By Aoife Loughnane
26th Jun 2017
26th Jun 2017
Can you believe that it’s officially 20 years since?The Boy Who Lived and his magical?wizarding world of Quidditch, dementors, and Muggles came into our lives? If you’re anything like us, though the books and film might have been more than devoured by now, the hunger for unknown or hidden Potter info is yet to go away. While the insane super-fanbase may not find these titbits of info to be groundbreaking, they are news to us regular Muggles….
1.House names on sick bags
J.K Rowling first scrawled?the famous four house?names – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin ?- on a barf bag. Yes, Rowling admitted in 2000 that “I invented the names of the Houses on the back of an airplane sick bag!” How lovely.
2. Dementors
The black wisps of hell that are known as Dementors were created when Rowling was coming to terms with her mother’s death and her own depression in 1990. She later explained that the sucking-the-life-and-goodness-out-of-you stems from “that cold absence of feeling?that really hollowed-out feeling. That’s what Dementors are.? Creepy.
3. Arthur Weasley was supposed to kick the bucket.
Thank?GOD that J.K had a change of heart because who doesn’t love the head of the Weasley clan?
4. Voldie was an aul wan
He Who Shall Not Be Named?had reached?the respectable old age of 71 when he finally bit the dust. Not bad for someone with only as seventh of a soul and no nose, huh?
5. No Peeves?
Remember that?pesky poltergeist from the books who just caused havoc?wherever he went??British comedian Rik Mayall was cast and actually filmed scenes for the first film, but director Chris Columbus ultimately cut the scenes.
6. Dumbledore was gay
And had an ill-fated romance with Grindelwald as a young man.
7. Gandalf as Dumbledore?
While I personally love Michael?Gambon as the great Hogwarts Headmaster, it was a role that was offered to Ian “Gandalf” McKellan when Richard Harris died. However, as Harris had referred to McKellan as “technically brilliant, but passionless”, McKellan refused the part stating, “I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.? Ouch.
8. Steven King was Umbridge’s biggest fan
The squeaky-voiced, sickly sweet, pink frosted?Professor arrived in the fifth book to inflict her sadistic tendencies on the’students of Hogwarts. If the creator of Pennywise the Clown calls you the “greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter?, you know you’re pretty f**king scary.
9. Choccie Frogs
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had Chocolate Frogs cards dedicated to them after the Battle of Hogwarts. That’s when you know you’ve made it.?
10. Kissing scene
Rupert Grint was sent off the set for uncontrollably giggling during the filming of the Horcrux kissing scene with Harry and Hermione.?
11. Stunt double injury
Harry stunt double was paralyzed’during the filming of the seventh installment. David Holmes was working on a flying stunt for The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 when he was thrown against a wall. He fractured his neck which left him paralyzed from the neck down with limited mobility in his arms and hands.
12. The not-so-invisible invisibility cloak
Dumbledore could actually see Harry?under the invisibility cloak. He silently cast the human-presence-revealing spell, homenum revelio?and could see everything Haz got up to while draped in the cloak. Sneaky.
Featured image credit: Getty.
Also Read
