Although each installment of the Harry Potter book and film series is its own unique story, every iteration follows the same basic structure with different story lines, characters, and subplots thrown into the mix. The third installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is one of the most beloved episodes in the whole saga.
The Prisoner of Azkaban was the first book and film to introduce fan favorite character Sirius Black, and it also felt like a turning point for the series where it went from stories aimed at children to a more mature tale geared towards a wider audience. And while Prisoner of Azkaban deserves all of the accolades that it gets, that doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t have it’s own set of flaws and confusing plot holes. So here are 10 things that make no sense aboutHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The Weasley Twins Weren’t Suspicious?
The plot of The Prisoner of Azkaban has lots of complex moving parts that drove the narrative forward. One of the most significant plot devices is the Marauder’s Map, a magical map that the Weasley twins bequeath on Harry that allows the viewer to see where everyone in Hogwarts is at the present time.
This map is the crucial to revealing that the presumed dead Peter Pettigrew is actually alive. However, Fred and George apparently never noticed or were at least never alarmed by the fact that their brother always seemed to be accompanied by a man they’d never met.
How Did Sirius Get Prison Tattoos?
Little is known about Azkaban prison aside from the fact that it’s one of the most frightening and miserable places any living being could be forced to survive in. And while the prison style tattoos that Sirius Black has on him after his escape from Azkaban do look cool, they don’t really make a lot of sense.
Tattoos haven’t been a part of wizard culture as far as the audience has seen before this, and how exactly did the wizards at Azkaban have the tools or skills required to make them? It’s a plot point that sacrifices logic for fashion.
Why Weren’t Lily And James Their Own Secret Keepers?
Sirius Black wrongly took the blame for many things he didn’t do. One of the biggest and most personally painful things is the blame that he shouldered for the death of his best friends, James and Lily Potter. Sirius would never betray them if he had really been their secret keeper, but Peter Pettigrew was chosen instead.
That ultimately led to the downfall of everyone involved, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I mean, why wouldn’t James and Lily just be each other’s secret keepers? Surely there is no one they could trust more than each other.
Why Didn’t Remus Question Sirius’ Guilt?
James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew had been inseparable best friends from the moment that they set foot in Hogwarts, and they seemingly knew everything about each other and trusted each other with their darkest secrets. And after James, Lily, and supposedly Peter died, Sirius was the one who was blamed for it all.
Remus was the only one of their squad left, but why did he just assume that one of his closest friends, someone who he would have entrusted his own life to, would suddenly betray everyone they cared about for the benefit of Lord Voldemort?
Who Are The Marauders?
This tidbit is something clearly laid out in the book The Prisoner of Azkaban, but for some reason this information is left out of the movie. The whole subplot with the Marauder’s Map is one of the most important elements of the story, and the saga of Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus is the main plot of this installment of Harry Potter, so it’s baffling that the movie never explained the connection between the two.
The dots between many of these elements do connect in the film, but it would be a lot easier to understand if the movie just took two minutes to explain this.
Were Neville Or Luna Affected By The Dementors?
The Dementors and the dangers they pose is one of the most important aspects of the story in Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter himself is repeatedly severely affected by their presence. Remus Lupin explains that while everyone is negatively effected by the Dementors, Harry is particularly pained by his contact with them because he has experienced true horrors in his past.
However, we know for a fact that there are other Hogwarts students who have also experienced horrors in their pasts, but for some reason it seems like the Dementors do not have an exceptionally strong effect on them.
Why Didn’t Sirius Use Polyjuice Potion?
Polyjuice potion isn’t the easiest potion to concoct in the world, but Sirius Black undoubtedly knew how to create it. When he became the first wizard to escape from Azkaban prison he became the most recognizable face in all of the wizarding world, and every magical being in the UK and probably in all of Europe was on the lookout for him.
So why didn’t he just change the way he looked? It would have been easier for him to hide, but since he was also determined to get in touch with Harry it would have been even better to just change how he looked temporarily.
Why Wasn’t Harry Expelled?
Supposedly there is a very strict policy for the Ministry of Magic that states that any underage witches and wizards who are caught doing magic without authorization will suffer quick and severe punishment. Specifically, they will be expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
While Harry pretty regularly uses types of magic when he is at home with the Dursleys, in Prisoner of Azkaban he commits his most severe infraction yet. Though it initially seems like he may get in trouble for it, there are ultimately zero consequences for some pretty blatant misuse of magic in front of muggles.
Why Didn’t Sirius Contact Harry From Afar?
Although one of the major plots of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is Sirius Black’s attempts to attack Harry that are later revealed to be his attempts to explain that he was innocent all along and that Sirius loved James and Lily more than anyone, later Harry Potter installments revealed that this story was completely nonsensical and unnecessary.
When Sirius Black is in hiding we see him magically communicate with Harry from a remote location, which begs the question: Why the heck didn’t he just do that to begin with? Logic was clearly sacrificed for the sake of drama.
Why In The World Was Time Travel Used Once?
Out of all of the plot holes or story lines that just don’t make sense in Harry Potter, this is probably the worst out of all of them. So in Prisoner of Azkaban it is revealed that time travel is actually possible via something called a Time Turner, which Hermione uses to take extra classes and… really?!
Time travel is possible and it can be used to change the past, but it is being used so a tween can take more classes than would normally be allowed instead of, I don’t know, being used to go back in time and kill Voldemort or something?!
