The Potter Blogger

Harry Potter Misconceptions

Heeeey, how are my fellow Potterheads?

I've got a topic today that I'm itching to dive into, so let's get to it!

You already know what I'm gonna discuss from the chapter title. But anyway!

Here are my top ten misconceptions that people get wrong all the time and they just really bug me...

1: James Potter was a chaser NOT a seeker. I know it's confusing because in the first movie they said his dad was a seeker too, but they messed it up, people! He was a chaser!

2: Butterbeer is (slightly) alcoholic. Now I know what you're thinking. "Kids drinking alcohol? Really?!" But keep in mind that it's legal to drink in the UK if you're under 18 as long as there's adult supervision. Also, Butterbeer has so little alcohol in it that a young witch or wizard would find it very difficult to get drunk on it. House-elves are a different story. Remember Winky? 😉

3: Nymphadora Tonks was not a Gryffindor. Yup, that's right! People usually just assume she was a Gryffindor cause that's where most of the good guys were sorted, but not Tonks! She was a proud member of the House of the badger.

4: Ginny is not short for Virginia. While the nickname, Ginny, usually derives from that name, it is not the case with our precious ginger. Ginny is actually short for Ginevra. I think it's a pretty cool name, what about you?

5: Harry did not steal Neville's lollipop. This one is entirely movie related, and I won't be doing many like this but I thought it was important to mention. In PoA, Harry sneaks into Honeydukes using the invisibility cloak and you see him take Neville's lollipop while invisible. But...that's not what happened. The lollipop stuck to Harry's cloak as he passed! If Harry had taken it you would have seen his hand reach for it.

6: You don't receive your Hogwarts letter on your eleventh birthday. Your letter arrives during the summer of your eleventh year, but not on your birthday. It only seemed like it in the books because Harry's birthday is July 31, which is around the same time that the letters are delivered. Hagrid did pick eleven-year-old Harry up on his birthday but his letter had been delivered way before that!

7: The Yule Ball doesn't happen all the time. I've read way too many fanfics where the Yule Ball is just something that keeps happening when Winter roles around. It doesn't work like that. It's something that only happens when the Triwizard Tournament is going on! What's really annoying is reading fanfictions about the Marauder Era where the Yule Ball and the Triwizard Tournament are happening. Before Harry's fourth year the competition hadn't been played for centuries! It was discontinued in 1792!

8: The little baby that played infant Harry in SS is not the kid that played Albus Severus in DH. I'm sorry to burst your bubble on that one. I know, it's disappointing. That meme that circulated like crazy lied and made us all look like idiots. I don't understand why someone would make something like that but they did. *sigh*
It would have been so cool!

9: Ravenclaw's house colors are NOT blue and silver. I get it, they're pretty together. They make it look all elegant and stuff, but silver is not the secondary color. Bronze is. The movies changed it and confused everybody. They probably switched it because bronze looks too similar to the gold of Gryffindor, but still! Think about poor Slytherin! Silver is already their secondary color, so why steal it and make things confusing? Stupid Hollywood...

10: Ginny is not boring! Of all the annoying things people get wrong, this one takes the cake! Sure, she's super boring and one dimensional in the movies, but the booooks man! Book Ginny is spunky, athletic, fiery, supportive, smart, creative, brave, interesting, and she can cast the best bat-bogey hex you've ever seen! She's confident and independent! What did she do when her crush didn't pay her any attention? She moved on! She dated other people! She didn't put her life on hold for him or anyone else. What did she do when the love of her life broke up with her for her protection? She rebelled against the evil in Hogwarts and fought against the Dark Lord's forces! And what did she do when the trouble had passed and she could have just gotten married and relaxed? She was signed onto The Hollyhead Harpies! The HH's are a professional, all female quidditch team, and THEY'RE AWESOME! So let's give this inspirational girl the respect she deserves and not judge her by the movies.

So that's my list! Tell me what misconceptions bug you guys in the comments!

~The Potter Blogger