Trivia / Tough Guide to Harry Potter

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• Outdated by Canon:
  • The Guide was written at a time when little was known about Arabella Figg beyond the fact that she was an old ally of Dumbledore. While Word of God had by this point confirmed the fan theory that she was the same person as the Dursleys' Crazy Cat Lady neighbor Mrs. Figg, the fact that she was evidently working undercover for Dumbledore left it unclear how much of that persona was genuine. Her entry thus explains the then-common tendency for her to be used as an O.C. Stand-in, usually with an Age Lift. Of course, this sort of storyline was later rendered nonsensical by the fifth book's revelation that she was a Squib.
  • The entry on Harry/Ginny mentions that Ginny will often be portrayed as a Fiery Redhead, "despite the fact that she seems rather compliant and shy in canon." Come the fifth book, Ginny is quite fiery in canon, and her earlier Shrinking Violet behavior is explained as having been due to her crush on Harry.
  • James Potter's entry describes him as a purely noble character, complete with the authors apologizing for the lack of humor because "James should be afforded a certain respect." This was before the fifth book revealed that James had been a bully in his youth.
  • Sirius Black's entry mentions that he will be portrayed as being born poor. The fifth book would later reveal that he came from an aristocratic wizarding family, though he did end up dealing with poverty for a little while after being disowned.
  • The entry on Blaise Zabini discusses the mystery of his gender and how he gets used as an O.C. Stand-in. The sixth book would ultimately reveal him to be male and fill in his personality.