Harry Potter might be better known for its magical elements and Harry’s journey to defeat Voldemort once and for all, but there are many lighthearted and even hilarious moments that happen in the series. These scenes often provide a needed laugh in between the dark scenes, such as Sirius and Cedric’s deaths, and there are some gags and jokes that happen more than once.
These running moments of hilarity are familiar to fans of both the books and the movies, and they often involve core elements of the main characters and their personalities, like how Hermione’s obsessive reading habit results in one of the most memorable jokes from the series. But, it’s not just members of the trio that provide ongoing humor.
10 Argus Filch Vs. Fred & George
While the movies don’t get into as 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 children in cruel and unusual ways.
Seeing Filch and Mrs. Norris trying to catch Fred and George is hilarious, and with the use of the Marauder’s Map, they are easily able to avoid him for most of their time at Hogwarts.
9 Ron’s Wand Backfiring
Ron’s wand backfiring becomes a rather constant running joke in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but, because it only happens in one of the books/films and isn’t always funny, it’s lower on the list.
Ron’s wand often just emits weird smells and strange bangs after it’s broken by the Whomping Willow. However, the most memorable time this happens is when he tries to make Malfoy belch slugs but ends up throwing them up himself. It’s somewhat humorous, but it’s also rather disgusting.
8 Neville Can’t Remember Anything
Neville has one of the best glow-ups in popular fiction, and he starts as a rather dorky kid who is bullied by his peers. It’s easy to feel bad for Neville because his grandmother is hard on him, and he struggles in school.
One running joke in the first couple of years at Hogwarts is his inability to remember almost anything. He gets the Remembrall from his grandma as an attempt to fix it, but he can’t even remember what he’s forgetting. Luckily, he starts to find his niches and where he shines when he gets into Herbology.
7 Seamus Blowing Things Up
This is more of a movie-ism than a book one, but it does lead to quite a few funny moments on screen. Seamus struggles to perform silly spells, like turning water into rum, and this backfires into starting a fire. While the gag does get a little bit old, it is rather humorous, and it makes sense given that a large portion of the audience for Harry Potter are pre-teens.
And given that Seamus is a rather minor supporting character, it is an easy way for audiences to remember him and who he is. However, there are running jokes in the series that are more central.
6 Hagrid’s Inability To Keep A Secret
Hagrid is a stable presence in Harry’s life, and he even is the first person 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 Harr about the dragons in the Triwizard Tournament. Because Hagrid is so likable, his bad secret-keeping is endearing and also helpful in revealing information that’s important to the plot.
5 Fred And George Testing Out Their Joke Products
Fred and Geroge make another appearance on this list because of their constant interest in jokes and pranks. Throughout the book series, especially, Fred and George are developing products that they’ll eventually use 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. They are lighthearted moments that make fans happy and are part of why audiences love Fred and George.
4 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 a decent cake or treacle. 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 too chewy.
This joke appears many times in the series, and it’s also a rather lighthearted one. It’s not making fun of Hagrid in a mean way, and he’s attempting to do something nice by baking for others. Plus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione never make him feel bad about it, and they do their best to eat what he sets in front of them.
3 Ron And Hermione’s Constant Bickering
While Ron and Hermione might be good friends and eventually even date and get married, they don’t get along half of the time. It’s somewhat of a constant gag and somewhat of a core part of their relationship.
Overall, sometimes their fighting is humorous with bickering over coursework. Other times, it’s more serious, such as when they fight over Crookshanks and Scabbers. However, this kind of relationship works well for them, and they seem to enjoy the little fights.
2 The Trio Always Finding Trouble
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. It points out just how often these three get into trouble at school and just in general.
1 Hermione Is The Only One Whose Read Hogwarts, A History
This is the best running gag and one that jumps to mind for many fans. Multiple times throughout their years at Hogwarts, Hermione says that she “read about it in Hogwarts, A History.”
It’s because of her memory of every aspect of this book that she knows so many of Howarts’ secrets and rules, but of course, no other student is quite this thorough. The amazement and exasperation that Ron and Harry have over this is funny, too.
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