Continuity mistake: When Tom pushes Harry to the chair you see him pushing with one arm only. When it cuts you can see him pushing with both arms. (00:12:40)
Continuity mistake: When in the Leaky Cauldron, there is a man offering Harry food. He holds a bowl of nuts towards Harry, and in one shot he holds the bowl with two hands, yet in the following shot he is holding it with one hand. (00:12:50)
Continuity mistake: When Harry enters the room in the Leaky Cauldron that the Minister of Magic is in, Hedwig has arrived before him. The owl shown at the start of the scene is a white owl with many black spots on both its wings. However, when Harry leaves and Hedwig flies to his arm, this owl has very few spots at the edge of its wings and tail, obviously it's one of the other owls that portray Hedwig. (00:12:55 - 00:14:35)
Continuity mistake: In the Leaky Cauldron, the Minister takes the lid off of a pot of pea soup. Yet after reprimanding Harry, he shakes Harry's hand and walks past the table, and you can see the lid is on the pot of pea soup. It isn't in any other shots. (00:13:05 - 00:13:55)
Continuity mistake: After Harry arrives at the Leaky Cauldron, Tom brings him to meet with Fudge. When Tom leads Harry to the chair in the wide shot, it is at a diagonal, but in the next close-up it faces the table head on. It changes in following shots as well. (This has nothing to do with the shape of the chair's arms.) (00:13:10)
Continuity mistake: When Harry first meets the Minister of Magic in the Leaky Cauldron, and he is being reprimanded for running away "considering the state of things," the Minister places his hands on the back of a chair. His hands change position from shot to shot. (00:13:30)
Continuity mistake: At the Leaky Cauldron, while Harry sits at the table speaking with Fudge, in two shots facing Harry the empty soup bowl is right beside the salt shaker, but in the rest of the shots there is a greater space between the two. (00:14:20)
Continuity mistake: The position of the pile of books next to the 'Monster Book of Monsters' book changes between shots. The top one moves quite noticeably, and there is no violent shaking between these shots. (00:14:25)
Continuity mistake: In the shots facing Harry, when he unbuckles the belt around the Monster Book of Monsters and when he lifts the book to look at it, the wood box on the dresser near the the water pitcher faces the fireplace. In the rest of the shots it faces the bed. (00:14:30)
Continuity mistake: When Harry picks up 'The Monster book of Monsters' you see him holding his right hand at the top at the book. When it cuts to a closeup of the book while he is holding it, you can see his hand is on the middle of the book. In the following shot his hand is on the top of it again. (00:14:35)
Continuity mistake: After Potter has opened the 'Monster Book of Monsters' he stumbles backwards and climbs onto the bed. When it cuts we see him climbing up again. (00:14:45)
Continuity mistake: In the Leaky Cauldron, Harry stares out his room's window as a train passes. At the start of the next shot, as he walks toward the Monster Book of Monsters, the dresser to the left of the fireplace is visible. In the following shots the large water pitcher and wood box reach the edge of the dresser, whereas in the previous shot it is nowhere near. (00:14:55)
Continuity mistake: As Harry walks toward the Monster Book of Monsters as it lies on the bench in the first shot, the bench is near the edge of rug close to the fireplace. As the book chases him the bench is nearer the center of the rug. (00:15:00)
Continuity mistake: When Harry unbuckles the belt around the Monster Book of Monsters, the belt lies open, across the bench. As the book chomps at Harry, in the shot behind Harry's feet the belt is curled up on the floor, to the side of the bench. (00:15:05)
Continuity mistake: When Potter is leaning over the bed watching the 'Monster Book of Monsters' on the floor when it goes back under the bed, we can see the sheets on the edge are fine. When it cuts they are crinkled. (00:15:05)
Continuity mistake: At the hotel, when Harry tries to catch the Monster Book of Monsters, a train passes and some wood powder falls from the ceiling but when Harry steps on the book, there's no more trace of powder on the floor. It can't be completely under the book, because there was powder at different places. (00:15:15)
Continuity mistake: As Harry is about to drop his shoe on the floor in front of the Monster Book of Monsters, there is a closeup of Hedwig sitting on the chair. When it cuts to a wide shot, you can see that Hedwig has moved to farther to the left on the chair. (00:15:15)
Continuity mistake: As the Monster Book of Monsters falls to the floor and chases Harry's feet, the ripped seat cloth of the chair Hedwig sits on is visible. This ripped seat cloth changes significantly a total of four times in the following shots. (00:15:15)
Continuity mistake: The actual width between the two front large wood bed posts in Harry's room at the Leaky Cauldron inexplicably changes between shots, as do their position on the wood plank floor. After Harry removes his shoe and dangles it in the first overhead shot, there are five specific wood planks between the posts. Yet when he drops the shoe in the next overhead shot, there are now over five and a half wood planks between the two posts. The left post has moved to the right - by 1/2 a wood plank and the right post actually moved over one whole plank. (00:15:20)
Continuity mistake: Watch as Harry drops his shoe to the floor from the bed. You can see the shoe change angle between the shots. (00:15:20)
Chosen answer: It's not known what it is. It is left to the audience's imagination of what exactly is in the room or what some witch or wizard was doing in there. This is only meant to be a humorous bit and is unrelated to the plot. It didn't happen in the book.
raywest ★