The best part of Harry Potter spin-offs like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the upcoming video game Hogwarts Legacy is that they provide the opportunity to close up loose ends left behind by the original series. These might be tidbits about the wizarding world or further exploration of characters like Albus Dumbledore.
Of course, not every open-ended storyline in the Harry Potter series will get filled in since they are driven by the element of mystery. The answers to questions aren't always available in the real world, and the wizarding world is the same way. From the details of Sirius Black's death to the full function of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Redditors have shared the plotlines for which they still cannot find closure.
Sirius Black's Death
Sirius Black's death was the most confusing in Harry Potter. This is fitting since it took place within the Department of Mysteries. But, when Harry's god-father disappeared behind the veil, audiences expected to eventually get some answers about what it all had meant.
"I was hoping for a return trip to the Ministry," said one Reddit user, who thought that the books following Order of the Phoenix might see Harry commune with Sirius through the veil. Of course– like in real life– the mysteries of death were left unanswered, leaving Harry and readers without closure.
Snape And Harry's Relationship
Throughout Harry's entire time at Hogwarts, Severus Snape was one of his fiercest enemies. The professor made his life miserable and never hid the contempt he felt for Harry's resemblance to James Potter. Then, after Snape dies, Harry learns that the man he had hated once loved his mother, Lily.
Redditor Superciliouscreek found it frustrating that, in Harry Potter, Harry and Snape never have a "conversation after the truth was discovered" and could, therefore, never mend their differences. It could be that Snape's attitude wouldn't have changed since his complicated emotions over loving Harry's mother but hating his father were also never resolved. However, no one will ever know.
The Cursed Horcrux Ring
Harry learns through Snape's memories in Deathly Hallows that Dumbledore had foolishly put on the Gaunt ring. The result is that the headmaster became fatally cursed, limiting the time that he could set Harry on the right track to defeat Voldemort.
However, many questions about the ring are left unanswered. "I think there's a bit of ambiguity about the nature of the harm the ring did to Dumbledore," said Redditor Pennycenturie. Was the curse just meant to kill the wearer, or could it have been a method for Voldemort's soul to possess the wearer (like Riddle's diary)? Unfortunately, the answers are never given, so audiences can only guess.
The Extents Of Wand Loyalty And Usage
The Harry Potter series reveals that wands choose their wizards. This is one of the first things that Harry learns about the magical objects, but it isn't until Deathly Hallows that Harry understands just how complicated wandlore truly is. In the end, these intricacies are precisely what saves him from Voldemort, but readers still have several unanswered questions.
For example, Redditor Beetnemesis noticed that Ron once used three wands at once on an enemy, and the result was an attack three times as powerful as it would have been. If this was possible, why didn't more wizards do this? "Maybe it's usually hard to control," they said, questioning if all three wands were loyal to Ron at that moment. The nuances of wandlore might have seemed unimportant before, but since wand loyalty was pulled to the center of the plot, it required more explanation.
Hermione And S.P.E.W.
From Goblet of Fire on, Hermione was determined to free as many house-elves as possible. This was easier said than done since she was met with resistance from not only wizard owners but the enslaved creatures themselves.
Despite the serious implication of this conflict, Hermione's movement, S.P.E.W., was treated as comic relief. Fans know that after the end of the Harry Potter series, Hermione became Minister for Magic and fought for the rights of magical beings. Still, there is never an answer for if Hermione ever convinces house-elves that freedom is a good thing. This left Redditors like Dice-enthusiast wondering if there was even a "point [in] including this whole house-elf conflict" to being with.
Sirius' Innocence
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore tells the Golden Trio that without Peter Pettigrew, no one would believe their story that Sirius Black was innocent. This sparks the plan to travel through time to save him, and for the next couple of years, Sirius remains in hiding.
Then, Sirius' name is miraculously cleared by the Ministry after his death in Order of the Phoenix. Horace Slughorn mentions this to Harry, unaware that they had been like family, but it is never explained how this came to be. "The Ministry never saw Peter alive," said Redditor Spinindyemon. It's possible that the Ministry was finally willing to take Dumbledore's word, but it would have been good for readers to see Sirius' innocence officially declared so they could feel satisfied with his story.
The Malfoy Family After The War
After Harry defeated Voldemort in Deathly Hallows, the Malfoy family wasn't entirely sure what to do with themselves. They had basically defected Voldemort's side at the end, but they still weren't entirely on the side of the Order. So, they sat around in the Great Hall, looking awkward as everyone celebrated.
While the Wizarding World website states that the Malfoys talked their way out of punishment, Redditor Curseofblacklion found this an unsatisfying way to end their story. Draco himself was still trying to hide behind the Death Eaters "during the final battle" and should have at least seen some punishment as a result.
James Potter's Redemption
In the early Harry Potter books, Harry was proud to hear that he was a lot like his father. However, after accidentally seeing Snape's school memories in Order of the Phoenix, he begins to doubt that James Potter is a very good role model.
He struggled with this and eventually asked Lupin and Sirius about it, but they both just laughed off James' bullying days, chalking it up to his youth. This didn't satisfy Harry, but it was rarely brought up again. Necessary-Rub2748 didn't consider this a proper redemption, saying that audiences never had the chance to see him "grow older and wiser" and earn anyone's forgiveness.
The Way Horcruxes Are Used
Redditor Homyk points out that the act of making a Horcrux was "never properly explained in the books." This has left fans to theorize about the Horcruxes in Harry Potter and draw their own conclusions about what Voldemort had to do to make them, as well as how he hoped to use them if his body died.
Voldemort was confident that he had achieved immortality, but when his body was destroyed, it took him 13 years to return. During that time, his Horcruxes lay uselessly hidden away. If he were to die again before Harry had destroyed every Horcrux, how many more years would it have been before the fragments did their job? Of course, this isn't how the story goes, but there are way too many questions left open.
The Legend Of The Hallows
Although the final book in Harry Potter is called Deathly Hallows, audiences like Redditor Whitney_1932 are wondering: "At the end of it all, [did] they really change anything?" The three Hallows were legendary for their power over Death, but when Harry came face to face with Voldemort, it wasn't their protection that saved him.
Some have theorized that the legend that the Deathly Hallows would make someone the Master of Death was just backward. Instead, having defied Death three times, Harry was destined to be their master. Others think they were a metaphor for Harry's resistance to evil. Unfortunately, fans will never get the closure of a legitimate answer.