Inconsistencies in Harry Potter...
Dec. 10th, 2003 03:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
Somebody posted today, and got me thinking about this. The post was about the death penalty, actually, so how it adds up to Harry Potter, I don't know.
1. Why was Black ever convicted? Why didn't they just interrogate him, and the other accused, with veritaserum? If they hadn't developed it at that point, why wouldn't they have agreed to use it when Harry and Hermione insisted he was not guilty, just to appease them?
2. Similarly, why didn't they use it on Harry during his trial? Why have trials at all when you have a truth serum?
3. And just how many unregistered animagi are running around? If you had the magical power to become an animagi, wouldn't you get a better job than reporter or on the run? Are these students completely unsupervis... nevermind that one.
4. Why, exactly, do they have to hide from the muggles? They say it started when they were feared by nonmagical people... but those people never could hurt them, so why keep hiding? What's the point? And some muggles clearly do know about the wizards, for example, the parents of all those kids. Why aren't they considered a threat by the officials? How are they convinced?
5. Why didn't they tell Harry how to get on Platform 9 3/4 in the letter? They presumably told the muggleborn kids, why not him?
6. In book 3, we find out that Lupin is a werewolf, but mostly he seems human. But in book 2, we find out that Hagrid used to try to raise werewolf cubs. Huh? That sounds like werewolves are mostly wolves!
7. How, exactly, did Hagrid's parents, um, do it? She's a giant, he's small, what exactly did they do?
8. The decree of underage wizardry was passed hundreds of years ago... but Petunia remembers her sister coming home and practicing magic as her homework. Snape remembers zapping flies off the ceiling as a teenager.... what gives?
9. And with all their power, etc, can't the ministry tell the difference between HARRY practicing magic and a HOUSE-ELF practicing magic?
10. Harry (and presumably everyone else) can do some magic without even thinking, like making glass disappear... but we're told that even saying an incantation slightly wrong can completely mess it up. So, is it the correct actions or the correct intent?
This is by no means an exhaustive list. I don't even expect answers, really, as all authors make mistakes. They're just things that have occured to me.
Edit: Here is a reply from Lizziey.
1. Why was Black ever convicted? Why didn't they just interrogate him, and the other accused, with veritaserum? If they hadn't developed it at that point, why wouldn't they have agreed to use it when Harry and Hermione insisted he was not guilty, just to appease them?
2. Similarly, why didn't they use it on Harry during his trial? Why have trials at all when you have a truth serum?
3. And just how many unregistered animagi are running around? If you had the magical power to become an animagi, wouldn't you get a better job than reporter or on the run? Are these students completely unsupervis... nevermind that one.
4. Why, exactly, do they have to hide from the muggles? They say it started when they were feared by nonmagical people... but those people never could hurt them, so why keep hiding? What's the point? And some muggles clearly do know about the wizards, for example, the parents of all those kids. Why aren't they considered a threat by the officials? How are they convinced?
5. Why didn't they tell Harry how to get on Platform 9 3/4 in the letter? They presumably told the muggleborn kids, why not him?
6. In book 3, we find out that Lupin is a werewolf, but mostly he seems human. But in book 2, we find out that Hagrid used to try to raise werewolf cubs. Huh? That sounds like werewolves are mostly wolves!
7. How, exactly, did Hagrid's parents, um, do it? She's a giant, he's small, what exactly did they do?
8. The decree of underage wizardry was passed hundreds of years ago... but Petunia remembers her sister coming home and practicing magic as her homework. Snape remembers zapping flies off the ceiling as a teenager.... what gives?
9. And with all their power, etc, can't the ministry tell the difference between HARRY practicing magic and a HOUSE-ELF practicing magic?
10. Harry (and presumably everyone else) can do some magic without even thinking, like making glass disappear... but we're told that even saying an incantation slightly wrong can completely mess it up. So, is it the correct actions or the correct intent?
This is by no means an exhaustive list. I don't even expect answers, really, as all authors make mistakes. They're just things that have occured to me.
Edit: Here is a reply from Lizziey.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 01:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 01:17 pm (UTC)Those are some interesting things to think about, Uly. I've been wondering about 7 for some time...
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Date: 2003-12-10 01:29 pm (UTC)Personally, I think Quidditch should be +50 for the snitch... not +150, unless each goal is way more than what, 10 points?
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Date: 2003-12-10 02:10 pm (UTC)That thing about doing magic unconciously bothered me too. And the underage wizard thing. Haven't thought about the rest very much. Is the truth serum dangerous, maybe?
About 7 - I don't think it's as hard as you make it sound - I'm going to try not to think too much about it though. But there are lots of species of animals where one sex is much bigger than the other.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 02:33 pm (UTC)I didn't find anything too odd about Seven-- I've actually heard of it in several other stories... and if you grew up on Xanth (like me) you just don't think about it. You. Really. Don't. Think. About. It.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 02:37 pm (UTC)Here, though, we assume they had conventional sex.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 02:49 pm (UTC)It wasn't until Anthony realized a lot of children read his books that he brought in the Adult Conspiracy crap, and soon after I stopped reading, disgruntled. Xanth officially ends after Golem in the Gears.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 02:36 pm (UTC)Not that I want to, but...
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 03:26 pm (UTC)Un huh.
I've thought about this. It's like... putting a hotdog in one of those kid's playland tubes. MAYBE they were kinky and the lil dude crawled up in there and... No, he'd suffocate... Unless he brought an oxygen tank!!...
no subject
Date: 2003-12-10 04:39 pm (UTC)