Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Today,
we’re going to be discussing, well, Harry Potter theories.
The assortment I’ve collected for you today is comprised of a few popular fan theories
circulating the internet, as well as a few theories of my own. Let’s jump right in to it.
5. Avada Kedavra’s TRUE Purpose
If you’re any sort of Harry Potter fan at all, then you should be privy to AVADA KEDAVRA,
one of the Unforgivable Curses and one of the most powerful spells in the wizarding world.
The 3 Unforgivable Curses are tools of the Dark Arts and generally only used by the darkest and
most sadistic witches and wizards. Avada Kedavra, also known as the killing curse,
serves a simple purpose - it puts an end to the victims life.
If you want to kill your victim, then this is the spell to use- and it’s known to produce
a blindingly intense green bolt of light right before the victim simply drops dead.
The biological reason for how the victim dies is not clear- but there are two existing theories-
the first claiming that the victims internal organs cease to function after being struck,
and the second claiming that the soul of the victim is magically ripped from their body.
"There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound,
as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air — instantaneously
the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead"
But with that introduction out of the way, I want to introduce to you one popular fan theory which
suggests that Avada Kedavra was originally created for a totally different purpose.
Now, it shouldn’t come as any sort of a surprise to you that
‘Avada Kedavra’ closely resembles the stereotypical magical words "Abracadabra!"
which we often hear magicians declare when they do things like pull bunnies out of hats.
JK Rowling even admitted herself that this similarity was intentional.
The theory in question suggests that Avada Kedavra, derived from abracadabra,
was a spell originally created to HEAL and not to kill. The words ‘abracadabra’,
in the aramaic language - the language spoken by the ancient aramaeans, roughly translates
to ‘let the thing be destroyed’. Theorists have suggested that the spell was originally created
to kill viruses and bacteria, not people, but that once wizardkind discovered its capabilities,
its true path of death and destruction began.
4. Hedwig’s Death
We all know Hedwig as Harry Potter’s loveable snowy owl companion,
given to Harry as an eleventh birthday gift from Hagrid.
Introduced to us right near the beginning, Hedwig stays by Harry’s side for most of the books-
that is, until her tragic death in the Deathly Hallows - specifically, the battle of the Seven
Potters. From our perspective, Hedwig was simply killed by an unnamed heartless death eater,
but what one popular fan theory suggests is that there is more to Hedwig’s death.
The theory in question suggests two things:
That her death HAD to happen &
That her death symbolized a loss of innocence in Harry Potter
If we think back to the Battle of the Seven Potters, then you should remember that everyone
had taken polyjuice potion in order to impersonate Harry- making it impossible for Death Eaters
to identify who the real Harry was. However- there was one big overlooked hole in this plan-
Hedwig. You see, Hedwig, ever-loyal to Harry, would always remain by the true Harry’s side,
which meant that during the battle the REAL Harry wouldn’t be too hard to find.
The theory in question suggests that Snape, who was in company with the Death Eaters
at that particular moment, killed Hedwig on purpose. With the best intentions possible,
he did so in order to make sure that it would be difficult to identify the real Harry.
3. Trelawney’s Prejudice
Sybill Patricia Trelawney was born on the 9th of March sometime before the year 1963
to a muggle mother and wizard father. She was a half-blood
witch and descendant of famous seer Cassandra Trelawney. After Cassandra,
no one possessed the famous ‘second sight’ - or ability to see visions, that is- until Trelawney.
She wore thick glasses that magnified her eyes,
and she spoke in a sort of soft, passive voice that could quickly change if she became upset.
She was a very unusual and eccentric woman that conducted herself in an almost theatrical way.
Given that Trelawney is one of the ‘good’ guys- and NOT fighting for the side of
Voldemort in the ongoing wizarding world takeover (pushing for blood purity) it
should come as a surprise to most of you that she was..Rather prejudiced. Let me explain.
After being dismissed by Umbridge from her position in the Order of the Phoenix,
it was on Dumbledore to hire a replacement Divination professor,
eventually filling the role with known centaur Firenze. When Umbridge left Hogwarts,
Trelawney was reinstated, but, given that Dumbledore wanted to keep Firenze on,
they ended up having to share the role. This deeply angered Trelawney.
Now, I can understand Trelawney’s frustration with not wanting to share her job,
BUT- she was fired and Firenze had nothing to do with it. All he did was get hired, show up,
and do his job. Sharing her position would mean that she would direct a considerable
amount of hatred towards Firenze, hatred that almost made her seem..prejudiced.
She called him names like Dobbin and the Nag.
“Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not,
that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the
horse? But no... we share classes... it's an insult, frankly, an insult."
She talks about Firenze with DISDAIN in her voice, which is surprising given that she is a ‘good guy’
and one of the key themes in Harry Potter is discrimination. What do you think?
2. The Origins of Crookshanks
Before being adopted by Hermione Granger, Crookshanks the half-kneazle ginger cat
was just a cat in a pet store that apparently, nobody wanted. We know that in 1993 he’s purchased
from Magical Menagerie by Hermione- going on to win her heart, as well as the hearts
of many others. But have you ever wondered WHO Crookshanks belonged to BEFORE Hermione?
One popular fan theory suggests that Crookshanks, our favourite squished-faced cat,
once belonged to none other than the Potter family.
Supporting arguments are:
-That he had been at Magical Menagerie for ‘ages’
-He knew exactly who Sirius and Wormtail were in their Animagus forms (suggesting prior knowledge)
-That he was (maybe) mentioned in a letter Harry found addressed to Sirius from his mum.
Harry apparently ‘almost killed’ the cat on his toy broomstick.
This theory is a bit of a stretch as there isn’t much to support
it…BUT, it sure is an interesting one, and could technically work.
1. Snape Speaks in CODE to Harry
This theory centres on Severus Snape, Harry Potter, and one of their first
encounters in Snape’s first year potions class. More specifically- it involves
a secret message that Snape may have relayed to Harry when they first met.
Snape makes it very clear right away that he does not like Harry- mocking him as Hogwarts’
‘new celebrity’ right before quizzing him on the spot about different magical herbs.
“There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class.
As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art
that is potion-making. However, for those select few who possess the predisposition,
I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to
bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death. Then again, maybe some of you have
come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not
pay attention! Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of
asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter,
would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?...And what is the difference between
monkshood and wolfsbane?...Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Mr. Potter?”
At first glance, all this dialogue shows us is that Snape wants to bully Harry a bit-
he’s purposely asking Harry questions to which he does not know the answer.
However, the theory that I want to discuss suggests that Snape’s
questions are actually relaying a secret message to Harry. However,
it’s not a message that he ever expected Harry to understand. Snape is a complex individual,
and the message in question was simply for himself. Let’s dissect Snape’s ‘secret’ message.
His first question to Harry is:
"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
And what’s curious about this is that according to the Victorian Flower Language, ‘Asphodel’
is actually a type of Lily. This lily means ‘my regrets follow you to the grave’ and the second
part of Snape’s question - ‘wormwood’ means ‘absence’- which is symbolized by sorrow.
Combined this could be interpreted as 'I bitterly regret Lily's death'."- and this is
of course significant because Lily is Harry’s mother, the only woman that Snape ever loved.
Deep, right?
To add to this even further, Snape’s question even contains an allusion to his own death- as
asphodel was once believed to be a cure for ‘snake bites’ which of course Snape eventually dies from.
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Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live