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

5. Dumbledore Turned Fawkes Into A Horcrux

The Theory: The latter Harry Potter books began to delve further into Dumbledore's past, shining a light on things like his friendship with Grindelwald, and the tragic death of his sister, Ariana (which Dumbledore may have been responsible for).

The takeaway here is that the great wizard wasn't as perfect as he seemed, and he, like everyone else, has made many mistakes. In particular, his close relationship with the maniacal Grindelwald indicated that at one point, Dumbledore was extremely close to following a darker path than the one he ultimately chose.

And there are some that think he did indeed head down this path - at least part way - speculating that the former Hogwarts headmaster created a Horcrux at some point in his past. Horcruxes require the owner to have committed a murder in order to fracture their soul, and since Dumbledore may have cast the curse that killed his sister, this possibility was very much there.

The Debunking: As cool and interesting as this idea is, Rowling came along soon after the theory began doing the rounds, debunking it on her Twitter page.

Note that she only discounts the idea of Fawkes being the Horcrux - who's to say Dumbledore didn't use another vessel?