first asked to build on Williams's music but in the end kept only the series' signature tune and wrote the rest new.

Helen McCrory, first cast as Bellatrix Lestrange, later played which character instead?

Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix's sister, became her part from the sixth film on; pregnancy had forced her to give up Bellatrix before the fifth film was shot.

Who plays Bellatrix Lestrange from Order of the Phoenix onwards?

Helena Bonham Carter stepped in when the actress first cast became pregnant; during her first Potter shoot she accidentally perforated Matthew Lewis's eardrum by poking her wand into his ear.

Who plays the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Order of the Phoenix?

Imelda Staunton's character rules from a pink office hung with plates of moving kittens, which the crew created from a 24-hour photo shoot with real kittens.

Why did Order of the Phoenix pause filming for two months from May 2006?

So the leads could sit school exams: Radcliffe took AS levels and Watson her GCSEs. Schooling had come first from the start, with three hours of lessons a day on the first film.

Which Arsenal footballer's family made a cameo in Order of the Phoenix?

Theo Walcott's aunt Yvonne is director David Yates's partner, so his family were given cameos; Theo was due to join them until his Arsenal commitments ruled him out.

Order of the Phoenix skipped Britain and America for its world premiere, held in which Asian capital?

Tokyo saw the film first, on 28 June 2007, five days before the London premiere; at Japanese previews, security guards patrolled the aisles to stop anyone filming the screen.

Besides hands and feet, what did the trio press into cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre?

Their wands joined Groucho Marx's cigar and Harold Lloyd's glasses among the forecourt's odder imprints when the trio left their marks beside the usual hand and foot prints.

The exterior of the Horcrux cave Dumbledore and Harry visit was filmed at which Irish landmark?

The cave's exterior was filmed at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare on Ireland's west coast; Dumbledore and Harry Apparate there to retrieve what turns out to be a fake locket Horcrux.

Half-Blood Prince shot its snowy Hogwarts Express scenes in which Nordic country after Scotland stayed green?

Norway's Rauma Line, in the mountains near the village of Bjorli, stood in for the Highlands because no snow fell in Scotland during the planned shoot.

Which Harry Potter film, budgeted at an estimated $250 million, was the priciest of the eight?

Half-Blood Prince cost an estimated $250 million, yet it sat finished on the shelf: due in November 2008, it was held back eight months so the studio would have a summer blockbuster in 2009.

Which vampire film took the November 2008 release slot the sixth Harry Potter film vacated?

Twilight was moved up by Summit into the 21 November 2008 date after Warner Bros. pushed its finished film back to the following July; Disney's Bolt opened the same day.

Which London landmark do the Death Eaters destroy in the opening of Half-Blood Prince?

Millennium Bridge is torn apart by the Death Eaters in the opening; the book only reports a bridge collapse, and director David Yates wanted audiences to see and feel the attack.

Who plays Mad-Eye Moody?

Brendan Gleeson plays the scarred Auror in three films; in the last of them, the first Deathly Hallows film, his son Domhnall joins the cast as Bill Weasley, on the same side of the fight.

Which 2023 film ended Deathly Hallows – Part 2's run as Warner Bros.' highest-grossing film?

Barbie, lifted by the 'Barbenheimer' double-bill craze with Oppenheimer, passed the Potter finale's $1.34 billion in August 2023 and ended its twelve-year reign as the studio's biggest hit.

Where was the world premiere of Deathly Hallows – Part 2 held on 7 July 2011?

Trafalgar Square hosted its first red-carpet film premiere that night; the carpet ran on for nearly a mile to Leicester Square, where the evening ended.

Which Elizabethan house supplied the exterior of Malfoy Manor in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, built for Bess of Hardwick in the 1590s, won over the film-makers with its huge windows, which give the Malfoys' house its sinister face.

Why was the epilogue of Deathly Hallows – Part 2 reshot in December 2010?

The ageing makeup looked wrong: director David Yates judged that neither editing nor digital fixes could save the footage, so the cast came back six months after the wrap with a new look.

The Hogwarts Express is repeatedly filmed crossing which Scottish viaduct?

Glenfinnan Viaduct carries the school train in four of the films, and the role has drawn hundreds of thousands of extra visitors a year to what is now nicknamed the Harry Potter Bridge.

How many directors helmed the eight films?

4 in all: Chris Columbus did two, Alfonso Cuarón and Mike Newell one each, and David Yates the final four.

Why was Robin Williams turned down when he wanted to play Hagrid?

Cast had to be British or Irish, a rule the director would not bend even when Williams, a fan of the books, phoned him to ask for a part.

Which band's song 'O Children' plays during Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds recorded the ballad as the closing track of a 2004 double album; in the film it comes on the radio in the tent, and Harry coaxes a downcast Hermione into dancing.

Who beheads Voldemort's snake Nagini, destroying the last Horcrux, in the final Harry Potter film?

Neville Longbottom draws the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat to do it, the same way Harry got the blade in the Chamber of Secrets.

In the final Harry Potter film, who kills Bellatrix Lestrange in a duel in the Great Hall?

Molly Weasley steps in after Bellatrix tries to kill her only daughter, Ginny, and finishes off the witch who murdered Sirius Black.

Which object left to Harry Potter in Dumbledore's will turns out to hide the Resurrection Stone?

The Golden Snitch is the very one Harry caught in his first Quidditch match. The same will leaves Ron a Deluminator and Hermione a book of fairy tales.

Which magical object do the Weasley twins give Harry in Prisoner of Azkaban so he can sneak into Hogsmeade?

The Marauder's Map was drawn by Harry's own father and three school friends, and it tracks the movements of everyone inside Hogwarts in real time.

Which creature is sentenced to death in Prisoner of Azkaban after Draco Malfoy provokes it into attacking him?

Buckbeak the hippogriff is saved when Harry and Hermione travel back in time and free him, and Sirius Black then escapes Hogwarts on his back.

Which celebrity author turned teacher erases his own memory in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

Gilderoy Lockhart is exposed as a fraud and tries to wipe Harry and Ron's minds so he can take the credit, but he has grabbed Ron's broken wand and the spell rebounds.

Which actor did J.K. Rowling tell early on that Severus Snape had been in love with Harry Potter's mother?

Alan Rickman used the secret to shape his performance for years. When directors questioned a choice, he would simply reply that he knew something they didn't.

Which three-headed dog guards a forbidden third-floor corridor in the first Harry Potter film?

Fluffy's secret slips out through Hagrid, who accidentally reveals that the dog is guarding something known only to Dumbledore and one other man.

Which Triwizard champion takes Hermione Granger to the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire, making Ron jealous?

Viktor Krum is a Bulgarian international Quidditch player as well as a student, and in the second task he is the one who must rescue Hermione from the Black Lake.

Which enchanted object shows Harry Potter his dead parents when he stumbles on it in the first film?

The Mirror of Erised is named for 'desire' spelled backwards, and it later guards the Philosopher's Stone, yielding it only to someone who does not want to use it.

On which Surrey street does Harry Potter grow up in the home of his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon?

Privet Drive was a real street in Bracknell, Berkshire, in the first film. For the sequels the street was rebuilt as a studio set, which proved cheaper than filming on location.

Which broomstick does Harry Potter receive in his first year at Hogwarts so he can play Quidditch for Gryffindor?

Nimbus 2000 lasts Harry until the third film, when the Whomping Willow smashes it during a match and Sirius Black sends him a Firebolt to replace it.

Which life-sized game leaves Ron Weasley knocked out as he clears Harry's way to the Philosopher's Stone?

Chess in its wizard form uses magically animated pieces, and Ron's winning play earns Gryffindor fifty house points from Dumbledore at the end-of-year feast.

Which language does Harry Potter speak to a snake in Chamber of Secrets, making him a suspected heir of Slytherin?

Parseltongue, the language of snakes, was created for the film by Francis Nolan, a linguistics professor at the University of Cambridge.

Which giant talking spider do Harry and Ron meet in the Forbidden Forest in Chamber of Secrets, clearing Hagrid's name?

Aragog was an animatronic that took more than 15 people to operate on set, and a wolf spider discovered in Iran was later named Lycosa aragogi.

Which member of the Dursley family does Harry Potter inflate like a balloon at the start of Prisoner of Azkaban?

Aunt Marge is Vernon's sister, and she floats away after insulting Harry's parents. Harry flees the house expecting to be expelled from Hogwarts.

Which creature does Professor Lupin teach his students to fight with the Riddikulus charm in Prisoner of Azkaban?

A boggart takes the form of whatever its victim fears most, so the charm works by forcing it into a shape the caster finds comical.

Which ghostly prison guards board the Hogwarts Express in Prisoner of Azkaban, causing Harry Potter to faint?

Dementors are searching the train for the escaped Sirius Black, and Professor Lupin drives one off with a Patronus Charm, the spell Harry later asks him to teach.

Which actress won the role of Hermione Granger after eight auditions, having previously acted only in school plays?

Emma Watson was nine at her first audition, and J.K. Rowling backed her for the part after seeing her very first screen test.

Which breed of dragon does Harry Potter face in the first Triwizard task, outflying it on his broomstick?

Hungarian Horntail scenes were shot on a rock quarry set built in two sections, and a fire-breathing animatronic version greeted guests at the film's premiere.

Which plant does Harry Potter eat to breathe underwater in the Black Lake during the second Triwizard task?

Gillyweed reaches Harry through a classmate in the film. In the book it is Dobby the house-elf who fetches it, but the elf was left out of this adaptation.

Which kind of enchanted object is the Triwizard Cup revealed to be when Harry and Cedric seize it in the maze?

A Portkey is a mundane-looking object that instantly transports whoever touches it, and this one delivers the pair straight to Voldemort's waiting servant.

Which animal does Professor Moody turn Draco Malfoy into as a punishment in Goblet of Fire?

A ferret is Malfoy's fate after a confrontation with Harry that was filmed in the cloister quadrangle of New College, part of Oxford University.

Where at Hogwarts do Dumbledore's Army hold their secret defence lessons in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?

The Room of Requirement appears only when someone needs it and contains whatever that person requires, which is why it later serves as a hiding place too.

Which winged horses, visible only to people who have seen death, fly Harry Potter and friends to the Ministry of Magic?

Thestrals also pull the carriages that take students up to the castle, and J.K. Rowling has said the Elder Wand has a core of thestral hair.

Which student does Harry Potter kiss in Order of the Phoenix, before coming to believe she betrayed Dumbledore's Army?

Cho Chang had been Cedric Diggory's girlfriend a year earlier, when she was the person he had to rescue from the bottom of the Black Lake.

Which London home of the Black family is the secret headquarters in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?

Grimmauld Place's set had the Black family tapestry spread across three walls. When producers asked for the names on it, J.K. Rowling faxed them the complete family tree.

Which actor played Hogwarts' Triwizard champion Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?

Robert Pattinson had meant to go to university until the shoot got in the way, and a few years later he was world-famous as the vampire Edward Cullen.

Which actor was at the top of J.K. Rowling's list to play Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid?

Robbie Coltrane was named 'in one quick breath' when Rowling was asked who should play the half-giant, and the first film earned him a BAFTA nomination.

Which giant, Hagrid's half-brother, is kept hidden in the Forbidden Forest in Order of the Phoenix?

Grawp is where Hermione and Harry lead the school's new headmistress with a lie about a secret weapon, and the forest's centaurs end up carrying her off.

Which potion does Harry Potter win in Slughorn's class in Half-Blood Prince, then drink to coax out a secret memory?

Felix Felicis is liquid luck, and Harry wins his vial by excelling in class with help from the notes the Half-Blood Prince scribbled in an old textbook.

Where at Hogwarts is Albus Dumbledore disarmed by Draco Malfoy and then killed in Half-Blood Prince?

The Astronomy Tower was missing from the castle in the earlier films. It was one of the new sets introduced for this instalment, along with Tom Riddle's orphanage.

Which enchanted object lets Death Eaters into Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince after Draco Malfoy repairs it?

A Vanishing Cabinet is one of a pair, and Draco secretly links the one inside the castle to its twin in Knockturn Alley, opening a passage past the school's defences.

Which house do Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback attack in a scene added for the film of Half-Blood Prince?

The Burrow, the Weasley family home, is never attacked in the book. The filmmakers added the action scene to keep with the tone of the franchise.

Which Gryffindor Quidditch player is nearly killed by a cursed necklace in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

Katie Bell is only the first accident of the year: a bottle of poisoned mead later strikes down Ron, and Harry confronts Draco Malfoy about both.

In which village, where his parents are buried, does Harry Potter seek Gryffindor's sword in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Godric's Hollow is the West Country village where Lily and James Potter lived with their infant son, and Harry's visit there with Hermione turns into a trap.

Which elderly historian lures Harry Potter and Hermione to her cottage, only to morph into Voldemort's snake?

Bathilda Bagshot's cottage holds a photo of the young thief from Harry's visions, the clue that lets Hermione identify him as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

At which safe house does Dobby the house-elf die after rescuing Harry Potter and his friends from Malfoy Manor?

Shell Cottage is the seaside home of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, and its scenes were shot on Freshwater West beach in Wales.

Which Minister for Magic delivers Dumbledore's bequests to Harry, Ron and Hermione in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Rufus Scrimgeour does not last long: news that the Ministry has fallen and the minister is dead breaks up the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.

Whose initials sign the note found in the fake locket at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

Regulus Black, the younger brother of Sirius, was a Death Eater who turned on Voldemort, swapped the real locket for a fake and signed his note 'R.A.B.'

Which Horcrux do Harry, Ron and Hermione steal from Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts vault in the final film?

Hufflepuff's cup costs them the Sword of Gryffindor: the goblin Griphook guides them in for that price, then snatches the blade and abandons them.

What does Harry Potter do with the Elder Wand after defeating Voldemort at the end of the final film?

Harry destroys it rather than claim the most powerful wand known, having realised it had answered to him ever since he disarmed Draco Malfoy.

Which magical object in Dumbledore's office lets Harry Potter step inside other people's stored memories?

The Pensieve is a stone basin, and Harry first falls into it in the fourth film, where he watches a captured Death Eater being questioned years earlier.

Which wizarding fable is told as an animated sequence in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

The Tale of the Three Brothers is the origin story of the Deathly Hallows, and the sequence was directed and designed by Ben Hibon at the effects house Framestore.

Who became the first British director of a Harry Potter film when he took charge of Goblet of Fire?

Mike Newell, the director of Four Weddings and a Funeral, got the job after his predecessor said he could manage only one film in the series.

Which Northumberland castle stood in for Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films?

Alnwick Castle is the seat of the Duke of Northumberland, and its turn as the wizarding school brought a surge of public interest in the place.

Which Hertfordshire studio, converted from a wartime aircraft factory, was the home base of the Harry Potter films?

Leavesden turned out Halifax heavy bombers during World War II, and its studio tour, The Making of Harry Potter, keeps many of the series' sets, props and costumes.

Which Academy Award category gave Half-Blood Prince a nomination, the Harry Potter series' only one in that field?

Best Cinematography recognised Bruno Delbonnel, who gave the film a darker, moody grey look, and Warner Bros. asked director David Yates to add more colour to it.

Which North Yorkshire railway station played Hogsmeade, the stop for Hogwarts, in the first Harry Potter film?

Goathland sits on the heritage North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and the same station doubles as Aidensfield in the television series Heartbeat.

Which actress plays Professor Minerva McGonagall, one of the two performers J.K. Rowling most wanted cast?

Maggie Smith held the role from 2001 to 2011 and returned to it years later, voicing the professor in the video game Hogwarts Mystery.