Test Your Harry Potter Trivia: How Well Do You Know the Wizarding World?

Hollywood special effects teams, costume designers, lighting technicians and other modern day wizards may have done a spectacular job bringing the first five of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books to life, but their efforts are only a weak shadow compared to the depth and richness of the more than 4,000 pages of the seven books. From the first page when eager readers are introduced to the secret world of witches and wizards to the last chapter that fills in the peace of Harry's adulthood, the wizarding world is far more intricate than even the biggest blockbuster movies can portray. But what Harry Potter trivia are fans missing when they train their eyes on the silver screen rather than twitch their fingers through these seven massive books? What mysteries are only hinted at through carefully scripted lines that are fully revealed through plot, characterization, and dialogue?

At the same time, readers have a much greater appreciation for the subtleties of the movies and the details they bring to life than viewers who simply accept the script as whole and complete. Just like any book-turned-movie, the Harry Potter movies lack many delicate subplots, clever twists, and layers of meaning and action that have enchanted readers for more than a decade.

The trivia questions below are only a few of those that can be answered between the covers of the Harry Potter books. To prevent spoilers for intrigued, would-be readers, the answers are still hidden in the pages of the books, while true book fans can test their familiarity of wizarding lore by answering these Harry Potter trivia questions themselves. Extra points for naming page numbers with the answers!

Why does Dudley have a second bedroom?

The movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets introduces this idea, but readers of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone know why.

Who is Mrs. Figg?

This character is critical to Harry's Hogwarts attendance in the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but she is well known to readers years before when she appears in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

What happens to the hippogriff, Buckbeak?

Sirius Black flies off into the night on this condemned and highly misunderstood creature, but after that fateful escape from the dementors' kiss, what happens to the valiant beast?

How does Sirius Black escape from Azkaban Prison?

Readers and viewers alike know how clever Sirius Black is, but when dementors are such vile creatures as to drain all hope and happiness from nearby souls, how did he sustain himself and eventually escape from the wizard prison?

Why does Harry's patronus charm manifest itself as a stag?

Harry, who has never been on a camping vacation and likely never seen a stag (though perhaps he did glimpse one during the visit to the zoo on Dudley's birthday), still produces a brilliant one to ward off dementors, but how is it connected to him?

What magic can change hair color and face shape?

One of the most colorful characters of the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Nymphadora Tonks, demonstrates a keen magical skill to change her hair color and face shape, so why didn't Harry, Ron, and Hermione do the same when they needed to imitate Crabbe and Goyle in the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

When and why was the Shrieking Shack built?

As the most haunted building in Britain, the Shrieking Shack has a remarkably blank history, though readers of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will understand how the Shack came to be and why it has a tunnel connecting it to the Hogwarts grounds.

How does Severus Snape protect the Sorcerer's Stone?

In the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Professor Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone, yet there is no evidence of a protective potion when they venture through the trap door. What is missing, or is Snape truly evil and helping turn the stone over to the Dark Lord?

Who wrote the Marauder's Map?

With labels on secret passages and magical tags on all Hogwarts residents and guests, the Marauder's Map is a true feat of magical engineering, but who exactly are Messieurs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs?

What does a freed house elf do?

After Harry tricks Lucius Malfoy into presenting his house elf, Dobby, with a sock, the elf is free of his enslavement. But what becomes of the humble and helpful creature? The answer is revealed in the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, though movie viewers will never know.

Why can't muggles find the Quidditch World Cup?

With thousands of wizards gathering for the biggest sporting event of the year at the Quidditch World Cup, why can't muggles find it? Protective charms and portkey schedules only go so far, and readers of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire know there is more to the site's protection.

What happens to the house Quidditch teams during Harry's fourth and fifth years at school?

The movies are woefully blank on this point, considering how students and teachers alike cheer on the house Quidditch teams and how critical game victories are to the House Cup, but readers will understand why the sport was suspended for those years. Or was it?

Why is Hagrid carrying dead roosters in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

Twice during the movie the school's gamekeeper is toting along dead roosters, but what is killing them, and why? Anyone who reads the book will know.

What are the Weasley twins' business plans?

After their spectacular exit during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Fred and George plan to venture outside the world of academic achievement. But where do they plan to go, how do they pay for their new lifestyle, and how successful are their efforts? In fact, isn't it a bit strange that the school's two biggest troublemakers don't plan more of a ruckus before their grand finale? Readers of the book know the truth.

These are just a few loose ends and unanswered questions that movie fans can't resolve without delving into the much deeper magic of the Harry Potter books. And there are many more questions movie goers don't even know to ask, such as...

What club does Hermione start?

What career advice is Harry given?

Who becomes a Gryffindor prefect?

After Professor Trelawney is dismissed, who takes over Divination classes?

What becomes of Gilderoy Lockhart?

What ghost "peeves" Mr. Filch off the most?

Of course, movie goers cannot answer the biggest questions of all - what happens to Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter when they finally battle? Those answers are buried deep within the final book, and while readers already know the truth behind the trivia, the secrets will be hidden from the silver screen until 2010, the projected release date for the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Even before then, movie fans must wait until 2008 for the sixth movie in the series to be released, but why wait, when the books are begging to be read today? Open the cover, and new readers will find more magic than they ever suspected.