I’m sorry to all the Americans, but true fans know it is Philosopher’s and not Sorcerer’s Stone. However, regardless of nationality or dialect preferences, there is something we can all agree on: the secret wish to be eleven-years-old and boarding the Hogwarts Express.

It has been 23 years since the Philosopher’s Stone was published, and in that time J.K. Rowling has taken us on a wild, multi-story ride. With seven books, eight movies, three bonus texts, a play, and three additional movies set in the same universe, it is clear that we have a lot to unpack.

Book vs. Movie

I think you would be hard-pressed to find any Harry Potter fan that will argue that the movies are better than the books. Sure, we love watching our childhood nostalgia on the big screen, but better than experiencing Hogwarts in your own mind? Definitely not. So instead I am here to address my favorite movie-book discrepancies.

1.Harry’s Eyes

Harry’s eyes are a HUGE discussion point in the book. Almost every adult he meets tells him he has his mother’s emerald eyes. Within the first couple minutes of the 2001 film, you notice that Daniel Radcliff's eyes are an unremarkable shade of brown. Did they not have colored contacts in the early 2000s?

2. Where is Peeves?

Peeves, the troublesome Poltergeist never made it to the movie franchise. We did get Nearly-Headless Nick (and for that I am grateful), but what happened to our annoying little friend that was sure t0 mess with Harry’s plans and sing mean songs? What about that moment in the fifth book where he finally allies with the students and terrorizes Umbridge? It is a tragedy he wasn’t included in the movies.

3. Hermione’s Priorities

Probably one of my favorite lines (or at least the line I repeated like a parrot for months) came from the movie and not the book. After a night of sneaking around, Hermione reprimands the boys and states, ““I’m going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled.” In the book, nothing happens. In the movie, however, Ron retorts, “She needs to sort out her priorities.” What a legend.

4. Snape’s Potion Puzzle

The book made it a lot more difficult to reach the Philosopher’s Stone, and by cutting out a crucial challenge, the movie made Hermione’s role almost irrelevant. The challenges are designed to represent each Hogwarts teacher, and while the movie gives us the main challenges, there is a giant Snape-shaped hole. The book has a final challenge before the mirror; Snape’s potion puzzle. This near-impossible riddle has the consequence of either moving the drinker forward to the stone, or poisoning them. Without Hermione’s book smarts, Harry would have never reached the stone.

Of course, there is also the enormous question of how three eleven-year-olds bested challenges meant for adults. But we can get to plot holes another time.