It’s important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. CBR supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love, and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find CBR’s continuing coverage of Rowling here.
The Harry Potter film franchise is one of the most beloved and successful in cinema history, but even this behemoth has its fair share of plot holes. The eight-strong movie franchise and the seven novels that inspired it have amassed a huge fanbase worldwide. However, even though the stories were crafted expertly and delivered on-screen incredibly well, there are still many noticeable plot holes and inconsistencies that have marred the series.
Certain spells make no sense in the context, some events seem absurd in light of new information, and characters often do things that don’t add up with their personalities. These plot holes are definitely present, and some are hard to ignore. In a franchise as massive as the Harry Potter series, there are bound to be some slight mix-ups and inconsistencies, but this won’t stop fans from enjoying the series even now.
Harry Breaks the Elder Wand
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry learns about the titular artifacts: the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak. Albus Dumbledore was the master of the Elder Wand, a special wand that was able to perform magical feats without comparison. For example, even though wands are usually impossible to mend, Harry fixes his own wand with the Elder in the books, which showcases the amount of power that lies behind this unique and precious item.
It makes sense that Harry wanted to get rid of the Elder Wand, seeing how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands. However, it’s absurd that Harry could just break it in two, as he did in the movie, creating a massive plot hole. Such a mysterious and powerful object is probably indestructible, much like the rest of the Deathly Hallows, which have been around for centuries.
Hagrid Flies to Rescue Harry In the Sorcerer’s Stone, But How?
In the first Harry Potter installment, the Dursleys take Harry to an island, so wizards can’t reach him. Hagrid, however, finds him and tells him all about Hogwarts. When they leave the island together, Hagrid explains that he flew there, but now that they were together, it was better for him to do no more magic, so they returned to the boat. Funny enough, Hagrid still used magic to power the boat.
This very short line at the beginning of the series raises many questions. It’s a fact that Hagrid can’t fly on brooms because of his size. He usually travels on Sirius’ old motorcycle, which could explain why he would need magic to start it up. Still, if he flew there on the motorcycle and then returned on the boat, it’s unknown where he left the motorcycle. If he could not perform any more magic, it’s unlikely he would send it away with magic.
Why Didn’t Dumbledore Know What Was in the Chamber of Secrets?
Albus Dumbledore is an inquisitive and highly intelligent man who was able to resolve some of the most obscure mysteries in the Wizarding World. However, the fact that there was a giant basilisk living inside the pipes of his castle went unnoticed to him. Dumbledore experienced the opening of the chamber of secrets two times, the first of which resulted in the death of Moaning Myrtle.
It’s hard to believe Dumbledore didn’t question the ghost of Myrtle, saw the serpent ornaments in her bathroom, learned that children were being petrified through mirrors, and knew that Lord Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin spoke in Parseltongue, and yet he didn’t put two and two together. Hermione came to the conclusion with a lot less information, and it was easy for Harry to notice the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. These were children — even if they were brilliant ones.
Moody Can See Through Harry’s Invisibility Cloak
While Alastor Moody has a special eye that allows him to see through most objects, it’s hard to believe that this magical eye can pierce through Harry’s Invisibility Cloak, which people later learn is a Deathly Hallow. This Cloak is different from others because it never fades or breaks, and it’s pretty undetectable. It has been around for centuries and the Cloak is basically new, which is evidence of its great magical power.
In theory, the Cloak was cut from Death’s own cloak before it was gifted to Ignatius Peverell. Whether this is true or not, the Cloak is clearly an incredibly rare and peculiar object. A couple of times it seems that Barty Crouch Jr. (pretending to be Moody) could see through it in Goblet of Fire, and that’s bizarre. If the Cloak is such a mysterious and powerful item, there is probably not much in the world that can see through its magic.
Voldemort Keeps His Wand After Everything That Happens to Him
After Voldemort’s Killing Curse rebounded on Harry, hitting him instead, Voldemort allegedly died. At least, his body did. Voldemort remained as a sort of spirit, barely a living thing. It is unlikely he could even hold a wand in that state, using other animals like a parasite. Later, he appears in a baby body that he probably procured with unicorn blood, but still too weak to hold a wand.
However, his wand was apparently never retrieved by the Ministry of Magic or Death Eaters. In fact, Voldemort somehow kept it with him all along. When he obtains his body back in The Goblet of Fire, he has the same wand Ollivander sold to him when he was 11 years old. It was fortunate because the connection between Voldemort’s and Harry’s wand saved the Chosen One’s life, but it’s hard to know how Voldemort had kept the wand all those years.
Lupin Transforms When Clouds Stop Covering the Moon
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Sirius, Remus, Ron, and Hermione leave the Shrieking Shack late at night with Peter as their prisoner. However, when a couple of clouds move, allowing moonlight to fall upon them, Remus starts his transformation into a Werewolf. Many people have wondered about this decision, as it makes it look like Remus could simply avoid moonlight to stop becoming a werewolf.
Considering this, Remus should have transformed while everyone was still inside the house, during nighttime. As soon as the moon could be seen in the sky, even if there were clouds over it. This even raises questions like, would the transformation stop if there was another cloud covering the moon? What about cloudy nights? This plot hole is important because it changes many important choices in the franchise, especially since Remus’ transformation is what stops Sirius from becoming a free man.
Why Would Professors Punish First-Year Students by Sending Them into the Forbidden Forest?
In the first Harry Potter installment, when Harry and Hermione are out of bed visiting Hagrid, they are caught together with Draco and Neville by Professor McGonagall. Their punishment, however, makes very little sense. They are made to accompany Hagrid to the Forbidden Forest at night to search for a creature that is killing unicorns. Since the Forbidden Forest is “forbidden,” it is weird that the first-year students are given this punishment, especially since it’s so dangerous.
Maybe the staff consider them to be safe with Hagrid, but this kind of adventure seems like it would only inspire students to break the rules even further. What’s more, with Voldemort on the loose and such a mystery going on, it’s very odd that McGonagall would send Harry to potentially meet the Dark Lord. Even the Centaurs know Harry shouldn’t be there. It seems like an odd storyline that should have happened while Harry was, as per usual, exploring a place without permission.
Why Does Moaning Myrtle Never Notice Ginny in the Bathroom?
Moaning Myrtle is the ghost of a Hogwarts student who was killed by the basilisk while crying in the bathroom. She spends most of her time in the bathroom, which is why no one else uses it. In fact, Hermione decides to use the space to brew the Polyjuice Potion. Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, a space that Ginny had to use to free the basilisk when she was possessed by Tom Riddle.
The problem here is that it seems that Moaning Myrtle never saw Ginny around the bathroom, nor did she see her open the Chamber of Secrets. She also didn’t see her walk there on the night she disappeared. When Harry asks, she only talks about her death. It’s hard to conceive that Dumbledore never thought of asking the last victim of the basilisk what she had seen. It’s even weirder that Moaning Myrtle, a little talkative herself, didn’t say anything regarding Ginny at all.
How Does Dobby Know to Apparate in Shell’s Cottage?
Shell’s Cottage is Fleur and Bill’s home after they get married. Because the Wizarding World was going through a dark time, the couple hid the place with a Fidelius Charm, and Bill was the Secret Keeper. As people know, other wizards can only find these locations if the Secret Keeper shares the information. It can only be the Secret Keeper and not another person who knows the secret.
This information leads many Potterheads to wonder how Dobby managed to apparate at Shell’s Cottage. When Harry and the Golden Trio sit down with Bill, he explains that the house is safe because he is the Secret Keeper. Yet, no one ever told Harry about the location, so he shouldn’t have even perceived the house. Maybe it’s some advanced magic that allows family and friends to already know the location and elves to be able to apparate, but it’s never explained, so it remains inconsistent.
Why Do People Use Portkeys & Floo Instead of Side-Along Apparition?
The variety of ridiculous transportation methods co-existing with apparition is another point of confusion. The first time Harry Potter goes to Diagon Alley, Hagrid takes him on the metro. That makes sense because Hagrid is banned from using magic. The second time, he goes with the Weasleys, and they use the Floo Network. Later, Harry uses the Knight Bus. Even later, to get to the Quidditch World Cup, they use a Portkey, but by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, everyone has learned to apparate.
While underage wizards can’t apparate, they can side-along apparate with another wizard; Harry does so with Dumbledore. Then, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparate constantly. It stops making sense, then, that apparition hadn’t been used all along. All of these absurd transportation mechanisms seem like a plot device to make Harry accidentally get into Knockturn Alley, or learn the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. However, in light of other methods, these feel like cheap narrative devices.