Top 10 Unanswered Questions in Harry Potter

We’re privy to bits and pieces about Voldemort’s first reign, resulting in the death of James and Lily Potter – amongst many others. But compared to what we know about the Dark Lord’s second coming, Harry Potter’s story and the Battle of Hogwarts, we still know surprisingly little about the First Wizarding War. Sure, we’re familiar with the original Order of the Phoenix, but what specific role did each member play in the fight against evil? There’s still so much wizarding history left to explore and, JK, if you’re watching, we’d love to hear it.

The story of Harry’s family is a tragic one, made even sadder by the fact that his closest familial links are with the bitter and cruel Dursleys. But surely they can’t be his only living relatives? James lost his parents to Dragon Pox, granted. But what about the rest of the Potter family tree? If there are more relatives, no matter how distant they might be, they have to offer a better choice of guardian than Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Of course, had history played out differently, then Sirius might’ve been around to adopt young Harry. But we all know why that never happened.

The rules of Quidditch state that the game only ends when the seeker catches the Golden Snitch. Problem is, what happens if the Snitch is never caught? The chances of it actually occurring might be slim, but if both seekers happen to be a little bit useless, it could become a genuine problem. “Quidditch Through the Ages” stipulates that both Captains can agree to a draw, but what if they’re committed to the win? Yes, we’ve been told that some historic games have gone on for weeks or months… But why stop there?

It’s not just the UK that has a wizarding community, with Durmstrang and Beauxbatons being two of many international magic schools. So, once Voldemort became an obvious and ominous problem, his renewed existence threatened the whole of the Wizarding World… But, where was everyone else during the Battle of Hogwarts? With armies of wizards from around the world, the fight might have been far more one-sided, ending quickly and easily in favour of the good guys. But, no. You could argue that there wasn’t time to gather the troops… But they’re witches and wizards. It’s not like they’d need a long-haul flight to get here.

Though it ended in glorious victory, the Battle of Hogwarts was disastrous. And with so many Death Eaters fighting for Voldemort, there were punishments handed out left, right and centre for surviving supporters – some of which were parents with children then studying at Hogwarts. So how was the whole thing resolved? How did the conflict shape wizarding society between then and Rowling’s “Nineteen Years Later” epilogue? From Draco Malfoy to Harry himself, the years between school and middle-aged parenthood have yet to be properly fleshed out. Maybe everyone just shook hands and made friends, but it’s doubtful.

All muggles know how primary school works, and so do the likes of Harry and Hermione. But children like Ron, who grew up knowing all about magic… what do they do until they receive their letter to Hogwarts? They clearly don’t even dabble with a non-magical education, as most of them seem totally out of touch with muggle life. Perhaps they’re home-schooled, or there are magical, probably pretty crazy pre-schools that we don’t know about – but then there are the underage sorcery laws to contend with. Maybe they all sit at home reading books about an inspiring young wizard who finds out he’s a muggle… But, probably not.

Yeah, we know. The Dursleys are (inexplicably) the only family that Harry had left after the death of his parents. But... seriously, Dumbledore? They locked him in a closet under their stairs, put bars on his window, and were generally pretty transparent about how much they hated him. You mean to tell us that there were no other options? Here's one: HAGRID!

In “The Prisoner of Azkaban”, Hermione proves that the Time Turner is one powerful piece of magical kit. It helps save the majestic Buckbeak and allows Sirius to escape. So, if it’s so brilliant, shouldn’t it have been used at other times, too? The second Voldemort was born again in “The Goblet of Fire”, for instance, someone should have grabbed a Time Turner to undo the evil. This issue is somewhat explored in the follow-up play, “The Cursed Child”... But the fact that Wizarding World time travel exists at all is enough to seriously question several major storylines.

Everybody’s dreamed of waking up one morning to an owl at their window holding that famous Hogwarts letter, right? Only problem is, if that did happen, how did the owl in question find you? Okay, maybe they can fly to any given address but, throughout the series, owls have also found people when they have been in a completely different and unexpected location. Do they have some sort of magical GPS or are they secretly the smartest creatures in the world? The whole thing is of course explained away in one word; ‘magic’. But there has to be more to it.

The veil has to be one of the most significant locations in the entire “Harry Potter” series. What we do know is that it’s essentially a gate between the living and the dead and it’s impossible to see what lies on the other side of it, as stepping through is a one-way trip. But the Ministry must have it there for a reason. If they’re studying it, how much have they found out about it? And is there any hope for anyone caught on the other side? This one really isa matter of life and death, so for Sirius’ sake, let’s hope we find out more.