More Little Known Harry Potter Facts

Where did Harry Potter's father, James, get the Invisibility Cloak? Who lives longer: witches and wizards, or muggles? What is the official motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

If you would love to know the answers to these questions and more, read ahead for facts you didn't even know you didn't know!

Harry Potter's father, James Potter, inherited the Invisibility Cloak from his father.

JK Rowling says that witches and wizards definitely live longer than muggles! (Obviously this would have to be true, considering Albus Dumbledore is 150 years old!)

The motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is "Draco Dormiens Numquan Titillandus", which means, "Never tickle a sleeping dragon". Sounds like good advice!

In order to have the tail that Hagrid gave Dudley Dursley in the hut on the rock removed, Dudley's parents had to take him to a private hospital. According to Rowling, the nurses were very discreet and explained the strange occurrence as a wart that had grown out of control. A likely story.

No matter how much Hagrid wishes for it, Dragons cannot be domesticated.

There's more to the cats in Harry Potter than meets the eye. So, think about Crookshanks, Mrs. Norris, and the cats belonging to Mrs. Figg, the old woman who used to babysit Harry on occasion for the Dursleys. It sounds like this is going to turn out to be a very interesting twist!

How do the owls know when to deliver the Hogwarts acceptance letters, and more importantly, who to deliver them to? Well, according to Rowling, a magic quill detects when every magical child is born, recording their name in a special book. Then, Professor McGonagall sends an owl to each witch or wizard child on their eleventh birthday. Nifty!

For those who have always wondered how it was that Harry Potter was able to blow up Aunt Marge like a hot air balloon without his wand, author Rowling says that it is possible for witches and wizards to perform uncontrolled and unfocused magic without a wand. However, in order to do really good spells, a wand is a must.

Azkaban Prison is apparently located in a sea that sits North of the North Sea, a very cold sea.

As many avid Harry Potter readers likely suspected, the animal that an animagus transforms into is a reflection of that person's personality.

Muggle education is not required for magical children before they attend Hogwarts. Does this mean they are all home schooled until then? Clearly they all must know how to read and write before attending Hogwarts. This one is a little confusing. Perhaps they just "magically" already possess these basic skills?

And last but not least, for all those who always wondered how much wizard money was worth, the approximate value of a Galleon is five British pounds. That's $7.30 to us Americans, or 8 Euros, although according to Rowling, the exchange rate varies. (Retrieved 7/3/07 from www.mugglenet.com).

SOURCES (http://www.mugglenet.com/index.php)