Can someone explain why/how a thousand year old castle has indoor plumbing?

 

From Pottermore:

 

Pottermore's explanation is annoying and unnecessary. The Romans had plumbing 2000 years ago. It's a complete non-issue that Rowling stupidly felt like she had to address. The castle is already "out of time" as it's a stone castle in the Norman style built before the Norman invasion of England (and in Scotland too, which didn't start building stone castles until about 200 years after that). So giving it plumbing is really not an issue.

 

"Wizards use to shit wherever they stood then vanish it"

What the actual fuck. REALLY?

 

Both the plumbing explanation and the stand-shitting thing sound like something from Partially Kissed Hero.

And that's a low, low place to sound like you're coming from.

It's a fucking magic castle. They don't have to explain the architecture. Maybe somebody saw plumbing in the future and thought it was neat. Maybe they stole that shit from Atlantis. Maybe wizards advanced faster than the rest of the world in technology in certain areas. There are more than enough possible explanations that you don't need to contrive one. Especially a half-assed one.

 

What it should have read was "Wizards originally vanished their waste directly from inside their body." at least then it'd be weird and alien instead of just stupid.

 

Just because they can use magic doesn't immunize them against stupid.

 

Wildfeather was referring to writer-stupidity rather than wizard-stupidity. Either way, I don't see how you'd want adolescents who just got their wands to be trying to vanish anything. Not to mention- what had they been doing with their dookie for the ten years between nappies and a visit to an Ollivander?

The whole idea was a messy waste and should be flushed away, wiped clean from Pottymore Pottermore and kept far away from soiling canon.

 

Very good points. A lot of the information on Pottermore isn't so bad. It's the tidbits like these that make my brain spin.

 

how did they ever get Nearly Headless Nick back to normal after he was petrified?

 

Hand-wavy magic? Aerated Mandrake potion? I have no idea.

 

Spray bottle of Mandrake gunk? Kill an mandrake and use ghost mandrake?

 

If Snape contained the curse to Dumbledore's hand, couldn't they have just cut it off?

As he said it would slowly spread from the hand and Dumbledore had "A year at most." If they removed the hand, then wouldn't they have removed the curse itself?

 

Try and remember that wizards don't have common sense. Attribute not to elaborate plans or active malice and stupidity what can instead be attributed to trite obliviousness.

 

Why kill the mandrake when you can kill the potion?

 

I. What? ........ Kill a potion. But it's. .. I'm so confused.

 

Kill a potion... nope, not getting it. I'm with ehrenyu.

 

There are two possibilities. The first one is that this is the largest plot hole in Harry Potter. The second one is that there is a method for giving ghosts potions that wasn't mentioned due to The Law of Conservation of Detail. I personally think the second one is correct.
Also, if anyone has a copy of Chamber nearby, did they move Nick to the hospital wing or something after he saw the Basalisk's eye, or did he stay in the corridor?

 

They moved him. I think with a fan, but I can't remember exactly.