3 Clever Harry Potter Details You Probably Never Noticed

The Harry Potter books were filled with clever touches that added depth. Lots of readers knew Dumbledore was an old English term for a bumblebee, for example.

Other notable names include McGonagall – the Gonagall part meaning ‘the bravest’ in Celtic - and Severus, which is Latin for ‘severe’ or ‘serious’.

Latin was common throughout the series in spells and in the Hogwarts motto ‘Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus’ (never tickle a sleeping dragon).

These were the kinds of things Potterheads loved finding out. But there were some less obvious – but no less clever- touches that you may have missed:

1. The names of the three heroes

All three have names that include animals:

• Harry Potter - Otter

• Ron Weasley - Weasel

• Hermione Granger - Ermine

These animals are all part of the same family – the Mustelidae – which comes from the Latin for weasel. The only pureblood among them is Ron. So, it makes sense that his surname includes ‘weasel.

Harry is a half-blood who takes his family name from his father, hence ‘otter’ being present in it. Hermione, of course, was muggle-born. And her link to the Mustelidae family is in her given name.

In the end, though, both Harry and Hermione marry into the Weasley family. Coincidence? I think not.

2. Quidditch and the Battle of Hogwarts

Let’s be honest, none of us looked at Harry Potter when he first came onto the screen and thought, there’s a sporting hero. And yet he became just that. But the links between quidditch and the Battle of Hogwarts go far deeper than the young wizard simply being an unlikely hero.

Quidditch is a team game. There are small battles going on all over the place, with both teams looking to protect its own players while scoring points. But ultimately, there is only one player on each team who can truly decide the outcome. The seeker can end the game in one swoop – even if they are in many ways separate from the main fight that is going on around them.

That fight, of course, is important. Without it, defeat would be inevitable. But it’s all a background to the key battle between the two primary characters. A battle that ends with Harry catching the Elder Wand. Oh, and there’s the small matter of Neville Longbottom being an unlikely hero…

3. Eye colour

This didn’t translate to the big screen, but eye colours were important in the book series. You see, Voldemort’s eyes were red. And why is that significant? Because red is in the Gryffindor colours – and it’s the colour of Expelliarmus, which Harry was a big fan of using.

Harry’s eyes, on the other hand, were green. Not only does green appear in the Slytherin colours, but it’s also the colour of Voldemort’s favoured spell – Avada Kedavra.

Red and green are opposites on the colour wheel. So, the two were at complete odds with each other.

Source: Quora.