The most amazing Harry Potter facts – here they are!
Since the release of the first book in the series in 1997, Harry Potter has gathered millions of fans around the world. But when do you realize that you have become an icon? The answer is simple – when you appear in the animated sitcom The Simpsons.
This happened in 2003. Although Harry Potter is a legend, there are probably some interesting facts about the series that escape even the most ardent fans. That is why we have collected ten of the most curious details about the books.
The first edition

The first edition of Harry Potter
To date, the books have been translated into 79 languages and have sold over 450 million copies. You may be surprised to learn that Joanne Rowling has been turned down by nine publishers for the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone manuscript, arguing that the story is too unrealistic. Finally, a small publisher agreed to put out the book, but with a circulation of only 500 copies, 300 of which were intended for libraries. Today, these publications are a bibliographic rarity and sell for about $ 50,000.
The fake nickname

J.K. Rowling – the creator of Harry Potter
Prejudice seems to have prevailed in the 1990s. This is the reason why publishers try to mislead readers that the author is a man because they thought that a woman has no chance to achieve good sales. Thus appeared the pseudonym J. K. Rowling, formed by the initials of the writer’s names. Even more interesting is that the author’s middle name (Kathleen) is actually her grandmother’s name, and Joan adds it to her own. When she started writing crime novels, she used the male pseudonym Robert Galbraith because she wanted the success of the books not to be due to the popularity of Harry Potter.
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The case with “muggle”

What’s really a “muggle?”
For a word to be part of the Oxford Dictionary, it must have been used for at least 10 years. However, the word muggle is an exception. It was introduced in the first book and meant a member of the non-magical community, an ordinary person. Muggle was entered in the Oxford Dictionary in 2002, meaning a person who lacks specific skills or is somewhat mediocre. When Joan coined the word, she had no idea that in the early 20th century, it was American jargon for marijuana.
Natalie MacDonald

There are real persons in Harry Potter, too.
Did you know that one of the characters in the series was a real person? Wondering who he/she is? We will give you a hint – he/she is not one of the main characters. Natalie MacDonald appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The 9-year-old has leukemia and wrote an email to Joanne Rowling asking what will happen in the next book because she may not live to see it published. The author responded to the girl, but she died the day before. In memory of Natalie, Joan included her in the fourth book and then visited her family. It’s one of the saddest Harry Potter facts.
The dementors

The dementors – everybody fears them!
The creatures that suck people’s happiness and leave only their negative emotions, called dementors, are inspired by the author’s depression. Not only did she lose her mother, but she also divorced and was forced to use social benefits to support herself and her daughter. Joanne Rowling even admitted that at this stage of her life, she considered suicide, but what stopped her and gave her the strength to move forward was firstly the love for her child and secondly the dream of publishing Harry Potter.
The end

The ending of Harry Potter – how it looks in the movies
Do you know which part of the series was written first? Or rather, which chapter or which plotline? Some may find it logical and others strange, but it is a fact that the draft of the final chapter of the series was written before the first book was completed. The moment Hagrid emerges from the Forbidden Forest, holding the dead Harry in his arms, the Battle of Hogwarts, and how Harry accepts his own death, surrounded by the ghosts of his parents, are scenes that have been planned from the beginning. The reason is that Joanne wanted to know what would happen in the finale to build the plot on it.
Hermione is a self-portrait of the writer

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
You have already learned which character is a real person. And did you know that Hermione is not just a figment of the imagination? We will not torture you anymore, and we will reveal the secret. J. K. Rowling divulged that Hermione was actually a self-portrait of herself when she was 11 years old. According to the writer, the only difference between them is that Hogwarts’ student is much more cunning than her. Yet, both have an insatiable thirst for knowledge but are not famous for their patience.
Rowling drew inspiration from Latin for spells

The spells – everything is based on Latin
Rowling’s education at the university was helpful for the plot and for inventing most of the spells. They are all a combination of Latin words that explain what the spell is for. For example, the one for disarmament, called expeliarmus, is formed by the Latin words expelere (expel) and arma (weapon). Everything in the books seems to be carefully planned down to the last detail.
The names

The names in Harry Potter – nothing is a coincidence
The names of the characters are cautiously chosen. They reflect their personalities. Harry’s name reflects his leadership qualities and Ron’s – his ability to help. If we think about it, Harry is the abbreviated version of the name Henry, which was extremely popular among English kings, and almost every one of them named one of his sons that way. There is no denying that the choice is brilliant. Hermione’s name is taken from Shakespeare’s Winter Tale, and it is a sign of the desire of her Muggle parents to give her a name that would make her look more intelligent.
Stephen King

Dolores Umbridge – the ultimate villain in the books
Joan Rowling received recognition from one of the most famous and beloved authors of our time – the King of Horror Stephen King. He wrote a review for the fifth part of the series for Entertainment Weekly magazine. In it, he admits that Dolores Umbridge is the perfect villain. He adds that she is the best and most reliable villain invented after Hannibal Lecter because of her gentle smile, girlish voice, and frog-like face.
The series, which no one wanted to give a chance to in the 1990s, is now considered in the English-speaking world to be a reason for children to become more literate because the books arouse their interest in reading. Do you know any other exciting Harry Potter facts?