40 Harry Potter quiz questions and answers

Are you a true Harry Potter fan? Here are 40 Harry Potter quiz questions and answers in four rounds of ten: spells and potions, Hogwarts and its houses, creatures and characters, and the books, films and cast. Use them for a quiz night, a classroom game or a family evening.

The series has sold over 600 million copies worldwide according to Scholastic, so almost every room has a die-hard reader and a film-only fan side by side. The four rounds below are built to keep both happy.

Every answer was checked against J.K. Rowling's books and the official Harry Potter website, and where the films do something different we say so. Grab a butterbeer and quiz on.

The quiz at a glance

At a glance4 quick answers

How many questions are there?
Answer40, in four rounds of 10
What is the format?
Answer18 multiple choice with four options each, 22 typed or spoken answers
Are the answers included?
AnswerYes, on every card, with the correct option starred
Can I host it live?
AnswerYes, with a free AhaSlides account (details below)

Round 1: spells and potions

Ten questions on the magic itself. Half are multiple choice and half need the answer typed or said aloud. Our pick: question 10, the Lockhart and Brackium Emendo one. It is the book's funniest scene and nobody sees the answer coming.

Set 1: Famous spells5 questions

1In the final duel at Hogwarts, which spell does Harry cast at Voldemort?
- a) Stupefy
- b) Expelliarmus
- c) Sectumsempra
- d) Avada Kedavra
AnswerExpelliarmus. Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounds on him because the Elder Wand will not kill its true master.
2Which Unforgivable Curse lets the caster control another person's actions?
- a) The Cruciatus Curse
- b) The Imperius Curse
- c) The Killing Curse
- d) The Confundus Charm
AnswerThe Imperius Curse. The three Unforgivable Curses are the Imperius, Cruciatus and Killing Curses; the Confundus Charm is not one of them.
3Lumos lights the tip of a wand. Which spell puts it out again?
AnswerNox.
4Which spell does Professor Lupin teach to banish a Boggart?
AnswerRiddikulus, the Boggart-Banishing Charm. It only works if you also manage to laugh.
5Which spell erases or alters a memory?
- a) Obliviate
- b) Legilimens
- c) Confundo
- d) Imperio
AnswerObliviate, the Memory Charm. Gilderoy Lockhart was a specialist, with unfortunate results.

Set 2: Spells and mishaps in action5 questions

6Which spell do Death Eaters use to conjure the Dark Mark in the sky?
- a) Sonorus
- b) Incendio
- c) Morsmordre
- d) Lumos Maxima
7Which spell does Professor McGonagall use to bring Hogwarts' statues and suits of armour to life in the Battle of Hogwarts?
AnswerPiertotum Locomotor, the Animation Charm.
8In their first-year Charms class, which spell do the students use to make a feather float?
- a) Alohomora
- b) Accio
- c) Wingardium Leviosa
- d) Locomotor
9What does Harry use to breathe underwater in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament?
AnswerGillyweed. Book versus film: in the book Dobby steals it from Snape's store and gives it to Harry; in the film Neville gives it to him.
10What happens when Gilderoy Lockhart tries to mend Harry's broken arm with Brackium Emendo?
AnswerIt removes every bone from the arm, leaving it floppy like a rubber glove. Madam Pomfrey regrows them overnight with Skele-Gro.

Glass potion bottles in different colours on a shelf beside lit candles — Round 1 done: time to restock the potions cupboard before the next round.

Round 2: Hogwarts and its houses

Houses, ghosts, platforms and secret passwords. Curious which house you would join? Try our Hogwarts house quiz for the full sorting experience. Our pick: question 16, whether the Sorting Hat considered Slytherin. It catches out people who think they know the sorting scene by heart.

Set 1: Platforms, heads of house and ghosts5 questions

11From which King's Cross platform does the Hogwarts Express leave?
- a) Platform 10
- b) Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
- c) Platform Seven and a Half
- d) Platform 13
12Who is head of Gryffindor house during Harry's time at Hogwarts?
- a) Professor Snape
- b) Professor Flitwick
- c) Professor Sprout
- d) Professor McGonagall
AnswerProfessor McGonagall, who also teaches Transfiguration.
13Which ghost haunts Slytherin house?
- a) Nearly Headless Nick
- b) The Fat Friar
- c) The Bloody Baron
- d) The Grey Lady
AnswerThe Bloody Baron. Nearly Headless Nick is Gryffindor's ghost, the Fat Friar is Hufflepuff's and the Grey Lady is Ravenclaw's.
14Which ghost haunts Hufflepuff house?
AnswerThe Fat Friar.
15In the books, how do students get into the Ravenclaw common room?
AnswerThey answer a riddle. A door with an eagle-shaped knocker asks the question, and there is no password to learn.

Set 2: Secrets, riddles and the Quidditch pitch5 questions

16True or false: the Sorting Hat considered putting Harry in Slytherin.
AnswerTrue. The Hat tells Harry that Slytherin could help him on the way to greatness, and he asks it not to.
17Who sent Harry his Invisibility Cloak, and when?
AnswerDumbledore, anonymously, as a Christmas present in Harry's first year. It had belonged to Harry's father, James.
18Where do Harry, Ron and Hermione secretly brew their Polyjuice Potion?
AnswerIn Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
19Which words wipe the Marauder's Map clean again?
Answer"Mischief managed." It opens with "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
20How many players does a Quidditch team have on the pitch?
- a) Five
- b) Six
- c) Seven
- d) Eight
AnswerSeven: three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper and a Seeker.

Edinburgh Castle, a stone fortress on a steep grassy rock under a cloudy sky — Round 2 done: Scotland has plenty of castles that could pass for Hogwarts.

Round 3: creatures and characters

From Fluffy to Fawkes, plus the people who keep Hogwarts interesting. Our pick: question 24, the cure for basilisk venom. The bezoar looks like the right answer, which is exactly why it makes a good trap.

Set 1: Beasts and dragons5 questions

21What lulls Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the trapdoor, to sleep?
AnswerMusic.
22Hagrid hatches a dragon in his hut. What breed is Norbert?
AnswerA Norwegian Ridgeback.
23Who can see thestrals?
- a) Only wizards from Slytherin
- b) Anyone who has seen someone die
- c) Only Muggles
- d) Only Hagrid
AnswerAnyone who has witnessed death.
24What cures basilisk venom?
- a) Bezoar
- b) Dittany
- c) Phoenix tears
- d) Mandrake draught
AnswerPhoenix tears. Fawkes cures Harry with his in the Chamber of Secrets. A bezoar is the antidote for most poisons, but not this one.
25Which dragon does Cedric Diggory face in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament?
- a) Hungarian Horntail
- b) Chinese Fireball
- c) Swedish Short-Snout
- d) Common Welsh Green
AnswerThe Swedish Short-Snout. Harry faces the Hungarian Horntail, Krum the Chinese Fireball and Fleur the Common Welsh Green.

Set 2: Creatures, disguises and Patronuses5 questions

26What kind of creature is Aragog, the giant spider Hagrid raised?
AnswerAn Acromantula.
27What kind of creature is Buckbeak?
AnswerA hippogriff, half eagle and half horse.
28Who impersonates Mad-Eye Moody for the whole of Harry's fourth year?
AnswerBarty Crouch Jr., using Polyjuice Potion.
29Which animal is Luna Lovegood's Patronus?
- a) A hare
- b) An otter
- c) A doe
- d) A stag
AnswerA hare. Hermione's is an otter, Snape's a doe and Harry's a stag.
30What is written on Dobby's grave?
Answer"Here lies Dobby, a free elf."

Portrait of a great horned owl with large yellow eyes perched on a branch — Round 3 done: owls carry the post, and no quiz night is complete without one.

Round 4: books, films and the cast

The questions where the books and the films disagree, and where the cast list matters. Our pick: question 34, the Devil's Snare escape. The book and the film disagree, so it settles the book versus film debate in one go.

Set 1: Books, wands and the Weasleys5 questions

31What is the title of the first Harry Potter book in the United States?
- a) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- b) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- c) Harry Potter and the Magic Stone
- d) Harry Potter and the Chamber Stone
AnswerHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The UK title is Philosopher's Stone.
32How many children do Arthur and Molly Weasley have?
- a) Five
- b) Six
- c) Seven
- d) Eight
AnswerSeven: Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. Ron has six siblings.
33What is Harry's wand made of?
AnswerHolly, with a phoenix feather core, 11 inches. The feather came from Fawkes, who also gave a feather to Voldemort's wand.
34How do Harry, Ron and Hermione escape the Devil's Snare?
AnswerWith light and heat. Book versus film: in the book Hermione conjures bluebell flames; in the film she casts a sunlight spell, Lumos Solem.
35Which actor played Severus Snape in the films?
- a) Alan Rickman
- b) Michael Gambon
- c) Ralph Fiennes
- d) Robbie Coltrane

Set 2: Casting, quick-fire and the joke shop5 questions

36Which two actors played Dumbledore in the films?
AnswerRichard Harris in the first two films and Michael Gambon in the rest. Harris died in October 2002, shortly before Chamber of Secrets was released.
37Which actor played Sirius Black?
- a) David Thewlis
- b) Timothy Spall
- c) Gary Oldman
- d) Jason Isaacs
38Who knocks out the mountain troll in the girls' bathroom, and how?
AnswerRon, using Wingardium Leviosa to lift the troll's own club and drop it on its head.
39How many points is catching the Golden Snitch worth?
- a) 10
- b) 50
- c) 100
- d) 150
Answer150 points, and it ends the match.
40What is Fred and George's joke shop called?
AnswerWeasleys' Wizard Wheezes, in Diagon Alley.

Stack of old leatherbound books on a wooden table in front of library shelves — Round 4 done: seven books started it all.

Tips for running the quiz

Start with round 1 or the platform question. With over 600 million copies sold, your group will mix lifelong readers and people who only know the films, and an easy opener keeps everyone in.
Decide before you start whether the books or the films are the ruling authority. Questions 9 and 34 each note a difference.
Save a hard question for a tie-break: question 24 or question 36 usually splits the room.
Play in teams of three or four, so a film-only fan can team up with a book reader.

Host it as a live quiz

Reading questions off a page is not quite the same as a proper quiz night. Build the same set as a live game on AhaSlides: everyone joins from their own phone with a code, answers land in real time, and the leaderboard settles who is top of the class.

AhaSlides quiz slide asking which animal is Luna Lovegood's Patronus, with A hare marked as the correct answer and chosen by six of ten players — A multiple-choice question from round 3, with the correct answer and how the room voted.

Sign up for a free AhaSlides account and start a new presentation, or pick a quiz from the template library.
Use the Pick answer slide for the multiple-choice cards and the Type answer slide for the typed ones, such as the spell questions.

AhaSlides typed-answer slide asking which spell puts out the light at the end of a wand, with Nox typed by eight of ten players — Typed answers suit the spell rounds, because players cannot spot the answer from a list.

Add a Word cloud slide between rounds as a warm-up or a tiebreaker.
If you would rather let people play at their own pace, go to Settings, then "Who takes the lead", and choose Audience (self-paced).
Click Present, and watch the leaderboard reveal who really knows their Quidditch from their Quaffles.

AhaSlides quiz slide asking which dragon Cedric Diggory faces in the first task, with Swedish Short-Snout marked as the correct answer and chosen by five of ten players — The dragon question from round 3 as a Pick answer slide.

AhaSlides word cloud asking which Harry Potter spell you would use every day, with Expelliarmus shown largest — A word cloud makes a good tiebreaker or warm-up between rounds.

Host your Harry Potter quiz on AhaSlides for free

Frequently asked questions

How many Harry Potter books are there?

Seven, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The first is called Sorcerer's Stone in the United States.

What is a good opening question for a Harry Potter quiz?

Question 11, the platform the Hogwarts Express leaves from, or question 33, Harry's wand. Both are easy enough to build confidence before the harder rounds.

Do the books and films ever give different answers?

Yes. Questions 9 and 34 each note a difference, such as who gives Harry the gillyweed and how the trio beat the Devil's Snare. Decide before you start whether your quiz follows the books or the films.

How long does a 40-question Harry Potter quiz take?

Around 40 minutes: about 30 seconds a question plus a short answer reveal. Play one round at a time if you only have 10 to 15 minutes.

Can I run this quiz for free?

Yes. Sign up for a free AhaSlides account, build the questions above and host live with a join code, or let players work through it at their own pace.

More quizzes to try

Wondering where you would be sorted? Take the Harry Potter house quiz.
For more films on the quiz night list, try these movie trivia questions and answers.
Fancy another family favourite? There is a Disney trivia set too.
Need a mixed bag of topics? Try the general knowledge quiz.
Want to host a whole evening? Here is how to host an online pub quiz.

40 Harry Potter quiz questions and answers to scratch your Quizzitch