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Throughout the Harry Potter series of films and novels, a ton of subplots and magical aspects are introduced to enrich the story or move it forward. The problem is that adding more aspects to a piece of media makes it more complex, and the more complex it is, the more potential there is for there to be some unanswered questions.
Unfortunately, Harry Potter has loads of these mysteries that keep fans baffled. Some are relatively minor and inconsequential, but others are truly mystifying, to the point where they kind of throw a wrench into the entire story. These are the biggest unsolved mysteries in the Harry Potter franchise, which deprive the narrative of completion and some much-needed lore and detail. They will be ranked by how vague or elusive they are and how much the franchise suffers from their existence.
10 Azkaban
What horrible things went on there?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures According to Harry Potter lore, Azkaban was built and maintained by a Dark Wizard called Ekrizdis, who kept the uncharted island shrouded from both the Wizarding and the Muggle worlds and used dementors to guard his sanctuary. At some point, he was discovered, and multiple wizards raided the fortress, taking Ekrizdis down and converting the island into a prison, though they kept the idea of using dementors as guards. In the report, it was stated that the things Ekrizdis was doing in the fortress were so unspeakably horrifying that none of the investigators were willing to talk about it.
So this raises the question: what happened in Azkaban, and what sort of twisted things was Ekrizdis into? Was it some sort of sick game filled with torture chambers like in Saw? Or was he creating some dangerous spells or magical artifacts? Very little is known about Ekrizdis, and even less about what kinds of things he was doing in his fortress, and it's likely that it will never be revealed.
Release Date July 15, 2011
Runtime 130 Minutes
Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling
9 Stan Shunpike
Friend or foe?
Image via Warner Bros. Introduced in the third book, Stan Shunpike (Lee Ingleby) is the eccentric conductor of the Knight Bus and meets Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as the bus transports him to the Leaky Cauldron. He's a bit of an odd but generally agreeable fellow, so it might shock the audience to know that in the novels, Shunpike is actually a Death Eater... or is he?
In "Mad-Eye Moody's" lesson about the three Unforgivable Curses, he mentions that the Imperius Curse is particularly dangerous because it can be hard to tell whether someone is committing crimes of their own free will or because they have been cursed and are enthralled to whoever cursed them. During the Second Wizarding War, Shunpike performed numerous nefarious deeds for the Death Eaters but escaped judgment by claiming he was under the Imperius Curse. But was he really? There is no proof that he was, and nothing to say that he wasn't, so whether or not he truly supported Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is a mystery.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Release Date October 17, 2010
Runtime 147
Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling
8 Crumple-Horned Snorkacks
Do they really exist?
Image via Warner Bros. The crumple-horned snorkack is a creature that Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans) and his daughter, Luna (Evanna Lynch), are particularly obsessed with, though this is only alluded to in the books. They allege that they live in Northern Europe or Scandinavia and that they are large and purple, with huge horns and a big nose. It's a particular area of fascination for them during Luna's final years at Hogwarts, but the two never successfully find one.
Xenophilius does have a horn on display in his home, but Hermione (Emma Watson) avers that this is not the horn of a crumple-horned snorkack as he says it is but rather an erumpent horn and will explode at even the tiniest impact. Minutes later, Hermione is proven right, so there's really no evidence that these creatures even exist. Yet, with how Luna and her father are so consumed by it, and with all the historical accounts they've collected, maybe they might be on to something. But the reader will never really know because an answer is never given.
Release Date November 18, 2016
Runtime 133 minutes
Writers J.K. Rowling
7 The Elder Wand
How did Grindelwald earn it?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures The Elder Wand is stated to be the most powerful wand in the Wizarding World and comes with a unique enchantment. It will only submit to someone if it is properly earned, either by disarming or killing its original owner in a duel. In Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is currently in possession of it, and he is subsequently disarmed by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), which answers the question of how Dumbledore himself got it and had it throughout the main series.
But where did Grindelwald get it from? It has been stated in lore that he stole it from the wandmaker Gregorovitch (Rade Šerbedžija). Stole, not earned. So why exactly did the wand respond to him so well and allow him to use it? How did Grindelwald come to be such an effective master of this all-powerful wand? The world may never know.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Release Date April 7, 2022
Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling
6 The Basilisk's Fang
Why didn't it destroy Harry?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry faces off against and kills the Basilisk, a monstrous snake that can kill anyone by just looking into their eyes. Before Harry kills it, he is bitten, and the Basilisk's fang becomes embedded in his arm. He then uses it to destroy the Horcrux contained in Voldemort's diary. It's later revealed that Basilisk venom can destroy Horcruxes, of course, but there's one problem with that: Harry is a Horcrux, too: why didn't it kill him?
There's sort of an explanation, stating Voldemort himself had to kill Harry at exactly the right time, but the why of this is never fully revealed. The most likely answer as to why the Basilisk's fang didn't immediately kill Harry is because author J. K. Rowling hadn't thought that far ahead just yet, and the Horcrux plotline wasn't entirely developed.
Release Date November 13, 2002
Runtime 161
Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves
5 Fawkes
How did he and Dumbledore become bonded?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Fawkes is a gorgeous phoenix that is responsible for providing the feathers that were used as the core in Voldemort's and Harry's wands. He resides in Dumbledore's (Richard Harris and Sir Michael Gambon) office and possesses many magical abilities. One of the most famous non-human characters in Harry Potter, Fawkes is still capable of showing emotion and feeling. The phoenix is also remarkably strong and intelligent, and his tears have healing powers, helping Harry recover from the Basilisk bite.
But what is never alluded to, not even once, is just how Fawkes and Dumbledore came to befriend each other. Where is Fawkes originally from, and how did he and Dumbledore meet? Furthermore, what reason does Fawkes have to trust Dumbledore? Fans are glad they got to see Fawkes, but they can't help but wonder why he's even there in the first place.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Release Date July 7, 2009
Runtime 153 minutes
Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling
4 Life's Savings
Where in the world did the Potters get so much money?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) takes Harry to the Wizarding Bank of Gringotts and takes him to his parents' vault. Within is an enormous stack of magical currency, more than even some of the most powerful wizarding families have. This wealth is obviously Harry's inheritance from his deceased parents, but even then, it's an obscene amount of money for any one couple to have.
This money, of course, causes a lot of questions. Namely, how on Earth did Harry's parents come by such an enormous fortune? It's never described what jobs they had, just that they fought against the Death Eaters — in fact, Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) once snarkily remarks about how Harry's father was unemployed. It's not really a super important aspect of the story, but it is kind of baffling how the Potters' wealth may have rivaled that of even the Malfoys, and yet they lived in a small home in Godric's Hollow with minimal security. They should have invested all that money into more protection from the Dark Lord.
Release Date November 16, 2001
Runtime 152 minutes
Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves
3 The Veil
What is it, and where did it come from?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends travel to the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, which, believe it or not, is filled with mysterious magical objects that the Ministry intends to study. In a large, empty room is a huge stone archway. Though invisible to others, Harry and Luna can see a thin, transparent veil rippling in the archway and can hear whispering voices beyond it. Later, when Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) is killed, he slips through this Veil and vanishes.
This object, which has come to be known simply as "The Veil," is never explained. How did the Ministry discover it, and what was its original purpose? The most popular theory is that it's some sort of a portal to the land of the dead, but as for what actually lies beyond it, no one can say. Well, probably Sirius can say, but for whatever reason, he never mentions it after Harry speaks to him using the Resurrection Stone. So, as with many other things in this particular wing of the Ministry, it is enigmatic and raises more questions than answers.
Release Date June 28, 2007
Runtime 138 Minutes
Writers Michael Goldenberg , J.K. Rowling
2 The Marauder's Map
How did imposters go unnoticed?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is gifted the Marauder's Map by Fred and George Weasley (James and Oliver Phelps). It is a magical map of Hogwarts that shows the current whereabouts of every single person in the castle, as well as some hidden rooms and secret passages. At one point in the film, Harry spies Peter Pettigrew's (Timothy Spall) name on the map, but when he reaches the spot where he should be, nobody is there. It is later revealed that Pettigrew has been disguised as Ron's (Rupert Grint) pet rat, Scabbers, but he still shows up on the Marauder's Map as Peter.
The map raises an important question: how did so many imposters in Hogwarts pass by undetected? In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant) kidnaps Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) and impersonates him with the use of Polyjuice Potion. But knowing how the map works, how did no one notice that "Moody" wasn't who he said he was? Moreover, did Fred and George not realize that their brother's pet rat was secretly an animagus hiding in plain sight? Or perhaps they did, but they didn't tell Ron because they thought it would be funny. Either way, how these wolves in sheep's clothing managed to escape discovery is unknown.
Release Date November 18, 2005
Runtime 157 Minutes
Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling
1 The Fidelius Charm
Why didn't the Potters go for the obvious solution?
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures During the First Wizarding War, Harry's parents, James (Adrian Rawlins) and Lily Potter (Geraldine Somerville), protected themselves using the highly complex Fidelius Charm to disguise their true location. The gist of this spell is that one's deepest secret — in this case, the location of the Potters — will never be revealed. However, there is a catch: the user must entrust a secret keeper, who is the only one who can break the curse. James chose his old high school friend, Peter Pettigrew, to be their secret keeper. Of course, Pettigrew then sold them out, which led Voldemort to their doorstep, causing their demise.
Here's the thing: James could have entrusted Lily to be his secret keeper, or vice-versa, and it would have been much more secure. Voldemort probably would have never found them that way. This solution is so obvious that it's a real wonder why they didn't take this route. Honestly, this one goes way beyond a standard unsolved mystery — this is a straight-up, glaring plot hole.
Release Date May 31, 2004
Director Alfonso Cuarón
Runtime 144 Minutes
Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves
NEXT: 10 Best Easter Eggs in the Harry Potter Movies, Ranked
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