Mysteries and Inconsistencies Pt 2

[joywitch999]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C2216
From: joywitch999
Subject: Mysteries and Inconsistencies Pt 2
Date: 6/18/00 9:03 pm  (ET)

This is a collection of mysteries, inconsistencies, and other questions
about the first 3 HP books. It is being posted in 3 parts because it
is long.

In Book 1, after Hagrid delivers the baby Harry to his the Dursley's
house he tells Dumbledore that he has to go return the motorcycle to
Sirius Black. But in Book 3, Sirius says that he gave the motorcycle to
Hagrid because he didn't need it anymore.

Why does it take Hagrid so long to get to the Dursleys with the infant
Harry Potter? Voldemort kills Harry's parents and is defeated by Harry on
Halloween night. The witches and wizards are already celebrating in the
morning when Mr. Dursley is going to work, they are still celebrating
when he goes home from work. Then Dumbledore shows up at the Dursley's
house at midnight to wait for Hagrid. It seems to me that, therefore,
Hagrid doesn't actually arrive at the Dursleys until almost a day after
Voldemort's defeat.

In Book 1, Nearly Headless Nick says he hasn't eaten anything in nearly
400 years, but in book 2 it turns out he's been dead for 500 years. Which
is it? [An observant person somewhere noted that the way Nick is dressed
-- in ruffs and tights -- was the fashion of 400 years ago, not 500.]

What happened to the other Patil twin, Parvati's twin sister, who is
sorted at the same time as Harry?

Why does Ron get to bring a rat to Hogwarts, when the Hogwarts acceptance
letter specifically says students can bring a cat or a toad or an owl?

How do the Dursleys get back to land from the Hut on the Rock, since
Hagrid and Harry take the boat when they leave?

How did Hagrid get the key to the Potter's Gringotts vault? Did he take it
from the ruins of the Potter's house? If so, why didn't Voldemort take it?

How do new Hogwarts students who come from muggle families know how
to find Diagon Alley and Platform 9 3/4? [Maybe Hagrid, or a Hogwarts
professor, visits each muggle family to explain everything (since after
all the letter must come as something of a shock) and then takes the
new student to Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies]

Why does Harry have to continue to live with the Dursleys? After all,
in Book 2 the Dursleys tell him to find out if he can spend the summer
at Hogwarts. Couldn't he just hang out with Hagrid all summer? [I think
the answer is simply that Harry's adventures with the Dursleys are an
important plot device that JKR wants to continue.]

How come Moaning Myrtle is able to flood the bathroom? Ghosts are supposed
to be able to pass through matter without disturbing it, and there are
numerous references in the book to them doing so, such as Professor Binns
entering the classroom through the blackboard. The water shouldn't move
when Moaning Myrtle is inside the toilet.

Both Snape and Hermione point out that no one can apparate or disapparate
inside of Hogwarts. Then how does Dobby get into the hospital wing to
see Harry after the Quidditch match? [One possible answer is that elves
power may be stronger, or different, than wizard's spells.]

How did Fawkes get into the Chamber of Secrets? [May have the same answer
as the above question]

Do Harry and Hermione show up twice on the Marauder's Map while they are
time traveling? Does Hermione show up twice when she is attending more
than one class? If so, how come Fred, George, Harry, Lupin, and Snape --
all of whom have access to the map at some point -- never notice?

Also, how come none of the above people except Lupin ever notice while
looking at the map that Ron is always accompanied by Peter Pettigrew?

In Book 3, when they are returning to the castle from the Shrieking
Shack, Lupin turns into a werewolf when the clouds part to show the full
moon. But if he only changes when the full moon is visible, why doesn't
he just stay inside?

Why do the dementors try to give Harry the kiss of death?