Harry Potter fans confused as two days are missing in book 'plot hole'

28 January 2022, 16:12 | Updated: 28 January 2022, 16:14

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone appears to have a slight continuity issue. Picture: Alamy

By Alice Dear

So, what WAS baby Harry doing the two days between his parents being killed and being dropped off at the Dursley's?

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Harry Potter fans think they have exposed a huge plot hole in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

People are claiming that author J.K. Rowling slipped up with the dates of one specific part of the story, resulting in two days going missing.

It all started when TikTok user @captainfizman posted a video asking where – if Harry's parents were killed on 31st October – the wizard baby was for two days before being dropped off at the Dursley's.

He wrote in the video: "Harry lost his parents on the 31st October and was picked up on that night right? So why was he dropped off at the Dursley's on the 3rd of November?"

Harry Potter is taken to the Dursley's home two days after his parents are killed, according to the book's dates. Picture: Warner Bros.

Confused? Ok, let's break it down. James and Lily Potter were murdered by Voldemort on the night of Halloween, 31st October, in the year on 1981. In 1981, Halloween fell on a Saturday.

Now, most of us assume that Harry was taken straight to the Dursley's the night of the killings, or maybe the next day, and not two days later.

Why two days? Well, in the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling writes the line: "Our story begins on a dull grey Tuesday", which would leave Harry's activities on Sunday and Monday unknown.

Some people think Hagrid looked after Harry in his cottage following the death of Lily and James. Picture: Alamy

Fans, of course, have their theories of what they think the magical baby was doing on these days.

One person guessed that after surviving the killing curse from Voldemort, Harry would have spent some time at wizarding hospital Saint Mungos.

Others guessed there was a funeral for Lily and James that Harry attended with one of the Order of the Phoenix members.

Some people had more creative guesses, including one where Hagrid takes Harry back to his cottage where he tries to keep him after bonding with the baby. This is one of our favourites!