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I listen to the Harry Potter books every night on book tape. I go through all six and then I start again. They help me sleep and I never get sick of them. But after listening to books so many times, I have started to pick up on "mistakes" that JK Rowling has made OR I just have general questions about what is written. Most of these questions are about something written in one book, but because of what is written in another book, the text becomes questionable.

So I have decided to post my wonderings here and I would like you to try and help me find an answer to the questions. If you want to read more, I am sure that the HP Lexicon has more.

WARNING: Questions may contain spoilers for all seven HP books!

BOOK 1

After Hagrid found Harry and the Dursleys on the hut on the rock, Petunia ranted that her sister came home for the holidays and used to spend her time "turning teacups into rats."
BUT I thought that magic during the holidays was against wizard law for under 17 witches/wizards. So was Lily 17 at the time or what?....Comment??

Hagrid told Harry that Lily and James were head boy and girl while they were at Hogwarts. BUT In book 5 we find out that James was not a prefect. How can he be head boy if he was not a prefect? Can the head boy/girl be any student? I thought that only prefects could become head boy/girl....Comment??

Anni says: "Actually, the rules of prefects/head boys/girls are more or less the same as the traditional british ones...everyone can become head boy/girl - they don't neccessarily need to be prefects first!"

When Harry is talking to Ron on the Hogwarts express he says Voldemort's name. Ron is shocked. And Harry says that he never knew he shouldn't say Voldemort's name.
BUT Didn't Hagrid tell Harry that people don't say Voldemort's name when he first told him the story of how his parents died?....Comment??

During the start of term feast, after everyone has had some food, Dumbledore says that Quidditch tryouts are to start the following week and that students should talk to Madame Hooch if they are interested in going out for their house teams.
BUT Then how come in book 6, the students are told to sign up with their heads of house and not with Madame Hooch....Comment??

I thought that the book was written in first person and so the reader only knows what Harry is thinking. (This is with the exception of the beginning chapters in book 1, 4, 6 and 7.)
BUT When Harry, Ron and Hermione run into Professor Mcgonagall, Hermione says "We want to see Professor Dumbledore." And JK Rowling writes that Hermione said this rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought...But how do we know what Ron is thinking if the book is written in first person?....Comment??

When Harry, Ron and Hermione are trying to get to the third floor coridoor and they run into Peeves, Harry pretends to be the Bloody Baron and says that he is invisible.
BUT How come we have never heard of any of the ghosts being invisible before or after this? Can any ghost be invisible or was it just the Bloody Baron?....Comment??


BOOK 2

When Percy saw Harry and Ron coming out of the girls bathroom, he took 5 points from Gryffindor.
BUT In book 5, it is clearly stated that prefects cannot take points and only teachers can (with the exception of the inquisitorial squad). So how was Percy able to take points?....Comment??


BOOK 3

Near the end of the book it says that Percy got his NEWT results and Fred and George got their OWL results...even before the school year ended.
BUT Then in book 6, how come Harry, Ron and Hermione had to wait so long (until the end of July) before they got their OWL results?....Comment??

When Harry got the letter from Ron with the picture of him and his family in Egypt, he got to see all of the Weasleys.
BUT When he gets to the Weasley's house in book 4, he sees two wizards (Bill and Charlie) sitting at the kitchen table that he had never seen before. But hadn't he seen a picture of them in book 3?....Comment??


BOOK 4

According to book 2, Hagrid should be 65 years old in book 4. Mrs. Weasley states that the gamekeeper in her time was Mr. Ogg.
BUT There is no way that Mrs. Weasley can be older than Hagrid. Therefore, Hagrid must have been gamekeeper when she was at school right? The only answer I have to this is that Hagrid must have only become gamekeeper in later years, not right away after he was expelled at age 13....Comment??

After Dumbledore, Mcgonagall and Snape knock out the fake Moody, he tells Professor Snape to fetch a house elf named Winky from the kitchens.
BUT If the identity of the fake Moody had not been revealed yet, how did Dumbledore know that it was Crouch Jr. and that Winky needed to be fetched?....Comment??


BOOK 5

We have read about many witches and wizards apparating/disapparating in books 1-4.
BUT All of sudden in book 5 whenever anyone apparates/disapparates, there is a loud *crack* every time. How come we haven't heard the *crack* before this?....Comment??

Harry sees the Thestrals for the first time at the beginning of book 5 when they pull the carriages from Hogsmeade Station to Hogwarts.
BUT How come he couldn't see them at the end of book 4? He had already seen Cedric die and so when they took the carriages back to Hogsmeade Station, he should have noticed the Thestrals then....Comment??

When a niffler somehow gets into Umbridge's office, she automatically thinks that it is Hagrid who did it.
BUT Hagrid was teaching at the time it was put in her office, so how can she possibly think that he did it?....Comment??


BOOK 6

When Harry arrives at the Weasley's for the summer, he finds that Fleur is staying there too. After telling news of her wedding, she says that she is staying for a few days to get to know Bill's family.
BUT As she is present throughout Harry's stay at the Weasley's that summer, she must have stayed for a month and a half, like Harry. Then why did she tell Harry that she would only be there for a few days?....Comment??

As a prize in Slughorn's first lesson, he gives away a bottle of Felix Felicis to Harry.
BUT Later in the book, we find out that it takes 6 months to make Felix Felicis. Slughorn has stated that he has only ever used the potion 2 times in his life. And he only found out that he would be teaching at Hogwarts in mid July and so he must have been brewing it before then (starting in April/May). So why was he brewing a batch of it before coming to Hogwarts?....Comment??

As Harry met Slughorn on his way down to Hagrid's cabin to burry Aragog, Slughorn tells him that he doesn't know Hagrid that well.
BUT Slugnorn was potions teacher for Tom Riddle and so he must have been potions teacher for Hagrid as well. Therefore, how come he doesn't know Hagrid if he taught him for 3 years (before Hagrid was expelled)?....Comment??


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