‘Harry Potter’ Fans Are Not Happy About An Apparent Plot Hole In The ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ Trailer

WARNER BROS.

The trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — starring Jude Law as the Young Dumblepope and He Who Must Not Be Named (J*hnny Depp) as Grindelwald — begins with a loving shot of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For most Harry Potter fans, seeing the iconic castle again (this time, not on fire) brings back warm, fuzzy memories of reading the books and watching the movies, but others are not as pleased. There’s an apparent plot hole front and center in the trailer, one that goes against author J.K. Rowling’s canon.

When members of the Ministry of Magic arrive at Hogwarts to talk to Albus Dumbledore, they Apparate (or “teleport”) onto the grounds. This is brand new information, because as Rowling wrote on Pottermore, “Hogwarts students used to arrive at school in any manner that caught their fancy. Some rode broomsticks (a difficult feat when carrying trunks and pets); others commandeered enchanted carts and, later, carriages; some attempted to Apparate (often with disastrous effects, as the castle and grounds have always been protected with Anti-Apparition Charms), others rode a variety of magical creatures.” In other words, Hogwarts has “always” been an Apparate-free zone, something Hermione makes clear in the book when she says, “You can’t Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?”

The Hermiones of Twitter came out swinging.

There are possible explanations, though, including the rule not being in place yet (although that contradicts the “always”), the headmaster at the time (Armando Dippet) giving the Ministry special permission, or the bridge not technically being part of Hogwarts (otherwise, why not Apparate into the Great Hall?).

We’ll find out the explanation on November 16 (I, personally, think the Niffler is involved), when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens.

×