THE world of Harry Potter has brought a whole new set of words into our vocabulary.

With the new film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in cinemas this weekend, you may want to catch up before watching.

So if you’ve ever wondered what on Earth a muggle is and are baffled by boggarts, read on and all will become clear….

 

 

A — Azkaban

The third book saw the wizarding community on high alert with the escape of a prisoner from Azkaban.

A maximum-security prison quite like no other, Azkaban is guarded by Dementors — creatures that consume human happiness, and leave behind only misery.

B — Boggart

A boggart is a creature that takes on the appearance of your biggest fears.

To defeat it, you have to make it into a figure of fun, rather than horror.

So when one boggart took on the identity of scary Professor Snape, Neville Longbottom imagined the Potions teacher — played brilliantly by the late, great Alan Rickman — wearing his grandmother’s clothes.

The sight was so ridiculous that the class couldn’t stop laughing and the boggart was no longer terrifying.

Students — one. Boggart — nil.

C — Chamber of Secrets

This is not a place that you’d want to be stuck in.

Found in the dungeons of Hogwarts School, it is home to a basilisk — or a giant serpent to you and me.

D — Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore is the headteacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Highly respected by the vast majority of the students, he is a very kind-hearted man, who always tries to make sure Harry is safe.

E — Eeylops Owl Emporium

Every Hogwarts student is allowed to have a pet at school, and Harry’s is Hedwig, an owl bought from the emporium.

F — Fluffy

Hagrid was in charge of a dog called Fluffy.

Despite his cuddly name, Fluffy was actually a three-headed guard dog. His weakness, however, was that he’d fall asleep at the sound of music.

G — Gringotts

Gringotts is the bank owned and staffed by goblins — there aren’t many of us who’d try to take our chances against them, so our money would be very safe there indeed.

Money in Harry Potter’s world includes bronze knuts, silver sickles and gold galleons.

H — House elf

A house elf is a creature who is essentially a slave, but extremely loyal to its human owner — Dobby is the most-famous one.

They have their own type of magic which doesn’t require a wand and is very powerful.

I — Invisibility Cloak

Harry has a cloak that looks like a fancy dressing gown, but renders the wearer invisible and able to spy on people — useful for adventurous types like Harry.

J — Jelly Beans

Bertie Botts was famed for his Every Flavour Jelly Beans, which really do cater for all tastes.

Green Apple? Yum. Watermelon? Delicious.

But how about Earthworm, Earwax, Vomit or Rotten Egg?

K — Knight Bus

Whenever a wizard finds himself in urgent need of transportation, there’s always the knight bus.

It moves at an extremely-fast pace and obstacles will jump out of its way.

L — Lightning Scar

Harry acquired his distinctive scar when he survived an attack by Voldemort. More of whom later.

M — Muggle

A muggle is a person born to non-magic parents. Being a muggle doesn’t mean you can’t become a witch, however, as Harry’s pal Hermione found out.

N — Nearly-Headless Nick

Nick is a ghost who lives at Hogwarts, and became known as Nearly Headless Nick when he was “executed by an improper decapitation”.

0 — Ollivanders

Every new Hogwarts student must pay a visit to Ollivanders, where they will get their wand.

As Harry was to find out, it’s the wand that chooses the wizard, and not the other way around.

P — Platform 9¾

This is the platform at King’s Cross station where the Hogwarts students catch their train to take them to school.

It is found by running towards a brick wall which conceals a secret magic entrance.

Q — Quidditch

Harry is the seeker on the school’s Quidditch team. He loves the game, which is played on broomsticks.

R — Ron

Ron, along with Hermione, is Harry’s best friend.

S — Sorting Hat

Each student tries on the sorting hat on their first day at school and it will assign you to one of four houses — Gryffindor (Harry’s team), Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and — boo, hiss — Slytherin, which is Snape’s house and also that of Harry’s arch-enemy, Draco Malfoy.

T — Teleportation

Teleportation is a method of travel used by wizards whereby they can disapparate (disappear) from one place and apparate (reappear) suddenly at another.

U — Uncle Vernon

Harry’s Uncle Vernon and his wife Petunia treated Harry badly and used to make him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.

V — Voldemort

Otherwise known as “He Who Must Not Be Named”, Voldemort strikes fear into the hearts of many magic folk.

However, when Harry was just a baby, and Voldemort tried to kill him, Harry became a hero, “The Boy Who Lived”.

W — Werewolf

And you thought this series was all about magicians . . . one of Harry Potter’s favourite teachers, Professor Lupin, is later revealed to be a werewolf.

X — Xmas Tree

Christmas at Hogwarts is extra special, with the Great Hall decorated with trees that are adorned with real live fairies.

Warm, dry snow falls from the Enchanted Ceiling. too.

Y — Yaxley

Corban Yaxley was a Death Eater, which was the name given to followers of Lord Voldemort.

The group consisted of wizards and witches who were radical pure-blood supremacists — they thought so-called “mud-bloods”, such as Hermione, had no place in magic — who practised the Dark Arts recklessly.

Z — Zonko’s Joke Shop

Zonko’s Joke Shop is a favourite shop for many students on trips to Hogsmeade, a local village they sometimes get to visit.

Ron’s brothers love mischief, and fellow students are often at the butt of their pranks.

 

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