Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today, we’re discussing Plot Holes in the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The Prisoner of Azkaban was one of my favorite films in the Harry Potter series.
And it hasn’t lost any ounce of its sheen in the 18 years since it debuted.
But, even though I love the movie, there were plenty of plot holes and inconsistencies that
popped up on the silver screen.
So today, we’re going to take a look at some of the most interesting ones, and find
out why they stand out.
7.
No one Noticed Pettigrew
If you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, then I’m sure you’re aware
of the massive role that Peter Pettigrew plays in it.
The entire film centers around a single premise: that Sirius Black was responsible for the
murder of Harry Potter’s parents.
But during the main reveal, we discover that Black wasn’t the one who betrayed James
and Lily Potter.
In fact, it was another one of their school-day friends… a fellow Marauder named Peter Pettigrew.
But there’s a problem with that…
If Harry, Hermione, Ron, or the Weasley Twins had taken a moment to pay attention to the
Marauder’s Map, wouldn’t they have noticed the strange man’s name that always seemed
to accompany them?
Whenever they were slinking around Hogwarts, late at night, they would’ve expected to
only see their own names on the map.
But what about Peter Pettigrew?
Wouldn’t his name have appeared right alongside Ron?
And what about when Ron was sleeping?
Wouldn’t the appearance of Peter Pettigrew’s name have been an even larger cause for concern?
Even though the ch*ildren noticed Peter’s name on the map, they certainly didn’t seem
to be overly alarmed.
6.
Time Turner Rules
Now, when we talk about Plot holes in the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Time Turners present
more than their fair share.
For starters, it doesn't really make too much sense to allow a 13 year old girl access to
time travel.
Even if hermione was the most trustworthy student at Hogwarts, why would Professor Minerva
McGonnagal entrust her with such a dangerous device?
Not only could she have destroyed the future, she could have harmed herself.
Time travel was tricky, as Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter’s own ch*ildren demonstrated
decades later.
Which brings me to my next point… why weren’t time turners used more often?
In later years, J.K.
Rowling carefully explained just how impractical a Time Turner would be for preventing loved
ones from dying.
After all, with Time Travel established in the wizarding world, it wouldn’t really
make sense for the likes of Dumbledore to NOT use it.
Especially when traveling back in time would have saved the world from so many of Voldemort’s
atrocities.
During the events of the Prisoner of Azkaban, every Time Turner in Britain had been charmed
with a special spell, so that its users could only ever stay in the past for, at most, 5
hours.
But by the time Albus Severus Potter enrolled at Hogwarts, the rules for Time Turners changed.
A new batch of devices had been created, and one of them provided unbridled travel to and
from the past.
When we try to wonder why the Ministry of Magic and the staff at Hogwarts never used
Time Travel more frequently, the only obvious answer we can find is that it was simply too
dangerous.
But that raises another question…
5.
Why Didn’t Voldemort Try to Get A Time Turner
Why didn’t Voldemort ever try to get his hands on a Time Turner?
Even if he only used the devices that the Ministry of Magic controlled, which didn’t
allow free travel through time, the dark wizard could have accomplished far more than he did
during the 7 years Harry attended Hogwarts.
And when you think about it, you have to wonder why Voldemort never tried his hand at creating
a true time turner, like the one that Draco Malfoy used when he saved his son, Scorpius,
and Albus Potter from the past.
Voldemort was the most powerful dark wizard in recorded history.
He was, perhaps, even greater than Herpo the Foul, the infamous sorcerer who first bred
Basilisks.
And when he tore his soul into seven parts, and created his horcruxes, Voldemort demonstrated
that there was no aspect of magic too taboo for him to utilize.
So, if a teenage girl like hermione was able to achieve so much with the Time Turner, why
didn’t Lord Voldemort ever employ them?
If his Death Eaters had only one of the Time Turners in their possession, the night their
master first died while failing to kill an infant Harry Potter, they could have quickly
brought him back to life.
4.
Harry Used Magic Outside of School
Several times throughout the film series, Harry Potter flinched at the idea of using
magic outside of Hogwarts.
He was under*age, and performing magic was always a risky affair.
The Ministry would quickly track him down, and Harry was starting to get the feeling
that Cornelius Fudge’s subordinates weren’t too happy with his trouble-making ways.
Even when Harry was older, there were times when he hesitated to use magic outside of
the school.
But during the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry used a small charm, Lumos Maxima, while practicing
sorcery in his bedroom.
Even though it was a relatively small display of magic… and nothing that would risk exposing
himself to muggles… the Ministry could have punished him.
And Harry should have been well aware of that.
But he didn’t seem to care, as he practiced the incantation under the safety of his bedsheets.
3.
Mrs. Norris’s Yellow Eyes
Argus Filch was the resident caretaker for Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He was infamous for more than a few bizarre personality traits, but students knew him
best for the strange relationship he shared with his pet, Mrs. Norris.
The brown cat was more than just a critter that Filch fed and bathed.
Although Dumbledore treated Argus with respect, there was no debate surrounding the sad fate
that Filch suffered.
He was a squib… the offspring of magical parents who bore no magical ability of his
own.
And due to that, he never was able to climb through the rigid hierarchy of wizarding society.
Instead of learning the ins and outs of potion making, and launching a successful career
as a hair-loss elixirist, or a magizoologist, Filch only served the magical class.
And as a caretaker, that meant cleaning up the messes that all the young wizards and
witches around Hogwarts made.
And Mrs Norris, his only companion, was always…
faithfully…
at his side.
But if you pay close attention to Mrs. Norris in the Prisoner of Azkaban, you’ll notice
something.
Her eye color changes.
Now, this feline’s eyes would change in later films as well, but in the Prisoner of
Azkaban, if you focus, you can see that they flash from yellow in one scene, back to red.
2.
Open Sesame
Do you know how to open the Marauder’s Map?
Well, you might, since you’ve already seen the films and read the books.
But imagine that you just happened across the relic, and had no clue how to reveal its
secrets?
Of all the possible passwords, and incantations, how likely would it be that your mind would
suddenly think of “"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good"”.
Because, that’s essentially what the Weasley twins did when they discovered the secrets
of the Marauder’s MAp.
The map’s creators, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin,
never passed the secret on to Ron Weasley’s older brothers.
And there weren’t very many hints stashed around Hogwarts.
In fact, when J.K.
Rowling was asked how the Weasley boys knew how to open the map, she herself could hardly
answer.
In a quick moment of conjecture, she imagined that the boys simply thought of the phrase
all on their own.
But considering all the possible passwords, that’s a trillion to one scenario.
The only possible way that the Twins could have learned the magical incantation was through
plothole magic… as sad as that is to say.
How Did Sirius Afford Presents?
Sirius Black was a convicted murderer.
By the time he escaped Azkaban, every wizard and witch knew exactly what Black went to
jail for.
And the posters that adhered to every wall and building would help remind them, just
in case they forgot.
So… with so much heat on his trail, how did Sirius manage to buy Harry Potter a brand
new broomstick?
The Ministry of Magic, and their aurors, would have staked out every known Black family holding.
There’d be no secret castle or Diagon Alley apartment where Black could hide, retrieve
a few gold galleons, and continue on his journey to redemption.
So how exactly did he get money?
And how exactly did he buy Harry’s gifts?
And there you have it: 7 plot holes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The film.
What did you think?
Do you know any plot holes that didn’t end up on this list?
Share them in the comments below.
And if you have your own head canon for why some of these plot holes make sense, be sure
to share your reasons as well.
Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live