Top 10 Harry Potter Movie Mistakes Spotted By the Fans

#10: The Disappearing Sideburns “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001)

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Professor Quirrell is an easy character to overlook given his rather timid nature. Then again, the Dark Lord is literally poking out of the back of his head, so maybe he has a reason to be reserved. Either way, some observant students of the series have spotted a mistake with Quirrell’s appearance. While actor Ian Hart’s sideburns are visible just beneath his turban throughout most of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, the final confrontation sees Quirrel without any noticeable sideburns. In fact, he’s actually completely bald! Maybe Voldemort evened him out?

#9: The T is Silent “Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)

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Voldemort is a name many wizards are afraid to say. The taboo around saying his name plays a big role in the series, and Harry, who wasn’t raised to fear it, illustrates his bravery by refusing to use the euphemism “You-Know-Who.” However, everyone in the films, and most people in real life, have been saying the infamous name incorrectly. The French word for death is “mort”, which is where the second half of Voldy’s name comes from. The book’s author also acknowledged being possibly the only person who pronounces it that way.

#8: Harry Swaps Seats “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001)

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Harry’s first night at Hogwarts is a memorable one. It begins with being sorted into Gryffindor and chowing down on a magically-appearing feast. However, looking closely at the scene reveals that Harry may have started early on his Apparition training (even if it is impossible inside Hogwarts). After being sorted, Harry sits next to Ron. However, when the feast begins, he’s instead seated between Hermione and Percy. While it’s certainly possible that he got up and walked around to the other side of the huge table, that does seem like a long way to treck in order to sit away from the boy he just became friends with.

The Dueling Club is only held once, but it’s an important event in the story, both for introducing Harry to his favorite spell, but also for exposing him as a Parseltongue to the rest of the school. But, the event is also notable for having a relatively prominent error. After Harry and Draco Malfoy’s duel, a cameraman is visible in the crowd during one of the shots. No, it’s not Colin Creevey, though that would be a nice way to justify the blunder. It’s also possible Gilderoy Lockhart was followed by the paparazzi, but a simple mistake on the part of the film crew seems more likely.

#6: Snape’s Faulty Memories “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (2011)

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One of the biggest revelations in the franchise is the friendship, between Professor Snape and Harry’s mother, Lily–and Snape’s one-sided feelings. The final film delves into this following Snape’s death, by having Harry view his teacher’s memories posthumously. However, these flashbacks contain some continuity errors. For example, Snape has the memory of Lily comforting Harry before her death, but he shouldn’t actually have been around to see it, since he only found her after it was too late. Even if you give the filmmakers a pass and claim it was for context, there’s no excuse for Lily’s sudden change in wardrobe. Before her death, she’s wearing a red sweater, but after it, when Snape cradles her body, she’s wearing a blue top. Did Voldemort hate Gryffindor colors that much?

Harry’s signature spell is arguably the disarming charm, with the famous incantation of “Expelliarmus.” It does just what it’s named for: disarming one’s opponent. However, it rarely seems to stop at merely that. While the spell is only supposed to send the opponent’s wand flying out of their hand and sometimes into the caster’s, it’s frequently shown blasting opponents off their feet. There is some precedence for this in the books, with enough power put into it knocking people off their feet. However, it occurs far more frequently in the movies. Even within the same scene, the spell is inconsistent. We suspect they replaced other spells with it. And we get it – Expelliarmus is fun to say.

During the first “Deathly Hallows'' film, Harry’s wand is broken during a fight with Voldemort. It’s also seemingly tossed away by a Snatcher. This perfectly aligns with what happens in the books. By the end of the eight movie,” Harry decides to snap the Elder Wand, which he has won ownership over. But the books see him use the powerful instrument to repair his own wand. In contrast, the fate of his wand in the films is never clarified. Did he need to get a new one? Or did he find some other miraculous way to restore his old wand?]We’ll probably never know.

#3: Harry’s Eyes “Harry Potter” Franchise (2001-11)

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Throughout the “Harry Potter” story, we’re told again and again that although Harry strongly resembles his father James, he has his mother’s eyes. Despite them not being green like they are in the book, that’s not the mistake that fans have spotted. It’s actually the fact that Harry’s eyes don’t resemble his mother’s at all! While some of the actresses to portray Lily Potter do have eyes similar to Daniel Radcliffe, the youngest actress to play the character has brown eyes… which is a pretty far cry from Radcliffe’s blues. Granted, eye color can sometimes change with age, but, given how much of a plot point the similarity is, you’d think they’d have given her contacts, at least.

#2: Dumbledore Asked…Calmly “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005)

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In the fourth book, Harry’s name is drawn out of the Goblet of Fire, indicating he must participate in the Triwizard Tournament. Upon discovery, Dumbledore, cool as a cucumber, asks Harry if he put his name in it, accepts his answer of “no”, then moves on. The film…took a different approach. Dumbledore’s wild, accusatory questioning of Harry has been frequently deemed incredibly out of character and a hilariously overt example of the movies deviating from the source material. Despite being a relatively minor moment, this book-to-movie alteration has blown up into one of the biggest “Harry Potter” memes. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: The “Hidden” Microphones, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004) Despite Efforts to Hide Them, Several Can Be Seen Beneath the Actors’ Clothes The Shifting Towel, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005) While Drying Off After the Second Task, Harry’s Towel Is Passed Between Him & Hermione

One of the most recurring mistakes in the series involves the Polyjuice Potion. By drinking this concoction, one can take on the appearance and voice of anyone whose hair is used as part of its creation. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work! In the films, the potion seems to only change the drinker’s appearance, and not their voice. The only exception occurs when Barty Crouch Jr. impersonates Mad-Eye Moody. In that case, his identity is meant to come as a surprise, so apparently this potion works according to how the plot needs it to!