Harry Potter: 13 Funniest Running Jokes

Harry Potter: 13 Funniest Running Jokes

Though Harry Potter is best known for its magical story of a great battle between good and evil, there are many lighthearted and even hilarious moments in the series. These scenes often provide a needed laugh in between the dark times, and there are some gags that happen more than once.

These running jokes are familiar to fans of both the books and the movies, and they often involve core elements of the main characters and their personalities, but it’s not just members of the Golden Trio that provide the ongoing humor.

Updated on May 3, 2022 by Stacie Rook: As the ongoing Fantastic Beasts film series receives mixed reviews, it seems more important than ever to remember the power of humor in a fantasy story, something that the Harry Potter series consistently used to great effect in order to balance out its heavier moments.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

No Apparating Inside Hogwarts

Harry and Dumbledore after apparating in Harry Potter

The magical ability to Apparate, instantly disappearing from one place and appearing in another, is a tricky wizard spell that’s difficult to master. Though the process of Apparating is focused on more in the books, one of its rules made it to the movies: it’s impossible to Apparate into or out of the Hogwarts grounds.

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In the Harry Potter books, the trio consistently have to remind one another of this fact whenever they come up with one of their schemes, and Harry says the same thing to Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince movie, to which Dumbledore replies that there are some perks of his job position, in a cheeky nod to the joke.

Dumbledore’s Office Passwords

Dumbledore eats a Bertie Botts jelly bean in Harry Potter

In order to gain access to one of the most important rooms in Hogwarts, Dumbledore’s office, a password must be spoken, and though it regularly changes, the Harry Potter books show that there’s a theme to them all.

Owing to Dumbledore’s fondness for sweet things, as shown on-screen when he indulges in a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean in Sorcerer’s Stone, the passwords chosen are all treats than can be found in the Wizarding World, and it’s particularly amusing when characters like Snape have to utter their whimsical names.

Hagrid’s Love For Dangerous Magical Creatures

Hagrid and Buckbeak

Hagrid’s deeply caring personality is just one of the reasons that so many fans love the character, and he extends this care to all manner of magical creatures, holding a particular fondness for those that others would deem hideous or terrifying.

Harry and his friends are confronted with this part of Hagrid’s life quite often, from his care of Fluffy the three-headed dog to Norbert the dragon, and later Buckbeak the hippogriff. The books detail far more of these endearing and funny incidents, but when viewed all together it makes perfect sense that Hagrid later becomes the Care of Magical Creatures professor.

Argus Filch Vs. Fred & George

While the Harry Potter movies don’t have too many scenes involving Filch, the Weasley twins are often at war with him in the books. Filch might deal with unfair prejudice in wizarding society as a squib, but he also wants to punish the students of Hogwarts whenever he can.

Filch and Mrs. Norris often try to catch Fred and George but are unsuccessful, and with the use of the Marauder’s Map, the twins are easily able to avoid him for most of their time at Hogwarts, leading to great capers as they cause their mischief.

Ron’s Wand Backfiring

Ron’s wand backfiring becomes a rather constant running joke in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and it’s a gag that shows Ron as one of the funniest Harry Potter characters.

Ron’s wand often emits weird smells and strange bangs after it’s broken by the Whomping Willow. The most memorable time this happens, though, is when he tries to make Malfoy belch slugs, but ends up throwing them up himself. It’s a somewhat humorous but also rather revolting consequence.

Neville Can’t Remember Anything

Neville goes through one of the biggest character arcs in Harry Potter, and it’s easy to feel sympathy for him in his younger years because his grandmother is hard on him and he struggles in school.

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One running joke from Neville’s early years at Hogwarts is his inability to remember anything. He gets a Remembrall from his grandma as an attempt to remedy this, but he can’t even remember what it is he’s forgotten. Luckily, he starts to find his stride when he discovers his talent for Herbology.

Seamus Blowing Things Up

Seamus Finnigan after blowing something up in Harry Potter

Whether Seamus is attempting to cast fan-favorite Harry Potter spells or those of his own making, like turning water into rum, they often backfire on him. While the gag does get a little bit old, it is rather humorous and shows that magic is not as straightforward as other characters can make it seem.

Given that Seamus is a supporting character, this joke becomes an easy way for audiences to remember him. There are, however, running jokes in the series that are more central.

Hagrid’s Inability To Keep A Secret

Hagrid is a stable presence in Harry’s life, and he is the first to welcome him into the wizarding world. He’s also a rather constant source of information, especially in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Hagrid is a rather straightforward person who isn’t the best at keeping secrets, and he ends up telling the trio about Fluffy, and later Harry about the dragons in the Triwizard Tournament. Given that Hagrid is so likable, his bad secret-keeping is endearing and also helpful in revealing information that’s important to the plot.

Fred And George Testing Out Their Joke Products

Fred and George make are a constant source of humor because of their interest in jokes and pranks. Throughout the book series especially, the twins develop products that they’ll eventually sell in Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

These moments are often hilarious, whether it’s Molly Weasley grabbing a joke wand that turns into a chicken or students trying Puking Pastilles. These lighthearted experiments make fans happy and are why Fred and George are so beloved.

Hagrid’s Horrible Attempts At Baking

Hagrid’s best running gag in Harry Potter isn’t that he has loose lips over secrets. It’s actually that he can’t bake, though he tries constantly. Over and over, he feeds the trio different treats that he’s made, and they are always nearly impossible to eat because they are too hard or chewy.

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This joke appears many times in the series, and it’s also a rather sweet one. Its purpose isn’t to make fun of Hagrid, as he’s attempting to do something nice, but rather to show that not everyone can master the art of baking. In any case, Harry, Ron, and Hermione always try the baked goods so as not to hurt their friend’s feelings.

Ron And Hermione’s Constant Bickering

Hermione and Ron argue at the Yule Ball

While they are good friends and eventually even date and get married, Ron and Hermione’s arguments often put them at odds with one another. It’s both a recurring gag and a core part of their relationship.

Sometimes their fighting is humorous, with bickering over coursework, yet at other times it’s more serious, such as when they fight over Crookshanks and Scabbers. In any case, this kind of relationship works well for them, and they seem to enjoy the little squabbles.

The Trio Always Finds Trouble

Harry, Hermione and Ron screaming at the sight of Fluffy

The fact that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are always the ones who get themselves involved with secret plots and terrifying creatures isn’t lost on them or others around them. As Professor McGonagall asks, “Why is it when something bad happens, it’s always you three?”

It’s a great meta moment that points to the fact that things always happen to them because they are at the center of a fictional story.

Hermione’s The Only One Who Read Hogwarts, A History

Hermione reading Hogwarts A History to Ron and Harry

One of the best running gags in the Harry Potter franchise is Hermione saying that she read about something important in Hogwarts: A History.

It’s because of Hermione’s memory with regards to this book that she knows so many of Hogwarts’ secrets and rules, and that knowledge often helps her, Harry, and Ron get out of sticky situations, much to the boys’ amazement — and exasperation.

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Amanda Steele
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Amanda is a freelance writer and entertainment journalist.

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