10 Harry Potter Quotes About Fun

One of my favorite things about the Harry Potter series is the spirit of fun that pervades the books. Though we readers know that dark things are constantly lurking, the darkness does make the light moments stand out that much more. From Fred and George's practical jokes, to Harry and Ron's sarcastic wit, to the moments where magic is just as whimsical as you'd want it to be, there is a lot of fun in the Harry Potter books.

Sure, Harry has a bit of a difficult life at times: he's an orphan, the Dursleys aren't super nice relatives, and Voldemort is constantly plotting his return (as well as killing people in the process). So yes, the darkness puts a damper on things. After all, one doesn't always feel like laughing when one is fighting against one of the most evil wizards ever. But there's a reason this series inspired hilarious parodies like A Very Potter Musical : despite the sadness, and despite the evil, these wizards still know how to have a good time.

As Dumbledore says in the films, "happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." So sit back and enjoy some of the quotes from HP that made you wish you went to Hogwarts, because it just seemed like pure fun.

1. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2. On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.

"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe. "You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

3. Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surlylooking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. “My friendly, card-carrying cupids!” beamed Lockhart. “They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn’t stop here! I’m sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you’re at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I’ve ever met, the sly old dog!” Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

4. "What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

—George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

5. “Dad’s having fun with the matches,” said Fred. Mr. Weasley was having no success at all in lighting the fire, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Splintered matches littered the ground around him, but he looked as though he was having the time of his life. “Oops!” he said as he managed to light a match and promptly dropped it in surprise.

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

6. "Where’s the fun without a bit of risk?"

—Fred Weasley, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

7. “I’ll make Goyle do lines, it’ll kill him, he hates writing,” said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle’s low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. “I . . . must . . . not . . . look . . . like . . . a . . . baboon’s . . . backside. . . .” Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. She laughed so hard that her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs, and onto the floor. “That was funny!”

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

8. “You don’t seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles. . . . All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies. . . . ‘Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!’ ” “You’d need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle,” said Harry darkly. “Good sense of when to duck, more like . . .”

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

9. "Hope you have — er — a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant. "Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer...."

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

10. "We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter’s the one, And Voldy’s gone moldy, so now let’s have fun!"

—Peeves, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Images: Warner Bros (11)