9 Harry Potter Plot Holes That Actually Have Simple Fixes
8. Time Turners Are Actually Pretty Useless - The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Plot Hole: Time Turners: the thing that she-who-shall-not-be-named wishes most of all that she didn't invent. It is also the thing that has kept people up for nights on end while they try to figure out the logistics of time travel within the Harry Potter universe.
Truth be told there could be a whole list made entirely about plot holes caused by the existence of a time turner. But what we are mostly focusing on here is the seeming pointlessness of a time turner. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore instructs Hermione to use the time turner to go back in time to save Sirius's life.
But, and stay with me here, it is shown in the first timeline that Hermione sees herself behind the trees in the forbidden forest when the trio are hiding outside Hagrid's hut. That means she had already gone back in time in the prime timeline to save Sirius. So, Sirius and Buckbeak were already… saved? That would render the time turner both useless and crucial to the saving of Sirius simultaneously. Confused? You should be.
Answer: Simple. If we can't figure out the logistics of a time turner, then neither can the wizards.
In all honestly will anyone ever fully understand time travel? The reason for the creation of the time turner was not that they were crucial to the improvement of the magical world, but frankly that wizards are kind of greedy. If they want time travel to exist, even if they don't really understand the logistics, then they're gonna find a way to create time travel.
This is why all time turners are kept stored in the Department of Mysteries, after creating time travel the Ministry found little use for it besides helping a 13 year old girl take more classes. It is no wonder J.K tactically destroyed the entire stock of them in the 5th book's battle inside the Ministry; it just caused too many plot holes!