This ‘Harry Potter’ Theory Will Completely Change What You Think You Know About The Story
It’s hard to believe that the Harry Potter book series came out over 20 years ago, and the movies just a few years later. It’s rare that a series stands the test of time as well as J.K. Rowling’s story of magic and good prevailing over evil. I can distinctly remember cracking open “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for the first time. I waited in line with my mom to buy it right when it came out. Read it cover to cover in a matter of days, and then read it again. I’ve done the same with all the books in the series. And I’ve seen the movies more times than I care to admit. As an avid HP fan, I thought I’d heard all the fan theories there were about how things went down at Hogwarts. But this Harry Potter theory has sort of broken my brain, and I’m not OK with it.
This Harry Potter theory contains spoilers! But, like, the story is over 20 years old. So if you don’t know how it goes by now, I don’t know what to tell you.
Image: Giphy
There’s a really cool Subreddit called r/FanTheories, where Redditors discuss some of the points of the movie that may be up for debate. I’ve gone down the wormhole there, and my god. I thought I took my HP seriously, but I’ve got nothing on these people! One Harry Potter theory questions everything we think we know about what happened to Harry at the end of “Deathly Hallows”. The accepted explanation for why Harry didn’t die is the one given by Dumbledore in the book. Basically, because Voldemort used Harry’s blood to recreate his body, Lily’s protection spell kept him from dying.
But, as Redditor u/WippitGuud points out, there are a few holes in that explanation.
u/WippitGuud lists out their evidence for why Dumbledore’s story doesn’t hold water. They say, “1. When Harry was hit by the killing curse as a baby, it rebounded and killed Voldemort, necessitating that he create a new body. This did not happen the second time. 2. When Harry was hit by the killing curse as a baby, it left a visible mark. This did not happen the second time. 3. To destroy a Horcrux, the container must be destroyed.”
They mention that the third reason is the most important. See, in order for that part of Voldemort’s soul to be destroyed, Harry needed to be destroyed. If Lily’s protection spell has kept him alive, then that portion of Voldemort’s soul would have been kept alive.
In other words, this means that Harry Potter actually died. Like, DIED died.
Image: Giphy
WippitGuud provides some evidence to support this particular Harry Potter theory. They say, “When Harry was in Kings Cross in his head, he could have chosen to move on. Which means he was dead. There was some other force at work which gave him the choice to return to life, without needing the methods Voldemort had to use to create a new body.”
They continue, “And Harry had something of that level of power with him – master of the united Hallows: he had the stone and the cloak, and the curse was cast from the Elder Wand, which he was currently master of. Because Harry chose to not defend himself, the Wand was not defeating Harry, so its allegiance did not change. Dumbledore even comments on it, ‘And that, I think, will have made all the difference.’ Had he tried to duel, he would’ve lost allegiance to the wand when he lost, and simply died.”
