When writing the Harry Potter saga, J.K. Rowling managed to hide a large number of hints and references about different characters and objects. Many of them remain unexplained, and some can only be noticed when a fan goes back and carefully explores every detail.

Some of these details are so subtle that only the most observant fans will catch them, while others become extremely obvious as the saga unfolds.

Here are some of the harder-to-spot details that many fans have noticed:

The Ministry of Magic Password
When Mr. Weasley takes Harry to the Ministry of Magic, they enter a telephone booth. Once Mr. Weasley dials the secret code on the public phone, the floor lowers them down into the hidden Ministry.

The code is 62442, and when you look at the letters associated with the numbers on a telephone keypad, this code also spells out M-A-G-I-C. This clever detail is one of the rare times when the Ministry of Magic actually did something right.

Tales That Come True
The wizarding world has its own share of tales, just like the Muggle world. Here are a few examples: “Witches born in May marry Muggles” and “Mischief at dusk, defeat at midnight.”

In the original version, it reads: “May-born witches marry Muggles” and “Jinx by twilight, undone by midnight.”

Another of these phrases is: “When thirteen dine together, the first to rise is the first to die.”

Many fans have noticed that this prophecy comes true at least twice in the books. First, in The Prisoner of Azkaban, when Dumbledore is the first to stand from a table of thirteen, he becomes the first of those present to die. Later, in The Order of the Phoenix, thirteen people dine together at Grimmauld Place, and Sirius is the first to stand — and thus the first to die.

The Cupboard
Thanks to this broken cupboard at Hogwarts and the one for sale in Knockturn Alley, Draco is able to secretly bring Death Eaters into the castle, which ultimately leads to Dumbledore’s death.

This isn’t the first time readers hear about the magical cupboard.

The cupboard is first mentioned in The Chamber of Secrets, when Harry hides in the one at Borgin and Burkes, and later in The Order of the Phoenix, when Fred and George push a curious Slytherin into the one at Hogwarts.

In both cases, the cupboard seems like an ordinary piece of furniture, but it later becomes an important element of the story.

Lupin’s Real Name
When Lupin is first introduced in The Prisoner of Azkaban, we are convinced he is hiding something, but we don’t know what. Later, we learn that Lupin is a werewolf.

We could have guessed it quite early, since Remus comes from the legend of Romulus and Remus, who were both cared for by a wolf in their childhood, and Lupin comes from the Latin word “Lupinus”, which means “of the wolf.”

Petunia Mentioning Snape
It’s no secret that Petunia was not a fan of the wizarding world. That’s why Harry was extremely surprised when she learned about the Dementors and the wizard prison of Azkaban.

When Harry asked her about it, she replied: “I heard that awful boy talking to her about them years ago.”

Both Harry and the readers assumed she was talking about James. After reading The Deathly Hallows, fans know that it was actually Snape whom Petunia had heard Lily talking to about the Dementors—a detail about Lily Potter that appears only in the Harry Potter books.

Petunia’s comment was small and easily overlooked, but on a second reading, it becomes clear that it was the first hint of the friendship between Lily and Snape.

Dumbledore’s Triumph
After escaping from the graveyard in The Goblet of Fire, Harry recounts the events to Dumbledore. He tells him that Voldemort used the young wizard’s blood to resurrect himself. Despite the gravity and horror of the news, Dumbledore casts a triumphant glance across his face.

It’s a brief, easily overlooked moment, yet one of the most important clues in the entire saga. In The Deathly Hallows, when Voldemort tries to kill Harry again, he is once more unable to do so.

Dumbledore explains that Voldemort and Harry are similar in many ways because Voldemort transferred a part of his soul into Harry, and by using Harry’s blood to create a body, he doubled this connection.

This is why Voldemort could not defeat Harry, ultimately leading to his own downfall.

Wormtail’s Gift
Wormtail helps his master regain a human form by sacrificing his hand. As payment for this service, Voldemort gives Wormtail a new silver hand as a replacement.

Three years later, Wormtail attempts to kill Harry until Harry reminds him that he has already saved his life. When Peter Pettigrew hesitates, the silver hand turns against him and strangles him to death.

This moment of justice was satisfying for readers. However, when Voldemort gave Wormtail this gift, he said, “May your loyalty never waver.”

When Wormtail’s loyalty faltered as he hesitated to kill Harry, the magical gift turned against him. In fact, it was a trap designed to eliminate Wormtail if he ever betrayed Voldemort.

The Names of Magical Places
J.K. Rowling loved playing with words, and the magical world of wizards gave her the perfect excuse to do so.

While the names of many characters hint at certain personality traits, there are some place names that readers might not have noticed yet.

Did you notice that the sinister market of Knockturn Alley resembles the word “nocturnal”, meaning “night” or “in the dark,” and that Sirius’s gloomy old house, called Grimmauld Place, resembles “grim old place”?

Moaning Myrtle
In The Chamber of Secrets, Harry finds Tom Riddle’s diary. Unaware that Tom is Voldemort, Harry and his friends begin investigating and discover that the mysterious Tom Riddle had once won an award for services to the school, long before the events of the First Wizarding War.

Many fans have noted a line from Ron: “Maybe he killed Moaning Myrtle, that would have done everyone a favor.”

Of course, Harry discovers the opening of the Chamber of Secrets by deducing that Moaning Myrtle was the student who had been killed by the Basilisk’s two giant yellow eyes, making Ron’s statement accidentally accurate.

Had you noticed these 10 hidden details in the Harry Potter saga?