As the wise Albus Dumbledore once said: ‘It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’ Throughout the Harry Potter stories, we saw that sentiment in action as the characters faced all sorts of decisions. Whether they ended up making wise choices? Now that’s the real question.
And who better to answer that question than you, the fans! We asked you to tell us your most unpopular opinions about the decisions that the Harry Potter characters made... and your responses did not disappoint.
From your strong views on fashion choices to what you would have done differently with the Elder Wand, we were inundated with insightful answers. Here are a few of our favourites…
You weren’t sure about Harry’s name choices
Quite a few of you were really not on board with the name Harry settled on for his middle child – Albus Severus Potter.
Many were in disbelief at ‘The fact he tolerated Severus so quickly and named his son after him’ and incredulous at the thought of ‘SNAPE BEING THE BRAVEST MAN HARRY EVER KNEW’.
We can see why – Snape was the definition of ambiguous. The way he treated Harry, and his previous support of Voldemort, were inexcusable. Yet, the way he gave everything to protect Lily’s son, including his life, was heroic.
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Hagrid’s pink umbrella should have had an upgrade
It appears that some of you thought, while his magical pink umbrella was an excellent fashion choice, Hagrid should have been given a second chance at a magical education.
As Cynda Min told us: ‘I think Hagrid should have gotten some equivalent of a magical GED. He deserves a new wand and to be fully certified or whatever it is.’
After helping to protect Harry, being part of the effort to bring down Voldemort and becoming a Care of Magical Creatures teacher, we think he deserved one too! We love the idea of Hagrid finally getting a chance to return to Hogwarts and getting the full, magical experience he deserved.
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Harry shouldn’t have looked a gift horse in the mouth
If there was one opinion that kept coming up, it was how many of you believed that if Harry had chosen to unwrap a particular gift, Sirius might have avoided his tragic fate.
anni_kasath thinks Harry’s big mistake was: ‘Not opening Sirius’s Christmas present, so he could’ve at least used it to check if he was still at Grimmauld Place!!!!’
The gift in question? A two-way mirror through which Harry and Sirius could talk to one another.
It’s a valid point! If Harry had remembered the mirror, he might have got in contact with Sirius. He may have seen that his godfather was not in the Department of Mysteries. Perhaps he would have avoided that awful trap? Although we will never know, it shows that even the smallest choice can have a huge impact.
There were your thoughts on Dobby’s fashion
We think Dobby was a fashion icon – who else could turn odd socks, football shorts and a tea-cosy into a look? Turns out, not everyone holds the same opinion.
Frank Sarabia could not understand ‘Dobby still wearing that drab old garment even after Harry freed him.’
Yeah, we agree that his rags had seen better days. Although, to be fair to our favourite house-elf, it wasn’t as though he left the Malfoy’s with a full wardrobe. Dobby had to start from nothing – so he probably didn’t have many options.
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Some of you had a different vision for the Elder Wand
‘Harry should have kept the Elder Wand’ was something we heard a lot. After all, it was one of the Deathly Hallows! It was unbeatable! Plus, having it would make you look very cool.
However, should anyone truly possess that much power? Would you be able to handle the responsibility without it corrupting you? Or would it just mean more devastation was inevitable down the line?
Hermione should have kept hold of one particular object
It became clear that many of you would have made a different choice to Hermione at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban.
As elianamrodriguez96 told us: ‘I wouldn’t have returned the Time-Turner’.
We understand the temptation; time is a powerful thing and being able to move through it sounds incredible. It can also be extremely dangerous – one mistake could have catastrophic effects. Hermione returning it was probably the sensible choice… but not the easy one.
Some of you imagined Harry’s future a little differently
Many of you believed that, after saving the world as a teenager, Harry deserved to live a stress-free life. So, his eventual career choice was questionable at best.
jessica.pearson.1023611 was one such person: ‘I think Harry should have become a professional Quidditch player. He did enough Dark wizard catching as a kid. He needed to have some fun.’
It’s true, The Boy Who Lived. The Chosen One. For too long Harry had to carry the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders. His choice to become an Auror was incredibly noble but, again, Harry would have had a lot of responsibility.
frejaotoolee could also see Harry taking to the skies but had another interesting career suggestion: ‘Harry becoming an Auror?? He should’ve been a DADA teacher or a professional Quidditch player.’
You know what, we see it. Defence Against the Dark Arts was always Harry’s strong suit. Not only did he have the wisdom gained from plenty of hands-on experience, but he also had the skills to be an excellent teacher – his tenure as leader of Dumbledore’s Army proved that.
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Some spell choices were questionable
Harry’s signature spell was clearly Expelliarmus, and it did get him out of quite a few life-or-death situations. Yet, it seems Remus Lupin wasn’t the only person to question when and where Harry chose to use such a spell.
Stephen Deck couldn’t believe that: ‘Harry will attack Malfoy with Sectumsempra, but only attempt to disarm Voldemort, who slew his parents and attempted to conquer the wizarding world.’.
When you put it like that it does seem rather odd. While Harry using Sectumsempra was a terrible decision, he didn’t know what would happen when it was cast. Incredibly foolish of him, but this moment was the exception not the rule. Throughout the series, Harry consistently chose to use defensive, rather than destructive, magic – which is testament to his strength of character.
Voldemort didn’t think things through…
There were quite a few of you who raised an interesting point about Voldemort’s approach to choosing Horcruxes.
With many, including Tristan Mathieson, believing it to be entirely wrong: ‘Voldemort making his Horcruxes extremely important magical artefacts instead of just random pebbles and pennies is the reason he lost, and he deserved it.’
A solid strategy… you would be less likely to notice one, nondescript pebble than a golden, one-of-a-kind cup. Voldemort would never have gone for it though. A piece of his precious soul concealed in something so mundane? His ego wouldn’t have allowed it.
Finally, things could be a little bit easier if a certain potion was used
Kevin Norcross strongly disagreed with ‘The wizarding court system for not using Veritaserum on witnesses and suspects’.
Yeah, being liberal with a certain truth potion could be an effective shortcut – it would definitely make Ministry hearings easier. The problem is, forcing someone to tell the truth by magical means is akin to taking away their free will. Can that ever be justified? And once it began, where would it end?
Thank you to everybody for sharing their opinions on character decisions! These were just a handful of brilliant responses. You’ve certainly got us thinking.
Look out for more unpopular opinions soon!
Please note: the answers shared in this article have been edited for spelling/grammar/clarity.
