Question: The fang of the basilisk has been shown in the other movies to be able to destroy a horcrux. Since Harry was a horcrux himself, when the basilisk bit him, why didn't it kill him or at the least destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul that was inside of him?
Ssiscool
21st Mar 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
2nd Jan 2014
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Except for Remus Lupin in this movie, it seems as though the Hogwarts teachers do not use the Hogwarts Express. How do they arrive at and leave the school?
Answer: There's a variety of ways that wizards can travel including magical vehicles (like the motorcycle that Hagrid drove), broomsticks, port keys, or riding flying animals (like a hippogriff or the threstrals). They could also use floo powder if their fireplace was connected to the floo network like Umbridge had in her office. The other teachers can certainly travel on the Hogwarts Express, and some probably do but just aren't shown. In the book, "Half-Blood Prince", Professor Slughorn rode the train and some teachers live at the school year round.
Answer: They can apparate whenever they want (as seen in Half Blood Prince).
Some can Apparate, but it's tricky and uncomfortable. In one of the books, Arthur Weasley mentions that many wizards don't like to Apparate. They prefer other ways to travel. Broomsticks, port keys, etc.
18th Aug 2018
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
24th May 2022
Saw (2004)
Question: So sawing through the thick chain would take too long. What about the padlock which is much thinner? Does flesh plus bone take less time than a thin padlock?
Answer: Nope. Wouldn't work. Per a quick Google search: Padlocks are typically made with hardened steel specifically to make them impenetrable by basic tools like hacksaws. That's why power-tools, bolt cutters or torches are often used to break padlocks... you can't just saw through them with a regular hacksaw.
19th Nov 2022
Lucifer (2015)
23rd Mar 2022
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Question: Why did Professor Quirrell really have the garlic in his classroom? I know that some people thought he was afraid of a vampire who wanted revenge. Since he was serving Voldemort, however, it seems that a vampire would not be a serious concern for him.
Answer: At that point, Voldemort had little to no power and was reliant on Quirrell to protect him, not the other way around. No one knew Voldemort still existed, and Quirrell wanted to ensure his safety until he was restored to corporeal form. He may have believed garlic would be an added protection but more likely it was just for show and to create a sense of drama to enhance his phony persona.
This is purely speculation but could it also be considered that the garlic and story about having had an argument with a vampire are all a ruse to cover his quirky behaviour following his meeting with Voldemort? As in, people started the rumour, so he plays on it to make it more believable and give him a better cover story?
4th Jan 2023
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Question: How was Umbridge able to cast a patronus?
Answer: She casts it like any other witch or wizard by using her wand and saying "Expecto Patronum". It is considered advanced magic, but most magical people can learn how to do this. When Harry (disguised as Runcorn) entered her courtroom, she had already cast her cat patronus to keep the Dementors at a distance.
Casting a patronus requires a very happy memory, though. And considering that she seems to be very angry and never felt that she was given enough power, she must have never had a happy memory.
"Must" is total conjecture. Perfectly possible for an angry resentful person to have one happy memory to call on.
Villains still have personalities. Depending on what specifically makes Umbridge happy, she could easily have a lot of happy memories.
Umbridge seemed quite happy while torturing Harry with the punishment pen, when she was ejecting Trelawney from Hogwarts, when she ousted Dumbledore as Headmaster, happy in her devotion to Voldemort, and so on. Happiness is an individual thing. Her sense of happiness was quite perverse.
Only those who are pure of heart are capable of producing a Patronus. Those who aren't would be devoured by maggots that shoot out of the caster's wand. Umbridge wasn't pure of heart because of all of the horrible things she did, so shouldn't she have been eaten by maggots?
20th Jan 2022
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Is it true that Lucius Malfoy's line "Avada" was ad-libbed by Jason Isaacs?
Answer: It wasn't exactly an ad-lib. While filming the scene, Isaac forgot what curse he was supposed to say, so it came out as the start of 'Avada Kedavra', the only one he could remember. It was decided to use that take in the movie. As I recall, in the book it was never specified exactly how Malfoy threatened Harry, but it was enough that Dobby used his elf magic to protect him.
17th Sep 2022
Final Destination (2000)
Question: Why was Clear Rivers' father killed for turning around? What is the reason for the robber telling him not to turn around?
8th Jan 2023
Horrid Henry (2006)
1st Jan 2023
Saw II (2005)
Question: When the detective is opening the hidden door in the floor, he looks over to a syringe that is laying on the floor. The safe is also shown as open. How is the safe open? Why is the syringe in the floor? Why didn't anyone use the syringe? Was the syringe full?
Answer: The events of Eric going through the house take place many hours after the house trap. It's shown that Daniel has been rescued by Amanda and Jigsaw. There was also a point in the film where its explained the safe contains an antidote. So Jigsaw/Amanda opened the safe to use the antidote on Daniel while removing him from the house. So the syringe on the floor is used.
1st Jan 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: How come there are jugs beside all the beds in the hospital wing?
Answer: Presumably, the jugs are for the patients. Many of them will come into the hospital wing with injuries or fevers and will have to stay for a period of time, so the jugs are put there so they can stay hydrated while recovering.
Answer: They are water pitchers that can be filled whenever a patient is in the bed. It's just a convenience to have drinking water handy when needed. It's fairly typical in most hospitals.
1st Jan 2023
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: What would happen if two or more houses won the House Cup? Would there be some kind of contest to decide who should get it or would the houses share it?
Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that Dumbledore could also devise some sort of tie-breaking task or contest to determine who wins the House Cup. It could even be a coin toss. There's actually some online discussion about this and some have suggested the same possibilities. It's apparently never been explained by J.K. Rowling.
28th Dec 2022
Saw II (2005)
Answer: Since he was still only a teenager, it's likely he would have left the experience traumatized and needing help. At the end of the day, I don't think Daniel woke up thinking he was gonna take someone's life. In The Scott Tibbs Documentary, after Adam's disappearance (the bathroom game in Saw), Scott Tibbs nearly manages to interview Daniel against his will, but is stopped by security.
Answer: From an article on the Saw-wiki: After being found and rescued by his father's fellow officers, Daniel was taken to the Saint Andrews Hospital to recover. During his stay, Daniel was nearly interviewed against his will by Scott Tibbs for his documentary in his obsession to find out more about Jigsaw's motives following his best friend Adam Stanheight's disappearance. To do so, Scott futilely tried about being Daniel's cousin and, after refusing to sign the papers to prove it, tried to sneak into Daniel's room, but a nurse and a security guard came across him and demanded him to leave so he would not disturb Daniel and other patients, which Scott reluctantly did. (The Scott Tibbs Documentary).
Answer: It's never explained in any of the movies, so any answer would be pure speculation. Likely, he was sent back to his mother since his father vanished. And I'm assuming he'd have some sort of trauma/PTSD and would likely need therapy.
15th Dec 2022
Saw (2004)
Question: Why doesn't Dr Gordon and Adam try to cut through the pipes that their chains are attached to?
Answer: There was originally a scene where Adam and Dr. Gordon would cut through their pipes and speak through them to come up with the plan of faking Adam's death, but James Wan didn't include it in the film as he thought it made no sense if they could cut through the pipes but not the chains.
15th Dec 2022
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Question: Why did Gabriel and his men go to Woodlawn? I thought he hacked into the servers and was downloading the data over the internet so how did the Warlock trace him to being at Woodlawn?
18th Dec 2022
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
13th Dec 2022
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: After giving Dudley a pig's tail, Hagrid asks Harry not to tell anyone as he's not allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts. Why can the other teachers do magic outside of Hogwarts but Hagrid can't?
Answer: As the other answer says Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts 49 years previously as people thought he was releasing the monster that killed Myrtle. Once expelled his wand was snapped by a Ministry official. Hagrid then, unbeknownst to the Ministry, kept the two parts of the wand and at some point used Spello-tape to rejoin them. He keeps them in his pink umbrella and uses that as a "wand." While he isn't allowed to use magic he was granted a few little bits of magic to find and retrieve Harry to bring him into the wizarding world.
Answer: Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts as a boy, and is technically not even supposed to have a wand. He's not a teacher, either (yet).
11th May 2019
Bones (2005)
Question: Between season 2 and season 6 we periodically meet a serial killer called The Grave Digger who's actual name is Heather Taffet. Having watched the complete series a while ago, one thing was never made clear (or I might have missed it) How did Taffet physically bury the containers her victims were in? The twins were buried in a park in a submerged beer vat that is stated as being 6ft high. Bones and Hodgins are buried around 4ft underground in a car. How does she manage to bury them without being seen or interrupted?
Answer: Answering my own question here but, having contacted various people involved in the production of Bones including Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Eric Milligan, and Deirdre Lovegood who portrayed Taffet onscreen I finally have the answer. No-one know how she did it due to her constantly working alone. And she never revealed this information before her death.
27th Mar 2018
Breaking Bad (2008)
Question: How did the DEA not find Walter's information and pill bottle in Tuco's house after Hank kills Tuco? I think a shootout between DEA agent and drug dealer would have all kinds of investigators at the crime scene. They would have asked what Walter was doing there. They probably would have found the cell phones Tuco threw in the yard too.
Answer: Having just watched this episode, Tuco asks Walt and Jesse to empty their pockets shortly after entering Hector's house. They are there for an extended period of time as Tuco cooks lunch, arranges for his cousins to come and collect them, he's then seen shooting at the animal through the window. So a few hours have passed. Enough time for Walt and Jesse to put the items back in their pockets. In regard to the DEA searching the property, they may have searched briefly but not overly hard as Tuco was a drug dealer and unfortunately some agencies won't put in as much effort to find out what happened due to their lifestyle. With the mobile phones, again the DEA may not have searched very hard or very far. Tuco is walking a short distance back to the house after throwing the phones. So who's to say they would have searched that far out.
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Answer: Because he is alive and the piece of Voldemort inside him is too. He had to die to kill the horcrux inside him, but Fawkes the phoenix healed him before that could happen.
lionhead
Good answer. Would add that if Fawkes had not healed Harry with his tears when he did, then the basilisk venom would have quickly killed Harry and the horcrux.
raywest ★