Harry Potter: 10 Behind The Scenes Secrets That Will Blow Your Mind

From Exploding Snap to Wizarding Skittles, there are more than enough activities available in the wizarding world to help pass the time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

One of the most popular of these activities is Wizard's Chess, which operates similar to the chess we have in the Muggle world but sees pieces coming to life and destroying one another.

And since Harry and friends had to overcome a full-sized game of Wizard's Chess to reach the Philosopher's Stone, producers had to find a way to create this magical scenario without putting the cast members in danger.

This is why the production team commissioned the creation of a fully functional chessboard with each chess piece being hand-sculpted out of clay and motorized to allow for movement across the board.

For safety reasons, cast members had to keep their distance from the explosions on set, which is why digital effects were used to fling virtual dust and debris as close to them as possible.

The explosion we see fling Ron from his horse was also less than an explosion, and more of an intense release of compressed air, making the stunt incredibly safe and thus suitable for someone his age.