This has probably already been addressed before, buuuuuut...it's always baffled me.

Concerning the priori incantetum in the graveyard--why does lily's spirit come out of the wand AFTER james'? wouldnt that suggest that james died AFTER lily? how does that work? is there some intentional plot work here by jkr, or a significant error on her part?

~DarkSov~

 

Error, actually. In later editions of the book, the publishers fixed this. As far as I know, no intentional plot work. Source. Scroll down to about three quarters of the way down, and you will see numerous changes to the text, with the reason for the change listed as "the infamous wand order error."

 

That's...ugh. I don't know why, but I'm disgusted. It just ruins the whole feel of harry's mother telling all that crap to him--i mean, its the only REAL insight we get into harry's mom. aside from that, there isnt much. people constantly expound tales about harry's dad.

 

It was stupid.

 

It wasn't that bad, concerning that JKR needed something if not a deux ex machina to let Harry flee. I didn't see those echos as ghosts who are described as imprints but rather as paintings who? which? I always imagined as echo - a copy of a person at a certain moment, with far less depth than a ghost.

edit ... typos