Although the film franchise is now officially 20 years old, Harry Potter fans are still musing about possible theories about the fates of their favourite characters.
A fan on Reddit shared a mind-blowing theory about Dumbledore's death at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and whether Snape actually killed him.
Potterheads will recall that Dumbledore was killed by Snape during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.
The Half-Blood Prince used the killing curse, Avada Kedavra, to finish off the former headmaster of Hogwarts once and for all.
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Many fans believe the killing curse ended Dumbledore's life and the force from the curse blasted his corpse into the air and he eventually fell down from the Tower to the school courtyard.
However, a fan has made us completely reconsider Dumbledore's demise. His death was due to the impact from the fall.
The Reddit poster newfriend999 said: “For an Unforgivable Curse to succeed, the caster has to really mean the spell.
“In Half-Blood Prince Severus Snape has no desire to kill Professor Dumbledore. His heart is not in this 'murder.'"
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The Reddit user adds Dumbledore is also facing death because of the curse from a particular ring. “Dumbledore is already dying from the curse on the Gaunt ring.
“His system has been terribly damaged by the poisonous potion consumed in Voldemort’s cave. He has decided to die.
“He is standing inches from a perilous precipice when Snape points his wand and says the words.”
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Then the Reddit user does a deep dive into Dumbledore’s death scene and identifies a key moment after Dumbledore’s fall to support his theory that Snape did not kill him with the curse.
“Snape blasts Dumbledore with a bolt of green light. Harry screams, but the scream is silent.
"Dumbledore’s final spell continues to render Harry immobile, unable to move or speak.
“Out of sight Dumbledore hits the ground and dies. Only then is Harry liberated. Dumbledore’s restraining spell broke when the headmaster’s life ended — at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower, not the top.
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“In Deathly Hallows, Harry considers his own death and reflects on Dumbledore’s. His thoughts are not of Avada Kedavra, but of the broken body at the foot of the tower.”
Some fans were initially on the fence about the theory until the original poster used the key scene of Dumbledore hitting the ground as evidence.
One commenter shared: “I wasn't really convinced until you pointed out that the binding on Harry didn't stop until Dumbledore hit the ground. This is very very interesting.”
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Another fan commented: “Really interesting theory. Since Avada Kedavra kills without harming the body physically in any other way, it's totally possible and nobody would really know the difference except Dumbledore - maybe not even Snape himself. But if this were the case, Snape still killed Dumbledore, just less directly.”
A third person said: "This is genius".
Although not everyone was convinced. “Now while I disagree, I find it highly interesting and well thought out. It made me say, ‘Huh!’ out loud,” said one fan.
We're gonna have to rewatch this ASAP!
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: Harry Potter, TV And Film