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Some of the mistakes listed below may have
been corrected in later versions of the
books so if they don't appear in your copy
this is probably the reason why.
Book 1: Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone
We know that Harry's birthday is on July 31 because that is the
same day as the break-in at Gringotts. From the second book we know Nearly Headless Nick's
500th Death Day Party was on 10/31/1992. Doing the math, we know that Harry's 11th
Birthday was 07/31/1991. In The Sorcerer's Stone, Harry says his birthday is on a Tuesday,
the day after Dudley's favorite TV show (The Great Humberto). The mistake is that July 31,
1991 fell on a Wednesday, not a Tuesday like the book said.
On Harry's equipment list in the letter from Hogwarts, "1
wand" is listed twice. This was corrected quickly and only appears in the earlier
versions.
-Thanks Kerry
On page 133, 4th paragraph, it says that Hermione lent Harry
Quidditch through the ages: "She had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which
turned out to be a very interesting read." On page 46 paragraph 3 of QTtA, it says
"The most successful Japanese team, The Toyohashi Tengu, narrowly missed a win over
Lithuania's Gorodok gargoyles in 1994." However, Harry borrows QTtA in Book 1 which
is set in 1991. -Thanks Rajan
Arguable: When Hagrid brought Harry to Diagon Alley for the
first time, Harry heard a woman say "Seventeen sickles an ounce for Dragon Liver.
They're mad." But Hagrid told Harry that there were seventeen sickles in a galleon.
So that would be like saying "100 pennies" instead of a dollar.
When Hagrid comes and gets Harry out of the little hut on the
rock, they use the boat that the Dursleys used to get to the rock. So how do the Dursleys
get off the rock?
Harry buys the book "One Thousand Magical Herbs and
Fungi", but later in the book it says Harry looked up 'dittany' in "One Hundred
Magical Herbs and Fungi."
Petunia Dursley says that Lily would "...come home every
vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats...," but
according to ministry rules, this is illegal. If she did this in her Muggle home she would
most likely be expelled as Harry almost was.
Arguable: Just a thought but...security for the Sorcerer's
Stone could have been much better. If three first years can get past it, you'd think any
full-trained wizard could too. The only thing Quirrel did for them was take out the troll,
but they proved earlier in the book that they are able to take on trolls.
In chapter 7, page 122, it says that Harry looked up at the
Sorting Stool, there were only 3 people left to be sorted, Professor McGonagall calls the
names of 4 more people instead. -Submitted by Mac
In Book one (it said), Prof. McGonagall brings out a 4 legged
chair with the sorting hat (to the sorting ceremony). In book four (it said) she brings
out a 3 legged chair with the sorting hat. What happened to one of the legs? -Submitted by
Ryan
In Harry's letter from Hogwarts it says he could bring a cat, an
owl, or a toad, but Ron brings his rat, Scabbers.
It says in Book 1 that Marcus Flint is in his 6th Year (American
book). He is still at Hogwarts in Book 3. This would mean he was in his 8th year and
students only have seven years at Hogwarts. Explanation: JK said in an online
interview "He had to do a year again! :-)."
During the chess match, it said that Ron was the knight in the
giant chess set. However, it later said that he had to 'move ahead one' so the Queen could
take him, opening the path for Harry to checkmate the king. If he was a knight, he could
only move 1) ahead one, sideways two, or 2) ahead two, sideways one, like an
"L".
Arguable: In the first book it said that by drinking the
Elixir of Life it would make the drinker immortal, but later in the story Dumbledore says
to Harry that the Flamel's had enough Elixir stored in them to set their affairs straight.
But, if drinking the Elixir of Life makes you immortal then if you had some, you would
never die, ever. You can't just be immortal as long as you have a certain item, then that
would mean you could still die. You would be still mortal like Achilles. Immortality means
you can never die.
Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
At the end of the second book Dumbledore tells Harry that Lord
Voldemort is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin. But it should say
that Lord Voldemort is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin.
When Tom Riddle was talking to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets he
said that they were similar because they were both half-bloods. But Harry isn't a
half-blood. Lily and James were both wizards and witches. (Many people say that because
Lily was muggle born that makes Harry a half-blood, but that is not true. If both parents
are witches and wizards you are a pure-blood. Half-blood means ONE parent is a
witch/wizard and the other is a muggle.)
Arguable: When Harry goes back in Riddle's memory, Hagrid
was expelled when Dumbledore wasn't headmaster - Professor Dippet was - but Hagrid said
Dumbledore let him stay as gamekeeper at Hogwarts. Explanation: Dumbledore
convinced Dippet to let him stay on. Page 230, Riddle says "Only the Transfiguration
teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippit to keep
Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper."
Rose tells us: "In the first book, Nearly Headless Nick says
that he hasn't eaten in "nearly four hundred years." But, in the second book,
he's celebrating his "five-hundredth deathday."
Page 283 at the start of Chapter 16, very last word on the page is
Professorr, it should be Professor, with only one R. -Submitted by Ryan.
Arguable: On page 29 on the second to last paragraph George
says that his mum has always wanted a house-elf to do the ironing. But if house-elves get
freed by their master giving them clothes then wouldn't they be automatically be free?
-Submitted by mikedim. Possible explanation: Mrs. Weasley wouldn't want the house-elf to
leave, and the house-elf wouldn't want to be freed, so it wouldn't leave even
though it had clothes.
Dobby seems to be apparating and disapparating inside the grounds
of Hogwarts. He also seemed to apparate and disapparate while Harry was in the hospital
wing recovering from his arm accident. But in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,
Hermione states numerous times that it is impossible to apparate and disapparate inside
the grounds of Hogwarts. How can this be? -Thanks to Nick. Possible Explanation: House
elves have their own magical powers and can disappear at will in a different way to
apparating.
There is a typo on page 157. It says '"Get-- away--from--
there," Perry said striding towards them.' It's supposed to say Percy not Perry.
In their Hogwarts Equipment list, it says the Lockhart book
"Wanderings with a Werewolf." However, later in the book, it mentions
"Weekend with a Werewolf." -Thanks Tali
In Lockhart's equipment list, it says "Year with the
Yeti" but on page 78 (British version), he mentiones his book "Year with a
Yeti." -Thanks Kerry
On page 133 at Nearly-Headless Nick's deathday party, Harry and
Ron were standing by the ghostly, mouldy food. Harry asked the ghost, "Can you taste
it if you walk though it?" It should say through instead of though. -Thanks Krystal
When Professor McGonagall took Harry to Professer Dumbledore's
office, the password was "lemon drop", but then in the 4th book when he's going
to tell Dumbledore about Mr. Crouch in the forest it says "...five minutes later he
was hurtling towards a stone gargoyle standing half way along an empty corridor.
"Sher-sherbet lemon" he panted at it. This was the password to the hidden
staircase to Dumbledore's office- or at least it had been 2 years ago."
After Fred, George, Ron and Harry arrive at The Burrow after
flying the car, Mrs. Weasley shouts at Fred first; "You will not," snapped Mrs
Weasley. Then she says "And you two," glaring at Ron and Fred. It should
say George as she has already spoken to Fred. -Thanks Binx.
On page 182 of Book 2, Harry is still in the hospital. But it
says: "Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with
winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff." He wasn't in the dormitory. He
was in the hospital. -Thanks Tommy
On page 95, it states that Nearly Headless Nick "took several
deep breaths, and then said, in a far calmer tone, 'So what's bothering you?'"
However, on page 506 of GoF, Myrtle says that ghosts do not breathe: "When I can't
...when I haven't...not for ages..."
At Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, Hermione says that
Myrtle haunts the bathroom on the first floor. However, she should say on the
second floor. Just before they find the writing on the wall, it says "Harry hurtled
around the whole of the second floor" and when Hermione is talking to Myrtle,
she says "because a cat was attacked just outside your front door on Halloween."
Her bathroom is on the second floor, not on the first. -Thanks Phillip
In the back of the paperback version of Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, on the last page where it gives a preview of the next book, it reads:
"Harry Potter has to sneak back to his third year at Hogwarts after accidentally
inflating his horrible Aunt Petunia." It should say he inflated his Aunt
Marge.
Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In Chapter 19, The Servant of Lord Voldemort, page 370, it states
that Voldemort had been hiding for 15 years. If his power was lost only twelve years ago,
why was he hiding that extra three years?
In chapter 3, The Knight Bus, the driver Stan told Harry that the
price to get to London was 11 sickles. But in the book it said Harry shoved some GOLD into
Stan's hands. Sickles are SILVER, not gold.
In chapter 15, The Quidditch Final, it said Madam Hooch's whistle
rang out as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie
had put another penalty past the Slytherin SEEKER. It should say the Slytherin Keeper.
Page 428, chapter 22: it took a moment for Harry to realize what a
person called "Dumblefore" had just said. Note: This was fixed in later
versions.
Harry's exams finished on June 6th because that is the day when
they go down to Hagrid's (it says in a letter that Buckbeak will be executed on the 6th
and Ron says that's the day we finish our exams). After they leave Hagrid's, they go down
through the Whomping Willow. When they come out, the full moon shows when a cloud gets
pushed away and Lupin turns into a werewolf. The problem is that in 1993, the Full Moon
fell out on June 4th not June 6th. Therefore, Lupin should not have turned into a werewolf
as it was not a full moon. -Thanks Elan
Harry, Ron, and Hermione identify Lupin by his trunk, on which
could be read PROFESSOR R.J. LUPIN in peeling letters. But he was only a professor from
then on, so why would the letters be peeling?
On page 341 (American Hardback) it says "Ron crawled to the
four-poster and collapsed onto it" but then when Professor Lupin comes in, it says
"His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor." This cannot be, as Ron is
lying on the bed. -Thanks Kaylyn
After Harry and Hermione get back from saving Sirius and Buckbeak,
Dumbledore locks them inside the hospital wing. However, it says "Harry and Hermione
slipped back inside the dormitory." It should say hospital wing. -Thanks
parselmouth_11
When they first leave the Shrieking Shack, Crookshanks went first,
followed by Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron, and then Snape, Harry and Hermione and finally
Sirius. However, when they go back in time and see themselves come out, Lupin, Pettigrew
and Ron come out first, followed by Hermione, then Snape, then Harry and Black. -Thanks
Jeli.
On page 285 (American book) somebody called Snap picked up Harry's
Zonko bag. The e on Snape is missing.
Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In book four, during Priori Incantatem, Voldemort's victims came
out in reverse order. BUT, James came out BEFORE Lily. That would mean that James died after
he killed Lily and it said all over in the books that he killed James first. (Fixed in
later versions of the book.)
After Hermione dropped Muggle Studies, she said she had the same
amount of subjects as Ron and Harry. But she still had (besides the mandatory ones)
Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. Which is more then Harry and Ron
who each had only Divination and Care of Magical
Creatures.
Arguable: When Dumbledore was telling everybody about the
Triwizard Tournament during the start of term speech he said: "We have worked hard
over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in
mortal danger." Don't you think facing a Hungarian Horntail that breathes fire forty
feet would classify as 'mortal danger'? Even if there were trained hit wizards nearby, you
catch one of those flame-bursts and you're a corpse before the wizards can do anything.
In the second book it says that Moaning Myrtle haunts the U-BEND
of the toilet. But in book four, it says that she haunts the S-BEND of the toilet.
Possible Mistake: On page 264, Hagrid says "Never
thought I'd live ter see the Triwizard Tournament played again!" However, Dumbledore
says earlier: "...an event which has not been held for over a century." If
Hagrid was expelled in his third year, 50 years ago, he must be 63, so he could not have
seen a Triwizard Tournament before. However, Hagrid might have meant that he didn't think
he'd live to see the tournament played again, in relation to when it was played before,
not to when he last saw it. -Thanks Casara
When Fudge, Dumbledore, and Moody are talking about Crouch,
instead of Fudge yelling to Dumbledore, it says: "said Crouch angrily". He
wasn't in the room...they were talking about him, not with him.
On page 701 (American version), toward the middle of the page, it
says "...the warmth of the feather matress." Matress should have 2 't's:
mattress.
Portkeys are supposed to transport whoever is touching the portkey
at a prearranged time. But, Harry and Cedric were transported to Voldemort and the Death
Eaters the second they touched the Triwizard cup. Don't you think that sounds a
little bit too...coincidental? Also, couldn't Moody/Crouch have just made Harry's pillow
or something a portkey and transported him when he went to sleep at night? Wouldn't that
have been a little easier then guiding him through the whole Triwizard Tournament?
On page 256 (UK version) when Harry is writing a letter to Sirius
telling him about the Triwizard Tournament he says "I don't who put my name in the
Goblet of Fire because I didn't." It should say "I don't know who put my
name in..." -Thanks Kirsten
Sirius says, "You three and Dumbledore are the only people
who know I'm an Animagi." But Snape and Lupin know too. -Submitted by Linie
In Goblet of Fire, page 229 (english version), Dumbledore speaks
to Fred and George after they've tried to cross the Age Line: "'I suggest you both go
up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr
Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little, too.'"
But on page 371, at the Yule Ball, it says: "'Ten points from Hufflepuff,
Fawcett!' Snape snarled, as a girl ran past him." Possible Explanation:
Fawcett in Ravenclaw has a brother/sister/cousin in Hufflepuff.
On page 618: "I will settle, in the short term," said
Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, "for lack of hostility. You will
shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who
know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any us." The "of" is
missing in the last sentence. -Thanks Kyle
How does Dumbledore know to summon Winky to Moody's office when he
doesn't yet know that Moody is really Barty Crouch Jr in disguise? Possible
Explanation: Dumbledore realised after Moody took Harry that it wasn't actually Moody,
but it's unlikely he knew exactly who it was.
In one of Harry's letters to Sirius he mentions that Dudley got
angry and chucked his Playstation out of the window. However, the playstation was not out
at this time. GoF is set in 1994; the Playstation came out in 1995
Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry uses the Marauder's Map several times in this book, but it
was confiscated in his fourth year. How did he get it back?
Before the first Quidditch match, Harry is relieved that it's
cloudy as he won't have the sun in his eyes, but moments later the stadium is in
"dazzling sunlight".
Second-year student Dennis Creevey goes to the Hog's Head for the
first DA "meeting", but only third-years and older are allowed to go to
Hogsmeade during term time.
Harry gets off the train and is able to see the Thestrals. It is
later explained that you can see them after you have seen death. Harry had seen the death
of his mother and possibly his father before he saw Cedric Diggory die, so why didn't he
see the Thestrals before? -Submitted by Kerry JKR's response: You can't see them until the death "sinks in."
Chapter 28, pages 625-626, Malfoy starts docking points from both
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff after becoming part of the Inquisitorial Squad and Ernie
Macmillan says, "He can't be allowed to dock points...that would be ridiculous...It
would completely undermine the prefect system..." But in the second book, chapter 9,
page 158, Percy, a prefect at the time, takes 5 points from Gryffindor after finding Ron,
Hermione, and Harry looking around Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. So how was Percy able to
take points from Gryffindor if prefects aren't even able to?
There's an illustration mistake in chapter thirty-eight, The
Second War Begins. Nymphadora Tonk's t-shirt is supposed to say 'The Weird Sisters'. In
the illustration, you can't see all of the writing, but if you look closely you can see
that only an 'erd' is visible on the first line. Since 'weird' has an 'i' after the 'e',
the 'i' should be visible as well--but it's not. -Submitted by Laura
Page 120: "'He came last night, while you were in bed,' said
Mr. Weasley. Harry dropped his own eyes to his plate. The thought that Dumbledore had been
in the house on the eve of his hearing and not asked to see him made him feel, if that
were possible, even worse."
But the hearing is the following morning from that. So Dumbledore wasn't there on the eve
of the hearing, but two nights before! -Submitted by Thyme
In book 1, Hagrid said that Lily and James where Head Boy and
Girl. However, in book five, it's said that James was never a prefect. JKR's response: You don't have to be a prefect to be a Head Boy or Girl.
On page 710 it says that Parvati and Lavender were practicing
basic locomotion charms making their pencil cases race each other. They use scrolls and
quils, what would they be doing with pencil cases? -Submitted by Kim
Arguable: Page 147: "'Dumbledore was having real
trouble finding a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Not suprising, is
it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?' said George. 'One sacked, one
dead, one's memory removed and one locked in a trunk for nine months.' Quirrel is dead,
Lockhart's memory's gone, Moody was locked in the trunk but Lupin didn't get sacked, he
resigned. -Submitted by Tegan
When Harry is talking to Professor McGonagall about career advice
and Aurors, McGonagall says: "I don't think anybody has been taken on the last three
years." But, at the begining of the book, Tonks says, (about her becoming an Auror)
"I only qualified a year ago." -Submitted by Sarah
Possible explanation: McGonagall meant that no one had been accepted in the
advanced Auror training program, not as an Auror, in the past three years. She had
mentioned that for Harry to be an Auror he had to first attend another more advanced
training that takes 3 years. That means that Tonks was accepted into the training for
Aurors 4 years ago. She was a fully qualified (for one year) Auror when she met Harry.
-Submitted by Larissa
When Mrs.Weasley throws the celebration party for Ron and Hermione
becoming Prefects, she asks Moody if he would look in the desk drawer up stairs and see if
their was a boggart in it. Moody looks up stairs with his magical eye and confirms
that there is a boggart. In book three however, Lupin says that no one has ever seen
a boggart in its natural form, so how could Moody conclude that it really is a boggart
unless he had seen one before, and when he did see it, did it turn into his worst fear
allowing him to know or did it just stay in its natural form? - Submitted byMike
The day after Fred and George set off the fireworks in the
corridors at Hogwarts after lessons, Harry had an Occlumency lesson with Snape. If
Snape held the lessons on a Monday then that would mean that Hogwarts has school on a
Sunday! - Submitted by Mike
A big thanks to all the
contributors to the mistakes page
and a large thanks to mugglenet.