We Have Claimed These Characters as Our Own

The series as a whole is the best-selling book series of all time and the movie series is the third highest-grossing in history behind Star Wars and the MCU.  Single books held records for being the fastest selling.  With Harry Potter being around for over twenty years and the kind of people who got interested in the universe, there should be no surprise that there are a lot of fan theories out there.  Same as Marvel, I’ve got a whole board on Pinterest devoted to “Potterverse”

These are the headcannons that fans have created that I totally support:

We want a Marauders movie, or story, or book…anything.  What was the last straw that made Sirius run away?  How did they make the map?  How did Filch get it?  What made Sirius tell Snape about the Whomping Willow?  What made Lily agree to date James?  Proof they weren’t just a bunch of jerks.  When did Peter switch sides?  Proof he was a friend and not a tagalong fanboy.  (Cast: Ben Barnes as Sirius, Andrew Garfield as Remus, Karen Gillian as Lily, Aaron Taylor Johnson as James)

What name did baby Harry say first?  (It’d be hilarious if it was Sirius or a version of Padfoot)

They became Animagus for their friend and told no one.

Prank wall covered in notes and photos

Pairing Sirius and Remus

James covers for Remus as prefect during full moons.  McGonagall totally supports this.

Sirius and Lily friendship.  Lily and Remus friendship

Lily’s friendship with all the Marauders, and individually

The Potters taking Sirius in

How did James and Lily fall in love?

James and Lily’s Patronus are complimentary (stag/doe), while Severus and Lily’s are same (doe).  Love and obsession are not the same.

James Potter was more than a bully.  A fully fledged person with a host of emotions.  James changed for Sirius when he ran away, it just so happened that it coincided with Lily noticing and agreeing to go on a date.

When Lily Evans told James Potter she wouldn’t go out with him because he was a bully, he stopped bullying people and redeemed himself.  When Lily told Severus Snape she wouldn’t go out with him because he called her a racial slur, he went and joined a racist terrorist group.  Conclusion: James Potter handled rejection much better than Severus Snape did.

The bravest things James Potter did were secrets

What if James had transformed into his stag form to take on Voldemort on Halloween night, and trampled him to death.

The novel idea that Severus and James actually work together so no one else can ask Lily out; they take care of the competition.

Or Severus and Regulus stand in front of Remus when other students try to mess with him (for instance, the other Marauders are serving detention)

We respect McGonagall.  She is as golden as her reputation.  Imagine if she had raised Harry; he’d be super polite and probably managed to kill Voldemort when he was eleven.  She also cares greatly about her students.  The Marauders would have had Transfiguration questions about becoming Animagus and posed them to McGonagall.  Yes, she got Harry a broom first year and just told Ron to replace his wand second year; but it was more giving a gift to a child who had been neglected and trying to get a family to recognize their youngest son.  She’d be a more reasonable and responsible headmaster than Albus.  Also, her sass to Umbridge.

McGonagall mothering students who need her, like Sirius.

An idea that McGonagall and the Weasleys start a program for students who are not safe at home.

Note that students get out of McGonagall’s way when she draws her wand.

James standing up to McGonagall for Sirus and Remus when Severus makes a crack that they’re privileged, and James hit Severus for it.

Harry being raised by Sirus and Remus [there are wonderful fanfiction stories out there]

We all hate Umbridge, even more than Voldemort.  (Because we know people as bigoted as Umbridge)

Dumbledore knowingly put children in danger.  And we realize that Dumbledore is manipulative and abusive, and not infallible. 

I thought Albus was a great mentor the first time I read the books; I cried at his death in Half-Blood Prince.  By Deathly Hallows, I was probably starting to lose faith.  But as I’ve matured and thought of other points of view, I’ve changed my mind.  No, he’s not a terrible person.  He was just convinced he was right and he was the only one who knew what was right and what needed to be done.  And he failed Harry.  He allowed a child to be miserable to years when he could have changed the situation and then let the child go back, so that by the time the child has grown up, he doesn’t know how to be around his blood family because they’ve hurt and dismissed him.  Great for self-esteem; but maybe that was what Dumbledore needed in order for Harry to willingly allow himself to die.  Keep him dependent on Dumbledore for information and answers, but limit how much he’s allowed to know.  Dumbledore is by far not the most evil character in the story, that lies with Umbridge and Voldemort, but he’s not a shining gold star.

Dumbledore collects outcasts: expelled half-giant, young werewolf, repentant Death Eater.  But Sirius was a rebel, not an outcast.  He knowingly chose his path and chooses the price, refuses to be used.  So Dumbledore abandons him.  Knows Sirius loyalty lies with Harry, not Dumbledore, and has no use for someone not willing to follow his orders without question.  Harry is outcast because of abusive family, which is where Dumbledore knowingly placed him.

What if Remus yelled at Dumbledore for Sirius and then quit?

An AU where Remus keeps his job.  When Umbridge comes to make rounds two years later, no one will say a bad word.  Draco won’t mess up his OWL.  Snape won’t say anything against his potion making.  Everyone behaves because the student to get Lupin tossed out will be ruined and face the wrath of Hermione Granger.

I’m on the side of Severus Snape was not the greatest guy.  He bullied a child for many things that were not that child’s fault.  You think Harry can help he looks like James?  Or he has his mother’s eyes?   Snape only cared that Voldemort was going to murder a family and one-year-old boy when he found out it was Lily.  He only wanted to rescue Lily, not her family.  He was Neville’s worst fear.  He got Remus fired and also set an essay while he was off hoping that the students would realize he’s a werewolf.  He may have had a hard job, being a spy in two camps and keeping his true allegiance a secret, but he damn well could have been a nicer person!  Saying he did it all for Lily doesn’t really absolve him of treating her son and other students abysmally.  And admittedly, Alan Rickman portrayed the man splendidly and actually made us feel sorry for the man.  No one could have played Snape better (and we have lost a gifted actor).  Snape is a complicated man, period.

Lily kicking Severus’ butt in the afterlife.  And probably Petunia’s as well

Fred Weasley joins the Marauders in the after life

Gordon Ramsey would be a better Potions professor than Snape.  He’d support kids and call Dumbledore an “idiot sandwich”

There are dozens of other options Harry should have named his son rather than Albus Severus.  For instance, Remus Arthur “you were named after two men who looked out for my safety and cared about my well-being out of altruism and decency rather than because I was a tool for them to use or because I was someone’s son.  And one of them is your grandfather and presumably you mother got some influence on naming you.”

(And seriously, this whole business of the Slytherin one being the bravest man you’ve ever known?  Like, what about Remus, who taught you the Patronus Charm?  Or Sirius breaking out of prison to save you?)

Or, if they had triplet boys and name them James, Sirius, and Remus.  That would be the last straw for McGonagall.  She’s McGonagone.

Decent Slytherins: Slughorn, Andromeda Tonks, Narcisa Malfoy…none of them bullied children

Magical Home Ec

Muggleborn witches and wizards bringing Muggle ideas to school, pop culture.  Pens.  Coffee.

The Houses: “Luna Lovegood did not confront and suffer at the hands of Death Eather for Ravenclaw to be the House of smart snobs.  Cedric Diggory did not die for Hufflepuff to be a forgotten House of underappreciated witches and wizards.  Regulus Black did not sacrifice himself for Slytherin to be condemned as the House from which all evil and selfish wizards and witches come from.  Peter Pettigrew did not sell out his long-had friends to Lord Voldemort for Gryffindor to become the golden House wherein no one can do wrong.”

Separated into Houses due to learning styles.

Remember, Slytherins value traditionalism, Hufflepuffs value hard work, Ravenclaws value creativity, wit, individuality, and Gryffindors value chivalry.

Gryffindors use magic as a weapon, but responsibly.  Hufflepuffs share magic to benefit others.  Slytherins are cautious, keep magic to selves.  Ravenclaws push the boundaries of magic.

Hufflepuffs find beauty in life.  Ravenclaws find wonder in life.  Gryffindors find excitement in life.  Slytherins find hope in life.

Gryffindors don’t care about rules, they care about justice.  Slytherins are ruthless, but they care about rules.  Ravenclaws hate rules, they prevent creativity.  Hufflepuffs emphasize equality.

House bravery: Gryffindor is doing the thing, suppressing the fear and overcoming it.  Slytherin is doing the thing because the goal outweighs the fear and risk.  Ravenclaw is doing the thing because it makes sense despite the risk.  Hufflepuff is forgetting to be afraid because the thing is so important that the risk doesn’t even matter.

Helga Hufflepuff created a secret room which would help all students, called many things, today known as the Room of Requirement

Slytherins protect younger students during the battle since their common room is removed from the fighting.

House unity.  Playing evening Quidditch games against each other.  Mixing tables after the war.  Slytherins have comfort Hufflepuffs.  House exchange programs.

Slytherin Triwizard champion.  Slytherins stand up to Umbridge.  Join Dumbledore’s Army.  Fight against Death Eaters in the Ministry.  Take in Muggleborns.

Harry is intelligent.  He’s good at magic.  Perfectly capable of becoming a terrifying Dark Wizard, times when he seems alarmingly near that point.  But he chooses not to.  Ability to love, accept love, understand love, yes, all important.  But it’s not because he’s an incorruptibly pure hero with an unprecedented fountain of love in his heart, in the end he chooses friendship and family.  Deliberately exchanges his life for the people of Hogwarts.

Harry is more sarcastic in the books

Harry’s life summarized: “Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid.”

Ron truly outdid his brothers.  Bill’s a curse breaker, Ron destroyed a Horcrux.  Ron freed the dragon from Gringotts.  Ron rose in status due to being friends with Harry, then married Hermione, literal Minister of Magic.  Ron drove a car to school one year, helped discover the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, meetings in Room of Requirement.

Ron offered a stranger half a sandwich.  He sacrificed himself for Harry and Hermione at 11 because even then he thought they were more important.  He was Harry’s first friend, the first thing Harry ever had resembling a family.  He took care of Harry and Hermione when they were too busy taking care of the rest of the world to worry about themselves.

“Shoutout to George, Fred, and especially Ron Weasley for realizing that Harry was stuck in abusive and unhealthy household, and in spite of massive trouble they knew they could get in, taking immediate steps to personally see him removed from that environment, something no adult in Harry’s life did.”

Charlie Weasley the next Care of Magical Creatures teacher.

Charlie Weasley bringing dragons to the final battle

Weasley appreciation: Try having a couple Weasleys illegally on the airwaves, one destroying Voldemort’s Horcruxes, one protesting at Hogwarts, one running loose in the government, one housing escaped prisoners, and one getting foreign support!  More children than they can afford?  Try more children than you can effectively stop!  Would you like to pick an opponent based on which Quidditch position they excel at, or do you wanna roll the dice and go with one of the brothers who got 12 OWLs?  Those are your only two options because the Weasleys are EVERYWHERE and the weak link is NO ONE.  Glorious.  Iconic.  Every Weasley has red hair, freckles, and a drive to destroy the concept of blood purity at all cost!!

Characters (particularly the Weasleys and Hermione) recognizing and helping Harry out with PTSD

We want Harry to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, not Auror.  All of them becoming professors; Hermione starts as Transfiguration, then becomes Headmistress.  Ron is the new Flying Instructor.

Hermione returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year [this might have actually be verified by Rowling; I don’t remember.  Don’t care.  We claim it]

Nine-year-old Hermione reading Matilda

What if when Scabbers was stuck as a cup, he transformed back into Peter Pettigrew?  McGonagall would have had that handled.

Where do you think magical blood came from?  Cross humans with Fae and other magical beings.

Hagrid appreciation: He’s a better person than Snape; even after having his secret revealed without his consent, and taking the fall for Tom Riddle’s crime in school, was still a good man and supported the trio.

Similarities to James and Sirius’ friendship and Harry and Ron’s: Dursleys abused Harry, Blacks abused Sirius; Weasleys loved and cared for Ron, Potters loved and cared for James; Harry runs away from Privet Drive hoping never to return again, Sirius runs away from Grimmauld Place hoping never to return; Harry basically moves in with Weasleys, Sirius moves in with James while still in school; Whalburga Black blasted Sirius off the family tapestry, Dursleys wanted to erase Harry from lives and memories; Ron comes from old pureblood Gryffindor family, same with James; Harry didn’t want to be in Slytherin and ended up in Gryffindor, same with Sirius.  Harry and Sirius are lost boys and James and Ron are their anchors and support systems.

Note, Sirius did not know the Dursleys were abusive.  And Sirius grew up in an abusive house and if he had known for a single second that his godson was facing the same thing, he would have rescued Harry.  And Harry was more worried about his godfather’s safety and freedom than his own health.  To Dumbledore: “people don’t like being locked up!”

Sirius has PTSD

Don’t think about the fact that Sirius saw James’ and Lily’s bodies

Don’t think about the fact that Sirius spent more time in Azkaban than he did with James

Sirius fell behind the veil; but before his body hit the ground, a set of strong and familiar hands caught him.  Beyond-the-veil James like “What in the world are you doing that you’re falling into the afterlife.”  Sirius like “…definitely not battling Death Eaters with your kid…”

Bellatrix used red light: Stupefy.  If Sirius had not fallen through the veil he would have lived.  Hence why Harry can’t come to terms with his death (in the books; in the movie she does use Avada Kedavra and it’s a green blast).

Someone pointed out that Helena Bonham Carter played the moment after Sirius’ death with remorse for a second.  We applaud her

Dapper and suave Sirius, a gentleman who looks good in full black tail, a charmer

Sirius is the one adult in Harry’s life that prioritizes Harry’s safety and happiness over literally anything else.  In turn, Harry is far more open with Sirius than any other adult.  Sirius listens to Harry’s thoughts and feelings patiently and without judgment. [And this is why I hate that Rowling killed him off…well, if you think about it, with Dumbledore being the paragon of good in her eyes, there’s no room for an actual decent character who would help Harry and not kill him]

Harry knew what he was losing when he lost Sirius.  His parents were abstract; he was too little when they died to fully remember them.  A dull ache.  Sirius was someone who loved him, rooted for him, always come to help, the beginnings of a home and proper family.

If Hagrid and Dumbledore had let Sirius take Harry, Sirius would have never gone after Peter.

Headcannons about Regulus.  Having a complicated relationship with Sirius, still caring about his brother.  Coming out of the cave in Half-Blood Prince thinking Harry is James and wondering about Dumbledore.

Sirius protecting Regulus as a child

Regulus keeps an eye out on Sirius after his death.  Tries to talk sense into him during the whole Pettigrew debacle.  “You do not want to duel Bellatrix!”

What if Regulus was the Death Eater spy turned potions master instead of Snape?  Seeing Remus again.  Seeing Sirius in the third book.

What if Malfoys found Harry at platform, rather than Weasleys.  But Harry still manages to make Draco and Ron friends.

Draco and Harry pairing

Draco and Harry the two sides to the same coin, caught up in something much bigger than themselves, as children.

Draco refusing Dark Mark after fourth year.  Running away.  Lupin finds him and rescues him from danger, brings him to Sirius.  At first Sirius angry for treatment of Harry, but recognizes himself in Draco.

Teddy Lupin’s Patronus is a werewolf

Harry meets Susan Pevensie

Harry and possibly Nevill converting Grimmauld Place into a children’s home.

What if Petunia, or both Dursleys had cared a little more about their nephew?

What if Petunia was magical (and hid it)?  Or if Dudley had a magical child?

Harry fights the Dark Lord, but still scared by angry women…well, when those women are Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley.  If you manage to make Luna mad, watch out.

Mary Poppins attended Hogwarts.  Mentions Walt and Wonka.

The funny notion that Voldemort made a seating chart for the Death Eaters

Hermione creates Lupin’s Law that helps werewolves.

3 things the Harry Potter fandom universally agree on: 1) Umbridge is awful.  2) Maggie Smith is the perfect McGonagall.  3) Everyone should be slightly bothered by DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE

In addition; book Ginny is 100 times better than movie Ginny.  Where was Peeves in the movies?  And Voldemort’s death in the movie was stupid [the battle in Order of the Phoenix was more interesting]

Why the readers disliked the Nineteen Years Later epilogue: we’re millennials; we were satisfied that our young heroes won.  But then there’s a time skip and they’re all happily married with children; they’re financially stable and content, and that is not something we can honestly believe.  We don’t see that in our own futures and we’ve grown up with these characters, we don’t see that happening for them.  An aftermath where they deal with the trauma and fallout, we can believe.  Trying to make it and discover what the future holds; we’re on board.  Trying to fix society, we know all about that.  But who says we want to be exactly like our parents?  “In a world about magic, JK Rowling finally broke our suspension of disbelief by having them all hit middle-class and middle-age contentment and expecting a fanbase of teenagers to accept it.”

Honestly, the book would have been alright ending right before the epilogue, with Harry repairing his wand, planning to get some sleep, hoping that Kreacher will bring him a sandwich, saying “I’ve had enough trouble for a lifetime.”  Satisfying and hey, you let your readers come up with their own endings.  Fans do that for every other book and movie.  There will always be more to the story, but the epilogue just made us mad.

People talk a lot about how Harry Potter taught them about friendship and bravery and love overcoming evil, etc, and of course that is important.  But, Harry Potter taught an entire generation of kids that news media can’t always be trusted to tell the truth, that the government can often be corrupt or incompetent, that the legal system isn’t always right, that the people in power don’t always have your best interests at heart.  That bad things sometimes happen to good people, that your heroes aren’t always as perfect as you think they are, that even those with the best intentions can be wrong, that everyone can make mistakes and that often in order to make things right, it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

I’ve also found as I read fanfiction and see all the headcanons that have emerged on Pintrest about this fandom: Rowling, we have claimed your characters.  They are ours now.  And we will continue to create a more in-depth world for them.  And answer the questions you left dangling.

I have read supplemental material over the years; Harry Potter and Philosophy got me interested in the Pop Culture and Philosophy series and I went on to buy several other editions.  There was even a second Harry Potter edition put out.  The Magical World of Harry Potter is an excellent reference book for general magical research.  Harry Potter’s Bookshelf and Harry Potter and History were not as interesting as I hoped.  Calling All Witches! is a cute book about the women of Harry Potter.  Because of Harry Potter, I did read Alan Rickman’s memoir, which was a bit eye-opening, and Tom Felton has put out a memoir as well.  There are countless other guides out there and “unauthorized” companions and such that the sheer volume makes me shy away.  I’ve also read my companions and that is quite enough for me, thank you.

Again, there will always be a place in my heart for Harry Potter.  I’ve enjoyed re-reading the books, listening to the soundtracks again, watching the movies again and seeing the actors grow up.  There are iconic characters now that are not leaving culture anytime soon.  A whole generation was introduced to the likes of Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, and the other adults.  We are sad at the passing of each actor and actress that was involved with the movies as they pass.  These books gave me hope of publishing my own series.  It was fun to read a series about someone my age being the hero.  I was enraptured by the world-building as a teenager.  I still would love to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida (okay, I’ll visit while I stop at the How to Train Your Dragon land they’re opening soon).  I will never say I hate Harry Potter, though I may be disappointed with the direction things have gone.  We’ll file this under “childhood nostalgia” with Free Willy and Incredible Journey.

There are of course other Harry Potter fanfictions that I’ve read, such as

Erasing the Future by moxteminator, where Harry goes back in time to change events after things go wrong against Voldemort.  It does not include information found out in Deathly Hallows.

There’s also An Aunt’s Love and What’s Right (and partially year two, but I believe it’s been abandoned by this point) by Emma Lipardi.  In An Aunt’s Love, Petunia actually cares about Harry and makes some changes after Sirius’ death.  What’s Right is another time-travel fic, where Harry goes back in time to set things right and it’s got the interesting addition of becoming friends with Draco and his family; they’re a little more sympathetic.  And some hilarious quotes!  I do recommend them.

There was a site when I first got into fanfiction called The Sugar Quill.  It is no longer active, but there is supposedly an archive of their stories done as captures.  Most of the stories are not canon compliant and go off the beaten path, but they’ve got some zingers.

But I still hold that the best Harry Potter fanfiction I have personally read (and was so happy to find out my cousin has also read it, yay, share the love!) and is miles better than Cursed Child is A Marauder’s Plan.  Warning, if you do plan on reading this, there are SPOILERS Ahead!  As already mentioned, it involves Sirius a lot more.  He makes the decision to stay and help Harry during the events of the Triwizard Tournament (yes, he still gets entered, no way out of that).  Sirius gets custody and gives Harry a loving home.  We learn so much more about the Wizarding World (and yeah, it makes better sense than Rowling’s version).  We learn more about Sirius’ backstory and even James’.  There are more character dynamics and different character relations, like pairing Harry with Hermione.  It incorporates all the vital information from later books (like Horcruxes and Hallows) and the Voldemort issue gets resolved.  The issues with Dumbledore get addressed, Snape remains enigmatic, and other side characters get to step into the spotlight more, like McGonagall.  Draco gets an attitude adjustment.  We see more of Remus and Tonks.  Heck, even Bill is more in this story.   Harry gains power, magical and political, but also gets to be a teen at times.