20 facts you didn't know about Harry Potter

1 - Read Harry Potter and Avoid Those Pesky ER Visits

In 2005 a doctor from John Radcliffe Hospital conducted a study to see if there were less children visiting the emergency room immediately after books from the Harry Potter series were released. And he was right! Less that fifty percent of children visited the ER after a book was released than they had the week before. Of course, this might have something to do with the fact that they were all at home reading versus getting into mischief.

2 - Harry Potter Is Just Too Long, Said No One Ever

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone was rejected by publishers around five times before finally being accepted. The reason? They didn't think that children would want to read a book with so many pages. I bet they're regretting that decision.

3 - Rowling's Favorite Animal Is... The Otter!

JK Rowling characterized herself in the form of Hermione Granger. So, not only was Hermione's favorite animal the otter, but it was also the form her patronus took.

Fun fact: Ron Weasley's patronus was a Jack Russel Terrier, a breed of dog known for chasing otters.

4 - So... Deathly Hallows Isn't The Last Book Then?

In a 2005 interview with People magazine, Rowling announced that the final word in the series would be "scar," but the very last word in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is "well." Does this mean that an eighth book might be on its way?

5 - Allegedly, Hermione Liked The Smell of Ron's Hair

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Golden Trio were asked to identify several potions by Professor Slughorn. One of these potions was Amortentia, a potion whose scent is unique to each person. Many have often wondered what the third scent was that Hermione was too embarrassed to say and Rowling has suggested that it just might be the smell of Ron's hair.

6 - Rowling Hates Childhood and Innocence... and Cuddly Toys

Many people, including myself, were distraught after Hedwig's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. According to Rowling, the loss of Hedwig represented to loss of innocence and security. She had almost been like a cuddly toy to Harry at times. The Dark Lord killing her marked the end of childhood.

7 - Read Harry Potter and Learn (A Little) Latin

Expecto Patronum is Latin for "I await a protector," Bellatrix (LeStrange) means, "female warrior," and felicus (Felix Felicus) means "luck." But that's not all the Latin you can find and learn from in the series.

8 - 17th Century Books: Your Guide To Bizarre Plant Names

Rowling found a lot of bizarre plant names in a 17th century book called Culpepper's Complete Herbal. This book will not be found in your local library.

9 - Arthur Weasley Was Going To Die Instead Of Sirius

Initially in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur Weasley was supposed to die in the Ministry of Magic not Sirius Black. Because of this change Arthur got to live a long happy life...after seeing one of his sons die and another lose an ear.

10 - Dolores Umbridge Was Pretty Much The Worst

Stephen King has stated that Umbridge is the worst villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter, and coming from an author that wrote about an evil car and an evil clown this is quite the compliment.

11 - Rowling Named The Bus Crew After Her Grandfathers

The driver and the conductor of the Knight Bus, Stan and Ernie, are named after Rowling's two grandfathers.

12 - Rowling Was The First Billionaire Book-Writer

JK Rowling was the first ever person to become a billionaire by writing books. She is also the first ever author to lose her billionaire status by giving away so much money to charities.

13 - Some Not-So-Great Actors Could Have Been Cast As Harry

When the first Harry Potter film was being cast Haley Joel Osment and Frankie Muniz were in the running to play the role of Harry Potter.

14 - Spielberg Thought Directing Harry Potter Would Be Too Easy

Spielberg said that he, "purposefully didn't do the Harry Potter movies, because for me that was shooting ducks in a barrel. It's just a slam dunk. It was like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank account."

So instead he and Haley Joel Osment went on to make AI, a movie that didn't put a billion dollars into anyone's bank account.

15 - Tom Felton Auditioned For Both Ron and Harry

Tom had initially auditioned for the parts of Ron and Harry before finally being cast as Draco Malfoy.

16 - There Was A Lice Outbreak During Filming

As always happens when you have a large group of children, there was an outbreak of lice during the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

17 - Even Wizards Don't Get To Eat All The Candy They Want

When they weren't getting lice, the kids were sneaking candy and beverages on set using their cloak's large pockets. Tom Felton actually takes credit for this trend, so he's also to blame for the wardrobe department eventually sewing the pockets closed.

18 - The Moaning Myrtle Actress Was 36 Years Old At Filming

Shirley Henderson, the actress who played the ghost Moaning Myrtle, was at 36 during the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

19 - The HP Set Is A Dragon Friendly Location

During the end credits of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there is a bit of text that says "No dragons were harmed in the making of this movie."

20 - Harry, Ron, and Hermione are Harry, Ron, and Hermione

Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron asked Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to write an essay describing their character. True to form, Emma turned in a 16 page essay, Daniel turned in a single page, and Rupert? He simply didn't turn it in.