The most recent film in the Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore further demonstrated to audiences Albus Dumbledore's cleverness and unique ability to formulate a complex plan. He utilized several characters and objects, all going in various directions to ensure that Grindelwald could not guess what the team was up to.

This is not the first time that audiences have seen Dumbledore's cleverness in action since much of the plot of Harry Potter was a result of his scheming behind the scenes. However, the mysterious headmaster knew above all that destiny and chance were the most significant dictators of a conflict's end, and the best that someone can do is get out of the way. For example, for most of Harry's journey, pure luck was the only thing responsible for his victory. Whether with the help of providence or not, the Boy-Who-Lived was often just in the right place at the right time.

The Prophecy

A wand pointing at baby Harry Potter

Around the time that Harry was born, Voldemort got wind of a prophecy that predicted the rise of an individual that he would mark as his equal and that would process power that he knew not. Naturally, this was of great interest to the Dark Lord, who found that two young boys fit the given description. The only problem was, which should he kill?

With a virtual flip of a coin, Voldemort targeted the Potters first, officially starting Harry's journey as the Chosen One. Voldemort could just as easily have chosen Neville Longbottom and the entire story would have gone much differently.

Lily Potter Being Unarmed

James and Lily Potters Grave in Godrics Hollow

The Potters knew that Voldemort was targeting them, so they concealed themselves with the Fidelius Charm. They were so confident in their protection that the night that the Dark Lord attacked, they were not even armed with their wands. However, this fact was precisely what would save Harry's life.

Harry Potter book fans know that even with their wands, Lily and James Potter were no match for Voldemort. Had they been armed, he would have killed them all the same, as well as Harry, and continued to rule the wizarding world. However, Lily's action of sacrificing herself while having no weapon activated an ancient form of magic that was the only thing that could protect Harry from the killing curse.

Harry's Trip With Hagrid To Gringotts

At the end of Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore revealed that the Mirror of Erised completely protected the Stone from anyone that would have used it for personal gain. This meant that had Harry never intervened, Voldemort still would not have been able to use Flamel's creation to regenerate.

However, the fact that Harry accompanied Hagrid to Gringotts to withdraw the Stone solidified a curiosity that he couldn't shake. While Harry's adventure to the Stone achieved nothing in the short term, it began his journey as Voldemort's greatest foe, entirely by chance.

Using Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom

The bathroom entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in Harry Potter

Ever since Moaning Myrtle's death in the second-floor girl's bathroom in Harry Potter, the location was avoided at all costs. The moaning ghost made using her toilet an unbearable experience for everyone, ultimately making it the perfect place for Harry and co. to brew Polyjuice potion.

Of course, hanging out in this most unlikely spot day after day allowed Harry to find Tom Riddle's diary and connect the dots about where the Chamber of Secrets was located. Had the Golden Trio chosen any other place in the castle, Dumbledore might have never discovered the truth about Voldemort's first Horcrux, and Harry would have never found victory.

Acquiring The Marauder's Map

An image of the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter

In Harry Potter, the Marauder's Map, combined with the invisibility cloak, gave Harry unrestricted access to the entirety of Hogwarts school. The map was what first tipped him, and by extension Lupin, off about Peter Pettigrew, and later, it allowed him to see that Draco Malfoy was making use of the Room of Requirement.

The information gained from the Marauder's Map was invaluable to the lives of Harry and his friends, but it was by complete chance that he ever came by it. The fact that the Weasley twins found it in Filch's office and later passed it on to their friend, not knowing that he was the son of the map's creator, was a fortunate coincidence.

Voldemort's Use Of Harry's Blood

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire graveyard

From the moment Harry told Dumbledore in Goblet of Fire that Voldemort had used his blood to regenerate a body, the old headmaster knew they had achieved victory. By doing so, Voldemort had tripled the connection that he and Harry already had and ensured that when the day came that Harry would sacrifice himself, only the Dark Lord's soul fragment would be damaged.

Once again, this was complete luck. Voldemort had countless enemies, but he was adamant that Harry be the one used for the Regeneration potion. Of Voldemort's many mistakes in Harry Potter, this was the one that cost him his victory the most.

Discovering The Room Of Requirement

The Room of Requirement in Harry Potter.

The Room of Requirement is considered in the Harry Potter books to be Hogwarts' best-kept secret. Voldemort chose it as the hiding place for his Horcrux because he believed that no one else would ever be clever enough to discover the room, and if not for Harry's good luck, he might have been right.

After making a sarcastic comment to Dobby in Order of the Phoenix, the little elf revealed the Room of Requirement as an option for a secret meeting place. Had this seemingly unimportant question not happened, Harry would never have figured out the location of Ravenclaw's lost diadem, and Voldemort's last Horcrux wouldn't have been found.

Revealing The Forest Of Dean

Harry seeing the silver doe in the forest in Harry Potter

Throughout much of Deathly Hallows, the Golden Trio wandered the wilderness with no leads as to where they could find either more Horcruxes or the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy them. However, just as Harry was about to give up hope, a silver doe appeared to lead him to the concealed sword.

Later, in Snape's memories, it is revealed that he was the one who conjured the Patronus and left the sword for Harry. He only knew where to find them because Hermione accidentally mentioned the forest's name while opening her charmed purse, which contained a portrait of an old Hogwarts headmaster, who promptly told Snape. If not for that sliver of a moment, Harry would not have gained the sword, Ron couldn't have returned, and the Slytherin's locket wouldn't have been destroyed.

Getting Taken To Malfoy Manor

Malfoy Manor

While, at the time, it seemed like bad luck that Harry would accidentally say Voldemort's name and cause the Golden Trio to be captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, the victory against Voldemort would have been impossible without the mistake.

The trip to Voldemort's stronghold was one of the most terrifying moments in Deathly Hallows and led to Dobby's heartbreaking death. However, if the events hadn't happened, Harry would never have discovered the hiding place of Hufflepuff's cup, and he would never have disarmed Malfoy and gained the loyalty of the Elder Wand, both of which were imperative to Harry's success in the final battle with Voldemort.

Acquiring All Three Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest preparing to let Voldemort kill him in Harry Potter

The legend of the Deathly Hallows stated that the person who reunited all three would become the Master of Death. However, the events surrounding Harry reveal that the legend was more a lesson of destiny than instruction on how to become a powerful wizard.

Because of pure chance, Harry was the only one who could have ever reunited the Hallows. His compassion for Draco Malfoy caused him to take his wand instead of harming him, therefore inheriting the loyalty of the Elder Wand. His connection to Voldemort ensured he would gain the Resurrection Stone during his hunt for Horcruxes (with Dumbledore's help). Finally, his status as the descendant of Ignotus Peverell allowed him to inherit the Invisibility Cloak from his father. Harry was already the Master of Death, having defied the killing curse as a baby. Therefore, it was his destiny to reunite the Hallows and, through no power of his own other than a talent for being in the right place at the right time, take down the most powerful wizard in history.

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