Hogwarts isn’t the only magical setting in the Harry Potter universe. The Boy Who Lived also finds himself spending some time at 12 Grimmauld Place, a location first introduced during the Order of the Phoenix book and movie. Formerly home to the Black family, Sirius Black allows the good guys to use it as a base of operations when it comes to fighting Lord Voldemort and his vile band of Death Eaters - with ownership later transferring to Harry himself.
The movies did a good job at bringing the property to life. However, with Warner Bros unable to cram in everything from JK Rowling’s novels, several details weren’t included. So here are a few things only fans of the source material will be aware of.
There's A Horrible Screaming Portrait
12 Grimmauld Place has a horrible screaming portrait situated right by the front door. It's of Walburga Black, Sirius' mother, who detested anybody of non-magical blood entering the premises. Most of the time, she's hidden behind a pair of curtains. Yet whenever somebody makes a racket, that's enough encouragement for Walburga to start screaming at the top of her lungs.
It's thought she ensured she couldn't be removed from her haunting spot via magical means and, for all of the cleaning that goes on, Walburga's portrait is left intact. Nymphadora Tonks, in particular, incurred her wrath by being clumsy and knocking things over.
...And A Rude Portrait Too
The portrait of Walburga Black isn't the only interactive painting within Grimmauld Place. It's also home to a painting of Phineas Nigellus Black, former headmaster of Hogwarts. He can often be overheard firing sneaky digs at Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and showed very little tact after Sirius Black's heartbreaking death.
Phineas did have his uses, however. He'd be able to pass messages between both the London property and Albus Dumbledore's office within Hogwarts, making him somebody useful to have around. He ends up helping Severus Snape find Harry and his friends in the Forest of Dean in the Deathly Hallows novel, giving them Godric Gryffindor's old sword and boosting their chances of obtaining all of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.
Kreacher Spent Many Years Alone
Kreacher makes a brief cameo in the Order of the Phoenix movie, making some bitter comments to Harry, Ron, and Hermione before being dismissed by Sirius. The blockbuster skims over many details of the House-elf's life but the book lifts the lid far more, revealing he's spent many years alone.
After the death of Sirius' mother, it was just Kreacher knocking about the place. So that, partly, explains his poor social skills. Well, that and the fact he was brought up learning to hate muggle-borns and anybody who associates with them.
There Was A Boggart In A Drawer
Boggarts are actually introduced in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, with Remus Lupin teaching his Defence Against the Dark Arts class about the problematic creatures and the best way to protect against their threat. And there's a nasty one in a drawer at 12 Grimmauld Place, with Alastor Moody informing Molly Weasley before she later attempts to tackle it.
Things go south, though, with Molly letting it get the better of her. She sobs uncontrollably as the dead bodies of everyone she cares about appear right in front of her eyes and, in the end, Lupin is on hand to save the day. It's a scene that reflects the fear and terror in the air at that moment in time, with Voldemort's return understandably putting people on edge.
...And Other Nasty Creatures Too
Boggarts aren't the only thing found within the dark, dingy rooms of Sirius' old childhood home. Harry and the Weasleys spend much of their summer holidays giving the place a good old clean and, during that time, encounter other horrible creatures and dangerous objects.
There's a grandfather clock that fires heavy bolts at whoever passes by, tweezers that attempt to puncture Harry's skin, an enchanted music box that plays a sinister tune to knock people unconscious, and ancient purple robes that try to strangle Ron to death.
The Locket Was Thrown Away
Fans of solely the Potter movies aren't privy to the full backstory regarding Lord Voldemort's Locket. In the fifth book, it's mentioned that the item is thrown out by the Weasleys and Harry while they're cleaning Grimmauld Place. They unaware of its significance and, therefore, have no problem getting rid of it.
That's some pretty neat foreshadowing from Rowling because, at that moment, the locket isn't important at all. It's only after Harry learns about Horcruxes during the Half-Blood Prince novel that it becomes apparent everybody made a major mistake. Fortunately, Salazar Slytherin's old heirloom is eventually located and destroyed.
Harry’s Discreet Trip
Harry actually makes a little trip to Grimmauld Place towards the end of the Order of the Phoenix novel. After being shown a vision of Sirius Black in turmoil, he’s determined to know where his godfather is. So he decided to break into Dolores Umbridge’s office to obtain access to her fireplace, with other fireplaces in the castle being watched by the Ministry of Magic.
It’s here that Harry has a brief conversation with Kreacher, who falsely insists Sirius is gone. This lie ultimately helps the Death Eaters, with Sirius later killed off by Bellatrix Lestrange inside the Department of Mysteries.
Remus Lupin’s Snub
In the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 movie, Harry, Ron, and Hermione lie low at Grimmauld Place as they plot a way to break into the Ministry of Magic to acquire Salazar Slytherin’s old locket. But what the movie doesn’t show is Remus Lupin’s disastrous visit.
The former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher requests to go with the trio, volunteering his services in their fight against Voldemort. This, however, angers Harry. With Tonks pregnant at the time, he accuses his father’s old friend of cowardice, with a heated argument then breaking out. Fortunately, Lupin later admits he was wrong and makes Harry godfather to Teddy Lupin after his birth later in the story.
Sirius’ Revenge
Sirius hated living at 12 Grimmauld Place. He reveals how Harry’s father, James Potter, knew this and let him crash at his house during the school holidays. And, in order to ensure maximum pain for his family, he did everything in his power to ensure he stood out from the rest of its members.
That involves decorating his room in Gryffindor colors. Red and gold cover nearly every inch of his bedroom, in stark contrast to the dark colors elsewhere in the property.
The Letter
A scene that didn’t make it into the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, instead having to settle for a place on the deleted scenes list, was Harry discovering the old letter from his mother addressed to Sirius inside his godfather’s bedroom at Grimmauld Place.
In the letter, Lily talks about her love for baby Harry, who is learning to fly on his first broomstick - a present from Sirius. Only half of it is found, however, with Severus Snape taking the other half for his own keeping due to the fact he’s still in mourning, many years on.