A new article put together by Wired outlines 13 fascinating new facts about the magical series, giving fans even more appreciation for the spectacular attention to detail that brought the books to life. (The answers by the way: 22 buses and 60-70 wands!)

Some more interesting trivia includes facts on Gringotts coins, Hogwarts uniforms, the Hogwarts Express, Harry Potter’s scar, mythical creatures, Hogwarts rubble, Shell Cottage and the new Boat House.

Harry Potter highlights:

– More than 600 school uniforms were made for Harry Potter
– 40 versions of Salazar Slytherin’s locket were created
– 210,000 coins were crafted for the Gringotts scene in the last two films
– Harry Potter’s lightning bolt scar was applied approximately 5,800 times, 2,000 times on Radcliffe, the rest on stunt doubles
– 200 mythical creatures were made for the films
– 588 sets were built for the Harry Potter movies
– Shell Cottage’s roof was crafted with 4,500 giant scallop shells
– More than 25,000 pieces of clothing were used in the eight-film franchise
– Deathly Hallows Part 2 included 400 teachers and students in the Great Hall, plus 400 Death Eaters and Snatchers

Check out the slide show and more interesting facts at the Wired website.

The Harry Potter star talked about wands, broomsticks and his character, the conflicted villain Draco Malfoy, plus the effect he has when he meets some of his young fans.

“Small kids are generally a little shy around me, me being my character, and actually it freaks them out even more when I smile and I’m really nice to them…”

“I’ve given up now. I don’t even bother, I just sort of scowl back.”

Tom Felton also reflected on his lack of souvenirs from the Harry Potter set, wishing he had been able to keep Draco’s wand as a keepsake.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is currently in theaters, breaking records at the box office, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes takes off on August 5.

Check out the Conan clip and be forewarned, the Harry Potter talk took a turn for the naughty!

Tom Felton on Conan:

As for playing the trouble-prone tyke turned sword-wielding hero, Lewis found a few comparisons in their journey growing up. “When I first started, Neville and I were pretty similar. I was a short, chubby kid, pretty shy,” Matthew Lewis reminisced.

“We both just grew up, and I’ve become more confident in myself and my acting, in life in general, and Neville went on to become a real hero. I don’t think I’m quite as courageous as he is.”

He also discussed his time on set in the makeup chair with his fellow actors Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley) and passing the time with music. Some of his favorite bands? The Beatles, Oasis, Kasabian. And his fave Beatles song? “In My Life… It’s just the most lovely song and really captures John Lennon’s emotion.”

Matthew Lewis went on to speculate on what Neville Longbottom might like: “His favorite album would probably be Help… I think Neville would pick With a Little Help from My Friends because that’s exactly what Neville is all about. His loyalty to his friends is what grants him his courage.”

Matthew Lewis chats to Rolling Stone about music, Neville and more:

Matthew Lewis talks Harry Potter directors:

And Warner Bros. just announced that the magical eight-film series has raked in an astonishing $7 billion worldwide!

In the U.S., Harry Potter’s wands beat out Star Wars’ lightsabers — Star Wars held the previous box office record as the biggest-grossing series with its six films and now Harry Potter has conjured up the top spot.

The eight Harry Potter movies have taken in $2.223 billion and counting domestically, surpassing Star Wars’ $2.218 billion take.

Harry Potter has held the global record as the highest-grossing franchise since 2009 when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hit theaters.

In its first week alone, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 earned a whopping $640.2 million globally, including $214.9 million in the U.S. and $425.3 million internationally.

“It is an extraordinary privilege for everyone at Warner Bros. to share in this piece of cinema history,” Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said. “We are extremely grateful to the Harry Potter fans, who have remained loyal to the movies for more than a decade. We also want to congratulate the amazing roster of actors and filmmakers, whose artistry and talent is evident in every frame of every film. But special thanks must go to the woman whose incomparable imagination literally changed the world, Jo Rowling.”

Harry Potter worldwide grosses:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) – $974,755,371
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) – $878,979,634
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) – $796,688,549
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) – $896,911,078
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – $939,885,929
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) – $934,416,487
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) – $955,417,476
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) – $640,200,000 (after first week of release)

Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) recently gave excited fans in Sydney a sneak peek of what to expect. Hundreds of props, costumes, creatures and other artifacts from the Harry Potter films, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, will be on display in an immersive experience for fans.

At the Sydney event, Matthew Lewis had the pleasure of unveiling some of the iconic items including the Bloody Baron’s costume and the Flying Ford Anglia, plus a never-before-seen Death Eater costume. And the actor even chatted about some of his favorite features in the exhibit:

“I brought my own wand, some of Neville’s costumes. We’ve got the mandrakes and you can pull the mandrakes out of the pot like Neville — hopefully you won’t faint like Neville.”

Matthew Lewis was also excited about “stuff that you don’t appreciate in the film — things, little details that a lot of effort has gone into, like the programs from the Quidditch World Cup, which you get to see for a second in the film.”

The director of the Powerhouse Museum, Dr. Dawn Casey, said, “We are thrilled to be bringing Harry Potter’s enchanted world to Sydney. We invite all Harry Potter fans and anyone with an interest in the superb creativity and skill which goes into making these stories come alive, to come and experience this truly magical exhibition.”

Harry Potter: The Exhibition will open its doors Down Under at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, starting November 19, 2011 through March 18, 2012. Advance tickets are available now at the Powerhouse Museum site.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition video

In a British television special on ITV, the cast and crew of Harry Potter, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, invited viewers into their magical world on the set. See some of the biggest moments from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 deconstructed, including more on the phenomenal Gringotts sequence. Helena Bonham Carter chats about playing Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix, and see the stunning attention to detail required for the goblin bankers.

Take a look at the amazing battle sequences that were years in the making to create the climactic Battle of Hogwarts. Producers David Heyman and David Barron, director David Yates, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) and others also offer their insight into how they brought J.K. Rowling’s words to life on the big screen. How did they create all that Hogwarts rubble? And how many wands has Daniel Radcliffe gone through over the years on the Harry Potter set? Find out below!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Behind the magic

What else did Radcliffe say? The 21-year-old actor talked about his emotions and the Harry Potter grieving period while moving on to his current gig, performing How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying eight times per week on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

He also discussed how he and the cast never felt jaded as they grew up on the Harry Potter set.

And who is Radcliffe’s neighbor during his stay in New York? Dan revealed it’s none other than Amy Poehler, of SNL and Parks & Recreation fame.

The Harry Potter star also took a moment to answer some hilarious fan questions posed to him by Quidditch players and even joked about what would happen if he showed up for a real-life Quidditch match.

Daniel Radcliffe on The Daily Show:

Stars like Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), David Thewlis (Remus Lupin), Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid) and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) are feted on the set as they take their final bows to cheers from the rest of the cast and crew.

“We’re like a family. Each person’s last day was quite emotional,” producer David Heyman says. “We always knew we were coming back. And this time we knew we weren’t.”

The most heartbreaking part? Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) say an emotional farewell as they try to sum up their feelings about the end of the magical series. And Radcliffe addresses the cast and crew in a heartfelt speech. Watch out for the trio’s group hug at the very end!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: It all ends video

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Now, Harry Potter and friends walked away from their opening weekend with more records to boast about, both domestically and around the globe. Breaking the previous record for best opening weekend held by 2008′s The Dark Knight with $158.4 million, Harry Potter raked in $169.3 million in the U.S. alone.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 also smashed a few global records with its $307 million take around the world, a new record for the biggest international weekend. Not surprisingly, Harry Potter scored huge results in the UK, with its $36.6 million haul and played well in Australia, with $26.7 million.

Harry Potter’s worldwide spell gave it one more new record with its global gross of $475.6 million, giving it the best worldwide opening weekend ever. The previous record holder? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with $394 million.

These fantastical numbers helped take the Harry Potter series beyond the $2 billion mark, $2.177 billion to be exact. The franchise is well on its way to take the top spot as the highest-grossing franchise in history which currently belongs to Star Wars with $2.218 billion.

Not only did Harry Potter win big at the box office but the film picked up loads of new followers online as well. The Harry Potter Facebook page added over half a million new likes over the weekend while Deathly Hallows Part 2 scored 250,000-plus tweets.

The energetic 21-year-old appeared on both the Today show and Live with Regis and Kelly where he discussed everything from his birthday to Broadway. Regis and Kelly even broke out an old clip from Daniel Radcliffe’s very first appearance on their show for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Watch video clips below!

Last but not least, Harry Potter star Tom Felton stopped by Live with Regis and Kelly for the first time and talked about his journey as Draco Malfoy. Felton dished about his co-stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe and even revealed which co-star he had a crush on when he was younger…

Daniel Radcliffe on Live with Regis and Kelly:

Daniel Radcliffe on the Today show:

Tom Felton on Live with Regis and Kelly: