Countdown to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Part 1 Trivia

Yes, it might be a little geeky, but the film I am looking forward to this most is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Someone six years ago persuaded me to give the books a chance. Little did I know that I would be so engrossed by what Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling had written that I would read the first five books in less than a week. Not everyone has read the books, but instead enjoy the movies. Here is some trivia you may know, and others you may not.

• Harry’s birthday is July 31st the same as his author J.K. Rowling.
• Hogwarts’s school motto, “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus,” translates to, “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.”
• Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw.
• Harry first enters Hogwarts at the age of 11 in the year 1991. The novels take place between 1991-1998, although the dates are never really referred to.
• The first novel is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in every country besides the US, where it is titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic thought children would not read a novel with Philosopher in the title.
• In the Order of the Phoenix film Bellatrix Lestrange was to be played by actress Helen McCrory, but due to pregnancy was replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. In Half-Blood Prince McCrory plays Lestrange’s sister Narcissa Malfoy.
• Natalie McDonald, a young girl with a terminal illness wrote to J.K. Rowling to see how the series would end was sent a letter detailing the end of the series by Rowling herself. Unfortunately, the letter did not make it in time. However, Rowling produced a tribute to her by having her sorted into Gryffindor on page 180 or 159 if you have a UK versionof Goblet of Fire.
• Fred and George Weasley, the practical joke masters of the series, have a very appropriate birthday, April Fools Day.
• Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is the full name of Hogwarts headmasters. Dumbledore is an archaic word for bumbleebee. J.K. Rowling has said in interviews she thought it appropriate because she pictured him walking around humming to himself.
• Dumbledore defeated an evil dark wizard called Grindelwald in 1945. There was a wizarding war during the same time as World War II. Rowling has suggested that this is not a coincidence on her part.
• J.K. Rowling is the first person to become a billionaire from a book series.
• The 7th use of Dragon’s Blood is an effective oven cleaner.
• King’s Cross Platform in London has added a luggage cart with a sign of ‘Platform 9 and 3/4’ above it for fan photo ops.
• As of June 2008, the Harry Potter series has sold over 400 million copies worldwide translated into 67 different languages. It is the fastest selling series of all time.

So, what facts did I miss? Tell us in our comments!

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