Which of These "Harry Potter" Facts Did We Make Up?

Ron Weasley in fact has six siblings: five brothers and one sister! Bill and Charlie graduate Hogwarts before Ron starts school, but he attends Hogwarts with Ginny, Percy, Fred and George.

As Harry and his friends discover, house-elves take care of the cooking and cleaning at Hogwarts, working behind the scenes to keep the school in tip-top shape. Some even fight at the Battle of Hogwarts.

J. R. R. Tolkien wrote "The Lord of the Rings," not "Harry Potter." That accolade belongs to J. K. Rowling, who was a struggling single mother when she published the first "Harry Potter" novel.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class seems to be cursed because no teacher stays in the position longer than one year! Harry's teachers are Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin, Moody, Umbridge and Snape.

Diagon Alley is a major wizarding shopping area in London where many Hogwarts students buy their supplies. Witches and wizards can access it through the Leaky Cauldron, an old pub.

Garrick Ollivander, the owner of Ollivander's in Diagon Alley, is a renowned wand maker. All young students starting at Hogwarts go to his shop, where the right wand will "find" them.

The Chamber of Secrets actually contains a basilisk, not a boggart. The basilisk is an enormous snake, and looking into its eyes will kill you! Harry Potter manages to defeat it his second year.

Cedric Diggory, one of the Triwizard Tournament champions, is a Hufflepuff. Many students resent Harry Potter for appearing to steal Cedric's thunder when he's selected as a second Hogwarts champion.

Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry's third year, is secretly a werewolf. When his "condition" becomes public, he resigns before parents start protesting his position.

The witch Hermione Granger is actually an only child, like Harry, although Rowling at one point thought she should have a little sister. Her parents are both Muggles (and dentists).

Cho Chang is a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts and Harry's crush. She dates Cedric Diggory and is heartbroken when he is killed. Later, she and Harry share a kiss, but their relationship doesn't last.

Neville Longbottom, like Harry, has a tragic backstory. His parents, Frank and Alice, were in the Order of the Phoenix, but Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters tortured them to the point of madness.

"I am Lord Voldemort" is an anagram of "Tom Marvolo Riddle." Tom Riddle was a talented wizard, but from an early age he was drawn to dark magic, seeking ultimate power and immortality.

Hagrid is half-human and half-giant, which explains his immense size. When he discovers he has a half-brother, a giant named Grawp, he brings Grawp to the Forbidden Forest to protect him.

Arthur Weasley initially works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, in part because of his fascination with Muggle objects. He's always quizzing Harry about common Muggle items.

Severus Snape gave himself the nickname the Half-Blood Prince when he was in school. It comes from his mother, Eileen Prince, being a witch and his father, Tobias Snape, being a Muggle.

Witches and wizards use owls to deliver their mail. As a birthday present, Hagrid gives Harry a snowy owl named Hedwig, who serves Harry faithfully until her tragic death from a Death Eater's curse.

Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration and later becomes Headmistress at Hogwarts. The no-nonsense witch helps defend the school with defensive spells at the Battle of Hogwarts.

"The Order of the Phoenix" is actually the fifth book in the series, not the seventh. It concerns the formation of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret resistance that fights Voldemort.

When Harry joins the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he receives a Nimbus 2000 from McGonagall. Later, after the Whomping Willow destroys his first broom, he gets a new one, the Firebolt.

Hermione is the owner of Crookshanks, who is half cat and half Kneazle. The clever cat is always going after Ron's pet rat Scabbers, perhaps aware that it's Peter Pettigrew in disguise!

An Animagus is a witch or wizard who can turn into an animal whenever they choose. Some Animagi in the series include James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Minerva McGonagall. But not Ron.

Voldemort gives Draco Malfoy the important task of killing Dumbledore ⁠— or else! However, Snape does the dirty deed for Draco. Later, Harry learns that Dumbledore asked Snape to do it.

Sirius Black is an Animagus, a wizard who can turn into an animal. However, he takes the form of a black dog, not a horse. He learned how to become an Animagus as a Hogwarts student.

Harry and his wife Ginny have three children, whom they name James Sirius, Lily Luna and Albus Severus. They clearly believe in naming their children after loved ones or friends they admire.

Harry Potter first meets Stan Shunpike on the Knight Bus, where he works as a conductor. The Knight Bus transports stranded witches and wizards and picks up Harry when he accidentally hails it.

Hey, this is "Harry Potter," not "Star Wars"! Severus Snape, while he harbors a lifelong love for Harry's mom, Lily, is not Harry's father. He actually resents Harry because he dislikes his dad, James.

Albus Dumbledore's brother Aberforth is most certainly not a Death Eater! While Albus and Aberforth have their differences, the latter owns the Hog's Head Inn and helps Harry sneak into Hogwarts.

Professor Filius Flitwick is the Charms teacher, not Potions. The diminutive wizard teaches Hogwarts students various charms, such as "Wingardium Leviosa," or the Levitating Charm.

Veteran actress Maggie Smith actually plays Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher and headmistress at Hogwarts. Julie Walters plays Molly Weasley, the mother of Ron and his siblings.

While Neville Longbottom is an exemplary Herbology student, he never does well in the Potions class. The most obvious reason is that he is terrified of Severus Snape, who is unkind to the timid student.

Bellatrix Lestrange, the deranged Death Eater and devoted Voldemort follower, is Draco's aunt, not his mom. Draco's mom is named Narcissa, and she's Bellatrix's sister but less evil.

As Harry learns on his first trip to Hogwarts, witches and wizards access the Hogwarts Express by running straight through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. That is, Platform 9 3/4!

Fleur Delacour does indeed marry a Weasley, but it's Bill, not Charlie. In "The Deathly Hallows," the two members of the Order of the Phoenix tie the knot and make their home at Shell Cottage.

Although the wizarding world has many delectable candies, Galleons, Sickles and Knuts are not among them! These are actually the three denominations of wizarding money. Ask a goblin for the exchange rates!