Some Americans have admitted that there are some things in Harry Potter they thought were magic and are actually just British.
It’s no secret that the Harry Potter franchise is a beloved British staple, with fans all over the world.
The magical world of Harry Potter is filled with wands, wizards, and flying broomsticks, but there are some Americans that seem to have gotten a bit confused and have thought that some things in the franchise are magic when they are actually just British.
One user on the Harry Potter subreddit asked non-British readers what they thought was magical in the books that turned out to be just British. Some of the responses were quite amusing.
One American admitted to thinking that the popular British dessert, treacle tart, was magical.
Treacle tart is a traditional British dessert. The earliest known recipe for the dessert is from English author Mary Jewry in her cookbooks in 1879. pic.twitter.com/58BA7tXrGK
— WikiVictorian (@wikivictorian) September 23, 2022
While it’s a favorite in the Wizarding World, it is, in fact, not magic. A hilarious response from another commenter about treacle tarts said, “I didn‘t know what they were, so I imagined some kind of cake that looked like an octopus or squid.”
School houses and prefects are a staple in British schools and are also present in Hogwarts.
However, one American thought that this was exclusive to Harry Potter.
Prefects telling students to get off their phones during lunch breaks may be annoying, but at least the sports competitions between houses were fun.
Christmas crackers are a UK festive tradition that contains items that have declined in recent years. Despite this, one American thought they were magic because of Harry Potter.
OFFER: Christmas crackers (East Hagbourne OX11) https://t.co/6V3N4pIvHw pic.twitter.com/NRKRNgpio3
— Vale of White Horse Freegle (@VWHFreegle) February 18, 2023
Another commenter on Reddit said, “I was so confused when two characters were pulling apart the crackers and there was stuff inside of them. But I was just like, ‘oh this wacky magical world and their novelty-filled giant cheezits!'”
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry takes everything off the train food trolley, and one person on Reddit admitted to thinking that was magic. To think that the person coming around asking whether we need refreshments on a train is magic is quite hard to believe. It’s just food at the end of the day.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" We'll take one of everything! pic.twitter.com/S5AiqgscR9
— Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (@CursedChildLDN) November 24, 2022
However, one American thought that pumpkin juice was a British thing, not a magical one.
In conclusion, while Harry Potter is a magical world filled with wonder, some things are just British traditions that have made their way into the franchise.