In a world where wizards casually cast spells using Latin incantations and brooms are a legitimate means of transportation, one might think Harry Potter Fans would suspend their disbelief for anything. Yet even in JK Rowling’s very carefully crafted universe we call the Wizarding World, some things are harder to swallow. From the confusing bureaucracy of the Ministry of Magic to the utter impracticality of the only sport wizards seem to know, Quidditch, here are the most important things in the Harry Potter Book series (or movies) that make absolutely no sense.

It may seem bizarre, even unkind, to criticize a near-universal series that has enchanted millions and made overnight stars of its young leads, but even the most ardent Potterheads (and this writer definitely counts himself among them) can’t help but scratch their heads at the occasional narrative hiccup or oddity.

The Harry Potter phenomenon

The Harry Potter Phenomenon began in 1997 with Rowling’s debut fantasy novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneIt quickly climbed the bestseller lists around the world and remains one of the best-selling books of all time.

Warner Bros adapted the series into a hugely successful franchise of Harry Potter Films from 2001 starring the trio Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The series, which includes seven books of the main series and eight films, was once a cultural novelty and enchanted millions.

A remake of the books as a television series is planned, so keep an eye out for that.

Note: Minor inconsistencies and plot holes are not included here, such as how the boa constrictor was able to wink at Harry during the Dursleys’ visit to the zoo in the first book when snakes don’t have eyelids. Perhaps this is an advantage in the wizarding world? Snakes can have eyelids!

Magic and Chaos: The most confusing curiosities and puzzles in the Harry Potter series

The technological standstill of the magical world

Hogwarts, and presumably the rest of the wizarding world, seems completely unaffected by all the technological advances in the Muggle world. Why are wizards and witches content to live in a bygone era while the rest of the world is storming with innovation, invention, and discovery?

This may not seem surprising at first, since those who know and practice magic in their daily lives can achieve all their wishes with a wave of a wand or a whisper of the numerous spells that make up the magical system of this series.

But surely they could use computers and the Internet, if only to teach young wizards and witches about the Muggle world? Or to help officials at the Ministry of Magic with calculations that are too complex for humans. Hogwarts students could also use the Internet to learn about subjects that are not taught to them at their wizarding school. And that brings us to…

Gaps in the Hogwarts curriculum

Students at Hogwarts learn magic at their educational institution, and that’s to be expected. But couldn’t the people who designed the curriculum at Hogwarts also include basic subjects that Muggles learn, including language, literature, math, social sciences, geography, and history? We Muggles learn these subjects to understand the world around us and our place in it. Learning about our world can help the inhabitants of the wizarding world receive a more well-rounded education. And maybe, who knows, it could help bridge the gap between the two communities.

In addition, wizards may not need to use owls to send messages. There are email and instant messaging apps.

The Death Curse

The Killing Curse, or Avada Kedavra, is one of the three forbidden curses in the fantasy film series (the other two being the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse). It causes instant death and freezes the expression on the victim’s face forever. There is no countercurse to it, and the only way to survive it is to avoid it.

Harry Potter is the only survivor when the curse reverts to Voldemort the wizard. So why don’t Death Eaters use it as often when fighting other wizards? They certainly have no moral constraints or fear of consequences. Surely, casting the curse frequently would make their quest for world domination much easier, wouldn’t it?

Quidditch Dilemmas

Quidditch was one of the most requested features in the open-world video game Hogwarts Legacy from Avalanche Software (developer) and Warner Bros. Games (publisher). Potterheads love the sport because it seems to be the only way for Hogwarts students to get physical exercise. Oh, wait, it’s played on brooms.

The most ridiculous thing about the sport, however, is the existence of the Golden Snitch. The little bastard is not easy to catch, but he earns the Seeker’s team (one player from each team tasked with catching him) 150 points, which is a disproportionate advantage in a sport where a team only gets 10 points for scoring a goal.

Suddenly Quidditch is no longer a team sport, as everything depends on the Seeker’s ability to catch the Snitch before the other team’s Seeker.

The Paradox of the Time Turners

Time-turners are devices in the wizarding world that allow you to – you guessed it – turn back time. They are used frequently in the third book (and the movie). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanand are an important plot element in the play entitled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

However, they were not used by anyone, including Albus Dumbledore, to undo Voldemort’s work and prevent the deaths of several good people. And yes, the in-world explanation is there, and it’s the same as in many other stories involving time travel: major changes would destroy the fabric of reality. But it’s not like the wizarding world was already in a pretty dire state after Voldemort’s rise. Which brings us to…

Inconsistencies in time travel

In the original Harry Potter In the series, we learn that time travel and events in the wizarding world are based on the concept of determinism. This means that events are inevitable and you can’t go back and change anything.

When a character travels back in time, he follows a predetermined path, as in The Prisoner of Azkaban. But in Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildIn fact, when characters travel back in time, they not only change important events, but their actions also have a huge impact on the present.

Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy know nothing about the Sorting Hat

Ron and Draco belong to ancient pure-blood wizarding families, whose generations may have studied at Hogwarts for hundreds of years. Did no one in their family tell them that there is such a thing as the Sorting Hat, a creature that decides whether you will be Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? Ron already had siblings studying at Hogwarts (Fred and George), and Draco’s father Lucius would have told his son anything that would have given him an advantage over other students. And yet both knew nothing of the Sorting Hat’s existence.

The transport dilemma

Wizards and witches at Hogwarts and elsewhere have methods of Apparition and Portkeys. Apparition allows a person to travel from one place to another. It is instantaneous, as it simply disappears and appears.

Portkeys are devices for those who don’t have the ability to “apparate,” so why are there other forms of transportation like the Hogwarts Express, brooms, horse-drawn carriages or cars (that fly), etc.? Perhaps travelers want to hold on to the idea that journeys are more important than destinations?

How many students are there really at Hogwarts?

While other discrepancies in the Harry Potter The series can be credited for its enormous scope and scale, but it’s damning that we don’t know exactly how many students there are at Hogwarts, the main setting of these books. Rowling regularly speaks of hundreds or thousands of students, but that’s at odds with the fact that only 10 students are placed in a house each year.

There is a counter-argument that the number is low at the beginning of the story due to Voldemort’s crimes, as the population of the wizarding world has declined. But that feels more like a stopgap measure than something well thought out.

The Secrets of the Marauder’s Map

The Marauder’s Map is a magical artifact in Harry Potter Series by James Potter (Harry’s father), Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. It knows the secrets of every single room, corridor and person in Hogwarts. The user can see in real time the movement and name of the person, which proves to be extremely useful for Harry, who got it from the Weasley twins. Then why was Peter Pettigrew, who lived as Ron’s pet rat, not noticed by them all the time they had the map?

There is a possible explanation. Perhaps the card’s magic was somehow bypassed or masked by Pettigrew’s Animagus form or his long disguise as Scabbers?

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(Hero and featured image: Courtesy of Warner Bros/JK Rowling/IMDb)