Random Utterly Genius Foreshadowing In Harry Potter (14 items)

• 

  (#3) Dumbledore's Plan To Stop Voldemort Was Laid Out Early

  A brief interaction between Harry and Dumbledore at the end of Goblet of Fire directly set up one of the key components to Dumbledore's overall plan to stop Voldemort. At the end of Goblet of Fire, Harry spent several chapters completely exhausted, drifting in and out of lucidity.

  So, when he told Dumbledore that Voldemort came back to life using Harry's own blood, Harry mentioned seeing a brief moment of triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. This left many book readers confused. After all, it seemed like a strange moment for Dumbledore to be feeling triumphant about anything.

  However, Dumbledore's reaction actually set up the reveal in Deathly Hallows: that Voldemort using Harry's blood was what would kill the Dark Lord once and for all. It was, in fact, something Dumbledore secretly hoped Voldemort would do. A triumphant moment indeed.
• 

  (#8) The Room Of Requirement Showed Up Earlier Than You Thought

  The Room of Requirement was indirectly introduced into the series for the first time by Albus Dumbledore in Goblet of Fire. Of course, the Room of Requirement wound up playing a huge role in Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows.

  Dumbledore mentioned The Room in passing, describing a time he stumbled upon a miraculous, secret bathroom in Hogwarts, only to never find it again. At first, it was shrugged off as nothing more than another funny magical Hogwarts moment. However, this disappearing room came back into play in a big way in subsequent installments of the series.
• 

  (#9) J.K. Rowling Hinted Early On At The True Identity Of Scabbers

  Scabbers's true identity as the animagus Peter Pettigrew was part of the massive plot twist at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, but eagle-eyed readers could see the reveal coming. 

  Early in Prisoner of Azkaban, it was casually noted that garden rats typically have a life span of only three years. This made Scabbers's 12-year-long history with the Weasley family far out of the ordinary. Rowling then went on to describe that Scabbers had been losing weight throughout the book, which readers later realized was the result of Peter Pettigrew stressing at the news of Sirius Black's escape. 

  The final major clue Rowling wove into the story regarding Scabbers's true identity is the fact that he was missing one of his toes. This might not have seemed strange on its own, but obsessive readers recalled that only one of Pettigrew's fingers was found when he "died," following his pre-Sorcerer's Stone confrontation with Sirius. All in all, these clues made the Pettigrew reveal at the end of Prisoner seem—in hindsight—pretty obvious.
• 

  (#10) A Bezoar Tutorial From The First Book Proved Invaluable Later In The Series

  The very first lesson Severus Snape taught Harry turns out to be a vital for the Boy Who Lived later on in the series.

  In Sorcerer's Stone, Harry attended Snape's Potions class for the first time. The notoriously nasty professor wasted no time in ridiculing Harry in front of all of his classmates. However, while chiding Harry for his apparent arrogance and lack of magical knowledge, Snape also mentioned to Harry that a bezoar provides a quick way to stop the spread of poison.

  This knowledge became useful during Half-Blood Prince, when Ron ingested a deadly poison while sharing a drink with Harry and Professor Slughorn. Thinking quickly, Harry grabbed a bezoar from one of Slughorn's reserves and shoved it into Ron's mouth, saving his best friend's life. 
• 

  (#7) Peter Pettigrew's Death Was Predicted By Dumbledore

  Peter Pettigrew's demise in Deathly Hallows was foreshadowed and set up by Albus Dumbledore near the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. After Harry talked Lupin and Sirius out of killing Pettigrew during their confrontation in Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore told Harry not to be too upset about Pettigrew escaping in the end. According to Dumbledore, Harry should look forward to the day when Pettigrew would have to honor his life debt.

  This, of course, came when Pettigrew let Harry and his friends escape from Malfoy Manor in Deathly Hallows. That action resulted in his auto-strangulation by Voldemort's metal hand. It was one of those book moments that was most noticeably missing from the film adaptations. 
• 

  (#6) The Centaurs Knew How Harry Would Die In the Forbidden Forest

  The centaurs accurately predicted that Voldemort will kill Harry in the Forbidden Forest during their introduction in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The Centaurs made two bold predictions when they ran into Harry in the Forbidden Forest for the first time. While their proclamation that "war is coming" wound up coming true as well, their other prediction may be even more eerie.

  After Firenze saved Harry from Voldemort/Quirrell's attack in the forest, one of Firenze's brethren, Bane, chided Firenze for interfering with the planets' intention. That meant Bane believed Harry was destined to die in the forest at Voldemort's hands—and while it didn't turn out that way in Sorcerer's Stone, Voldemort did, in fact, wind up "killing" Harry in the Forest during Deathly Hallows. So, it turned out the centaurs were right about the event itself; they were just a little off in their timing.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking