15 Biggest Unresolved Plot Holes In Harry Potter
Harry Potter's adventures were littered with some pretty large plot holes...
One of the biggest selling points of the Harry Potter series is the storylines. Harry’s adventures never fail to be entertaining thanks to the mysteries, the dangerous situations, the plot twists, and the character arcs. The first four entries are particularly good at building an atmosphere of intrigue and leaving clues for the audience to figure out.
However, even the best stories aren't perfect. Due to the popularity of the series, hardcore fans have picked up on plenty of plot holes over the years. Some of these problems arise from the introduction of an overpowered item or potion, whilst others are the result of an inconsistency or a bizarre character decision.
The majority of these issues go under the radar for the average Harry Potter fan. Rowling planned out the whole series before the first entry was even published, and as such, both the books and the movie adaptations hold together relatively well.
Still, there’s no denying there are some sizeable plot holes in Harry Potter which are fun to talk about even if they do dilute the overall quality of the series…
15. The Inconsistency Of Expelliarmus
Expelliarmus is the most well-known spell in the Harry Potter series. It's used by Harry on a number of occasions and becomes his signature incantation. Even those who’ve never experienced the movies or the novels have heard of this spell.
On paper, Expelliarmus is supposed to remove the target’s wand from their hand. (Which is why it can also be referred to as the Disarming Spell.) Whilst this does happen the majority of the time, there are some unexplained exceptions.
The most obvious example is during The Chamber of Secrets when Snape uses Expelliarmus against Lockhart at the Duelling Club. Rather than simply losing his wand, Lockhart is blasted back several feet by the force of the spell. In the following movie, a similar occurrence happens inside the Shrieking Shack. Harry uses the spell against Snape, who is then thrown backwards and knocked out.
Of course, it’s perfectly possible that emotions can affect the outcome of the spell. But unfortunately, this is never confirmed.