Harry Potter Theory

Spoiler alert before we start: Harry ends up BEATING Voldemort. Also please Subscribe I’m begging you Anyway, with that out of the way: I don’t think many would argue that the Harry Potter novels give our dearest Harry ‘Plot Armour’. It feels like no matter what he does, or where he ends up, he always has the upper hand over Voldemort. I get it, Harry can’t just die- he’s the main character, but still- sometimes it feels like EVERYTHING is going against him but he STILL comes out on top. In particular, over Voldemort. When you actually go back through the books, there are several points where the Dark Lord is winning. He has control. He has the numbers. He has the advantage. And then - almost inexplicably- he gives it away. Which is exactly why today I want to examine the books with a little more scrutiny, and extract 5 very plausible ways that Voldemort could have actually WON. These aren’t far-fetched explanations or over-the-top theories, these are very real, and most importantly very CANON-CONSISTENT moments where a single decision would have changed the entire outcome of the war. Let’s dive in to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everyone, Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Some big harry potter news making the rounds at the moment. Over the past several months, Warner Bros. has reportedly been exploring a potential sale due to significant corporate debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the world of Harry Potter there are a few witches and wizards that are just..A cut above the rest. You know who I’m talking about.. Dumbledore Grindelwald Voldemort And while they are all undeniably UNIQUE in a multitude of ways, what truly sets them apart from the rest is their IMMENSE magical power The ultimate currency among witches and wizards. In a past video I discussed WHY I think that these powerful few ARE the way that they are..Whether it’s attributed to their natural ability, their intelligence, their drive, or in some cases - the trauma that shaped them. But regardless of how they achieved it, these witches and wizards reached the very peak of the magical spectrum. Which is why today I want to approach this from a slightly different angle- taking a closer look at the witches and wizards who never reached their full potential. To clarify, I’m talking about those who COULD HAVE been among the most powerful, but fell short for some reason. Full transparency: When I came up with this topic I had NO IDEA what the final list was going to look like. Of course a few names popped in to my head, but constructing a final 5 wasn’t an easy task as there are SO MANY deserving characters. I think at least one of them will be a surprise. I’m also sure that your opinions will vary from mine, so comment YOUR TOP 5 down below before we start. Anyway, let’s dive in to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is going to be a bit of a world shatterer. Wouldn’t it be a cruel and tragic twist if the one witch whose love was powerful enough to defeat Voldemort… Was herself the victim of a love potion? And that the purest act of love in the entire wizarding world came from someone who never truly understood her love for her own husband? What if, beneath the surface of their famous love story, there lurked something much more…Sinister? What if James, desperate to win over the witch who repeatedly rejected him, resorted to the most drastic — and frankly, pathetic — of measures? Join me today as we unpeel the difficult reality surrounding one of the Wizarding World’s most well-known love stories, as well as the far reaching implications it may have caused. Don’t worry, I’ll cover arguments FOR and AGAINST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A while back I made a video called ‘Why Didn't Voldemort Try to RECRUIT Grindelwald?’, and basically- the focus of that video was why Voldemort never made any attempts to recruit an imprisoned Grindelwald at Nurmengard. On both occasions that Voldemort rose to power, Grindelwald was sitting in a locked tower, so it always felt a bit peculiar to me that he wouldn’t have tried to recruit the most powerful resource at his disposal..Especially at times when things weren’t looking particularly good for him. Ultimately, I concluded that the two men were simply too different to ever form a real alliance — at least at this stage in each of their lives. Voldemort never sought Grindelwald’s help because he didn’t believe he needed it. By the time he rose to power, he saw himself as the apex of magical evolution—immortal, unstoppable, and unrivaled. The very idea of reaching out to another powerful dark wizard, particularly one who had already been publicly defeated, would have felt beneath him. His obsession with control and dominance also wouldn’t have left any room for shared power or rival influence. And the truth here is that Grindelwald, despite having been beaten decades prior, still carried influence—and it’s entirely possible that his name, his ideology, and his ability to inspire loyalty could have easily disrupted the fragile obedience Voldemort maintained through fear. To recruit Grindelwald would be to risk dissent within his ranks and this was simply not the kind of risk that Voldemort would have been willing to take But I think that even IF Voldemort had reached out, Grindelwald would have refused. The man we see in Nurmengard is no longer the revolutionary of his youth. He is reflective, burdened by the weight of his past, and—at least in part—repentant. Grindelwald may have been a dark wizard, but he was also a thinker, and most importantly a man with a cause—however flawed. I fully stand behind the idea that an old Voldemort and an old Grindelwald just wouldn’t have worked out. But in today’s video, I want to explore a different timeline that I FEEL has entirely different dynamics, one in which Grindelwald, at the height of his power, recruited a young Tom Riddle. I think this arrangement is far more likely, far more plausible and far more dangerous. I’d also like to put forth a bold statement: the version of Voldemort that we got in the existing timeline Is NOT the most dangerous version. Let’s dive in to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video we’ll be briefly touching on a few bits of news related to the much-anticipated HBO Harry Potter TV Series. If you don’t know what this show is by now then I don’t really know what to say..Other than it’s impressive that you’ve managed to avoid it somehow. The show has been a talking point on this channel for years now — and what once felt like a far-fetched rumor has slowly become an undeniable reality. And in the most recent update from HBO’s chairman Casey Bloys, it looks like we’ve even got a fairly definitive release date. “We’ve been saying 2027, I would say, to narrow it down to some extent, early 2027. And now you’re going to ask, does that mean January, February, March, April, that we’re not ready to say. I’ll say early 2027.“ It’s always to tell hard how ‘firm’ these release dates given to us by TV execs truly are, but in the context of the Harry Potter show, this does feel very ‘real’ as they’ve only been able to narrow it down further as time goes on. It feels weird to say, but I guess that means the show is coming out in about a year. To get even more excited, let’s take a look at some of the other updates on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hey everyone, Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Over the many years that I’ve done YouTube, I see variations of the same comment pop up on my videos all the time — “Where does all this extra information come from?” And to be honest, this is a fair thing to ask, because very often I go BEYOND the 7 books and pull information from things like extended publications, interviews and most pertinent to today’s video: TWEETS from JK Rowling herself. Some of these secondary sources are an absolute goldmine for digging deeper into Potter lore, and while they sometimes just reveal fairly innocuous things like character birthdays… There’s also lots of good stuff in there that will change not just how you see a character, but also how you interpret major moments in the story. And because a lot of these factoids came from quick, casual replies Rowling posted on Twitter…They would have been pretty easy to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In my last video I discussed how the Harry Potter film franchise effectively butchered Voldemort’s character by omitting huge portions of his backstory. I then went on to argue that WITHOUT these character tidbits (well, tidbits if they were massive..what’s the MASSIVE version of a tidbit?) it’s nearly impossible to properly understand Voldemort’s motivations as a villain. Why is he obsessed with immortality? Who were his parents? Why does he feel like he’s got so much to prove? In the films, Voldemort is essentially reduced to “he’s evil… because he’s evil.” Scary dark wizard do bad thing. And while this was certainly less than ideal, we do still get the gist of his—albeit much flatter—character. But for a character like Dumbledore, who has far more moral ambiguity (especially in his earlier years) the omission of these foundational pieces of his story becomes even more problematic. And like Voldemort, Dumbledore’s origins are BARELY touched on in the films. From the films and the films alone we SORT OF get that he’s got some brother drama, some father drama, some mother drama and even some sister drama (if potentially killing her counts as that). But we never see how those events shaped him in to the wise old headmaster of present day. We never see the guilt. The fear of power. The self-imposed restraint that defines who Dumbledore becomes. And perhaps most importantly, his relationship with Grindelwald—the single most consequential relationship of his life—is almost entirely omitted. Today we’ll be diving into territory that the films DIDN’T cover and taking a closer look at the Albus Dumbledore film fans never got the chance to see. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bold statement here, but if you never read the books- then I’m not sure you understand Voldemort’s character as well as you might think. Because interestingly, despite Voldemort being the primary antagonist in the books and films, as well as arguably the second most important character (next to Harry, of course)- a lot of his origin story actually never made it onto the big screen. Sure, we get some bits and pieces as the films progress, and we get a few flashbacks in the Half-Blood Prince, but honestly, if I hadn’t read the books- I really don’t think that I would have properly understood many of the key components that relate back to his family … In The Half-Blood Prince novel especially, Dumbledore spends a significant amount of time guiding Harry through Tom Riddle’s past using Pensieve memories.They are the blueprint for understanding Voldemort—how he thinks, what he values, and why he made the choices he did. But in the movie adaptation, most of these memories never appear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A couple of months ago I made a video discussing the fate of Voldemort’s AFTER his final defeat in the Deathly Hallows. And although Voldemort’s death looks fairly different from book to film- DISINTEGRATING into a thousand pieces in the films and simply falling to the ground with mundane finality in the books- one thing remained the same: Voldemort’s soul was completely and utterly destroyed. And unquestionably this was due to his pursuit of Horcruxes. By repeatedly tearing his soul apart—splitting it again and again in the name of immortality—Voldemort ensured that when death finally came for him, there was simply nothing whole left to survive it. And his soul, repeatedly mutilated beyond recognition, was incapable of moving on- forcing him to remain a broken fragment trapped in a state of eternal limbo. But here’s the thing.. Although creating Horcruxes is a sure fire way to destroy the state of your soul, it’s important to remember that it’s not the ONLY way. And this brings into the question the fate of some of the other characters in the series.. In particular, a character with a fairly dubious past: Albus Dumbledore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. As is tradition, with the closing of another year I’ve put together a compilation of some of the most popular theories from 2025. Sit back, relax and enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a clip that just surfaced online, we got footage of an interview with Ralph Fiennes where he seems to accidentally reveal the name of the new VOLDEMORT in the upcoming HBO series. I’ll play the clip then let you know my thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if Snape Never Switched Sides? This one’s going to be a doozy. Severus Snape is perhaps one of the most important characters in the Harry Potter series. He was the man who first delivered the prophecy to Voldemort. He was the man trusted with secrets powerful enough to decide the outcome of the war. He was the man who protected the son of the woman he loved, even when that boy hated him. And perhaps most importantly, he was the man who chose the mission over redemption, knowing history would never forgive him. In fact, Snape’s role in Harry Potter is so deep that it’s hard to imagine the story without him. Neatly every driving plot point and every major turning moment hinges on Snape’s involvement in some way, shape, or form. And all of this just makes the question of him NEVER switching sides even more fascinating. Because if Severus Snape never made that choice—if he never turned against Voldemort—then the story we know simply couldn’t exist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A while back I released ‘7 Major Events BEFORE The Harry Potter Story Started’ parts 1 and 2- segments of a series where I discuss events that took place PRIOR to the books and films. Harry Potter lore is WAY deeper than some people realize (maybe not tolkien level deep, but that’s asking a lot), so today we’re going to be winding the clocks back once again and exploring 7 more significant events in Harry Potter canon. The last video left us in the early parts of the 16th century, so today we’ll be picking things up in the latter half. Let’s dive into it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Running a Harry Potter channel, I get to see a LOT of opinions. And I mean A LOT. Which means that at any given moment, I’ve got a pretty good idea of where the fandom sits on a particular issue. For example: The Cursed Child is FAIRLY universally hated among Harry Potter purists, enjoyable to casuals, and probably the best thing they’ve ever seen to people unfamiliar with the story altogether. OF COURSE there’s nuance here, as I for example can appreciate the Cursed Child as a separate entity, but basically my point is this: I’ve got a fairly clear understanding of the landscape. And in a time when (let’s be honest) fan expectations for the Harry Potter TV Show are a little glim, it looks we’ve been delivered a great equalizer- something that will appease pretty much anyone that’s been keeping up with the show’s progress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Pettigrew is remembered..Almost exclusively as a coward and a traitor. A man who betrayed his closest friends, sold out an innocent family, and aligned himself with Voldemort purely out of fear. And after Voldemort’s first downfall, he faked his own death, framed a childhood friend for his crimes, and spent over a decade hiding in the shadows—quite literally—rather than face the consequences of his choices. And yet… Peter Pettigrew was sorted into Gryffindor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Did you know, sir? Then?..." "Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all-time? No." These were the words exchanged by Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore after taking a glance in to the Pensieve and observing Dumbledore’s first encounter with a young Tom Riddle. And it’s these words that clarify WHY Dumbledore saved Tom, invited him to Hogwarts, and gave him a magical education. Because you see, Dumbledore, despite a few signs here and there, could never have known that this young troubled boy would go on to cause so much death and destruction. I mean, how could he? But the exchange does make me wonder: what would have happened IF Dumbledore HAD known what young Tom Riddle’s TRUE capabilities were? What if he knew just how many lives he’d claim, and how much destruction he’d cause? Would things have been different? Would he have attended Hogwarts? Just how different would the magical world have been had Dumbledore obtained that singular (albeit, MASSIVE) piece of information. Today we’re going to be answering all of that and more as we discuss a scenario in which Dumbledore WAS aware of Voldemort’s true capabilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“How come you’re not in Ravenclaw?” he demanded, staring at Hermione with something close to wonder. “With brains like yours?” Ravenclaw student Terry Boot asks Hermione this directly in Order of the Phoenix, during the DA’s first meeting in the Hog’s Head. And, unsurprisingly, Terry Boot is not the only person to have ever thought about this. In fact, since the Harry Potter books first came out, one of the most pervasive questions surrounding the series is WHY Hermione Granger, one of Hogwarts’ smartest students, WASN’T sorted into its most studious house. Today we’re going to be tackling a question that has long divided fans- Was Hermione Granger truly a Gryffindor— or was she actually meant for Ravenclaw? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if I told you that there was a witch from Harry Potter lore that, despite possessing levels of power similar to the founders of Hogwarts..No one really talks about. This witch, known more commonly for her title as a ‘sorceress’ was known for her extraordinary magical abilities—so much so that her name became legend, even beyond the wizarding world. Her mastery over spells and enchantments rivaled that of the most powerful sorcerers in history, yet for some reason, she remains overlooked in most discussions of magic. But who was this witch? And why has her legacy faded into obscurity? Today we’ll be discussing all of that and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices