On Joanne Rowling’s birthday, I suggest diving back into the world of magic and exploring it in more detail. I’m sure you’ve missed many of the passhalts that were hidden in the Harry Potter movie series
Do you consider yourself a true Harry Potter fan? Maybe you’ve re-watched the movies several times, and read J.K. Rowling’s books so often that there’s no more living space left on them? Nevertheless, I am sure that this article has something to surprise you, because in the series of movies about the boy who survived, there are so many hidden “Easter hints” that it is simply impossible to see them all.
So today, in honor of Ro’s mom’s birthday, we collected them in one article. And, by the way, this article will definitely be a serious answer to all those who accuse the creators of movies in their inattention to important details. Ready to be surprised? Then let’s get started
1. Professor McGonagall was
We all remember when Harry saw his father’s name on the Quidditch players’ honor board. But did you notice that a little to the right is the award that Minerva McGonagall received in 1971? If you peruse the history of the Harry Potter universe, you’ll find information that the professor was a talented Quidditch player, but an extremely unfortunate fall during a match against Slytherin for the School Cup ended up giving her concussion and several broken ribs.
But now it is quite clear why Minerva is so interested in the victory of the native faculty over Slytherin and does everything to make the team as strong as possible. Even gave Harry a broom, what can I say, a Quidditch player once, a Quidditch player forever.
2- What does Neville’s “reminder” in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone signal?
I’m sure you remember the moment when everyone is sitting around the table in the Great Hall, and cute Neville is trying his best to figure out what he forgot and why a gift from his grandmother is keeping anyone near him from eating in peace. In fact, the answer to this question is on the surface: all the students are sitting in robes, but Neville… forgot about it. Well, that’s a problem the best of us have faced.
3- Newt Salamander came to Hogwarts when Harry Potter was a student
Here it is, the crossover we deserve. If you think that Fantastic Beasts had nothing to do with Harry Potter originally (at least in the canon of the movies), you’re wrong. In fact, Warner Bros. Studios originally made the reference to Newt. Unlike many characters who appeared in small cameo roles, we never saw this character in physical form, but he did appear on the Marauder’s Map in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Just take a closer look at the shot from the movie.
4. The Secret of the Mirror of Einalege
It seems to me that everyone knows about this “passphrase”, but just in case it is worth telling about it. I’m sure you remember the heartbreaking scene from the first movie, in which Harry finds a mysterious mirror and sees himself in it with his parents. Of course, the protagonist is sure that the object will help him get back what was long lost, tells everything to Ron, but the latter sees a completely different picture in the reflection.
Later, Professor Dumbledore will tell Harry Potter that the mirror shows everyone his most secret desires. And that is exactly what is engraved on the frame of the magical object. If you read the name of the mirror and the words written on it backwards, the essence of its action will be clear: “I show not your face, but the desire of your heart”.
5. Joanne Rowling’s Harry Potter books are literally everywhere!
Many of the Harry Potter movies feature books about Harry Potter as well. For example, in the movie “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” at the moment when the main character accidentally moves to the wrong place and is found by Hagrid, the couple passes by a bookstore with a rather interesting window. And interesting it is because it contains books about… Harry Potter.
6. Lucius Malfoy almost used an unforgivable spell against Harry Potter
Freeing Dobby in the second movie in the series gave Drac Malfoy’s father a very difficult time. Then Harry Potter infuriated the man so much that he almost used an unforgivable spell on the boy. In the scene where Lucius pulls out his wand and threatens the boy, you can hear him say, “Avada.” We all understand the sequel to that spell and the consequences of using it. I think Voldemort would definitely not forgive Malfoy Sr. for such a thing.
7. A massive movie gaffe – the appearance of the Millennium Bridge in the movie
In the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the entire magical world has descended into chaos. Voldemort has been reborn and is stronger than ever. In fact, it is this part that is considered one of the darkest in the entire franchise. Recall that it begins with the dark wizard and his minions attacking London, destroying everything in their path, including the Millennium Bridge. The problem is that this landmark didn’t appear in the city until 2000, and the time period of the sixth part of the movie is the late 1990s.
8. A misspelling of the nickname on the Marauders’ map
In the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Fred and George Weasley ceremoniously present the protagonist with the Marauders’ Map. When Harry examines the magical item, we see its cover, which bears the four nicknames of its creators: the Shaggy, the Tramp, the Lunatic, and the Tail. In the original “Lunatic” is spelled “Moony,” but in the third movie, the creators intentionally added an extra “e” to make it the last name of Carl Mooney, the visual effects director.
9. An Easterhawk in the end credits of the movie “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
You can find some pretty interesting and amusing “Easterhawks” in the credits, too. For example, in “Goblet of Fire” the creators of the picture stated that during filming no dragon was not hurt. And we thought that the poor guy who stole the egg from Harry Potter, seriously hurt. By the way, in other parts of the franchise you can also see a similar inscription, which assures viewers that no magical animals were not harmed during the project. There they are, the wonders of computer graphics.
10. In “Harry Potter” invented their own brands of products
It’s the small details that make the Harry Potter movies so magical and mesmerizing. Especially for the franchise were invented… new brands of products that only wizards could buy. For example, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are walking through the Great Hall, you can see Cheeri-Owls cereal on the table. This is a reference to Cheerios breakfast cereal, just with a “owl-themed” twist.
11. A fun access code to the Ministry of Magic
Remember the scene in which Mr. Weasley escorts Harry to the Ministry of Magic after the protagonist defends his brother and fends off an attack from the Dementors? To get to the abode of magic, Ron’s father uses a phone booth and enters 6-2-4-4-4-4-2. It wasn’t hard for the most curious fans to realize that this isn’t just a set of numbers, but a combination that encrypts the word magic. If you picture a push-button phone and remember what letters were on the buttons, you’ll see what we mean. Number 6 had the letter M, number 2 had the letters A and C, and number 4 had G and I.
12. Harry Potter’s number on the Quidditch team.
In “Harry Potter,” all coincidences are not random. The main character appears as number seven, and it becomes a reference to the fact that Harry is Voldemort’s seventh Horcrux. He should have known this, then there would have been less problems. Some are convinced that the number also indicates the total number of books that J.K. Rowling has written.
13. Professor Lokons baldness
A colorful character from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” is a pathological liar. And the filmmakers decided that it was necessary to show his terrible flaw in all its glory. So the movie’s director, Chris Columbus, did his best to point out the man’s mendacity. When Harry and Ron corner the gore-hero in his own office, a luxurious wig of the same color as Professor Lokons hair can be seen on the desk. Which means he’s also going bald. Yes, a questionable hero. What did Hermione see in him?
14. Stephen Hawking’s theories are studied even in the magical world
Yes, Stephen Hawking is popular not only among Muggles, but also among magicians. After all, in the movie “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” one of the visitors of the Hole Cauldron with interest studies the book “A Brief History of Time”, which was written by the theoretical physicist. Well, you can’t do without science, even if you live in a magical world.
15. Professor Slughorn’s magic wand
In “Harry Potter,” there was a special emphasis on wands. From the very beginning, it is explained to us that they reflect the character of the wizard, because there must be an unusually deep connection between the object and the one who wields it. And in Professor Horace Slughorn it is most obvious. The base of his wand is shaped like… a giant horned slug. That’s how the character’s surname translates!
16. Charmbaton students dancing… the macarena
The graceful beauties who come to Hogwarts during the Tournament of the Three Wizards have had time to dance not only during the grand entrance to the Great Hall and at the Saints’ Ball, but also during the third challenge. To support Fleur Delacour, Madame Maxime’s students performed their own variation of the macarena dance. It is a pity that the others did not join in, it would have been a very rousing flash mob.
17. Harry and Ron’s chess game – a spoiler for the final movie “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”
Even those who haven’t read the Harry Potter books might have noticed this “passphrase”. Harry and Ron play a game of magical chess in the Great Hall, and this becomes an important detail that will later help the young wizard, who knows nothing about the new world, to triumph in the final challenge at the very end of the movie. During the party through which Ron teaches Harry how to play the magic game, Ron’s queen captures one of Harry’s knights. And this minor scene becomes a spoiler for one of the movie’s climactic scenes, which we’ll see a little later.
18. The appearance of the Deathly Hallows in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” it was as if the audience was hinted that future installments would somehow involve the Deathly Hallows. When Professor Dumbledore is telling James and Lily’s son what really happened to Barty Crouch Jr. he turns to a glass display case with magical items. And to the left, you can see a pyramid with a circle in the middle, which is considered the emblem of the Deathly Hallows.
19. Microphones in the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This is not a passphrase, but rather a minor (compared to the Millennium Bridge) movie gaffe in the third installment of the Harry Potter film series. Sound design for movies is an energy-consuming and rather expensive process, so “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” director Alfonso Cuaron decided to use microphones on the actors in some to cut down on post-production costs. However, in some places to hide the technical innovations failed, so in the episode where Harry and Hermione try to untie the Beaked Wing, they have microphones on their backs. What can you do, but the sound is good and money is saved.
20. Draco Malfoy’s wife in the last movie was played by Tom Felton’s real-life girlfriend, whom he was dating at the time
In the final of the last Harry Potter movie, along with which a whole era has gone, we see already adult heroes who see their children off on the train to Hogwarts. Next to Draco Malfoy stands his wife, the role of which went to the burly stunt coordinator and aspiring actress Jade Olivia Gordon. At that moment, Tom Felton was dating a girl and himself insisted that it was she who played his wife.
21. The fact that Ron Weasley is in love with Hermione became clear in the third part of “Harry Potter”
Hermione and Ron’s romantic feelings for each other were not explicitly told to the audience until the release of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” but it was possible to see hints of it earlier. In the third part only Ron constantly notices that Hermione for some reason is not always around and constantly disappears somewhere, and after that – appears near them at the most unexpected moment. It is this that becomes a kind of signal that Harry Potter’s friend pays the girl many times more attention than everyone else. After all, in fact, her absence most strongly bothers him.
22. Daniel Radcliffe never managed to master the dance in the scene at the Christmas Ball
If you thought there was no way Ron and Harry could handle dancing just on screen, that’s not the case. Turns out Daniel Radcliffe never could master the waltz, so during the Holy Ball in Part 4, the actor was always filmed at the waist so that his mistakes would be unnoticeable. In short, our Harry was not the most capable dancer, both in the movie and in real life.
23. In the first part of the movie “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” managed to promote the play, in which Daniel Radcliffe played
For a long time, Daniel Radcliffe seriously complexed about the fact that he was not taken seriously because of the role of Harry Potter. To prove to everyone (and, above all, himself) that he is able to take on other roles, in 2006 Daniel decided to play in the play Equus. The actor managed to impress theater critics from around the world, and the creators of the series of films about Harry Potter so proud of the success of their main star that even hung a poster of the play on the wall in the cafe, where the golden trio hid from the Death Eaters.
24. The Hole Cauldron has a very clever way of defending itself against Muggles
Director Chris Columbus, who worked on the first films about the boy who survived, was very fond of adding entertaining details to the pictures. For example, when Hagrid and Harry walk to the Hole Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, at first the sign seems empty. But as they approach, the lettering begins to show. And this means that the establishment has a special “defense” against Muggles, because they won’t even see the inscription.
25. Severus Snape’s coded message to Harry Potter
Everyone has heard about this touching “passphrase” too. In the first movie “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” the professor of potions bursts into the classroom, and after – scares the boy with difficult questions, the answers to which only Hermione knows. Except that his phrasing was completely unintentional. Severus asks Harry, “Tell me, what do I get if I mix lacewort root and wormwood tincture?” And it’s a coded message!
In Victorian flower language, lacewort is a type of lily with the meaning “my regrets will follow you to the grave…”. Wormwood is a symbol of loss and great grief. So, if we translate the question verbatim, it would appear that the professor said: “I deeply regret Lily’s death.”
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