Even after so many years of the Harry Potter saga ending, both in books and on the movie front, the fan theories are so fun to explore and ponder upon.
The fun especially lies in the fact that we can look back at all fan theories that came up at different times throughout the release of books or movies and see whether they came true.
Or if not, it is indeed to see the merits in these fan theories, even the potential to become a spin-off, sequel movie, or TV show of itself.
Well, to be honest, it is not impossible! The Potterverse lives on, especially with the coming of more movies in the Fantastic Beasts sister franchise of Harry Potter.
Indeed the Internet is full of all the Harry potter fan theories; some become true, some are near truth or even was a good assumption, but we are dialing more into the crazy here.
So, here we will be enlisting the craziest fan theories, which most of them were and are too far from reality but too fun not to think upon.
Professional McGonagall Is Secretly A Death Eater
Well, we started with the craziest ones, and this one needs to prove how ridiculous it feels to think that stern and powerful yet all-motherly professor McGonagall could be a Death Eater.
Clearly seems to be an outrageous fan theory for someone who cares too much about the children and, in fact, everyone at Hogwarts.
We had many instances to see how McGonagall has a large heart, especially always compassionate towards Harry.
However, on a side note, we never thought Snape would be such a great person, and also Dumbledore would be so ominous and secretive.
So, if the story is to be continued, coming to terms with the fact that one of the most likable characters, and head of Gryffindor’s house in Hogwarts, is a death eater will be shocking!!
Ron Is Time-Traveling Dumbledore
Well, this one is really interesting because if this one would have been true, then Harry Potter would have been ‘DARK-ify’; if you have watched the Netflix series Dark, you would know.
So, this odd theory basically points out how ridiculously Ronald Weasly and Albus Dumbledore are similar.
And hence the theory emerges that changes are Ron is actually Dumbledore. These popular characters, which seem to be poles apart, are, in fact, the same person from different times.
According to some Potterheads, Dumbledore is basically an older version of Ron who time-traveled back in his childhood to his own school, Hogwarts, and befriended Harry Potter.
Weird enough, there is indeed some evidence that supports this theory. To begin with, both characters are natural gingers. Also, both of them like socks.
And that’s pretty much it! Apparently, that’s enough for them to come up with this crazy fan theory, but it is indeed fascinating, and I would love to see it on-screen or read it.
Funnily enough, J.K Rowling had to come on Twitter to debunk this fan theory. Honestly, she didn’t need to. It is extremely ridiculous!
Hagrid gets Aragog From Newt Scamander.
This is a fan theory you would want to get behind! Especially if you are really fond of connecting Harry Potter movies to the Fantastic Beasts movies.
A fan theory brought by MuggleNet shares this idea that Aragog, an acromantula, has a Fantastic Beast connection.
This came right from Aragog himself when he explained how he came to be with Hagrid, quoted from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets “I came to Hagrid from a distant land, in the pockets of a traveler.”
In Fantastic Beasts, Newt Scamander was seen reaching Hogwarts after his long travels across five continents studying, researching, protecting, and collecting fantastic beasts.
So, this is quite possible that he was the one who met Younger Hagrid in his middle age in Hogwarts in the 40s era.
He was the one to give him Aragog, who traveled in the ‘pockets of traveler’ – the Newt Scamander in the first place.
This is such a great easter egg in the Harry Potter regarding Fantastic Beasts, which surfaced as a fan theory but has a huge possibility to be true.
Snape Is A Vampire
Well, this one is not too far-fetched. Basically, if J.K Rowling went with this, revealing somewhat towards the end or sometime in the series that Snape is a vampire, we would have loved that.
However, it might have been greatly removed from his character arc and revelation towards the end.
And this goes even further before Twilight when brooding, mysterious and handsome vampires were looming around the town, charming girls, and further what got more popularized in CW’s The Vampire Diaries.
So, at that time, JK Rowling was thought to be introducing the concept of blood-sucking vampires in the Harry Potter book series because fans at that time thought Snape was a Vampire.
And actually, anyone, especially at that time, when more about him wasn’t out, would have been thought so.
The fandom of Harry Potter readers believed this for years until nothing was explained further.
Even though it was thought that seeds had been sown to sometimes reap it, it was never utilized. He was quite mysterious, brooding, pale, and even lived in dungeons, not to miss wearing black clothes all the time!
However, there was no hint or even slight plot evidence regarding that he drinks blood or something. So maybe it was never in the cards, but you have to admit that this is quite a fan theory that you can accept easily.
Harry Was Just Dreaming All Along
This is bizarre! And from a writer’s point of view, this is extremely frowned upon and indeed worse than lazy writing. So basically, you cannot tell the whole story and end it that – it was all a dream!
And something similar to the fan theory emerged during Harry Potter’s early days. It was said that Harry Potter’s journey started from finding that he is a wizard to perhaps at that time of the story, or say today till defeating Lord Voldemort or sending his kid to Hogwarts, all of that just a dream!
That would have sucked for everyone who is so invested in the story, even though this idea does interest me somehow but not a great plot to move further on, for sure.
Dursley’s Knew Harry Was A Horcrux, And That’s Why They Hated Him
Everyone hated Dursleys or despised them for their behavior toward Harry. It is not even upto the debate how badly Harry had his childhood or growing years.
Even to the end, the Dursleys weren’t empathetic or caring to Harry. Not even slightly!
So there is a fan theory: what if Dursley’s bad behavior is basically Harry’s fault? Let’s explore what goes.
You do remember the impact of Horcrux on people who wear, hold or carry them. Even they have an evil aura around them, to the extent of possessing, maddening and crazy.
During the events of Deathly Hallows, we see Harry or Ron becoming miserable, bitter, cruel, and so rude people, even if they are entirely opposite personalities.
So what if Harry being a Horcrux negatively impacted Dursleys since he has been living with them for so long and since he was a child?
Even though the most obvious thing is that they are all way, and how JK Rowling portrayed them – just awful people right from the beginning.
Dumbledore Is Death Personified
This proved to be one of the few fan theories that came to be true, and indeed J.K Rowling herself confirmed it.
But you have to understand how Dumbledore, who is more or less a person of wisdom and guidance, can be personified as death.
He always has been portrayed as this force of good, a positive guiding light to Harry, like Yoda in Star Wars, helping Harry to pursue his destiny.
However, Dumbledore’s character did get much more complex and darker in later Harry Potter books, portraying him as not the one who says he is or there is more to him.
Even points where Harry was put on the spot to doubt him and question the fact of how much he knew about him.
So, more along those lines, this fan theory is quite plausible. He is the personification of death in the story shared in Deathly Hallows of three brothers.
If Dumbledore represents Death, then Harry, Voldemort, and Snape are basically the ‘three brothers’ of the Deathly Hallows story.
Harry Is Essentially The King Arthur
This is more about drawing parallels between one fantasy and another great mythology.
So if you know Arthurian mythology, you must have noticed the related references sprinkled throughout the Harry Potter series.
Or, if you have missed it, to begin with, Wizard Merlin has a chocolate frog card shown in the Sorcerer’s stone. And then, you also see multiple wizards using the expression “Merlin’s Beard’ as an exclamation.
And there could be a lot of fans who feel quite excited to build this connection between Potterverse and Arthur mythology.
They even go so far as to claim the fact that Harry Potter himself is the incarnation of King Arthur, the ancient king.
And we have seen him pulling the sword out of a hat, not the stone but certainly a similar notion, that he has to be worthy to do that.
Harry and Hermione Are Siblings
First of all, thanks to the fans, they are not saying Ron and Hermione are siblings because that would have been gross!
But this one, the idea that Harry and Hermione are siblings, is pretty bizarre too. And the way they go about explaining it is too far-fetched, even for a fan theory.
So, there are some groups on the Internet, perhaps too passionate Potterheads think that Harry and Hermione, who we have seen as great friends, are basically twins who got separated earlier.
According to this fan theory, the apparent twins, Harry and Hermione, are separated from each other after their parents, which is James, and Lily Potter, dies.
So, Harry was sent to the Private Drive to live with his Aunt and Uncle, whereas Hermione got to live with foster Muggle parents.
Well, this sounds quite fascinating. Not sure what it would implicate or have any impact on the story but indeed something to ponder upon.
But wait a minute! Isn’t that exact plot revelation of Star Wars where you can just replace Harry and Hermione with Luke and Leia? Fan theorists have to be more original with their theories!
Harry Is Immortal
Too much, right? Harry certainly is one of the luckiest people to survive, not one, but two killing curses, both from the best and most sinister dark wizard of all time.
But him being an immortal? Well, you might not see where this fan theory is coming from.
You remember the prophecy regarding Harry and Voldemort, which states that either of them has to perish at the hand of the other.
The prophecy implies that Harry and Voldemort can only perish if they are killed by each other.
Since Voldemort did die and for that, Harry had to die, but technically, Harry is immortal, so he came back, but the dark wizard couldn’t.
After so many, this could have been another revelation at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Even though this is an interesting route to take, what does this mean for him and his role in this wizard world? Second, sadly, he won’t be joining his dead parent’s afterlife after living a fulfilling life.
Let this one not be true for a few good reasons that we can see.
Azkaban Was Actually A Way To Contain Dementors More Than Inmates
So, as we know through the Harry Potter books and briefly from movies, Azkaban is a prison for wizards and witches who get charged with their crimes.
The first reference we heard in the movies was in the Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban, where it is revealed that Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban, the prison, to kill Harry, which we obviously know wasn’t the case.
Then, we saw various snippets of Azkaban, a tall triangular-shaped building in the middle of the sea with criminal wizards and witches like Bellatrix Lestrange.
And also the mention of Dementors and their debut in the story also comes along. The information was shared that this wizard and witches prison was guarded by these ghost-like creatures called Dementors for the longest time.
The Dementors are attracted to pain and despair and feed on the souls of the living, leaving them dead at the end.
Just merely by their presence, everything gets cold and dark. And that’s the reason they are chosen to guard Azkaban.
After the movie/book Order of phoenix, some Harry Potter fans speculated that this might be the other way around.
Instead, Dementors are kept around to guard Azkaban. Perhaps, the Azkaban was created to keep the Dementors centered in one place so they do not wander around rampant in the towns, including the Muggle and Wizard worlds.
Well, this fan theory actually proved to be true because Pottermore confirmed this theory by putting this on their Azkaban page.
It is clearly stated as the reason why Dementors are kept as guards around Azkaban for such a long time, so they can be in one place, confined, and consistently provided with souls.
Crookshanks Is Lily Potter Incarnate Or Least Her Cat
So, there are two versions of this absurd fan theory! And it is too difficult to decide which one is both ridiculous.
One is that Crookshank, Hermione’s cat, is basically Lily Potter’s cat. Fans came to this theory after the events of the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Crookshanks repeatedly has been seen in that movie/book trying to eat Ron’s rat Scabbers, who apparently came out to be Peter Pettigrew, the loyal of Voldemort.
And since being Lily Potter’s cat, she was able to sense that off him, and hence trying to eat the threat who also betrayed Lily back then.
And the second version is more like the cat is none other than Lily Potter incarnate, who died and returned as a cat.
So, basically, according to this version, Harry Potter’s mother died and re-incarnated, and that too as a cat, and landed up to Hermione, who is the best friend to Harry.
Well, now we know this version is more ridiculous, and not to mention quite a stretch, even for a fan theory.
Neville Was The Chosen One
This fan theory emerges more from a possibility explored after the revelation that Neville and Harry could have been the chosen ones according to the prophecy. Such ones are destined to defeat Lord Voldemort.
If you look at the Harry Potter books, J.K Rowling made explicitly clear that either one of them could have been the chosen one because they both were male-borns in the last few days of July 1980.
And that’s why both of their parents, Potter and Longbottom couples, were taken out by Voldemort or their supporters.
But Harry became the chosen one because Voldemort chose him to kill that night and his family to prevent the prophecy in the first place.
Also, they talked out this and mutually decided that Harry would take that responsibility from Neville.
And clearly, Harry was the one who killed Voldemort, surely it happened as Neville killed the snake with Gryffindor’s sword, which helped weaken him, but there is no doubt that Harry killed or defeated the dark wizard.
However, in film, things change a little bit. There is not much shown regarding prophecy.
We do know through Dumbledore saying that according to a prophecy, a boy who is born at the end of July is supposed to be the chosen one and shall defeat Voldemort.
It also said that neither he nor Lord Voldemort would survive, but as we see in the books, it never mentioned anything about Neville being born just a day before Harry.
There are indeed hints like Neville, who found the prophecy, not Harry. Also, it glowed when Neville was around it.
And at the end, Neville did stand up against Voldemort. He was the one to kill Nagini before the colliding magic ended Voldemort.
So, it seems that Harry and Neville both dueling with Voldemort ended him. Harry did throw a disarming curse but not a killing curse, to Voldemort.
So, a theory says Neville killing the snake triggered Voldemort’s death, making him the chosen one.
Harry And Ron Predicted Goblet Of Fire
According to a popular Harry Potter fan theory, Harry and Ron actually predicted the plot of Goblet of Fire in the Prisoner of Azkaban’s divination scene with Professor Trelawney.
It was the scene where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were reading each other cups. Ron is reading Harry’s teacup to predict his future in the class of Professor Trelawney, the seer at Hogwarts.
Well, apparently, she isn’t the only one, as Ron and Harry were pretty good with their predictions.
It was indeed a bit of joking, but they did suggest Harry is going through “in danger of burns,” and then he is going to “lose a treasured possession” and then finally get “stabbed in the back.”
So, when you look at what happened in Goblet of Fire, Harry did face a fire-breathing dragon putting him in danger of burns, and then he has to rescue Ron, who is so to speak ‘lost’ beneath the sea and finally got betrayed by fake Mad-Eye Moody.
Well, not sure if it was a coincidence or what? But chances are this is smartly put easter egg through story sequences, surely by the Author. And that’s why this one seems quite near to the truth, even if it is coincidental.
Rita Skeeter Is Basically J.K Rowling
Amongst the many ridiculous fan theories, another one that surfaced many times is basically Rita Skeeter being a representation of the author herself, J.K Rowling.
This especially comes from the book fans of Harry Potter who have also seen movies and now think that J.K Rowling herself put into this series using this writer/journalist character Rita Skeeter.
Even if it is ridiculous, it could have been fun to be true. However, Rita Skeeter’s character is nothing like many sorts of J.K Rowling, even if she puts herself in character. She is pretty annoying in the books and movies even though she is a good writer.
Harry Potter Events Are Actually True, And J.K Rowling Is Actually a Half-Blood Sellout
The fan theory that Rita Skeeter is the fictionalized version of J.K Rowling doesn’t just end there. It gets so crazier that it needs to be a totally different fan theory altogether.
So, this version doesn’t only say that Rita Skeeter is a fictitious version of J.K Rowling but rather more of herself with the fact that Harry Potter events are true.
If you remember, Rita Skeeter was kicked out of the magical world known for writing made-up stories. And when it becomes hard for her in the muggle world, in spite of that, she writes about the magical world.
Ring any bells? So, Tessela-te basically said on Tumblr that what if J.K Rowling is basically Rita Skeeter, who is nothing but a half-blood sellout who betrayed the international statute of secrecy in order to make a living or make more money in the muggle world?
The Muggle world cannot do anything to her because we know this whole story as fiction, as in Harry Potter books/movies.
It’s not like Wizard world can take legal action against J.K Rowling or ‘Rita Skeeter, as it might expose their world.
Draco Is A Werewolf
Werewolf is not an unknown or unintroduced concept in the Harry Potter world. We already have seen Professor Remus Lupin become the werewolf in Prisoner of Azkaban.
So, the lore of the werewolf is already established in the Potterverse, just not explored enough except for the fact that it is sort of a curse to a person, not like being an animus like Sirius Black who can turn himself into a dog whenever he wants.
But even that, what is with Harry Potter fan theorists’ obsession with making characters some magic creatures or supernatural beings?
Snape is already suspected to be a vampire, Professor McGonagall a Death Eater, and now Draco Malfoy, who is claimed to be a werewolf back in the day.
It all started just before the final Harry Potter books when he started to look a bit odd and ill.
It was then the fans started concocting this theory that Draco might be a Werewolf which may be shown further down in the movie/book.
He has been shown in the story as distressed, ill, pale, odd, and even caught crying. In the books, it was implied that he was under stress due to Voldemort’s pressure on him to work for him.
But still, there was a group who came up with the idea that it was his lycanthropy that he was dealing with. And since, with Remus, lycanthropy was already established, bringing it back looked quite obvious.
Clearly, this fan theory has proven to be not true at all!
A Muggle Vs. Wizard War
To be honest, this does sound fantastic. And Potterheads would put their money into this idea because it would be great to see the Wizard world, first of all, interacting with the Muggle world. The war between them will be even more interesting.
If the Harry Potter saga continues or does, this indeed can be a great plot to explore. It would have been even better with our Harry Potter characters intact in the story.
Perhaps we can see Harry as an Auror who left it and now teaching Defence Against Dark Arts at Hogwarts, coming to know about this threat where the wizarding world is exposed to Muggles.
Now, some people are trying to make peace between them, and some of them are going to war. This basically arises from the fact that throughout the books, it has been indeed implied that Wizards and muggles do not get along very well.
There is a reason why the Wizard world, including Hogwarts, is hidden from Muggles, and they do not expose themselves.
But what if this new world is exposed in the our-like world? You can think about what you will do if you get to know that there are real Hogwarts, wizards, goblins, dragons, giants and witches, and all.
There are even hints regarding the previous wars that happened in the past between Muggles and Wizards, which is the reason why they don’t have a good relationship in the first place.
So, even there could be the possibility that in the last fight between men and wizards, the wizards won. Maybe this has been going on throughout history, and that is why men are scared of magic and embracing it.
The other way around is the possibility that maybe Muggles won, coming from a Reddit user named celeritas365.
The fact Magical beings feel superior to human beings, and hide from them, along with all the racism and fear from the Muggles towards them, makes this possibility legit.
It seems that wizards and muggles fought, and muggles won. Then, the Ministry of Magic must have been created by the compromise of wizards and muggles to keep an eye on the wizarding world, where actually it is part of the Muggle government.
That’s how they will be able to keep an eye on the Wizard world, and the wizarding world is able to live on even after getting defeated, so they have to appease them.
Neville Uses The Wrong Wand
Neville, from the beginning, is shown to be this kid who is always messing up the spells, or at least we know later that he hasn’t reached his full potential.
Especially the fact she could be the chosen one, or already is, in the Harry Potter books.
His constant misfires are proof that his wand is not fully compatible with him or didn’t choose him. But the question then is, how has it worked so far?
Well, even though he didn’t let any wand choose him, he picked a wand that belonged to his father, and hence it listened to him to an extent.
Also, why it worked enough to get him through, but he never was able to do more or match upto his potential.
But this changes when his wand gets broken in the fight at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter and Order of Phoenix.
So, he finally gets a new wand at Olliver’s, where this time he lets a wand choose him, and that’s why he was so exceptionally well in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
In fact, he became the very leader of Dumbledore’s Army, leading the resistance against Voldemort and his control of Hogwarts.
Harry’s Sudden Attraction Towards Ginny Was Due To Ginny’s Love Potion
Harry’s attraction towards any girl was first seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and was towards Cho Chang on the train where he first saw her.
Then, we see, throughout the events of Goblet of Fire, him crushing over her. He even asked her for the dance, but unfortunately, Harry made a move late, and she had already said yes to Cedric Diggory.
In Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, he kissed Cho, and there was something until it wasn’t. On the other hand, the very first appearance of Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was all about her being a fan of Harry.
Overall, there was nothing particular, especially from Harry’s side towards Ginny, but suddenly in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it seems that Harry falls in love with Ginny!
And that was quite abrupt! Sure, they are indeed a cute couple and also ended up together having kids, and all but the beginning felt to be abrupt.
So, from there, a fan theory emerges that Ginny might have slipped a love potion into Harry’s pumpkin juice, and the rest we know.
Well, this fan theory is quite disturbing, especially because Harry and Ginny make such a great couple, and they even ended up getting married and raising kids. Also, this is so creepy. And there is no way Ginny would do so.
The Dursleys Made Harry Stronger With Their Harsh Treatment
It is very well established that The Dursleys didn’t treat Harry well, and that justifiably so made them the worse characters in the movie.
They always have been harsh to him, making his life tougher. And a Tumblr user named Great Hero Battle Fight suggested the following theory by explained by his words :
“Almost every single character trait exhibited by Harry can be linked back to his time at the Dursleys: He’s a good seeker because he was malnourished enough to be small and fast, and had gained excellent reflexes from constantly dodging their swings at him. He wants to protect and help others because no one has helped him. He hates bullies, like Malfoy, because he was bullied. He doesn’t try at school because he was never encouraged at home, and in fact, he was probably punished if he did better than Dudley.
Even Harry’s lack of curiosity about his family, and his past, leading Hermione or Ron to explain everything, is linked back to the number one rule at the Dursleys’, ‘Don’t ask questions.”
This fan theory is quite plausible, to be honest. Even though this doesn’t justify the actions of the Dursleys, it did strengthen Harry and impacted him in ways that may have given advantage later in his life.
Harry, Hermione & Ron Chose To Be In Gryffindor Rather Than In Their Supposed Houses
According to the Harry Potter fans on Reddit, Hermione, Harry, and Ron, all of them actually were meant to be in different houses depending upon their skill set, personality, and traits.
So, as it is explored in the movies and books, Harry has the best characteristics matching Slytherin. And it was also a lot to do with the fact that he was to defeat the Dark Wizard.
Hermione is best suited for Ravenclaw house as she is extremely intelligent and has the ability to resolve issues.
And Ron is someone who has loyalty as a primary characteristic which makes him quite ideal for Hufflepuff.
Whereas most of the students are default picks for the houses or even assume that sorting hat goes for the house given to them, Hermione, Harry, and Ron are different and make a choice for themselves.
Them, irrespective of what may have defined them or given to them, they rather opted to be in Gryffindor because they connected with that house the most.
The First Harry Potter Book Foreshadows the Next Six Books
So, this comes from another Harry Potter fan theory at Tumblr named Devilsbabydoll, and it has to be said to be quite an interesting one to look at.
This user explains how the first book in the Harry Potter series foreshadows the following six books.
It begins with the climax events of Sorcerer’s stone, where the trio- Harry, Hermione, and Ron have to go through different tasks after going past Fluffy- the three-headed dog.
First, they go through this evil plant or something called Devil’s snare, which was the foreshadowing of the second book, where Harry and Ron have to run into Whomping Willow.
The next task was the broom and the winged keys, which might give a hint about the Quidditch match in the third book/movie where Harry got attacked by all the dementors.
Another task is the chess match which was set up by McGonagall, known to be a graveyard becomes similar to the literal graveyard Harry finds himself transported to in the fourth book/movie.
The troll in the first movie was a loose foreshadowing of Hagrid’s half-brother Grawp shown in the fifth book.
After that Snape’s contribution regarding the safety of the philosopher’s stone is talked about when a collection of potions and magic is used, again, this could refer to the sixth book where new potion master Professor Slughorn was appointed to teach DADA.
And in the end, Harry, for the first time, comes face to face with Lord Voldemort, which signifies the last book, signifying the final battle between Harry and Voldemort facing each other for the last time.
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