The newest mistakes will be found nearer to the bottom. Found a mistake not mentioned here? Please e-mail us.

PLEASE NOTE: Many of these book mistakes were corrected in later versions, so the mistake may not appear in your HP book.

• Arguable: 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 drinking the Elixir of Life makes you immortal then if you had some, 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 still die. You would be still mortal like Achilles. Immortality means you can never die.

• 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 a pure-blood. Half-blood means ONE parent is a witch/wizard and the other is a muggle.)

• Arguable: 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. Explanation: Dumbledore convinced Dippet to let his stay on. Page 230, Riddle says "Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippit to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper."

• 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. -Submitted by Ryan.

• Arguable: On page 29 on the second to last paragraph George says that his mum has always wanted a house-elf to do the ironing. But if house-elves get freed by their master giving them clothes then wouldn't they be automatically be free? -Submitted by mikedim. Possible explanation: Mrs. Weasley wouldn't want the house-elf to leave, and the house-elf wouldn't want to be freed, so it wouldn't leave even though it had clothes.

• Dobby seems to be apparating and disapparating inside the grounds of Hogwarts. He also seemed to apparate and disapparate while Harry was in the hospital wing recovering from his arm accident. But in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione states numerous times that it is impossible to apparate and disapparate inside the grounds of Hogwarts. How can this be? -Thanks to Nick. Possible Explanation: House elves have their own magical powers and can disappear at will in a different way to apparating.

• There is a typo on page 157. It says '"Get-- away--from-- there," Perry said striding towards them.' It's supposed to say Percy not Perry.

• In their Hogwarts Equipment list, it says the Lockhart book "Wanderings with a Werewolf." However, later in the book, it mentions "Weekend with a Werewolf." -Thanks Tali

• In Lockhart's equipment list, it says "Year with the Yeti" but on page 78 (British version), he mentiones his book "Year with a Yeti." -Thanks Kerry

• On page 133 at Nearly-Headless Nick's deathday party, Harry and Ron were standing by the ghostly, mouldy food. Harry asked the ghost, "Can you taste it if you walk though it?" It should say through instead of though. -Thanks Krystal

• When Professor McGonagall took Harry to Professer Dumbledore's office, the password was "lemon drop", but then in the 4th book when he's going to tell Dumbledore about Mr. Crouch in the forest it says "...five minutes later he was hurtling towards a stone gargoyle standing half way along an empty corridor. "Sher-sherbet lemon" he panted at it. This was the password to the hidden staircase to Dumbledore's office- or at least it had been 2 years ago."

• After Fred, George, Ron and Harry arrive at The Burrow after flying the car, Mrs. Weasley shouts at Fred first; "You will not," snapped Mrs Weasley. Then she says "And you two," glaring at Ron and Fred. It should say George as she has already spoken to Fred. -Thanks Binx.

• On page 182 of Book 2, Harry is still in the hospital. But it says: "Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff." He wasn't in the dormitory. He was in the hospital. -Thanks Tommy

• On page 95, it states that Nearly Headless Nick "took several deep breaths, and then said, in a far calmer tone, 'So what's bothering you?'" However, on page 506 of GoF, Myrtle says that ghosts do not breathe: "When I can't ...when I haven't...not for ages..."

• At Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, Hermione says that Myrtle haunts the bathroom on the first floor. However, she should say on the second floor. Just before they find the writing on the wall, it says "Harry hurtled around the whole of the second floor" and when Hermione is talking to Myrtle, she says "because a cat was attacked just outside your front door on Halloween." Her bathroom is on the second floor, not on the first. -Thanks Phillip

• 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." It should say he inflated his Aunt Marge.

• 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. 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.

• Page 428, chapter 22: it took a moment for Harry to realize what a person called "Dumblefore" had just said. Note: This was fixed in later versions.

• Harry's exams finished on June 6th because that is the day when they go down to Hagrid's (it says in a letter that Buckbeak will be executed on the 6th and Ron says that's the day we finish our exams). After they leave Hagrid's, they go down through the Whomping Willow. When they come out, the full moon shows when a cloud gets pushed away and Lupin turns into a werewolf. The problem is that in 1993, the Full Moon fell out on June 4th not June 6th. Therefore, Lupin should not have turned into a werewolf as it was not a full moon. -Thanks Elan

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione identify Lupin by his trunk, on which could be read PROFESSOR R.J. LUPIN in peeling letters. But he was only a professor from then on, so why would the letters be peeling?

• On page 341 (American Hardback) it says "Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it" but then when Professor Lupin comes in, it says "His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor." This cannot be, as Ron is lying on the bed. -Thanks Kaylyn

• After Harry and Hermione get back from saving Sirius and Buckbeak, Dumbledore locks them inside the hospital wing. However, it says "Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory." It should say hospital wing. -Thanks parselmouth_11

• When they first leave the Shrieking Shack, Crookshanks went first, followed by Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron, and then Snape, Harry and Hermione and finally Sirius. However, when they go back in time and see themselves come out, Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron come out first, followed by Hermione, then Snape, then Harry and Black. -Thanks Jeli.

• On page 285 (American book) somebody called Snap picked up Harry's Zonko bag. The e on Snape is missing.

• 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.

• Arguable: 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 you're a corpse before the wizards can do anything.

• In the second book it says that Moaning Myrtle haunts the U-BEND of the toilet. But in book four, it says that she haunts the S-BEND of the toilet.

• Possible Mistake: On page 264, Hagrid says "Never thought I'd live ter see the Triwizard Tournament played again!" However, Dumbledore says earlier: "...an event which has not been held for over a century." If Hagrid was expelled in his third year, 50 years ago, he must be 63, so he could not have seen a Triwizard Tournament before. However, Hagrid might have meant that he didn't think he'd live to see the tournament played again, in relation to when it was played before, not to when he last saw it. -Thanks Casara

• When Fudge, Dumbledore, and Moody are talking about Crouch, 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.

• On page 701 (American version), toward the middle of the page, it says "...the warmth of the feather matress." Matress should have 2 't's: mattress.

• 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 been a little easier then guiding him through the whole Triwizard Tournament?

• On page 256 (UK version) when Harry is writing a letter to Sirius telling him about the Triwizard Tournament he says "I don't who put my name in the Goblet of Fire because I didn't." It should say "I don't know who put my name in..." -Thanks Kirsten

• Sirius says, "You three and Dumbledore are the only people who know I'm an Animagi." But Snape and Lupin know too. -Submitted by Linie

• In Goblet of Fire, page 229 (english version), Dumbledore speaks to Fred and George after they've tried to cross the Age Line: "'I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little, too.'" But on page 371, at the Yule Ball, it says: "'Ten points from Hufflepuff, Fawcett!' Snape snarled, as a girl ran past him." Possible Explanation: Fawcett in Ravenclaw has a brother/sister/cousin in Hufflepuff.

• On page 618: "I will settle, in the short term," said Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, "for lack of hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any us." The "of" is missing in the last sentence. -Thanks Kyle

• How does Dumbledore know to summon Winky to Moody's office when he doesn't yet know that Moody is really Barty Crouch Jr in disguise? Possible Explanation: Dumbledore realised after Moody took Harry that it wasn't actually Moody, but it's unlikely he knew exactly who it was.

• In one of Harry's letters to Sirius he mentions that Dudley got angry and chucked his Playstation out of the window. However, the playstation was not out at this time. GoF is set in 1994; the Playstation came out in 1995
• Subitted by Ciaran: Near the end of the chapter ... I think called the Invitation Harry thinks on his bed that he'll be leaving the Dursleys' tomorrow to go to the Weasleys' but that was on the day that he received the letter from the MUGGLE postman. But there isn't supposed to be any post on Sundays...
• Submitted by Ciaran (Webmaster): In Sorceror's Stone Hagrid says that they [Harry & Ron - Hogwarts students] get half days on Fridays. So when the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are coming they get of early but a while after they finish class it's evening. But it should only be about 2o'clock in the day.

• Harry uses the Marauder's Map several times in this book, but it was confiscated in his fourth year. How did he get it back?

• 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".

• 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. For those of you who don't believe us and insist that he's a third-year, open your copy of Goblet of Fire to see him introduced in the chapter involving the Sorting Ceremony (making him a second-year in Order of the Phoenix). Don't e-mail us saying that this is a mistake of ours -- it isn't.

• Harry gets off the train and is able to see the Thestrals. It is later explained that you can see them after you have seen death. Harry had seen the death of his mother and possibly his father before he saw Cedric Diggory die, so why didn't he see the Thestrals before? -Submitted by Kerry
  JKR's response: You can't see them until the death "sinks in."

• Chapter 28, pages 625-626, Malfoy starts docking points from both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff after becoming part of the Inquisitorial Squad and Ernie Macmillan says, "He can't be allowed to dock points...that would be ridiculous...It would completely undermine the prefect system..." But in the second book, chapter 9, page 158, Percy, a prefect at the time, takes 5 points from Gryffindor after finding Ron, Hermione, and Harry looking around Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. So how was Percy able to take points from Gryffindor if prefects aren't even able to?

• There's an illustration mistake in chapter thirty-eight, The Second War Begins. Nymphadora Tonk's t-shirt is supposed to say 'The Weird Sisters'. In the illustration, you can't see all of the writing, but if you look closely you can see that only an 'erd' is visible on the first line. Since 'weird' has an 'i' after the 'e', the 'i' should be visible as well--but it's not. -Submitted by Laura

• Page 120: "'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! -Submitted by Thyme

• In book 1, Hagrid said that Lily and James where Head Boy and Girl. However, in book five, it's said that James was never a prefect.
  JKR's response: You don't have to be a prefect to be a Head Boy or Girl.

• On page 710 it says that Parvati and Lavender were practicing basic locomotion charms making their pencil cases race each other. They use scrolls and quils, what would they be doing with pencil cases? -Submitted by Kim

• Arguable: Page 147: "'Dumbledore was having real trouble finding a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Not suprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?' said George. 'One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed and one locked in a trunk for nine months.' Quirrel is dead, Lockhart's memory's gone, Moody was locked in the trunk but Lupin didn't get sacked, he resigned. -Submitted by Tegan

• When Harry is talking to Professor McGonagall about career advice and Aurors, McGonagall says: "I don't think anybody has been taken on the last three years." But, at the begining of the book, Tonks says, (about her becoming an Auror) "I only qualified a year ago." -Submitted by Sarah
  Possible explanation: McGonagall meant that no one had been accepted in the advanced Auror training program, not as an Auror, in the past three years. She had mentioned that for Harry to be an Auror he had to first attend another more advanced training that takes 3 years. That means that Tonks was accepted into the training for Aurors 4 years ago. She was a fully qualified (for one year) Auror when she met Harry. -Submitted by Larissa

• In chapter 28, page 626, Malfoy docks Ron five points because his shirt's untucked, but since they were in between classes, Ron would being wearing his robes, not a shirt. -Submitted by Thomas

• In chapter 18, pages 377-378, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are discussing the D.A. and Sirius in Charms class, Katie Bell is mentioned as having a sort of fight with Peeves, but Katie Bell can't be in the same class as Harry because she is a sixth or seventh year. -Submitted by Thomas.