The Harry Potter series drew to a close in 2007 with the release of the Deathly Hallows book. It saw the Boy Who Lived lose friends such as Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks destroy all of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes and triumph over the Dark Lord himself. Fans across the globe flocked to their local bookstores to get their hands on JK Rowling's novel, and Warner Bros decided to split the final installment in two when it came to the movies.
Rowling's work is pretty much bang on, but there are definitely mistakes within its pages. Here are eight mistakes that managed to evade the attentions of both the Harry Potter author and her editors.
Harry And His Cut
During the early stages of the book, Harry cuts himself on a teacup left outside his bedroom door by cousin Dudley Dursley. He suspects his relative to be playing a prank, but it's later revealed he did it to be nice, which is pretty uncharacteristic. When he bandages himself up, he ponders over the fact that he's never learned to heal wounds, a skill that would come in handy considering the difficulty of their mission to stop Voldemort once and for all.
Yet, this isn't true. Previously in the Half-Blood Prince, he uses the spell 'Episky' to heal the damaged lip of Demelza Robins. Demelza sustains the injury in Quidditch practice after Ron Weasley accidentally strikes her with a wild lunge so that means Harry must have had a temporary memory lapse. Either that or a bleeding lip is different from a bleeding foot.
Reflecting At Privet Drive
Much to their displeasure, the Dursleys are forced to leave Number 4 Privet Drive for their own safety on the recommendation of the Order of the Phoenix. Vernon snubs his nephew altogether, Petunia attempts to say goodbye before changing her mind, while Dudley, struck by this newfound determination to be nice to people, shakes his cousin's hand—and probably for the first time, too.
After this, Harry reflects on life under their roof and recalls memories of being home alone playing video games and stealing treats from the fridge. However, this never happened. It's made clear in The Sorcerer's Stone that the Dursleys didn't trust him to be in the house by himself and would instead lump with a babysitter, normally Arabella Figg. She'd then bore him to death by showing him pictures of her cats, but she only did this due to orders from Albus Dumbledore.
Escaping Privet Drive
Harry's time reflecting on his life with his horrible relatives is cut short when his escort to The Burrow arrives to take him away from the place for good. Alastor Moody is in charge of things, and he reveals to the Boy Who Lived that they can't use a Portkey or apparate due to the protections on the property. This is why they use broomsticks instead, with Moody tragically dying after Voldemort and his Death Eaters hijack the operation.
However, Moody would have lived—and George Weasley would have kept his ear—if they'd simplified things. Harry could have merely taken a Portkey shortly outside of the house's enchantments or met somebody there to perform side-apparition. The bad guys didn't know the precise whereabouts of Privet Drive, so this would have been a far shrewder move. Albeit one not as exciting...
Freeing The Muggle-Borns
Harry, Ron, and Hermione embark on a dangerous mission by traveling into the Ministry of Magic disguised as Albert Runcorn, Reg Cattermole, and Mafalda Hopkirk, respectively. If they're caught, they're in big trouble. They're able to obtain Voldemort's locket Horcrux from the loathsome Dolores Umbridge and also succeed in getting some muggle-borns awaiting trial to safety.
However, during this time, Harry and Hermione accidentally use each other's real names. What's more is they don't even tell each other off for it. Of course, they're transforming back to their original selves anyway at the time, so that's one possible explanation. Another is that, in their sheer panic, they merely forgot. A third, though, is that Rowling forgot to get them to call each other by their code names, instead.
Ted Tonks
Ted Tonks, the father of Nymphadora, doesn't appear in either of the Deathly Hallows movies despite being involved in the source material. In the final installment, he goes on the run and ends up meeting the likes of Dean Thomas and Griphook. Harry, Ron, and Hermione overhear their conversation, and, during it, Ted uses a Summoning Charm to fetch a salmon from a nearby lake for his dinner. If only things in the real life were that easy. Yet Rowling has since stated that 'Accio' doesn't work on inanimate objects. She said this in an interview on her website when asked why Newt Scamander couldn't use it to retrieve his creatures in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.
"Accio’ only works on inanimate objects," said the British author. "While people or creatures may be indirectly moved by ‘Accio-ing’ objects that they are wearing or holding, this carries all kinds of risks because of the likelihood of injury to the person or beast attached to an object traveling at close to the speed of light."
Hermione And Her Beaded Bag
Hermione Granger bewitches a bag at the beginning of the seventh book and movie. This means that she can cram it full of everything she, Harry, and Ron need during their time on the run from Voldemort. One instance it's used is at the Lovegood residence when she tells the Boy Who Lived to give it to her so she can place it inside her neat little accessory. Harry then obliges.
However, when the Death Eaters come calling and they need to hide, she asks him for it again, and Ron to get under it to maintain the illusion that he's ill at home, something he does to ensure his family isn't punished for his illicit activities. She should already have it by this point, and, consequently, was the one in possession of the magical object. Wasting precious time could have certainly cost them dearly.
Ron And The Taboo
Ron leaves Harry and Hermione in the lurch after growing increasingly influenced by Voldemort's Horcrux hanging around his neck, which sparks feelings of jealousy and anger from within. When he returns, he informs the duo of the 'Taboo.' The Dark Lord jinxed his own name so that anybody who used it—which are usually his more powerful enemies—can be traced in a mere matter of seconds. The Death Eaters are quick to catch them after it's accidentally used while the trio rest in their tent.
But, the Death Eaters should arguably have come alot sooner, with Harry saying it aloud during their time at 12 Grimmauld Place. Possible explanations include Voldemort not getting round to that deed at that moment in time or it not working on the property and forcing them outside instead due to the Fidelius Charm. It's said to break protective enchantments, though, so it's another that belongs on the list.
Shell Cottage Secret Keeper
Remus Lupin reveals that Bill is the Secret Keeper for Shell Cottage, which definitely makes sense, as he and Fleur Delacour are the owners of the property. This means only he has the power to give up its location, and nobody else. However, Ron provides Dobby with the crucial information as they plan to escape Malfoy Manor and impending death.
It's plausible that elf magic makes Bill's magic somewhat redundant, with the creatures able to do things such as apparate around Hogwarts and other protected locations. Dobby is unfortunately killed for his act of heroism, perishing via a knife to the chest by the cruel Bellatrix Lestrange.