Mistakes, Typos, Plotholes and Other Oddities
You know, catching the occasional mistake in each Potter book can be an amusing thing. There are some avid readers out there with a sharp eye who've managed to catch some very interesting (and somewhat amusing) mistakes, typos, and other oddities in each of the Potter books. We list them here for your amusement.
The Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone
At the beginning of SS/PS, when Hagrid comes to get Harry out of the little hut on the rock, they use the boat the Dursleys used to get on the rock. How did the Dursleys get off the rock? Possibly Hagrid sent the
boat back or magic worked its way in there.
Harry buys the book
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, but when he goes to look up the word “dittany”, the book is suddenly called
One Hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi.
In this book it says, “He [Percy] had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P in it.” However, Ron’s Prefect badge is described as, “…a large P, superimposed on the Gryffindor lion”, meaning that the badge itself must have been scarlet and gold! Harry saw the
exact same badge on Percy’s chest four years ago. Either that was a mistake or they changed the layout of the Prefect badges. [Now the text in the books has been edited to make the badges identical.]
On page 185 at the bottom half of the page, the book tells us that Marcus Flint is the Slytherin Captain in his sixth year. That means Harry’s second year is Marcus Flint’s seventh and final year at Hogwarts. In Harry’s third year during the Quidditch final between Gryffindor and Slytherin (page 306), Wood and Flint shake hands. HOLD ON! This year would be Flint’s eight year. You are only supposed to go to Hogwarts for seven! An arguable error indeed, J.K. Rowling has since clarified that Flint was held back a year, which makes sense considering his character.
In the chapter “Through the Trapdoor”, Harry, Ron and Hermione take the place of the chess set pieces. Ron takes the place of a knight but when it comes to him sacrificing himself to the queen he only takes a pace forward. Knights cannot move just 1 pace forward.
In PS/SS, it is almost Nearly Headless Nick's 400th death day (years since he died). But in book 2, he celebrates his 500th death day.
In the hardback American edition of
The Sorcerer’s Stone on page 274-275, it says the trio goes
up two flights of stairs from Gryffindor Tower to get to the third floor. Gryffindor Tower is on the 7th floor!
The Chamber of Secrets
On page 95 of
Chamber of Secrets, it says that Sir Nicholas “took several deep breaths and then said, in a far calmer tone, ‘So what’s bothering you?’” Contradictory to this, on page 506 of
Goblet of Fire, Moaning Myrtle states that ghosts cannot breathe: “When I can’t… when I haven’t… not for ages…”.
On page 119 of the American version it says that… “Harry was dragging his feet along the second floor corridor to Lockhart’s office. He gritted his teeth and knocked.” On page 141, Lockhart insists on letting Dumbledore use his office to examine the petrified Mrs. Norris, saying that it is just upstairs. Since Mrs. Norris was petrified on the second floor, this means that Lockhart’s office is on the third floor.
On page 102 it says: “Several [Cornish pixies] shot through the window, showering the back row with broken glass.” The glass should have shot outwards, not back into the classroom!
Not quite halfway through the final chapter “Dobby’s Reward” in
Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore explains to Harry why he can speak Parseltongue. In this explanation, he refers to Lord Voldemort as “the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin.” He quite obviously means descendant, not ancestor, unless the Slytherin family reproduces differently from the rest of humanity.
The Prisoner of Azkaban
In
The Prisoner of Azkaban, Mr. Weasley argues to Mrs. Weasley at the Leady Cauldron that, “…they’ve [Ron and Harry] ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice!” Ron has only been in the Forest once and that was to see Aragog.
It states in chapter 13 that all of the players on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team ride on Cleansweep Sevens but it later says that Wood told Harry that Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, rides a Comet Two Sixty.
After Harry’s Divination exam, it says, “Harry got up, picked up his bag and turned to go.” But when Professor Trelawney begins her prediction is says, “Her eyes started to roll. Harry sat there in a panic.” Why is Harry suddenly sitting down when it just said that he had gotten up, about to leave?
In the American version of the book, when the group is exiting the Whomping Willow, it says, “Black saw Snape up through the whole, then stood back for Hermione and Harry to pass.” But when Harry and Hermione turn back time and are watching their other selves exit, it says, “They saw Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots. Then came Hermione… then the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upward. Next came Harry and Black.” The exiting order isdifferent.
On page 400, before Buckbeak’s execution, it says that Hagrid goes back into his cabin, leaving the door ajar, allowing Harry and Hermione to listen in on the conversation. Later on, it says, “Hagrid’s back door had opened with a bang.” How does it open when it was never closed?
On the cover of the American version of the book, it depicts the night Harry and Hermione save Sirius and Buckbeak. That night is supposed to be a full moon, as stated in the book, but on the backside of the cover, the moon appears to be crescent.
The Goblet of Fire
In chapter 2 of
Goblet of Fire, when Harry is writing to Sirius about the pain in his scar, it says he was “marvelling at the fact that he hadn’t thought of Sirius straight away. But then, perhaps it wasn’t so surprising -- after all, he had only found out that Sirius was his godfather two months ago.” Harry, in fact, discovered Sirius was his godfather around 8 months previously, on that day in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.
In chapter 10, it states that Ron, Harry, and Hermione had entered Ron’s room, already known as the “attic room.” However, later in the chapter, it states that one of the sounds that could be heard from Ron’s room was the ghoul “in the attic.” If Ron’s room was the “attic room”, then how was the ghoul making noises in the attic?
When Harry gets stuck in the stairs having dropped his egg and Snape and Moody come along, Moody makes a statement concerning the Dark Mark on Snape’s arm. Snape suddenly grabs his right arm, therefore indicating that the mark should be on that arm. However, he later shows Fudge the mark on his left arm.
In chapter 26, Krum informs Hermione that she has a beetle in her hair: “but Hermione brushed away the beetle impatiently.” Later in the book in chapter 37, on the train, after she had trapped Rita Skeeter, Hermione says, “and Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair...” Hermione says Viktor pulled the beetle out, yet the book says that she brushed it away.
In chapter 35: “‘Veritaserum,’ Dumbledore asked. ‘How did your father subdue you?’” The book then states, “‘The Imperius curse,’ Moody said.” However, by this point, the Polyjuice Potion has worn off, therefore it should be marked as ‘Barty Crouch Jr. said’.
In chapter 36, Mrs. Weasley “reminisced at length about” Ogg, the gamekeeper before Hagrid. However, Hagrid was given the position of gamekeeper right after he was expelled in his third year. Given this was over fifty years ago, Mrs. Weasley wouldn’t remember another gamekeeper having most probably not been at school at that time.
In chapter 36, Fudge argues with Dumbledore, saying, “You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who... well...” Wouldn’t he have said “You-Know-Who” or “He Who Must Not Be Named” like he normally does?
According to the paperback edition of book 4, “Crouch is talking to Dumbledore”, but according to the hardcover edition, “Fudge is talking to Dumbledore.”(Thanks to gazoo91@telus.net for this one!)
In the early versions of book 4, when
Priori Incantatem was performed, the spell that Voldemort’s wand casts causes all the people that he has killed to come out of his wand in a shadowy form, from his most recent to his first. However, the mistake made is as follows: James Potter appears first before Lily, stating that Lily was killed first, which we know for a fact is not true. This mistake has been omitted in later versions released.
In the 4th book, Bill Weasley says that he has not been to Hogwarts in 5 years. Since Harry is in his 4th year, that would conclude that Bill had left the school the year before Harry joined Hogwarts. This cannot be true because Bill is the oldest child of the Weasley family. Charlie (the second oldest) is younger than Bill, but he was not at school when Harry was. Charlie probably left the school at least three years before Harry came. We can determine this because Fred and George were talking about how they had not won a single game since Charlie left (Fred and George said this in Harry’s first year). They probably would not have been talking as though Charlie had left the year before. This was pointed out to J.K. Rowling, who said that Bill visited the school for one of Charlie’s Quidditch matches.(Thanks to cfsdimples@aol.com.)
The Order of the Phoenix
In chapter one it says, “Harry stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and waited.” This is incorrect as lilacs in fact grow on bushes rather than trees.
In chapter 9, “The Woes of Mrs. Weasley”, it says: “He pretended to be rummaging for something while Hermione crossed to the wardrobe and called Hedwig down. A few moments passed; Harry heard the door close but remained bent double, listening... He straightened up and looked behind him. Hermione and Hedwig had gone. Harry hurried across the room, closed the door...” Yet Harry had already heard the door close earlier.
In chapter 10, it states: “The horse was there in front of him, gleaming solidly in the dim light issuing from the station windows behind them, vapour rising from its nostrils in the chilly night air.” However, Harry had previously told Ron that he can see the skeletal horses, but Ron can’t see them. Therefore, even if Ron couldn’t actually see the horses, he should have noticed the vapour rising from nowhere after Harry pointed it out.
In chapter 13, “Detention with Dolores”, Professor Grubbly-Plank tells the class, “I want a sketch from each of you with all body-parts labelled by the end of the lesson.” However, this line is later contradicted, “When the bell echoed distantly over the grounds, Harry rolled up his blood-stained Bowtruckle picture and marched off...” Evidentially taking his work with them, rather than giving it to the professor, he later states that they have tons of homework, including to “finish the Bowtruckle drawing”. Yet this was classwork, not homework.
In chapter 18 it says, “…but Harry pulled out his Charms books and set to work on finishing his essay...” However, the extracts from the books seem to have more to do with Potions than Charms, for example including lines that are evidentially ingredients for potions: “Therefore much used in Confusing and Befuddlement Droughts...” After his conversation with Dobby later, Harry “bent and picked up his Potions book. He’d have to try and finish the essay tomorrow.” Yet supposedly the essay mentioned was a Charms one.
In chapter 22 it states, “There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor.” However, it then continues: “‘It’s Fawkes’s warning,’ said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell.” How could Dumbledore have caught the feather if it was already on the ground?
In chapter 24 it says, “‘That bossy woman up front ‘oo got on with you, she’s given us a little tip to move you up the queue. We’re just going to let Madam Marsh off first, though—’ There was more retching from downstairs, followed by a horrible spattering sound. ‘She’s not feeling ‘er best.’” However, there had been no previous mention of retching, therefore why is there ‘more’ retching?
In chapter 29, Professor McGonagall seems to either make a mistake or omit details, telling Harry that he will need a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s to become an Auror, yet only four are listed: Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions. Missing the fifth subject.
In chapter 30, at the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw Quidditch match, it states concerning Harry and Hermione: “They found seats in the topmost row of the stands.” Later on, when Hagrid comes to get them to see Grawp, it states about Hagrid: “Apparently he had squeezed his way all along the row behind.” This should not be possible if Harry and Hermione were on the back row.
In chapter 31, while Harry is vanishing an iguana for his practical Transfiguration exam, we are told that Hannah Abbot “lost her head completely at the next table and somehow managed to multiply her ferret into a flock of flamingos...” However, from previous extracts, we are given the impression exams were conducted in alphabetical order; “Parkinson, Pansy-- Patil, Padma-- Patil, Parvati-- Potter, Harry.” Therefore, Hannah should not be taking her exam at the same time as Harry.
The cover of the American version of OotP shows Harry in the Department of Mysteries holding his wand in his left hand, yet in earlier books we are told his wand arm is his right hand.
The description of 12 Grimmauld Place says, “The silver door knocker was in the form of a twisted serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.” However, on the title page (the illustration of Snuffles exiting number twelve), there is a keyhole.
An illustration during the chapter in which Fred and George leave shows the twins flying into a night sky with full moon. Yet in the actual chapter, the book states, “Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.”
The Half-Blood Prince
In chapter 4, when Dumbledore and Harry visit Horace Slughorn’s house, something “darkly red and glutinous was spattered over the wallpaper.” Later in the chapter, when asked what kind of blood it was, Slughorn tells us, “On the walls? Dragon... My last bottle, and prices are sky-high at the moment.” However, in previous books, after Hagrid has returned from visiting the giants, he is soothing his bloodied face with a green-tinged steak of dragon meat. “He picked up the steak and slapped it over the left side of his face. Greenish blood trickled down into his beard as he gave a soft moan of satisfaction.”
In chapter 9, Slughorn says, “One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis, enough for twelve hours’ luck. From dusk til’ dawn, you will be lucky in everything you attempt.” Yet later in the book, Harry states, “I don't reckon I'll need all of it, not twenty-four hours’ worth...”
In chapter 9, it states: “Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face.” However, as evident from PoA, Hermione “...had slapped Malfoy around the face with all the strength she could muster.”
The cover illustration portrays Dumbledore with a normal-looking right hand, however the book itself makes it evident that it is Dumbledore’s right hand and arm that are blackened and shrivelled.
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