Today we're discussing WHO is more powerful, Voldemort or Dumbledore?

Voldemort and Dumbledore are the yin and yang of wizards, each extremely powerful and a strong representative of the classic relationship between good and evil. Each one acting as a symbol for the invariable struggle between light and darkness. We know how Harry Potter ends, we know that Voldemort is unsuccessful in securing a shrowd of darkness over the world, but that doesn't mean that he couldn't have been the most powerful wizard of all time, and the fact that light prevailed doesn't mean that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard. We've got to look deeper.

Many assume that because Voldemort ultimately lost, and because Dumbledore is 'good', that Dumbledore is the more powerful figure. However, this is not a sound argument, whether you're good or evil has nothing to do with your inherent power. From an extremely young age, Tom Riddle showcased intensely powerful innate magical abilities, he was a magical prodigy if you will. As he grew older, and he began to harness his abilities, Riddle became unimaginably powerful, performing feats of magic that people thought previously impossible. -And he knew it too, proclaiming to Harry in The Heir of Slytherin that he was 'The greatest sorcerer in the world', to which Harry retorts 'Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world', reminding Riddle of Dumbledore and subsequently angering him. In my view, this anger showed insecurity in Riddle. Harry's statement reminding him of Dumbledore's power forced him to consider his own magical ability in relation to Dumbledore's. I think that he A. knows that Dumbledore is more powerful, and became angry because he resents it, or B. is just completely unsure of whether or not Dumbledore is more powerful, and fears it as a possibility.

While Voldemort showed extreme magical prowess from a young age, he was not alone. Dumbledore's magical abilities consistently turned heads at Hogwarts as well, particularly his skills surrounding charms and transfiguration. He also did exceptionally well on his N.E.W.T.S and Griselda Marchbanks, a professor working for the Wizarding Examinations Authority, remarked that Albus was able to do things with a wand that she had never seen before. Not only that, but Dumbledore befriended Grindelwald at a very young age, and I believe that this had a profound impact on Dumbledore's skill. The two spent lots of time together practicing magic, and Grindelwald was known to have come from a powerful magical bloodline, his great aunt Bathilda Bagshot publishing 'a history of magic', a magic book used to teach students at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, who always outshone everyone magically, was challenged by another for the first time, and I believe that this resulted in even greater power for the both of them.

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing WHAT IF Gellert Grindelwald had been the winner of his infamous duel with Albus Dumbledore.

As many of you will know, in 1945, Albus Dumbledore at long last challenged the dark wizard Grindelwald, defeating him in a duel, which ended Grindelwald's reign of terror over the Wizarding community and put a stop to his frightful rise to power. This duel, of course, came decades after the two men had formed an intense bond in their youth. In fact, according to Dumbledore's own admission, Albus was in fact in love with Gellert as a young man. Their relationship was initially built upon a foundation of shared hatred towards Muggle-kind, and they dreamed of a world in which witches and wizards would conquer the non-magical world and make them into a subservient people.-

Fortunately, for the greater magical community at large, Albus Dumbledore's reverie of this dystopian version of the world was obliterated when his younger sister, Ariana, was killed in a misguided argument between himself, Gellert, and Aberforth, Albus' younger brother, turned fatal. After this tragic incident, the two young wizards parted ways, as their ideologies began to diverge drastically.

Many years later, Gellert began his infamous rise to power in pursuit of making the world he'd once envisioned alongside Dumbledore a reality. It's at this point in their shared history, that we discovered that Grindelwald and Albus had made an unbreakable vow with one another never to oppose the other. This was done at a time when they both believed they wanted the same thing: domination over the human race. Unfortunately, this vow prevented Dumbledore from putting a stop to all the evil things Grindelwald did for decades.

BUT, as I mentioned at the start of this video, there eventually came a time in which Albus was able to overcome the vow, challenge Grindelwald, and ultimately defeat and imprison him. The question I raise with you now is: What would have happened if Albus Dumbledore had NOT won this fight? What would the Wizarding World have looked like if the winner had, in fact, been Gellert Grindelwald instead?

Indeed, there are a many number of questions that this alteration to the past brings about. First, and foremost, to any great fan of Harry Potter anyways, the question that comes to mind is: What would've happened to the great and powerful Albus Dumbledore?

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing plot holes- big AND small- from the Chamber of Secrets book.

The 2nd book from the Harry Potter series is filled with fun little inconsistencies that fill its pages.

From the strange fate of the Basilisk, to the bizarre behavior of the Professors, the Chamber of Secrets has no shortage of potential plot holes that we can chat about in the comments below.

So, today, we're going to dive headfirst into that old book, and take a look at some of my favorite plot holes, big and small, that I've often thought about over the years.

Let's get in to it!

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing the COMPLETE history of Hogwarts and the lives of all 4 founders- Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw.

In this video, I've left no stone unturned in the discussion of Hogwarts' tumultuous history, and I've included everything I could possibly find on the school's 4 founders.

By the end of this video, you're going to be an expert.

I'm going to kick off things by discussing HOW the school was founded, then begin diving in to the rich histories of each founder.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Hogwarts was founded at some point during the tenth century. It was built hidden off somewhere in the Scottish highlands (the exact location is never actually revealed)- and this was because the tenth century was a time of hardship for witches and wizards. During this time, every day, witches and wizards were being persecuted by muggles-who were intensely hostile when it came to witnessing sources of magic. In order to further protect the staff, students, and school itself- additional precautions were made in the form of charms - helping to further conceal the school from muggle trespassers. If a muggle were to just happen to stumble upon the school grounds- they would only see ruins, and signs warning them to stay away.

Hogwarts was founded when four 10th century witches and wizards got together, and decided that they had, in the sorting hat's own words: 'the selfsame yearning, to make the world's best magic school'. These founders were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff. Thus, Hogwarts was born. The name Hogwarts actually came from founder Rowena Ravenclaw, who had a dream where a 'warty' hog lead her to a cliff by a lake - it's also been speculated that this is how they chose the location for the school as well. After its establishment, like with any institution, a crest was formed for Hogwarts. Emblazoned upon the school crest are the words 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus' - which roughly translates to 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon'.

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we’re going to be discussing a notoriously difficult spell to cast- the Patronus Charm. Specifically, we’ll be addressing all KNOWN Patronuses assigned to Harry Potter characters, and exploring what those Patronus animals mean. 

It was the Prisoner of Azkaban that first introduced the idea of Patronuses- spirit guardians produced via the complicated spell Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum is typically used to ward off dementors and in Fantastic Beasts we are informed that the patronus is also used to ward off Lethifolds. In most circumstances the patronus charm will generally appear as white vapour. However, in some instances, when the witch or wizard is talented enough, expecto patronum will produce a silvery-white animal shape which is known as a corporeal Patronus. 

The Patronus represents hope, happiness, survival and purity, which is why it’s so offensive to Dementors, and can also be used as a communications device- a notable example of this being when Snape used his patronus to guide harry to the sword of gryffindor in the forest of dean.

If you asked any member of the faculty at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they’d quickly tell you it’s one of the most difficult spells that a wizard or witch could cast.

Even though Harry managed to master it when he was only 13 years old, many other wizards didn’t. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for adult wizards and witches to fail to produce even a formless Patronus, as shameful as the thought might be.

So today, I thought we’d take a look at the historical records, and track down every single  Patronus and their caster from the wizarding world, from the massive Wooly Mammoth that Hedley Fleetwood conjured, to the boar of Ernie Macmillan.

Bear in mind that NOT EVERYONE we know has been able to cast a Patronus successfully, so you won’t necessarily see all of your favourite characters on the list.

Let’s get in to it.

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing Dumbledore, Voldemort, and the Elder Wand. More specifically- we’re going to be discussing a popular fan theory which suggests that Dumbledore was never the TRUE owner of the elder wand. 

The Elder wand was the first hallow created, made by Death himself, and it was said to be the most powerful wand that ever existed. The Elder Wand is made of elder wood, and it’s core is the tail hair of a Thestral. It’s 15” long and has carvings down its length that resemble clusters of elderberries. With the elder wand, witches and wizards have historically been able to produce intensely powerful magic that others could only dream of. Some magic is actually altogether impossible without the Elder Wand- including things like mending other wands.

We see this powerful artefact pass hands on numerous occasions throughout the Harry Potter story- and its ‘ownership’ is of utmost importance to the plot. After all, it’s the ownership of the Elder Wand that eventually allows Harry to defeat Voldemort- firing his own killing curse right back at him. But before Harry became it’s owner in his final showdown with Voldemort at the end of the Deathly Hallows- who were the true owners?

Conventionally it is believed that Dumbledore was the owner, followed by Draco who disarmed Dumbledore, followed by Harry who disarmed Draco. But one popular fan theory suggests that Dumbledore was never the true owner at all. So where does that leave us?

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing HOGWARTS and the 4 animal mascots that represent the Hogwarts house system. At Hogwarts there are 4 houses- Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff- houses created by the original 4 founders of Hogwarts- Godric, Salazar, Rowena and Helga.

Why 4 houses? Well, put as simply as possible, there were 4 founders and each founder wanted to teach the students in their OWN way. Dividing the students accordingly seemed like the best course of action.

Each of the 4 houses created by the school's founders can be represented in a number of different ways.

The first and most obvious identifier of a Hogwarts house is the use of their signature colours.

Slytherin can be identified by green and silver, Hufflepuff by yellow and black, Ravenclaw by blue and bronze (blue and silver in the movies) and Gryffindor by red and gold. These colours can be found plastered all over the common rooms and uniforms of the respective houses.

But that's not the only way to identify a Hogwarts house.

The cornerstones of the Hogwarts house system, and perhaps the most iconic symbols associated with each house are the house MASCOTS.

For Gryffindor, this mascot was a lion.

For Slytherin, a serpent.

For Hufflepuff, a badger.

And for Ravenclaw, an eagle (or RAVEN in the films).

But what do these creatures have to do with anything? What connection do they have to the founders?

And how did these seemingly mundane creatures (at least, looking at it from the perspective of a MAGICAL world) get chosen as representatives for these houses? I've got nothing against lions, serpents, badgers or eagles- but in a world filled with things like DRAGONS, ACROMANTULAS, THESTRALS and NUNDUS- these creatures seem...less impressive.

I'm going to start with WHY these creatures were chosen, and then move on to why MAGICAL creatures weren't chosen.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're diving in to the history of AURORS. How do you stop a Dark Wizard? Especially when you don't have the likes of Harry Potter and his friends to help you out.

Well, for much of wizarding history, the defense of the magical world fell to a small handful of powerful ministry workers tasked with one simple goal: the enforcement of wizarding laws. -

Those responsible were known as Aurors... or dark wizard hunters..., and even though you've probably heard about them plenty of times, you've likely never heard their full history.

And that's the tale we'll tell today.

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Welcome back to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we’re going to be discussing a segment from the Deathly Hallows involving Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. More specifically, we’ll be addressing the moment that Draco Malfoy FAILS to identify Harry Potter in the presence of his father and fellow Death Eaters.

What I want to explore is..WHY? Did Draco simply FAIL to recognize Harry? Was it an act of self-preservation? Or, was this Draco’s chance at some form of redemption?

It all begins on chapter 23 of the Deathly Hallows - Malfoy Manor - where there is some confusion around Harry’s identity.

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Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we're going to be discussing 10 things you might have missed in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The Half-Blood Prince introduced us to a whole new side to Voldemort that we had rarely seen before: Tom Riddle's past.

Thanks to Dumbledore's memories, and Professor Slughorn's recollection, we were granted a glimpse into Voldemort's early years as a wizard... and how he eventually learned the secrets of creating Horcruxes.

Throughout the film, though, you might have missed some of the smaller details that make the wizarding world so rich. -So today, let's take a deep dive, and check out 10 of the smaller bits from the Half Blood Prince that might have snuck by you.

Let's get in to it.

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