15 Biggest Unresolved Plot Holes In Harry Potter

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.