A Very Punny Harry Potter Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sirius

Sirius Black is the prisoner of Azkaban that the book gets its name from. His name is taken from the star Sirius. Also known as the Dog Star, Sirius is the brightest star in our night sky, and is part of the constellation Canis Major ("the Greater Dog" in Latin).

Sirius Black's name suits him very well: he is an animagus, and can change into a dog at will. When Harry first sees Sirius, he is in his dog shape, after Harry leaves the Dursleys' home at the beginning of the book. Consequently, Sirius is often mistaken for the Grim, a spirit dog that appears to the seer when the seer is going to die soon. Fortunately, after Harry and Sirius meet in person and misunderstandings are resolved, they become friends.

Answer: Remus is one of twin baby boys who were nursed by a wolf in Roman legend

Remus Lupin's first name comes from a Roman legend in which twin baby boys, Romulus and Remus, were abandoned by their mother but nursed by a she-wolf. Romulus grew up to kill his brother and found the city of Rome. As a nod to this legend, Lupin uses Romulus as a code name in book seven, "The Deathly Hallows".

Remus Lupin is the first Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that Harry likes. The two previous professors, Professor Quirrel and Professor Lockhart, were a servant of Voldemort and a fraud respectively, but Professor Lupin has genuine knowledge, as well as having been a friend of Harry's parents. Lupin teaches Harry some valuable spells and skills which come in handy later, such as the summoning of a Patronus to repel Dementors. Unfortunately, once it is discovered by others that he is a werewolf, he decides to leave Hogwarts before the students' parents demand that he leave.

Answer: A feeling of annoyance at an imagined insult

Professor Dolores Umbridge first appeared in the fifth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". She reappears in each book after that. She is a terrible teacher, and is more concerned with discipline than in teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts; in fact, she becomes High Inquisitor at Hogwarts in the Ministry of Magic's attempt to control teaching at the school.

Her name, so similar to "umbrage", is very appropriate. She takes pleasure in holding power, and any slight or insult that she imagines results in a nasty punishment for the student. Her tyranny and refusal to teach proper Defense Against the Dark Arts results in Harry and his friends forming Dumbledore's Army, a group determined to teach themselves defensive magic.

Answer: Both of these

The Nimbus 2000 was Harry's first broom, given to him by Professor Minerva McGonnagall in the first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone". Harry's love of flying is evident from his very first flying lesson with Madame Hooch, when he snatches Neville's Remembrall from Draco Malfoy mid-air. Professor McGonnagall witnesses his talent and immediately enlists him to play for Gryffendor, her house Quidditch team. The Nimbus 2000 lasts Harry until the third book, "The Prisoner of Azkaban", when it is smashed.

The name of Nimbus is no coincidence; also known as a nimbostratus cloud, it is a type of cloud that produces rain or other wet weather. Clearly, J.K. Rowling chose it as a perfect name for flying wizards and witches to the skies. In its similarity to the word "nimble", it also references the broom's speed and agility. Harry wins many games on this broom!

Answer: Squibs

The designation squib for someone from a wizarding family who is not a wizard is very appropriate. J.K. Rowling borrowed the name from the term "squib load", "squib round", or simply "squib", which is a firearms or explosives malfunction. If there is not enough explosive force to set off the firearm, it is considered a squib load. Similar to this, in the wizarding world, a squib is someone who doesn't have enough magic to be a witch or wizard.

There are some famous Squibs in the Harry Potter books, including Filch the Hogwarts caretaker. Neville was believed to have been a Squib when he was a child, but after having been dropped out of a window by an uncle, he bounced, revealing his magical side.

Answer: To betray or tell on someone else

To snitch is a slang term that usually means to tell on someone else. A snitch is someone who does this. The Golden Snitch is never cooperative with the Seeker, always trying to lead him or her on and avoid capture. However, J.K. Rowling could have been punning on a different term as well--to snatch, which a Seeker has to try and do to catch the Golden Snitch!

Harry is the Seeker for the Gryffendor Quiddich team while at Hogwarts, and has many memorable encounters with the Snitch. During his first game, it ends up in his mouth and he almost swallows it!

Answer: Crucio

"Crucio", also known as the Cruciatus Curse, is one of the three Unforgivable Curses in the Harry Potter series, the others being "Avada Kadavra" (the Killing Curse), and "Imperius" (a curse to control the victim). Coming from the Latin term for pain or torture, "crucio" is the Torture Curse. It also sounds a lot like "excruciating", which means extreme or horrible, and is usually used to describe pain, and "crucify", a very painful method of torture and death.

"Crucio" is used several times throughout the series. Notably, it was prolonged subjection to this curse that made Neville Longbottom's parents lose their memories.

Answer: Abra Cadabra

You've probably heard "Abra Cadabra" before. It's a classic magician line, often spoken while waving a wand over the magician's hat, hoping to change whatever is inside of it into something else. In Harry Potter, however, this harmless spell is turned into one of the Unforgivable Curses--the Killing Curse. Several of Harry's friends fall to this curse over the course of the series. Author J.K. Rowling makes the comparison more disturbing by reworking "Cadabra" into "Kadavra", which sounds very similar to cadaver, the scientific term for a dead human body.

Answer: Filch

Argus Filch is the caretaker of Hogwarts, a Squib. He is aided by his faithful cat, Mrs. Norris, who stalks about the halls and reports unlawful student behavior to Filch. His name is very appropriate; "to filch" means to steal or take away, and he often takes possessions that he considers improper away from students. He had confiscated the Marauder's Map, which Fred and George Weasley later stole out of his office, eventually giving it away to Harry in the third book.

Flich's first name is also interesting. True to his nature of spying on others, Argus references a figure in Greek mythology known as Argus or Argos Panoptes, a giant with eyes all over his body whoe was responsible for guarding Io, a priestess to the goddess Hera. Sometimes it seems like Filch is always watching, too!

Answer: Beautiful wands or sticks

Beauxbatons is literally translated into English as "beautiful sticks", or, in this case, wands. It's an appropriate name for a wizarding school using wands! A delegation from Beauxbatons is sent to Hogwarts to attend the Triwizard Tournament, accompanied by headmistress Madame Olympe Maxime.

As the fourth contestant for the Triwizard Tournament, Harry goes up against Beauxbatons representative Fleur Delacour to compete for first place.