History HarryPotter / TropesSToY

* UnreliableNarrator: Being told from Harry's POV, his prejudice often colors the narrative to a certain extent.

* ShapeshiftingHealsWounds: Subverted: [[spoiler:Peter Pettigrew]] cut off his own finger before faking his death by [[spoiler:living as a rat]] for more than a decade, and the missing digit was used as proof that he had been masquerading as [[spoiler:Ron's pet rat Scabbers]] (before he was forced out of the transformation).

** Apparition can't be used in Hogwarts. It's also dangerous in any circumstances: you might leave body parts at your starting point or somewhere along the way.

* WordsDoNotMakeTheMagic: You have to be a wizard and usually possess a wand to do magic. Even then, it takes skill, [[MagicalGesture correct gestures]], and intent (especially for the Unforgivable Curses) to cast the spells.

** The Elder Wand is apparently created to be this, as noted by Dumbledore in his notes in ''The Tales of Beedle the Bard'', as despite being "an unbeatable wand", it is routinely defeated and passes over through the centuries. When Dumbledore acquired it, he hoped to die undefeated, which he would have had [[spoiler:Snape killed him as per their ThanatosGambit]]. Instead, Draco beats him without knowing what he's doing. Then, to top this, Harry simply [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons yoinks]] the wand out of Draco's hands, and this ends up giving him the advantage to [[spoiler:defeat Voldemort]].

* TomTheDarkLord: Voldemort is the TropeNamer, whose real name, despite being the most evil wizard in centuries, is Tom Riddle.

* {{Thunderbird}}: Thunderbirds are magical, albatross-like birds, somewhat taller than a man, that create storms as they fly, and whose tailfeathers can be used to make wands. They can sense danger, and thunderbird-feather wands are known to fire of spells on their own during dangerous situations.

* TwoActStructure: All seven books collectively follow this format, with ''Goblet of Fire'' as the turning point where things start going to hell.

* SixStudentClique: The D.A. group mostly pulls this off.
** The Head: Harry
** The Muscle: Ron
** The Smart One: Hermione
** The Quirk: Neville
** The Pretty One: Ginny
** The Wild One: Luna

* TheScottishTrope: {{Subverted|Trope}} by Dumbledore and several other heroic characters who very determinedly say "Voldemort" despite the name's emotional baggage -- and by Harry, who just doesn't ''have'' that baggage. The seventh book exploits it as [[spoiler:He Who-Must-Not-Be-Named creates an enchantment that allows him to locate anyone who dares say his name and tears down any protections around them.]]

* SilverHasMysticPowers: Goblin-wrought silver is nigh-invulnerable, and can absorb the properties of what it pierces in order to make itself stronger. It's unclear how the goblins make it this way, or whether it's truly silver or simply called so because the same colour. There are many other objects in the series which are made of silver (the Pensieve) or have the appearance of silver (unicorn blood). Furthermore, silver is not mentioned to be relevant to killing werewolves.

* SkeletonMotif: The Death Eaters are often described as wearing skull-like masks, partly to cover their identity but also to scare the crap out of their targets. The "Dark Mark" that they leave as a calling card displays a glowing skull in the air with a snake-like tongue. The films [[DownplayedTrope didn't remove this entirely]], but [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything did make them resemble the KKK to a degree]].

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: As the series gets DarkerAndEdgier, the central theme of death is made more apparent, as a number of people are killed and maimed in a variety of tragic or incredibly gruesome ways, Harry shows obvious signs of PTSD and trauma, and it took so long to create what he never had in the first place; a family. Right up to the end, he expresses his fear for the future and the sadness caused by the events of the past, and one of the reasons the series is so successful is it's tendency to be hellishly dark, violent, and quite thematically mature, discussing topics of genocide, violence and hatred, corruption, prejudice and bigotry, depression and trauma, war, torture, fascism and naziism, even rape, sadomasochism, cruel and unusual violence and body horror, and vengeful murder, torture, and anger.

* SorcerousOverlord: Voldemort's long-term goal was to become one of these, being an immortal dark wizard who would rule over a fascist magocracy. However, for most of the series he's more of an underground terrorist against the current rulers. Even after usurping control of the Ministry of Magic in the last book, he elected to control it behind the scenes through a puppet minister, as basically crowning himself would have been too blatant a move for the wizarding world to ignore.

** Voldemort and Dumbledore's decades-long GambitPileup often gets messed up thanks to an intricate series of decisions and minor hiccups that sends their Rube Goldberg-esque device careening. A theme in the series is choice, and ultimately, for better and worse, every major and minor choice made by characters ends up making a difference, in ways nobody can predict.
** The Elder Wand is apparently created to be this, as noted by Dumbledore in his notes in ''The Tales of Beedle the Bard'', as despite being "an unbeatable wand" it is routinely defeated and passes over through the centuries. When Dumbledore acquired it, he hoped to die undefeated, which he would have had [[spoiler:Snape killed him as per their ThanatosGambit]]. Instead, Draco beats him without knowing what he's doing. Then, to top this, Harry simply [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons yoinks]] the wand out of Draco's hands and this ends up giving him the advantage to [[spoiler:defeat Voldemort.]]
** The backstory, specifically the night James and Lily were murdered and Harry survived the Killing Curse, is an even more tangled one, with tiny bits and pieces of information accumulated over the seven books. To sum it up, [[spoiler:Severus Snape asked Voldemort to [[PleaseSpareHimMyLiege spare Lily]],]] and Voldemort [[NobleDemon went along with it]]. He told Lily to "step aside" but she refused, which created a binding magical contract that essentially bartered Lily's sacrifice for Harry's life. When Voldemort went ahead and tried to kill Harry anyway, the curse backfired on him.
* SparseListOfRules: As early as the first book it's mentioned that there are 700 ways to commit a foul in Quidditch (and every single one happened in [[NoodleIncident the 1492 World Cup]]), but the series only shows a few of them. According to ''Literature/QuidditchThroughTheAges'', most of the rest are {{Obvious Rule Patch}}es such as, "It is illegal to attack your opponent with an axe." Actually addressed in-universe in a rather amusing way. The full list of rules for Quidditch is kept secret by the international leagues to prevent players from being tempted to break them.
* StalkingIsFunnyIfItIsFemaleAfterMale: Magical date rape drugs are sold out in the open and it's considered wacky hijinks when Ron gets accidentally dosed by an obsessed fangirl, though that might be because the potion was intended for Harry and they quickly handle the situation. Harry, at least, ''doesn't'' find the prospect of love potions funny--at one point, he actually compares them to Dark magic.
** Becomes ''really'' not funny when it turns out that [[spoiler:Voldemort]] is conceived as the result of one of these being used. His father Tom Riddle fled back home as soon as he was freed from the enchantment, and it is possible he never recovered from the experience--sixteen years later, he was still living with his parents in their isolated manorhouse.

* StevenUlyssesPerhero: Plenty -- for instance, Sirius Black [[spoiler:turns into a black dog; Sirius is the Dog Star.]] ''Pottermore'' explains that parents used to take their newborn children to "naming seers" so they could choose a name that would best suit their future nature, but that practice has fallen out of fashion by Harry's generation.

** The first three books play this fairly straight: Dursleys, Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Quidditch, Christmas, the big plot issue, end-of-year feast, everyone goes home. Some formula stays for the later books (Harry always starts out at the Dursleys in the books, no matter what) but Rowling then breaks these down as the universe gets darker and more complicated -- and as Harry matures.

** This is the result if the Killing Curse (''Avada Kedavra'') hits an inanimate object instead of its intended target, [[MadeOfExplodium it will explode]]. Trees tend to [[KillItWithFire catch fire]].

** Up until Harry Potter finds out the actual name of the creatures that guard Azkaban, a wizarding prison, everyone refers to them as "the Azkaban Guards." After he experiences their happiness-draining power and is told their name, Dementors, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' no one refers to them as the Azkaban Guards ever again.

** Gellert Grindelwald planned a revolution in order to establish the wizards' power over the muggle world. Even Dumbledore bought into these ideas for a while, though his motive was a personal one: his sister was tormented by a group of Muggle boys, which had tragic consequences for all his family, and he believed that this sort of regime is the only way to prevent such things from ever happening again.
** Years later, Voldemort may not be a straight example (being more of a ''[[ItsAllAboutMe himself]]'' supremacist) but draws most of his [[BlackShirt Death Eaters]] from this crowd. He preaches wizard superiority over muggles to his followers, and when they take over the Ministry of Magic from within in the last novel they basically turn it into a full-on fascist state.

** Many of the early memories of Voldemort viewed in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Book 6]] are meant to refute the assertions by some fans that Voldemort is really a [[TheWoobie woobie]] with a FreudianExcuse. In fact, he was an irredeemable CreepyChild who made everyone's lives miserable for no reason.

** The Marauders were the most brilliant students at Hogwarts in their day. James, Sirius, and Peter managed to become animagi in their fifth year, and with Remus, they invented the Marauder's Map, possibly the only map of Hogwarts (with its ever-changing floorplans and moving staircases) ever created. The Map also shows where every person in the castle is at any time.
** Snape was altering potions recipes and inventing new spells while he was a sixth year (or at least wrote down his inventions in his sixth-year textbook).

** Voldemort had created two Horcruxes by the time he left school, which meant he not only found out what Horcruxes were and how to create them, but he also figured out how to modify the experiment to create six of them and split his soul into seven pieces. Evil, but brilliant.

** The second is Portkeys, where a seemingly innocuous object such as an old boot -- although it could be anything -- teleports anything that is touching it at the right moment. These are usually timed precisely so that a user has to reach it by a certain point, otherwise it teleports without them.
** The third is Apparition, which is mentioned by name long before the characters use it themselves -- this is where a wizard/witch teleports of their own volition to anywhere they wish. One has to pass an Apparition test at the age of 17, making it a close analogue of driving. There are also many places where one cannot Apparate, including Hogwarts.

** Apparition can't be used in Hogwarts. It's also dangerous: you might leave body parts at your starting point or somewhere along the way.

** Due to his megalomania, Voldemort occasionally refers to himself in the third-person as "Lord Voldemort," though this may be done intentionally to scare his victims or to sound condescending to establish authority over them (in the same way that a parent would call themselves "mommy" or "daddy" when talking to a child).

** [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Dolores Umbridge]]. Surrounded by centaurs aiming arrows at you... and you ''still'' insult them for being ''"[[FantasticRacism filthy half-breeds]]"''? Dumbledore has to personally bail her out of that one -- and she's not even grateful for it in the slightest!

** Vincent Crabbe casting Fiendfyre, a jinx so deadly and unpredictable that even Hermione says she wouldn't dare try it[[note]]For extra emphasis, Hermione was aware that Fiendfyre could destroy a horcrux, and for most of the story they are hard up for ways to destroy them - and she still never mentions it, since it is so deadly and uncontrollable[[/note]]. For most of the series, he and Goyle are portrayed as too stupid to think without Malfoy. In [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets the second book]], they choose to eat ''cakes left in a random location'' without showing the slightest suspicion. [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets The film]] makes it even more jarring when they eat cakes that are floating in midair.

** Literally everyone in the DA, but [[ButtMonkey Neville Longbottom]] did it most spectacularly. He grew out of being the worst wizard of his year to [[spoiler: fighting alongside the Golden Trio, Ginny and Luna at the Department of Mysteries in Book 5 and leading the DA in Harry's absence in Book 7.]]

** Rereading the third book after the seventh makes Snape's hatred of Sirius much clearer: In addition to his grudge against him from his schoolkid bullying, [[spoiler:he, like everyone else, thought Sirius had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, and thus was partly responsible for Lily's death.]]

* TrappedInVillainy: Draco Malfoy, who for the first five books is just [[StarterVillain a nuisance for Harry to deal with at school]]. Once he joins the Death Eaters, however, things change. He's given the job to [[spoiler:kill Dumbledore]], which seems simple enough in theory, but once Draco realizes that [[spoiler:he can't follow through with murder]] he remains hesitant throughout the next book, and only stays in Voldemort's service because he's ''terrified'' of the man.

* TwoActStructure: With ''Goblet of Fire'' as the turning point where things start going to hell.

* UnstoppableMailman: The owls ''will'' find you to deliver a letter, no matter where you are. Even if you don't ''want'' the letters. And they ''know'' if you've destroyed them without reading them (as the Dursleys are ''very'' displeased to find out.)

** All of the allowed pets at Hogwarts are animals associated with magic, which fall into this (aside from cats, which are just as popular with {{Muggles}}[[note]]Although at least some students' cats are magical cat-like creatures called kneasles[[/note]]). In particular Neville's toad Trevor marks him out as a ButtMonkey, (since he was given it as a gift even though they "went out of fashion years ago", according to Hagrid) and Ron's rat, Scabbers (who's a hand-me-down, like everything else of Ron's [[spoiler: but turns out to be more than he seems in the third book]]).

** Professor [=McGonagall=] calls out Harry in ''Deathly Hallows'' when he uses [[AgonyBeam the Cruciatus curse]] on one of the Death Eaters occupying the school [[DisproportionateRetribution in response to the Death Eater spitting on her.]] Though, admittedly, she calls his actions "noble" (she'd just rather he not commit a crime worthy of Azkaban for her sake) and it's hard to say that the Death Eater in question didn't deserve it considering that they had been torturing students throughout the year.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Harry only survives through books 4 on because the revived Voldemort demands a grandiose and wand-induced death. When Voldemort actually does this in Book 7, [[spoiler:it doesn't stick.]] Voldemort actually tries this near the end of Book 5 when he shows up unexpectedly after Harry had thwarted the Death Eaters' plan. Luckily for Harry, Dumbledore intervenes just in time.

* WorkingClassWerewolves: A {{justified}} example; wizards and witches who are werewolves often have trouble finding work due to the [[FantasticRacism social stigma]] against them. Case in point, [[spoiler: Remus Lupin]] often wears very shabby robes, looks constantly ill, lives in a half-derelict cottage and only got the job as [[spoiler: Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher]] because of Dumbledore's generosity. As if that weren't bad enough, there's a recently developed potion (Wolfsbane Potion) that allows werewolves to safely manage their condition, making them less dangerous to other people and themselves, but it's so expensive few of them can even afford it.

* {{Trope 2000}}: There's a whole series of Nimbus Exty-Thousand broomsticks. Harry himself owns a Nimbus Two Thousand... [[spoiler:well, until it gets crushed by an animate tree]]. Magic is fun.
** Just a year after the ''2000'' was invented, the makers discovered a way to make the broom slightly faster and created a prototype new model called the ''Nimbus 2001''.

* TeleportersAndTransporters: There are three main methods of teleportation in the wizarding world:
** The first we are introduced to is the Floo network, which connects fireplaces magically.

** Hermione gives this to Harry in ''Order of the Phoenix,'' regarding his ChronicHeroSyndrome and how ridiculously easy it would be for Voldemort to use it to lure Harry into a trap. As it turns out, she is absolutely [[spoiler: right]].

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Hermione and Ron, most prominently, but it seems to be a trend for non-villainous female characters: Molly Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Cho Chang, and resident babe Fleur Delacour are all very hot for good guys whereas the "bad boys" seem barely a blip on their radars. Lily Potter is debatable, given that James Potter is remembered as a LoveableRogue by some people and a complete {{Jerkass}} by others, but all the characters note that James had to clean himself up considerably before Lily would condescend to so much as look at him.

** An argument between Ginny and her older twin brothers about the grand total of two non-Harry boys she'd dated can be taken as a slight against the "Ginny is a slut" shippers. But it doesn't stop there. [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Book 7]] features kisses between [[spoiler: Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione]] and having Harry firmly state that [[spoiler:he sees Hermione as a sister to him, but he never was in love with her]]. And then, of course, [[spoiler:[[BabiesEverAfter Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione are]] HappilyMarried [[BabiesEverAfter 19 years after everything is good and done with]]]].

** Harry is smart, intuitive, and competent in every field of magic, but he ''excels'' at Defensive magic. According to JKR, he's even better at it than Hermione is and he could beat her in a duel (reflected by their O.W.L. grades, where Harry got the highest possible score in D.A.D.A, while that class was Hermione's lone "[[TheBGrade Exceeds Expectations]]" in a sea of Outstandings). Not like they'd want to duel in the first place, anyway.

* UltimateJobSecurity: Ignoring the fact that Hogwarts remains in operation despite having a running body count, Argus Filch is an exceedingly bitter man who explicitly enjoys causing students pain because he's jealous that they're learning magic while he's incapable of using it. At no point is the idea of firing him ever entertained. It's even a matter of public record that he actively co-operated and supported Umbridge with the ''explicit intent'' of getting permission to ''brutally torture'' students. Water under the bridge.

* VengefulGhost: In ''Harry Potter'', ghosts can come back for a variety of reasons. Moaning Myrtle Warren doesn't say why she came back, but she did go about haunting AlphaBitch Olive Hornby, who was bullying her before she died.

* WeAllDieSomeday: [[spoiler:The moral of "The Tale of the Three Brothers" -- if one cannot accept their own mortality or that of a loved one, death is a grueling bastard. But if one accepts death as an inevitability, even with the existence of magic, and that there are far worse fates than dying, then death will greet you like an old friend]].

* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Averted, if not inverted. Hermione, the best student at her school, is terrible at chess while Ron, who displays little interest or effort in schoolwork, is brilliant at it. Harry's somewhere between them in both respects.

* StalkingIsFunnyIfItIsFemaleAfterMale: Magical date rape drugs are sold out in the open and it's considered wacky hijinks when Ron gets dosed by a crazy fangirl. Harry, at least, ''doesn't'' find the prospect of love potions funny--at one point, he actually compares them to Dark magic.
** Becomes ''really'' not funny when it turns out that [[spoiler:Voldemort]] is conceived as the result of one of these being used, and it is even implied that those circumstances are at least partially responsible for his sociopathic nature.

** The entrance to the headmaster's office is disguised by a gryphon statue that splits open to allow passages, thus making it a griffin door.
** A twofer from the previous example, actually--it's a golden griffin: or, in French, a ''griffon d'or''!
** The teacher of History of Magic is rubbish at teaching as he puts nearly all of his students to sleep each class. His name is Professor Binns.
** The wizard shopping area in London where the gang customarily goes for school supplies is called "Diagon Alley" (diagonally), and the ''other'' shopping area where Borgin and Burkes and other Dark Arts-associated establishments are located is called "Knocturn Alley" (nocturnally).

* StevenUlyssesPerhero: Plenty -- for instance, Sirius Black [[spoiler:turns into a black dog; Sirius is the Dog Star.]]

** A meta-example: Creator/JKRowling had long established that Hermione's middle name was "Jane," which the fifth book also established as [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Umbridge]]'s middle name. Perhaps [[InvokedTrope invoking]] the OneSteveLimit, the final book makes Hermione's middle name "Jean" instead.

* TeenGenius:
** Hermione and Luna. They have the same level of intelligence, but they think in different ways.
** It's implied that all of The Marauders, save for Peter Pettigrew, were brilliant students in their day. Dumbledore, Snape, Voldemort and Grindelwald were all profoundly gifted students in their Hogwarts years as well.
** According to Horace Slughorn, Lily Potter (Evans in the day) was very talented, although not as much as James. She was particularly adept at Potions.
** Harry is pretty smart, and he's competent in every field of magic, but he ''excels'' at Defensive magic. According to JKR, he's even better at it than Hermione is and he could beat her in a duel (reflected by their O.W.L. grades, where Harry got the highest possible score in D.A.D.A, while that class was Hermione's lone "[[TheBGrade Exceeds Expectations]]" in a sea of Outstandings). Not like they'd want to duel in the first place, anyway.

* YouRemindMeOfX: ''Everyone'' goes out of their way to tell Harry how much he reminds them of James. Later, rather ominously, the trend slides closer to comparing him to Voldemort.

* WeDidntStartTheBillyJoelParodies: The Harry Potter fandom has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTYadVjuvlo its own dedicated parody.]] Which was posted by Zsenya, one of the two founders of [[http://www.sugarquill.net/ The Sugar Quill]] fanfic site and co-author of ''Fanfic/AfterTheEnd'', which famously promoted R/Hr and H/G ships back when Harry was crushing on Cho and Ron and Hermione were trying to kill each other.

* UnfortunateImplications: Native American wizards never thought to focus their magic through an object themselves, but used wandless magic until European wizards gave them the idea. The Ilvermorny Houses consist of appropriated and misinterpreted creatures from Native American mythology. The Ilvermorny series is mostly about British settlers in America. Native American wizards are "especially talented at plant magic".
** Muggles and Squibs, having no magical talent, are effectively disabled in a world of magic. The way people like Hagrid, Molly, or even Arthur talk about them, reeks of this trope.