After spotting these ever-so-hidden Harry Potter Easter Eggs, Potterheads are clearly among one of the most, if not the most dedicated (and craziest) fans in the world. Following the immense and ongoing success of the Harry Potter books and film franchise, and with the upcoming second opus of the Fantastic Beasts series, it’s no wonder the crazy theories surrounding the Potterverse are still going strong and fulfilling our deepest desires about the saga.
Is Malfoy really a werewolf? Does Mary Poppins actually come from the Potter universe? Here are 16 bizarre, funny, and crazy Harry Potter theories that will end up hurting your scar head…
1. Horcruxes are Created by Cannibalism
This is definitely the creepiest theory of the bunch, but the weird part is, that it almost holds up. A fair point is that it’s never truly explained how Voldemort exactly managed to tear his soul into seven Horcruxes. The theory going around is that he would have eaten his victims, making the crime even more awful, and thus making the creation of the Horcruxes even easier.
According to Rowling, every Horcrux is created through a murder, a spell, and a horrific act. It’s never fully explained what this “horrific act is”, and the theorist is convinced that it involves “consuming the flesh and blood of your victim”. Why? Because according to history, cannibalism was “associated with gaining strength, power, or health from the dead”. Gruesome, I know. The Reddit user clarifies however, that this theory does not apply to Harry Potter because as J.K. Rowling confirmed, he is not a true Horcrux and never was. Interesting.
2. Ron Weasley is a Time-Traveling Dumbledore
Another insane theory claims that Ron Weasley is actually one with Albus Dumbledore, and has time-traveled from the future to help Harry. Fans have pointed out that Harry’s BFF and head-teacher are described in quite a similar way by Rowling – tall, thin, with pointy noses. Dumbledore also happens to have a scar on his leg which may coincide with the breaking of Ron’s leg at the end of the third book. It’s also considered strange how the Hogwarts headmaster and Harry’s BFF never made direct contact throughout the series. Was future Ron afraid of ruining the timeline?
We like the idea, but unfortunately the extended lore on Ron and Dumbledore’s respective families that Rowling revealed throughout the books makes it difficult to believe.
3. The Real Reason why Harry, Ron & Hermione Were Selected for Gryffindor
A tumblr theory states that by looking at their respective personalities, Harry should be in Slytherin, Ron in Hufflepuff, and Hermione in Ravenclaw, but they all ended up in Gryffindor because they were bold enough to expressly ask it to the Sorting Hat. Gryffindor does represent bravery after all and as the theory claims, “anyone can choose to be brave”. This is a pretty good Potter fan-theory and one that would be difficult to prove or disprove!
4. Wizards Lost a Battle to the Muggles Years Ago
On Reddit, user celerita365 suggested that Muggles had already fought a whole war against the wizards years ago which resulted in the wizards being defeated. What’s at the root of this theory? In the Goblet of Fire novel, the Minister of Magic must tell the UK’s Prime Minister himself that he was bringing potentially harmful magical creatures into the UK. According to the Reddit user, this is a strange thing to do considering the wizarding world is so notoriously separate from the Muggle world. For her, the very fact that the ministry is not called “government of magic” hints that the Ministry of Magic is somewhat a branch of the Muggle’s government – “Muggles killed the most powerful of the wizards, destroyed magical knowledge, and created the Ministry of Magic to keep wizards in check”. A bit of a stretch?
5. J.K. Rowling and Rita Skeeter are the Same Person
It’s not surprising to see the parallels some fans have drawn between the wizarding world’s journalist (and worst Potter character) and the series’ writer. This theory claims that Rita was banished from the wizarding world after having made up way too many stories. Fans rightfully like to believe that she therefore moved to the Muggles’ world and decided to write a novel to earn money. This is a somewhat crazy but beautiful theory that would explain how that much imagination could spring from one person alone.
6. Harry Dreamed the Whole Thing
Here’s a theory that many fans would debunk in a quick second. Could you imagine if Harry hallucinated his entire experience whilst living in the Dursleys’ cupboard?! That would definitely solve plot holes, so hurray for that part (?), but at the same time, this gritty take on the franchise is not exactly cheerful, in fact, it’s quite depressing since the book is all about bringing magic into our ordinary lives. We’ll just pretend it was never brought up in the first place.
7. The Philosopher’s Stone Foreshadows Future Events
This deep theory will certainly make you lose your mind after dissecting it. Nevertheless, it kinda rings true and would in fact make a lot of sense, symbolically. The obstacles that the trio of friends are faced with in The Philosopher’s Stone would all mirror events they are confronted with along the series.
Buckle up, friends.
Let’s start with The Devil’s Snare which fans find extremely similar to the Whomping Willow, the flying car got caught in during The Chamber of Secrets. We then have the broom and the winged keys which might represent the Quidditch match of the third chapter in which the Dementors attack Harry. Then we have the human-sized chess battle which looked a lot like the cemetery where Harry sees Voldemort at the end of the fourth opus. Next, we have troll similar to Gwarp, Hagrid’s troll who is introduced in the Order of the Phoenix. The potion puzzle is somewhat reminiscent of the potions that Professor Slughorn introduced in the sixth book. Last but not least, Harry faces Voldemort for the first time at the end of Philosopher’s Stone which apparently mirrors the final battle between Harry and the Dark Lord in the very last chapter. Wow, try getting your head around that one…
8. Mary Poppins is from the Harry Potter Universe
Excuse my language but this might be the most crazy theory of them all. A few fans have a hunch that Mary Poppins, our favorite flying British nanny with a bag deeper than a public swimming pool, might come from Harry’s universe, which would explain a lot about how she is able to do all that she does – magic powers, that is. It’s suggested that she decided to settle back into the Muggle world without renouncing to her powers. This might explain why she has an umbrella with powers, like Hagrid’s and a magic bag like Hermione’s. This theory is super-fun and as crazy as it is, we’re still ready to believe it!
Got a favorite Potter film? Find out which movie was ranked as the best Harry Potter film in our list!
9. Willy Wonka is George Weasley
This theory is crazier than most in that once again, it links two rather different worlds and above all, two major and much loved characters in the fictional universe. Fans theorize that George Weasley survived the battle of Hogwarts and fled to become a sweetmaker. This almost makes sense considering both George and Willy Wonka have that outgoing, creative and humorous personality. They also both happen to have red hair and hearing loss! I doubt George would want to abandon his family like that, though. Sorry if that makes me a non-believer.
10. Draco Malfoy is a Werewolf
Could it be that Draco is actually a werewolf much like Remus Lupin or Fenrir Grayback? Theory has it that Draco’s dad angered the Dark Lord so much that he-who-shall-not-be-named sent Fenrir to infect Draco as a punishment. This would help explain why the Slytherin villain was described as looking “ill”, “thinner” and “paler” with “dark shadows beneath his eyes” throughout Half-Blood Prince. Interestingly enough, Remus Lupin got a similar description in Prisoner of Azkaban but don’t keep your hopes up too soon – Rowling debunked the fan-theory insisting it’s not true.
11. Harry and Sirius are Related by Blood
Pottermore has long debunked this theory but it is nonetheless quite believable. The Black family tree does indicate that a certain Dorea Black eventually married a Charlus Potter with whom she had an unnamed son. Some believe that these might be either Harry or James Potter’s grandparents.
12. Crookshanks is Lily Potter’s Reincarnation
A theory that would actually make a lot of (wonderful) sense is that Hermione’s big orange cat might actually be inhabited by Lily Potter. Was this her way of keeping an eye on Harry without invading his privacy? It kind of explains Crookshanks’ red hair, green eyes and hatred for Ron’s mouse, Scabbers – AKA Peter Pettigrew, the Potter family’s betrayer.
13. The Dursleys Despised Harry because he was a Horcrux
An extremely believable theory suggests that Harry being an Horcrux was what caused his uncle, aunt and cousin to hate him and mistreat him so much. Since the Horcrux is supposed to make people mean and irritated, it’s not difficult to believe that ten years of raising one might have gotten the better of the Dursley’s empathetic abilities. I mean, that’s what made Ron a little mad when he wore Salazar Slytherin’s locket. Crazy, but convincing. Although Rowling let us all know that this theory is totally untrue.
14. Harry and Ron Predicted the Events of the Goblet of Fire
Another clever fan-theory comes from Tumblr user, thehpfactsis – remember when Ron and Harry made up their own predictions for Divination? Could it be that these predictions were in fact, very, very accurate and telling of the Goblet of Fire events? Take a look at this: “Put in danger of burns” might mirror the dragons in the first Triwizard Tournament task; “Loses a treasured possession” might represent losing a loved one in the second task; “Stabbed in the back by a friend” could refer to Professor Moody’s ‘betrayal’ and last but not least “come off worse in a fight” obviously alludes to Harry’s fight with Voldemort in the graveyard. #Mindblown
15. The Centaurs Knew Harry’s Destiny
This theory suggests that the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest have known about Harry’s entire destiny from day one. On Quora, a user pointed out that Harry meeting the centaur, Firenze in The Philosopher’s Stone had much more significance than we thought. Remember when the other centaurs immediately asked Firenze how much he told Harry? Perhaps the centaurs already knew that Harry and Voldemort would eventually get into a final battle in this very forest, only they were bound to not tell a thing?
16. The Dementors are Constantly on Harry for a Reason
It’s possible that this theory tells us exactly why Harry is so popular with the Dementors. By having part of Voldemort’s soul attached to him and all, he does ultimately have more soul than anyone else. This super crazy but believable theory explains why those deadly Dementors were so obsessed with our Hazza! Bonus Harry Potter fact? Rowling based the Dementors on her own experiences of depression following the death of her mother! You’ve got shivers, I know.
So there you have it, folks! 16 of the best Harry Potter theories surrounding the ever-fascinating wizarding world! Were you surprised by any of these? Or did you know them all already? Let us know in the comments and don’t hesitate to share your own crazy theories. The crazier they are, the better!
Wondering where your favorite characters are now? Find out what the Harry Potter cast are up to lately in our post!