Yer a meme, Hagrid.
Harry Potter has 7 books, 8 films, and a dedicated fanbase. Naturally, memes have arisen.
- "HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!!" ExplanationAn anguished Harry discovering that Sirius Black (supposedly) betrayed his parents. This line grew infamous for its Narm, to the point where it's the page image for the franchise's Narm page. The meme is usually used to melodramatically react to a betrayal in a piece of work.
- "I DID MY WAITING! TWELVE YEARS OF IT! IN AZKABAN!" ExplanationA popular reaction .gif on the internet of Sirius yelling this in regards to killing Wormtail, often being used as a reaction to information/news that a user's wanted to hear for a long time.
- Harry's burning scar. ExplanationHarry's forehead scar, shaped like a lightning bolt. Originally acquired from Voldemort's attempt to kill him backfiring, and forms a telepathic link between the two. People have joked that he got the scar for a more mundane reason, such as hitting his head or simply having it drawn on him.
- "It's LeviOsa, not LevioSAH." ExplanationHermione critiquing Ron's pronunciation of "Wingardium Leviosa". Used in response to any instance of Accent Upon The Wrong Syllable or Pretentious Pronunciation. Jokes have also arose about Hermione critiquing the pronouncation for other spells, most notably "Avada Kedavra" (The Killing Curse).
- Hermione punched Draco in the face. ExplanationFrom the POA film. In the book, she bitchslapped him, instead. Whenever the film version is brought up, expect this scene to be mentioned. It's also received a bit of fan art.
- Filch's attachment to Mrs. Norris, his cat, has often been exaggerated in the fandom.
- Voldemort hugging Draco in Deathly Hallows Part 2. note This scene gained a lot of attention online due to just how awkward the hug seems.
- On a scale of one to Lord Voldemort, how awkward are your hugs?Explanation The scene where Voldemort hugs Draco has the former acting so Out of Character it made audiences feel uncomfortable, with this mocking question being the result.
- Viktor's more of a physical being. ExplanationHermione might wish to change her wording.
- Rupert Grint's faces. note Some of Ron's faces have become reaction images.
- "Why is it, when something happens, it is always you three?" ExplanationMcGonagall (wearily) acknowledges that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are always the root of some sort of trouble, however heroic their intentions are. It's been subject to a meme where she says the line and 3 other characters are shown (usually with their heads pasted onto the trio's bodies) as a way to blame those characters for something.
- "Believe me, I've been asking myself that question for six years." ExplanationThis is Ron's reply, at least in the film version; a stock response to the above.
- Snape in granny clothes. ExplanationNeville's boggart in POA is Snape. The Riddikulus spell forces Boggart!Snape into his grandmother's clothes — including a stuffed vulture hat. Snape is not pleased.
- "Yer a wizard, Harry." "I'm a what?" ExplanationA famous exchange from the first installment where Hagrid reveals that Harry is a wizard. Has spawned many parodies and mutations, such as snowclones ("You're an [x], Harry"), and a popular Garry's Mod version
, which spawned its own mutations. Other times, it's been used to explain something simple to someone who's either idiotic or doesn't get it at all.- You're a hairy wizard. ExplanationIt's common to replace Harry's line with this due to Hagrid being a... well, very hairy wizard.
- Harry Potter and the Year of No Haircut. ExplanationThe fourth movie is infamous for many things, and one is the fact that none of the Hogwarts' boys seemed to cut their hair.
- Snape's body is ready. ExplanationA reaction image◊ used on the internet of Snape slumped clumsily against a window, with the text "MY BODY IS READY" underneath it. Often used to say that the user is sexually aroused.
- Neville Longbottom can do anything. ExplanationOriginates from Deathly Hallows, where the once-clumsy Neville takes a serious level in badass. Fans were quick to make him into a Chuck Norris-level Memetic Badass. Below are some of the things fans say about him:
- Hermione had the potential to wrap up the plot in 4 books. Neville would have done it in 3.
- Neville is your worst nightmare come to life.
- Neville is also drop-dead sexy.
- Neville uses Nagini's blood as soy sauce.
- And he will reject your bribes and kill your pets.
- What happens when you break an unbreakable vow? Neville.
- Neville is Chuck Norris' Patronus.
- Neville is Voldemort's boggart.note Word of God is that if Voldemort ever encountered a Boggart, it would turn into his own corpse, since death is his greatest fear.
- Voldemort has not returned. ExplanationThe Ministry refuses to believe Harry's claim that Voldemort is back. There are some fans who jokingly say that he has not returned, either.
Umbridge: (to Harry) Who would you imagine would want to attack children like yourself?
Harry: Oh, I don't know, maybe Lord Voldemort?
- I must not tell lies. ExplanationWhat Umbridge forces Harry to carve into his hand with a blood quill for "telling lies" about Voldemort's return in Order of The Phoenix. Used to respond to any form of lies.
- Ron's flying car. ExplanationMore specifically, the scene in the film version of Chamber Secrets where the car heads towards the Hogwarts Express and Harry and Ron scream. It's been used as an object-labelling meme where someone else is approaching them (usually Movie Sonic or Tom), with the pursurer being an impending threat or force and Harry and Ron representing two concepts are characters that are helpless against it.
- "Dobby is FREEEEE!!" ExplanationWhat Dobby proclaims in Chamber of Secrets after Harry tricks Lucius into giving him a sock, rendering him a free elf. It's been appropriated to describe other situations of freedom, such as people being free from work or able to go outside after staying in for a long time, or people finally gaining rights they once lacked.
- "Dobby has no master, Dobby is a free elf!" ExplanationDobby's slightly Narmy yet nonetheless effective Moment of Awesome in the Deathly Hallows is usually used when someone leaves a toxic relationship.
- "No! Cedric!... HE SPARKLES!!!" Explanation Robert Pattinson, who portrayed Cedric in the films, later went on to play the sparking vampire Edward Cullen in Twilight, prompting this as a general response.
- A related minor meme: fans will lash out at Voldemort and Wormtail for killing Cedric, not just because of obvious reasons, but because it locked Robert Pattinson out of the series and led to him being cast in Twilight.
- "TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! ...thought you ought to know."ExplanationIn Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, Professor Quirrell secretly unleashes a troll (as in the large, brutish monster) in the Hogwarts dungeons and alerts the staff about it. Known for Ian Hart's hamtastic delivery. Has also been used by fans to describe trolls (as in those who deliberately annoy and offend others) on the web.
- "Not my daughter, you bitch!" ExplanationMolly Weasley goes Mama Bear on Bellatrix in Deathly Hallows. This line made Molly ascend to badass status, and many fans wonder what else she's capable of doing.
- "Always." Explanation When Dumbledore calls out Snape for seeming to suddenly care for Harry when he hadn't before, Snape summons a Patronus that's an exact duplicate of the late Lily Potter's, leading Dumbledore shocked that he still loved her. Snape replies "Always." It's led to many fan videos, fanfics, and fanart depicting Snape's unrequited love towards Lily.
- "Turn to page 394." ExplanationOne of Snape's lines from Prisoner of Azkaban made famous by Alan Rickman's delivery. This is probably the most frequently quoted line from Snape.
- "Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set?!" Explanation Sirius' taunt to Snape in the Prisoner of Azkaban film. Fans often bring this up as a notable (and memorable) line in the films that was never in the books.
- Welcome to Hogwarts: Where everything is made up and the points don't matter. ExplanationSomething always happens to make Gryffindor win the House Cup every year. Due to this, people have parodied the opening line of Whose Line Is It Anyway? so it relates to Hogwarts instead.
- "Yes, yes — well done, [X], well done, [X]. HOWEVER!" ExplanationRichard Harris' delivery of Dumbledore's explanation for why he was pulling a victory for Gryffindor out of his beard in the Philosopher's Stone movie is used to indicate that someone is about to be served a helping of Diabolus ex Machina.
- Making Snape deduct points from Gryffindor and Dumbledore add points to Gryffindor, both for very minor reasons (often involving Harry). Granted, Snape would often deduct points from every house but Slytherin for petty reasons in the books, but fans love to flanderize him and Dumbledore into subtracting/adding points for Harry doing something as minor as breathing in their presence.
- How dare you stand where he stood! ExplanationIn The Deathly Hallows Part 2, Harry shouts the line at Snape in the Great Hall, believing he betrayed Dumbledore. Has become a fan response to a Replacement Scrappy.
- ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER?! note The name of one of Harry and Ginny's children has been met with shocked and amusing reactions by fans, with some finding it silly and/or ridiculous.
- Sirius Black and Remus Lupin: Theirloveissocanon! note A lot of fans love to ship Sirius and Lupin, mainly because a lot of their actions have some romantic undertones. The details are so prevalent that many people believe their supposed relationship to be canon.
- Snapes On A Plane note In 2006, a film named Snakes on a Plane was released, and a major character in Harry Potter is named Severus Snape. Cue people making the connection via a pun.
- Killed By A Curtain/Death By Curtain ExplanationSirius Black dies by getting stunned and falling backwards through a magical (apparently one-way) veil that connects the world of the living to the afterlife. The sheer strangeness of this manner of death has elicited some nonplussed reactions.
- SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE! explanation This event, occurring at the end of Half-Blood-Prince, is one of the most famous, if not the most famous spoiler, related to the series. It was spurred by a screencap of the book's version of the scene, which spawned many YTMNDs showing the page with Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy", and an infamous video where someone shouts the spoiler to people at a Barnes and Noble. It's since been said at random in many places (even outside of the fandom), usually with people responding with a Big "NO!", "You bitch!", or other shocked/furious reactions.
- Potter Puppet Pals videos note Potter Puppet Pals is a comedic web series by Neil Cicierega which utilizes puppets of Harry Potter characters. A lot of the videos have become very popular, with the most famous one being "The Mysterious Ticking Noise". While most of the videos have been quoted, if not just being popular, that video has received the most amount of references on the Internet.
- Snape. Snape. Severus Snape. DUMBLEDORE! note In "The Mysterious Ticking Noise", Snape hears a ticking sound and sings along to it using his name, with other characters chiming in with their names. Snape's part is the most famous part of the video, and is so memetic that when Alan Rickman turned up at the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiere in Trafalgar Square, the crowd behind him were audibly chanting "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape!" Awesome.
- "Why must you hurt me in this way?" ExplanationFrom the episode "Wizard Angst", where Ron replies with this line after Harry comments on his "dreadful speckled mug". It became an effective reaction image◊ due to Puppet Ron's line contrasting with his constant smile.
- Hedwig is not dead. note A website for people displeased with Hedwig's death and want to believe that she's alive somehow and will return. Can be found here (archived version).
- "Anvil-sized," "delusional," and the coming of Potterdammerung, thanks to what is known as simply THE INTERVIEW (archived version).
- CONSTANT VIGILANCE! ExplanationThis is Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody's Catchphrase, and since Moody has a (not entirely undeserved) reputation for excessive paranoia, it is commonly used to express or lampshade paranoia, justified or otherwise.
- Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret! ExplanationIn a memorable scene in Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. posing as Mad-Eye Moody catches Draco Malfoy about to jinx Harry In the Back and, as punishment, transfigures Draco into a ferret and proceeds to levitate him in the air and repeatedly slam him against the ground.
- My father will hear about this! ExplanationOften treated as Draco Malfoy's catchphrase in the movies, used in this scene after he's un-transfigured by McGonagall. It's very hard to bring up the character without the line also being mentioned.
- Is that a threat!? Is that a threat!? Is that a threat!? I COULD TELL YOU STORIES ABOUT YOUR FATHER THAT WOULD CURL EVEN YOUR GREASY HAIR, BOY! IT DOESN'T END HERE! note Moody's response to the above, said while chasing Malfoy; is infrequently used as a stock response to the above.
- "I found a page called TV Tropes!" ejaculated Harry. ExplanationThe books have some odd cases of Said Bookisms, and "ejaculated" is the most notorious of them, with the most famous case being ""Snape!" ejaculated Slughorn" from The Half-Blood Prince. Of course, the fans noticed and bring this up whenever they can, sometimes even substituting "said" for words that are even more uninentionally hilarious.
- A large amount of fictional characters who are young Indian women tend to be named either "Padma" or "Parvati". While neither name is exactly uncommon, one has to wonder.
- NYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAA! ExplanationA narmtastic scream from Voldemort which was used repeatedly in the last film's two theatrical trailers. Between them, it's used a total of nine times in around four and a half minutes, heavily undermining the dramatic tone they're trying to go for. Some people joke that this is his most powerful spell rather than The Killing Curse.
- Harry Potter: The Boy Who Cockblocked. ExplanationTumblr jokes about Harry being a Moment Killer/Third Wheel during Ron/Hermione scenes, to the point that he's physically compelled to cockblock them or other couples.
- Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim or... seriously injure! ExplanationA line fron Dobby in the seventh film. He says it in response to Bellatrix claiming he almost killed her when helping the trio escape Malfoy Manor. The delivery and its hilarity out of context quickly turned it into a meme.
- JK Trolling. note A Fan Nickname given to J.K. Rowling for whenever she seems to include details in books or other information that seemingly messes with the fans.
- "Ten points for/from [insert House here]." ExplanationIt's common for people to give points to their preferred house to voice approval or show support towards something, and to deduct points from a house when they find something they dislike.
- FRED'S DEAD!!! ExplanationWhile not on the same level as spoiling Dumbledore's death, spoiling Fred's death has made some rounds on the Internet.
- Why so Sirius? ExplanationA popular pun made out of Sirius's name and the Joker's famous line from The Dark Knight. Made even better by the fact that Gary Oldman plays both Sirius Black and Commissioner Gordon.
- "No post on Sundays!" ExplanationThe Dursleys hoped that would give them a break from any letters, especially those from Hogwarts. It didn't. This specific line is said by Uncle Vernon; when his actor, Richard Griffiths, died on March 28, 2013, many people decided not to post anything on March 31, 2013 (a Sunday) in remembrance of him, referencing the line. Additionally, people made memes out of the line in the days before Sunday in preparation for the event.
- EXPELLIARMUS! ExplanationThe Disarming Charm, used to disarm an opponent. One of the more notable spells in the series, largely due to Harry's preference for it. It's often re-appropriated in a dirtier context by fans.
- AVADA KEDAVRA! ExplanationThe Killing Curse. Also one of the more notable spells in the series, given Voldemort's preference for it and being, well, a literal instant death spell. Expect people to say this as Disproportionate Retribution for something.
- EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM! ExplanationThe Patronus Charm, a defense used against Dementors. It comes into play in the climax to Prisoner of Azkaban. Memes using this spell often use the hashtag #ExpectoPatronum to show results of the Patronus quizzes on Pottermore, which spawned a lot of parodies where peoples' Patronuses were something silly, like a blobfish, a sandwich, or a meme character.
- "HARRY! DIDJA PUTCHA NAME INDA GOBLET OF FIYAH?!?!" ExplanationIn the Goblet of Fire book, Dumbledore calmly asks Harry if he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. In the movie, Michael Gambon is slightly more... dramatic about it. It became memetic for fans to contrast the calm book version and angry film version of the line, usually exaggerating the film version in some way so it's more dramatic.
- "Dumbledore asked calmly. CALMLY." ExplanationBecause "Dumbledore asked calmly" is an exact line from the book's narration whereas Gambon's performance was decidedly not calm, fans often joke about Dumbledore doing other violent things "calmly."
- "[Insert quote here]", [Character] said calmly.ExplanationWhenever any character shouts, substituting what they said into this template.
- SILENCE! note Another Dumbledore meme where Michael Gambon stresses "silence" with SI-*LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENCE*. There's even a comparison video where both Richard Harris and Michael yell the word where Harris sounds more authoritative while Gambon is, well...
- In Italy, Snape singing Renato Zero songs. note The movie version of Snape happens to look like Renato Zero◊.
- In Latin America, almost every single line from this very NSFW parody (and its sequel) by Uruguayan comedian El Bananero has acquired memetic status.
- Snape: King of the Friend Zone. ExplanationSome fans still found it hard to feel sympathy for Snape after the big reveal about his past relationship with Lily Potter, arguing that he was ultimately just an ill-tempered jerk who turned to the dark side because he couldn't accept a platonic friendship with the girl he loved.
- Harry was screamed at by literal Facebook. ExplanationIn the first film, the 'screaming book' has a disembodied face that screamed at Harry. After Facebook was founded in 2004, this became a joke. Also note that the disembodied face only appears in the movie. The novel doesn't specifically describe the 'screaming book' had a face.
- The Cursed Child is My Immortal 2.0. ExplanationThe leaked synopsis for The Cursed Child has fans claiming it to be fanfiction made canon. My Immortal jokes were soon to follow. These were rather apt comparisons due to both of them featuring time travel, the reappearance of Voldemort, and the introduction of a mysterious female character with an unusual hair colour.
- Voldemort Day. ExplanationIts mere existence is now a running joke.
- The phrase "ruining Voldemort Day" is gaining some traction on Tumblr.
- #KeepTheSecrets, the PR phrase encouraging fans not to spoil the play during its first month of previews.
- Craig Bowker has become a huge joke through the spoiler summaries, due to the abrupt nature of his appearance and subsequent unimportance. Many jokingly say he is their favourite character.
- Portraying Teddy Lupin as a missing person, due to the play not containing so much as a single mention of him.
- Neville's panicking "Oh my God! I've killed Harry Potter!" from the fourth movie led to the jokes that Voldemort should've learned from Neville how to kill Harry.
- If you ever feel stupid, know that you're not one of the twelve publishers who said no to Harry Potter. ExplanationOne of the many variations of the "If you ever feel useless/stupid" meme, referencing the fact that 12 publishers rejected Philosopher's Stone before Bloomsbury published it.
- "I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that." ExplanationHagrid tends to say this whenever he says information that he didn't mean to say, quickly regretting it afterwards. Fans use it whenever they accidentally let something slip or when they regret something they said.
- When a Dementor attempted to Kiss Dolores Umbridge, the Dementor lost its soul and ceased to exist.note A reference about how Umbridge is the most hated character in the franchise so some fans jokingly said even Dementors wouldn't be able to suck her soul even if Dementors are known to be indiscriminate when they attack human victims.
- Elphias Doge. ExplanationThis would be just a normal name of a character if it weren't for the Doge meme from 2013, which made his last name funnier than ever and drew alot of comparisons to the meme.
- Read a different book! ExplanationDue to overuse by Totally Radical types, using the series as a metaphor for real-world politics has slowly drifted into Discredited Meme territory — while Fan Haters will call you out for making any comparison at all, truly absurd analogies will draw just as much ire from dedicated fans. The phrase is still frequently repeated due to just how
insane some of the fanbase is, with their actions including vandalizing an ancient tomb in Spain with the Deathly Hallows symbol. This meme has become so prominent that it gained its own subreddit that makes fun of very similar fandoms that use literature characters as political memes, usually A Song of Ice and Fire. - PS1 Hagrid / Haggord / You dun it nao Arry Porrer. Explanation"Haggord" is a bastardized nickname for Hagrid's poorly-rendered character model in the PS1 Video Game Adaptation of The Philosopher's Stone; the phrase is a reference to Hagrid being a quest-giving NPC in the game.
- Flipendo! ExplanationThe Knockback Jinx featured in the Video Game Adaptation of The Philosopher's Stone is often envisioned as one of the most powerful spells in the Harry Potter universe.
- nobody:
JK Rowling: [Too Much Information about a random side character] ExplanationWith the rise of Twitter, Rowling's account has been noted for two things, one of which is her tendency to give out Word of God (memetically, at complete random; in reality, usually part of conversations with fans) with a tendency to veer into Too Much Information. The "Hufflepuff circlejerk" is a hoax, but the "pants-shitting wizards" are real. Parodies of Rowling's tweets gradually escalated, Flanderizing her as a serial retconner who goes about rewriting her characters' race, sexual orientation, and gender identity, with some even joking about Rowling being an outright Reality Warper who can turn anyone gay, black, or into the opposite sex at any moment whenever she sees fit. - On Tumblr, people have begun making jokes about Harry buying all the candy from the trolley in The Philosopher's Stone, either calling him greedy or saying that's why Malfoy wanted to be his friend.
- Caps!Lock Harry ExplanationHarry in the Order of the Phoenix book can come off really wangsty at times. This is usually displayed by having his lines written in ALL CAPS TO SHOW WHEN HE'S ANGRY AND YELLING! This became a Fan Nickname for him in this book as a result.
- Hogwarts is a OSHA compliance nightmare / Hogwarts is a Deathtrap ExplanationDue to the sheer levels of character deaths and disasters throughout the books and the expanded universe, many fans begin to joke that Hogwarts is more dangerous to its students than the Death Eaters. Dangers include:
- Randomly moving staircases that could lead students to trip and fall to their deaths.
- Potion making whose side-effects could lead to explosions and acid meltdowns without any protective clothing or gear.
- Quidditch where iron balls flies at a hundred km/h and can break bones whilst being hundreds of meters in the air.
- Letting students 'pet' extremely dangerous magical animals.
- Allowing duels in school with potentially dangerous and harmful spells.
- Being situated right next to a forest containing anything from giant spiders, dragons, centaurs, dementors, or an army of giants.
- Having a goddamn hidden labyrinth right below the girl's bathroom containing a Basilisk.
- Allowing plenty of shady crooks and Voldemort followers as DADA professors without any background security checks.
- Speaking over lack of security checks, being complacent enough to not overlook an international sporting event that was bewitched and hijacked by the franchise's big bad.
- Even the Herbology class is one step away from being sued due to lessons on Mandrakes.
- A god damn murder tree on campus. Seriously. What!?
- Allowing students to create their own secret society whether for good or ill.
- Allowing the presence of cursed items being haphazardly stored in Hogwarts' equivalent of the attic such as the Philosopher's Stone, alongside much, much more.
Being a DADA Professor is cursed! ExplanationIt has become kind of a morbid running gag, but every book from the main franchise just so happens to have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor...only for said DADA professor to be immediately replaced in less than a year. Most of the time, ironically enough, is due to the fact that said DADA professor ends up being either a god damn Death Eater, a Werewolf, a Conman, a tyrannical bureaucrat from the Ministry or a serial killer. It has gotten to the point where jokes were generated on how being a DADA professor is the quickest way to end your career or life. Ironically, the post really is cursed within the series; Voldemort had sought the position, but upon being rejected by Dumbledore cursed the position such that anyone who takes the position can only hold it for a year. "You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?"ExplanationIn Half-Blood Prince, Harry attempts to use the Half-Blood Prince's spells on Snape, only for Snape to quickly counter with a spell that knocks Harry to the ground, before revealing that he is none other than the Half-Blood Prince himself. The line in question is quoted in response to someone being given a taste of their medicine and reacting with utter disbelief, such as a dad falling victim to his own irritating "dad jokes." Hatsune Miku wrote Harry Potter.ExplanationA derivative of the "Hatsune Miku Created Minecraft" meme, which became popular after many fans disowned J.K. Rowling following a series of transphobic tweets from her. "Urgh, another Weasley!"ExplanationThe Sorting Hat's reaction to Ron in the first movie, as he's the sixth Weasley in his generation to attend Hogwarts. It's not hard to picture the Hat having this reaction again when the children of that set of Weasleys (which, barring Ginny's kids, are also all Weasley) attend the school. In fact, when Rupert Grint announced his wife was pregnant, a Snape parody account responded with a variant of the quote. Naturally, it went viral enough that it's difficult to find the announcement without the quote attached. "DEH!" ExplanationA meme originating from the film of Order of the Phoenix, when Voldemort is possessing Harry; among these is a split-second scene with Voldemort making a small noise, which is most often described as "deh". Starting around 2017, /tv/ has been FILLED with people saying "Deh!", usually accompanied by a screencap of the scene where Voldemort says it. A good amount of Harry Potter threads will have at least one person referencing this scene.- "D-deh..." ExplanationA variation that is sometimes posted, which is accompanied by a picture of Voldemort's "fetus" form.
- Replacing words of sentences with "deh", especially copypastas and song lyrics, is also popular on /tv/. Sometimes this gets taken to the next level and entire sentences have nothing but "deh" in them.
- IT'S DEH ExplanationOne notable "song lyric" variation of this meme that pops up from time to time crosses over Voldemort's "Deh!" with the Gorillaz song "DARE", usually with an edited image◊ of the music video.
"The dullest franchise" copypasta ExplanationA copypasta that claims Harry Potter is one of the dullest franchises is often posted on /tv/, regardless if the poster dislikes the franchise or not. This is usually accompanied by an image tiering books, with Harry Potter at the very bottom. It's since expanded to replace Harry Potter with other franchises, and even the "Deh!" meme has crossed over with it, with a popular variation replacing the words of the books on the tier list image with "deh". Dumbledoreposting ExplanationA type of copypasta and greentext parodying Dumbledore in which he does something that is hilarious, lewd, or completely out of character. These often make him evil, usually involving Killing Curses, make him shout a lot (often adding "said calmly" to the end of the sentences where he does), describe him as stretching his legs, make him shout "HOWEVER!", and/or make him give a disproportinate amount of points to Gryffindor. "Black could be anywhere." ExplanationA line from the film version of Prisoner of Azkaban said by a student identified as Bem in the closed captions on the DVD (though credited solely as "Boy 1" in the end titles); this line gained infamy because, while he was referring to Sirius Black, Bem himself is black (played by Afro-British actor Ekow Quartey), leading to alternative interpretations of the quote. On /tv/, this line is often posted with a picture of Bem as he says it.- IT WAS ALL A DREAM/I USED TO READ QUIBBLER MAGAZINEExplanationA lot of people noticed that Bem looks like a young Notorious B.I.G., so when his picture shows up, some post a parody of the lyrics to his song, "Juicy", replacing select words with Harry Potter references; the above two are the ones that most commonly get posted.
"...Before you two come up with another bright idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled!"note A reference to Hermione's Skewed Priorities, seemingly prioritizing continued enrollment in Hogwarts over her own life. This line and variations thereof have been used to jokingly imply that being expelled is worse then heavier consequences such as (as mentioned above) being killed, or getting arrested. "What does this mirror do, professor?" "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts." ExplanationFrom the scene in Philosopher's Stone where Harry asks Dumbledore what the Mirror of Erised does. It's become a three-panel meme: The first two show Harry, and Dumbledore's lines, respectively, while the last shows the mirror with its contents replaced by something the maker of the meme desires, either sincerely or jokingly. After J. K. Rowling's controversial statements about transgender people in 2019-20, it became popular to point out that Chamber of Secrets features Harry and Ron sneaking into the girls' bathroom to take a shape-changing potion. Also since 2019, there have been many jokes that Hermione's cat-girl form in the film version of Chamber of Secrets looks better than anything in the film version of Cats. "There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid." ExplanationAfter the death of Robbie Coltrane in 2022, the film ending of Chamber of Secrets wherein Harry assures Hagrid that there’s no Hogwarts without him became one of the most quoted scenes among fans paying tribute to Coltrane. Hermione's white face.note This description from Prisoner of Azkaban, and a quick mention of "Hermione, very brown" at Diagon Alley when she freshly came from a vacation in the South of France, is the rare time in the entire series indicating Hermione's skin colour, though several other times she is described as pale, and she is depicted as white on some front covers. Used as a justification for fans that were surprised at the casting of a black actress in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, notably when J.K. Rowling claimed she'd never mentioned Hermione's race, even though theatre casting has been colour-blind like this for a while now. Snape's over-the-top final rant to Fudge after Sirius escapes in Prisoner of Azkaban, "This has something to do with Potter!" is often invoked as one of his catchphrases. Harry's sassy response to Neville's eager ramblings about plants in the film version of Goblet of Fire, "No offence...but I really don't care..." is a rather popular GIF. Snape's accusing Harry of stealing his potion ingredients in the fourth film: "Don't. Lie. To me." is as memetic as "Turn to page 394." Severus Snape, Self-Appointed Hogwarts Sex Police Explanation In a popular deleted scene from Goblet of Fire, Snape is seen prowling the Hogwarts grounds during the Yule Ball, catching students having sex in the carriages and docking house points from them, while Karkaroff follows him and argues about the Dark Mark. There are lots of jokes about Snape having a sixth sense for misbehaving students, how he seems more concerned about cockblocking teenagers than Voldemort's possible return, or how he's just going the extra mile in his duties and preventing teen pregnancy. Some even joke that because he did not get with Lily back when they were students, he's decided to take it out on the current students. Igor Karkaroff's ratting out Barty Crouch Jr from Goblet Of Fire has become a snowclone for name reveals. Umbridge's "I will have order!" from Order of the Phoenix. She says it once in the movie and never in the book. Nevertheless, it proved popular enough that, tellingly, by the time the next film was made, they saw fit to include an Umbridge doll in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes which constantly squeals "I will have order!" The Half-Blood Prince film’s ending with everyone raising their wands in tribute to Dumbledore has been adopted by the fandom as a response to when someone affiliated with the franchise passes away. The first major in-person use of this was in the wake of the death of Alan Rickman, as numerous fans gathered at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and raised their wands to pay tribute to him; subsequent passings have also seen similar tributes such as the deaths of Robbie Coltrane in 2022 and Michael Gambon in 2023. "Voldemort got snapped"Explanation In reference to Voldemort's death in the movies, where he disintegrates as he dies, which looks similar to how many of the people snapped by Thanos died in Infinity War. The fact that characters don't say Voldemort's name has gotten people to refer to things they don't like as He/She/It who/which must not be named.- While J.K.s use of 'she/he who must not be named' might have given it a boost in popularity, this is a phrase that's been in popular use for far longer than Harry Potter has been around. Referring to that which must not be named as Lord Voldemort (ex. Chris Benoit) definitely originated here, however.
Voldemort's nose, or rather, lack thereof, has been the butt of many jokes. A "Flint" came to mean a factual mistake Rowling has made in her writing: Marcus Flint is still at Hogwarts in the third book even though he should have left at the end of the second. When asked about this, JKR said that either she'd made a mistake or he'd had to repeat his last year, and that she preferred the latter. Air Snape ExplanationComes from an image of an American Airlines employee◊, which many people noticed had an uncanny resemblance to Snape. This led to a lot of image macros which had him acting like he was Snape. Sorting yourself or characters from other series into Hogwarts houses. There are long, protracted arguments over what house, say, Frodo Baggins would fall into. "No one learns anything at Hogwarts." Explanation Due to Pragmatic Adaptation and the yearly crises that form the plot of the series, it's common for fans only familiar with the films (or who claim to only be familiar with the films) to get the feeling that Hogwarts doesn't actually teach anything not directly related to the main plot of that year. Contributing to this is that the most magic we see students learning onscreen is in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, where the teaching is done by the students themselves. CinemaSins harps on this point, even going so far as to say in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when Newt and Queenie briefly argue over whether Ilvermorny or Hogwarts is the better school that if Ilvermorny teaches students even one single thing, it's already a better school than Hogwarts. Filch punting students ExplanationIn Order of the Phoenix, the Weasley twins turn one of the Hogwarts corridors into a swamp and Filch is tasked with "punting" students across it, with the intended meaning being Filch using a boat called a punt to ferry students across the swamp. However, punt boats are relatively unheard of in the Americas; over there, the word "punt" almost always refers to the act of kicking the ball in American Football. As the reference to punting went unchanged in American editions of the book, this led to many fans envisioning Filch drop-kicking students across the swamp and only learning otherwise years later. Giuseppe Stromboli ExplanationA meme that originates from a tweet◊ depicting a user's mock interactions with J.K. Rowling that forces them to change aspects of the franchise, including a fake message conversation where the user makes Harry Italian-American, changes his name to "Giuseppe Stromboli", and changes the title of one of the books to "Giuesppe Stromboli and the Briefcase of Meatballs". "Giuesppe Stromboli" is often treated as a separate character within the fanbase, and people have made many memes focusing on him, including fake book covers that reference Italian culture, and bringing him up in reference to other characters who are Italian or works set in Italy. Harry doesn't cast a single spell in Philosopher's Stone. ExplanationThe moment people realize, or are told, that the main character of the series doesn't intentionally cast any spells from his wand throughout the first book / movie, it can't be unseen. May I present to you our main cast◊! ...and Dean. ExplanationWhen the photos started appearing in the marketing for HBO's upcoming 2022 Harry Potter Reunion Special, many couldn't help but notice how out of place it felt that Alfred Enoch, the actor who played the relatively minor Gryffindor student, Dean, is standing amongst a crowd of much more important characters of the series. Accidentally bought the X dialect version of Philosopher's Stone Explanation A trend on Reddit to post pictures of the first book's first page where the text has been altered to fit some theme, such as being written entirely in Scottish Brogue or Generation Z slang.- ...which made drills.Explanation The one phrase that isn't altered in the various dialect edits is the one that states what Vernon's company makes, mainly because it being left alone is funny due to contrasting with the rest of the outlandish text. This eventually led to the creation of a "Grunnings Drill Company dialect" version, in which the Dursleys are sentient drills.
"Master has presented Dobby with a Glock! *slide rack*" Explanation During a HuniCast, Gabi pulls out their gun and the pilot actor for Alastor decided to do a line in Dobby's voice, which made Gabi slide the rack to make comedic timing, causing everyone to blow up in hysterics. Instagram and TikTok user Kimberly Pizzo's Gag Dub of the exchange prior to Ron's sacrifice play in Philosopher's Stone's chess scene quickly gained memetic traction by way of her hammy performance and deliberately exaggerated delivery of certain lines. Harry Potter and the Audacity of this Bitch ExplanationA parody of the series' titling convention, used to call out people who act like jerkasses (especially women who deliberately exploit Double Standards) and refuse to realize that they're wrong.- Harry Potter and the Audacity of the Bitch who Wrote it ExplanationA variant that's used to criticize J.K. Rowling's controversial views.
◊! ...and Dean. Explanation