I mean, we interact with the character for only on chapter, but in that chapter, she relentlessly bullies Harry, bad mouths an orphans dead parents to his face multiple times, and talks about drowning puppies.

Like, if anyone can threaten Umbridges spot as the most hate-able Person in the series, Marge is definitely up there. “Shame” we only get her for a chapter, so I’d still give Umbridge the W on that front.

So, re-listening to GoF, when the DEs are shooting green spells into the air at the World Cup, it got me thinking about how far those spells went before they fizzled out (if they ever did?).

Which got me thinking about the range of spells and how nearly all the magic we see someone personally perform in the series is close range. There are only a few that stand out to me as particularly long-range.

1. In PoA, Dumbles cushions Harry’s fall from his broom in Grim Defeat. We don't know exactly where in the stands he was, nor the height of the stands, but the goal posts are 50 feet in the air, so presumably the stands are around that high. If Harry was center field I'll estimate he was 100-150 feet away?

2. In CoS and GoF, Dumbledore, with one motion, sends all the tables in the great hall to the side of the room, then conjures something (sleeping bags or a stage). The Great Hall is never given a size, to my knowledge, but it is lit by “thousands and thousands of candles,” and all the tables can fit an entire house. So maybe a couple hundred feet? Idk

3. Any casting of the Dark Mark. It is not at all clear how high they go, but in GoF it states: “Harry didn’t understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign.” How high would that have to be? No idea. But below I elaborate on Patronus’ and why I don't think they count, which could similarly apply here.

Things that don't count for this in my opinion:

1. In HBP, Dumbledore in the cave surrounds the island they were on in fire. I originally thought it was the entire room, more or less, but no, just the island and themselves on the boat. The island is only about the size of Dumbledore's office, so that's not nearly far enough.

2. In PoA, Harry’s Patronus gallops across a lake to charge the Dementors, but as he's doesn't seem to be in control of it per se. In my mind, he casts the Patronus in front of him and it charges the nearest dementors across the lake. He isn't actively making it attack the individual dementors, it's just a Stag off its leash if you will. (but then again In OotP, he does tell his patronus to specifically charge Dudley Dementor, so… maybe?)

This also might apply to the Dark Mark it could be conjured directly above the caster, then rise to a predetermined height of its own accord. But idk, that just feels different to me.

1. Floo Powder and the Vanishing Cabinet. These I don't think count as ranged magic in this context, as the witch or wizard is only performing magic locally, then being moved by a magic item (the cabinet or the floo network) to another location.

And then there is Apparation… I do not know if this applies to this conversation at all. You aren't doing ranged magic per se…? I mean, sort of? You at the very least are not using magic to do something to something that is far away, which is the sort of ranged magic I am referring to, but it definitely warrants a mention.

Can you guys and gals think of any other instances of long-range magic that I missed?

Right now, my money is on either option one or two, as I'm not sure the dark mark even counts.

I know they can wash sheets and towels and stuff, but what about clothes? Do these rich families who consider manual labor beneath them wash their own clothes? Or is there some exception in the house-elf magic that says they can wash clothes without being freed? I remember Ron saying his mom wanted a house-elf to do the ironing, so how would they iron clothes?

So close to fifty, thanks to everyone that has enjoyed these!

As a reminder what this is and how it works:
Below are 7 sentences from the 7 HP books. I use a random number generator to pick the book and chapter, then hand pick a sentence that I think is decent. Not too long, too short, too obvious ect.  *** There MAY be repeated books in a set, but there will not be repeated chapters in a set. So there COULD be two from The Philosopher’s Stone, but they would be from different chapters! **\*
Scoring your points: It is 2 points for guessing the book, and 1 point for guessing the chapter, for a total of 21 points. It is obviously harder to guess the chapter than the book, but not everyone even cares to remember the chapter titles in the first place, which is totally fair and valid. So chapter titles are just a bonus point.
Below are the sentences and the answers hidden behind spoiler tags! These are fun to make, and I intend to make quite a few more if people keep enjoying them!

 1.”That’s all right, Professor!” Hermione gasped, massaging her throat. The Goblet of Fire - Chapter 12: The Triwizard Tournament

 2. Harry couldn’t see where this story was going, but he was listening raptly all the same. The Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

1. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, “All the time.” The Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 2: Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake

 4. “Everyone’s been asking me, but I haven’t got a clue. The Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 24: Sectumsempra

 5. “There’s summat in here that shouldn’ be.” The Philosopher’s Stone - Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest

 6. “I brought you flowers, ” he said quietly, producing a bunch of roses from nowhere. The Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort’s Request

1. Ron and Hermione practiced on the chestnut, while Harry watched. The Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 6: Talons and Tealeaves

I was just re-reading and realized that Harry never had time to take his apparition test. He turned 17 the day before the wedding, and then during the wedding they had to flee and started apparating all over England.

Speaking of, in the 6th book, Harry said Ron can take the test again with him over the summer after Ron failed the test during the year. I take it that didn’t happen either.

So Hermione is the only one of them that has passed the apparition test by the time they go off on their own. I suppose it doesn’t matter since they’re on the run anyway, but I’ve never noticed that detail before.

Doing another reread, there's a little paragraph that got me thinking.

When Bellatrix and Narcissa visit Snape in HBP, we see a description of Snape's house. His house is painted to us as really dark and lifeless. Definitely unpleasent overall. It's even described as feeling like a "dark padded cell". Now this could be overlooked as simply the apartment of a bachelor who just happened to not care. But I feel like its more than that.

I feel like the bleakness of the place is very much intentional. Its not decorated to feel nice to sit in. Its not meant to feel comforting. My theory is that, this is another demonstration of how regretful and miserable Snape is.

He doesn't feel worthy or deserving of good things. In his mind he doesn't deserve a well decorated living room. He just has enough to survive, enough to get by. He is here to do a mission and that's it. I just can't help but see someone who fully gave up on life or being happy ever again. And for so long, so many years of just "getting by".

Idk maybe this is reading into it too much or maybe it was obvious for everyone else but I really can't stop thinking about how tragic his life is. So I wanted to share and see what everyone else thinks.

Disclaimer: I am not saying hes a great person or horrible or this or that. I still haven't even fully decided how I feel about him. I just know for sure he suffered a lot and was very lonely.

We all know Rhaenyra is the rarest Targaryen ever, her feats are unmatchable. But, Book Hermione and Daenerys are a close second. They all have many similar characteristics such as diplomacy, savviness, intelligence, morality, honorability, compassion, and patience. 10 years ago, most viewers glazed and drooled over the incompetent men like Harry Potter and Jon Snore. In 2026, I'm so glad they decided bare minimum men don't deserve praise and they praise Hermione/Rhaenyra/Dany as the absolute queens they are :)

I’m sure someone has brought this up before but I’m just realizing.

He was either 15 or 16 when he killed his father and grandparents, as well as make his uncle believe he had done it. However, he was still underage so the ministry should've known he had performed underage magic outside of Hogwarts, his exact location, and correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they also know what spells the underage wizard/witch does? Is this explained?

On a relisten of the new cast version and it made me think, if this was a different year, or if Sirius didn’t break out and it was another year of a looming threat of Voldemort would Harry been able to go Hogsmeade?

I appreciate he still blew up his aunt so the Dursley’s wouldn’t have signed his permission form, but do you think that McGonagall or Dumbledore would have stepped in to allow it?

On first read everyone focuses on the fact that Harry needed to die and on Snape’s sympathy for that, but on reread I can’t help but pay attention to Dumbledore.

This conversation started with Dumbledore calling Snape to his office, but when Snape got there, Dumbledore didn’t speak to him right away. Instead he paced around talking to himself.

“Harry must not know, not until the last moment, not until it is necessary, otherwise how could he have the strength to do what must be done?”

“But what must he do?”

“That is between Harry and me. Now listen closely, Severus. There will come a time — after my death — do not argue, do not interrupt! There will come a time when Lord Voldemort will seem to fear for the life of his snake.”

Come on, you were the one who called Snape over to brief him, why talk about something that had nothing to do with him? Dumbledore was too anxious before saying the plan that sent Harry to die. He rehearsed it to himself to the point of ignoring Snape.

Along with how he snapped back at Snape's question and didn’t allow Snape to interrupt, you can see just how unstable Dumbledore’s emotions were.

“Tell him what?”

Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

...

Dumbledore opened his eyes. Snape looked horrified.

While explaining the whole plan, Dumbledore kept his eyes closed, shutting down his emotions. He couldn’t guarantee that with open eyes he wouldn't feel ashamed under Snape’s looks, or that he’d get through the plan without leaking how much pain it caused him.

Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter —”

“But this is touching, Severus,” said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?”

When Snape questioned Dumbledore, Dumbledore turned it back on Snape and asked about his feelings for Harry. This was partly probing Snape’s own personal growth, and partly deflecting, because Dumbledore had no face to say he loved Harry right after saying Harry had to die, neither cound he just lie and say he never loved Harry and just treated him like a pig for slaughter.

Finally, the tears after he saw Snape’s Patronus. Maybe they weren't just tears moved by Snape, but also from grief for Harry that Dumbledore had been holding back.

Dumbledore knew Harry would likely survive, and that only by destroying the piece of soul inside Harry could Harry kill Voldemort permanently and go on to enjoy his life. Yet the possibility of Harry actually dying, and the plan of “sending Harry to die” itself, still caused Dumbledore enormous pain. Yet he managed to hold back and carry out the plan after all. I think that's some delicate writing.

I've always had a little theory that a ghost could be destroyed by a dementor.

A dementor as we know can consume and destroy a person's soul and that a ghost is the imprinted soul of a dead person.

We also know that a ghost can be affected by powerful stimulus from the living world: like when Nearly Headless Nick is petrified by the basilisk.

I won't lose sleep if people disagree.

Harry can break rules and he's courageous. Hermione breaks rules and suddenly she's an annoying know-it-all. Interesting how that works. Ron Weasley is the perfect example of how mediocre men get rewarded for simply existing beside exceptional women. Hermione was saving lives, mastering magic, and carrying the war effort while Ron was having emotional breakdowns over whether she liked him. And somehow SHE was the annoying one? Like bruh get tf outtaaa hereee

If Barty Crouch was going to clear the board for Harry once he was in the maze, why (narratively) would you make Harry capable in the TriWizard Tournament?

We hear about how dangerous it is, how people died in prior tourneys, Dumbledore saying the age requirement was neccesary for safety reasons yet this underage kid with average magical knowledge at best just breezes through it.

I get he was assisted but even with the assistance, wouldnt it have been more interesting to see Harry (and/or others) get injured and show everyone how dangerous the tourney really is? Really build the stakes of it all.

For such a famously dangerous event, not a single person was injured in any serious way in all 3 tasks. Cedric doesnt count.

Not the only instance of the author making grand statements about historical events only for the present day event to be underwhelming. It was said the last world cup went on for 5 days only for the Ireland/Bulgaria WC to end in idk half an hour?

Hello!

I read comments on TikTok saying that Professor McGonagall bought Harry's broom with his own money.

​First question: Is this true?

​Second question: How could McGonagall have access to Harry's bank account?

Thanks for your answers!

GoF is not my favorite book but it has its moments. The resurrection was fantastic. Barty Crouch Jr is a great character. The TriWizard Tournament is a fun change of pace although poorly executed, imo.

But one thing that falls short is Harry and Rons fight.

The jealousy thing seems to be split in 2 par

One, it kinda comes out of nowhere. This is where the narrative style is somewhat limiting. We really dont see on the page where Ron feels that disparity between his and Harrys status. There are certainly moments but Ron seems to take them in stride. Then all of a sudden he cant take it anymore. I can understand a pressure valve type of situation but **show me** .

And secondly what did the fight accomplish? Ron comes back immediately after the first task realizing he was wrong but the fight wasnt about him being right. It was about deep seated insecurity. The kind that doesnt quickly wash away once it shows its ugly face. Sure they were inevitably going to reconcile but couldnt it have at least last through the 2nd task? String it out a bit and allow for some other characters to shine. Allow for Ron to be wrong but to also find some status in his time away.

Would you have changed anything about Harry and Ron's fight?

Lily dies protecting Harry. Hermione keeps him alive. Molly provides the emotional support. McGonagall keeps Hogwarts functioning. And somehow the men are the legends. PUH-lease. get these incompetents tf outttaaa hereeee. If Hermione were a boy, yall would call her a genius. Because she's a girl, yall label her annoying.

#48 is up! And no, I was. It having a stroke when I typed #4, that is how it appears in the book lol

As a reminder what this is and how it works:
Below are 7 sentences from the 7 HP books. I use a random number generator to pick the book and chapter, then hand pick a sentence that I think is decent. Not too long, too short, too obvious ect.  *** There MAY be repeated books in a set, but there will not be repeated chapters in a set. So there COULD be two from The Philosopher’s Stone, but they would be from different chapters! **\*
Scoring your points: It is 2 points for guessing the book, and 1 point for guessing the chapter, for a total of 21 points. It is obviously harder to guess the chapter than the book, but not everyone even cares to remember the chapter titles in the first place, which is totally fair and valid. So chapter titles are just a bonus point.
Below are the sentences and the answers hidden behind spoiler tags! These are fun to make, and I intend to make quite a few more if people keep enjoying them!

1. “It’s wonderful,” said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive. The Chamber of Secrets - Chapter 3: The Burrow

2. “He must’ve been Muggle-born,” said Harry thoughtfully.  The Chamber of Secrets - Chapter 13: The Very Secret Diary

3. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. The Chamber of Secrets - Chapter 17: Dobby’s Reward

4. “Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?” said Ron. The Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 11: The Sorting Hat’s New Song

5. “Where’s the cannon?” he said stupidly. The Philosopher’s Stone - Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys

6. “Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth. . .” The Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 26: The Cave

 7. “Oh, he just says it was a really good bit of magic,” said Ginny, shrugging. The Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 38: The Second War Begins

The answer to me is, HBP. Now, don't get me wrong, i've never hated/disliked this book, it has always ranked really high for me. But, only now after reading it now pretty much, i am completely surprised how much i love it.

I think to me, HBP was carried by its amazing ending and i just sorta thought the other stuff was okay. But now, dude this book it's just really engaging and frankly, impossible to put down. It's something to do with the writing, but it's just so on-point in this one, and you can tell the author really hit her stride. One of my favorite things, is that i like that it's sort of a spiritual sequel to COS, which to me is the worst book in the series, yet even though it takes alot from it, it makes it work way better than in COS.

One of my favorite things about the series, is the relationship between harry and dumbledore, and this book is a huge reason why, it's just so full of it. And ofc, you cannot forget the thing that really makes this book what it is, voldemort's memories. I think those flashback scenes are what solidified voldemort as the best villain to me, hands down.

Even the things that people hate on in this book, like the romance subplot, it doesn't bother me as much anymore! Sure, harry's monster in his chest is pretty cringe, but i find it funny in an ironic sense. And yes, ron and hermione's relationship is just full of drama, but buddy, i'm a sucker for this kind of BS.

There's so much to talk abt this book, because it's just jampacked full of amazing things and they all work so well. I always thought i preferred OOTP to this book, and in my mind i always compared the two. Because i reread OOTP and i was like ''it's amazing as well, and maybe even better than HBP!'' But then i started reading HBP, and it's no contest really.

Anyways, share your thoughts down below!

Specifically when being used on living things. The more I've thought about it alot of those spells feel incredibly messed up to be using on living creatures. Like turning a turtle into a teapot or when they're practicing vanishing spells on mice. Am I alone in feeling this is a horrifying practice?

I'm 34F , and I 've never read any of the Harry Potter books. I've been thinking about reading them for a long time, but one thing that's been holding me back is the feeling that it might be too late.

Most of my friends read the books when they were preteens, and I've been told that I shouldn't waste my time on children's books at my age. I have also always wanted to read the series in English rather than in my native language.

For those of you who first read the books as adults, what was your experience like ? I'd love to hear your thoughts whether you first read as a child or an adult ? Are they worth reading at my age ?

Sometimes I see people say "Harry had already been told Voldemort would mislead him / his visions might be fake," but I'm afraid he hadn't.

In the first Occlumency lesson, Harry asked what this was for, and he got:

'The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings. He has also deduced that the process is likely to work in reverse; that is to say, he has realised that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return–'

'And he might try and make me do things?' asked Harry. 'Sir?' he added hurriedly.

'He might,' said Snape, sounding cold and unconcerned. 'Which brings us back to Occlumency.'

This might lead Harry to believe Occlumency was meant to stop Voldemort from spying on him, leaking Order information, or possessing and controlling him, like what Voldemort did at the Ministry.

But in the end, Voldemort used Harry's access to his thoughts to mislead Harry into doing things, not his access to Harry's thoughts to make Harry do things.

I think this conversation is a red herring, misleading both Harry and readers about what Voldemort's plan might be. But once readers know Voldemort's real scheme, it's easy to overlook this part.

-

The second purpose of Occlumency as Harry understood it, was to stop him from seeing visions again.

However, nobody ever said the visions might be fake. On the contrary, since GoF, basically every dream Harry had had proved real, and even after he started learning Occlumency, events kept reinforcing how reliable his dreams were: Snape panicked when Harry mentioned the Department of Mysteries, and Hermione used his dreams to (correctly) deduce the truth about Bode and about Podmore. (Which was a bit sadly ironic, given that later it was Hermione again who correctly pointed out Harry's vision might be fake, but this time she couldn't convince him.)

And all year, Harry had been told he couldn't know certain real information, so it was only natural he'd assume the visions were just another piece of real information he was being kept from.

I have never owned the harry potter books and i was thinking about buying them. There’s so many different illustrations and i can’t decide.
So can yall suggest the best ones? I like the ones that have the magical feel to them and have some type of illustrations.

Hi All,

Would anyone know if it’s possible to get just the exclusive prints / posters that come along with Jim Kay’s illustrated version of the books?
Bloomsbury UK sells it with the books, but unfortunately they do not ship to Ireland. And I already have the books. I am looking for the prints/posters that came along with it.

Thanks.