Plot Holes and Errors

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

Nothing and no one is perfect and that goes for the Harry Potter books as well. Authors sometimes make mistakes or miscalculations in the world-building or never properly explain the larger mechanics that makes their world tick.

One thing that always bothered me in the books happened when the Marauder’s Map was introduced in the Prisoner of Azkaban. We later find out that Scabbers was actually an Animagus called Peter Pettigrew and could be seen under his name on the map. How come the twins never noticed an extra student in the boys’ dormitory and how come that boy was near Ron a lot of the time?

What are some of the plot holes, errors or just unexplained things from the books that you had noticed when reading them? What do you think could be a plausible explanation for them?

[Prof. Sky Alton]

This is one of those annoying situations where the minute someone asks the question, all the answers go right out of your head. I do remember the one that particularly annoys me though is in Order of the Phoenix where the Inquisitorial Squad are given the power to take points where prefects can't. Only... in Chamber of Secrets, prefects can take points.

Some people have come up with a good explanation for this: that prefects can only take points from the people in their own house (fair enough, this actually seems like a good system for avoiding abuse of power). But J.K. Rowling herself blamed it on Ron being thick, when Hermione and Ernie were as shocked as he was. If you've screwed up, at least come up with something plausible or own it, JK.