As proud Potterheads, we’re fairly confident in saying we think we know everything there is to know about the Harry Potter franchise.
However, everything we thought we knew about the famous boy wizard has been turned on its head by this very convincing fan theory.
Posting on Reddit’s Harry Potter Theories page, one fan believes that Harry had a secret tryst with pal Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film.
Don’t believe it? Well, the theory is convincing.
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The fan explained: “The other day I was watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, for about the fifteenth time.
“And even from the first time I watched it there was always a scene that seemed a bit out of place and pointless to me. However, I think I finally figured out what it means.
“The scene I'm referring to is the scene just after Ron's departure, Harry and Hermione have a strange and rather uncomfortable dance session. That ends in a melancholic hug and even with a feeling of regret.”
The fan continued: “Like I said before even from the very the first time I watched DH Part I, that scene always seemed pretty random to me. But after deliberating a bit, I think I know what the intention is.
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“I think this dance is an allegory, that Harry and Hermione had sex.”
The fan points towards Harry and Hermione’s schooling, and sense of desperation while they’re seeking the horcruxes, may have pushed the unlikely pairing together.
“Think about it, this is the first time, literally, in years, that the couple have spent a night completely alone. At Hogwarts, they are separated by boys and girls dorms,” the Potterhead writes.
“And although they had already vacationed together (Goblet of Fire), Ron or some other member of the Weasley family was always there.
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“Earlier in the film, you see how Ron (because of the Horcrux) begins to arouse suspicions that Harry and Hermione are closer than he would like. Right before leaving Ron says to Hermione ‘I saw you the other day’ to which Hermione replies ‘What? That was nothing?’ I think the growing sexual tension and attraction between Harry and Hermione was more and more evident.
“And last, and I think the clearest bit of evidence, at least for me. When Ron returns and finds the Sword of Griffyndor, and together with Harry they set out to destroy the Horcrux, what does it show to Ron? Of course, Harry and Hermione getting intimate together naked. It was something the Horcrux had already ‘witnessed’ and knew this would hurt Ron the most.”
We would have never considered it, but when it’s laid out like this…we can kind of see it?
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“I gotta agree with the original poster,” one person said. “This theory makes more sense to me than the friendship theories.”
“BUT 100 per cent,” added another. “If this was written realistically, those two end up in the sack. Two horny as hell teenagers skirting death… they’d definitely develop feelings for each other.”
However, not everyone was convinced.
One person said the scene was not allegorical at all, but just showing the strength of Harry and Hermione’s friendship.
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“They are both showing platonic emotional support for each other because Harry is without Ginny and Hermione is without Ron. They both miss the ones they love,” they argued.
“The fact that nothing ‘romantic’ happens is a testament to the strength of their friendship. A type of relationship you don’t often see fleshed out in literature; one deeply intense and dedicated without anything sexual.”
“I've always interpreted it as Harry attempting to cheer up Hermione without really knowing how to do it,” said a second. “I imagine him remembering the Yule ball during the Triwizard Tournament and Bill and Fleur's wedding and how Hermione seems to enjoy dancing and thinking that that would be a good way to take her mind off everything that's going on.
“In my opinion, this scene confirms that there's only ever going to be friendship between Harry and Hermione, because even when they do something typically romantic such as slow dancing, they do it in the most platonic way possible.”
As we all know, Hermione and Ron end up together, while Harry marries Ron’s sister, Ginny.
However, JK Rowling herself has expressed regret about pairing Ron with Hermione.
In a 2014 interview with Wonderland, she said: “I wrote the Hermione-Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfilment. That's how it was conceived, really.
“For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.
"I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility.
“Am I breaking people's hearts by saying this? I hope not.”
Featured Image Credit: Warner BrosTopics: Harry Potter, TV And Film, Books