15 of the weirdest Wizarding World facts we learned from Pottermore

Wizards once took any means of transportation to Hogwarts

It may be difficult for Harry Potter fans to imagine, but it turns out that there was a time before the Hogwarts Express transported students to Hogwarts. Prior to the creation of the Hogwarts Express, students arrived at Hogwarts using whatever mode of transportation they wanted to.

In fact, Pottermore reports that students rode broomsticks, magical creatures, and enchanted carriages to school. Some even risked using Apparition to get there, even though Hogwarts has always been protected by Anti-Apparition Charms. As you can imagine, all of these means of transportation led to unfortunate results—ranging from injuries to Muggle sightings.

Still, until the International Statute of Secrecy was implemented, it was up to students’ parents to figure out how to get them to school. Even after the policy was brought about in 1692, the Ministry of Magic struggled to find a convenient way to transport young witches and wizards to Hogwarts. There was some experimentation with Portkeys, but that method led to many missing and ill students each year.

Minister for Magic Ottaline Gambol was the first person to suggest using Muggle transportation, and the proposal was met with quite a bit of resistance at first. Not only did the Hogwarts Express need to undergo a number of magical altercations before being approved by the Ministry, but many pure-blood wizards balked at the notion of using Muggle transit—only giving in when it became clear that the alternative was not attending Hogwarts at all.

It’s funny to think that the Hogwarts Express was once regarded with such skepticism, especially given how widely accepted it is when Harry finally embarks on his journey to school and picks up all those delicious treats to make a friend. It’s introduced as a given in Harry’s story, but it makes sense that the train has as extensive a history as everything else in the Wizarding World.