7 Harry Potter Fan Theories J.K. Rowling Debunked (And 3 She Approved)

2. Dumbledore Is Death

Warner Bros.

The Theory: In The Deathly Hallows book (and first of the two movies), Hermione reads a story called The Tale Of The Three Brothers. In this story, three magical brothers encounter Death, who offers each of them a prize for outsmarting him: the Invisibility Cloak, the Elder Wand, and the Resurrection Stone. Combined, these items form the Deathly Hallows.

Over the years, fans have linked these three brothers with a different Harry Potter character. The Elder Wand brother is said to represent Voldemort, a man obsessed with power; the Resurrection Stone brother is thought to be Snape, a man who wants to be with his deceased love (Lily Potter); and the Invisibility Cloak brother is said to represent Harry.

But if all that is true... then who is Death?

A popular theory is that it's Dumbledore. But why? Well, at one point in time, he was in possession of each of the three Hallows, just like Death in the story. Plus, when Harry "dies" at Voldemort's hands in the final movie, he ends up in a heavenly version of King's Cross station where he's greeted by none other than Dumbledore.

The Approval: This is a really strong, thoughtful theory with lots of interesting parallels between Snape, Harry, Voldemort and Dumbledore, and the characters in the Three Brothers story. So it's no surprise to hear that Rowling loves the idea as well.

Not that her approval makes it firm canon, but re-reading the books or re-watching the movies with this theory in mind will make you appreciate the saga even more.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!