Hallow-lu-jah! A new “Harry Potter” theory is sweeping the internet faster than a Nimbus 2000. But is it truly magical?
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published and five years since the last movie came out. You’d think by now we’d all move on. As Dumbledore says, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.”
Nah. Forget that! Reddit is again attempting to change the way we look at the Harry Potter story, though this one could have fans ready to duke it out like the Battle of Hogwarts all over again.
The theory: Harry Potter was actually killed by Voldemort, but he was resurrected by the Deathly Hallows.
When Voldemort casts the Killing Curse at Harry Potter at the end of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” we’re expected to believe that Voldemort only kills the part of his soul that’s trapped in Harry and that The Boy Who Lived continues to do so.
Dumbledore says to Harry, “I think we can agree that you are not dead.” But what if Dumbledore lied?
Reddit user WippitGuud theorizes that Harry did actually die in the woods that night.
In the books, Dumbledore says Harry wasn’t killed by Voldemort because the Dark Lord had used Harry’s blood to recreate his body. “Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily’s protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!” Dumbledore explains.
But the Reddit user isn’t buying it.
The evidence:
WippitGuud condenses the evidence to three main points:
When Harry was hit by the killing curse as a baby, it rebounded and killed Voldemort, necessitating that he create a new body. This did not happen the second time.
When Harry was hit by the killing curse as a baby, it left a visible mark. This did not happen the second time.
To destroy a Horcrux, the container must be destroyed.
The Redditor explains that if Harry had not died, the portion of Voldemort’s soul would have also survived. As additional proof, the Redditor says the protection Harry gave his friends at Hogwarts is more evidence that he died:
Because Harry sacrificed himself to protect others, the people in Hogwarts had the same protection that Harry had when Lily sacrificed herself to protect Harry. From the book:
“I’ve done what my mother did. Haven’t you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can’t torture them. You can’t touch them.”
For that to have actually affected everyone, Harry would’ve needed to truly die.
But if he died, how’d he come back?
The Redditor believes it was the Hallows. Because Harry was master of the Deathly Hallows — the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak — he was able to come back from death.
WippitGuud argues that Dumbledore didn’t tell Harry he was dead to protect him.
“Dumbledore lied to Harry. Probably to protect him — knowing you’re the master of the Hallows could make anyone power hungry,” wrote the Redditor.
The case against:
Ten points to Reddit for outstanding moral fiber! But the theory has some strong arguments against it, too.
1. Harry doesn’t have the Resurrection Stone.
You’d think the Resurrection Stone would be handy in bringing Harry back to life, but the dude just drops it in the forest. He doesn’t have it. As WippitGuud wrote, “Yes, but he still used it. The effects can be lingering.”
Fellow Reddit user rj20876 responded by saying that explanation was a “stretch.” It is. The series has been known to make wild stretches before, though. It’s about a kid who goes to wizard school, after all.
2. Dumbledore does tell Harry he’s the master of the Hallows. So why lie?
The theory explains Dumbledore lied to Harry and said he wasn’t dead in order to save him from being power-hungry. It’s true Dumbledore himself was power-hungry and had worried Potter would get the Hallows at the wrong time. One problem, though: Dumbledore outright tells Harry he’s the master of death.
Dumbledore explains:
You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.
He also tells Harry, “You are the worthy possessor of the Hallows.” So Potter basically knows he’s the man right now. Why lie about him actually being dead or not?
3. Harry explains how he could cast a sacrificial protection spell without actually dying.
In his final confrontation with Voldemort, Harry tells He Who Must Always Be Lame that he won’t be able to kill any of his friends again because he was ready to die for them.
“But you did not!” says Voldemort.
“I meant to, and that’s what did it. I’ve done what my mother did. They’re protected from you,” says Harry.
So it appears you can make the sacrificial protection spell without actually dying. That’s good to know.
19 paragraphs later ...
OK, so after all that, what do you think? It can be argued either way. Sure, the book says he didn’t die, but it may have just been Dumbledore lying again. If that’s the case, we’re just Done-bledore with that dude.
H/T Reddit
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