Corrected entry: In Chamber of Secrets and The Philosopher's Stone, the Fat Lady's portrait is located in a hall near no stairs. In this movie, the portrait is located on the stairs.
Question: If Sirius Black is innocent, why is he so menacing-looking in his picture on all the Wanted-posters?
Answer: He is angry over his false arrest, being imprisoned without a trial, and he is very concerned about the welfare of his God-son Harry Potter. Also would you want to go to prison and be with the Dementors? I would be yelling my head off as well.
Not to mention; Sirius is lucky he came out with any sanity left, given what dementors do to people. A constant state of sadness is enough to make anyone upset.
Question: Hermione was the one who said that when a werewolf transforms he'd kill his best friend if he saw him, so why did she think she could talk to Lupin after he transformed?
Answer: Hermione was quoting what she knew from reading in text books. Now she was in a precarious real-life situation and she's going to try anything to survive. At first, Lupin (as a werewolf) seems passive and non-dangerous, prompting her to see if she can communicate with him. She quickly realises she's wrong.
I wonder why Lupin can't recognize Hermione while in his werewolf form, but he used to spend time with James, Peter, and Sirius, in their Animagus forms? So he was capable of recognizing friends.
All 3 friends of Remus managed to calm down werewolf Lupin as animagi after a while. But only Sirius wasn't enough apparently, plus it had been decades since they did that.
Totally agree with Lionhead, but would emphasize that Lupin had no control whatsoever over his mind, did not know who he was, nor did he recognize anyone when he transformed into a werewolf. He simply related to James, Sirius, and Pettigrew in their Animagus forms as being other animals who could moderate his behaviour and kept him far away from humans.
Question: How come Ron needed a walking stick when he was out of the hospital wing at the end if Madam Pomfrey can mend bones in a heartbeat?
Answer: Madam Pomfrey may be able to mend bones, but that doesn't mean there isn't some residual healing and treatment needed for a full recovery. The fact that there is a school infirmary and also St. Mungo's Hospital shows that witches and wizards are not always instantly healed. From a filmmaking perspective, Ron using a cane reminds the audience his injuries were serious, so it's partly for dramatic effect.
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.
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.
Question: Why does Dumbledore purposely hit Ron's injured leg?
Answer: Ron had previously bragged to Hermione about how bad his leg was injured, and had lied and said his leg might be chopped off. When Dumbledore later hits Ron's leg, he is saying that a child's voice no matter how honest and true. He is giving Ron a little payback for exaggerating.
Highly unlikely Dumbledore knew what Ron told Hermione at the Whomping Willow. Ron's leg was seriously hurt, so he wasn't "bragging" about it, nor did he lie. Ron, who is a bit of a hypochondriac, was simply embellishing to be more dramatic and to gain Hermione's sympathy. Hardly anything Dumbledore would consider worth giving him "payback" by inflicting pain.
Question: I know that, after Richard Harris died, Ian McKellen was considered to play Dumbledore, but he refused. Why did he reject this role?
Answer: McKellen said he turned it down for two reasons: first, he had already played a famous wizard (Gandalf) and didn't want to do it again; and second, he didn't want to take over a role from Richard Harris after Harris had called him a "dreadful actor."
To clarify, Harris never said that McKellen was "dreadful." He was quoted in an article as describing McKellen as a, "technically brilliant, but passionless" actor. He was also including Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi in that assessment and referred to them all as "nice actors" who were "careful." It was just his opinion about an acting style different from his own, which was more emotive.
Question: When they go back in time, you can see Hermione was tended to first in the hospital wing, but why did Hermione need to be tended to?
Answer: It was probably to check that she was all right before tending to Ron. She had been slung around quite a bit by the Whomping Willow before being tossed into the tunnel. She likely had some cuts and scrapes. She is wearing a bandage on her hand.
Should they not have tended to Ron first though? His injury was more severe.
From what I can see through the jumbled, flashing images, it looks like Hermione is in the infirmary before Ron. He is probably being assisted off-screen, then later is transferred to the bed, where we see him with his bandaged leg. Also, as he could not walk, transporting him from the Whomping Willow back to the castle would take longer. Hermione probably went on ahead and was seen first. There may also be a different treatment room he was first taken to.
Question: What is supposed to happen if you say Voldemort's name? Harry says it throughout the series many times, and nothing happens to him. Why do Arthur Weasley (in this movie) and other people always tell him to stop?
Answer: Actually, nothing happens to anyone who says it. The idea is that Voldemort was so evil that nearly everyone feared saying his name aloud, referring to him only as "You-Know-Who" or "The Dark Lord." Only Harry and Dumbledore freely spoke his name aloud, having no fear of it. However, in HP and the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort, knowing this about Harry, places a jinx on his own name, and anyone saying it will immediately reveal their location. Hermione happened to say "Voldemort" out loud right after she, Harry, and Ron escaped the attack at the wedding and were in the coffee shop. Two Death Eaters appear immediately after she says it, and almost capture the trio.
Answer: Voldemort can find whoever says his name. That's why people don't say his name - purely for the sake of their life.
That is only true after the death eaters take over the ministry.
Corrected entry: In the very beginning, Harry is performing the Lumos spell in his bedroom. He's underage, therefore he should be well aware that he's breaking the secrecy rule and should have been alerted to the Ministry, yet they only take notice of him when he 'blows up' his aunt.
Correction: They only intervene when he blows up his aunt, but that doesn't mean that they didn't notice when he used the Lumos spell. Regardless, the Ministry is shown to have discretion in these matters. Harry gets into trouble for blowing up his aunt because there are Muggles present, thus violating the Statute of Secrecy. The same applies in Order of the Phoenix, when he uses the Patronus charm with Dudley present. A student using a low-level spell with no Muggles present, thus not breaking the secrecy regulations, in a manner that clearly indicates that they're practicing, is not going to worry the Ministry.
I would add that it's probably a homework assignment that he is allowed to do.
Corrected entry: During the first patronus scene we clearly see a stag, but in the second scene, when the shot changes to a wide view of all the river, we don't see it. (00:55:25)
Correction: The two scenes are from completely different angles.
Irrelevant. We see a long shot the second time and there is still no stag.
Corrected entry: When Professor Snape caught Harry missing the curfew, Professor Lupin came to intervene and save Harry from being punished. Lupin also took a parchment, the Marauder's Map, before Snape could confiscate it and asked Harry to come to his office. In his office Lupin mentioned to Harry that the map was a weapon for Sirius Black but he never asked Harry what is hidden inside the parchment nor did Harry ever mention a word about the map. Obviously Lupin should have had no knowledge about the Marauder's Map if he have never even heard anything about it. (01:17:40)
Correction: Lupin was one of the people who MADE the Marauder's Map (he was the "Mooney" in "Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs).
Already knowing what it is would be really suspicious. I mean, if he didn't want anyone to know he made the map or even what it is, he would probably want to pretend and say something along the lines of "what is this".
Question: What was Ron's joke when he said "Next time I see Crookshanks I'll let him know"? I knew he was making some sort of joke or being sarcastic. Can someone please explain it to me?
I don't understand why Ron would joke about that. He owed Hermione an apology. And why didn't he just say sorry?
They are just kids. He just doesn't feel like he should apologize to her for accusing her cat of killing his rat. There have probably been incidents of Crookshanks chasing Scabbers, it is a cat after all.
Question: I don't understand the ending bit. Why did Lupin and Sirius Black want to kill Harry, then when Pettigrew turned up they all became friends? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Answer: Neither Lupin nor Black ever wanted to kill Harry. Black was only at Hogwarts to get Pettigrew (in the form of Ron's rat), who he knew to be the real murderer. Lupin thought Black was evil and had killed Harry's parents until the truth came out that it was Pettigrew. Then he sided with Black, renewing their old friendship.
Answer: Lupin never believed Black was evil or killed Harry's parents. They've always maintained their friendship. When Professor Snape burst in, at the old house, he said, he told Dumbledorf that Lupin was hiding someone on the school grounds. They didn't know who killed Harry's parents until Pettigrew's name appeared on the map.
Yes, he did. Until he saw Pettigrew on the map, Remus was as sure of Sirius' guilt as anyone else was. He says as much in the book.
Question: Why didn't Hermione use the time turner to save Buckbeak before Scabbers bit Ron, since she had it on her?
Answer: They needed to make it look like Buckbeak had escaped by himself. If they had freed him earlier, the Ministry of Magic would have believed that Hagrid deliberately released him, and held him accountable. They freed Buckbeak while Dumbledore and Fudge were inside Hagrid's hut so that the Ministry would know Hagrid was with them when Buckbeak "escaped" and Hagrid could not be blamed.
I'm not sure if I explained myelf properly. What I mean is, when Hermione was crying on Ron's shoulder, why not she just tell them about the time turner then instead of crying? Or just go back in time herself.
She's not allowed to tell anyone about the time turner. It's only after the events in the shack, when things are a lot more dire, does Dumbledore basically give permission for her to use it. She also had to sign to say she wouldn't use it for anything other than it's intended use. Saving 1 Hippogriff is not worth the risk of being caught.
I know she can't tell anyone but like I said, she could have done it on her own. Then they wouldn't know.
She can't mess with it and use it to do things on her own without approval. She was given it to be able to attend more classes and was specifically told not to use it otherwise.
Question: Why does Hermione look angry when Dumbledore is subtly suggesting they use the time turner?
Answer: She's not angry. She realises how serious the situation is, and is considering the difficult task Dumbledore has suggested he wants her and Harry to do.
Not to mention that what Dumbledore is suggesting is illegal under wizarding law and highly dangerous. She knows what could happen legally and physically if problems arise.
Question: In the hospital wing there is an object under Ron's bed but when Harry and Hermione go back in time it is gone. What is it?
Answer: Ron's shoes that were taken off him when he was put into the bed. That's why they disappear when Harry and Hermione go back in time. If you play it in slowmo, you can see it when they disappear.
Why were they taken off him? Pomfrey could still fix his leg if they were on.
Probably because it's simply more comfortable. Odds are good he would be spending the night in the hospital wing, so he wouldn't wear them to sleep.
Correction: That's a conscious choice by the filmmakers - several things change around between the two/three films due to them having different views on how they want the scenes to look (most prominently the location of Hagrid's hut). But if one is to be pedantic about it; the portrait is a painting. It can easily be taken down and moved to a different location.
Twotall
It's easy to say that the portrait could be moved, but it is the exact same entrance into the dorms as the first 2 movies.