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Harry Potter will always have a place in everyone’s heart, regardless of their age. It is an evergreen classic that many grew up with. So a trip down memory lane is always a bit nostalgic for the audience. However, when the audience clears up the fog of fond memories, they might find many weird rules at the beloved Hogwarts that do not make sense at all.
Re-reading and re-watching the franchise as an adult or with the discerning eye of a critic might bring to light many discrepancies in the Hogwarts rule. The audience may find them so absurd that they will go to court to break the rules. Of course, the only thing standing between is the acceptance letter from Hogwarts, but still, Muggles can hope.
Permission Slips, Pets, and 3 other bizarre rules that do not make sense in the Harry Potter universe
1) The Forbidden Forest
As the name suggests, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. The forest is home to many dangerous and potentially menacing creatures that are extremely dangerous to Hogwarts students, including children as young as 11 years old. The audience sees Professor Umbridge screaming for life (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), giant spiders (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), and many things throughout the movies that give an ample idea of how scary the forest can be.
This rule was so strict that Dumbledore warned all the students during the welcoming feast to stay clear of the Forbidden Forest.
What does not make sense, however, is not that the forest is forbidden, but that you are sent there when you are detained. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, we see Harry Potter, Draco, Ron, Malfoy, and Hermione being sent to the Forbidden Forest for being out past curfew. Although Hagrid was with them the whole time, it was fairly dangerous to leave these 11-year-olds at the mercy of the bearded wizad.
2) Disapparation and Apparition
Many nerdy Potterheads already know this from Hogwarts: A History where it is mentioned that apparations and disapparations are strictly banned within Hogwarts grounds. After watching the Crimes of Grindelwald trailer, where we see the army of Grindelwald apparate into Hogwarts like doing the waltz.
While this may be defended, saying that the rules had perhaps been reinstated after Grindelwald and when the looming threat of Voldemort was near the horizon, it is still a bummer. One of the perks of being a wizard is to apparate and disapparate at your wish so you are never late, be it a class or a wizard Black Friday Sale.
It also does not make sense because if a death eater or a Voldemort ally infiltrates the school (which has been done every school year without fail since Harry Potter enrolled), it would be easier for the students to escape. However, it remains a mystery, much like what flavor of magic-flavored bean candy one is going to get.
3) Permission Slips
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the audience sees that students need permission slips to go on a Hogsmeade visit. Hogsmeade is a large Wizard-only village with thousands upon thousands of attractions. It is basically the Disneyland of Wizards. In the third year, Harry Potter could not get a signature from his uncle, so he could not go.
This begs the question of what other activities would need a permission slip before participation. Many come to mind, like the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or playing Quidditch when you are underage(you are allowed to play Quidditch unless you are in the second year, but exceptions were made for Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone). However, for an almost theme park-like place, the Hogwarts students need parental permission.
4) Pets
Hogwarts was way ahead of its time in this sense. Hogwarts is probably the most pet-friendly place in existence. Pets of many kinds were allowed in Hogwarts. This appears appealing until the viewer investigates it further and imagines the consequences.
The dormitories will be bursting with hundreds of owls, toads, rats, and cats. Even if one puts away all the cleaning and management aside, how are all the pets kept alive? A cat will go after a toad or a rat. Similar is true for owls. Cats can attack the owls or vice versa. It will lead to complete mayhem or disaster.
5) Tardiness
The Hogwarts castle, though magnificent, is massive. The fact that it has thousands of staircases that are constantly moving does not make reaching classes easier. Especially if you are a first-year student. The staircases do not follow any particular schedule, so the new students must rely on luck to get to class most of the time.
Students are, however, not allowed to be late, even if they are first-year or second-year students. This seems especially wrong for students like Neville, who gets constantly reprimanded for tardiness.
No matter what loopholes one finds or how many rules do not make sense, the Harry Potter series will always have a fond place in the hearts of the audience. So, in the grand scheme of things, these are small details that hold little importance.
