What If Fudge Had BELIEVED Harry? | Harry Potter Film Theory

[@ThisUserIsNoLongerAvailable]

What if James survived? Maybe he had to talk to The Order or Dumbledore about something or was sick of being cooped up and went out in his stag form, but he comes home to find Lily dead and Harry scarred. How much would things change with James still around?

[@animecrazy90]

Or if james had been able to do sacrificial love on harry and lily and lily raised harry.

[@adershvarshnei5198]

For one, pettigrew would be immediately blamed and sirius would be innocent. James and harry might be placed under another fidelius charm, perhaps this time with dumbledore or sirius as the secret keeper, so they would be safe. Snape might end up switching sides anyway, as lily was the only one who ended up dead because of voldemort's actions. In the end, it might mean a stronger order, and with james alive and sirius innocent, the marauders would be chief amongst them. Harry might also grow up kinda spoiled, or atleast less humble than with the dursleys. The only thing that is somewhat troubling is that the sacrificial love charm on harry would only work if he lives with the dursleys, not james, since it was his mother's blood. So even with james alive, harry might need to live with the dursleys.

[@wsconsn]

Dumbledore wouldn’t have allowed them to survive, he sacrificed James and Lilly so he could control Harry’s upbringing.

[@llamacade3834]

@@animecrazy90that wouldn’t have happened because Voldemort didn’t give him the option to live, whereas he did for lily

[@idkidk1311]

@@wsconsnno he didn’t dumbledore literally didnt even know pettigrew was the new secret keeper

[@half-a-person517]

"Hate her or Hate her" no better words to describe Umbridge (Massive respect to the actress)

[@clonetrooper2003]

Or Sonia from tears of the kingdom for that matter

[@Knowledge.to_Come]

She got some hate in real life for the role so she deserved respect

[@katherinemcdaniel8676]

I remember she played one of the fairies in Maleficent. I automatically didn't like her, which went along with how the role was played.

[@Darth_Nova]

​@clonetrooper2003 why do we hate sonia?

[@6h23]

​@@clonetrooper2003 what did Sonia do?

[@arinerm1331]

Harry's forming Dumbledore's Army gave us so much more emotional payoff than just a little rebellion against Umbridge. The description of Luna's bedroom ceiling was one of the most gripping parts of the entire series for me.

[@auiak7689]

Sameee

[@coolnerdlll6053]

I just had a thought. If Fudge doesn't believe that Peter killed Cedric, why doesn't he ever try to blame Harry for it? I can buy that he would think Harry capable of killing someone else to win the Tournament, especially after an Imperiused Krum tried to do the same to Cedric and Fleur.

[@rittersportfan]

If he blamed Harry for it, there would've been a trial on Harry with massive public attention where Harry could've tell in front of the whole public what really happend. And Fudge couldn't have stopped him because it's Harrys right as a defendent to defend himself after all. Fudge didn't believe that Voldemort was back, but more importantly he didn't WANT to believe it and he certainly didn't want the public to doubt his own version.

[@coolnerdlll6053]

​@@rittersportfanI can easily see Fudge dismissing Harry's story as a lie. From the perspective of someone who doesn't believe that Voldemort is back, it would sound kind of insane.

[@lukeroberson2115]

Also, Priori Incantatem would easily show Harry hadn't casted a SINGLE spell that could've killed Cedric.

[@ElaineFrancesca]

I've always wondered how NO ONE suspected Harry.

[@Jamie_D]

He does believe it,he just couldn't admit or accept it himself because of fear etc. I guess a bit like someone not wanting to accept that someone close to them is gone.

[@Hoomon13]

What if the Weasley Twins were Harry's age instead of Ron? They would be the first people that Harry meets on the train. I see a 'Second Marauders' here.

[@conormurphy4328]

The twins, Harry, and Nevill.

[@novacorponline]

One problem with having them be Harry's age is that it would reduce how much experience they have. Part of what makes Fred and George fun in the books is that they have had time to learn and master the magic needed for their shenanigans. If they were just entering Hogwarts, they would be mundane tricksters until they could learn enough to start their shenanigans. Having them be older allows them to already have the skill to be magical tricksters in Harry's first year.

[@coolnerdlll6053]

Then what age is Ron? Is he in Ginny's year? And I don't know if Molly could survive giving birth to four kids in the span of about a year.

[@samwitherington8202]

​@@coolnerdlll6053maybe just move all the Weasleys ages back a few years? That would help.

[@Hoomon13]

@@coolnerdlll6053, I'd say that Ron's age was swapped with the twins. Ron would be a third year in Harry's first year.

[@richardchisenhall387]

In your comparisons between the old and new generations you compared Neville to Peter, I think Sirius would pick up on that and take a particular interest in Neville helping him to grow in confidence thus breaking the Peter character cycle

[@conormurphy4328]

Also they have a connection seeing as Sirius’ cousin was the one that tortured Neville’s parents.

[@richardchisenhall387]

@@conormurphy4328 that's very true and Sirius, especially one untainted by Azkaban would be a much more nurturing person in general, I feel like he'd be pretty well set on tutoring Neville just as much as Harry

[@littlefoot5013]

I will say, in Fudge's defense, though it's not much of one, that maybe Fudge was getting tired of Harry and Dumbledore, because of all the truths they were pointing out. He says that "This boy's tales are getting taller, and you're swallowing them whole!" You recall, the whole Dumbledore's Army thing wasn't Harry's first defiant act against the Ministry. In his third year, he and Hermoine went back in time and saved both Buckbeak and Sirius, both of whom the Ministry wouldn't listen to any evidence from them that the two were innocent, and Dumbledore also supported their innocence. Now Harry and Dumbledore are claiming that Voldemort returned and was responsible for the death of Cedric Diggory (they could pin the death of Crouch Sr. on his son and claim that he was just a madman, and I believe Fudge did the kiss on him DELIBERATELY to hush him up.) If Fudge admitted that he was wrong on Sirius as well as dropped the ball and let Voldemort return, as well as supported unpopular ideas like removing the Dementors from Azkaban, he was worried that the wizarding community would sack him as minister. Dumbledore doesn't even deny that that COULD happen, but says that if Fudge acts against Voldemort, that, even if he loses office, history will remember him as standing against Voldemort even though he suffered political loss. Truth be told, after admitting that he screwed up that badly from everything to Sirius Black being hunted for a whole year while innocent, to the screwups on Bertha Jawkins and Crouch Sr. to the fiasco at the Quidditch World Cup to their failure to look into how Harry was entered into the Tournament to allowing Voldemort's rebirth to occur, plus suggesting that they remove the Dementors from Azkaban and try and win over dangerous giants, then, yes, I do believe that Fudge would have lost his job. But at least he would have lost it with dignity.

[@Jingyee1511]

Love this analysis! Think that it takes a lot of courage for anyone to admit they were wrong, courage that Fudge didn't have

[@matthewpatrick7263]

At the end of PoA, Snape convinced Fudge that Harry was a delusional liar. That is why Fudge didn't believe Harry in GoF.

[@darthbricksempire3606]

Well Fudge would’ve had Dumbledore’s support, which might’ve been enough to sway his opponents

[@triforceofcourage100]

⁠​⁠@@darthbricksempire3606​​⁠​⁠on some of these like say the giants they’d forgive that as diplomacy is a principle part of good politics and dumbledore’s support would easily shield him there. However he would never be able to drum up enough support to outright remove the dementors from Azkaban. The best he could hope for is to also implement wizard guards alongside the dementors but this would never work. The dementors would still turn and while unable to outright go against the guards they can turn a blind eye to the actions of a particularly weird rat and new human presence that keeps popping up for split seconds and popping away again (Petigrew giving the prisoners back their wands). The guards are all killed by mysteriously rearmed Death Eaters and the dementors join voldy’s side openly afterward. Once this happens Fudge would be blamed for the breakout and deaths of the guards and sacked though I would like to think that he would still appear to aid the school in this timeline’s Battle of Hogwarts.

[@mlpfanboy1701]

And history would have looked back on his final days fondly.

[@yulong29]

What If Snape decided to embrace Harry on year one and treated him well? (Or as well as Snape is capable of)

[@glumanteri]

Well, that sort of happened in What if Harry was sorted in Slytherin?-theory video.

[@lawrencewalston2272]

On some level, Snape was wise not to coddle Harry, knowing what might lie ahead.

[@HanaTheRussell]

"Sirius is a very skilled Wizard!" cuts to him sucker punching Lucius the old fashioned way XD

[@zerophantomyt433]

He knows when to use magic and when the old fashioned will work

[@najrenchelf2751]

The great thing about punches - they don't show up on the wand's spell track record... XD

[@PlaguedByEarth]

I cast fist

[@luciferneverchanges5841]

Umbridge and good guy are three words that do not go together.

[@staren1991]

replace guy with girl and you'll be traumatized forever xD

[@Leroyjenkins01]

Umbridge is a naughty girl is worse 😂😂

[@fionarodgers4806]

Unless the sentence is "The good guys killed Umbridge".

[@Youaveragecountryhumansfan]

@@fionarodgers4806True

[@rodan9773]

Dude i would believe Lord Voldemort turned good cured Nagini became Harry's adoptive Father and they both loved each other as Father & Son and Voldermort grow wings before i believe...that thing can turn good. Respect and keep up the epic work.

[@GholdenOP]

I discovered this channel after re watching the entire Harry Potter. I was in rehab and your videos really gave me an escape from life. Thankyou guys for being you!

[@WisemanLA88]

I always thought the real reason that Fudge didn’t believe Harry about Voldemort’s return was because Lucius Malfoy put him under the Imperius Curse because apparently Lucius does a better job working for Fudge than Voldemort!!!! And even Voldemort knows that!!!

[@lxena8033]

Lucious didn't need to put Fudge under the imperious curse, when all he had to do was tell Fudge a very convincing lie. I'm sure Fudge has some concerns and doubts after the meeting with Dumbledore in the hospital wing at the end of book 4. Especially after Snape showed him the dark mark, and explained how it worked, and that he felt it burn.... All Lucious had to do was tell Fudge that Snape was correct in how the dark mark was used. Show Fudge his own dark mark. Explain that he had no control over getting this mark because he was bewitched at the time and had no choice. Say some bs about fearing that he would one day feel it burn again and naturally if that were to happen, he would absolutely let Fudge know ASAP. But.... in all honestly, he hasn't felt that mark burn in over 13 years..... You know Fudge would believe Malfoy.... He is from a very old pure blood Wizarding family, always giving to charity..... he would never lie about such a thing, right? Which is why Fudge is so sure of himself and is convinced he is right. He believes Lucious over Dumbledore, and Snape. I'm sure Lucious also convinced Fudge that Snape lied to him about the mark burning because Dumbledore convinced to, or threatened his job if he didn't... Don't need an unforgivable curse when you can be a good liar, and can cleverly manipulate someone who is so willing to believe everything you say.

[@Larka661]

Interesting theory, but we all know fear clouds judgment, and besides, Harry wasn't supposed to escape that graveyard. So voldemort had to change tactics. He kept to the shadows til he could get that prophecy, thinking it'd have the answer on how to kill Harry. Voldemort knew the ministry wouldn't accept Harry's claims on his return, because a government doesn’t want to give bad news that would put everyone in a panic. Plus the imperius curse would've had to have been on him immediately, and Lucius was still at the graveyard.

[@sophiaeshleman3349]

Totally not this subject but another site mentioned where’s Harry’s grandparents? I never thought of grandparents except when Neville’s gran was mentioned. So, what’s your opinion?

[@WisemanLA88]

@@sophiaeshleman3349 I never thought about that. Very interesting

[@cullex.2851]

@@sophiaeshleman3349James’s parents died from Dragon pox according to an interview and Lilly’s parents died from "normal Muggle death[s]” according to the lost prophecy in order of the Phoenix.

[@audreymilton6436]

Did Sirius really have to die in this one? He could have still had a fight with Snape without being killed. (I think Sirius would have been able to take Snape.) I think this was a solid theory where Sirius could have survived the whole thing.

[@CrashM85]

Snape is a master dueler, during his fight with McGonagall not only does he defend him self from her (one of the most powerful witches in the world), he uses her magic to take out the 2 death eaters that were keeping a eye on the situation (at least in the movie). I think there is a distinct chance he would have won again Sirius.

[@lenacornelissen5863]

But he wouldn't necessarily aim to kill Sirius

[@Bsmith806]

Sirius had his powers stunted by his 12 years in Azkaban, snape likely would win

[@mmoney416]

Sirius had the DADA curse put on him, so yeah, he did

[@ilbwfy1550]

sirius coudnt take snape

[@HR-dn3nz]

10:05 “Normaly she’s a TOADal menace” (Get it because she looks like a toad 🐸🐸)

[@najrenchelf2751]

Ohnonono... XD

[@ulrikruby]

It’s incredible how many what if’s you guys can make up. I absolutely love these videos.

[@joshg6491]

I feel like a death eater in the ministry had to have Hexed fudge to always deny voldy's alive. It makes the most sense because even when rumors and evidence came out he still denied it

[@Jingyee1511]

I wish but I think revealing that he was hexed would have taken a way some of the message. That it just takes good people turning a blind eye for evil to prevail 🫤 !also saw another comment where Littlefoot5013 shared their thoughts, another good angle I thought

[@abraham2172]

A valid theory, but I like the original more. It also fits Fudges character and proves Hagrid right.

[@daft_j]

I believe Luscious was the one who hexed him or bribed him to keep quiet

[@ilbwfy1550]

same thing happened with percy and dumbledore said that its easier to forgive others than yourself. sometimes its so hard to accept that you were wrong

[@johnsharp965]

Oh my god, I suggested this in the livestream on Friday and it's great to see it happen so quickly!

[@balrighty3523]

14:52 One thing to remember here is that Voldemort was also trying to keep his return plausibly deniable. Hence, eleven Death Eaters going to the Ministry in his place. In a scenario where the Ministry already believes he’s back, he doesn’t need to send eleven or even six/five of his Death Eaters. He can go himself. I imagine he’d do a better job of securing the Prophecy than any number of his lackeys. And what’s the worst that could happen? The Ministry finds out that he’s back?

[@abraham2172]

True, but with Dumbledore at their side, the ministry might have been able to prevent even Voldemort himself from getting the prophecy. I assume that Voldemort himself would fear Dumbledore and a possible trap for him too much to even try it. It would simply be too risky.

[@ralphfrederickdouglas]

He wouldn't need to arrange the contrived plan to bait Harry into the Department of Mysteries at all; he could just go and grab the Prophecy himself.

[@ugolomb]

I think, in a scenario like this, we'd get to see much more of Amelia Bones. She must have been a formidable threat to the Death Eaters, if Voldemort thought it important enough to go and kill her himself...

[@ellaser93]

A "What If"/Theory that I would love to see y'all look into. What happened to Lily's and Petuna's parents? I think it is quite clear in the series that the Evans (Harry's maternal grandparents) are dead at the time of the story. But what if they were still alive? Would Dumbles had them take care of Harry instead of the Dursleys? What would Harry's relationship with them be like?

[@captainspaulding5963]

Didn't they die of "normal muggle causes"?

[@vc1396]

I think there's a couple holes in this theory 1. Why would the ministry believe that Sirius is not guilty without any evidence? And would dumbledore allow Snape and Sirius to fight to the death? He'd more than likely intervene. Also, I don't think Dumbledore would be inclined to agree to Harry living with Sirius since he still needs the protection from his Mother's blood in petunia. Also, would dumbledore hire Sirius as a teacher? He's probably too reckless in dumbledores opinion, not to mention he's out of touch with reality due to being imprisoned for so long 2. Would Harry know he can choose not to go on after he dies since dumbledore is not there? Also, would the Gold flames from wand still work after the connection is broken between him and voldemort after harry dies?

[@honeybadgertheshield8157]

It’s so uncanny that this video came out because I had just finished watching the what if Crookshanks killed Peter video and was thinking about what would’ve happened if Fudge had believed Harry in that scenario or the true timeline!

[@littlefoot5013]

I don't believe that Umbridge could be good. She was sympathetic to Voldemort's goals, as shown by her support of the Muggle Born registration commission. Also, some downsides to the minsitry believing Harry would be that Dumbledore's army was never formed, and that change is going to have negative ramifications, somewhat in Half Blood Prince (as the Death Eaters were hampered from harming others in Half Blood Prince due to the Dumbledore's Army people hanging around and Neville being in Dumbledore's Army was a strong plot point in Deathly Hallows. And I' could see Bellatrix Lestrange marrying a Muggle before I could see Umbridge becoming a decent person.

[@Allmightyimortal]

She's not sympathetic she is power hungry. Good guys in charge do that to gain power there. Bad guys in charge help them to gain power. She has no loyalty to anyone but herself and tries to use everyone else to gain it. So yeah, if Good guys were still in charge she would of stayed "good" because that furthered her power hungry goals. Honestly makes me hate her more

[@oscarsandoval9011]

my god, that Umbridge thumbnail gave me whiplash. I literally just started this video so their better be a good reason for it.

[@ailynrenee1796]

I particularly liked how everyone forgot about the Pensieve in the same book it was introduced in. Totally could have just said "oh here's my memory of the confession, and this is the Third task and the graveyard." Such an oversight.

[@carmeltabby]

Seeing that clip of Filch failing to get into the Room of Requirement just made something click. The reason he can't get in (if he is indeed a poltergeist) is because the Room of Requirement is a purely magical room that magically appears with whatever someone needs, when they need it so of course, Filch, the poltergeist who can't do magic also can't access the most magical room in the castle. It breaks every rule by existing.

[@saphyreblaze819]

Filch is a squib, not a poltergeist

[@carmeltabby]

@@saphyreblaze819 you must be new if you haven't seen the theory that he's a poltergeist yet. If you read carefully, I did say "IF he is indeed a poltergeist". We live in theory world here, have fun.

[@GBunnyG]

My favorite Fudge scene is the opening of HBP, where we find out he's sacked and humiliated. So satisfying.

[@TiMoThY211991]

I don't think Dumbledore understands politics. Fudge's opponents would absolutely attack him over allowing Voldemort to return under his and his administration's nose. The political reality is that doubling down on denial is actually more beneficial for Fudge in the short term, despite being horrible for the world in the longer term. If he faced strong opposition, Fudge knew that admitting to the public that Voldemort returned under his watch would be politically suicidal, and thus acted for his own political self-preservation.

[@Jingyee1511]

Wow you raised a great point! Personally I always saw it as lack of courage and a sense of denial from Fudge, but I think you made a good point on politics. Retrospectively the delivery of the message and trying to find mutual wins in the next steps may actually lead to Fudge being nudged to the right direction

[@ugolomb]

Actually, Fudge could have saved face by simultaneously proclaiming emergency measures and his own resignation, stating that while he believes he was a good peace-time Minister, the forthcoming war calls for a different type of leadership. He could then hand things over to, say, Amelia Bones (we don't know much about her, but we do know Voldemort considered her a threat), thus resigning with his head held high -- and even with the possibility of returning to office after Voldemort's defeat

[@the808songbird]

I think Dumbledore does understand that, but is appealing to Fudge's legacy. He isn't saying "people will _immediately_ see you're good and brave;" he's saying "you'll go down in _the history books_ as good and brave"

[@ugolomb]

@@the808songbird He even says to him, "You'll be remembered, _in office or out_" (or words to that effect); that is, he openly acknowledges that Fudge would be putting his job on the line if he does the right thing. (though he's not saying he'll *definitely* lose his job, only that there's a danger that this might happen)

[@Larka661]

Honestly, Id like to know how claiming voldemort was back was supposedly a ruse to seize control of the ministry? Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard, he wouldn't need to use a "scare tactic". Dumbledore was offered the job to be minister multiple times, and turned them down.

[@garethfairholme1729]

A possible theory you could do (if you haven’t already). What if there was no chamber of secrets (or at least no basilisk in there)? A lot of stuff ends up happening due to what happens in there so what changes will there be if none of that happens?

[@crazysasha1374]

Ooh that's a Big one!

[@jbreezy101]

What if licius waited?

[@genericwhitemale9566]

1. Tom wouldn't have gotten Myrtle killed so Hagrid would've had a full magical education. Hagrid with his giant strength and a full magical education would be a beast. He'd likely have been made a professor long before the story began. 2. Year 2 is mostly peaceful. Lucius has no reason to give Tom Riddles diary to Ginny so it remains in his possession. Harry still discovers he's a parselmouth but without the whole "heir to Slytherin" stuff it wouldn't affect him as much. 3. They're probably all screwed come Deathly Hallows. Without the destruction of Tom Riddles diary in year 2 which would likely be in Voldemort's possession by then + no real way to destroy Horcruxes without basilisk venom, Voldemort just wins in the end.

[@samkrerowicz4269]

My problem with this theory is that I'm pretty sure Fudge was right that he would have been kicked out of office for trying to implement Dumbledore's suggestions. So the question is who replaces him, and I think the most likely choice is Umbridge. So Order of the Phoenix probably goes similarly, but Fudge and maybe a few other ministry employees join the Order.

[@joonaslaitinen9520]

Errmmm.. Why on earth would Umbridge be offered top job? She was very low in power rankings. Case in point: the swamp twins created.

[@ugolomb]

@@joonaslaitinen9520 Why was Fudge offered the job? He was quite low-ranking too...

[@ugolomb]

Whether Fudge would have been kicked out rather depends on how he presented his policies and whether he was able to persuade the public that Voldemort is back. If he'd been actively seeking evidence (instead of suppressing it) he might have been able to persuade enough of the public that the danger is real, and thereby keep his job

[@jbreezy101]

I think dumbledore would have voiced support for fudge and defended him. I’m surprised that dumbledore didn’t offer this to fudge in book 4.

[@jbreezy101]

@@ugolombbc dumbledore didn’t want it.

[@sailorbychoice1]

I think the DA Club still happens, only this time it is school sponsored, Sirius and Snape could teach actual spells, charms and curses one may face and how to overcome them. Snape did teach Harry his favorite spell afterall. As a matter of fact nearly everything Snape is shown to have taught Harry gets used in the books.

[@andreijohnson3953]

Hate her or hate her, lol love it. Dumbledore would not appoint Sirius as the teacher because the job is still jinxed. On another note, is the jinx lifted once Voldy dies?

[@mindovermatterbecomingyour1561]

Yes it is

[@andreijohnson3953]

@@mindovermatterbecomingyour1561makes sense to me.

[@JabamiLain]

8:50, but he's been a criminal in everyone's mind for years, not to mention Fudge's methods, while good, would also be seen as controversial and unorthodox (he did say his chance of getting fired was PRETTY high), so to counter it a bit, he would probably not select him as teacher, and we would still get Umbridge, especially if he wanted to make sure Dumbledore wouldn't get any ideas while they were preparing for war.

[@Leviticus_Prime]

I'm on the fence about umbridge. It could go one of two ways.. 1; She is completely loyal to the ministry, And plays the same role that barty crouch did of being the hardline "defeat the dark lord by any means" position. 2; Seeing as she herself is a pureblood extremist and hates all non-humans, I could see her hating that the ministry is trying to create peaceful ties with giants and other non-humans. Add in the fact that she happily sided with the death eaters when it was clear that they had infiltrated and overthrew the ministry, I could see her switching sides and supporting Voldemort.

[@abhinawshwar327]

"Hate her or hate her" yes exactly 🤣

[@harshittalwar1602]

You guys are awesome!!! Some of the best fan theories I have ever discovered are from your guys' channel!!!

[@mangledmaggie523]

I was just thinking the actor for Umbridge is probably been asked how does it feel to be the least favorite character.

[@albertoruiz8593]

I can't believe I am writing this, but I honestly think you vilainise Umbridge there. I see her as a power/control hungry woman, she serves in a ministry, so I honestly believe, she would stick with the ministry, at least till she would be sure Voldemord is winning. In original books, she didn't really changed sides, she was just comfortable/not concerned with the power shift as long as she could stay in control herself.

[@samstromberg5593]

Loved most of this but I do think the golden flames won't happen, which is sad because I really loved that moment I've always bought your theory that the Golden Flames was the Horcrux inside Harry defending itself and if his Horcrux is already gone then I think he still has to win just as normal or find another way to kill the Dark Lord

[@lilyfitzgerald8971]

I love your guys vids its crazy you can still come up with origanal content after so many years ❤❤❤❤❤

[@mandymawson9121]

The minister of magic had his head so deep in the sand that I thought he either joined Voldemort or was either bribed/blackmailed by the Death Eaters to look the other way.

[@ugolomb]

A note about Barty Crouch Jr.: one of the reasons he was Kissed, I believe, is that Fudge was already worried about what he might say, maybe already heard snippets about Voldemort having returned. If Fudge were the sort of person who'd believe Harry, he might also have been more careful about a potential source of information. And if Crouch Jr. had still been alive, it would have been much easier for Fudge to explain why he's taking the steps he's taking

[@janebonny]

10:03 "Normally, Umbridge is a toad-al menace." Comedy gold!

[@Lordpooz09]

What if Professor Quirrell had succeeded at getting the stone from Gringotts before Hagrid arrived to get it?

[@eldenlion5850]

My opinion? Umbridge would act on her own. She had Fudges full support in her bs in the og timeline but even without him she was always a horrible human being, if she didnt believe Harry, or just didnt care, she'd likely do all the horrible things she did, just how she does it would change. As she said, what Cornelius doesn't know, won't hurt him

[@heyfling]

I think one thing that is overlooked and something Voldemort could do as a last resort, is to ally with Goblin's. Without his loyal Death Eaters, Voldemort could likely promise Goblins wand use and potentially high ranking positions within the ministry, so they will join his army, and if he could get the financial institution of Gringotts on his side, he could gain control through other methods.

[@laser8389]

I follow most of this, but I think Umbridge wouldn't just fall in line with the anti-Voldemort stance and help bog him down in paperwork or whatever. As written in the books and movies, she's a pretty one-note bully character. Bureaucracy isn't her driving force, it's her tool. Now, she might still work for the Ministry instead of getting in its way, but I'd see her being more a functionary, maybe mid-level management at the now Dementor-less Azkaban, inflicting petty tortures on captured Death Eaters. Or maybe she flips and sort of takes Bellatrix's Malfoy Manor role, doing the same thing against kids the Death Eaters have captured instead. She's not a good character, and I think there's still a way for that to show through, even if she's ostensibly "on the good guys' side". EDIT: I commented too soon, but I still feel my way fleshes out her story a little more than her just kind of... being there.

[@sestoelemento2013]

I feel like the the Snape killing dumbledore plan would still happen, because is actively dying because he put the ring on and I don't see who that changes because of the ministry being on their side.

[@Allmightyimortal]

Maybe him and Harry team up sooner with the horcruxes and Harry is there to stop him. Could happen. Still not sure why they couldn't just cut off dumbledore's arm when the curse was trapped there and then regrow it, but still.

[@CrimpyPlate]

J explains in the video that Harry is probably with Dumbledore when he finds the ring, and Harry strongly urges him to not put it on

[@timothyfrasier8218]

What if Lily survived. I think this is how it would happen. Unknowingly having a lovecrux with her sister when they were young and yes both of them have one of these so petunia and Lily have this so when she died by the killing curse knowingly is able to come back but still having the sacrifice still work and giving Harry the protection.

[@geana._.]

Honestly, I feel like a Fudge that believes Harry and Dumbledore is a SANE Fudge. Therefore, I believe that if we're dealing with a sane Fudge, then he would at least want to interrogate Crouch Jr. To figure out how he got to this point and position before allowing the dementors kiss. That's the only critique I have! I don't think a sane and reasonable Fudge would be so quick to allow the dementors kiss and possible cover up his mistakes as well.

[@rationaltrekker2509]

Harry still couldn't go *live* with Sirius - not until he turns 17. He would still need to *live* in the house where his mother's blood dwells in order for that protection to continue. Now, he could go spend some time with Sirius just as he does with the Weasleys.

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

“Hate her or hate her” Yes. These are the only ways to view Umbridge 😂

[@miawoods9798]

Omg you guys took the suggestion I love it! Also that I was actually there to see it happen in the live quiz

[@demoblo4721]

Good umbridge is like a catch 22 in my head

[@rlyman3516]

I don’t think Dumbledore would hire Sirius because Sirius would have a little bit more bias, give Harry special treatment and treat the Slytherins unfairly.

[@Highlander_36]

If Fudge did believe Harry, he probably wouldn't have been attacked by the dementors, wouldn't have had a hearing at the ministry, and Umbridge wouldn't have taken over Hogworts as the "High Inquisitor" and eventually Head mistress because Fudge believed Harry and wouldn't have tried to stop Dumbledore. Edit: This was written seconds before you started talking about this 😅

[@LouisWroteThisComment]

Great video! I'd be really interested in a "What if Barty Crouch was minister of magic"

[@dustinwashburn1283]

I take umbrage with you trying (halfheartedly) to take away my hate for Umbridge.

[@Artemis-huntress]

I use to think that the ministry was working for voldemort and that is why they did nothing

[@anakamarvelous]

I feel like in this AU Umbridge becomes a spy for Voldemort like other officials

[@This.is.pillowww]

Me seeing a play where they did a magic trick with making a box disappear the guys magic words are avadacadabra. HE IS KILLING A BOX!!!

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Probably the best commercial you could put before a video about Umbridge! She probably traumatized at least all the first years

[@YamiSpyroX]

Well, we pretty much have a good-guy Umbridge in real-time but I wouldn't call her necessarily great. Its called Dianna Cooper and she's basically Umbridge cross-bred with Luna Lovegood. She's exactly the kind of Hogwarts Professor who'd keep students on 'Basic-levels' and fluffy-bunny up Magic. She wouldn't torture people...but, Defense Against the Dark Arts. I just picture myself being Harry with her sitting in that Class-room. I always thought it was strange that Fudge was never even mentioned in Deathly Hallows. I guess History and the Author herself just flat frowned upon him!

[@youtubeviewer4472]

I think Voldomort could figure out how to orchestrate an Azkaban prison break with wizard guards. He would just need to kill the guards and he still has the werewolves.

[@HappyNightmare1]

My only problem with that what if…is. What about the Defense Agents the Dark Arts curse for Serious? He’d only teach for the one year.

[@tinyd2015]

thank you both so much for this channel. i can't believe you guys are still making as high-quality content as this after so many years. harry potter is my autistic special interest and has been a massive portion of my life since like 2012, and the fact that you've been along for that ride for almost the whole time is so crazy and important to me. thank you so much for everything!

[@Rainbow.Pegacorn.Cosplay]

Umbridge as a good person? ( *shudders* ) Never in a million years will I believe that could be a possibility.

[@hackman669]

She supported the Dark Lord in every way possible.

[@brandonclark887]

Umbridge being a good person is about as likely as Voldemort redeeming himself at the end of the series. In other words, borderline impossible.

[@Rainbow.Pegacorn.Cosplay]

@@brandonclark887 Or Bellatrix being redeemed into a kind, caring and trusted member of magical society

[@Rainbow.Pegacorn.Cosplay]

@@hackman669 I have no doubt about that in the least

[@Ratscoo]

I always thought that Fuge knew Harry was telling the truth, just that he didn't want to believe him

[@aceospades6570]

In the Order of the Phoenix, after Sirius is killed, Harry pursues Bellatrix and subdues her with a weak cruciatus curse. When Bellatrix is on the ground, Voldemort speaks to Harry and encourages him to really mean it. He encourages Harry to cruciate her with meaning. What would have happened if Harry actually followed through with this command? Would Bellatrix have been maimed? Would Harry have been able to produce a Patronus afterwards? Or... would Voldemort have even let Harry do it; rather than quickly disarm him like he already did?

[@redherring2720]

What if Harry avoided punishment during his 5th Year? In this version Harry reads the whole Daily Prophet and figures out what they're doing, and decides 'if that's how they're going to be, I'm not going to help them'. The Dementor still attacks him, Umbridge is still the DADA Teacher, but Harry doesn't rise to her bait and stays out of detention. He is still getting Voldemort dreams and manages to rescue Arthur, and starts Legilimency Lessons, but he's not a snoop this time and Snape keeps teaching him. They don't form the DA, but maybe they have a smaller, less official study group, giving him more time for Quiddich.

[@jorgen_persson]

Would Snape kasting Aveda Kadavra really kill Voldemorts soul? Nagani, yes, but it's not like the spell is drenched in basilisk venom like the sword of griffindor.

[@theradicalginger3060]

I got to 2 minutes and i was like wait no intro..? 😂 And then it started up

[@Android-ge7hp]

Would the killing curse kill the snake if its a Horcrux? Could they have just used that on every Horcrux? It's what's kind of annoyed me about the last book when Harry tells Neville to "Kill the snake" but gives no details about it being harder to kill than a normal snake.

[@jensvandegenachte8946]

I always wondered how voldemort would communicate with the dementors without a patronus

[@chasem-jw9rn]

Avada kadavra wouldn't kill nagini, Snape would have to use either the sword, basilisk fang or fiend fire.

[@mindovermatterbecomingyour1561]

The killing curse ABSOLUTELY would work as nagini is a living being & it's called THE KILLING CURSE for a reason the killing curse would also work on the other horcruxes as when it hits an inanimate object it destroys it like when voldy fires a killing curse at Dumbledore who dodges it causing it to hit the security guards desk which bursts into flames

[@a.r11384]

In this scenario, I think umbridge would be better written as a secret death eater working internally to destabilize and overthrow fudge

[@barba5209]

PLEASE make a more in-depth book-by-book series of this, i’d love to hear it

[@Allmightyimortal]

Want to say at the start, it does not matter how much evidence there is, fudge didnt want to believe it. Its not that he is an idiot, its that he is afraid and wants to deny relality. Happens way to often in real life.

[@JustFlemishMe]

I remember reading that and being very confused. Following up in OotP was bizarre, left me wondering when this changed from critical of government to anti-establishment (those two are NOT the same). Fudge explicitly tells Dumbledore he CAN'T take Azkaban away from the Dementors, he'd be fired even fo the suggestion. This is a very real political problem that Dumbledore either fails to appreciate or actively ignores. Does Dumbledore think the decision to take Azkaban out of Dementor control is bad enough to fire the Minister over, but will then still be kept in place? No! It's going to be rolled back immediately. Dumbledore then goes all in on an 'all or nothing' approach instead of sympathizing with Fudge and trying to work with him. And there's a weird pureblood supremacy thing that creeps into the conversation out of nowhere? What? And then, when the Ministry has changed tune and Scrimgeour is in charge, Dumbledore STILL isn't working with them. Scrimgeour _does_ seem genuinely interested in taking Voldemort down, so... what gives? That's not to say Fudge shouldn't or couldn't have done more. It'd be a good time to bring in confirmed or suspected Death Eaters for interrigation. And maybe he did, as another comment suggested. Maybe he started with the one closest to home: Lucius Malfoy. Lucius is a wily guy. Maybe he manipulated Fudge, convinced him everything was fine.

[@Omfgwhtavid]

I’d like to see a what if harry left some food for the other kids on the trolley

[@captainwarcraft8677]

Now on the other hand let's delve into a professor we all forgot about. Professor slughorn If he would have fessed up and talked and spoke out there would be no problem at all. Plus slug horn admits, You have no idea what he was like even as a boy here at Hogwarts. With all the encounters with him that boy has always been disturbed and uneasy. Now if slughorn knew these things this is his fault as well.

[@sargentrowell81]

Not sure if they've gotten these so I will pitch my two separate idea's for "What If..." scenarios for the Carlin Bros. and if someone wants to take them and suggest them in the discord chat or whatever is completely fine. I just want to know what they think would happen as basically the foremost Harry Potter experts online. The first is what if Harry was actually a girl that looked like strikingly similar to his mother, similar to how he's familiar to those who knew his dad. I got that idea listening to one of their "Through The Griffin Door" podcasts when they were talking about how Snape may have a particularly strong dislike for him since he's so similar to James, and one of them suggested he may not be so harsh if he looked more like Lily. So I just turned it up to 100 and want to know if perhaps Snape would favor her like he seems to Draco. Speaking of Draco, my next idea is about him. I was watching some video about him the other day and as he kept mentioning that Draco was actually quite gifted and made a big deal about being chosen by Voldemort for assassinating Dumbledore, inferring that maybe what he wanted most was just to be the chosen one from the start. So I just figured why not ask that question? What if Draco was the chosen one INSTEAD of Harry? Seriously, if someone can just get these ideas to them effectively by all means go for it!

[@raoulmichels3109]

I wonder, would Harry and Cho's relationship survive for longer? After all, it's Cho's outrage at Harry going to meet Hermione on Valentine's Day that kills that relationship. If the Ministry is on his side, Hermione has no reason to break off his "ahum" enjoyment at Madam Puddifoot's.

[@LittleKraftyBits-Tiffany]

This question makes me wonder... WHY didn't Dumbledore just use his memory of BCJr.'s confession in a Pensive?? There was a perfectly good Pensive in Dumbledore's office where they were probably ALREADY TALKING!!!

[@FlanylShirtman]

If Fudge had believed Harry, Umbridge wouldn't have supported him. Fudge is a politician with rivals, so someone else would likely be calling Harry a liar, and if the readers of The Daily Prophet remain as fickle as they were, Umbridge would support that person. As long as that rival screamed loud enough, and had the right connections, Umbridge could still wind up as a professor for Harry's 5th year.

[@ugolomb]

Not necessarily, as Fudge in this scenario would not see a need to put the school under direct Ministry control, which is the only reason Umbridge ended up at Hogwarts. But I think there would be some in-fighting within the Ministry, with Umbridge and other pure-blood-supporters on one side and Dumbledore supporters (possibly including Amelia Bones? We know that Voldemort considered her a threat) on the other side. I might even see Voldemort trying to recruit some of the pure-blood-supporters to his side, covertly, of course; so much of the plot would revolve around both true and false leads as to who the spies might be

[@peng1luver259]

Is the Hand of Glory in Borgin and Borkes a severed dementors hand? In the movie it looks like a dementors hand

[@bluedragon_326]

Black's Army? No no no.......Padfoot's Army!

[@SakariWolf13]

The Marauder's March.

[@clancykohl]

Umbridge gets put in charge of Azkaban of course, where she can cherish in punishing all those rulebreakers and keeping up order.

[@JabamiLain]

Actually, I think she'd do the unthinkable and let them out AFTER trying to instill discipline into them. While she is effective, Umbridge was a human supremacist, so she might join Voldemort in order to "Save the Ministry".

[@estforlife575]

Video idea “what if Harry’s name never came out of the Goblet of Fire”

[@Acromion11]

This is probably the most unfictional thing about HP series, government being ineffective and unthrustworthy

[@CeticWales]

Very interesting with the way "If Ron was a Hufflepuff" is going...

[@julian76455]

HP Theory Idea: What if Hermione had not caught Rita Skeeter? or What if Hermione had never figured out Rita Skeeter is an Animagus? Its the slight and subtle changes this would implement that might have the plot deviate from the books in quite the interesting way.

[@4NGEL99]

What if Harry befriend the part of Voldemort that was inside him. First it's said that the piece of Voldemort inside Harry was the only part of him that could be redeemed and second in Chamber of secrets Harry says the Tom Riddle whoever he was felt almost like an old friend

[@mikecampbell1731]

Serious being a defense against the dark arts teacher would be like Charles Manson being a music teacher 😂

[@kennethcampbell7263]

The biggest bonus, while your speaking of Sirius Black Malfoy slips through the veil in the department of Mysteries and Sirius lives, I so hope your going to say that when you get there.

[@tannerwinward5025]

I think this is super interesting and pretty accurate. However, I think in this case, Voldemort isn't going to simply accept having so few followers. I think it's likely that he adjusts his plan accordingly. He clearly doesn't have a problem laying low for a while, as he does most of #5 anyway, so I think this time he likely does the same think for a while (plus some ministry-evasion) and makes concerted plans to grow his numbers instead of obtaining the prophecy. Something with large-scale imperious or a jailbreak. Sure, they normally rely on the dementors to get the Death Eaters out but I think a low-key attack on the prison would work too. I think even with dementors, a small group of skilled wizards would be able to accomplish this. Plus, just old fashioned recruiting. Voldemort is extremely ambitious and not always the most patient, but he's a meticulous schemer. I don't see a situation where he allows the conflict to escalate without feeling like he has the upper hand.

[@Myrtle-hp4ls]

Day 1 of asking scb: in book two, why did none of the TALKING PORTRAITS notice and report a giant basilisk slithering around and petrifying students? (I made a yt account for this, it's been bothering me forever)

[@KatarzynaMatylla]

"Dumbledore would not be actively dying..." Why? He would, even with the Ministry's help, go looking for the ring and otice the resurrection stone, and mess it up. Why would the Ministry being on Harry's side change anything in relation to this detail? Timing? Well, maybe if the Ministry was helping, Albus would have more free time and fint the ring earlier?