JK Rowling sent fans into meltdown over the prospect of another Harry Potter movie recently when she returned from a social media hiatus and posted a picture related to the popular West End play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Ultimately, hopes of another movie were dashed and people will have to wait some more to see if the Boy Who Lived ever reappears on the big screen.
However, wouldn't it be great if there was another movie? And, if so, what about a 'what if' sort of scenario? We now take a look at the biggest what-ifs in the wizarding world to get fans thinking.
What If The Potters Had Stuck With Sirius Black?
James and Lily Potter are both murdered by Lord Voldemort after their Secret Keeper, old friend Peter Pettigrew, betrayed them by revealing their whereabouts to the villain. Pettigrew wasn't initially meant to hold the mantle, however, with Sirius Black previously the only person who knew where they were hiding.
It seems feasible that, had the Potters stuck with Black rather than change things at the last minute, they would have survived but this may not have been for the best. Without them dying, Harry Potter may never have had the guts to take on the Dark Lord. And without Potter as the Chosen One, the wizarding community may have suffered as a result.
What If Lord Voldemort Chose Neville Longbottom?
Harry Potter only became the Chosen One because Lord Voldemort himself picked the boy as the one he thought would become his greatest enemy. The prophecy created by Sybill Trelawney could also have referred to Neville Longbottom who, like Harry, was born in the month of July and whose parents had twice thwarted the Dark Lord.
Yet even if Voldemort had earmarked Neville as the greater threat, the future Hogwarts Herbology teacher would most likely have remained safe. His parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, wouldn't have chosen a menace like Peter Pettigrew as their Secret Keeper, hence it being likely that Neville would have been hidden away successfully and the Fidelius Charm would have remained intact.
What If Harry Potter Had Been Sorted Into Slytherin?
The only reason Harry Potter doesn't get sorted into Slytherin house is because he told the sorting hat that he didn't want to go. Instead, he ends up in Gryffindor, the same house as both Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, where he goes on to become one of the house's biggest students.
And we imagine his life would have turned out slightly different had he been sorted into Lord Voldemort's old house. For starters, Potter would most likely be feared or suspected of harnessing a dark side to his personality. Not only that, but it's also likely that he may have become individualistic and over-ambitious, traits the Dark Lord himself possessed during his time at school.
What If Remus Lupin Hadn't Transformed?
Don't get us wrong we absolutely love Remus Lupin but we can't quite forgive him for transforming into a werewolf at the most crucial time during the Prisoner of Azkaban book and movie. Just as it looks like Sirius Black will be a free man, and Peter Pettigrew will be subjected to a spell in Azkaban himself, Lupin's sudden change allows the latter to escape and reunite with Voldemort once again.
Had that not happened, Harry would likely have moved out of Number 4 Private Drive and instead lived with Sirius. But because Pettigrew escaped, the Boy Who Lived's godfather was unable to clear his name and would ultimately spend the rest of his days with a price on his head.
What If Barty Crouch Sr Hadn't Been Left Alone?
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Sr slowly descends into a worsened state as the novel goes on. While in the movie he is discovered dead in the Forbidden Forest, things are different in the core material with Harry and Viktor Krum instead discovering him alive - before Harry leaves and later returns to find the Ministry of Magic man dead.
Had Harry not left Krum alone with Crouch, he would most likely have been able to get him to Professor Dumbledore and defy Lord Voldemort's plan. But, by leaving the Durmstrang student alone with the old man, it allows Barty Crouch Jr to murder his father in secret.
What If Barty Crouch Jr Didn't Teach Harry?
Say Lord Voldemort hadn't used Barty Crouch Jr during his plan to get Harry Potter to Little Hangleton Graveyard during the Goblet of Fire, but still managed to transform the cup into a Portkey. How would that have gone down?
We're just guessing here but, chances are, it wouldn't have been the Boy Who Lived traveling to the graveyard. Harry only won the Triwizard Tournament because he had Crouch Jr, impersonating Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, helping him.
It's the Death Eater who nudges him towards flying in the first task, and him again who ensures Harry use Gillyweed in the second. As for the third and it's Crouch Jr who eliminates most of the obstacles in his path. Without him, it's unlikely Harry would have got anywhere near the prize.
What If Albus Dumbledore Had Stayed Alive?
Albus Dumbledore dies at the hands of Severus Snape during the Half-Blood Prince with many at the time shocked by the circumstances of his passing. However, it later emerges that the Hogwarts headmaster was on borrowed time anyway and arranged his death in order to save Draco Malfoy's soul.
Had Dumbledore survived, for at least one more year, then Lord Voldemort could have been defeated quicker. The Hogwarts headmaster was wise and chances are that he knew what the Dark Lord's Horcruxes were before Harry did. They could have fought together to bring the evil villain down, rather than the youngster having to do the bulk of things himself.
What If Voldemort Had Turned Gryffindor's Sword Into A Horcrux?
Lord Voldemort took pride in having his Horcruxes be items of significance or meaning. He steals Helga Hufflepuff's cup from a woman named Hepzibah Smith, is able to acquire Salazar Slytherin's old locket and also persuades Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter into giving up her mother's old diadem.
Chances are he'd of loved to make Godric Gryffindor's sword another one of his soul-carriers - and that would probably have been bad news for Harry Potter. The sword is virtually indestructible and Fiendfyre, the tricky spell that kills Crabbe, may have been too dangerous a method to use. It also would have been nearly impossible to destroy items such as the locket, Tom Riddle's old school diary and Nagini.
What If Hermione Granger Didn't Exist?
Harry Potter is the focal point of the entire franchise, with the Boy Who Lived often joined in his adventures by close friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Yet while Harry and Ron are capable wizards, Hermione is a class above with her intelligence and logic often setting the trio in good stead.
Without Hermione, Harry and Ron would most likely have perished in the Sorcerer's Stone. Likewise in the Chamber of Secrets. In the Prisoner of Azkaban, it's also left to her to save the day when Sirius Black looks likely to be imprisoned. And so on. Without Hermione, there's a genuine chance Harry would never have got anywhere near defeating Lord Voldemort.
What If Lord Voldemort Won?
The biggest what-if of them all. What if Lord Voldemort had defeated Harry Potter at the Battle of Hogwarts? What if he'd been able to kill the Boy Who Lived rather than the other way round?
Well, put simply, there most likely wouldn't have been any muggles left. Voldemort wanted to take over their world which probably would have involved mass murder. Similarly, anybody loyal to Harry would have probably been killed and it seems feasible that Hogwarts would have been turned into an institution where the dark arts are taught. Certainly, the world would have been a grim place had Harry not reigned supreme.