Among classic fantasy worlds, one of the most beloved is Harry Potter, yet as much as readers adore the wizarding world, there are a number of aspects of it that really make no sense. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was first written in 1997 and spawned six more novels, all of which followed the young wizard, Harry, as he attended wizarding school and fought against Lord Voldemort. The books were quickly adapted into movies, boosting the franchise’s popularity even more. Now, dedicated viewers know all the ins and outs of Harry’s world, including the logical holes.
It isn’t necessarily unusual for fantasy stories to have logistical errors. When an author creates an entire world from scratch, it can be difficult to cover every aspect of a living and breathing society. Yet, it has to be admitted that Harry Potter has quite a few elements that never quite pan out, and still raise questions to this day about how the wizarding world, otherwise known as the Potterverse, actually works. From muggles to Hogwarts classes, the Harry Potter books never quite flesh out the everyday workings of a real community.
10 Where Do Wizards Work
Is The Ministry Of Magic The Only Place To Work?
One major question that Harry Potter audiences have about the wizarding world is where wizards work. While the series shows professors at Hogwarts and notes the many jobs within the Ministry of Magic, it is entirely clear what other job opportunities there are for wizard. Some own shops like Ollivander’s or work for the government, like Arthur Weasley, but Harry Potter never really delves into all the options for wizards and witches. The series doesn’t even mention whether wizards go to university.
This scenario makes it clear that, although
Harry Potter
focuses heavily on wizarding education, the series never quite explains what all of this schooling is leading to.
Of course, the question of wizarding jobs doesn’t make or break Harry Potter, but it definitely leaves a rather big hole within wizarding society. It doesn’t seem right that wizards must be business owners, Quidditch players, or government employees. This scenario makes it clear that, although Harry Potter focuses heavily on wizarding education, the series never quite explains what all of this schooling is leading to. Wizards may even have muggle jobs, but Harry Potter isn’t interested in answering this question, among others.
9 How Many Students Attend Hogwarts
What J.K. Rowling Has Said About Hogwarts’ Student Population
Another major question readers have about Hogwarts in particular is how many students go there. According to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, there are 40 students in Harry’s year, and each house gets ten students. However, if this were the case for every year, there would only be 280 students in total. Yet, throughout the series, Hogwarts’ student body seems to have upwards of a thousand students. The movies definitely make this seem true. So, what is the truth?
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Ultimately, it seems as though the numbers changed depending on the book to better fit the story at hand. Perhaps it made sense for Harry to be among 39 other first-years, but later on, the student body had to grow bigger for events like the Battle of Hogwarts and the Triwizard Tournament. One argument that takes the weight off of these shifting numbers is the theory that Harry’s class was particularly small because of Voldemort’s attacks a decade before.
8 Unbreakable Vows
Why Don’t Wizards Use Them More?
Among the many spells that appear in Harry Potter, one of the most strangely utilized ones was the Unbreakable Vow. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Severus Snape enters an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa Malfoy that forces Snape to protect Draco Malfoy at all costs, and eventually, kill Dumbledore when Draco cannot. The rules of the Unbreakable Vow state that Snape must follow out his promises, and if he doesn’t, he will die. Yet, for such a powerful spell, the stakes of Snape’s vow seem pretty low.
The big question around the Unbreakable Vow is why it wasn’t used more often throughout the series. Considering Voldemort’s relationship with his Death Eaters, it would make sense that he would demand Unbreakable Vows from all of them, but he doesn’t. Furthermore, Draco could have been the one to take the vow, which would have forced him to kill Dumbledore to save his own life. Clearly, the Unbreakable Vow was created simply so Snape would murder Dumbledore, regardless of the fact that it opens so many other doors for wizards.
7 Do Wizards Learn Math, English, Science, Etc.
Hogwarts Classes Explained
One major plot hole in Harry Potter is whether wizards learn basic subjects like math, science, and English. Based on Harry’s story, it seems that wizard schooling starts at age 11 and lasts until age 18. This begs the question: what do wizards do for the first decade of their life? Presumably, Harry went to muggle school during his childhood, and perhaps purebloods like the Malfoys were homeschooled. Even then, math and English are skills that are necessary even beyond the grade school level, yet they didn’t seem to be present at Hogwarts.
|
Class |
Type |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Defense Against the Dark Arts |
Mandatory |
Defensive instruction against dark magic and creatures |
|
Transfiguration |
Mandatory |
Spellwork of transforming one thing into another, including human transformations |
|
Charms |
Mandatory |
Spellwork of magical effects on things and people; covering all spells not categorized under another subject |
|
Potions |
Mandatory |
Preparation of pseudo-chemical concoctions that will produce magical effects |
|
Herbology |
Mandatory |
Study of magical plants, including care and their uses |
|
Astronomy |
Mandatory |
Study of the stars and planets and their magical influences |
|
History of Magic |
Mandatory |
Covering significant historical events of the Wizarding World |
|
Care of Magical Creatures |
Elective |
Study of magical creatures, including instruction in care and safety |
|
Divination |
Elective |
The practice of discerning the future from certain magical phenomena |
|
Arithmancy |
Elective |
The study of the magical properties of numbers |
|
Ancient Runes |
Elective |
Language class on the alphabet used by Bronze & Iron Age wizards |
|
Muggle Studdies |
Elective |
The study of non-magical culture and technology |
|
Flying |
Supplementary course |
One-off course taught to first-years on the basics of flying |
|
Apparition |
Supplementary course |
12-week course offered by the Ministry of Magic to sixth and seventh years on Apparition, the ability to travel instantly from one location to another; necessary to obtain an apparition license |
The most obvious reason for this logistical error is that those classes would not be nearly as interesting to read about as Potions or Transfiguration. It wouldn’t make sense for Rowling to waste time on science class when Defense Against the Dark Arts is so much more prevalent to the plot. Furthermore, readers can assume that certain subjects could have folded into Hogwart’s magical classes. Wizards need math to successfully create potions and need English to write good essays for their O.W.L.S.
6 Slytherins Always Being Considered Bad
Slytherins Deserved More Characterization
A complaint that has long plagued the Harry Potter community is the Hogwarts Houses, and in particular, Slytherins. From the very beginning, Rowling made it quite clear that the Slytherin house was for evil characters only. Despite being known as ambitious and cunning, these Slytherin traits were never framed positively, but instead, just made the Slytherin characters untrustworthy. While this worked for the story at hand, it doesn’t quite pan out when the wizarding world as a whole is considered.
If every wrongdoer came from Slytherin house, it would make sense that the wizarding world would notice this, and do something about it.
The major question that revolves around the Slytherins is why Hogwarts had an evil house in the first place. If every wrongdoer came from Slytherin house, it would make sense that the wizarding world would notice this, and do something about it. Generally, it is also just an unfair characterization. Ambition is not an inherently bad trait, and Rowling should have included some good Slytherins to prove that Draco and his buddies were simply outliers.
5 What Is Legal & Illegal For Wizards
Time Turners, Love Potions, & Flying Carpets
Throughout Harry Potter, there are definitely rules about what wizards can and cannot do, yet even some of these laws are nonsensical. For example, flying carpets are illegal in Harry Potter because they are considered to be muggle objects. Yet, the Weasley twins are able to sell love potions at their store, and drinking these could get an individual into a very dicey situation that is non-consensual. Similarly, Hermione easily uses a time-turner in Harry Potter in the Prisoner of Azkaban, despite the fact that messing with time comes with massive consequences.
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Once again, this seems to be a case of Rowling including new magical items for the benefit of the story without really considering how they would affect the wizarding world at large. Hermione’s use of the time-turner is amazing for the story at hand, yet it raises questions as to why no one went back in time and tried to kill Voldemort before he was even born. Ultimately, this is one of the most disappointing plot holes because it simply wasn’t thought-out enough.
4 Poverty, Hunger, & More For Wizards
Magic Should Solve Everything
Many Harry Potter lovers have wondered why poverty, hunger, and other problems have plagued wizards when they have magic at their fingertips. Within Harry Potter, it is impossible for a wizard to magically create food, yet transfiguration could easily solve this problem. A wizard could take any object and transfigure it into something edible. The same goes for money. Logically, a wizard would be able to transfigure anything into gold.
Though the books never explicitly get into this, there are presumably rules around this type of magic. In many ways, Harry Potter parallels our own capitalist society, so it would make sense that wizards would set rules about what individuals could make with magic in order to keep the economy going. It is certainly unfair to those wizards who are not wealthy, but it also aligns with the world readers live in.
3 How Wizards & Muggles Co-Exist (Or Don’t)
Wizards Should Understand Muggles More
A huge problem within Harry Potter is the relationship between muggles and wizards. Although wizards seem to have their own communities and bloodlines, the existence of muggle-borns and half-bloods completely disrupts the idea of a wizard-only society. Wizards like Harry and Hermione do not live in isolation, but are around muggles constantly. The same must be true for other wizards, perhaps even purebloods. So, it doesn’t make sense for wizards to be so blind to muggle problems and ideas, because muggles and wizards pretty much have to co-exist.
This brings up another issue about wizarding culture. At Hogwarts, there are a mix of pureblood students and muggle born students. In this way, it would make sense for muggleborn wizards to bring elements of the muggle world into Hogwarts, including music, TV shows, and general popular culture. It seems unlikely that muggleborns would simply leave all that behind to be a wizard. Yet, Harry Potter never includes this type of crossover, and it is honestly a shame readers never got to see this.
2 No Technology In The Wizarding World
Wizards Have Some Tech But Not Others
One of the most popular upsets within the Harry Potter franchise is that the wizarding world seems to have little technology. Although the books take place during the 1990s, wizards seem to be living in the past in a number of ways. They still use quills and ink, they communicate via owl rather than phone, and most wizards do not have cars. While these are framed as mere quirks of wizarding life, they also bring up some rather significant issues of convenience for wizards. If transportation and communication are so difficult, it’s a wonder that the wizarding world even functions.
Wizards may have magic, but much of their culture is old-school and slow-paced.
In many ways, wizards are characterized as being better or ahead of muggles, but their lack of technology pokes a massive hole in this idea. Wizards may have magic, but much of their culture is old-school and slow-paced. Using owls and taking a magical train definitely have their charms, but it also makes wizards outliers of society at large. Muggles technology certainly has a leg-up over magic when it comes to the general functions of a society.
1 Muggles Not Noticing Magic
Magic Cannot Hide Completely
What is probably the hardest concept to believe in Harry Potter is that muggles know nothing about magic. There are a few reasons for this. First and foremost, Harry himself gets into so many publicly wild situations that it makes no sense that muggles would remain absolutely clueless. Wizards would have to do a lot of skilled Obliviating to keep their existence a secret. Furthermore, the existence of muggle-borns also hurts this theory. If two muggles give birth to a wizard, it seems too perfect that they would always keep this to themselves. Their peers would almost certainly have questions.
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Above all, humans are inherently curious beings. Academics and scientists have always been interested in how things work and what exists beyond humans. There is little doubt that humans would be just as eager to learn about magic as they are to learn about aliens and what happens after death. In this way, this is the biggest flaw of the Harry Potter franchise, at least when it comes to the inner workings of the wizarding world.
Harry Potter
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Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Alan Rickman , Matthew Lewis , Bonnie Wright , Evanna Lynch , Maggie Smith , Michael Gambon , Richard Harris , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Alfred Enoch , Harry Melling , Gary Oldman , Robert Pattinson , Warwick Davis , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , David Bradley , David Thewlis , Katie Leung , Jason Isaacs , Imelda Staunton , David Tennant , Jamie Campbell Bower , Timothy Spall , Robbie Coltrane , Eddie Redmayne , Jude Law , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Johnny Depp , Mads Mikkelsen
