Harry Potter Quiz

The Sorting Hat weighs up Slytherin, but Harry pleads against it. Which house?

• Gryffindor
• Ravenclaw
• Slytherin
• Hufflepuff

Answer: Gryffindor. Gryffindor. The Hat listens, and Harry's own choice ends up deciding it.

In his first year Harry becomes the youngest player in a century. Which position?

• Chaser
• Seeker
• Beater
• Keeper

Answer: Seeker. Seeker, the one who chases the Golden Snitch.

At King's Cross station in London, fans queue to be photographed pushing a luggage trolley half-swallowed by a brick wall. Which platform sign hangs above it?

• Platform 7½
• Platform 10¾
• Platform 9¾
• Platform 9½

Answer: Platform 9¾. Platform 9¾, where the Hogwarts Express leaves from in the books. The trolley stands on the station concourse next to the Harry Potter Shop.

Hagrid bought him off 'a Greek chappie' in a pub. Name the three-headed guard dog.

• Fluffy
• Norbert
• Fang
• Buckbeak

Answer: Fluffy. Fluffy, guarding the trapdoor to the Philosopher's Stone. Play him music and he falls asleep.

Lupin hands out chocolate after an encounter with these Azkaban guards. Name them.

• Boggarts
• Dementors
• Inferi
• Thestrals

Answer: Dementors. Dementors feed on happiness, and chocolate is the wizarding first aid for them.

Lupin calls it too risky, but Harry wins his final duel with it. Name the spell.

• Expelliarmus
• Alohomora
• Stupefy
• Expecto Patronum

Answer: Expelliarmus. Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm, Harry's signature right to the end.

In 2003 the Oxford English Dictionary added a word from the books, defining it as a person who lacks a particular skill. Which word?

• Squib
• Auror
• Patronus
• Muggle

Answer: Muggle. Muggle, Rowling's word for someone with no magic. Hackers and geocachers now use it for outsiders too.

In 1998 the American publisher changed the first book's title, worried that readers would not link one word with magic. Harry Potter and the ___ Stone?

• Wizard's
• Alchemist's
• Magician's
• Sorcerer's

Answer: Sorcerer's. Sorcerer's Stone replaced Philosopher's Stone in the US, and the first film kept it. Rowling later said she wished she hadn't agreed.

Open the Marauder's Map with 'I solemnly swear that I am...' what?

• Ready for mischief
• Loyal to Hogwarts
• Up to no good
• A true Marauder

Answer: Up to no good. Up to no good. Then "Mischief managed" wipes it blank again.

The Hogwarts Express crosses this viaduct in the films. Which country is it in?

• Scotland
• England
• Wales
• Ireland

Answer: Scotland. The Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands appears in four of the films.

Hermione ___ Granger. Fill in her middle name.

• Rose
• Grace
• Jane
• Jean

Answer: Jean. Jean. Her full name is Hermione Jean Granger.

Three of these held pieces of Voldemort's soul. The odd one out destroyed them. Which?

• Hufflepuff's cup
• Ravenclaw's diadem
• Gryffindor's sword
• Slytherin's locket

Answer: Gryffindor's sword. Gryffindor's sword. Soaked in basilisk venom, it destroyed Horcruxes; it was never one.

Before Michael Gambon, Dumbledore was played in two films by an actor who died in 2002. Who?

• Ian McKellen
• Richard Harris
• Peter O'Toole
• Christopher Lee

Answer: Richard Harris. Richard Harris. Chamber of Secrets was his final film.

The real-life sport where players run with a broom between their legs renamed itself in 2022, partly because Warner Bros. owns the old name. What is it called now?

• Broomball
• Snitchball
• Quadball
• Hoopball

Answer: Quadball. Quadball, named for its four balls and four positions. The leagues also wanted distance from J.K. Rowling.

In 2013 The Cuckoo's Calling, a crime novel credited to a former military policeman, was unmasked as J.K. Rowling's work. Which pen name had she used?

• Newt Scamander
• Kennilworthy Whisp
• Lewis Thorne
• Robert Galbraith

Answer: Robert Galbraith. Robert Galbraith. The Sunday Times uncovered it, and the Cormoran Strike books still carry that name.