I’m rereading Harry Potter and I’ve just finished chapter 1 of book 1 and I’ve found a plot hole that JK tried to fix later.
So, Hagrid mentions he borrowed the motorcycle from young Sirius black. At this point it has been 24 hours since the Potters were killed. Dumbledore and everyone is under the assumption Sirius was the Secret Keeper and would have been the betrayer. So why wouldnt Dumbledore or McGonagall react to the name of Sirius Black here? There is a complete lack of response to the so called major betrayal that just happened. My theory is JK hasn’t planned out the Sirius/Peter Secret Keeper switch.
Like I said she tries to “fix” this in Book 3. There’s a scene where people reminisce about the night the Potters died. Hagrid mentions he and Sirius were first on the scene and Sirius offers Hagrid his bike to take Harry to safety. This implies Hagrid doesn’t know about the Secret Keeper situation which would make sense. But what doesn’t is the lack of response from Dumbledore and McGonagall in book 1 who would have believed Sirius was the secret keeper and betrayed the potters location. I’m also assuming that Sirius’ hunt for Peter and the hunt for Sirius by the Ministry also happens within the next day. So Dumbledore and McGonagall should have reacted to the shocking news that Hagrid has a betrayer/potential murderer’s bike. But nothing. Because Jk hadn’t planned that far and by the time she “fixes” it in book 3, she can’t make a written scene in book 1 make sense.
Is Dumbledore a villain?
I’ve been thinking about it more after talking with some friends. They had a question about Dumbledore knowing Peter was the Secret Keeper the whole time. This isn’t true because Sirius and Dumbledore both say in the third book that Dumbledore believed it was Sirius still at the time of the Potters death.
If it was true that Dumbledore knew, why would he let Sirius, an innocent man, rot in a torture prison?
Assuming Dumbledore didn’t know Peter was the Secret Keeper, what doesn’t make sense is why Dumbledore wouldn’t have tried prior to Sirius going to Azkaban to see him and talk to him. He just let him go to prison. Yet Snape he stood up for and says, you’re loyal I will save you from prison. But Sirius, no. He lets him go to a torture prison all without a trial. The complete lack of action from Dumbledore surrounding Sirius in the entire series is really confusing. Is Dumbledore a villain?
