Alvin M. Keeling 
Harry Potter is full of amazing creatures, imaginative inventions, and magical abilities that can make anyone’s life easier. Hogwarts is the school where young wizards and wizards learn to harness their powers and do things people only dream of. However, as wonderful as they are, many lessons at school can potentially be extremely dangerous.
At Hogwarts, students learn to fly, cast spells, transform objects into other things, and more. While these classes are unique and incredibly fun for young children, they can also have dire consequences if not performed safely.
ten Stealing can lead to broken bones or worse
Harry and the other Hogwarts students learn to wield a broom in their first year. Although their teacher, Madame Hooch, has no intention of letting the students fly just yet, that’s not what happens. Instead, Neville accidentally takes off and when he falls, he breaks his wrist.
Then, while Madame Hooch takes Neville to the nurse, Draco and Harry chase each other through the air. When left unattended, children with brooms are bound to try to steal. However, even in the presence of a teacher, a fall from a broomstick can result in serious injury or even death.
9 Lockhart’s Pixies terrorize students
Harry’s second Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, presents the class with a cage full of Cornish Pixies. He releases the blue, winged creatures, which terrorize the students, even threading Neville from the rafters through his ears.
Lockhart not only lets the tricky creatures go wild on helpless children, but also runs out and waits for his second-year students to fix the problem. Luckily, Hermione’s shard saves the day as she uses a freezing spell on the pixies.
8 The cry of a mandrake is fatal
Professor Sprout, the professor of herbalism, introduces the students to the mandrakes. Potted plants look like human babies and let out a cry of agony when pulled out of the ground. Their cry kills observers if they do not take the necessary precautions. Sprout asks the students to wear earmuffs, but Neville still passes out during the lesson.
Mandrakes come in handy later that year when Professor Snape uses them to cook up a Mandrake Restoration Draft. The professors then reverse the petrification of the Basilisk victims with the potion. Unfortunately, as practical as they are, they are potentially fatal if students do not wear their earmuffs correctly.
seven Transfiguration can potentially have dangerous consequences
Professor McGonagall teaches transfiguration, which transforms one object into another by altering its molecular structure. Transfiguration includes transformation, disappearance and conjuration. Harry demonstrates this when he accidentally makes the zoo glass disappear, trapping Dudley in the snake exhibit.
In class, Harry and his friends learn how to turn a match into a needle, a porcupine into a pincushion, and more. While transfiguration is fascinating, some can also use it for evil, as seen by the students when Barty Crouch, Jr. (disguised as Mad-Eye Moody) turns Draco into a ferret as punishment. Unfortunately, less mature students might use Transfiguration irresponsibly if not properly supervised.
6 Hippogriffs are known to lash out when insulted
Hagrid’s first lesson as a Care of Magical Creatures teacher is an introduction to a hippogriff, a proud but loyal magical creature with the body and legs of a horse and the head and wings of an eagle. Majestic beasts are beautiful but dangerous, as they tend to lash out and hurt people when insulted.
Harry is the first to approach the hippogriff, and since he follows all the rules of etiquette, he is allowed to pet and ride the creature. However, Draco ignores the protocols and provokes Buck, leading to an attack. Fortunately, he is not seriously injured, but he could have been. Only professionals should handle hippogryphs, and Hagrid’s first lesson could have had disastrous results.
5 Lupine confronts the students with their worst fears
Remus Lupin is Harry’s third DADA teacher and arguably his best. However, one lesson could have a lasting mental impact on his students. Lupine brings a Boggart to class, a shapeshifter who emerges as the Watcher’s greatest fear. Its purpose is to teach students how to deal with it, lest they encounter one in the real world.
Neville’s worst fear is Professor Snape, Ron’s is a giant spider and Harry’s is a Dementor. To conquer the Boggart, students must imagine it as something funny. While this is a great lesson for students to learn for the real world, facing their biggest fears head-on in front of their peers could be detrimental.
4 Brewing potions could hurt or make students sick
Severus Snape taught potions until Harry’s sixth year, when Horace Slughorn took up the job. Potions classes can be dangerous if students aren’t trained properly or use the wrong ingredients. Improperly prepared potions can cause cauldrons to melt, explode, or release poisonous gases throughout the classroom, which can harm students.
The potions themselves can also be dangerous. Many brews in the wizarding world can injure, sicken, or even kill wizards. Additionally, there are love potions, truth serums, and memory drafts which, although seemingly innocent, can be very dangerous. If taught incorrectly or misused, every aspect of Potions class is at risk.
3 Unforgivable curses are illegal for a reason.
The Ministry of Magic strictly prohibits wizards from using three dark spells called Unforgivable Curses. Imperio makes the victim fall under the command of the user, forced to do or say what the user wants. Crucio tortures the victim, sending extreme pain throughout his body. Finally, Avada Kedavra instantly kills the victim.
When Crouch, Jr. pretends to be Moody and acts as the new DADA teacher, he uses his first lesson to teach and display the Unforgivable Curses to young students. Not only does he break the law by casting the spell on an insect, but he also gives students the tools to cast those terrible curses themselves. Unfortunately, teaching these spells could have adverse consequences.
2 Dueling can lead to injury
Dueling is the practice of two wizards facing off in a battle of magical ability, aiming to disarm, injure, or kill their opponent. First depicted in their second year, Lockhart and Snape pitted Harry and Draco against each other during Dueling Club.
Duels can potentially be big in the real world, and while teachers wouldn’t intentionally let anything bad happen, students are unpredictable. If someone gets angry enough and casts a dangerous spell, there’s not much teachers can do to stop them. Even innocent charms can lead to broken bones or other injuries.
1 Students risk getting kicked out during the spawn
Apparition is an incredibly convenient form of travel for wizards when done correctly. Magic allows wizards to disappear and reappear elsewhere in the blink of an eye, traveling through the air. Harry and his friends begin learning about the apparition in their sixth year, a lesson shown in the books but not the movies.
Most of the students in the class sign up for lessons, as they can start Apparating at age 17, but there are dangerous consequences when performed incorrectly. For example, Susan Bones collapses and loses her left leg while traveling. Luckily, the teachers fix it quickly, but getting unstuck is incredibly painful. Also, Ron’s shoulder and arm split while escaping from the Death Eaters. While this skill is amazing, it comes with risks and unpleasant consequences that put students at risk of losing limbs or worse.
