There are plenty of Harry Potter fan theories out there, but not all are created equal.
From theories that solve minor plot holes in the books to others that miss the mark
in bizarre ways, we've got some of the best and some of the worst fan theories about everyone's
favorite teenage witch, Hermione Granger.
If Hermione has one defining trait, it's her extraordinary academic excellence. If you've
ever wondered why she excels so much, the answer might be her Muggle upbringing. According
to one fan theory, Hermione is such an excellent student because she had more non-Hogwarts
schooling than most of her peers, and unlike Harry, her family was supportive.
"My parents are dentists."
Hermione would have attended Muggle school until she was accepted into Hogwarts at age
12. Learning about scientific theory and other non-magical matters might have contributed
to a love of learning and helped her considerably along the way. On the other hand, maybe she
just cares more than the other students?
"I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed,
or worse, expelled."
It's pretty common for fan theories to take something seemingly wholesome and twist it
into something dark and gritty. Although the Harry Potter books get pretty grim themselves
in the last few installments, with numerous beloved characters biting the magical bullet.
According to one fan theorist though, it was actually even worse than it seemed. This idea
supposes that Hermione spent so much time with Harry and Ron on their vacations because
she was homeless. Hermione allegedly saw the writing on the wall that Voldemort was coming
back, so she erased her parents' minds in advance and couch-surfed for her last three
years of school.
Some of the best fan theories are the ones that fill in small plot holes. When it comes
to Harry Potter, there's arguably no other plot development that's caused more headaches
than the Time Turner that Hermione uses in Prisoner of Azkaban.
Why the Ministry of Magic would let a student harness time travel just to take more classes
is a baffling mystery. One fan theory offers a convincing explanation: Hermione stole the
Time Turner from the Department of Mysteries, possibly with Dumbledore's help.
"You know the laws, Ms. Granger. You must not be seen."
Fans love imagining that different characters are actually the same character in different
stages of their life. It happened with Walter White in Breaking Bad and Hal from Malcolm
in the Middle, and it's happened with dozens of other characters and actors. Usually, though,
there's some common element that makes the fan theory at least vaguely plausible. There's
not much plausibility in the fan theory that imagines that Matilda, from the classic Roald
Dahl story of the same name, is a young Hermione.
The theory seems to be based entirely on the fact that both characters are young girls
with supernatural abilities and brunette hair. There's not really much else to it, which
makes it a pretty weak fan theory. If you disagree, well:
"Listen you little wiseacre. I'm smart you're dumb, I'm big you're little, I'm right and
you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it."
In one popular fan theory, Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, was actually the Potters' cat
before Voldemort's attack. There are enough clues in the text to make the theory work,
and it reassures cat lovers that the Potters' old cat didn't just wander into the woods
to die. Most pertinently, it explains why Crookshanks hated Ron's rat, Scabbers, it's
because Crookshanks, as the Potters' former cat, would have recognized Peter Pettigrew's
scent.
The Harry Potter novels aren't exactly subtle about the real-world parallels suggested by
Muggle discrimination at Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy's obsession with "pure-blooded" witches and
wizards unquestionably sets him up as a villain. It's also no coincidence that Hermione, as
the series' most central Muggle-born witch, is the smartest character in the books. It's
meant to highlight the inherent contradictions of racism and other kinds of discrimination.
All of which is ruined by a fan theory that imagines that Hermione isn't actually a Muggle-born
witch at all. Supposedly, her family is descended from a long line of witches and wizards, but
her parents are just Squibs (someone born to magical parents without any magical powers
of their own). Sure, the theory explains why Hermione shares a last name with a famous
wizard, but it also tears a hole in Hermione's character and a fundamental message of the
books themselves.
"You see Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best."
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."
Fans lost their minds with excitement when a stage play sequel to the original books,
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, was originally announced. Unfortunately, some Harry Potter
readers were upset when Noma Dumezweni, a black actress, was cast to portray the older
Hermione for the stage. This led a number of fans to point out that the book never actually
clarifies that Hermione isn't black. Although the movies cast Emma Watson in the role, the
books never explicitly specify Hermione's race. In fact, J. K. Rowling herself voiced
approval of Dumezweni's casting.
Blame George Lucas for this one. Ever since Luke and Leia were revealed to be twins in
Return of the Jedi, a secret sibling revelation has become a constant source of fan theories
for just about everything. The reasoning behind Hermione and Harry being secret siblings largely
boils down to the fact that the two characters seem to have a close relationship... almost
as if they were friends. Proponents of the theory also argue that Lily and James could
possibly have had a secret child that they put up for adoption. Considering that Rowling
herself has admitted that maybe Harry and Hermione should have gotten together romantically,
this fan theory really doesn't hold up to any scrutiny.