People Discuss Strange Inconsistencies in the Harry Potter Universe

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

May 7, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

Harry Potter fans love to praise the worldbuilding of the Wizarding World, and I understand why. Harry Potter is often the first prolonged series of books young readers will consume that takes place in a complex alternate universe. Because of this nostalgia, the worldbuilding gets a bit overhyped by fans who don't wish to see any of the series' flaws.

The piece of worldbuilding that most puzzled me when I first read Harry Potter was the "genetic blood protection spell" that Lily allegedly cast on Harry when she died. I thought this was a stupid reason why Harry had to live with the Dursleys and just another part of the Wizarding World's inconsistent philosophy on blood-based connections. Obviously, he was not genuinely protected by his mother's love if he had to live with the Dursleys for ten years! Former and current Potterheads recently took to Twitter to share inconsistencies they noticed in the Wizarding World.