Book Mistakes v.3

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by caroliinee

Not sure if this has been mentioned (probably has), but in OotP, Umbridge has to inspect classes. How does she inspect all of these classes AND have time to teach her own? I thought the ministry disbanded handing out time turners! (I guess since she works closely to Fudge, I'm not sure), but everytime I read it, it starts to irritate me more and more

I don't think the students have every class on every day. In SS/PS, for example, in Harry's first week at Hogwarts we're given info on having attended History of Magic, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and DADA. On Friday he asks Ron "what do we have today?".

SS, chapter 8 Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once. "What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge. "Double Potions with Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them -- we'll be able to see if it's true."

So Umbridge likely had at least one day a week where she didn't have a DADA class, and could easily make her way through other classes to inspect them.

[hpfan795]

Well said, Hedwig

[NIrvanaFreak]

I know she must have had some down time, but she spent an excessive amount of time spying on her collegues. I don't know how she found so much time.

[BrianSeverus]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I realized today that either the arrangement of the House tables changes from year to year, or else there is a contradiction there...according to the description of Harry's Sorting in PS/SS, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables are across the Hall from each other, but in GoF Harry walks down the aisle "between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables."

[ally_xx]

Originally Posted by BrianSeverus

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I realized today that either the arrangement of the House tables changes from year to year, or else there is a contradiction there...according to the description of Harry's Sorting in PS/SS, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables are across the Hall from each other, but in GoF Harry walks down the aisle "between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables."

Yeah I noticed that as well!!

[mactheknife]

Originally Posted by BrianSeverus

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I realized today that either the arrangement of the House tables changes from year to year, or else there is a contradiction there...according to the description of Harry's Sorting in PS/SS, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables are across the Hall from each other, but in GoF Harry walks down the aisle "between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables."

Maybe the Houses are allocated different seating arrangements each year? This would stop things like calling one corner of the Great Hall Ravenclaw Corner, just because the Ravenclaw table is closest to that wall.

[ally_xx]

Originally Posted by mactheknife

Maybe the Houses are allocated different seating arrangements each year? This would stop things like calling one corner of the Great Hall Ravenclaw Corner, just because the Ravenclaw table is closest to that wall.

Maybe?? Not too sure. That would get a bit confusing I think. For me anyway.

[Sahara]

I always pictured it as Gryffindor (far left), Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, then Slytherin (far right). I can't remember well enough at the moment- are they consistent in the movies?

[EmmyRocks]

For me it was G, R, H, S. But now that I picture it, that seems really wrong....

[mactheknife]

I just always pictured the students sitting at different tables each year. With the appropriate banner hanging about it!

[BrianSeverus]

I picture it as S, G, H, R, but the first book has it G, R, S, H, and the first movie at least has R, G, H, S (I don't know if it changes in the other movies, but the Gryffindor table at least stays in the same place). They could move them each year, but it seems like they'd just leave the tables in the same order so it wouldn't confuse people, and for House tradition and all that... I feel as though if they don't move the common rooms, they shouldn't move the tables. But that might just be me...

I like my arrangement because it means the Gryffindors and Slytherins are next to each other for easier fighting...

[beckyd]

Isn't it in Deathly Hallows when everyone within the great hall turns to face the slytherins with their wands pointed at them? I think Pansy Parkinson screams something about getting Harry? anyways, if they all stood up and turned to face the slytherin table, wouldn't that mean that they were against a wall (slytherins I mean). Thats just how I imagined it in my head.

Also, I think Gryffindor are not next to Ravenclaw, as in GoF, the Beuxbaxtons sit at the ravenclaw table, and Fleur comes to the gryffindor table to get some of that french spaghetti :P. But then., I think something is said about Fleur walking back across the room with boys turning around to look at her or something. That implies that she is some way away. Perhaps the table order is G,H,R,S?

I always imagined Slytherin to be near the enterance to the main hall, and the Gryffindors on the opposite wall. Doesn't Draco shout things at Harry on his way in/out of the hall in various scenes? idk.

[HMN]

I haven't followed this thread in ages, so sorry if this is a repeat.

I was re-reading DH a few weeks ago, and when it came to the part with Snape's memories, we see Platform 9 3/4 with young Snape and young Lily and Petunia. Now if Petunia was on the platform to send Lily off to her first year of school, then why in the world would she be laughing with the rest of the Dursleys in the first book when they drop Harry off at the station and point out that there is no 9 3/4. She knows it is there and it is real, and she should know how to get onto it!

Blocked it out perhaps, but I think it is more of a book mistake.

Originally Posted by BrianSeverus

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I realized today that either the arrangement of the House tables changes from year to year, or else there is a contradiction there...according to the description of Harry's Sorting in PS/SS, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables are across the Hall from each other, but in GoF Harry walks down the aisle "between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables."

it could be a very wide aisle with Gryffindor on one side of it and Hufflepuff on the other. Which would make them both across the hall and next to one another.

[ally_xx]

Originally Posted by HMN

I haven't followed this thread in ages, so sorry if this is a repeat.

I was re-reading DH a few weeks ago, and when it came to the part with Snape's memories, we see Platform 9 3/4 with young Snape and young Lily and Petunia. Now if Petunia was on the platform to send Lily off to her first year of school, then why in the world would she be laughing with the rest of the Dursleys in the first book when they drop Harry off at the station and point out that there is no 9 3/4. She knows it is there and it is real, and she should know how to get onto it!

Blocked it out perhaps, but I think it is more of a book mistake.

Yes I found this as well. But I think Petunia didn't want Vernon to know that she had actually been on the platform before, and knew it existed. She was probably frightened of his reaction, or just plainly didn't want Vernon to know she knew it was real.

[i_luv_books]

With the House Table thing, in PS/SS, it is said that 'the table on the far left' was Gryffindor's, then it was Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff, then Slytherin, the the entrance door. In GoF, it is said that the order is G, H, R, S, [door]. In HBP, it says that the Gryffindor table was farthest from the door. Only the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables change positions - the teachers probably noticed that there was a particular dislike between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and separated them :P.

As for the Platform 9 3/4 thing, I think it was probably just Petunia wishing that Harry would get lost if he couldn't get onto the platform. Be like her, wouldn't it?

[browneyedkat]

Well, I do not see any reason why the tables could not switch. Were it the same year, perhaps it would be a mistake, however during the summer the teachers may have switched the seating arrangements.

That does seem that it would be a very likely thing. I'm sure she didn't expect him to find the platform without help.

One mistake that I have noticed before is that Harry only knows about the platform and Diagon Alley because of Hagrid and the Weasleys. But Muggle-born students would not have Hagrid to help them or the Weasleys (most likely). So how would they buy their things, how would they find the platform? And where would they get the money to buy their things, even if they did get into Diagon Alley?

[ally_xx]

Originally Posted by browneyedkat

One mistake that I have noticed before is that Harry only knows about the platform and Diagon Alley because of Hagrid and the Weasleys. But Muggle-born students would not have Hagrid to help them or the Weasleys (most likely). So how would they buy their things, how would they find the platform? And where would they get the money to buy their things, even if they did get into Diagon Alley?

Dumbledore might send Hagrid to those Muggle students, or he might go and collect them himself, like he tried to with Tom Riddle. And Dumbledore said that there is a fund set up at Hogwarts for those who don't have any money.

[halfbloodsnape]

Originally Posted by ally_xx

Dumbledore might send Hagrid to those Muggle students, or he might go and collect them himself, like he tried to with Tom Riddle. And Dumbledore said that there is a fund set up at Hogwarts for those who don't have any money.

I remember Snape telling Lily when they were kids that someone will have to come from Hogwart to explain since she is muggleborn. I think Teachers usually went out to muggle-families to explain. Hagrid was sent to Harry because they thought he knew everything he was just being stopped getting his letters. I think Hagrid was a good choise there, because they most probably wanted to intimidate the Dursleys a bit. I'm not sure it would work very well though with an unsuspecting random Muggle family to have a half giant present itself and try to convince the parents to let their kids go to Hogwarts.


I have a slight problem with the number of the students though. In their first year when the slytherins and Gryffindors are having flying lessons there are 'twenty broomsicks' waiting for them, so that would mean that there are about 10 people in a year in one house, and that would make 40 in one year and 280 in total, which is a lot less than it is impressed. However, in PoA in their last quidditch match it is said that 'Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green', which means that there are at least two hundred slytherins, for I think it highly unlikely that anyone from another house would like to see slytherin win against gryffindor. so two hundred (approximately) slytherins would mean around 28 pupils in a year in one house, which would mean 750-800 pupils in Hogwarts, which is a lot more likely, but there is a contradiction there. Is is just a slipup?

[HMN]

You guys are probably right, she probably didn't want him to find the platform and the mean laughter could have been part that she knew where it was and he didn't.

I think Hagrid was probably supposed to tell Harry all of the information on how to get onto the platform and such, it's just that he's forgetful and doesn't.

I think with students born of non-magical parentage, they are probably sent a professor - or some other Hogwarts ambassador to explain it all. Because they would have to let the 11 year old know that they are indeed a witch or wizard.

Originally Posted by halfbloodsnape

I have a slight problem with the number of the students though. In their first year when the slytherins and Gryffindors are having flying lessons there are 'twenty broomsicks' waiting for them, so that would mean that there are about 10 people in a year in one house, and that would make 40 in one year and 280 in total, which is a lot less than it is impressed. However, in PoA in their last quidditch match it is said that 'Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green', which means that there are at least two hundred slytherins, for I think it highly unlikely that anyone from another house would like to see slytherin win against gryffindor. so two hundred (approximately) slytherins would mean around 28 pupils in a year in one house, which would mean 750-800 pupils in Hogwarts, which is a lot more likely, but there is a contradiction there. Is is just a slipup?

JKR is known for not checking her maths but she has said outside of the books that she envisions 'about a thousand' students at Hogwarts.

So if there are 1000 students divide that by 4 houses, you get 250, divide that by 7 years and you have about 34-35 kids per house per year.

There are only 7 years right?

[DeathlyH]

Originally Posted by halfbloodsnape

I have a slight problem with the number of the students though. In their first year when the slytherins and Gryffindors are having flying lessons there are 'twenty broomsicks' waiting for them, so that would mean that there are about 10 people in a year in one house, and that would make 40 in one year and 280 in total, which is a lot less than it is impressed. However, in PoA in their last quidditch match it is said that 'Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green', which means that there are at least two hundred slytherins, for I think it highly unlikely that anyone from another house would like to see slytherin win against gryffindor. so two hundred (approximately) slytherins would mean around 28 pupils in a year in one house, which would mean 750-800 pupils in Hogwarts, which is a lot more likely, but there is a contradiction there. Is is just a slipup?

There are several instances where this is a contradiction. JKR herself said that there were about 1000 students in Hogwarts, although this makes no sense. From what we hear about the size of the common rooms, the number of teachers/classes available, and the fact that there are only 8 known Gryffindors Harry's year, there can't be more than 300 students in the school. She said there were 1000, though, and she is the boss...