Harry Potterremains one of the most popular fantasy series of all time, and it wouldn’t be so well-loved without a compelling premise and a gripping story. TheHarry Potterbooksmanage to keep readers engaged fromSorcerer’s StonetoDeathly Hallows,and the series is especially praised for some of its biggest twists. But even ifHarry Pottersuccessfully hooks readers and keeps them invested in its characters' journeys, its plot isn’t without flaws.
Harry Potterdoes have plot holes, and it also features developments that feel a little too convenient at times. The latter are necessary in any story, and they don’talwayscome off asunbelievable. After all, luck and chance sometimes drive people forward in the real world, just as they do in fiction. However, there are a few details inHarry Potterthat will leave readers scratching their heads, wondering whether the series would have happened at all had they not panned out so perfectly.
10Severus Snape Overhearing Trelawney’s Prophecy
It’s Unclear Why He’d Eavesdrop On This Particular Interview
The premise of theHarry Potterseries revolves aroundSybill Trelawney’s prophecyabout Voldemort’s defeat, which is what leads the Dark Lord to go after the Potters in the first place. It’s convenient that Voldemort even learns of the prophecy, asit’s by mere chance that Severus Snape overhears it. And while it’s not surprising that Snape is spying on enemies for Voldemort, itisodd that he chooses to eavesdrop on Dumbledore’s meeting with Trelawney at the Hog’s Head — especially since it’s supposed to be an interview for a position most wizards don’t take seriously.
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Dumbledore even notes that Trelawney doesn’t have many legitimate prophecies under her belt,so there’s no reason Snape should be interested in this particular interview. He gets lucky that he overhears something so critical to Voldemort’s future, and it sets the stage for everything that comes after. Had Snape not been in the Hog’s Head as Trelawney predicted Voldemort’s downfall, things would have gone very differently. But perhaps the seer being overheard is part of the greater plan she taps into.
9The Potters' Choice Of Secret Keeper & Betrayal
There Were Better Options Than Peter Pettigrew
Another convenience that upholds the rest ofHarry Potter’s story is the fact that the Potters choose Peter Pettigrew as their secret keeper. An explanation for this turn of events is given inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,which reveals that the Potters were suspicious of Remus Lupin and thought Sirius Black would be too obvious. This doesn’t explain why Pettigrew was the only possible option, however, as they could have put their fates in the hands of someone like Albus Dumbledore. This wouldn’t see them betrayed, rendering the rest of the story impossible.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’revelation that witches and wizards can be their own secret keepers makes this plot convenience even worse.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’revelation that witches and wizards can be their own secret keepers makes this plot convenience even worse, as it makes little sense that Lily and James would entrust any of their friends — knowing there’s a traitor in the Order’s midst — with such an important task if they could have just done it themselves. Again, this wouldn’t have resulted in the same story.Pettigrew’s betrayal lays a solid foundation for everything that happens inHarry Potter,but the Potters' choice remains a head-scratcher.
8No Hogwarts Students Dying During Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsbrings chaos to the halls of Hogwarts, with the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets resulting in numerous attacks on students. It’s later revealed that these are orchestrated by the memory of Tom Riddle, who is able to influence Ginny using his old diary. And Harry is able to destroy the diary and defeat Riddle before these attacks go too far — butitissomewhat surprising that no characters die due to the Basilisk inHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
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Every student who is attacked by the Chamber’s beast views it at a distance, whether it’s through a camera lens or by looking through Nearly Headless Nick. Hermione and Penelope Clearwater are the only ones whose petrification goes beyond luck, as Hermione solves the mystery of what’s in the Chamber and saves them. AsHarry Potteris a children’s story, it’s inevitable that the students find ways of surviving their run-ins with the Basilisk. Even so,it feels convenient, especially for Ginny, who receives few consequences for her part in the whole thing.
7Sirius Seeing Peter Pettigrew With The Weasleys In The Daily Prophet
Scabbers Being On The Cover & Sirius Noticing Is Convenient
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabansees Sirius Black breaking out of prison after he realizes that Peter Pettigrew is still at large — and close enough to Harry to do real damage.The manner in which Sirius discovers this is pretty convenient, however, as Cornelius Fudge just happens to visit while carrying a copy ofThe Daily Prophetthat has Peter’s Animagus form on the cover. With the Weasleys winning money and traveling to Egypt, they’re featured in the Wizarding World newspaper, and Scabbers is front and center in the photo.
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Sirius is able to recognize that Scabbers is Peter from afar and convince Fudge to give him the paper, two things that facilitate the rest ofThe Prisoner of Azkaban’s story.It’s also lucky that the Weasleys happen to win the money and use it on a vacation— and that there isn’t any more pressing Wizarding World news to cover that day.
6Harry & Sirius Forgetting About The Mirrors In Order Of The Phoenix
Sirius Black’s Death Wouldn’t Have Happened If They’d Remembered
Sirius Black’s death inHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixis tragic, especially because he would have been fine if Harry hadn’t been tricked by Voldemort. Sirius is only at the Department of Mysteries because Voldemort convinces Harry that he’s in danger. This turns out to be false, but the Order of the Phoenix comes to the rescue after Harry and his friends barge into the Ministry of Magic to save Sirius. With no way to quickly contact Sirius from Hogwarts, they’re left with no choice but to chance it.
It doesn’t make sense that neither of them remembers the mirror exists, and it results in Sirius' death.
However,Harry conveniently forgets that hedoeshave a means of contacting his godfather. Harry ignores Sirius' gift to him earlier in the book, which would have saved all of them a trip to the Department of Mysteries. Sirius gives Harry a two-way mirror that allows them to communicate with one another, and Harry never once uses it. Sirius never brings it up again either, despite Harry putting himself in danger to contact him from Dolores Umbridge’s fireplace earlier in the story. It doesn’t make sense that neither of them remembers the mirror exists, and it results in Sirius' death.
5The Time Turners Being Broken In The Department Of Mysteries
Harry Potter Finds A Way To Prevent Further Time Travel
During Harry’s trip to the Department of Mysteries,all the time turners kept there conveniently end up broken during the battle against the Death Eaters. This eliminates the possibility of further time travel in the series. Harry and Hermione use time travel to save Sirius inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but their journey raises questions about why time turners aren’t used more frequently. While there are regulations that would have to be overcome — and risks when it comes to time traveling — there’s no reason such a powerful magical object wouldn’t come up again.
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban introduced time-turners, which allowed the user to travel in time, but these weren’t used again.
However, throwing more time turner usage into the laterHarry Potterbooks would overcomplicate things, so they’re taken out of the equation. It’s a sensible writing choice, butit does feel a bit too convenient within the confines of the Wizarding World. It also raises questions about why all the time turners are kept in the same spot, which is a risky choice on the Ministry’s part.
4Voldemort Never Ordering Anyone Else To Kill Harry Potter
The Dark Lord’s Pride Keeps The Story Going
Harry Potterdrives home that Voldemort has a lot of pride, and that’s why he wants to kill Harry himself — both when he’s a baby and when he comes face to face with him inThe Goblet of Fire.However,it’s fortunate for Harry that Voldemort has this hubris and frequently lets it get in the way of his plans. Even after Harry proves to be a massive thorn in Voldemort’s side, he never orders any of his followers to do away with him.
This allows Harry to stay alive until he and Voldemort can have their final showdown, but one has to question Voldemort’s decision-making here.
This allows Harry to stay alive until he and Voldemort can have their final showdown, but one has to question Voldemort’s decision-making here. After Harry escapes him twice,one would think eliminating the Boy Who Lived would be more important than proving he can do it himself. And given how bloodthirsty so many of the Death Eaters are, it’s just as surprising that none of them ever attempt to take matters into their own hands.
3Harry Being Able To Collect Snape’s Tears In Deathly Hallows
The Entirety Of Snape’s Death Is Set Up For Deathly Hallows' Plot Twist
Harry viewing Snape’s memories in the Pensieve is a critical plot point ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,so it’s a good thing that he’s able to be with Snape during his final moments — and collect the tears needed to learn his true allegiance. Voldemort doesn’t kill Snape with the Avada Kedavra curse, seemingly because he’s worried about the Elder Wand not working against the person he believes to be its owner. This belief alone is purposefully placed, ensuring that Snape can die more slowly and have a few moments to interact with Harry.
The fact that the Golden Trio arrives just as Snape is being killed is equally lucky, as a few moments' difference would have left them in the dark about Snape’s true nature.
And the fact that the Golden Trio arrives just as Snape is being killed is equally lucky, as a few moments' difference would have left them in the dark about Snape’s true nature. Additionally, Harry might not have realized what he needed to do in order to defeat Voldemort.It’s risky that Snape waits until this moment to clue Harry in, but fortunately, it works out forHarry Potter’s heroes.
2Wands Changing Allegiances In Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
This Bit Of Lore Is Never Mentioned Before Deathly Hallows
The notion of wands changing their allegiances comes up inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,andthe entire Elder Wand story is based on this addition to the series' world. However, this wand detailcontradicts a decade’s worth of Wizarding World lore, as readers are repeatedly told that “the wand chooses the wizard.” There’s never any indication that a wizard can steal another’s wand and gain power in this way. However,Deathly Hallowsestablishes this in order to set up Voldemort’s defeat using the Elder Wand.
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And with Harry frequently disarming other characters throughoutHarry Potter,it really doesn’t make sense that this aspect of wand lore is never once mentioned beforeDeathly Hallows. It feels shoehorned in to give Harry a clearer means of defeating the Dark Lord, which is a shame. Having more setup for this twist could have led to some interesting wand moments throughout the series.
1The Main Harry Potter Characters Ending Up With Their High School Sweethearts
Harry Potter’s Happy Ending Is As Convenient As It Gets
Harry Potteris a story where a happy ending is expected to some extent, andDeathly Hallows’epilogue delivers on that with a questionable degree of success. The aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts is bittersweet, as it should be, butHarry Potter’s jump 19 years into the future feels a little too optimistic. Setting aside the ridiculous names of Harry’s kids, it’s difficult to believe that all the series' main characters end up happily paired off with their high school sweethearts in the end.
But given thatHarry Potterspends so much time building the relationships between Harry and Ginny and Hermione and Ron, it’s little surprise that the series' ending runs with this. It would have been a bummer for the epilogue to go any other way, thoughHarry Pottercould have skipped the jump into the future altogether. As it stands, it feels a little too hopeful, and it doesn’t address the very likely aftermath of the war against Voldemort. It’s simply there to drive home that the characters get their happy ending.
