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Answer: Every wizard child is accepted to Hogwarts. It's merely the school's way of formally wording the letters to new students. For Muggle-born wizard children or ones like Harry who never knew he was a wizard, the wording may be slightly different. There are other schools of magic, but not in England. As seen in HP and the Goblet of Fire, there is also Durmstrang and Beaux Batons, among others. Also, not all English wizard children attend Hogwarts. Some study in another country or at home, though most go Hogwarts. Muggle-born wizard children are not forced to be trained in magic.

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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.

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Answer: No, they did not know about the magical world until after they were contacted by Hogwarts about Lily being a witch. Petunia, who had a long-standing grudge and resentment toward her sister's magical ability, is referring to how her parents were proud of Lily once she began her magical training.

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Answer: It is typical in a movie series for changes to be made from film-to-film, particularly concerning things like costumes, make-up, set designs, etc. It's a matter of trying something and later deciding it is not really working well. It may have been that the hats were just too cumbersome, were constantly falling off, and were affecting the actors' performances. Also, in the Harry Potter series, there were a number of different directors and each has their own artistic vision and often make subtle changes.

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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.

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Chosen answer: It's not known for certain, but Hagrid apparently arrived on the flying motorcycle that was seen at the very beginning of the movie. Presumably he parked it somewhere nearby and flew back to Hogwarts on it.

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Chosen answer: He doesn't know how to use a wand at all. Ollivander told Harry to give the wand wave to test it, and the wand is reacting a bit uncontrollably because Harry does not know how to use it properly and also because that particular wand is not suitable for him. When Harry tries the wand that he eventually buys, it is reacting favorably because it is choosing Harry to be its master.

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Answer: The debris from the exploding chess piece was not real; this looks like a combination of computer-generated special effect (CGI) as well some type of a light-weight material (such as Styrofoam) made to appear real and is tossed at Rupert Grint (Ron) from off-screen. Considering the stringent safety standards and precautions that are employed in today's film industry, particularly regarding child actors, and also the multiple times that scenes are shot to get it right, it is unlikely that this was anything that actually could have hurt him.

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Answer: That is Quirell (and Voldemort). He had just killed the unicorn, whose blood keeps Voldemort alive. Quirell was interrupted when Hagrid and the students arrived, and he was lurking in the shadows, waiting to get back to his prey.

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Answer: It was given to him by Dumbledore. James Potter left it with Dumbledore for safe keeping, and he passed it on to Harry.

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Answer: If there is any symbolic meaning to it, only J.K. Rowling knows the answer. One possibility, seven is a lucky or "good" number; thirteen is considered unlucky or synonymous with evil. By being together, they may balance each other out.

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