2. Harry Imagined The Whole Thing
Okay, so I wouldn't even bother mentioning this one if not for two reasons. Firstly, it
is convincing (that is to say, it can't really be disproved), regardless as to whether or not it renders the entire series depressingly pointless. Secondly, and most importantly, J.K. Rowling herself actually pretty much endorsed this theory. The theory stipulates that Harry Potter who has spent much of his young life locked in a dank cupboard under the stairs is basically hallucinating the whole thing. It's a well-known fact that Harry is being starved by his Aunt and Uncle, and the development of magic is merely a form of mental escapism. Rowling addressed this idea in an interview held for the DVD box set. In the interview, screenwriter Steve Kloves discusses how in the original draft he had created a spider named Allistor which Harry liked to talk to in the cupboard under the stairs. The point was that when Hagrid eventually showed up, you weren't supposed to know if he was real or a figment of Harry's imagine. Not only that, but Klove's depiction of Harry saw him talking to toy soldiers:
"He used to nick broken soldiers out of the rubbish bin, and he lined them up on the shelf his broken army that Dudley had thrown out. He used to talk to them, and the point is that he seemed slightly mad when I wrote the first draft."
This may sound like an overzealous interpretation, but Rowling was quick to respond, saying:
I think thats a fabulous point and that speaks so perfectly to the books, Rowling responds. Because Ive heard it suggested to me more than once, that Harry actually did go mad in the cupboard and that everything that happened subsequently was some sort of fantasy life he developed to save himself.