Harry Potter Theory

Latest Episodes:

Where Does MAGIC Come From? - Harry Potter Explained Jan 22, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing MAGIC- specifically, what it is, where it comes from, and why only some people can channel it. Expanding on that, we're going to be looking at the physiological differences between wizardkind and mugglekind- attempting to identify biological characteristics that may differentiate the two.-

Magic is defined as 'the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces', which on paper seems like a fairly fitting description. However, the part of the definition I take issue with is the 'supernatural' component- as this implies that magic is beyond scientific comprehension. Supernatural means just that- a force that transcends the laws of nature.

But is magic really SUPERNATURAL? Is it a force that relies on religious influence? Or can it be biologically explained?

From what I can tell, this aspect of magic seems to have been interpreted very differently across a broad spectrum of Harry Potter fans.

Some fans view / have viewed magic in the Harry Potter series as being based on science- a natural force that can be studied and understood through the study of magical theory and the practice of magic. Reinforcing this is the fact that the use of magic in the series often involves scientific principles such as the conservation of energy.

However, many others view / have viewed magic in the series as being based on religion- a mysterious and unknowable force that is beyond the understanding of mere mortals.

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Why Were Harry's Parents SO Rich? - Harry Potter Explained Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to arry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing HOW on earth Harry Potter's parents amassed such an incredible amount of wealth. How is it that Harry's vault was absolutely bursting at the seams from galleons when the vault of an entire family (the Weasley's) had but just one single galleon.

We're also going to be looking at why Rowling made the decision to make Harry as wealthy as he was.

When the Philosopher's Stone was first released- we got our first look into the contents of Harry's vault (vault 687) when Hagrid escorts him to Gringotts:

Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

"All yours," smiled Hagrid.

And from the first time I read that passage, I became fascinated with Harry's immense fortune. How did he get it? How much was there? And what did these immense stacks of gold coins look like?-

Fortunately, this scene was brought to life on-screen in the release of the Philosopher's Stone in 2001- and it allowed us to finally witness, with our own eyes, exactly what Harry would have seen when he first stepped foot in vault 687.

I'd also like to point out that this scene was preceded by Harry asking:

"But, Hagrid, how am I to pay for all this? I haven't any money."

Oh, Harry.

So again I ask- WHERE ON EARTH did Harry's parents (who were just 21 years old when they died) get all of this gold to leave for Harry?

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This DARK Theory Completely Flips Harry Potter's Ending - Harry Potter Theory Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing a HORRIFIC Harry Potter Theory that bears the potential to completely flip the Harry Potter ending on its head.-It involves (you guessed it) our main antagonist Lord Voldemort- and a scenario in which Voldemort...*gasp*..SURVIVES.

Voldemort is defeated (at least markedly) twice in the Harry Potter story.

His first defeat was at the Potter residence in Godric's Hollow, where his rebounding curse (thanks to Lily's loving sacrifice) shot back at him and ripped his soul from his destroyed body. This marked the (temporary) end of Voldemort, and the end of the First Wizarding War.

But Voldemort certainly wasn't done- oh no no.

In 1995 Voldemort made his resurgence, more motivated than ever to take back control of the Wizarding World and get revenge on the boy who had defeated him.

However, this didn't work out too well for him either, as shown in his final showdown with Harry during the Battle of Hogwarts.

And after this final fated duel, it's generally accepted that Voldemort was dead. In the films, Voldemort's body broke off in to thousands of pieces and vanished in to nothing, and in the books the former dark-lord was reduced to a corpse just like anyone else.-

Eventually, after all of the dust has settled, Voldemort's body is moved in to a resting Chamber within the walls of Hogwarts- something that the films fail to mention altogether. It's here- somewhere entirely unspecified within the castle- that Voldemort purportedly lay for the remainder of eternity.-

Or...DID HE?

The theory that I want to put forth today suggests that Voldemort, by way of- you guessed it- HORCRUXES- was able to survive.

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The Most POWERFUL Witch Nobody Talks About - Harry Potter Explained Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. When you think of a Powerful Witch in Harry Potter I'm sure many names come to mind- Bellatrix, Hermione, Molly Weasley, McGonagall- but these characters aren't the subject of today's video. Today, we're going to be discussing a witch MUCH more powerful than them, and arguably more powerful than the likes of Dumbledore, Voldemort and Grindelwald- a character that's only really mentioned in passing, but also happens to have quite a rich history that pertains to the story.-

I am of course talking about...

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The WORST Harry Potter Fan Theories of 2022 - Harry Potter Theory Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we're going to be discussing the absolute WORST Harry Potter theories to have surfaced or been discussed in 2022. Some of these theories you may recognize from videos of mine that I've released in the last year. However, many are topics I either didn't have time to address in specific videos or hadn't come across until now. These theories cover everyone from Dumbledore to Snape to Hermione. Of course, if you have yet to watch my past videos on some of the topics I mention today, I obviously encourage you to go check them out after this if you'd like to learn more about them!-

So, without further ado, let's dig into eight of 2022's most terrible theories. As we make our way through each theory, I'll explain how some of these can be completely disproven, while others are...well, just ABSURD.-

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10 Greatest Influences on Harry Potter - Harry Potter Explained Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing 10 iconic pieces of literature that DIRECTLY inspired the Harry Potter story. These books are the primary influences and in some instances motivators that prompted JK Rowling to create the vast Wizarding World we've all come to know so well. Some of them are quite obvious, but others are remarkably subtle.

I'll also add that Rowling herself has given acknowledgement to MOST of the influences featured on this list, however I will mention that there are a few which are simply analogues too similar to ignore- books published PRIOR to Harry Potter that contain elements which appear all too familiar.

Let's get in to it.

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This Question about Dumbledore Has NEVER Been Answered - Harry Potter Theory Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're going to be discussing Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and trying to unravel one of his dirtiest darkest secrets.

As early as the Philosopher's Stone (in the first chapter, no less), we hear Dumbledore mention a certain scar in a conversation with McGonagall. But it's not the scar that you probably thought of, Harry's scar of legend, it's actually one of Dumbledore's OWN scars.-

If the first place your mind went to was emotional scars then that would make perfect sense, as Dumbledore, who lived quite the tumultuous life, would be riddled with them.-

But in this instance we're talking about a real bonafide scar.-

Let's dive in...

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Every Magical Law in the Wizarding World - Harry Potter Explained Jan 07, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing Magical LAW. That's right, just like the muggle society, witches and wizards are confined to behaving within the framework of law and order.

We saw a little bit of this in the films- like when Harry had a disciplinary hearing before the Wizengamot. In this instance, Harry had performed underage magic (a Patronus Charm) in order to ward off Dementors attacking him and his cousin Dudley.

"Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August, into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

Fortunately for Harry, Dumbledore stepped in and protected him- which resulted in Harry walking away with no charges.

However, underage magic is just ONE 'law' in a wizarding society that actually has a lot more laws than you may have thought. Today we're going to be uncovering them- at least, all of the ones we have information on.

I should also add that I won't be conflating 'Law' in the sense of legislation with 'Law' in the sense of a set of principles or scientific axioms.

I.e. the 'Law' for underage magic is a piece of legislation prohibiting the use of underage magic and GAMP'S LAW is a set of scientific principles.-

Let's dive in.

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Every Harry Potter Actor Who Passed Away (24) - Harry Potter Explained Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Today we're discussing the deaths of some of the late and great actors that took part in the Harry Potter Series.

In 2022 we lost a couple of the Harry Potter greats, including Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) and Leslie Phillips (The Sorting Hat), and I thought that with the closing of the year we could honour the rest of the names- big and small- that we've lost over the decades- from Dumbledore all the way to the driver of the Knight Bus- Ernie Prang.

Let's dive in.

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DARK History of the Death Eaters (Est. 1938) - Harry Potter Explained Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Where did the Death Eaters come from? What name did they operate under originally? How did their hierarchy work? And where did the Dark Mark come from? For answers to these questions and more check out today's video of Harry Potter Theory.

Today we're going to be discussing the history of Voldemort's faithful servants - the Death Eaters. Specifically- we'll be looking at their founder, how they formed, what name they ORIGINALLY operated under, how you can become a death eater, why some members WEREN'T pure-bloods, their role in both wizarding wars, and what happened to the Death Eaters AFTER the second wizarding war had ended.

Let's get in to it.

It all started with a young orphan boy by the name of Tom Riddle who began attending Hogwarts School in 1938. Though on the outside Riddle appeared to be a normal young man, deep down he had an unimaginable number of demons- demons that haunted him every single day of his life. Why? Well, Tom didn't exactly have a normal chi*ldhood- he was abandoned by his witch mother Merope Gaunt at the steps of Wool's Orphanage right at the time of his birth. -

Because Tom Riddle Jr never had a mother or father figure- he also never had any concept of love, or family. Like many powerful, evil, and enigmatic figures of history - Riddle had a rough start to his life- and this paved the way for the dark path that he was destined to follow. But, when Riddle eventually began to act on his dark nature, and began pursuing dark endeavours- he wasn't alone, and he was able to bring many other dark witches and wizards along for the ride.-

Queue the FIRST iteration of the Death Eaters...

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