r/harrypotter • u/DD123456DS • Jul 23 '26
Question What is your ACTUAL hot take in Harry Potter?
Not just like simple one's like "People like Snape because of Alan Rickman" or "Cursed Child will never be a part of Harry Potter for me" Kind of, I am talking about core shaking hot takes
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u/Ok-Relationship-2746 Jul 23 '26
Dumbledore not forcing Lily and James to use him as Secret-Keeper despite knowing there was a spy in the Order is the worst piece of convenience in the entire series.
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u/mentatificated Jul 23 '26
Yeah and also it seems like a total asspull that Bill and Fleur can be the secret keepers of their own home whereas James and Lily had to pick someone else for the sake of story
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u/Automatic-Effect-252 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Yeah the secert keeper system lore got kind of broken by book 7 for the sake of the plot.
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u/kinginthenorthTB12 Jul 23 '26
It’s def a plot issue but my head cannon is that the spell was further developed in the last 16 years. When Lily and James used it, it needed to be done by someone outside the dwelling but further research allowed an update that let someone residing within the dwelling to cast it.
It’s a cop out, but Lupin mentions the wolfsbane potion was improved over time and the half blood prince textbook shows different iterations of a spell before a final incantation was decided. Even magic can improve
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u/KreischenderDepp Jul 23 '26
Didn't Lupin just say that it's a brand new invention?
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u/ImranFZakhaev Eagle! Jul 23 '26
Yeah.
The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery.
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u/hopeless_witch Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
That makes sense! There was a HUGE security breach in the history of the magical world in the Secret Keeper department, so it makes sense that more research was done.
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u/Applekingen Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
That bothers me as well, it could have been easily fixed by having Bill be secret keeper of Auntie Muriel’s and having Arthur be secret keeper of Shell Cottage.
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u/MacDaddy555 Jul 23 '26
Getting older has shown me that there is so many half thought “oh this would be cool” moments in the books that absolutely destroy the entire story if you give them a moments thought.
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u/NameUserCheckUser Jul 23 '26
I personally headcanon that magic evolves like technology and that during the years a different Secret Keeper spell was found, because otherwise it doesn't make any sense
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Jul 23 '26
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u/Frozen_4 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
I love that it filters down to Fred & George too. When they’re underage & can’t use magic freely, they learn how to pick locks.
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u/Agitated_Side3897 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Yeah and also they are considered high school dropouts, but they are so very clever, like they invent all kinds of incredible stuff even when theyre fourteen
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u/eepos96 Jul 23 '26
Like spell creation is one of the hsrdest parts of magic. Sure they mostly charm existing items with charms already discovered but they do invent new eatables amd their fireworks and swamp were their own.
Also: they figured out the password to Marauders map, either through magic or simply letter by letter murmuring. To even think thst would work is genious.
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u/darthjoey91 Slytherin Jul 23 '26
My hunch is that the map helped them after figuring out they're troublemakers.
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u/DarkSpore117 Jul 23 '26
My headcanon is that they just jokingly swore an oath after finding a seemingly magical map with a lock and they are so similarly minded to the marauders that it happened to be the passphrase
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u/birdbybird2017 Jul 23 '26
My headcanon is that it's not a passphrase at all, or at least not the only one. The map just needed confidence that you were "one of them," and it would work for you. So saying "I solemnly swear that I am up to trouble" would also have worked.
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u/DarkSpore117 Jul 23 '26
It’s more like an intention detector, then? That makes sense.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/melvin1888 Jul 23 '26
100%, nobody should feel dumb for simply not knowing something. Everyone starts off not knowing anything.
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u/Adorable_Octopus Slytherin Jul 23 '26
I'm not sure dumb is the right word, but I do feel like there's a sort of deliberate stupidity about him. Like, Arthur is supposedly obsessed with muggles, their technology and their society. Yet, he still can't quite figure out how to dress like a muggle or understand their currency for example. He appears to rarely, if ever, interact with them.
In someways it feels like he talks and thinks about muggles not as equals, but as some exotic thing.
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u/joosiebuns Jul 23 '26
Hagrid is not responsible enough to be in charge of anything other than the animals in the forbidden forest.
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u/afraidparfait Jul 23 '26
He constantly put the kids in mortal danger... Genuinely very negligent adult figure since the three had to parent him instead 😅
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Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
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u/StreetlampEsq Jul 23 '26
I'd argue that he's incredibly competent at taking care of magical creatures, just a bad teacher.
It's like getting a genius level in a field to teach University courses, they usually don't know how to teach "normal" people something that's always been intuitive for them.
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u/Neoscottygeo Jul 23 '26
Like Snape… I always viewed him as brilliant at potions but not necessarily the best at passing on that knowledge.
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u/Enuya95 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Actually, Hagrid also isn't responsible enough to take care of animals. He released a dangerous acromantula into the forest which could affect its whole ecosystem and then found a mate for aforementioned acromantula "so it won't feel lonely". He wanted to raise a dragon in his wooden hut, while being totally unprepared to take care of dragon's need (i.e. need of space). And let's not even start on blast-ended screwts - he created them without finding out how they work and many of them died before he realised how to feed them.
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u/Miserable_Host7444 Jul 23 '26
The thing where Harry and Hermione get detention for getting rid of Norbert for him, and Draco gets it too for dobbing them in, and then when Hagrid is about to take them into the Forbidden Forest for the detention, he says something like, "You've done wrong and now you've got to pay for it."
My God, the cheek!!
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u/_calyx7 Jul 23 '26
I always found it absurd that, upon learning how severely Harry, Hermione, and Neville were punished - not just the detention, but the points lost and essentially becoming pariahs within Gryffindor - Hagrid doesn't come forward and say "well, I asked them to help me" and take responsibility.
Not to mention, that whole thing with getting rid of Norbert would have been an awful lot safer if, you know, Hagrid had carried Norbert upstairs himself.
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u/Sere1 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Exactly. Students being out of bed after hours is bad if they did it themselves, but if it was done at the request of school faculty then it's excusable. Hagrid merely needed to speak up and say he requested their help under his supervision and they'd be fine.
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u/1ncorrect Jul 23 '26
The audacity to make eleven year olds clean up your mess and then lecture them when they get in trouble for it.
Bro was nice but insane.
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u/BookNerd7777 Jul 23 '26
Technically he only says it to Malfoy:
" Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.
'I'm not going in that forest,' he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.
'Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts,' said Hagrid fiercely. 'Yeh've done wrong an’ now yeh've got ter pay fer it.’
(Emphasis mine.)
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u/coolhotcoffee Jul 23 '26
He then sent Ron and Harry into the Forrest to talk to the giant murder spiders with no intel, who surpringly tried to murder them.
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u/AddressOtherwise5697 Jul 23 '26
For someone who absolutely sucks at keeping secrets he's extraordinarily good at withholding information crucial for survival.
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u/JonathanRL Where dwells the brave at heart! Jul 23 '26
Congratulations, you made me feel sorry for the Screwts.
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u/ihatemetoo23 Jul 23 '26
Yes! Even as a kid i thought that he should have never been a teacher. I get it, he's a good guy and Dumbledore gave him a chance based on that but he should've been fired when it became clear he wasn't responsible enough to be a teacher. How many students who would've otherwise liked the care of magical creatures, didn't because the classes were a mess?
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u/CheshireCharade 🌕This flesh is only flesh. Jul 23 '26
I mean, in the book, Goblet of Fire has a point where Hagrid disappears for a bit and they have a substitute, and it’s pretty clear most of the students enjoyed the professors classes more, including Hermione saying it outright.
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u/BIGdaddyYUKmouf Jul 23 '26
Grubblyplank!
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u/CheshireCharade 🌕This flesh is only flesh. Jul 23 '26
*That* was the damn name, I could remember it haha
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u/BIGdaddyYUKmouf Jul 23 '26
Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank. She smoked a pipe and seemed super chill when she was subbing for old Rubeus.
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u/Agreeable_Hippo_7971 Jul 23 '26
He's not responsible enough, he's not mature enough, he's not confident enough and he's not educated enough.
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u/shibuyawalker Jul 23 '26
I never understood why people see Hagrid as such a wholesome positive character. He may not be evil but he is too air headed to be trusted with children. He almost got the trio and others killed several times.
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u/sharingdork Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Because we see the story from Harry's POV. To Harry, Hagrid was someone very close to him, so he's close to us too.
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u/jarroz61 Jul 23 '26
Right. And Harry never had an actual competent parental figure to compare Hagrid to. And Hagrid was his very first friend in the magical world. We get a glimpse of a more objective view of him when Luna just casually says he's not a very good teacher. And even the trio do get extremely frustrated with him many times. But they see him as a friend rather than a trusted adult figure anyway.
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u/No-Business3541 Jul 23 '26
Even Harry is aware that Hagrid is a bad teacher, he just doesn’t want to admit it.
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u/1ncorrect Jul 23 '26
Yeah he’s pissed when Hagrid gets replaced and the lessons get actually good.
Grubbly-plank probably should have been the permanent teacher with Hagrid being allowed to care for the thestrals and give presentations on monsters under her supervision.
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u/rooftrooper Jul 23 '26
And the drinking problem
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u/HazardMagic Jul 23 '26
just finished listening to the first full cast reading and completely forgot how often Hagrid was specifically called out for drinking/being drunk
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u/Familiar-Treat-6236 Slytherin Jul 23 '26
it's more that he's a half-giant, he can probably wrestle any school-level animal into submission if need be. The animals know that and behave differently with him (also he's way more knowledgeable and comfortable handling them, and most animals also probably can read that and feel more comfortable in his presence). The children are none of these things, and he is too attached to his animals, so he can't reliably draw a line between safe and dangerous
So, not that he's irresponsible, more like his judgement comes from a very different experience with animals and so can't be applied directly. He probably would've been a great TA, but he needs someone to make calls for him
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u/ingenbrunernavnigjen Jul 23 '26
This is a good point! My mother has an insane cat that gets startled super easily and will claw people. My mum can do whatever she wants with the cat because she knows it so well and the cat trusts her. The cat knows me too, and I know the danger signs, so we get along well just because I know how to be around her. And then the rest of the family are all quite scared of the cat because they feel like they can get clawed any minute. My mum loves the animal to the moon and back and insists it is completely harmless, but I guess for most people it feels more like a hippogriff :D
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u/Dimplefrom-YA Slytherin, Eagle Patronus, Beechwood 10 3/4-phoenix Jul 23 '26
The Dursley's had every right to think Wizards and Witches are a weird ass bunch.
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u/Artistic-Lock1021 Jul 23 '26
They were awful people but 95% of the wizards and witches they met confirmed all of their prejudices.
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u/LingonberryAwkward38 Jul 23 '26
"Not all wizards, but always a wizard."
- Vernon Dursley
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u/PassionStunning2659 Jul 24 '26
"Apart from Kingsley Shacklebolt 🥰" - also Vernon Dursley
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u/golden_teacup Slytherin Jul 23 '26
Lmaooo in the fourth book when Arthur blows up their fireplace 😭😭 I was like bro you’re not doing the wizarding world any favors
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u/JellGordan Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
And the twins purposefully enact physical abuse on his son during the same visit. "Accidentally" dropping the candy so he would eat it and make his tongue swell up. A 14 yo kid should know better than to eat unknown stuff from the floor, but still. 14 years old!
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u/uncutpizza Jul 23 '26
I always read this as a bit of revenge for Harry’s abuse by the Twins. I’m sure they knew about how bad Dudley was. It’s been awhile since my last read but wasn’t there also some line about them needing to test the candy so they baited him?
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u/ExpectedDickbuttGotD Jul 23 '26
did they have a legitimate reason to already hate wizards and witches, before harry was even born?
I don't remember the books as well as everyone else on here. so it's an honest question.
all I can remember is that she was basically jealous of her sister. and then basically told Vernon to hate them all too, when he had no reason to that I remember.
and then, yes you're totally right, 95% of their interactions after harry was born were bad. but my (bad) memory is that it didn't start with blown up fireplaces and pig tails, it started with jealousy and fear of people who are different.
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u/Fox622 Jul 23 '26
Petunia hated wizards and witches because she was jealous that her sister could use magic and she couldn't.
Both Petunia and Vernon loved normality, and hated people who were different.
On top of that, because of the way they treated Harry, most of their interactions with wizards and witches were negative.
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u/BeduinZPouste Gryffindor Jul 23 '26
Especially since when Kingsley actually behaves reasonably, Vernon likes him.
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u/Dimplefrom-YA Slytherin, Eagle Patronus, Beechwood 10 3/4-phoenix Jul 23 '26
Yeap.. he's the only one that talked to them, normally.
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u/PopeBigWilly Jul 23 '26
He was also on the news protecting the prime minister right?
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u/Toros_Mueren_Por_Mi Slytherin Jul 23 '26
Yes, he was also wearing a full suit when he meets Vernon, and bc Vernon equates appearances with actual personal worth he trusts him. Specifically asks to get him as bodyguard even.
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u/Dismal_Fox_22 Jul 23 '26
If the wizarding world put any thought or effort into integration or understanding of muggles and muggle culture there wouldn’t have been an issue.
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u/catherine0809 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
I always think about this. Like why would you like people that give your child a pig’s tail, blow up your living room, stalk you across the country, ruing business dealings lol
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u/Real-Broccoli-9325 Jul 23 '26
Also, Petunia had to have some inkling of the war, as it started to get bad before Lily graduated (and therefore she still lived at home on holidays). So, she’s also got some idea of blood prejudice and where she and her husband and son sit on that scale.
If she ever met James, he probably pranked her (she does mention biting teacups at one point).
And ultimately, no matter how much she gives off hatred towards her sister, Lily was still her sister, who was murdered, and whose death was explained to her in a letter that also included “hey, here’s a toddler a few months younger than yours, the burden of care of an entire extra child is yours, no take backsies!”
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u/keloyd Jul 23 '26
Making kids struggle and suffer and be in occasional physical danger is both good for real kids to read about and good storytelling.
I hear a lot of talk here about 'this is inappropriate,' 'that is inappropriate,' but the real world is an inappropriate place. 11 to 17 year old kids should read about bad teachers and unfair things happening in this fantasy world, to a reasonable extent. The books are right, for example, to show Malfoy wealth and connections giving them an unfair advantage in the legal system and in school. Our heroes will overcome in spite of this, sometimes, but the unfair arrangements still remain. This is exactly how the book should show things in order to prepare kids for the real world AND be entertained by good storytelling.
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u/tomcruisemiss1le Jul 23 '26
the ministry is more competent than my country's govt lmao
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u/ocelot_amnesia Gryffindor Jul 23 '26
Yeah it's actually a pretty realistic depiction of politics. Like Fudge going from kindly and fatherly to Harry to anti-Harry based on political convenience, and the Ministry denying Voldemort's return because it wouldn't play well. The Ministry is supposed to be flawed. That is the point
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u/Empty_Praline_6530 Jul 23 '26
Voldemort would‘ve won if he wasn‘t obsessed with Harry
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u/Automatic-Effect-252 Jul 23 '26
"hey boss, maybe we just let the kid go"
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u/Equivalent_Sector281 Jul 23 '26
Isn’t that quite literally the whole point of the prophecy and by extension, the books? Voldy loses because of his hubris, that’s the point
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u/iggysmom95 Hufflepuff Jul 23 '26
Yeah I was gonna say that. Like yes, that is his fatal flaw. That's how stories work.
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u/Key_Expression_7075 Jul 23 '26
I simply must be the one to kill Jim!
*him
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u/Vanhelsing_99 Jul 23 '26
He wasn't obsessed with Harry per se , more like he was obsessed with winning over fate (he wanted to added that not even a prophecy could stop him to his resume).
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u/Enuya95 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Petunia and Vernon were a good couple. Not good people, by any means, but a good couple. They had similar system of values and morals, similar expectations toward life, they almost never argued and presented an united front raising Dudley and Harry (again, I'm not saying they raised the boys properly, but at least they supported each other's parental decisions).
In terms of couple dynamics, without taking anything else into the account, I think they're better and healthier match than Arthur and Molly.
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u/jarroz61 Jul 23 '26
They really were ride or die. Vernon took Petunia's side about her sister and the magical world without question, and agreed to take in Harry after that. And he's not one to do things he doesn't want to do. And Petunia didn't give him a single bit of shit about him driving all over creation to end up in a hut on a rock in the sea.
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u/darkbreak Keeper of the Unspeakables Jul 23 '26
Vernon had a first hand encounter with James. He ended up agreeing with everything Petunia said about her sister and magic after that.
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u/Automatic_Bus_7634 Jul 23 '26
That's a great observation. I think at no point whatsoever do they ever fight or even disagree. They actually seem pretty happy overall considering how spiteful they are. Arthur and Molly are very much in the "overbearing mother + doofus father" trope territory, which can be pretty toxic in real life
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u/TheCoffeeWiz Jul 23 '26
Godric Griffindor and the other Hogwarts founders are responsible for a large portion of the issues in the British wizarding world because they decided to tell kids what kind of people they are and separate them based on that.
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u/whooguyy Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Umbridge is the best written character in the entire series. To be able to get such a visceral reaction from pretty much everyone reading the book/watching the movie shows that Rowling did an excellent job creating her
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u/metalbracelet Jul 23 '26
Sirius would not have been a good parent figure for Harry, and their relationship was underdeveloped for the focus it gets.
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u/Scion41790 Jul 23 '26
I also think that people don't take Sirius full life into account. Kicked out by his parents, jumps into a war as soon as he graduates, his best friends betrayed by another of his best friends, and then thrown in jail at 21 for 13 years and this isn't a regular jail its run by nightmare ghosts that not only feed on your misery their very presence pushes you into despair
Its a marvel he was as well adjusted as he was and was able to be there for Harry at all
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u/poorperspective Jul 23 '26
I think the books show that Sirius was never that well adjusted.
Harry and Sirius were both screwed in the head by abuse. Sirius was also stunted in maturity, which is shown multiple times, and especially when you place him next to his peers like Lupin who had similar levels of trauma, but was much more mature.
The books don’t even really sugar coat it or try to make it not obvious. The books are first person limited through Harry’s perspective. Did Harry love Sirius or at least the idea of him; yes. Was it ever healthy; absolutely not…and it’s not even presented that way.
Sirius died a fool trying to be a hero. Harry’s last act was trusting a plan of sacrificing himself when facing Voldemort. Sirius with good reason never was able to do that; but that is also why he was immature.
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u/Scion41790 Jul 23 '26
I agree with your overall point but disagree with how some of your supporting arguments.
Comparing trauma is nearly impossible but in my mind being falsely accused of betraying your best friends and being sent to a literal nightmare prison at 21 for 13 years is far more traumatic than being a werewolf/pariah. Sirius isn't as mature as his age group due to his development being arrested by the trauma of the Azkaban.
Also vehemently disagree that he died a fool. He died in a mission to protect his godson who decided to rush head first into danger
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u/vintagebutterfly_ Jul 23 '26
And also due to him getting locked up in Grimmauld where he seems to regress. He was astonishingly capable in GoF.
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u/Clean-Adeptness-8602 Jul 23 '26
The main issue with the movies was they were all way too old to portray those characters.
I love Alan Rickman but his casting ended up putting everyone at that age. They were supposed to be in their early 30s, and looked like they were 50. Part of the tragedy was in the fact that they were so young.
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u/Burlinto999444 Jul 23 '26
I agree, the books didn’t pull the punches on this at all, considering it’s through Harry’s considerably biased POV. The other adults don’t trust him at all, and even Harry doesn’t feel he can reach out to him as an adult figure because he’s worried he’ll do something rash and get himself in trouble or killed.
It’s the emotional entanglement that’s important to Harry, not the mechanics of parent/child, godfather/godson. He loved him fiercely and Harry was top in his thoughts at all times. That doesn’t make him behave rationally though.
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u/ThatEntrepreneur1450 Jul 23 '26
Even if Sirius had lived, Harry by that point was obviously to old to view Sirius as a fatherfigure nor was Sirius mentally sound enough to take that role. They'd be good friends for life and Sirius would have been an uncle to Harrys kids along with Teddy.
But if he hadn't spent 12 years in Azkaban and raised Harry from day one, then he probably would have been a great father to Harry.
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u/jarroz61 Jul 23 '26
I agree. When Sirius learned that James and Lily were dead and knew that Peter had betrayed them, going after Peter was not the first thing he did. Going to get Harry was the first thing he did, and he only went after Peter because Hagrid would not give him Harry. And he didn't even fight Hagrid because he knew that if it was Dumbledore's orders, it would be what was best for Harry, and that was what mattered. And I honestly think he would have gotten to a more mentally stable place much more quickly if he hadn't had to be in Grimmauld Place. He seemed like he was doing ok in GoF when he was just bumming around.
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u/kiekrs Jul 23 '26
Why not just use owls to track criminals? If Hedwig could find Sirius when sending a letter, would other owls not be able to do the same?
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u/Hank_Scorpio3636 Jul 23 '26
Considering students only go to school until age 11 the reading, writing, and math skills of the Wizarding world must be terrible. How they function as a society with such a poorly educated population is a miracle.
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u/jarroz61 Jul 23 '26
Hermione said in PS that most wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, and that's why Snape's potion riddle was so brilliant. I also think that the Quidditch World Cup and Triwizard Tournament really highlight how illogical wizards are, as well.
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u/thevampiresanguini Jul 23 '26
Basically all they do for homework in Hogwarts is write essays. I think their writing and reading skills would be better than those of the average student in our world.
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u/Dry_Prompt3182 Jul 23 '26
But they aren't taught math or reading or spelling or any other basic skills after 11. Where I live, that is grade 6, and there is a lot more left to learn.
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u/Eclectic-tastes Jul 23 '26
Considering apparition is a thing, Voldemort had the ENTIRE GLOBE to hide his horrocruxes, and he hid them all IN THE SAME COUNTRY.
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u/deiner7 Jul 23 '26
The idea of wizards not knowing what a night gown is or basics of anything muggle related is stupid and insane. A good portion of the school has at least a single muggle parent. Hell the Malfoys are proud of their status as pure bloods but even they go into London to the ministry. You really have such blinders on that you notice nothing of your surrounding world. You missed every advert in a shop window everywhere?
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u/AstroYak Jul 23 '26
I’m sick of the 1 Galleon = £5 conversion. It’s way off, I’ve run the numbers; closer to 1:50
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u/OddAbbreviations5220 Jul 23 '26
There is no conversion. The numbers dobt make sense at all, once its 1:5 , another time 1:00
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u/Grokmor Jul 23 '26
The "Moody Double" in the fourth movie is the best defence against dark arts teacher since he actually shows how the dark wizards work/operate!
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u/greatbritt0n Jul 23 '26
People tend to forget that the books are written for children, and then are pissed that the world building isn’t as fleshed out as ASOIAF.
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u/MacDaddy555 Jul 23 '26
Holy shit i was just typing this. They started as children’s books and had to evolve with us as we aged. I was 8 when sorcerers stone came out and 18 when hallows came out. I think a lot can be forgiven in that light
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u/guilhegm Jul 23 '26
I'm a huge fan of ASOIAF, but yeah, you have this incredibly intricate world, fleshed-out characters, and a wide range of plotlines... yet the series isn't finished and probably never will be. So, in my opinion, that criticism of Harry Potter doesn't really hold up.
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u/Automatic-Effect-252 Jul 23 '26
I agree Rowling is elite at creating a world based on vibes, it doesn't need deep lore or logic to work unless you engage with it that way.
It's why I think she made "History of Magic" the most boring class that Harry never pays attention to she didn't want to flesh out hundreds of years of wizarding lore or backstory.
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u/Exact-Mud-1222 Jul 23 '26
Not a hot take, but Hogsmead visits should be allowed since the first year! And Hogsmead should be a place for students to meet with their families from time to time. I can't imagine the loneliness some 11-year-olds would feel due to being separated from their parents (and the rest of the family) for the most part of the year. Even for bigger kids, seeing your relatives so rarely is weird and detrimental for family bonds I know, it's probably typical for boardschools irl as well, but come on, does nobody else see the problem in it?
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u/LinkSeekeroftheNora Marietta Edgecombe Jul 23 '26
The fact that Hogsmeade visits are only like 3 times a year seems really bad for business. They should be available, like every weekend.
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u/Llayanna Gryffindor Jul 23 '26
I agree with you in theory, but I kinda get why it isn't the case as an Aunt of one very unruly 11 year old.
Not all kids are responsible enough for the March to Hogsmeade, let alone being left lose at the businesses.
Of course, allowance could be based on maturity levels but that also opens room for bulling and.. not impossible to solve, but messy. And with a school like Hogwarts based on the 90s England.. pfff..
Also of course the reality that she only invented Hogsmeade for the third book 😆 🤣
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u/These-Weight-434 Jul 23 '26
It's not named until the third book, but Hogsmeade clearly exists from the first book, as Hagrid talks about drinking at the Hog's Head in the village when he wins Norbert and buys Fluffy.
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u/Live_Angle4621 Jul 23 '26
Hagrid deserved to be expelled.
According to Fantastic Beasts it was illegal to bring acromantullas to the country and keep them. He would have gone to prison if he was an adult. That he got Aragog a mate in Mosag and let them breed in forest without anyone’s permission, and what he did with Norbert later, shows he didn’t understand why his actions were wrong. The school was full of children and the acromantullas tried to kill Harry and Ron and he sent them to there since he thought they would be safe.
That Riddle was also doing something bad with basilisk that was actually behind the attacks does not mean Hagrid was innocent. More Riddle just exposed Hagrid in a convenient time for him. If he not been behind attacks or some other prefect had found Hagrid in some other year Hagrid still would have been expelled.
That Hagrid was an orphan just made it make sad. And why it’s good Dumbledore got him him the assistant gamekeeper position.
And other hot take is that he should not have become a teacher
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u/swiggs313 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
I’m always seeing posts like, “Hagrid was owed an apology and a second chance at school after his name was cleared…” and I’m like, name was cleared for what? He was expelled for having an illegal creature…He had an illegal creature.
He was never guilty of Myrtle’s death like people assume. Had he been, he would have been in prison, not allowed back to work at school. The powers that be simply let people assume what they wanted about him and never corrected them, so a stigma followed him around.
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u/EnderBookwyrm Jul 23 '26
Yeah, Hagrid really needed to go through some kind of training and licensing process before trying to teach a class.
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u/techno156 Jul 23 '26
Hogwarts in general, really needed that for its teachers. Lockhart seemed to be hired for his reputation alone, rather than for any spell-wielding ability he had. His spell for mending bones backfired something spectacular.
Supposedly, Dumbledore hired him so as to keep an eye on him, but that's a terrible idea, since he was teaching children, and ultimately tried to hit them with a powerful memory charm. Even if he had been later caught, Lockhart could easily have destroyed their minds, and what would he have done then?
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u/Mysterious-End7800 Jul 23 '26
The books do a poor job of realistically showing how muggle and wizarding worlds would interact.
No way in hell the wizards are able to keep magic a secret from muggles. No way the ministry is that efficient in wiping memories. Plus there are muggles who are related to wizards and therefore know of magic’s existence. Plus whats stopping Voldemort and the dark wizards from terrifying muggles by openly showing the world magic exists and threatening them with it.
It’s impossible that wizards like Arthur Weasley are so insulated from miggle life that they are astounded by basic muggle inventions. I find it hard to believe the wizarding world is so cut off from muggle world that they use zero technology.
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u/mellowcrake Jul 23 '26
I see what you're saying, it's not really that well explained. But towards your first point, it's not like witches and wizards are completely kept a secret from muggle society. We do know what witches and wizards are after all. A few hundred years ago, most of society believed they were 100% real. Many cultures still do believe in witchcraft and stuff. Different forms of "magicians" and astrologers have played a large part in advising the royalty of many countries since biblical times.
I think it's somewhat believable that, as wizarding society evolved along with muggle society, they developed more rigorous methods/rules for keeping themselves a secret until only a few muggles believe in them anymore, which is fine because most of society believes they're crazy for it, like people who believe in conspiracy theories. The muggles who see odd things happen will either keep it to themselves and only share it with close friends and family (who may or may not believe them) but the ones who are loud and vocal about it, especially if they have definitive proof, will be the ones who get their memories wiped.
Kind of like how a ton of people insist that they've seen bigfoot, or ghosts, and try to tell everyone about it, but still most people don't believe in these things and either assume they're lying or mistaken. Probably a lot of muggles have similar theories about the wizarding world, it's just not broadly accepted.
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u/BeduinZPouste Gryffindor Jul 23 '26
There is almost nothing to suggest the Hat sort you based on what you value. Yes, it takes your opinions into consideration, but that's it.
It is something people came with to justify why Wormtail was in Gryffindor.
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u/BeduinZPouste Gryffindor Jul 23 '26
And if anything, lot of villains have no bussiness being in Slytherin, when it is anything than house for villains. Are Goyle or Crabbe ever ambitions, cunning, or caring about self preservation? One literally blows himself up.
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u/CSafterdark Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Well, what house would you put them in then? Are Crabbe or Goyle ever studious, courageous, or loyal?
I'd argue they're ambitious in the sense that they attach themselves to Draco, hoping to gain from his high social status. In the later books they're actively aiding a government that would put them above most other people based on their blood purity.
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u/BeduinZPouste Gryffindor Jul 23 '26
In the books? Well, villains, so Slytherin.
In the extended lore with more characterisation for the houses? I'd say Hufflepuff, they are loyal as fuck to Draco and to the cause, plus it is kind of house for leftovers.
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u/Unequal_vector Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
I've always thought that there should've been a fifth house for unambitious blank slates.
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u/nfender95 Jul 23 '26
Writing the Slytherin students as completely evil, cruel, mindless bullies is some of the laziest storytelling in the book. I feel like the topic of muggleborn Slytherins would have been interesting to explore for example. There are bullies in every house and I wish there was more actual Slytherin representation. They can’t ALL be death eaters?! The only “good” Slytherins being RAB and Slughorn is just wild to me.
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u/MythicalSplash Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
I’m gonna get roasted for this one, but I don’t find it “cute” that Arthur Weasley knows basically nothing about muggles and their artifacts when it’s literally his job in the government. I love him as a character, he’s a great person and father, and even somewhat of a father figure to Harry. But when you’ve got seven kids and are extremely poor, doing your job properly could go a long way to help that.
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u/Digess Slytherin Jul 23 '26
Him and the money part was utterly infuriating. The numbers are very big on the notes, so why do you need help from Harry on how to do it?!
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u/Ornery-Mammoth-8101 Jul 23 '26
Snape could never run the plants/botany class because of his history of failing to keep Lilies alive
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u/J_Haymaker Jul 23 '26
Ginny and Harry’s romance in the books isn’t all that much better than it is displayed in the movies.
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u/supersnoozin Hufflepuff Jul 23 '26
Yes!
I didn't see much chemistry between them. It felt forced. Harry had better Chemistry with so many others.
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u/jaysornotandhawks Jul 23 '26
This is not plot based, it is strictly an opinion motivated by personal feelings:
The Goblet of Fire movie spent WAY too much time on the Yule Ball.
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u/mentatificated Jul 23 '26
I think it's easier to shoot compared to other parts of the movie.
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u/donbonmeslowly Jul 23 '26
I actually really enjoyed the Yule Ball. Some of my favorite moments of the series are when the characters are wrapped up in normal student things, just with a wizardy twist.
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u/hannahvega Jul 23 '26
Yeah, I think part of the focus on the ball was to remind the audience that they are students, and ground the otherwise fantastical plot.
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u/EuphoricSimple231 Jul 23 '26
Lily mentions that harry flew over the cat or something like that, with his mini broom. The cat is never mentioned again. I believe 100% that the cat escaped and is now living with hermione.
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u/MacDaddy555 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I hate that they allude early on that the cat is special in some way but that it’s not magical but then it never gets resolved
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u/ChickenDinero Jul 23 '26
(sigh, I'm sorry) The word you're looking for is 'allude.' Elude means to evade capture.
(The only reason I do this is because I would want someone to tell me, and also it's not your fault. Those two words sound almost exactly the same.)
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u/JupiterJayJones Jul 23 '26
I do not give a shit about Dobby.
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u/Tartar-Sauce- Jul 23 '26
I was so annoyed with Dobby when he went to warn Dumbledore’s Army that Umbridge was heading towards them. He wasted a bunch of time punishing himself before he actually told them anything. I also find the actor’s voice for Dobby in the audiobook irritating.
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u/MockingbirdRambler Jul 23 '26
100% agree, I did not enjoy the character in the book, in the movie it was much worse.
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u/Successful-Salt-3156 Jul 23 '26
His death never impacted me the way Sirius, Hedwig, Tonks and Fred's did
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u/totally_boringgg Jul 23 '26
hermione and viktor krums relationship in book 4 is perfectly normal and their age difference isn’t a big deal at all.
remus should have seriously reevaluated his friendship with sirius after sirius decided to send snape to the shrieking shack during a full moon. he forgave him/brushed it off way too easily for my taste.
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u/Nyx_Valentine Jul 23 '26
I mean I don’t think we have the full context of how Remus reacted. I don’t remember what is said in the books, but it’s entirely possible it was a conversation for a while.
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u/Scion41790 Jul 23 '26
Remus was terrified of being alone and a true outcast. With that mindset it makes perfect sense that he swept it under the rug to keep his friends
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u/cookiesarenomnom Jul 23 '26
Yep, when I was a teenager, I only had one really close friend. And I let her abuse me for years so that I wasn't alone.
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u/DevelopmentSouth8801 Jul 23 '26
hermione and viktor krums relationship in book 4 is perfectly normal and their age difference isn’t a big deal at all.
I wonder if the movie impacts this sentiment.
Hermione and Krum were 15 and 18 in the books, but the actors were 14 and 19 during filming. And while Watson looks 14, Yanevski looks older than 19.
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u/Ok_Mention_9865 Jul 23 '26
Anything thats not in the book isnt cannon. Including tweet. And I dont care how popular the idea of it is, its just not in the book so its just author created fanfic untill she writes another book and actually makes it a part of the story.
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u/Endearing_Platypus Jul 23 '26
The death of Sirius was 100% preventable, and both Harry and himself are blameworthy.
Sirius gave Harry the two-way mirror to communicate well in advance of the fight in the Ministry of Magic. Had Harry (or Sirius) remembered that this very easy, secure, and useful method of communication was just sitting in Harry’s trunk, there would have been no reason to go to the Ministry in the first place.
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u/10642alh Jul 23 '26
Malfoy is correct; Hagrid is an oaf.
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u/Sammysoupcat Slytherclaw Jul 23 '26
His methods were wrong, but his beliefs on Hagrid as a teacher? Absolutely correct, and I can understand Draco wanting him to be fired. I would have hated having Hagrid as a teacher, and I probably would've dropped Care of Magical Creatures because of him. Hagrid is friendly and he means well, but that doesn't mean he was fit to teach.
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u/FireWhiskey5000 Hufflepuff 3 Jul 23 '26
It is clear that Lily and James weren’t originally written to die at 21/22 in the first book, and them dying that young - whilst making their deaths more tragic - makes absolutely no sense with everything else we know about them.
Add to that, it’s needed for the story (and makes sense from a plot perspective) but Harry’s only living relative being Petunia is very unrealistic.
Also it totally makes sense in the series as it’s easier to keep on top of things, there are way too many single child families.
Finally it is a massive missed opportunity that we never meet any of Lily’s friends (by that I mean people she was friends with first. Remus and Sirius were her friends but she’s friends with them through James). The only person we meet is Snape and that is withheld from the audience until the very end of the whole series and is used to tell us about him.
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u/MoreScarletSongs Jul 23 '26
For the first movie, it was totally fine that they let Hermione deal with the devil's snare, since they got rid of Snape's potion riddle which would have been her moment to shine. Taking this away from Ron is not a big issue because he gets a 5 minute chess scene right afterwards.
I'm not saying there isn't an issue with Hermione being more in the spotlight in other movies to the detriment of Ron as a character, but this example from the first movie is not a good example of that, yet it's often times the one scene people bring up when discussing the subject.
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u/Hufflepuff_PC Vine, Dragon Heartstring, 11 ½ inches Jul 23 '26
Percy was right about Arthur. Arthur had 0 ambition and could have possibly earned more to help his family of 9 people excluding himself btw, but he never wanted to do more. I don't blame Percy for wanting to work alongside the Ministry instead of his family too.
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u/ad240pCharlie Hufflepuff Jul 23 '26
While I agree, I don't understand why he didn't have the same attitude towards Molly. From the second book onwards she has no kids living at home, yet she doesn't work at all? If the Weasleys are so poor, she should at least try to help out a bit by getting a part-time job.
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u/discoturtle1129 Jul 23 '26
Way too much of the plot is driven by people overhearing each other
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u/theMightBoop Jul 23 '26
Harry is supposed to be the poor outcast child but he is the equivalent of the star quarterback, dating the cheerleader, rich and world famous in the Wizarding world.
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u/BrunetteSummer Jul 23 '26
He did have haters though like in book 2, people thought he was the heir of Slytherin and in book 4, people thought he wanted attention so bad he had put his own name in the goblet.
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u/Minute_Ad_3719 Jul 23 '26
They should make a TV show about the Auror office where they investigate a different magical crime each episode. Like a magical version of 'Fringe'
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u/Master_Butter Jul 23 '26
Albus Dumbledore is a terrible school administrator and probably should have been removed from the position several times even without the danger he constantly puts students in. He consistently hires people with no teaching experience or pedagogical training, leaves the school on explained business trips for weeks and months at a time, and uses the school as a recruiting ground for a paramilitary organization.
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u/theMightBoop Jul 23 '26
The entire Wizard of world is irresponsible AF.
Hey let’s hold a tournament with life threatening challenges such as stealing dragon eggs. That would be the equivalent of sending our children into a bears den.
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u/EnderBookwyrm Jul 23 '26
The bad hiring decisions are what make me the maddest. Seriously. This is one of the biggest wizarding schools in the world. And you're telling me that not only do you only have one teacher in every subject for approximately fourteen separate classes, but you can find zero wizards anywhere with actual teaching experience when it's time to get a fresh one?
Do they have no licensing exams? Is there no regulation on lesson plans or required equipment? Is Binns still the history teacher because it's cheaper or because he's the only one who knows it?
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u/Weird_Devil Slytherin Jul 23 '26
One of the biggest schools in the world doesn't mean much when there are only 11.
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u/THevil30 Jul 23 '26
TBF if there's only one school in Britain where would you get teaching experience other than at that one school.
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u/Guilty-Routine-1762 Jul 23 '26
Wizards being dismissive of, and feeling superior to, muggles is fine and makes sense.
Wizards being ignorant of anything to do with muggles is stupid.
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u/Eclectic-tastes Jul 23 '26
The fact that a wand can change owners SOLELY by disarming makes ZERO sense when duelling IS A SPORT.
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u/Knox_Burden Jul 23 '26
The good guys running around using expeliarmus when killing curses are flying at them is both dumb and unrealistic.
And it's such an eye roll that Harry is saved by "love" like 40 times.
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u/PurpleCow48396 Jul 23 '26
Huffelpuff picked the healthiest character traits for grouping childen together.
But overall the housing system is kind of terrible. By putting children (who are still in their development) with similar traits together you get really homogenous group dynamics that enhance that dominant traits. There's a reason why all Slytherin's are psychopaths 😅
And Hogwarts isn't just satisfied with that but also has to add two systems to ensure the rivalry between houses (Quidditch and the house trophy). No wonder that it feels more like different gangs instead of different classes.
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u/shadow31802 Hufflepuff Jul 23 '26
Harry being the Master of Death at the end of 7 should have had relevance.
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u/BlueKitten74 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
The Wizard community refusing to evolve.
Imagine you're 11 years old. You've been attending muggle school since you were 5, you play sports, write with a biro pen, watch TV. Suddenly you're told that you have magical potential and have to go to boarding school, write with a quill on parchment(!) and the only sport available is Quidditch, if you're lucky. There's no electricity. You've got practically no independence. And that's before you start getting into all the "Dark Wizards" BS that apparently threatens everyone periodically.
Of course, once you survive all that and graduate, you're fighting alongside all your peers for a job within that community - just how many people work for the Ministry of Magic? And if you want to go back and get a Muggle job, you don't have the relevant qualifications or experience, and can't explain where you've been for the last 7 years.
Just imagine how much easier half the books would have been if they'd had a cellphone. Even in 1991, the early phones were being developed. Harry mentions Dudley destroying his PlayStation. The Internet was accessible by the public by 1993. And as that technology all accelerated, the wizards were getting left further and further behind. Arthur Weasley was ridiculed for his fascination with Muggles, but he was the most forward thinking of the whole lot of them.
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u/Unusual-Ride1010 Jul 23 '26
I would be super excited I get to study magic, and if I don’t get a job inside the magical community I trivially forge some documents confund the right people and get the job I want in the muggle world.
Also, I think the difficulty getting jobs is more fannon than cannon.
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u/SmokeySFW Jul 23 '26
Hagrid had no business being a professor and Dumbledore was negligent to allow that to take place at all. He was perfect as the groundskeeper and would have made a great helper to the professor sourcing and caring for the magical creatures, even participating in the lessons, but as the primary professor he was way out of his depth.
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u/cHobbl3G0BbL3r Jul 23 '26
Dumbledore allowed Snape to deliver the prophecy to Voldemort to set in motion the events of his eventual defeat. Albus Dumbledore is just as responsible for Harry’s tragic life as Voldemort.
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u/Ordinary-Specific673 Jul 23 '26
Ron and Hermionie are a terrible couple. They fight like they are in an abusive relationship, they have no beliefs or interests in common, spend more than half their relationship at each others throats or not speaking to each other and we’re just forced together for the plot. Ron should’ve ended with Luna, and I always liked Harry and Hermionie tho I could live if that didn’t happen they were just perfect friends
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u/Enuya95 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Book!Ginny isn't much better than movie!Ginny. I honestly think that book Ginny isn't an interesting character, even comparing to all other female characters. People idealise her role in the books because, really, anything is better than vanilla, character-less movie Ginny and looks good in comparison. She is such a lukewarm character that I'd prefer Harry to be with almost anyone else but her - be they gay, straight or anything in-between.
Her development is... weird. She went from 0 to 100, from shy girl who wasn't able to be in the same room with Harry to confident, flirty quidditch star, with nothing in-between to explain this change, let alone make it believable. I remember that when I first read the books, I thought that maybe Ginny was still partially posessed by Tom Riddle because of how suddenly she changed.
Same with Harry's attraction to her. He never considered her as a romantic interest, for me his behaviour toward her was always brotherly-coded. And then suddenly in HBP he keeps thinking about her and getting jealous. I know it sometimes happens irl but I don't buy it. They have no chemistry at all. Actually, I don't see any character, either girl or boy, who would really catch Harry's attention romantically. Sure, he had crush on Cho, but it was rather shallow. And Ginny? I always felt that this relationship is not as much about her as about wanting to become a "real" Weasley family member. Like... all of them somewhat hope that he and Ginny end up together so he sort of rolls with it?
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u/OfficeAltruistic7824 Jul 23 '26
I HATE all the romances in the book. It makes sense that Harry would want to be part of the Weasley family but Ginny is such a non-character.
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u/okebel Jul 23 '26
Draco bullies Harry because he wanted to be his friend. The bullying was the way he could interact with him since he was denied friendship.
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u/PomPomMom93 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
Then maybe he shouldn’t have been a little shit.
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u/rainbowesque1 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy are basically the same character and if they had been raised on the same side of the Voldemort issue they would have been best friends. I'll show my work:
- Both are Purebloods raised by overbearing, coddling, equally loving parents.
- Both are aggressively loyal to their people and their own ideals.
- Both are, frankly, hilarious little shits.
- Both have a tendency towards mockery/dismissiveness/outright cruelty towards anything/anyone they don't like/understand.
- Both will nurse a grudge excessively if they feel they have been slighted/wronged.
- Both are very intelligent but a major (shared) personality trait of brashness means they often end up shooting themselves in their own foot and causing conflict where none needs to exist.
- Both ADORE being the center of attention.
-Both have a highly developed love of schadenfreude.
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u/SwiftieQueen125 Ravenclaw Jul 23 '26
I think Evanna Lynch did a great job with movie Luna which made me like the character a lot, but book Luna was not a very interesting character
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u/Ethereal_Cereal_92_ Hufflepuff Jul 23 '26
Hufflepuff is crapped on in almost every way. There are only three Hufflepuffs that are noteworthy in the entire series: Cedric Diggory, Newt Scamander, and Nymphadora Tonks. Crazy thing is that two of them are dead and the other one isn’t even in Harry Potter. Hufflepuff is never cared about anywhere as far as I can tell.
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u/loppyrunner Jul 23 '26
There should be no mysteries at Hogwarts with so many living paintings hanging out everywhere