Mike Windle/Universal Studios/NBC via Getty Images / Reddit
Most of us started reading the Harry Potter series when we were younger and more naive than we are now. There are plenty of things in the books that we maybe didn't quite catch the first time around.
These devoted Harry Potter fans got together to share some of those moments that still leave them a bit baffled and some fan theories that might fix them.
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1. Well Someone Seriously Misjudged The Tone Of The Story
When I was a kid reading the Chamber of Secrets, I had a theory about what was going to happen in the third book that now makes me laugh a lot, so I thought I'd share!
I thought that because Hagrid was expelled in his 3rd year at Hogwarts, and because his name was cleared about opening the Chamber of Secrets in Harry's 2nd year, he was going to continue his third year of education, as an adult student in the 3rd year with Harry and friends lol it wasn't that far-fetched at the time! I thought they were going to fast track him to getting his wand back officially Billy Madison style.
When Hagrid became a teacher in the 3rd year I was so confused... He wasn't allowed to use a wand, but they allowed him to be a teacher? It didn't make a lot of sense! But obviously it worked out in the end haha
That's all I've got, just something funny for you all to think about and maybe come up with some fun or funny ideas of where the plot could have gone from that point.
Mischief Managed.
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2. Oh, Game Animals, Not Game Pieces. Our Bad.
Confession: When I was a kid I didnt really understand what a gamekeeper actually was, and I just assumed that Hagrids sole job was to look after the Quidditch balls.
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3. Was Rowling Trying To Tell Us Malfoy Was A Werewolf And We All Missed It?
I believe that year six Draco was made a werewolf by Greyback and that's why he looked so sick (displaying all the same outward appearances that were used to describe Lupins ailing health) not due to stress. The book was never clear he had the Dark Mark, Harry just assumed, and Hermione was the one that kept insisting they never saw anything and it was dangerous for Harry to assume something like that. I think Draco was threatening the shop keeper with a bit scar on his arm, because the name -of all Death Eaters- he used to intimidate the man was Greyback, notoriously sent out by the Dark Lord to bite people -particularly the children of people- who stand against or fail the Dark Lord. Lucius had failed the Dark Lord in year five in trying to get the prophecy, and I think Draco was punished for it. The DL then assigned Draco that impossible task to try and win back his familys honor. I think he worked in the room of requirement, and on the night of the full moon, when he required it, it was a safe place for him to transform.
On page 321 of the Half Blood Prince, Harrys observation of Draco is interesting. (emphasis bold)
Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking-up that intrigued him; he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages; he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly grayish tinge to his skin.Compare this to the description of Remus Lupin in Prisoner of Azkaban on page 185. (again, emphasis bold)Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes…
This, as well as the lengthy explanation Lupin gave at Christmas to Harry about how Greyback punished the children of people he felt insulted or angered by, by biting them…and Narcissas rant about how the Dark Lord is punishing Draco for Lucius mistake and such lead me to great suspicion.Could Draco Malfoy be a Werewolf?
Thats just what I love to think in my head.
Nothing upsets a pureblood family pride more than their only son being a tainted wolf.
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4. We Need This.
Imagine McGonagall giving Hagrid another chance after the war. Imagine his eyes welling up with tears when he gets to exchange his umbrella for a wand. Imagine him sitting eagerly among a class of scared first years.
And he gets his letter from an owl.
And Harry takes him shopping for school in Diagon Alley to return the favor!
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5. Can We Get A GPS Location On Hagrid?
Between Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, Hagrid's hut seems to change location from really near to the castle to a bit distanced, requiring a longer walk. I know the reason for this is because of a director change, but I was wondering if there were any more plot driven or factual reasons for the change.
When I was reading the books, I was under the impression that his hut was quite a ways away from the castle, along with the Dark Forest (essentially, like PoA forward portrays it). However, watching Sorcerer's Stone an innumerable number of times as a kid has the image of Harry, Hermione, and Ron walking under the cloak to a Hagrid's hut that's just a couple tenths of a mile away from the castle burned into my brain.
Canonically speaking, which is more accurate?
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6. Siriusly Solo
I wonder if Sirius got sent to Azkaban a virgin. He was really young , and there was literally never any mention of anyone he was involved with.
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7. Those Hashtags Are Vicious
How did Harry not realize the handwriting in the Half-Blood Prince's potion book was the same handwriting he had spent five years reading off of a black board?
#BecauseHarry'sAnIdiotThat'sWhy
#ForTheMainCharacterOfSuchAGoodBookSeries
#HeReallyIsAnIdiot
#OohWhat'sThisLongSkinnyBroomstickShapedPackage?
#OHITSABROOMSTICKNOWAY
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8. That Grey Area.
The world isn't split into good people and death eaters.
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9. That Grey Area, Part Deux
I do adore the characters that most would consider good (Hermione, Luna); but the morally grey/controversial characters are definitely my favorites. Characters like Snape, Sirius, Draco and Dumbledore I wouldn't consider to be completely good, but I definitely don't consider any of them bad either. They're flawed and complicated, and I just feel for them so much. Most of these characters get quite a bit of hate from the fandom but I don't even care, I love them.
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10. Ron's Learning Disability
When Ron, frustrated with studying for NEWTs and with Hermiones anxious sixth-year nagging, explains to her what reading is like for him, Hermiones breath catches. Ron, youre dyslexic, she says, softly, and instantly regrets every snide comment shes ever made towards his study habits.
Soon, by asking around, Hermione amasses a list of spells for Ron to try - some stilling the page, some changing the font of books for easy reading, some going after Rons temporal lobe directly.
These help, a little, but not as much as knowing theres a word for why reading is so hard for him. That its normal, that hes not stupid, and that Hermione suddenly helps instead of criticizes, looks for solutions rather than complains, praises instead of gloats.
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11. We totally ship #Harric
"You know the Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor? It's not a bad place for a bath." Can you just imagine if there were people passing by and they heard Cedric saying that to Harry? They'd probably be thinking that they would go to that restroom and make loooooove and then when Cedric died it made sense why Harry was like on top of him and bawling. Because his boyfriend died! OMG That Hogwart's student probably thought they were Sherlock figuring all this sh*t out. I bet all the students shipped them. I bet they called them Harric; the starcrossed champions from Hogwart's.
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12. No Love For Luna
I actually didn't like Luna. While she spent a lot of time criticizing Hermione for being closed minded, she herself completely rejected the idea of scientific process, or the idea of rationality behind evidence based acceptance. Calling someone closed minded for utilizing critical thinking skills is closed minded, and frankly dangerous. Look at how that horn in her house almost got the trio killed because her and her father both refused to see reason. That's not cute, it's ridiculous.
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13. American Re-Writes
Since they changed Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone for America, I decided to change the rest since us Americans are too dumb to understand the word philosopher:
Harry Potter and the Whisper Snake Place
Harry Potter and That Mean Jail Man
Harry Potter and The Hot Cup
Harry Potter and The Bird Club
Harry Potter and The Guy With Only Some Blood
Harry Potter and Death
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14. Okay But How Did This Elder Wand Thing Work?
I honestly got really confused at the end about whose wand was which and whose was the elder wand and why that was important. Still confused after watching the movies. Help please.
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15. Early Intervention Could Have Avoided Voldemort
I think that Tom Riddle could have been saved. However, it would have taken early intervention during his developmental years to help him overcome what appears to be a sociopathic nature. I work with kids who don't see people as people all the time and with direct intervention they become decent adults. It wasn't on Dumbledore, Dippet or even Slughorn, although they all could have helped. His loss of humanity was at the feet of the orphanage.
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16. Can's Unsee This Now.
For years I thought Moaning Myrtle was played by Daniel Radcliffe in a wig.
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17. And This Bonus Headcannon From Rowling Herself:
I said to Arthur, my American editor - we had an interesting conversation during the editing of seven - the moment when Harry takes Draco's wand. Arthur said 'God. That's the moment when the ownership of the Elder want is actually transferred?" And I said "That's right."
He said: "Shouldn't that be a bit more dramatic?"
And I said: "No. Not at all. The reverse."
I think it really puts the elaborate, grandiose plans of Dumbledore and Voldemort in their place. That actually the history of the wizarding world hinged on two teenaged boys wrestling with each other. They weren't even using magic. It became an ugly little corner tussle for the possession of wands. And I really liked that - that very human moment, as opposed to these two wizards who were twitching strings and manipulating and implanting information and husbanding information and guarding information, you know? Ultimately it just came down to that, a little scuffle and fistfight in the corner and pulling a wand away. It says a lot about the world at large, I think; about conflict in the world and the difference one individual can make. Always the difference one individual can make.
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
tsunami GIF
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
Scared The Launch GIF by CTV
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPost
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
sleepy kitten GIF
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...