Now that the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film is more than 21 years old, it’s old enough to imbibe and play along with a drinking game. It’s hard to believe it’s already been two decades since the films first started coming out. Living with a die-hard Harry Potter fan for the past decade has exposed me to the books and films far more than I probably would have been on my own. As a result, I’ve come to know a number of different rules she has for her drinking game. Considering how often one of those movies is played in our house, it’s surprising I haven’t posted them on DagonDogs.com before. I take no credit for coming up with these rules. I only take credit for documenting them.

DagonDogs does not encourage irresponsible use of alcohol or other substances. Please drink responsibly.

The Boy Who Lived

As a casual reader/viewer of Harry Potter, I’ll be the first to tell you that Harry is not my favorite character and often proves to be an annoying protagonist. However, he is the protagonist of the story for a number of reasons. In particular, he’s the boy who managed to destroy the evil Voldemort without lifting a finger, leaving him with a scar and a legend attached to his name. So everyone in the wizarding world who he is and feels a compulsion to say his full name when they see him. I don’t think “Harry Potter” is said throughout the franchise as many times as “Carol Ann” is said in Poltergeist III, but it’s still a high enough number to warrant a rule.

Take a sip of your drink whenever a character says “Harry Potter.”

Scarface

As I mentioned, the death of Voldemort left a lightning-bolt scar on Harry’s forehead. For reasons that are explained later in the franchise, Harry occasionally experiences pain in his scar. Sometimes it’s used as a plot device to move things along, but most often it has to do with Voldemort or some other malicious presence being nearby. Regardless of the reason, if Harry cringes and touches his head, you know what to do next.

Take a sip of your drink whenever Harry’s scar hurts (cringes & touches his scar).

You-Know-Who

Just as famous as the boy who lived is the dark wizard he defeated. However, unlike the joy people take in saying Harry’s name, everyone in the Wizarding World is afraid to say “Voldemort.” Well, not everyone, but he is nonetheless the subject of many discussions. So for each time his name or one of his various aliases is uttered, take a sip.

Take a sip of your drink whenever a character utters one of the following:
- Voldemort
- The Dark Lord
- You-Know-Who
- He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
- Tom Riddle

Flip and Swish

Everybody who has seen the movies or read the books knows that the wizards and witches of this fantasy realm require a special tool to cast their spells. Of course, I’m talking about their wands. Every magically-tuned individual in the series waves their wand about at some point and utters the name of a spell to do something that a normal muggle would not be able to accomplish. If there’s one rule that will guarantee you finish a drink while watching any of these movies, it’s this one. This also happens to be exactly why I think it necessary to put a condition on when this rule is valid.

After movie number 4, the use of wands and the casting of spells becomes far more liberal and loosely interpreted in terms of what is required of the wand wielder. Movies 5 through 8 include a lot of sequences in which groups of people are just shooting spells out of their wands without saying a spell name. Even if you were just drinking water, taking a sip for every single spell sent flying during all of these sequences would likely cause some vomiting. So for this rule, just keep it to movies 1-4. For movies 5-8, see the next rule.

In the first 4 movies, take a sip of your drink whenever a character casts a spell with their wand.

It’s Leviosa!

The humble students of magic start learning how to cast spells with their wands using flip and swish motions, but also with spell names. The spells are sometimes only muttered, but mostly shouted, sometimes giving you a faint idea of what the spell is about to do. I know that if I just listed all the names of the spells to my nearest Harry Potter fan, she’d be able to explain what each one does, despite my failures to pronounce them properly. Well, as I mentioned in the previous rule, the use of spell names declines in the later movies to keep the action fast and easier for audiences to follow without everyone shouting spell names back and forth. Instead, the spell names are usually reserved for big moments or just to draw your focus in on the action. Thus, this is a valid replacement for the Flip and Swish rule in movies 5-8 to ensure you’re still drinking with some regularity without risking your liver functions.

In movies 5-8, take a sip of your drink whenever a character says the name of a spell as they cast it.

A Meme Come True

Having been around for so long and being so ubiquitous in the culture of the world, the Harry Potter films have been used in countless memes across the internet. I’m sure I haven’t seen them all, but neither do you. You merely have to drink when a scene used in a meme you recognize graces the screen. For example, I always take a sip when Hagrid says, “You’re a wizard, Harry,” and think of the meme above. Why? Because memes are stupid but occasionally funny.

Take a sip of your drink whenever you recognize a moment in the film that you have seen in a meme.

Thematically Accurate

Just as recognizable as the films themselves is the musical theme that the genius John Williams created 20+ years ago. Williams is responsible for so many iconic musical themes of films, it’s difficult to imagine another composer who has had a more pronounced impact on film in the past 50+ years. There are many other composers out there deserving of praise who I personally prefer to Williams, but his talent and influence are undeniable. For that, I propose a toast for every time I hear the Harry Potter theme song, in his honor.