We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Fans shocked to learn Harry Potter doesn’t cast spells in first movie

Harry Potter doesn't cast any spells during his first year at Hogwarts, and fans off the fantasy movies are flabbergasted by this fact

Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The Harry Potter movies tell the story of a young boy attending wizarding school so he can learn magic to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. Whoever’s in charge of inspecting teachers in the Wizarding World could probably do with swinging by Hogwarts because there are big problems at that school.

Oh, and we’re not talking about how absurdly dangerous it is teaching kids magic or the fact the headmaster Dumbledore is clearly a lunatic. We’re not even going to mention the fact that Wizard Hitler basically attacks every Spring. No, we’re concerned about the standard of education those young witches and wizards are getting in the fantasy movies.

You see, it turns out that after spending a good few months at Hogwarts, Harry Potter was incapable of casting a single spell. Or at least in The Philosopher’s Stone, we don’t see him use a single magical spell. The closest he gets is after getting his sticky mits on a wand, and some papers fly about. Now you may be thinking we’re wrong but we’re not, and you’re not alone in being shocked.

The biggest Harry Potter fans on Reddit were equally surprised when this was pointed out to them. Most people were shocked to find out writing things like ‘nooo’ and ‘surely that’s wrong’.

Thankfully cooler heads were there to back up this piece of trivia. Sere1, a Ravenclaw according to her Reddit name, actually broke down the first time you see Harry use magic in the adventure movies.

“It isn’t until the Dueling Club scene in Chamber of Secrets that Harry casts his first intentional spell, Rictumsempra,” they wrote. “Everything prior to it he either failed (he couldn’t get Wingardium Leviosa to work in the first film), accidental magic (the vanishing glass at the zoo), or used a pre-enchanted item (flying the brooms).”

As surprising as this is, though, director Christopher Columbus was only been faithful to the book.  Harry apparently doesn’t use any magic in the first novel either.