Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing an interesting “what-if” scenario. What if Harry Potter hadn’t been Harry at
all? What if Harry had actually been a GIRL?
Okay, let’s start with the basics and get the minor details out of the way- that kind
of thing.
If Harry Potter had been a girl, of course, his name wouldn’t have been Harry at all,
would it? So, what would it have been? Well, as J.K. Rowling revealed on Pottermore a few
years back, Harry was actually named after his great-grandfather Henry Potter or “Harry
to his intimates.” With this in mind, if Harry had been a girl, she likely would’ve
been named after one of her relatives as well.
Let’s say then that James and Lily Potter decided to name their baby girl after James’
grandmother, Euphemia.
Euphemia – which means “well-spoken” or “fair speech” and is pronounced like
“you-FEM-ee-ah” – was a popular name in early Scotland. However, it was eventually
overtaken by its nickname, Effie. Meaning our heroine’s formal name would’ve been
Euphemia but she likely would’ve gone by the more widely accepted – and easier to
pronounce! – version of the name: Effie. Making our female-version of Harry: Effie
Potter.
So, what would’ve been next for our little Effie? Doubtful much would’ve changed in
regard to her relationship with her parents – as limited as their time was together.
Lily surely would’ve died trying to save her baby girl in the same way she died protecting
her baby boy from Voldemort’s Killing Curse.
BUT, perhaps, this leads us to another more pertinent question: Would Voldemort have even
come for the Potters at all? After all, The Prophecy given by Sybill Trelawney in 1980
was about a BOY who would be born in July of that same year with the ability to defeat
Lord Voldemort. Of course, despite being born in July of 1980, this would’ve ruled out
a daughter by Lily and James Potter, leaving Neville Longbottom as the only potential threat
to the Dark Lord.
This, of course, would’ve changed EVERYTHING.
Effie Potter, unlike poor Harry, would’ve grown up with a Mum and Dad. She would’ve
been raised with the knowledge that she was a witch who was part of the wizarding world.
She likely would’ve barely known the Dursley’s – Lily’s sister, Petunia, Petunia’s
husband, Vernon, and their son, Dudley. This wouldn’t have been Lily’s choice, of course,
but rather a reflection of the Dursley’s disdain for all things magic and, in their
opinions, unnatural.
So, the three Potters may have continued to live in Godric’s Hollow, and perhaps Lily
and James would’ve eventually welcomed another child or two into their family.
It stands to reason that Sirius Black would’ve still been Effie’s godfather. Based on Sirius’
kind and caring disposition towards Harry, one can only assume that Effie would’ve
received the same love and affection from her godfather. Of course, Sirius never would’ve
been framed for the Potters’ murders and gone to Azkaban, leaving him to nurture a
solid relationship with his goddaughter in a way he was never able to with Harry.
It’s pretty safe to say that Effie Potter’s formative years would’ve been a lot less
tragic tha Harry’s. She wouldn’t have been an orphan, there was no attempt on her
life by a powerful dark wizard, and instead of being abused and mistreated by her muggle
relatives, she would’ve had a steadfast, adoring magical godfather. There really is
no comparison, is there?
So, now that we’ve gone through the early years of Effie Potter, that brings us to her
time at Hogwarts. How would Effie’s experience at school have differed from Harry’s?
Well, without any ties to Lord Voldemort – Harry, of course, became the Dark Lord’s unintended
seventh Horcrux after he attempted to murder Harry, intrinsically linking the two – Effie
would’ve been sorted into Gryffindor without question. This differs from Harry who was
almost placed in Slytherin by the Sorting Hat, but who ultimately went into Gryffindor
due to his internal pleas with the hat.
Having been placed in Gryffindor, I’d like to think that Effie would’ve befriended
Hermione and Ron just as Harry did. Although, I think maybe she met the two once placed
in the House, rather than at King’s Cross station and on the Hogwarts Express – after
all, Lily and James would’ve taken Effie to the train and known exactly how to access
Platform 9 and ¾. No need for help from the friendly Weasley clan. She also may have known
one or two witches or wizards from Godric’s Hollow, with whom she could’ve sat with
on the train. In any case, similar to Harry’s friendships with Ron and Hermione, Effie would’ve
eventually become best of friends with these two.
It’s not unreasonable, then, to consider the possibility that this trio could’ve
ended up in a love triangle at some point, with both Effie and Hermione being interested
in Ron. However, I suspect that instead of Ron being the love interest for both girls,
perhaps Effie developed a crush on one of Ron’s older brothers. If I had to guess,
I’d say she fell for one of the twins – Fred or George. Since Fred meets his demise in
the final installment of the series, let’s say it was George. Keep things less tragic.
Only a couple years her senior, both twins were in Gryffindor, giving Effie plenty of
time to become interested in either boy, as she likely wouldn’t have spent as much time
at the Weasley household due to Lily and James being alive. Effie may have also played Quidditch
for Gryffindor just as Harry did, another way in which she would’ve spent time with
the twins, who were both Beaters for the House team.
So, that about cover’s Effie’s friendships and personal relationships at school. But
what about her dynamics with the professors? A young Effie, who may have looked a little
more like her mother than Harry did, could’ve potentially had a very different relationship
with, say, Professor Snape.
Although she still would’ve been James’ child, without the striking physical resemblances
to her father like Harry had, and the fact that Lily was still alive, Severus likely
wouldn’t have held the same contempt for Effie. In fact, if she looked much more like
her mother than her father, he may have even favoured her. Add Snape’s interest in Effie
to the fact that she would not have been “the chosen one” from Professor Trelawny’s
prophecy, and I doubt that Albus Dumbledore would’ve shown as much interest in her as
he did with Harry. So, it’s possible to think that Snape may have even stepped in
as her mentor.
ALTHOUGH, Snape still would’ve been the Head of Slytherin House, a long-standing rival
of Gryffindor. Which, in my opinion, makes it unlikely that he would’ve become Effie’s
mentor. It might have also been a little inappropriate if you ask me. After all, Snape was IN LOVE
with Lily. It may have looked a bit creepy if he were to form a close relationship with
her daughter. In any case, I’d like to think that he would’ve at least been kind to Effie
in a way he never was with Harry – you know, in a polite, British kind of way.
So, if I had my pick of mentors for Effie, I’d have to go with the obvious choice:
Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Transfigurations teacher and Head of Gryffindor House. With
guidance from McGonagall, maybe Effie would’ve become skilled at transfiguration in a way
that never happened for Harry. Perhaps she would’ve even perfected her ability to transform
herself into an animal at will and become an Animagus like Professor McGonagall. This
isn’t too far-fetched either, especially, since Effie’s godfather, Sirius, was also
an Animagus. Effie grew up spending lots of time with this version of Sirius, so maybe
she would’ve learned from an early age how to transform herself into, say, a doe – after
her mother’s Patronus.
Once again, it looks like if Harry had been a girl, life at Hogwarts would not have been
filled with nearly as much doom and gloom. Effie wouldn’t have been involved in a lot
of the misadventures that filled Harry’s days, since – as we covered earlier in the
video – she would not have been linked to Voldemort like Harry was. Yes, I think it’s
safe to say, things would’ve been a fair bit more carefree for our Effie, with her
focus at Hogwarts being mostly on her relationships and school – you know, NORMAL kid stuff.
Of course, this would’ve likely come to a halt when Voldemort returned to power, as
it did for all students at Hogwarts. Alongside Hermione and Ron, she would’ve been involved
in Dumbledore’s Army, led by Neville Longbottom. And when Voldemort brought the fight to Hogwarts,
she would’ve fought alongside her classmates in the battle, and maybe even witnessed Fred’s
death, urging George to keep fighting amidst his grief in the battlefield. Finally, she
would’ve been on the front lines as Neville finally defeated Voldemort.
Later, in the epilogue, we would find out that she had married George. Perhaps they
even named their kids the same as Harry and Ginny did: James Sirius, Albus Severus and
Lily Luna Potter. On second thought, maybe “Molly” or “Arthur” snuck into one
of those names – after all, both the Potters and the Weasleys were still alive.
Which brings us to the end of this video! If you enjoyed the content, I’d be grateful
if you liked it and subscribed to the channel. As always, happy to hear your input on this
and other Harry Potter theories – just leave them in the comments below. Also, please feel
free to share any topics you’d like to see in upcoming videos! You guys always have great
ideas.
For more videos like this one, be sure to check out some of our other “what-if”
theories like: What If Harry Accepted Draco Malfoy's Handshake? or What If Cedric Diggory
Never Died.
Until next time…
YER A WITCH, EFFIE!