"Harry Potter" Numbers at the Movies Quiz

Answer:

In the "Deathly Hallows" movies, viewers learned the significance of the number three in the wizarding world. According to the "Tale of the Three Brothers", there were three Deathly Hallows - the Cloak of Invincibility, the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand. The legend said that whoever possessed these items was the Master of Death. While Voldemort took the legend literally in his efforts to avoid death, Harry's acceptance of death in "Deathly Hallows 2" made him the true Master of Death. He was the only person known to possess all three of the Deathly Hallows at the same time. Now, this was not the only time the number three stood out in the "Harry Potter" movies. The Harry, Ron, and Hermione trio formed quite a formidable threesome, sometimes called the Golden Trio, while there was also a Silver Trio of supporting characters that was comprised of Ginny, Neville, and Luna. There were also three unforgivable curses - Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra, as well as three tasks in the TriWizard Tournament (both in "Goblet of Fire"), a three-headed dog named Fluffy ("Sorcerer's Stone"), and three Peverell brothers - Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus ("Deathly Hallows 1").

Throughout history, seven has been listed as a number with special properties. Think of Seventh Heaven in the Kabbalah, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Seven Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church, seven days in a week, and 7 lucky gods in Japan; the list can go on and on. Seven was also an important number in the wizarding world, and in the "HP" books was repeatedly said to be the most magical number. Just think of the examples seen in the movies! There were seven Horcruxes, seven Weasley children, seven players on a Quidditch team, seven years to be a student at Hogwarts, and Harry was #7 on his Quidditch uniform. In addition, there were seven books in the series.

Harry was sure confused in "Sorcerer's Stone" when Hagrid handed him a train ticket for Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station. If it hadn't been for the Weasleys, he might not have figured out how to get to Hogwarts. Witches and wizards used Platform 9¾ to board the Hogwarts Express. The platform was concealed with magic between the Muggle Platforms 9 and 10, which appeared to have a solid barrier between them. Platform 9¾ could be accessed by walking (or running) straight through the barrier. Rowling has said that she chose the number because it seemed more whimsical.

Students attended Hogwarts after their eleventh birthday. In Harry's case, he began receiving acceptance letters ("Sorcerer's Stone) right before his birthday, but was collected by Hagrid a few moments after he turned eleven. J.K. Rowling probably chose this age for three reasons, some of which were connected to common practices in England today. First, in the UK this is when students transition from primary school to secondary school. It is also the time when many students may begin to attend boarding school. Lastly, it was the time in the wizarding world when a child's magical ability reached the point to where it could be confirmed and the child was ready for formal training.

Seventeen was the age when witches and wizards reached maturity. Professor Dumbledore was able to cast a protective charm on the Dursley's home to ensure Harry's safety; that was why Harry had to go back every summer, but the protection only lasted until he was of age. Magic performed away from Hogwarts was forbidden until that age, and it was also the time when the Ministry For Magic ended the Trace that was used to watch for underage magic away from school. When they turned seventeen witches and wizards could apply for a license to Apparate. If you remember, Harry's seventeenth birthday (July 31, 1997) in the movies was overshadowed by Bill and Fleur's wedding (August 1, 1997), and then was only quickly mentioned by Hermione when the three friends escaped to Shaftesbury Avenue when the wedding celebrations were interrupted by a Death Eater attack. This explained why Hermione was the only one who could legally Apparate - Ron had previously failed the test, and Harry hadn't been old enough yet to take the training.

Sirius Black ("Prisoner of Azkaban") was imprisoned for twelve years for a crime that he did not commit. Why? His reaction of disbelief after Peter Pettigrew killed twelve Muggles was hysterical laughter. It was taken as a sign of guilt by the Ministry For Magic, and Sirius wasn't even given a trial. Sirius was so filled with guilt and sadness that he had a complete mental breakdown. When he saw the picture of the Weasley's vacation to Egypt in the "Daily Prophet", he saw Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, and knew that it was Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form. Harry needed to be protected! His escape from Azkaban left everyone in the wizarding world in a frenzy; Sirius' mug shot with two runic symbols and the number 390 (some sources say 396, but it is clearly 390) was plastered on every wall. People were so afraid of him that there was even talk of closing Hogwarts!

Boy, was Professor Snape furious when he had to take over Professor Lupin's class in "Prisoner of Azkaban". He was so angry that his choice of lesson threatened to unveil Lupin's secret. "Turn to page 394!" The lesson and subsequent assignment were about werewolves. Now the movie didn't tell us that Snape was given a totally different topic to teach Lupin's students - but the book did. It also told Snape's motive. He was angry about Lupin being given the job as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and he also still held a grudge against him regarding their time together at Hogwarts as students. Hermione was apparently the only one who picked up on it, but once the secret got out, Lupin lost his job.

Hagrid should never have allowed Harry to go with him to Vault 713 at Gringott's Bank ("Sorcerer's Stone"), but how could he have possibly known that Harry had such an inquisitive mind? Viewers could tell that Hagrid was hiding a great secret, but it was not discovered until later that it was indeed Nicolas Flamel's legendary stone that could produce the Elixir of Life. Hagrid was to remove it from the vault at Gringott's in order to take it to Hogwarts where it would have better protection. Did you know that Harry Potter and author J.K. Rowling share the same birthday? Actually, 713 is an anagram for 31/7.

In "Sorcerer's Stone", Harry and Hagrid were shopping for school in Diagon Alley, and Harry got his first look at a Nimbus 2000, the best racing broomstick of the time. When Professor McGonagall observed Harry flying in order to retrieve Neville's Remembral from Draco, she knew he had the natural talent that it took to be the Gryffindor Seeker. She was so excited and such a Quidditch fan that she even bent the rules for first-years, allowing him to own his own broom - the Nimbus 2000 - which she personally gifted to him. Apparently she was tired of the Gryffindor team always losing and felt that Harry could make a difference. The next year Lucius Malfoy bought the new Nimbus 2001 model for everyone on the Slytherin team.

The Hogwarts Express sat in all its glory at Platform 9¾ in King's Cross Station, labelled with number 5972, which was the authentic official number of the train in real life. Built in 1937 by the Great Western Railway, the Hogwarts Express was actually called the GWR 4900 Class 5972 Olton Hall. The train was restored for use in the movies, and its traditional green color was replaced with red.

The incorrect numbers were thoroughly researched, and found to have nothing at all to do with "Harry Potter" movies.