Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. As much as I enjoy the Harry Potter books, to say that they are without their faults would be massively dishonest. In fairness there are 7 books equating to over 4000 pages, so mistakes are probably inevitable when you’re dealing with a story so LONG and so COMPLEX. But regardless of that, mistakes DO exist. Specifically, I’m talking about PLOT HOLES.

Before we get stuck into it, I do think it’s important to quickly define what a plot hole actually is, because online, the term gets thrown around for basically everything. I know I’ve been guilty of it in the past.

A plot hole isn’t just a character making a bad decision or a mystery that the audience doesn’t fully understand. Nor is it simply a part of the story that was never elaborated on.

A real plot hole happens when a story contradicts its own internal logic. When the rules that were previously established suddenly stop applying.

And to be fair, Harry Potter actually avoids this problem more often than people give it credit for. A lot of the “plot holes” fans bring up can usually be explained with context from the books. But…there are also a few moments where the logic genuinely gets shaky. And those are the ones we’re going to be focusing on today. Plot holes that still bother me in 2026- nearly 20 years later. I know I know, I need to get over it.

This is also part 1 of a series where I’ll be breaking down plot holes in each BOOK, starting with part 1: The Philosopher’s Stone.

Let’s dive into it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices