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Book One: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

We know that Harry's birthday is on July 31 because that is the same day as the break in at Gringotts. From the second book we know Nearly Headless Nick's 500th Death Day Party was on 10/31/1992. Doing the math, we know that Harry's 11th Birthday was 07/31/1991. In The Sorcerer's Stone, Harry says his birthday is on a Tuesday, the day after Dudley's favorite TV show (The Great Humberto). The mistake is that July 31, 1991 fell on a Wednesday, not a Tuesday like the book said.

When Hagrid brought Harry to Diagon Alley for the first time, Harry heard a woman say "Seventeen sickles an ounce for Dragon Liver. They're mad." But Hagrid told Harry that there were seventeen sickles in a galleon. So that would be like saying "100 pennies" instead of a dollar.

When Hagrid comes and gets Harry out of the little hut on the rock, they use the boat that the Dursleys used to get to the rock. So how do the Dursleys get off the rock?

Petunia Dursley says that Lily would "...come home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats...," but according to ministry rules, this is illegal. If she did this in her Muggle home she would most likely be expelled as Harry almost was.

Just a thought but... security for the Sorcerer's Stone could have been much better. If three first-years can get to the stone than you can bet any fully-trained wizard can do it. They could have just had a password that nobody but Dumbledore knew. Then he could tell Flamel if he had to use it than change the password right away.

In chapter 7, page 122, it says that Harry looked up at the Sorting Stool, there were only 3 people left to be sorted, Professor McGonagall calls the names of 4 more people instead.

'Ryan Richins' writes in to say: "In Book one (it said), Prof. McGonagall brings out a 4 legged chair with the sorting hat (to the sorting ceremony). In book four (it said) she brings out a 3 legged chair with the sorting hat. What happened to one of the legs?"

In Harry's letter from Hogwarts it says he could bring a cat, an owl, or a toad, but Ron still brings his rat, Scabbers.

In Book 1, JK Rowling wrote that Ron was the knight in the giant chess set. However, it later said that he had to 'move ahead one' so the Queen could take him, opening the path for Harry and Hermione to checkmate the king. If he was a knight, he could only move 1) ahead one, sideways two, or 2) ahead two, sideways one, like an "L".

In the first book it said that by drinking the Elixir of Life it would make the drinker immortal, but later in the story Dumbledore says to Harry that the Flamel's had enough Elixir stored in them to set their affairs straight.. But, if by drinking the Elixir of Life makes you immortal then you would never die, ever. You can't just be immortal as long as you have a certain item, then that would mean you could die. You would be like Achilles, you could still die. Immortal means you can NEVER die. In the first book it said that by drinking the Elixir of Life it would make the drinker immortal, but later in the story Dumbledore says to Harry that the Flamel's had enough Elixir stored in them to set their affairs straight.. But, if by drinking the Elixir of Life makes you immortal then you would never die, ever. You can't just be immortal as long as you have a certain item, then that would mean you could die. You would be like Achilles, you could still die. Immortal means you can NEVER die.

Harry buys the book "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi", but later in the book it says Harry looked up 'dittany' in "One Hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi."

Book Two: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

At the end of the second book Dumbledore tells Harry that Lord Voldemort is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin. But it should say that Lord Voldemort is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin.

When Tom Riddle was talking to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets he said that they were similar because they were both half bloods. But Harry isn't a half blood. Lily and James were both wizards and witches. (Many people say that because Lily was Muggle born that makes Harry a half blood, but that is not true. If both parents are witches and wizards you are not a half blood. Half blood means ONE parent is a witch/wizard and the other is a Muggle.)

At Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party, it said Peeves pelted Moaning Myrtle with peanuts, but he couldn't have, they would've just flown right through her, right?

When Harry goes back in Riddle's memory, Hagrid was expelled when Dumbledore wasn't headmaster -Professor Dippet was- but Hagrid said Dumbledore let him stay as gamekeeper at Hogwarts. (Perhaps Dumbledore let him stay on, even though he wasn't the headmaster, he was just a teacher)

The basilisk kills people by looking at it straight in the eye. But Myrtle and Harry both wear glasses. Colin was petrified by looking at it through the glass lens in his camera, so wouldn't Myrtle just be petrified too? The only other explanation is that maybe Myrtle had taken her glasses off to cry while she was in her stall.

Rose tells us: "In the first book, Nearly Headless Nick says that he hasn't eaten in "nearly four hundred years." But in the second book, he's celebrating his five-hundredth deathday."

Page 283 at the start of Chapter 16, very last word on the page is Professorr, it should be Professor, with only one R.

In the back of the paperback version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, on the last page where it gives a preview of the next book, it reads: Harry Potter has to sneak back to his third year at Hogwarts after accidentally inflating his horrible Aunt Petunia... I don't know maybe it only says that in my copy, but didn't Harry inflate his horrible Aunt Marge???

* Ghosts cannot eat things right? Even Nearly-Headless Nick looks longingly at the students when they are eating. So if Nearly-Headless Nick cannot eat, how could he have 'eaten' the mandrake concoction to unpetrify him in the 2nd book?

* In the 2nd Harry Potter book, U.S. edition, there is an error with the chapter picture for "The Rogue Bludger". In the picture, it shows Harry's left hand as being broken. But read this excerpt from book 2 and you will understand the mistake:

"Dimly, dazed by searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still hooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side..." --Book 2, pg. 171, U.S. Edition

Book Three: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In Chapter 19, The Servant of Lord Voldemort, page 370, it states that Voldemort had been hiding for 15 years. If his power was lost only twelve years ago, why was he hiding that extra three years?

In chapter 3, The Knight Bus, the driver Stan told Harry that the price to get to London was 11 sickles (an' fer firteen you get an...). But in the book it said Harry shoved some GOLD into Stan's hands. Sickles are SILVER, not gold.

In chapter 15, The Quidditch Final, it said Madam Hooch's whistle rang out as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin SEEKER. It should say the Slytherin Keeper.

In book one, Marcus Flint is described as a burly sixth year, but in book three, two years later, he is still the captain and a chaser on the Slytherin quidditch team. He should have graduated in the last year. (JKR was asked about this in an online chat. Her response: "He had to do a year over again!" We can only assume this is an attempt to cover this minor mistake. We still love you JK!)

In book 3, Dumbledore says that he gave evidence at Sirius's trial, but in book four, Sirius tells Harry he didn't get a trial.

In Book 3, when Harry and Hermione have just finished saving Buckbeak and Sirius, they slip back into the 'dormitory', but they actually go into the hospital wing..and, when Ron is lying on the bed with a broken leg, Remus Lupin looked at 'Ron lying on the floor', but he was on the bed..and, Arthur Weasley says that Ron and Harry have been in the Forbidden Forest twice, but only Harry has, Ron has been in once.

In book three there it says that Voldemort was the most feared Dark Wizard for a hundred years. We know that the Chamber of Secrets was opened 50 years ago and Voldemort was 16 at that time so how could he be the most feared Dark Wizard for a hundred years?
--Sent in by Sudarshan

Book Four: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In Book 4, it states that it is the 422nd Annual Quidditch World Cup. In Quidditch Through The Ages, it states that the first World Cup took place in 1473. "Assuming my calculations are correct (Dumbledore)", that would mean the World Cup talked about in Book 4 takes place in 1895!

In book four, during Priori Incantatem, Voldemort's victims came out in reverse order. BUT, James came out BEFORE Lily. That would mean that James died AFTER he killed Lily and it said all over in the books that he killed James first. (Fixed in later versions of the book)

After Hermione dropped Muggle Studies, she said she had the same amount of subjects as Ron and Harry. But she still had (besides the mandatory ones) Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. Which is more then Harry and Ron who each had only Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.

When Dumbledore was telling everybody about the Triwizard Tournament during the start of term speech he said: "We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger." (Don't you think facing a Hungarian Horntail that breathes fire forty feet would classify as 'mortal danger'? Even if there were trained hit wizards nearby you catch one of those flame-bursts and your a corpse before the wizards can do anything.)

When Harry received his letters from Hogwarts in Book one, it said they poured out of the fireplace. But in Book four the Weasleys were unable to get through the boarded up fireplace to pick up Harry as it was an electric fireplace. (Possible explanation: the fireplace was boarded up only after the letters started shooting down the chimney. Maybe Vernon Durlsey boarded it up so if it happened again, Harry couldn't get one.)

In book 2, it says that Moaning Myrtle haunts the U-BEND of the toilet. In book four, it says that she haunts the S-BEND of the toilet.

In Book four Fudge, Dumbledore, and Moody are talking ABOUT Crouch. But instead of Fudge yelling to Dumbledore, it says: "said Crouch angrily". He wasn't in the room... they were talking about him not with him.

Portkeys are supposed to transport whoever is touching the portkey at a prearranged time. But, Harry and Cedric were transported to Voldemort and the Death Eaters the SECOND they touched the Triwizard cup. Don't you think that sounds a little bit too... coincidental? Also, couldn't Moody/Crouch have just made Harry's pillow or something a portkey and transported him when he went to sleep at night? Wouldn't that have saved all the effort of guiding him through the whole Triwizard tournament? Portkeys are supposed to transport whoever is touching the portkey at a prearranged time. But, Harry and Cedric were transported to Voldemort and the Death Eaters the SECOND they touched the Triwizard cup. Don't you think that sounds a little bit too... coincidental? Also, couldn't Moody/Crouch have just made Harry's pillow or something a portkey and transported him when he went to sleep at night? Wouldn't that have saved all the effort of guiding him through the whole Triwizard tournament?

There is a missing day in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On page 168 of the British edition, it is "the Sunday evening before they were due to return to Hogwarts." Next morning they go back on the Hogwarts Express, spend the whole day on it, and attend the start of term feast in the evening. The morning after that, it is Monday, because on page 213 Ron is heard saying: "Today is not bad" while running his finger down the Monday column of his timetable. Which day was it that they spent on the Hogwarts Express? Sunday-and-three-quarters? Is there perhaps another Time Turner around? And how come September 1st is always on a Monday anyway? Term always starts on September 1st, and they also always start on a Monday.
--Sent in by Norbert

Book Five: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

* In Dumbledore's Office, one of his portraits says 'Elfrida Cragg' but in Quidditch Through the Ages and Wizard Cards they call her Elfrida Clagg.

* Ron's Prefect's badge is Gold and Scarlet yet Percy's was silver.

Second-year student Dennis Creevey goes to the Hog's Head for the first DA "meeting", but only third-years and older are allowed to go to Hogsmeade during term time.

Page 120 of U.S. Edition: "'He came last night, while you were in bed,' said Mr. Weasley. Harry dropped his own eyes to his plate. The thought that Dumbledore had been in the house on the eve of his hearing and not asked to see him made him feel, if that were possible, even worse."
But the hearing is the following morning from that. So Dumbledore wasn't there on the eve of the hearing, but two nights before.

Before the first Quidditch match, Harry is relieved that it's cloudy as he won't have the sun in his eyes, but moments later the stadium is in "dazzling sunlight".

'Moody' borrowed Harry's Marauder's Map near the end of book 4. And he never returned it to Harry during book 4. Yet in book 5, Harry uses the map countless times.

On page 710 of the U.S. Edition it says that Parvati and Lavender were practicing basic locomotion charms making their pencil cases race each other. They use scrolls and quills, what would they be doing with pencil cases?

In OotP, McGonagall tells Harry that you need a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s to be an Auror.  She recommends the subjects he should take--but only gives four subjects.
--Sent in by Cinnamontwist13

* In Book 5 when Harry finds out that McGonagall is not in the medical wing he 'runs out of the dormitory' instead of the medical wing.
--Sent in by Eiden

* On the American book cover of OotP Harry is holding his wand in his left hand. But in book 1 we find out that Harry's wand hand is his right because he's right handed. The wand he's holding on the cover of HP5 also seems to be way too long.

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