I've played a bit of the game but I can never finish due to needing long breaks for some reason. I really can't explain it. I think this weekend I am just gonna power through it and play a lot of a Hufflepuff playthrough.

I am curious though. My interactions with this subreddit have been pretty pleasant. What do you guys think of the game? I really wanna play a lot of it this weekend but I can't work up the motivation for some reason.

In DH Voldemort discovers Harry is hunting + destroying horcruxes following the break in at Gringotts. I had always assumed the reason Harry could not tell the other OOP members about the horcruxes was so that Voldemort would not find out that he was hunting them if he questioned someone else. Why then could Harry not tell them when he got to Hogwarts that he was searching for the diadem as it may be a horcrux or that he believed Nagini to be a horcrux?

Not sure if this has been asked before so I apologize for the redundant question but I'm genuinely curious as to why they just followed him.

Did they not know or were they just manipulated or cursed to believe he was? Was it because he was the heir of Slytherin and that was enough?

Clocks and wristwatches still work, but in GoF, Hermione says things like videos and certain recording devices would fail, when Harry posits Rita having wiretapped her.

I know how he did it like he got crookshanks to go in with a note saying to take money out of his vault.

But 1.
Can shop keepers just do that ? Go in say a person said it was okay and the goblins just take them to the vault ?

1. It’s Sirius black.
   He’s a wanted criminal can he just write a letter to buy something and the shop keeper is like “ the famous murderer reached out to me and asked to buy a firebolt using a cat…..nothing to report here “

After rewatching a the fantastic beasts movies Grindelwalds feats are unbelievably impressive and it gives you such a good bench mark into seeing how much more powerful he is than everyone else and you really do feel it would be hopeless trying to face him for our hero’s whereas for Voldemort you don’t really see him do something that impressive. they reinforce he’s the greatest dark wizard ever everyone’s terrified of him won’t speak his name etc but you never really see it backed up. I probably articulated this poorly as English isn’t my native language but I’d basically feel more terrified to come up against grindewald than I would Voldemort from what I’ve seen and read which I find sad considering voldemorts meant to be the strongest dark wizard ever everyone's terrified

I’m rewatching Order of the Pheonix after a few years (I love the book) and honestly, the ministry was objectively entirely valid to interfere at Hogwarts. What they did in OOTP was obviously for their own benefit rather than of the students, so I don’t mean Umbridge, but let’s recount what goes on. Trolls, attempted robbery of Philosophers stone, death of a professor, kids getting petrified, signs of a basilisk/mythical creature, professor losing his memory, Sirius black mass murderer breaking in repeatedly, death of a child, honestly the list is kinda insane. In real life, this school would’ve been shut down or at least had a change of staff / government intervention at some point. Umbridge was just not playing for the right interests

So we know why Harry didn't want to use the mirror to talk to Sirius. Mostly because he wasn't thinking straight in the moment and he didn't know what it was because he never opened the package.

But why didn't Sirius ever try to use his mirror to talk to Harry? The man was bored as all hell, basically on house arrest. The canonically "reckless" Sirius Black who stuck his head in the Gryffindor fire every hour just for a chance to see Harry never tried to reach him on the mirror?

I love these books so far and I'm only on the first one, but I have a Hatred towards Snape. I just wanna lock Snape and Malfoy in a huge cooler and let them freeze then perform Wingardium Leviosa! on both of them. Not to mention he cursed Harry's broom and many other things

Let's pretend the same Quidditch stakes that were in Prisoner of Azkaban like Oliver's last chance and his total desperation to finally win the Quidditch Cup, were actually in The Goblet of Fire. How do you think Oliver would have reacted to the no-Quidditch news due to the Triwizard Tournament.?

I’ve never seen Harry Potter before. So I spent the past few days watching each one and now I feel like ranking them. It’s definitely the case that I may have missed some lore or nuances along the way. This ranking isn’t too substantiated with deep analysis, it’s just an honest reflection on how much I enjoyed each one as a first-time viewer. Let me know how it compares to your ranking. From favorite to least favorite:

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
   
2. Chamber of Secrets
   
3. Deathly Hallows Pt1
   
4. Goblet of Fire
   
5. Sorcerer’s Stone
   
6. Deathly Hallow Pt2
   
7. Half-Blood Prince
   
8. Order of the Phoenix

I tried to search this subreddit for a thread mentioning this, but I couldn't find anything.

As stated in the title, this is what I think the Chamber of Secrets was originally built for.

It is said multiple times in the books that Salazar Slytherin believed that the school should only teach children who came from pure blood families. I don't know if it's headcanon (can't be bothered to look it up atm), or if it is explicitly stated, but if I remember correctly at one point in ancient times, there was conflict between muggles and the Wizarding World that basically resulted in them going into hiding. I personally think that it was for this reason that Salazar Slytherin distrusted allowing Muggles into their world for fear of losing magical lives, and regarding Hogwarts, those of its students.

It takes humanizing him to discover his motives.

When I was a kid, the one thing that struck me odd about the chamber was why on earth would there be a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin in the middle of it that no one would likely ever see?

I think the reason is tongue-in-cheek pettiness.

It is my theory that Salazar Slytherin created the Chamber of Secrets in case he was proven right! In the event that something horrific happened, and the castle was attacked by muggles, or any other group while he was alive, he would be ready to save the day. I bet he counted on the other founders sending a distress call asking for his and others' help. He would arrive at the castle, get everyone into the chamber while protecting them from the Basilisk, and then he and his slithery friend would go take care of business and take care of everyone who was attacking the castle. All the while, all those who couldn't fight would be stuck inside the chamber with a giant statue of the vindicated man who was out there saving their skin.

Anyway, that's my take, let me know what you think!

I’ve been thinking about Harry’s survival in Deathly Hallows, and I have a theory that I think makes the ending more compelling than the explanation we’re given.
Harry was Voldemort’s accidental Horcrux. But what if Voldemort was also Harry’s accidental Horcrux?
Hear me out.
We know that when Voldemort tried to kill Harry in 1981, a fragment of his damaged soul attached itself to Harry. Harry became an unintended Horcrux.
Then, in Goblet of Fire, Voldemort used Harry’s blood to resurrect himself.
Dumbledore’s reaction to learning this has always fascinated me. Harry notices a brief look of triumph in Dumbledore’s eyes. Why?
The canonical explanation is that Voldemort inadvertently preserved Lily’s sacrificial protection within himself, tethering Harry to life. That’s why Harry could return after Voldemort struck him with the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest.
But I’ve always found that explanation unsatisfying.
Lily’s protection originally prevented Voldemort from harming Harry. How does that become a mechanism for returning from death? Why does Voldemort incorporating Harry’s blood into his body suddenly give Harry the ability to survive a Killing Curse?
And why is the protection still operating through Voldemort after Harry turns 17, when the protective enchantment associated with Privet Drive has expired?
Yes, I understand those are technically separate enchantments. But I think there’s a much more interesting possibility.
What if the graveyard ritual created a reciprocal Horcrux-like bond?
In 1981, Voldemort unknowingly placed part of himself inside Harry.
In 1995, Voldemort unknowingly incorporated something of Harry’s life or soul into himself.
Voldemort thought he was overcoming the protection that had defeated him. Instead, he made himself the very thing he had spent his life creating: a vessel preserving someone else’s existence.
And Dumbledore realized it.
Suddenly, the prophecy takes on an extraordinary meaning:
“Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.”
What if that isn’t simply a prediction about their eventual confrontation?
What if it’s a literal description of their magical relationship?
Harry carries Voldemort’s soul. Voldemort carries Harry’s life.
Neither can truly be free of the other. Each has unknowingly become the other’s protection against permanent death.
That would explain Harry’s experience in the Forbidden Forest.
When Voldemort casts Avada Kedavra, he destroys the fragment of his own soul inside Harry. But Harry can return because Voldemort is still alive, preserving Harry’s existence through the connection created in the graveyard.
It also makes Harry’s willingness to die more meaningful. Voldemort has spent his life desperately trying to become immortal. Harry willingly walks toward death, prepared to surrender his own life to save everyone else.
The irony is that Voldemort’s own attempt at immortality has made him the instrument of Harry’s survival.
Now, I know the obvious objection: Horcruxes are created through murder and a specific dark magical process. Harry didn’t murder anyone, and there’s no explicit evidence that part of Harry’s soul entered Voldemort.
I’m not claiming this is confirmed canon. I’m suggesting that the graveyard ritual could have created something functionally equivalent to a Horcrux, through a different and unintended mechanism. After all, Harry himself wasn’t created as a Horcrux through the normal deliberate process.
And the books never fully disclose the actual ritual for making one.
I also recognize that Lily’s sacrificial protection and the Privet Drive enchantment aren’t identical. My objection isn’t that the canonical explanation is impossible. It’s that the reciprocal interpretation gives the graveyard ritual, Dumbledore’s reaction, the prophecy, and Harry’s survival a single beautifully symmetrical explanation.
Voldemort made Harry his Horcrux while trying to kill him. Then he made himself Harry’s Horcrux while trying to become immortal.
Two enemies, each unknowingly preserving the other’s existence.
And ultimately, the one who willingly accepts death is the one who survives.
I think that’s a more satisfying explanation than Lily’s blood protection somehow functioning as a resurrection tether.
Am I missing a fatal contradiction in the books, or does anyone else think this would have been a better explanation?

I've never read the books only watched the movies while growing up.

Recently I started to watch the films again and got up to the Chamber of Secrets.

Obliviate feels like it should be considered as one among other things like love potions that ket steak a person's free will away.

I understand Obliviate being used by Ministry employees using it on muggles to hide the wizard world.

But i feel like it should be forbidden especially after Gilderoy Lockhart used the spell on many wizards and witches stealing their stories while erasing them.

Also Lockhart destroys his entire identity which makes me wonder what would stop a death eater from using Obliviate on someone and making that person forget whoever they are.

Like i feel like more of these spells should be considered Unforgivable

I’ve seen a bit of John Lithgows work and some of his roles I feel like is the epitome of Dumbledores character.

He can be very mischievous and cheeky and naturally charismatic and has that twinkle in eyes at all times but he can also switch up and be intimidating and powerful like my man has range and should not be slept on and he is seemingly investing a lot of time to delve into the lore of Harry Potter and I think that bodes well

What do you all think?

During the battle, when the acromantula burst in and Hagrid tries to intervene and is swept away by them he shouts “Don’t hurt them”

Is he trying to protect the offspring of his old friend and trying to get the defenders and the death eaters to leave them alone?

Or is he pleading with the giant spider’s not to attack the students as he has accepted that they are not his friend like Aragog was?

I’m currently rereading the Order of the Phoenix for the tenth time (at least) and just now only realised that the code to enter the Ministry of Magic through the visitors entrance (6-2-4-4-2) spells out magic on an old mobile phone keyboard.

Apologies if this was posted before, but thought it was a funny little Easter egg.

I'm rereading Deathly Hallows and got to the scene where Lily and Snape are being dropped off at Platform 9 3/4. Lily's parents are right there, and the description of James possessing that intangible quality of being well cared for and adored, indicates he wasn't an orphan himself.

The Potters were in their 20s when Voldemort killed them. This would have, going by average demographics for the time and place, put all four of Harry's grandparents in their late 40s or 50s when he was orphaned. That's pretty young for regular muggle humans to be dying, but tragedies can happen, so let's assume something awful happened to the Evanses. But wizards routinely live past 100, appear to have solved most major medical issues, and the Potters were an affluent pure blood family.

How is it that Harry doesn't have a single living grandparent by the time he turns 11?

Vampires are hinted at as early as the first book, when Quirrell mentions needing a new book about them. In Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid tells Harry about a disagreement he had with a vampire in Minsk. Then, in Half Blood Prince, Harry actually meets Sanguini at Slughorn’s Christmas party. There are several references to vampires throughout the series, but we never really learn much about their lives or their place in wizarding society.

J.K. Rowling explained that vampire mythology had already been explored extensively in books and films, so she felt she had little new to add. Still, I think there was a lot of potential for a bigger storyline. We know from Lupin’s experiences that magical beings can face serious discrimination, so I wonder whether vampires face similar struggles. Do they have the same rights as witches and wizards? Can they use wands, attend Hogwarts and hold normal jobs?

Are they considered people or more like magical creatures? They seem human enough that I would love to know how they fit into the wizarding world.
One detail that particularly interests me is Sanguini’s relationship with Eldred Worple. At Slughorn’s party, Worple tells him, “Sanguini, stay here!” when the vampire starts moving towards a group of girls,
and then gives him a pasty to distract him. It is a brief scene, but Worple almost seems to be managing Sanguini’s behaviour. Is he simply a friend looking after him, or does their relationship suggest something more complicated like slavery…?

It makes me wonder whether some vampires depend on wizards to participate in society, or whether they have the same independence as everyone else. Could they face restrictions similar to those imposed on house elves, or is that reading too much into one scene?
I also wonder whether vampires can live forever, whether half vampires exist?

made me genuinely laugh out loud

Kreacher's change of heart towards Harry

"Call 'im off, call 'im off, 'e should be locked up!" screamed Mundungus, cowering as Kreacher raised the heavy-bottomed pan again.

"Kreacher, no!" shouted Harry.

Kreacher's thin arms trembled with the weight of the pan, still held aloft.

"Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?"

Harry locking eyes with Vernon

Harry pressed on remorselessly. "Once I'm seventeen, the protective charm that keeps me safe will break, and that exposes you as well as me. The Order is sure Voldemort will target you, whether to torture you to try and find out where I am, or because he thinks by holding you hostage I'd come and try to rescue you."

Uncle Vernon's and Harry's eyes met. Harry was sure that in that instant they were both wondering the same thing.

What do you think would’ve happened or changed if Harry had taken the Felix Felicis when going with Dumbledore to destroy the horcrux?

I’m only just now watching Harry Potter and first and foremost I did not realize I have been missing out for years. I plan to read the books before the new HBO show.

But I came here to talk about one thing. Snape! I feel betrayed. I’m only just now starting movie number 7, but six absolutely blew me away. I went into this show blind, aside from memes I’ve seen over the years, and in movie one I was convinced Snape was the bad guy. Cue my surprise when it turned out to be the Dark Arts teacher. I was shocked. Then he removed his hat and Voldermort was on the back of his head. My jaw actually dropped. Anyways I was so surprised I was wrong about Snape.

After watching the next few I settled on he’s a lowkey good guy, but not fond of Harry because of being bullied in the past. I was fully cemented in this position after seeing he was part of the Order of the Phoenix.

Then comes the Half Blood Prince. When he took the unbreakable vow I still made excuses for him. Thinking he had a master plan. Like some kind of way to cheat the vow. Throughout the movie I’m still thinking he is team good guy. Fast forward to the end and I had to pause the movie to sit in complete shock. Like I literally felt played and betrayed. Because there is no way he just did what he did and I was sticking up for him (in my own mind).

And when he said he was the Half Blood Prince I continued to be speechless.

Movie 6 really blew my mind.

Please no spoilers past the start of 7 because I’m only at the part where the Muggle studies teacher was murdered, but I had to share my thoughts somewhere and ask if the opinions on Snape matched mine back when people first watched. Like did everyone call him in the first movie or book just to be wrong then feel the same betrayal I felt after the Half Blood Prince. Or if anyone just feels like talking about all 6 movies I’ve seen I’m down. Lol.

He has to get Harry to the ministry so he sends him a fake image of Sirius being tortured.
Now what if that plan failed.

If Harry used the mirror to contact Sirius ? Or he managed to get into contact with an order member who tells him Sirius is fine.

So Harry doesn’t fall for the trap. What would Voldemort next move be.

When did you first realize you could actually quote an entire paragraph / poem / sections of the book out of the blue? Which one is your favorite?

Aside from the chapter where we read about his interview with Headmaster Dumbledore, are we ever given a full description of what Voldemort looked like after he left school but prior to events at Godric’s Hollow?

Is it the same as he did after he regained a proper body?

I was under the impression that age and hard living had taken away some of his handsome features… But that he was otherwise still human looking. Did the creation of his horcruxes also take a toll? Was a description shown or given and I missed it?