5 Dumbest Things We Still Can't Believe Happened in Harry Potter

For all its magical charm and engaging story, J. K. Rowling's universe of wizards, witches, and fantastical beasts contains a number of highly questionable moments and plot holes.

Some are barely noticeable and some, on the contrary, are blistering to the eyes of readers astonished at the level of clumsiness — let's take a look at the most notable examples.

5. Dumbledore Was Never Involved in Harry's Upbringing

This point may seem a bit ambiguous, but let us elaborate. Of course, it is perfectly logical for Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall to place a one-year-old child who had survived an encounter with the Dark Lord in the care of Muggles, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, so that he would grow up in ignorance of his power and so that Voldemort himself would have less chance of tracking him down.

However, Dumbledore was well aware that Harry was the Chosen One, and so not watching the growth of a potentially powerful wizard from the outside was a very questionable plot choice. For one thing, Voldemort could still track him down and threaten mere mortals. Second, Harry was growing up in an abusive environment, which could potentially destroy Dumbledore's chances against the Dark Lord.

4. The Whole Unbreakable Vow Concept

Although the spell is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is not actually shown until the subsequent novel Deathly Hallows, where Snape is forced into a contract with Narcissa Malfoy while working as a double agent for Dumbledore. However, the characteristics of the spell described in the books are highly inconsistent, even in its use, making it a contradictory plot device.

For example, it is not considered an Unforgivable Curse in the lore, despite its potential danger. Moreover, at one point it is described as advanced, but would have been performed by young Fred and George Weasley had they not been stopped by their father. One might also wonder why it was never used by Lord Voldemort, since the spell could certainly have prevented his staff from betraying him.

3. Wizards Didn't Know How Muggle Life Worked

Despite the stigma, non-magical people had long been a part of wizarding life. Moreover, wizards themselves could be found on the streets of London, mingling with Muggles in the crowds. And yet, they didn't understand the simplest concepts like ordinary clothing, as if they had never met ordinary people. By the way, why did Muggles never notice the magic around them?

2. Voldemort Never Attempted to Take Harry's Body

Probably one of Rowling's strangest decisions was to ignore the fact that the Dark Lord could easily possess the bodies of other wizards, as we saw in the case of Quirrell in the first book. In that case, why did he never try to do the same to Harry, given that the latter was a Horcrux?

1. Harry Never Learned from His Mistakes

Harry may be The Chosen One, destined to defeat Voldemort, but he's much better defined as The Boy Who Lived. Not only because he survived an encounter with the Dark Lord when he was a year old, but also because he was absolutely amazing at miraculously surviving any dangerous situation without much use of his wizarding potential.

In both the books and the films, it's not as if Harry was a diligent student, not that he spent his free time studying the repertoire of the school library, and not that he used any inventive spells, relying solely on luck and Hermione's erudition. Given that he's the protagonist, Rowling could have paid a lot more attention to developing his abilities than giving him plot armor over and over again.