Question: As pointed out in another question, most Muggles would be surprised to find out about the wizarding world. Surely some of them would think that their child's Hogwarts letter was a joke or something. So do all Muggles with Muggle-born magic children know where the children are going?
Question: Why do the Dursleys try to stop Harry from going to Hogwarts? It seems as though they would be happy to get him out of their house (except for summers).
Answer: Vernon and Petunia are very concerned with appearances and maintaining a "proper" lifestyle. The books describe how they want a perfect lawn. Vernon judges men by the cars they drive. Petunia keeps the home very clean, etc. They hope to ignore the Wizard world and force Harry to live like a Muggle. In addition to that, Petunia was jealous of her sister. She wanted to separate herself from the Wizard world as much as possible. When Harry begins attending Hogwarts, she can no longer do that.
Answer: Petunia and Vernon despise wizards and swore they would 'squash the magic out of him' (which obviously can't happen) when they took him in. They would rather have Harry around all the time and for him not to be a wizard than to allow him to go to Hogwarts where he would learn magic and be happy (It says in the books that the two things that Vernon Dursley despises most if magic and making Harry happy).
Why don't the Dursleys try to get Harry back if they don't want him to be at Hogwarts?
Because on the other hand they are glad to be rid of him.
Why do they despise making Harry happy?
Because they despise the fact he and his parents are wizards.
Or as Petunia states in the book "as soon as they had you I knew you'd be like them. A freak" The Durselys are very middle class who consider themselves high class. The fancy car, expensive house, private school for Dudley etc. And being associated with an outcast would in their eyes seriously hurt their social standings.
Question: There is said to be a curse on the Defence Against The Dark Arts teaching job, something like the professor will die within one year of teaching that subject. In a previous question somebody stated that Professor Quirrell was only starting to teach that subject the year that Harry started Hogwarts. But during the feast after the first years have been housed, Harry asks Percy Weasley who "that man" (Snape) is. He tells him that it is Snape, Professor of potions and then goes on to say "Everyone knows Defence Against The Dark Arts is what he really wants. He's been after Quirrell's job for years" This implies that Professor Quirrell has been teaching that subject for years. How is Quirrell an exception to the curse?
Chosen answer: Firstly, yes, there is said to be a curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching position, but the teachers do not "die within one year of teaching that subject" as a result of it. You see, Voldemort applied for the DADA position twice, once after Tom Riddle's graduation from Hogwarts and was refused, then years later as Lord Voldemort, and was refused again by Dumbledore. After Voldemort's second refusal to the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching post, no DADA teacher held the position for more than a year due to a curse that Voldemort placed on the position. Dumbledore stated "You see, we have not been able to keep a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for more than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort." When Snape first became a teacher at Hogwarts, he requested the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, but was denied it and made the Potions Master. Then every year, as each of the subsequent DADA teachers left the school, Snape reapplied for that position, but was denied year after year. By the time Harry came to Hogwarts, Professor Quirrell, who held the position of the Muggle Studies teacher for some years, had been made the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor after his year off (traveling to Europe, where Voldemort got hold of him). So when Percy says, "He's been after Quirrell's job for years" it means that for many years Snape has been after the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, which is Quirrell's new teaching position that term.
Question: Did Dumbledore and other Hogwarts staff know that Voldemort would try to return with the help of the Philosopher's Stone this year, so they transferred it from the bank to Hogwarts, and put such a big protection as the three headed dog etc.? Because I think it's a very big coincidence that after all this years that stone has spent in the bank, they decided to put the stone in school, and the very next day someone tried to steal the stone from the bank. It's like they knew that Voldemort would try to use the stone to return. And if they did, why didn't they figure it out and put protection on over the last 10 years, maybe the very next day when Voldemort was defeated by little Harry? It's really like Dumbledore knew that Voldemort will try to use it, and more important, like he knew that he will try to do it NOW, not in last decade when he was "half alive."
Chosen answer: Dumbledore did probably have an idea that Voldemort might be looking for the stone, but he knew he would never be able to find it as he wanted to use it (Dumbledore's own spell upon it). But the stone gave Dumbledore an opportunity to lure Voldemort to him. So, in order to lure Voldemort out Dumbledore hid it at Hogwarts, closer to him, telling the staff what was going on. Of course then Quirrell knew too and thus Voldemort as well which caused a dangerous situation right the next day, but the general idea was to lure Voldemort out of hiding and into the hands of the Hogwarts teachers. They didn't know yet that Voldemort was already inside Hogwarts as a parasite of Quirrell.
Answer: Dumbledore found out somehow that a servant of Voldemort was going to try to steal the stone. While the bank was a safe place to store something, Dumbledore felt having the stone at Hogwarts with the added protection of the teachers was safer and would be harder for any Death Eater to get inside the castle and past the protection. He had no intention of luring Voldemort anywhere. Hogwarts was safer than the bank and the timing of Hagrid going was easier.
Answer: Mostly right except Dumbledore was not trying to lure Voldemort out. Gringotts was a safe place to keep something, but Hogwarts was safer. Dumbledore would have felt better that the stone was safe in Hogwarts.
Question: Did Rupert Grint truly get nicked in the face by debris during the wizard's chess match? All google searches come back with blogs of personal opinions.
Chosen answer: Only people who know for sure, ie. cast and crew, have neither confirmed nor denied him really getting hit. As of right now it's up to speculation.
Question: One thing I've never got is why Snape is so rude to Harry when he first meets him in Potions class in this movie. I get that he hates Harry because he looks like James, and James and his friends made fun of him when they were younger, and Lily chose James over him, but if his love for Lily is so strong that he's willing to protect Harry (along with the other teachers and other people throughout the movies and books) for her, then why is he so horrid to him?
Answer: I always figured it boils down to doing the right thing in terms of the big picture, but that doesn't mean he has to like it, or be nice about it.
Answer: Snape was a complicated and conflicted man. His hatred for James Potter was so irreparably deep, it made him uncivil to Harry. Harry's strong resemblance and similar personality and temperament to his father didn't help. When Snape looked at Harry, he saw James. It wasn't fair or right, but it was a personality flaw Snape never overcame. Snape's undying love for Lily and his commitment to defeating Voldemort propelled him to protect Harry. Also, Snape's hatred toward Harry may seem extreme, but it is used as a literary device to create conflict and tension within the story. If Snape had acted kindly to Harry, it could have revealed his true intent and allegiance. Readers are deliberately kept in the dark about his motives and anti-hero character until the end.
Question: There is a Nicholas Flamel mentioned in "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. He's on the list of the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion (he's the 8th one, 1398-1418). I was just wondering if Nicholas Flamel was a real person and, if so, who was he? If he was alive at the end of the 14th century, then, if he were still alive today because of the magic of the Sorceror's Stone, he would be about as old as Hermione says he is.
Answer: Nicholas Flamel was, indeed, a real person, he did indeed research the Philosopher's Stone and his wife (as mentioned in the Potter story) was indeed called Perenelle. He travelled widely in his research, supposedly seeking the understanding of a mysterious book that he had acquired. On his return, he used his unsurpassed knowledge of alchemy to become very wealthy and became known as a philanthropist, donating large sums to hospitals and churches. As an interesting aside, his tomb in Paris is empty. One theory is that it was ransacked by people in search of his alchemical secrets. Of course, if he did manage to create the Philosopher's Stone, and it was widely believed at the time that he had, then there may be a far more interesting reason why his tomb remains unoccupied.
Question: Why weren't scenes of this movie filmed in chronological order? It is evident when Vernon grabs Harry who wanted to escape into his cupboard with his letter. When Harry shouted at Vernon, his voice sounded much deeper than in all other scenes, indicating that Daniel Radcliffe's voice started changing, thus confirming it to be one of the last, possibly the last scene to be shot. But this scene happens early in the movie, it is one of the first scenes. So why was it shot as one of the last scenes?
Answer: Because almost every film is shot entirely out of order, depending on schedules, availability, efficiency, etc. No point setting up a classroom set for one scene, then taking it all down, then a week later setting it all up again. All related scenes will likely be filmed at the same time. No doubt the likelihood of voices changes wasn't deemed as important as other factors, not least because lines could always be re-recorded and dubbed later.
Question: Why is it that Nearly-Headless Nick and some other ghosts can visit the Hogwarts students, but other deceased people - such as Harry's parents - can't?
Answer: Nearly-Headless Nick explains this to Harry in the book, Order of the Phoenix. After Sirius has died, Harry thinks he might come back as a ghost, but Sir Nicholas tells Harry that a person becomes a ghost because they were afraid to move on to the next world after dying and now are trapped on Earth. That is why Sir Nicholas and the other ghosts are at Hogwarts. He tells Harry that Sirius was not a man who feared death and that he has crossed over to the other side.
Question: I listened to the scene where Harry goes to visit Ron and Hermione at the end after he gets out of the hospital wing. Ron and Hermione apparently have a conversation that's not appropriate for a PG rated movie, and I turned it up as loud as I could, and I heard Ron say something like, "I have this black shirt." Can anyone tell me what he really is saying?
Chosen answer: While he stands at the top of the stairs with Hermione, Ron says, "I had a resurrection!!", referring to his 'near death' experience on the chess board earlier in the film. Some people mis-hear it as a reference to "an erection" which is why you may have heard people think it's inappropriate.
Question: Two questions. First, why is Hagrid sent to tell Harry about the wizarding world and escort him to Diagon Alley? Being a half-giant, he would attract attention from a lot of Muggles. Second, have no Muggles noticed that several children arrive at King's Cross Station with owls every year? The owls would be seen before the wizarding families approach Platform 9 3/4.
Answer: I would guess Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch Harry solely because he knew the half-giant would frighten the Dursleys, who wanted to stop Harry from going to Hogwarts. Hagrid was also on a mission to fetch the Philosopher's Stone from Gringott's Bank at the same time. Magic was apparently used to mask the comings and goings of wizards whenever they were out and about in the Muggle world. Sometimes people noticed odd things happening, but then tended to shrug it off.
Question: This question is about the book and movie. Why does Draco make an offer of friendship to Harry? His parents are on Voldemort's side. His father and his aunt are Death Eaters. Surely he considers Harry to be an enemy. If Harry had actually decided to join him, his family would have been very displeased. They would also suffer consequences if Voldemort returned and heard that Draco was friends with Harry.
Answer: Draco, still a child when he met Harry, would not yet fully comprehend his family's involvement as Death Eaters or Harry's specific connection to the Dark Lord. His father, Lucius, rarely shared important information with his son. Draco was also the type who would ingratiate himself to someone famous for his own benefit. Draco's cultivating a bogus friendship with Harry could actually have been advantageous to the Malfoys by gaining his trust and giving them closer access to Harry for Voldemort's purposes. The old adage, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," would certainly apply here.
One other possible reason, I think, it was suggested elsewhere, that the Malfoys did not believe that Voldemort would return, and thought that if Harry had defeated him then Harry must be a very powerful wizard and therefore they wanted to be his friend.
This indeed. This was cut from the movies (it's in one deleted CoS scene), but some people including the Malfoys wondered if Harry "defeated" Voledmort because he was another powerful, dark wizard Voldemort didn't want as a competition. That would make him very appealing to the Malfoys before it is confirmed otherwise. Especially since no-one aside from a few people knew Voldemort would ever come back.
Harry was only a baby when he "defeated" Voldemort though. Why would anyone think he was a powerful dark wizard and competition to Voldemort? I get that they might think Harry has some sort of hidden ability that caused him to vanquish Voldemort, but not that being the reason Voldemort tried to kill him. Everyone knew who Harry's parents were, and that's why he was a target.
Question: Snape informed Voldemort that there was a prophecy that a wizard would cause the end of his reign. What made Voldemort believe that it was Harry, when it could have actually been any wizard at any time?
Answer: It couldn't have been any wizard. The prophecy was very specific. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches" - so it was someone who was going to be born soon. "Born to those who have thrice defied him" - his parents must have escaped Voldemort three times. "Born as the seventh month dies" - and they must be born at the end of July. At this point, it could only have been Harry or Neville, as only they fit the requirements. "And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal" - Voldemort chose Harry because they were both half-bloods. "But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not" - this refers to Harry's amazing capacity to love.
Question: The Harry Potter Wiki website says that Hermione was born in 1979, if this is true then why is she starting school at age 12 instead of 11, especially with her being such a good student?
Answer: The Harry Potter Wiki says Hermione was born on September 19, 1979, the Hogwarts year begins in August which would make Hermione still 11 years old when she begins Hogwarts, she would then become 12 years old the following month. She still began Hogwarts at the same age as all of the other students, not a year later.
Question: I am confused as to why Voldemort went to James and Lily's house the night he murdered them. Hagrid says that he was gathering followers, but why was he particularly interested in making the Potters join him? Why confront them at their house and not just kill them later in a battle or something?
Question: I don't quite understand the moving portraits. Are they alive, are they Horcruxes or pieces of the subject's souls, or do they just say previously-recorded things?
Answer: They are not alive, nor are do they carry any piece of the subject's soul (or anyone else's for that matter) Neither are they just playing out some manner of magical-programming. They are normal paint-and-canvas paintings that have been charmed with sentience and to behave exactly as the subject of the portrait would have behaved.
Question: Forgive me, I haven't read the books yet. Do they explain how new Hogwarts students are able stop going to regular school in the Muggle "world"? It seems unlikely that several children, year after year, could suddenly miss school at age eleven (when they start going to Hogwarts) without the Muggles noticing.
Answer: In the UK, the age of eleven marks the point where children leave primary school and move on to secondary school. They do not all go together; children from a single primary school will end up separating and going to several different secondary schools located in their general area or even further afield in some cases. As such, the age of eleven is a very good point for children to surreptitiously drop out of their local system to attend Hogwarts, which could be explained to Muggle relatives and friends as a boarding school or other special educational facility without touching on its true nature. Hogwarts draws its pupils from all over the country, with only a hundred or so per school year. Given that a large proportion of these will be the children of wizarding families, who are generally home-schooled, then we're likely only talking about at most one or two children from any given area, which would be highly unlikely to be noticed. In the event that somebody does somehow pick up on it, it would be a relatively simple matter for the Ministry of Magic to make them forget all about it.
Answer: All Muggle parents whose offspring attend Hogwarts know where their children are going and that it is a school of magic. Initially they may think the letter their child receives is a joke, but they are also visited by representatives of the school who can demonstrate that magic is real. Most children have already displayed some type of magical ability, so the parents are not completely surprised. Muggle parents are sworn to keep the wizard world secret.
raywest ★