10 Harry Potter Plot-Holes That Are Actually Aren't

The Plot-Hole

By activating through touch and then transporting Harry back to Hogwarts, the Portkey in Goblet of Fire breaks all of the established rules.

But Wait...

That's true, but that does not mean that this is a plot-hole.

In Philosopher’s Stone Dumbledore modifies the Mirror of Erised – a powerful magical object – to function in a manner it was never designed to, and if the rules of the Mirror could be broken by a skilled wizard then so too can the rules of a Portkey. Thus, for Barty Crouch Jr, masquerading as Mad-Eye Moody, modifying the Triwizard Cup to act as a Portkey that could activate by touch would have been simple.

What of the two-way nature?

Well, who’s to say that Crouch Jr was the only one to have modified the cup? Recall that in Philosopher’s Stone Dumbedlore allowed Harry, an untrained eleven-year-old, to face the dangers of the Forbidden Forest, a monstrous three-headed dog, five deadly challenges, and the most dangerous wizard alive.

Taking the infamous gleam of triumph into account, it is quite possible that it was Dumbledore who modified the Portkety to act as two-way device, intending for Harry to be captured specifically in order for Voldemort to use Harry’s blood in his resurrection. It is that blood, let us remember, that allows Harry to survive his final confrontation with Voldemort.

While it may seem to be a blind roll of the dice this is in fact the kind of calculated risk that brought Dumbledore great success, and ultimately, victory.