Harry Potter began his life as a completely ordinary baby. He was born to James and Lily Potter, but soon after his birth, a prophecy predicted that he would eventually be the one to vanquish Lord Voldemort. As such, Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, which backfired and ended up ‘killing’ him.
He stayed alive via a series of Horcruxes (pieces of his soul split into multiple parts), one of which ended up within Harry. Whether or not this was JK Rowling’s plan from the start or not, we’ve found five ways in which this was foreshadowed, and five things that show that it makes no sense.
FORESHADOWED: He Could Speak Parseltongue
Harry’s ability to speak to snakes was hinted at all the way back before Harry had even heard of Hogwarts. He was at London Zoo and had a quick chat with a snake before it escaped its cage.
In The Chamber Of Secrets, he made use of his accidental skills in order to stop the snake from attacking Justin Finch-Fletchley. We later found out that Harry got his Parseltongue skills from the piece of Voldemort within him, and when it was destroyed he lost the natural ability.
MADE NO SENSE: He Wasn’t Impossible To Damage
One of the first things we ever found out about Horcruxes is that they’re bloody difficult to break.
Whether it was the need to stab the diary with a basilisk fang, or for Dumbledore to wear the ring to death, or for the locket to be destroyed by the Sword Of Gryffindor, it was always a challenge.
Harry ended up getting quite severely injured in every film; where was his protection?
FORESHADOWED: Voldemort Needed His Blood To Be Reborn
When Wormtail cuts Harry’s wrist and drains his blood to allow Voldemort to come back to life, we don’t suspect a lot. Wormtail sacrifices part of himself also, and it seems to be a way to simply make Voldemort more powerful.
However, looking back, it seems to be a subtle hint at how deep the connection between the two wizards is.
MADE NO SENSE: The Basilisk Venom Didn’t Destroy Him
Arguably the biggest plot convenience in Harry Potter is that Basilisk venom is what is needed to destroy Horcruxes, and they just happen to be in a building full of it just when some Horcruxes need to be destroyed.
The problem is, we saw Harry get poisoned himself, which should have destroyed the Horcrux.
FORESHADOWED: He Could Read Voldemort’s Mind
This was another piece of foreshadowing that could have been downplayed by the fact that Harry and Voldemort shared such a deep connection. Perhaps they were just so bonded that they could see each other’s thoughts?
It turns out that the reason behind Harry’s ability to see into Voldemort’s mind was because he had a piece of it inside himself.
MADE NO SENSE: Voldemort Couldn’t Find His Location
Through his ability to look into his mind, Harry was able to pinpoint Voldemort’s location. For example, when Tom the groundskeeper was killed, Harry could see Voldemort in his chair.
However, Voldemort was on a permanent quest to track down Harry, but surely all he needed to do was tap into their mind-reading connection?
FORESHADOWED: He Could Read Nagini’s Mind Too
This could have been a giveaway for particularly eagle-eyed viewers. The idea that Harry could look into Voldemort’s mind seemed clear, but why on Earth could he see Nagini during the attack on Arthur?
Because they were both full of little pieces of Voldemort, of course!
MADE NO SENSE: Would Voldemort Feel Harry’s Emotions Too?
There were many times when Harry could suddenly report back on what Voldemort was thinking and feeling.
If this connection existed between the two of them, you’d think that Voldemort would also be hit with waves of anger or sadness when Harry felt particularly extreme emotions?
FORESHADOWED: He Got Waves Of Anger
Speaking of anger, the presence of Voldemort often impacted Harry in a very negative way. Often known for his kindness, Harry would occasionally erupt into anger.
It seemed like relatively understandable explosions of emotion at the time, but this random outburst could certainly be connected to the presence of evil in him, or as a reflection of Voldemort’s own anger.
MADE NO SENSE: Voldemort Couldn’t Figure It Out
Voldemort is shown to be an incredibly powerful wizard who is only trumped by Albus Dumbledore himself. However, Dumbledore was able to figure out that Harry was a Horcrux, and that as such, he had to die. Dumbledore might have been more clever than Tom Riddle, but surely he didn’t have the ability to feel what he could.
You’d think that Voldemort might be able to work this out as well, and would have the advantage of being able to find out where a piece of his soul ended up.
