8 Of The Most Valid Harry Potter Theories

When a beloved series ends, you have two options: move on and live your life normally, or choose not to move on and surround your entire life with it. Most of us choose the second option, especially us Harry Potter nerds. The massive world that J.K. Rowling created has given us endless options and possibilities for how life went on before the series, and how it continued afterwards. There are certain questions we never got answered, but thankfully the internet is home to millions of Potterheads all trying to solve this big, wizarding puzzle.

Whether you're a fan of fan-fiction or prefer to keep to how the original story was told, there's no doubt that you find theories fascinating. As a writer myself, it sort of astounds me how deep some fictional theories can go, and it makes me wonder if a story can be more than what the author intended. When it comes to Harry Potter, it seems like new theories pop up everyday. Some of them are a bit extreme, while others make perfect sense.

If you're like me and are on the side of more realistic fictional theories, ones that make complete sense and hardly produce a plot hole, here are 8 incredibly valid Harry Potter theories:

1. The Dursleys Weren't Actually Evil, But Under The Effect Of Being Too Close To A Horcrux

Personally, it's hard for me to believe the Dursleys aren't actually evil people who kept a poor boy locked in a cupboard under the stars for his entire childhood — but this theory about the Dursleys even has me reconsidering. According to the theory, the Dursleys were actually influenced by dark forces because they spent 10+ years with Harry (aka a Horcrux). We all remember what happened when Ron got too close to a Horcrux, so it could be possible that the Dursleys behaved so terribly because of their proximity to one. However, Hermione and Ron didn't turn into terrible people around Harry, so this theory isn't exactly perfect.

2. Harry Is Now Immortal

This theory is definitely one of the most thoughtful, convincing, and utterly depressing ones in the fandom. In the books, the prophesy about Harry and Voldemort says: "Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives." That theory has mostly been interpreted to mean that one had to kill the other, and when Harry kills Voldemort, it seemed like it had been fulfilled. However, this theory questions the meaning of the prophesy, wondering what if it means they could only die at the hand of the other, making Harry immortal now. As all fans know, Harry has so many reasons to look forward to reuniting with his friends and family on the other side, which is why this theory makes me want to weep bitterly for days.

3. Neville Wasn't Bad At Magic, He Just Needed A Different Wand

The wand picks the wizard, as you know, but in the case of Neville Longbottom, he chose to adopt his father's wand. While Ron also did this (accepting his family hand-me-down due to his family's situation), Neville used a wand that once belonged to a very powerful wizard. Neville runs into a handful of issues during his first few years at Hogwarts due to his inability to produce the correct spells and potions with his wand — though he's often compared to an equal to Harry. This theory predicts Neville would've been just as good at the beginning had he had the correct wand, and dives deeper into a theory that the wand represents the issue of Neville hiding in his father's shadow. Pretty crazy, huh?

4. The Defense Against The Dark Arts Position Is Cursed

One thing you learned about the world of Hogwarts pretty quickly was that there would always be a new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. When Dumbledore refused Tom Riddle (Voldemort) of his request to take over the teaching position, a theory suggests the position is now cursed. And that my friends is why Dumbledore never gave Snape the job.

Also, another fun theory about the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is that Dumbledore only hired the celebrity author Gilderoy Lockhart because he thought it would be funny.

5. Harry, Ron, And Hermione Are Only In Gryffindor Because They Asked

If you ever questioned why Hermione wasn't in Ravenclaw — being the book lover and brainy witch she was — or why Ron wasn't in Hufflepuff, you aren't alone. A Tumblr theorist suggests that Ron, Harry, and Hermione are only Gryffindor's because of one tiny detail. This theory argues that they were put into Gryffindor because they were brave enough to ask. I personally think Ron holds a lot of Gryffindor qualities, but I can also see how he'd fit into the Hufflepuff house. Harry is a mixed bag, but it was clear in the books he was originally meant to go into Slytherin, but asked the sorting hat for anything but that.

6. Dumbledore Is Death

Think about it: Dumbledore is the only one (we know of, anyway) to have been in possession of all three deathly hollows. He's also there to greet Harry when he "dies" like an old friend, just as the myth had said. This theory suggests that Dumbledore is actually Death.

7. The Deathly Hallows Is Symbolic For The Entire Series

According to this theory, the last book in the series ties together scenes and moments from the other books. For instance, in the last final fight scene, Ron and Hermione are faced with an ugly creature and hide, similarly to in the first book with the troll. Then they're attacked by spiders, like in the second, and then dementors show up, like in the fourth, then the Order of the Phoenix arrives, like in the fifth, and finally, they reach Snape — the Half Blood Prince. I'm not too surprised by this, and am sort of convinced Rowling had it all planned. She did, after all, mirror the books so that the first and last, second and sixth, and third and fifth all parallel each other in some shape or form.

8. J.K. Rowling Is Actually Rita Skeeter

This theory is as funny as it is believable. This idea suggests that Rita was banished from living in the magical world after after discovering that so much of her work was false. Thus, she was banished to live with Muggles, and turned to writing the story of Harry Potter as J.K. Rowling. Of course, no one would ever think of Rowling anywhere as awful as Skeeter, but it is fun to consider this theory because that would make the HP series completely true, which is the best possible reality we all desire.

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