Hey everyone,
Welcome to another instalment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today, we’ll be discussing the top ten most controversial opinions about the Harry Potter
series.
These, of course, are opinions in which fans have long since battled over since the release
of the novels, throughout the making of the films, and now more than ten years later.
And since I love a good debate, let’s get to it…
10.
Barty Crouch Junior Was Hogwarts’ Best DADA Teacher
For those of you who may need a little reminder, Barty Crouch Junior was the son of British
Ministry of Magic official, Barty Crouch Senior.
He was also a loyal Death Eater who was accused of torturing Alice and Frank Longbottom to
the point of insanity using the Cruciatus Curse.
After escaping the wizarding prison of Azkaban and being held captive by his father for the
better part of a decade, Barty Junior was…well…rather insane.
AND YET, he somehow managed to believably impersonate one of the most skilled Aurors
of the day, Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, in the role of Hogwarts’ Defence Against the
Dark Arts’ Professor.
And not only did Barty Junior succeed in his impersonation of Mad-Eye, he was also actually
REALLY good at teaching.
So much so, that some fans argue that Barty Crouch Junior, as Mad-Eye Moody, was actually
the BEST Defence Against the Dark Arts professor that Harry and his classmates ever had.
He went above and beyond in the things he taught the class and consistently seemed to
go out of his way to mentor and teach Harry skills, such as helping him practise overcoming
the Imperius Curse.
A skill that Harry later uses in the face of Voldemort’s attempt to make him bow…
Of course, this opinion is quite controversial considering Barty Junior was not only insane,
but a literal murderer.
Those who oppose this opinion offer the idea that perhaps Barty Crouch Junior was just
a rather skilled wizard, which doesn’t necessarily translate to his ability as a professor.
He also performed the three Unforgivable Curses in his classroom, which was not only illegal
but an endangerment to his entire class.
9.
Draco Malfoy Didn’t Deserve His Redemption Arc
Particularly in the movies, Draco Malfoy is given a story arc that attempts to redeem
his inexcusable behaviour earlier in the series.
While some fans believe this arc is completely justified—Draco was just a boy who had been
raised in a prejudiced family and was under the tutelage of Severus Snape who was rather
spiteful himself, bullying students and all that—the other side of this argument claims
that Malfoy is simply an arrogant git—one who would’ve murdered Albus Dumbledore had
Snape not stepped in.
The contention in this opinion stems from whether you believe that Malfoy was truly
an evil wizard who did nasty and unkind things to others for sport, or a misguided young
man who eventually tried to do what was right.
8.
Harry Potter Was Kind of a Weiny
Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One…he was an incredibly brave young boy
who embraced the fact that his world got turned upside down at the mere age of 11.
But was he also kind of a selfish, boastful jerk?
In many fans’ opinions, he most certainly was.
These fans need only to point to one of several scenes in existence in which Harry is wallowing
in his own misery and pushes those closest to him away.
Yes, he was under extreme amounts of pressure—but he also never really seems to check in on
how his friends are doing with all the chaos that surrounds them each and every year at
Hogwarts.
7.
Harry and Hermione Should Have Been a Couple
For years and years, fans have fought over whether Hermione and Ron belonged together
or if Miss “Know-It-all” Granger should’ve ended up with Harry.
Especially in the films, Hermione and Harry do seem better matched.
If you’re a book fan, however, you know that the movies do a poor job of representing
Ron as a well-rounded character in comparison with the novels.
Even so, there are still a large number of fans who “ship” Harry and Hermione.
In any case, it all comes down to one question, really: How does that tent dance scene between
Harry and Hermione in The Deathly Hallows Part 1 make you feel?
Queasy and awkward?
Or super pumped?
Based on your answer, you know which side of this controversial opinion you’re on.
6.
Sirius Black Was a Poor Godfather to Harry
To many fans of the series, Sirius Black was the type of loving family Harry never had
growing up—a stark contrast to the neglectful Dursleys.
BUT was he really all that great at being Harry’s Godfather?
This opinion has fans quite divided, as there are those who are fierce supporters of Sirius
and his positive impact on Harry’s life.
On the opposite side of this coin, however, we have fans who bring up some valid points…for
starters, Sirius never made contact with Harry before breaking into Hogwarts as a FUGITIVE
from Azkaban.
You’d think he’d want to try and warn his former best friend’s son about the dangers
of Peter Pettigrew parading around as a rat in his very dormitory—or perhaps attempt
to let him know he wasn’t a mass-murderer coming for him.
And after they finally connect, he really wasn’t around all that much for Harry.
Obviously, he had to keep hidden due to his fugitive status but you’d think he would’ve
been a touch more present, you know, other than the odd conversation through a magical
fireplace…
5.
Neville Longbottom Should’ve Been the Chosen One
This well-known opinion is rather more of a theory than some of the others on this list.
There are many, many fans who believe that Neville Longbottom was in fact the real Chosen
One that Professor Sybill Trewlaney spoke of in her prophecy.
And even if he wasn’t…maybe he should have been.
I mean, Neville really came into his own in the end—so, is it not crazy to think that
he could have made a more heroic version of The Boy Who Lived?
In my opinion, he certainly would’ve been a less whiny version…
4.
Dumbledore Should Have Killed Tom Riddle as a Child
The controversy over this particular opinion stems from the fact that Dumbledore would’ve
had to kill a child.
However, fans argue that if Dumbledore suspected just how evil Tom Riddle was and how much
terror he would bring to the world as Voldemort, shouldn’t he have eliminated him as a child
when he had the chance?
It’s no secret that Albus Dumbledore spent his youth feeling rather self-important, something
he made clear in his declaration to Harry: “I was gifted, I was brilliant.
I wanted to escape.
I wanted to shine.
I wanted glory…I was left with the responsibility of a damaged sister and wayward brother, I
returned to my village in anger and bitterness.
Trapped and wasted, I thought!”.
As a young man, with his prideful spirit, Albus also developed a close relationship
with Gellert Grindelwald, who went on to become one of the darkest wizards to have ever lived.
Alongside Grindelwald, Dumbledore plotted how the two could unite the three Deathly
Hallows and subjugate Muggles.
This alliance inevitably led to an argument between the two and Albus’ brother, Aberforth,
which resulted in the death of his ailing sister, Ariana.
Then there’s the fact that he went on to mentor Harry Potter as a child, knowing the
whole time that the boy would need to sacrifice himself and die at the hands of Voldemort,
in order to overcome and defeat him.
The argument against all that, of course, is all the good that he did after his choices
as a young man.
And the fact that he was simply trying to protect the entire Wizarding World from Voldemort—exchanging
the life of Harry in order to save many.
2.
Severus Snape Was a Hero
One of the most divisive opinions of the franchise is whether or not Severus Snape was a good
person—a hero—for everything he did to help Dumbledore, The Order of the Phoenix,
and Harry himself.
Despite his actions that helped take down Voldemort, however, there’s always the other
side to this argument that he only did so for his own selfish reasons.
That his love for Lily Evans was not enough to redeem his qualities as a bully and an
incredibly spiteful and rather cruel wizard.
1.
The Movies Were Better than the Books
There are fans who will only ever read the books, ones who will read the books and watch
the movies, and those who will only see the films.
No matter which group you ask, however, people will alwa ys have a fairly strong opinion
on which of these series is BETTER.
And like with many film adaptations, the majority of fans seem to say that the books are better—they
included more details, more backstories and plotlines.
But then, there are other fans who are ADAMANT that the movies were actually the better of
the two…
And, with that, we’ve come to the end of another video!
Where do YOU sit on these controversial topics?
Did I miss any controversial opinions about Harry Potter?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Until next time…remember…
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."