Harry Potter Theory

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. As much as I enjoy the Harry Potter books, to say that they are without their faults would be massively dishonest. In fairness there are 7 books equating to over 4000 pages, so mistakes are probably inevitable when you’re dealing with a story so LONG and so COMPLEX. But regardless of that, mistakes DO exist. Specifically, I’m talking about PLOT HOLES.

Before we get stuck into it, I do think it’s important to quickly define what a plot hole actually is, because online, the term gets thrown around for basically everything. I know I’ve been guilty of it in the past.

A plot hole isn’t just a character making a bad decision or a mystery that the audience doesn’t fully understand. Nor is it simply a part of the story that was never elaborated on.

A real plot hole happens when a story contradicts its own internal logic. When the rules that were previously established suddenly stop applying.

And to be fair, Harry Potter actually avoids this problem more often than people give it credit for. A lot of the “plot holes” fans bring up can usually be explained with context from the books. But…there are also a few moments where the logic genuinely gets shaky. And those are the ones we’re going to be focusing on today. Plot holes that still bother me in 2026- nearly 20 years later. I know I know, I need to get over it.

This is also part 1 of a series where I’ll be breaking down plot holes in each BOOK, starting with part 1: The Philosopher’s Stone.

Let’s dive into it.
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For casuals, the name Herpo the Foul isn’t going to mean a lot, and that’s because his origins come from the deepest parts of Harry Potter lore. But those who do know the name will also know that he was one of the darkest wizards in wizarding history, the man (if you could call him that) credited with creating the very first Horcrux—crossing a magical line so horrific most witches and wizards barely discuss it.

But Herpo didn’t stop there, as he actually went on to conduct more and more twisted dark arts experiments, crossing lines regularly that no other wizard ever dared. To this day, his name is associated with some of the most disturbing and unnatural magic the wizarding world has ever seen.

Now, what if I told you that he knew Hagrid?
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Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re going to be taking a closer look at one of the most satisfying and honestly most surprising moments in the entire Battle of Hogwarts: Molly Weasley defeating Bellatrix Lestrange. More specifically, we’ll be examining how the books and films portray the moment differently- because despite reaching the same outcome, they actually handle Bellatrix’s death in VERY different ways. We’ll also FINALLY be putting the question to bed of what spell she actually used to kill her, because I think I’ve got a definitive answer this time.

During the Battle of Hogwarts there are obviously a lot of memorable moments. The castle is basically descending into total chaos. Spells are flying everywhere, giants are tearing through the grounds, Voldemort’s forces are overwhelming the defenders from every angle- and in the middle of all that madness, one duel suddenly becomes the emotional centre of the battle.

Molly Weasley versus Bellatrix Lestrange.
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The Harry Potter series makes Britain often (and by often, I mean..Always) feel like the center of all wizarding conflict. Voldemort. Death Eaters. First Wizarding War. Second Wizarding War. All that good stuff.

But to me the idea that almost all of the global wizarding problems can be narrowed down to a 200,000 square kilometre stretch of islands has always felt a little hard to believe. And while sure, 200,000 square kilometres SOUNDS like a lot- let’s not forget that earth’s surface area is over 510 MILLION.

That means the only dark wizards we ever talk about are tyrannizing 0.043% of the planet’s total surface area.

And yes, I know measuring it this way is a little absurd, especially since a huge portion of Earth’s 510 million square kilometres is ocean and dark wizards aren’t building underwater empires in the middle of the Atlantic.

But the point still stands. The Harry Potter books can sometimes make it feel as though nearly every major magical crisis in history either began in Britain, ended in Britain, or somehow circled back to Britain eventually.

It’s far too Britain centric.

So what do we think? Does Voldemort and the rise of the Death Eaters feel like the BIGGEST deal in the world just because it’s SO close to home? Because it’s the only thing the series focuses on? Or is it far more likely that the rest of their world has their OWN conflicts to deal with that have (this might shock you) NOTHING to do with Voldemort.

Today we’re going to be exploring all of that and more as we unpack INTERNATIONAL conflicts of the Wizarding World- taking a closer look at whether there are OTHER dark threats -or dark wizards- besides Voldemort.
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Hey everyone,

Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.

Today I’ve got a special mega compilation for you guys that focuses on the darkest aspects of the wizarding world. Rather than looking at individual characters, the videos focus will be on the world itself- taking a closer look at things like forbidden magic, dark spells, institutions like Azkaban, origins of dementors and the systems that have shaped wizarding society behind the scenes.

Because this is a compilation, you might notice some inconsistent audio levels, numbering, or even a bit of repeated information here and there — but the general theme of the video..DARK LORE.. is consistent throughout.

With that said… let’s dive into the dark history of the wizarding world. There’s a lot more lore than you might have realized.
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