Use of misdirection in Harry Potter?

[Frog]

In each book throughout the series, there is nearly always a great surprise at the ending.
It was Quirrell, not Snape.
It was Riddle, not Hagrid.
It was Pettigrew, not Sirius.
It was an imposter, not Mad Eye.

What do you think are some of the cleverest plot twists and why?
Did you notice any patterns?

[Uday]

For me the cleverest book yet is PoA. Those final chapters are simply superb! J.K Rowling completely turns the table around, with Pettigrew and all.

[Frog]

Agreed, The Prisoner of Azkaban ending was genius.
Although the Halfblood Prince might have been the most shocking.
It seems like Rowling's characters are never who you think they are.

[Brandi]

I don't know about everyone else, but I thought that the ending of the Goblet of Fire was pretty surprising -- not only because of the imposter's identity, but because of Ludo Bagman.

Originally, I suspected he was a Death Eater because Winky said he was a "bad man", but given how he treated the Weasley twins and the goblins, he revealed himself to be a different kind of scum than I thought he was. That was a nice twist.

[Frog]

What I wonder is if she consciously or intuitively made shocking endings as part of a formula. I wish I could ask her how she plans things and why.

[Daniel]

Personally the ending of the deathly Hallows was my most shocking ending. Finding out that I shouldn't have hated Snape blew my mind

[Frog]

Haha, I will always be the most impressed about Ron's rat being a murderer. That was brilliant.

[Ruby]

I think PoA had the biggest turnaround plot twist. Yeah, the seventh one provided expanations to things we've been wondering for a while, but I think the PoA one changed our opinions of at least three different characters and was super entertaining.

As for more plot twists like that in the 5, 6, and 7th one:
(view spoiler)[ Harry thinks Sirius is being held at the ministry, and he isn't. Then the half-blood prince turns out to be Snape. Then in DH, I think the realization that Harry was pretty much the master of the deathly hallows all along (even if he didn't possess them all physically at one point) was pretty surprising. That and he was "supposed to die." A logical yet brutal masterstroke of Dumbledore's, that. (hide spoiler)]

[Bookworm54]

I was always so creeped out that Ron had been carrying around a grown man, one that had been spying on his best friend and murdered his parents, I mean, ugh, dear God that rat is creepy.

[Daniel]

Lol bookworm54

[Frog]

Hahaha, I know. That's why it's so good.

[T.D.]

Such an excellent series and so many twists to choose from.

Upon first reading it as a child though, I remember freaking out over "Tom Marvelo Riddle" rearranging into "I am Lord Voldemort."
That seemed like the most clever thing my 13 year old mind had ever seen in my life, lol.

The extent to Snape's love for Lily was probably the biggest shocker of the series for me though, particularly reading Deathly Hallows for the first time. I was stunned.

[Daniel]

Wait wait wait Tom Marvelo Riddle rearranges into I am voldemort?!?!?!?! I am so behind

[Maria]

T.D. wrote: "Such an excellent series and so many twists to choose from.

Upon first reading it as a child though, I remember freaking out over "Tom Marvelo Riddle" rearranging into "I am Lord Voldemort."
That ..."

Haha I thought the same thing when I first read the series!! I thought the Tom Marvolo Riddle anagram was the most genius thing.

I was also really amazed when Harry realized that the diadem was the "crown" on the wig he saw in the Room of Requirement in Half-Blood Prince. I just thought it was so amazing that something so casually mentioned in one book was so important in another.

[BubblesTheMonkey]

I agree with others, PoA was great for its plot.

[Bipeda Implume]

María wrote: "Haha I thought the same thing when I first read the series!! I thought the Tom Marvolo Riddle anagram was the most genius thing".

I totally agree. Maybe it´s not the best twist, but when I read it, at 8/9 years old, it blew my mind!
The whole book was funny and terrifying at the same time.
Ginny "kidnapping herself", being unwillingly behind every petrification, Tom revealing his true identity, and then Fawkes!!
It was just too perfect for my little unexperienced mind.

[Frog]

They are funny and terrifying. Good way to put it.
I always liked the books because they don't take themselves too seriously, but still have a sense of gravity. Other YA book seem to do only one or the other.

[Frog]

I think what makes a powerful plot twist is not so much a shocking thing happening out of the blue.

It's when something that you believed form the beginning gets turned on its head at the end.
I think J. K. Rowling understood that and did it deliberately.

[AgCl]

Snape throughout the series. His loyalty and allegiance was always questioned by everyone except Dumbly and its always been put to the test in the earlier books and then came that astronomy tower scene when he merked the old guy (gasp*) and for a time most people were finally convinced that Harry had been right all along, Snape's a traitor and then we all know what happens in Deathly Hallows (louder gasp*) so yeah Snape!.



And yeah the casual mentions like Maria says. The "heavy locket" in Order of the Phoenix before we all were introduced to horcruxes in Half-Blood or the mention of "Peverell" by Marvolo Gaunt before we got introduced to the deathly hallows.

[[deleted user]]

what never ceases to amaze me is the complexity of all the characters in the books. Nobody is all black or white (except maybe for Voldemort himself).

Snape killing Dumbledore was probably the biggest shock throughout all the books, but there are plenty to chose from!