As with any good book or movie, the more you watch it, the more you learn from it. There are so many clues that you don’t catch the first time you read or watch something.
That’s never been more true than with this series. If you’re a Harry Potter fanatic, you’ve likely given the books several read-throughs and watched the movies a few times as well.
It’s only natural, then, for people to interpret their own meanings or come up with their own theories as to why things happen the way they do. And if you should happen to have developed your own theory, there’s no better place to unload it than on the internet. Hello Giggles points out that one Redditor who has come up with an alternate reason that Harry survives at the end of the Harry Potter series.
“Everyone goes by the explanation in Deathly Hallows given by Dumbledore as to why Harry didn’t die at the end of the book. He says: because Voldemort took Harry’s blood to recreate his body, Lily’s protection kept Harry from dying,” WippitGuud wrote.
But this fan seems to think Harry did die before being resurrected. If Lily’s love had protected him from dying, then why didn’t it leave a physical mark like his lightening bolt scar?
Another point: “To destroy a Horcrux, the container must be destroyed.” If Harry hadn’t died, the Horcrux wouldn’t have been destroyed, and he wouldn’t have been able to defeat Voldemort.
Ok, so you’re probably wondering, “If Harry died, then how did he come back?” Well, there’s an explanation for that, too.
Harry had brought the three deathly hallows together. “He had the stone and the cloak, and the curse was cast from the Elder Wand, which he was currently master of.” As the master of the deathly hallows, Harry was in effect the master of death—and so was able to defeat it.
The coolest part of this theory? Dumbledore knew Harry had this power all along but kept it a secret from him as a means of protection. After all, you’re likely to live a little differently if you know you can beat death at the end of the day.
Mind-blowing stuff isn’t it? For even more theories, check out the /r/FanTheories subreddit.
[h/t: Hello Giggles]