Random Harry Potter Plot Holes (14 items)

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  (#1) Harry Uses Magic Willy-Nilly Outside Of School

  The opening scene of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is unforgivable. In the scene, Harry is in his room at 4 Privet Drive using the Lumos charm to read at night. There's just one problem – he's an underage wizard using magic outside of school, an act that's explicitly forbidden. What's more, he's using magic in a Muggle house. The Ministry of Magic would be on him like young Neville on a chocolate frog.
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  (#2) Does Polyjuice Potion Change Your Voice Or Not?

  Characters in the Harry Potter movies use Polyjuice potion numerous times. Whenever they do, they physically transform into someone else, but their voice remains their own. Except for one huge instance: Barty Crouch, Jr.

  Given the rules established in the films (and only the films) about voices remaining the same, Mad Eye Moody in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire should have, at the very least, a slightly different voice than the real Mad Eye.
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  (#3) Movie Dumbledore Is Dumb

  Many fans think Richard Harris was an amazing Dumbledore who captured the character perfectly. Michael Gambon, on the other hand... not so much.

  The writing of this scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is probably the real culprit, but nothing Dumbledore says is consistent with the book. First, after they learn that a young Tom Riddle was indeed seeking guidance on making multiple horcruxes, Dumbledore says, "This beyond anything I ever imagined." Uh, no it isn't. In the novel, it's precisely what Dumbledore imagines. He had actually suspected Riddle's diary was a horcrux all along, and that there might be more given how careless he was with it.

  Then Dumbledore goes on to say the horcruxes "could be anything. The most commonplace of objects." Wrong again. They are only objects Voldemort viewed as extremely significant or important, another thing book Dumbledore understood about him.
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  (#4) The Death Eaters Just Walk Into Hogwarts

  The entire plot of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince centers around Malfoy fixing the Vanishing Cabinet so the Death Eaters can break into Hogwarts. He succeeds and a battle ensues, with students and teachers fighting Death Eaters in the halls of the school.

  Except in the movie, this doesn't happen. Yes, the Death Eaters are brought in, but they're literally allowed to walk through the school blowing everything up. Instead, the violence happens at the Weasleys' house, which makes no sense. It's not like Voldemort's whole plan was to commit arson against one wizarding family.
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  (#5) Snape's Magical Defense Of The Sorcerer's Stone Is Missing

  In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect Snape of trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, but they're told explicitly by Hagrid that he's one of the teachers tasked with guarding it. This heavily implies that he has a magical defense of the stone in place, like the other teachers.

  In the book, Snape's defense is a logic test, in which Harry and Hermione have to figure out which potions will kill them, and which will let them move on and back, respectively. This, however, isn't in the film at all. But... Hagrid said Snape's protecting the stone. How?
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  (#6) The Aurors And Harry Fly Through London

  At no point in the books does J. K. Rowling write, "and then they flew on their broomsticks past countless Muggles, skimming boats for funsies, despite the fact that they're all Ministry employees and it's highly illegal." In the beginning of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his Auror rescuers do precisely that. There's nothing quite like sacrificing the integrity of a franchise's reality for a pretty shot.
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  (#7) Portkey Problems

  Portkeys are introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and they're a pretty nifty way to get around – if you ignore the glaring inconsistencies in how they work.

  The boot Harry, the Weasleys, and the Diggorys use in the beginning of the movie to get to the Quidditch World Cup doesn't go with them; it just transports them. But when the goblet takes Cedric and Harry to the graveyard at the end of the movie, it remains in Cedric's hand so Harry can conveniently escape.
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  (#8) Harry Is Allowed To Nap At The Death Eater Attack

  When the Death Eaters attack the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chaos breaks out until nothing remains but a wasteland of burnt tents. Oh, and Harry lounging in the dirt in the middle of said wasteland after getting knocked out. How does he make it out alive, seeing as how he's Voldemort's number-one target?
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  (#9) Lavender Brown Wasn't Always White

  Jessie Cave took over the role of Lavender Brown in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The role had been played by two other actresses in earlier films, Jennifer Smith and Kathleen Cauley, both of whom are black.

  Why the change? The character's name had previously been given to background actresses; when she became more central to the story, the movie execs recast her. Whatever the reason, the optics are not great.
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  (#10) Expelliarmus Does One Thing!

  In the books, the Expelliarmus spell disarms people, and it's Harry's go-to battle move. In the movies, everyone uses it all the time, and it always seems to have a different effect. Sometimes it simply disarms someone, but more often than not, it blasts people off their feet and sends them flying across the room. They always do drop their wand when this happens, so technically it works. But still!
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  (#11) Harry Does NOT Have His Mother's Eyes

  Throughout the Harry Potter series, pretty much any time someone meets Harry who also knew his mom, they tell him "You have your mother's eyes." This happens so often that he begins to get annoyed by it, although it is nice when movie Snape says that right before he dies in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.

  What isn't so nice is that, in the movies, Harry decidedly does not have his mother's eyes. In the books, both Harry and Lily have green eyes. Daniel Radcliffe has much darker eyes, and they definitely ain't green. You couldn't even use some colored contacts? Come on!
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  (#12) Harry Forgets How To Do The Patronus Charm

  In the opening scene of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry uses the Patronus charm to scare off a dementor. And what form does his Patronus take? That's right, a big silver ball! Wait, what? So, even though Harry learned how to produce a fully corporeal Patronus two years earlier, he can't manage to do it here?
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  (#13) Harry's Glasses Are Just For Show

  Check out this close-up of Harry in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Notice anything about his glasses? Like that they don't even have lenses? Is the audience to believe Harry is actually just a hipster dressing as a geek?

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