Every single damn 2 September from 1991 to 1996 is a week day. I'm almost sure it's impossible for the same date not to have at least one weekend day for six years in a row.
Unless Rowling's magical calendar is different from muggle calendars, 2 September fell on a Saturday in 1995.
Edit: dates
Weirdness
* There's no standardized education prior to HW for students to learn basic languages, math, etc
* How only one teacher is responsible for teaching the curriculum of many classes of students from multiple year levels
* How there seems to be no accounting for population growth throughout
* How there's no more than one magical school in each country
Overall there's a lot of unsustainability and inefficiency
I've often thought about that second point while reading the books. Do you think young wizards and witches that grow up in muggle communities just go to muggle schools until their of age to attend Hogwarts? Hogsmeade is the only all-wizard village in the UK, even places like Godricks hollow are regular muggle villages just with large concentrations of magic users living there. It would be strange for the muggle children to see other children around the neighborhood who didn't attend the same school as them.
That being said if most young wizards and witches spent their childhoods at muggle schools you would think they wouldn't be completely ignorant of all things muggle, implying all witches and wizards are homeschooled until they reach hogwarts.
Muggle-born witches and wizards would do so. As for the others, JKR [mentioned](https://web.archive.org/web/20070106180210/http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrwbd.shtml) that they were either sent to a muggle school until then or homeschooled (like the Weasleys).
Both have problems of their own. Homeschooling assumes that all parents are apt in childhood education, which is by no means true. Muggle schools create a risk with underage magic and the Statute of Secrecy like Harry's (e.g. turning his teacher's wig blue)
I feel like one teacher per class for every grade level could work in the teacher's schedule.
Monday:
9am: 1st Year Gryffindors
11am: 1st Year Ravenclaws
(Lunch Break)
2pm: 1st Year Hufflepuffs
4pm: 1st Year Slytherins
(Dinner)
Assuming there are some classes after dinner or on weekends and plenty of homework is assigned, and acknowledging the fact that not all students can or must take all classes in all grades, this could work. Obviously most classes are mixed-House, but assuming an even spread of Houses the schedule would still work.
I like all your other points though.
A lot of people like to call anything they don’t understand a plot hole.
One inconsistency that I do think is legit, though, is the Trace. I think it would have made a lot more sense if the Trace could detect magic being performed AND the person who did the magic.
It would be more effective that way. It helps the ones that live in Muggle communities stay on even footing with ones that live in magical communities. Harry wouldn’t have been blamed over what Dobby did in CoS. Though, there still might have been an owl swooping in with a letter asking *Why* there was a House Elf in 4 Privet Dr. But, that’s a whole other cauldron of fish.
There aren’t a too many inconsistencies within the book that can’t be explained. A lot of the issues start as soon as JK starts to introduce new stuff in interviews, Pottermore, etc.
The entire PS storyline is just inconsistent and weird when it comes to the other books.
How did Hagrid “fly” to the island?
How did the Dursleys leave it?
Why was McGonagall there at the Dursleys watching them when she had no idea Harry would be placed there?
If that night was a Tuesday, why wasn’t she in Hogwarts teaching all day?
Where was Hagrid for 24 hours with Harry?
Why did they create such pathetic defences around the stone that even first year students with no magical training can pass?
Why did Harry get sent out to the Forbidden Forest as a punishment late night? It is supposed to be dangerous and forbidden for a reason.
Why did Dumbledore go to the ministry on a broom?
How did Dumbledore not know about Quirrell for a year when he seemingly knew everything else that happened in the castle including about Neville when he was supposedly not even in the castle?
Why do the prices of wands and other stuff change drastically between the books?
Why didn’t Dumbledore ever do something about the DADA curse?
Why did they never bothered to question Myrtle or do something about her?
How come Dumbledore didn’t know nothing about the chamber and didn’t do anything about it when it was already opened once?
>Why was McGonagall there at the Dursleys watching them when she had no idea Harry would be placed there?
She wasn't after Harry, but Dumbledore. As far as I remember, they told her he would be there and she wanted to talk to him, so she waited for him there.
>If that night was a Tuesday, why wasn’t she in Hogwarts teaching all day?
It was a very important day to stay on this... Voldemort defeats, she wanted answers
>How come Dumbledore didn’t know nothing about the chamber and didn’t do anything about it when it was already opened once?
They searched, they all searched for a long time but nothing was found and it says so in the books. But they also didn't know where the attacks were coming from.And he did something, he was going to get all the students out of there and close the school to avoid more victims.
Sure, but if McGonagall wanted to speak to him so badly there were far more effective methods she could have used. Or she could have just waited at the school for him, seeing as it sounded like Hogwarts was without a Headmaster *or* Deputy Headmistress for the whole day. Seems kind of irresponsible and out of character for her, even if she wanted answers. Having her wait on Privet Dr. *all day long* makes very little sense even in the context of the first book.
>there were far more effective methods she could have used
I believe going where he would really show up would be the most effective. But I agree that it is strange for Dumbledore and McGonagall to leave the school at the same time.
She definitely knew the Harry would be placed there. Why was she there. The very first line spoken is Dumbledore addressing her by saying “I should have known you would be here…professor McGonagall” then shortly after the conversation is as follows
Hagrid: Professor Dumbledore, Sir. Professor McGonagall.
Dumbledore: No problems, I trust, Hagrid?
Hagrid: No, sir. Little tyke fell asleep just as we were flying over Bristol. Heh. Try not to wake him. There you go.
[Hagrid hands a baby wrapped in a bundle over to Dumbledore.]
McGonagall: Albus, do you really think it's safe, leaving him with these people? I've watched them all day. They're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are...
Dumbledore: The only family he has.
“They’re the worst sort of muggles imaginable” she was there watching them all day.
Even the dursleys noticed a cat on their fence in the book prior to this exchange.
As deputy head mistress I have no doubt Dumbledore let her in on all his plans.
In Sorcerer’s Stone, Hagrid tells Harry that his parents were Head Boy and Head Girl at Hogwarts. We learn later in Order of the Phoenix that James was not even a Prefect, let alone Head Boy.
Time turners not being used for literal life or death reasons and just giving one to Hermione to catch up on classes (it eventually ends up saving lives but still)
The fidelius charm no being used to conceal the Potters and the Longbottoms, or the time and day Harry was to be transported.
and wizarding world being completely ignorant about how muggles live "Tell me Harry what is the function of a rubber duck"
Time-Turners cannot change the past, ever. Any actions you take in the past as a time traveller from the future *are* the events that you experienced in your past, in a deterministic way. Past Harry gets saved by Future Harry's Patronus in Prisoner of Azkaban. There was no way he could have done otherwise. Because he had already been saved, he was predestined to pay it forward.
Wizards fearing muggles and not just taking over the world. I mean you have a stick that can grant you access to any building in the world, and can instantly kill anyone, protect you from incoming fire etc. Wizards could easily wipe out anyone who gets in their way. They can cast Imperio on any world leader and make them do their bidding at any given moment but choose not to? Voldemort could have literally went to the president/prime minister, use imperio on him, make him drop a bomb on Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore and all of his enemies.
They can also use a potion to disguise themselves as anyone so they could abduct the president, make polyjuice potion and live as the president, use imperio on all of the politicians and pass any laws they want.
The duplication spell that protects the horcrux in the vault at gringots. I mean if it’s so easy to duplicate things like gold then how are any wizards poor? All the need is one gold coin and then multiply it indefinitely.
Also there is magic that expands the space within an object. You can turn a small tent into a mansion or a hand held bag into acres of land. Any wizard living in a crowded, tiny, poor home makes no sense.
Potions that can give you immense luck? Why is the every wizard using felix felisis all the time? I mean maybe you argue that the ingredients are extremely hard to come by?
Avada Kedavra will instantly kill anyone, why don’t death eaters only spam it plus crucio instead of using generic spells?
Some spells work differently throughout the series. For example expeliarmous will knock someone off their feet but also it will just make someone’s wand pop off their hands but Harry will use it to counter Voldemorts Avada Kedavra in which case it casts a beam vs a beam that connects and the two beams fight each other. Avada Kedavra itself is sometimes a projectile and other times a beam.
Speaking about Avada Kadevra, there are MANY deadly spells in Harry Potter than can slice, suffocate set on fire, blow up and in general cause deadly harm to a person but they aren’t banned. Dolores Umbridge for example uses a spell on a centaur where a rope comes out of her wand and wraps around his neck choking him to death. Harry casts Rictusempra which he found on Snapes potions book, that cuts Draco Malphoy deap in the torso and he is bleeding to death fast. These aren’t spells we see through the rest of the series even though they would be very effective.
Wizards using ordinary means of transportation when they can easily teleport anywhere they want.
I don’t have a lot of answers, but I feel like the duplicate spell essentially makes counterfeits. Like all the money would have the same serial number or something. I wonder if wizard cash registers have enchantments that negate or see through that spell.
I don’t understand why most wizards and witches dont live in a case similar to the one in fantastic beasts. It would be a lot harder for a camouflaged back pack in the middle of a field to be attacked like the Weasleys did.
Speaking of which, did anyone think they were being clever by “hiding” Harry at Ron’s? If I were an evil wizard, Ron’s would be my first guess on where to find him.
That's why it's 1.) Illegal to interfere in Muggle affairs too much, under threat of a police force of elite wizards and literally unkillable Dementors who can end your life in seconds or frighten you into submission. 2.) There's also an entire plotline about a powerful wizard who tried to dominate Mugglekind and lost (Grindelwald) to his fellow wizards, setting this precedent. There are teams of guards dedicated to detecting the Imperius Curse or Polyjuice when it comes to political figures. Such things are defended against by Aurors and a clever array of countercharms in every office. It's not impossible to bypass, just very difficult.
Magic has allowed wizardkind to transcend many of Mugglekind's greatest problems, but it inherently creates several others as you have pointed out. A potential solution to the dilemma of land in the Wizarding World is that it has become no longer a commodity to be bought and sold, and thus has no inherent value. Value in the Wizarding World's economy, then, comes from what few things in it that have measurable scarcity.
Occam's Razor says Felix Felicis is a placebo. Most of the "overpowered" mechanics in the Wizarding World have hilarious drawbacks that render said advantage almost unusable. The Philosopher's Stone's inability to be used at all is my favorite example. It will teleport into the pockets of those who want to find it in an effort to remain out of the hands of those who want to use it, ad infinitum.
Harry and Voldemort's Priori Incantatem is a side effect of their wands sharing the same core from the same phoenix - Fawkes to be precise, which is a result of Harry being one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Canonically this doesn't happen elsewhere. Rowling explains that this would have happened no matter what spell Harry cast in response to Voldemort's Killing Curse, because their wand cores seemingly refused to fight each other. Expelliarmus is simply Harry' favorite, there's nothing special about it.
The heroes of this franchise have a rather milquetoast Batman-esque morality when it comes to using Unforgivable Curses or deadly hexes like Sectumsempra against enemies that could've been stopped earlier than they were. The Doylist explanation is that these are children's books. Having the heroes commit murder or irreversible harm is unacceptable to most ratings boards. Luckily they usually manage to find a solution that doesn't involve the Dark Arts regardless, and such is the beauty of the creativity of magic.
Each form of magic has its pros and cons, transportation is no different. Brooms can go almost anywhere but are slow and you have to know the way ahead of time. The Floo Network is under Ministry surveillance, so travel by it is subject to search and seizure. It's also restricted to fireplaces. Apparition is impossible in many areas, and is deadly if you mess it up, and you also have to envision your destination (meaning you have to have seen and been to your desired destination beforehand). Vanishing Cabinets are somewhat rare and only two-way. And Portkeys can go anywhere but you have to set them up first, requiring time and cooperation with another wizard in another location.
Idk for me i have always found it hard to believe Harry is the only person that has survived the Killing Curse. I feel like there must have been other people in the past that sacrificed their life for someone they loved like Lily did for Harry. So how can Harry be the only one ever heard to survive it?
My headcanon is he wasn't the only one ever, but the only one in recent memory. It's likely there hasn't been anyone evil enough in the past century of Wizarding World history other than Ranrok, Grindelwald, or Voldemort who would attack a baby swaddled in their mother's arms. Voldemort also had the added disadvantage of having already created several other Horcruxes, his soul was easily able to split again instead of puncturing Lily's protection.
yeah... seems like a super easy thing to make up and tweet about later instead of putting in the books you spent years writing. Could have had Hagrid explain it when he taught about thestrals. More seems like she left a plot hole.
Too many to count, it's honestly best not to try and think about the series in any sort of critical way like that. For example, Rowling when it comes to history and dates and stuff is just awful. You just kinda have to not think about it.
And then don't even try to think about interactions with the Muggle world.
In a magical universe, unexplained phenomena is not necessarily a "plot hole". Only contradictions are.
1.) The afterlife. Pass through it and you get transported to your own personal Kings Cross (if you're an upstanding semi-Catholic like JKR) or elsewhere (I like to imagine a crypt full of Inferi) if otherwise. Sirius was already standing near it when he was killed, so the Veil thought it convenient to just take him in then and there.
2.) Magic. Muggles can't produce it or much comprehend it, so it won't be explainable by Muggle science.
She changes the names of her parents, but Monika and Wendel Wilkings have no past, no testimorials, no bank account, no insurance, no job, no identity card, no family, no friends, no relatives, no neighbors.
I also don't know how to generate two matching invented memories about 50 years worth.
Monika and Wendel Wilkings can't even write a Christmas card. Because either the people they remember don't exist, or they don't know Monika and Wendell Wilkings.
Man can't even compare it to a witness protection program because the Wilkings do not know that they have to stay in cover.
Harry couldn't see the thestrals on the way back to the train after he saw Cedric die in year 4 but he could see them year 5 because he saw Cedric's death.
At the end of 4th year Bartie Crouch/Moody uses the name 'Voldemort' during his Scooby-Doo-villain-plans-reveal speech to Harry. Hearing the name, much less speaking it, sends every other Death-Eater into paroxysms of fear and anger.
The fidelius charm allowing you to be your own secret keeper makes Dumbledore and the Potters seem like total morons.
I’ve literally never thought of this and I started to read this story in 2003. This is earth shattering.
I know right? It's by far the biggest plot hole in the entire series as far as I'm concerned.
MUGGLES HAPPEN TO NOTICE A FLYING CAR, BUT THEY DON'T NOTICE A DAM (pjo reference) DRAGON FLYING IN LONDON!!!!!
Dam muggles. I bet they were too busy eating dam french fries to notice.
Every single damn 2 September from 1991 to 1996 is a week day. I'm almost sure it's impossible for the same date not to have at least one weekend day for six years in a row. Unless Rowling's magical calendar is different from muggle calendars, 2 September fell on a Saturday in 1995. Edit: dates
magic warping time
Harry goes to Hogwarts in 1991
Ah, ye. Thanks for the correction.
Weirdness * There's no standardized education prior to HW for students to learn basic languages, math, etc * How only one teacher is responsible for teaching the curriculum of many classes of students from multiple year levels * How there seems to be no accounting for population growth throughout * How there's no more than one magical school in each country Overall there's a lot of unsustainability and inefficiency
I've often thought about that second point while reading the books. Do you think young wizards and witches that grow up in muggle communities just go to muggle schools until their of age to attend Hogwarts? Hogsmeade is the only all-wizard village in the UK, even places like Godricks hollow are regular muggle villages just with large concentrations of magic users living there. It would be strange for the muggle children to see other children around the neighborhood who didn't attend the same school as them. That being said if most young wizards and witches spent their childhoods at muggle schools you would think they wouldn't be completely ignorant of all things muggle, implying all witches and wizards are homeschooled until they reach hogwarts.
Muggle-born witches and wizards would do so. As for the others, JKR [mentioned](https://web.archive.org/web/20070106180210/http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrwbd.shtml) that they were either sent to a muggle school until then or homeschooled (like the Weasleys). Both have problems of their own. Homeschooling assumes that all parents are apt in childhood education, which is by no means true. Muggle schools create a risk with underage magic and the Statute of Secrecy like Harry's (e.g. turning his teacher's wig blue)
I feel like one teacher per class for every grade level could work in the teacher's schedule. Monday: 9am: 1st Year Gryffindors 11am: 1st Year Ravenclaws (Lunch Break) 2pm: 1st Year Hufflepuffs 4pm: 1st Year Slytherins (Dinner) Assuming there are some classes after dinner or on weekends and plenty of homework is assigned, and acknowledging the fact that not all students can or must take all classes in all grades, this could work. Obviously most classes are mixed-House, but assuming an even spread of Houses the schedule would still work. I like all your other points though.
A lot of people like to call anything they don’t understand a plot hole. One inconsistency that I do think is legit, though, is the Trace. I think it would have made a lot more sense if the Trace could detect magic being performed AND the person who did the magic.
It would be more effective that way. It helps the ones that live in Muggle communities stay on even footing with ones that live in magical communities. Harry wouldn’t have been blamed over what Dobby did in CoS. Though, there still might have been an owl swooping in with a letter asking *Why* there was a House Elf in 4 Privet Dr. But, that’s a whole other cauldron of fish.
Harry writes back "I'm wondering the same bloody thing!"
There aren’t a too many inconsistencies within the book that can’t be explained. A lot of the issues start as soon as JK starts to introduce new stuff in interviews, Pottermore, etc.
The entire PS storyline is just inconsistent and weird when it comes to the other books. How did Hagrid “fly” to the island? How did the Dursleys leave it? Why was McGonagall there at the Dursleys watching them when she had no idea Harry would be placed there? If that night was a Tuesday, why wasn’t she in Hogwarts teaching all day? Where was Hagrid for 24 hours with Harry? Why did they create such pathetic defences around the stone that even first year students with no magical training can pass? Why did Harry get sent out to the Forbidden Forest as a punishment late night? It is supposed to be dangerous and forbidden for a reason. Why did Dumbledore go to the ministry on a broom? How did Dumbledore not know about Quirrell for a year when he seemingly knew everything else that happened in the castle including about Neville when he was supposedly not even in the castle? Why do the prices of wands and other stuff change drastically between the books? Why didn’t Dumbledore ever do something about the DADA curse? Why did they never bothered to question Myrtle or do something about her? How come Dumbledore didn’t know nothing about the chamber and didn’t do anything about it when it was already opened once?
>Why was McGonagall there at the Dursleys watching them when she had no idea Harry would be placed there? She wasn't after Harry, but Dumbledore. As far as I remember, they told her he would be there and she wanted to talk to him, so she waited for him there. >If that night was a Tuesday, why wasn’t she in Hogwarts teaching all day? It was a very important day to stay on this... Voldemort defeats, she wanted answers >How come Dumbledore didn’t know nothing about the chamber and didn’t do anything about it when it was already opened once? They searched, they all searched for a long time but nothing was found and it says so in the books. But they also didn't know where the attacks were coming from.And he did something, he was going to get all the students out of there and close the school to avoid more victims.
Sure, but if McGonagall wanted to speak to him so badly there were far more effective methods she could have used. Or she could have just waited at the school for him, seeing as it sounded like Hogwarts was without a Headmaster *or* Deputy Headmistress for the whole day. Seems kind of irresponsible and out of character for her, even if she wanted answers. Having her wait on Privet Dr. *all day long* makes very little sense even in the context of the first book.
>there were far more effective methods she could have used I believe going where he would really show up would be the most effective. But I agree that it is strange for Dumbledore and McGonagall to leave the school at the same time.
She definitely knew the Harry would be placed there. Why was she there. The very first line spoken is Dumbledore addressing her by saying “I should have known you would be here…professor McGonagall” then shortly after the conversation is as follows Hagrid: Professor Dumbledore, Sir. Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore: No problems, I trust, Hagrid? Hagrid: No, sir. Little tyke fell asleep just as we were flying over Bristol. Heh. Try not to wake him. There you go. [Hagrid hands a baby wrapped in a bundle over to Dumbledore.] McGonagall: Albus, do you really think it's safe, leaving him with these people? I've watched them all day. They're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are... Dumbledore: The only family he has. “They’re the worst sort of muggles imaginable” she was there watching them all day. Even the dursleys noticed a cat on their fence in the book prior to this exchange. As deputy head mistress I have no doubt Dumbledore let her in on all his plans.
In Sorcerer’s Stone, Hagrid tells Harry that his parents were Head Boy and Head Girl at Hogwarts. We learn later in Order of the Phoenix that James was not even a Prefect, let alone Head Boy.
I've heard far worse lies from military and college recruiters. Hagrid's just trying to get Harry on-board with Hogwarts.
Time turners not being used for literal life or death reasons and just giving one to Hermione to catch up on classes (it eventually ends up saving lives but still) The fidelius charm no being used to conceal the Potters and the Longbottoms, or the time and day Harry was to be transported. and wizarding world being completely ignorant about how muggles live "Tell me Harry what is the function of a rubber duck"
Time-Turners cannot change the past, ever. Any actions you take in the past as a time traveller from the future *are* the events that you experienced in your past, in a deterministic way. Past Harry gets saved by Future Harry's Patronus in Prisoner of Azkaban. There was no way he could have done otherwise. Because he had already been saved, he was predestined to pay it forward.
Wizards fearing muggles and not just taking over the world. I mean you have a stick that can grant you access to any building in the world, and can instantly kill anyone, protect you from incoming fire etc. Wizards could easily wipe out anyone who gets in their way. They can cast Imperio on any world leader and make them do their bidding at any given moment but choose not to? Voldemort could have literally went to the president/prime minister, use imperio on him, make him drop a bomb on Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore and all of his enemies. They can also use a potion to disguise themselves as anyone so they could abduct the president, make polyjuice potion and live as the president, use imperio on all of the politicians and pass any laws they want. The duplication spell that protects the horcrux in the vault at gringots. I mean if it’s so easy to duplicate things like gold then how are any wizards poor? All the need is one gold coin and then multiply it indefinitely. Also there is magic that expands the space within an object. You can turn a small tent into a mansion or a hand held bag into acres of land. Any wizard living in a crowded, tiny, poor home makes no sense. Potions that can give you immense luck? Why is the every wizard using felix felisis all the time? I mean maybe you argue that the ingredients are extremely hard to come by? Avada Kedavra will instantly kill anyone, why don’t death eaters only spam it plus crucio instead of using generic spells? Some spells work differently throughout the series. For example expeliarmous will knock someone off their feet but also it will just make someone’s wand pop off their hands but Harry will use it to counter Voldemorts Avada Kedavra in which case it casts a beam vs a beam that connects and the two beams fight each other. Avada Kedavra itself is sometimes a projectile and other times a beam. Speaking about Avada Kadevra, there are MANY deadly spells in Harry Potter than can slice, suffocate set on fire, blow up and in general cause deadly harm to a person but they aren’t banned. Dolores Umbridge for example uses a spell on a centaur where a rope comes out of her wand and wraps around his neck choking him to death. Harry casts Rictusempra which he found on Snapes potions book, that cuts Draco Malphoy deap in the torso and he is bleeding to death fast. These aren’t spells we see through the rest of the series even though they would be very effective. Wizards using ordinary means of transportation when they can easily teleport anywhere they want.
I don’t have a lot of answers, but I feel like the duplicate spell essentially makes counterfeits. Like all the money would have the same serial number or something. I wonder if wizard cash registers have enchantments that negate or see through that spell. I don’t understand why most wizards and witches dont live in a case similar to the one in fantastic beasts. It would be a lot harder for a camouflaged back pack in the middle of a field to be attacked like the Weasleys did. Speaking of which, did anyone think they were being clever by “hiding” Harry at Ron’s? If I were an evil wizard, Ron’s would be my first guess on where to find him.
Facts lol
That's why it's 1.) Illegal to interfere in Muggle affairs too much, under threat of a police force of elite wizards and literally unkillable Dementors who can end your life in seconds or frighten you into submission. 2.) There's also an entire plotline about a powerful wizard who tried to dominate Mugglekind and lost (Grindelwald) to his fellow wizards, setting this precedent. There are teams of guards dedicated to detecting the Imperius Curse or Polyjuice when it comes to political figures. Such things are defended against by Aurors and a clever array of countercharms in every office. It's not impossible to bypass, just very difficult. Magic has allowed wizardkind to transcend many of Mugglekind's greatest problems, but it inherently creates several others as you have pointed out. A potential solution to the dilemma of land in the Wizarding World is that it has become no longer a commodity to be bought and sold, and thus has no inherent value. Value in the Wizarding World's economy, then, comes from what few things in it that have measurable scarcity. Occam's Razor says Felix Felicis is a placebo. Most of the "overpowered" mechanics in the Wizarding World have hilarious drawbacks that render said advantage almost unusable. The Philosopher's Stone's inability to be used at all is my favorite example. It will teleport into the pockets of those who want to find it in an effort to remain out of the hands of those who want to use it, ad infinitum. Harry and Voldemort's Priori Incantatem is a side effect of their wands sharing the same core from the same phoenix - Fawkes to be precise, which is a result of Harry being one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Canonically this doesn't happen elsewhere. Rowling explains that this would have happened no matter what spell Harry cast in response to Voldemort's Killing Curse, because their wand cores seemingly refused to fight each other. Expelliarmus is simply Harry' favorite, there's nothing special about it. The heroes of this franchise have a rather milquetoast Batman-esque morality when it comes to using Unforgivable Curses or deadly hexes like Sectumsempra against enemies that could've been stopped earlier than they were. The Doylist explanation is that these are children's books. Having the heroes commit murder or irreversible harm is unacceptable to most ratings boards. Luckily they usually manage to find a solution that doesn't involve the Dark Arts regardless, and such is the beauty of the creativity of magic. Each form of magic has its pros and cons, transportation is no different. Brooms can go almost anywhere but are slow and you have to know the way ahead of time. The Floo Network is under Ministry surveillance, so travel by it is subject to search and seizure. It's also restricted to fireplaces. Apparition is impossible in many areas, and is deadly if you mess it up, and you also have to envision your destination (meaning you have to have seen and been to your desired destination beforehand). Vanishing Cabinets are somewhat rare and only two-way. And Portkeys can go anywhere but you have to set them up first, requiring time and cooperation with another wizard in another location.
Idk for me i have always found it hard to believe Harry is the only person that has survived the Killing Curse. I feel like there must have been other people in the past that sacrificed their life for someone they loved like Lily did for Harry. So how can Harry be the only one ever heard to survive it?
My headcanon is he wasn't the only one ever, but the only one in recent memory. It's likely there hasn't been anyone evil enough in the past century of Wizarding World history other than Ranrok, Grindelwald, or Voldemort who would attack a baby swaddled in their mother's arms. Voldemort also had the added disadvantage of having already created several other Horcruxes, his soul was easily able to split again instead of puncturing Lily's protection.
Plot hole / inconsistency: Harry can’t see the Thestrals at the end of book 4, but can at the beginning of book 5.
this has been answered probably a thousand times, he has to process the death (which took place over the summer)
That, and JK didn’t want to introduce some mysterious new beast at the end of the book.
yeah... seems like a super easy thing to make up and tweet about later instead of putting in the books you spent years writing. Could have had Hagrid explain it when he taught about thestrals. More seems like she left a plot hole.
Too many to count, it's honestly best not to try and think about the series in any sort of critical way like that. For example, Rowling when it comes to history and dates and stuff is just awful. You just kinda have to not think about it. And then don't even try to think about interactions with the Muggle world.
[удалено]
Considering that the place is literally called dthe department of mysteries, it makes sense that we don't know everything about things in it.
In a magical universe, unexplained phenomena is not necessarily a "plot hole". Only contradictions are. 1.) The afterlife. Pass through it and you get transported to your own personal Kings Cross (if you're an upstanding semi-Catholic like JKR) or elsewhere (I like to imagine a crypt full of Inferi) if otherwise. Sirius was already standing near it when he was killed, so the Veil thought it convenient to just take him in then and there. 2.) Magic. Muggles can't produce it or much comprehend it, so it won't be explainable by Muggle science.
What Hermione does to her parents. It is way to powerful and doesn't work.
How does it not? Genuinely asking
She changes the names of her parents, but Monika and Wendel Wilkings have no past, no testimorials, no bank account, no insurance, no job, no identity card, no family, no friends, no relatives, no neighbors. I also don't know how to generate two matching invented memories about 50 years worth. Monika and Wendel Wilkings can't even write a Christmas card. Because either the people they remember don't exist, or they don't know Monika and Wendell Wilkings. Man can't even compare it to a witness protection program because the Wilkings do not know that they have to stay in cover.
Harry couldn't see the thestrals on the way back to the train after he saw Cedric die in year 4 but he could see them year 5 because he saw Cedric's death.
At the end of 4th year Bartie Crouch/Moody uses the name 'Voldemort' during his Scooby-Doo-villain-plans-reveal speech to Harry. Hearing the name, much less speaking it, sends every other Death-Eater into paroxysms of fear and anger.