Why Harry destroying the Elder Wand is better than he keeping it

After finally defeating Voldemort, Harry breaks the Elder Wand at the end of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2'. In the book on the other hand, Harry kept the Elder Wand, thus following Dumbledore’s original plan. Here’s why Harry’s decision in the movie is the better choice compared to his plan in the books.
Subscribe for more!
bit.ly/3ITceUp
Feel free to reach out:
twitter: @tweetofcosmic
reddit: u/canoncosmic

[@CanonCosmic]

(Regarding Dumbledores grave and Harry fixing his wand) Additional note: Since this came up a bunch of times in the comments I thought it might be better to adress here rather then responding to everyone who made that point ^^ In the book, Harry used the elder wand to fix his own wand and then returned the elder wand to Dumbledores grave. I didn't include this in the video since it doesn't matter. The point is that Harry explained to everyone in the great hall that he's the master of the elder wand. The location of the wand is also known to Harry, Ron, Hermione and all of the paintings in the Headmasters office. This means that these to bits of information are not sealed air tight. We can debate how likely it is that someone would find and disarm it's current master and then also find the wand. You'd have a point to think it might be unlikely, but I think it's not impossible. Destroying the wand on the other hand would have dealt with the issue once and for all though, and the wand itself is never described to be unbreakable. If you read this this far then thank you for watching and reading :) Edit: specified at the top that this is about Dumbledores Grave and Harry fixing his own wand.

[@Marcus-ps9mw]

Harry fixes his wand but does not return the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's grave he puts the wand and the sword behind the picture of Dumbledore in the headmaster's office

[@Marcus-ps9mw]

Also the pictures in the headmaster's office have no clue what the Elder Wand is because Dumbledore never explained that to the pictures

[@CanonCosmic]

@grimhook I've seen a bunch people commenting about Harry putting the wand behind the painting and I'm wondering where this is coming from. He says to Dumbledores painting that he's going to put the wand 'back where it came from', I always read that as Dumbledores grave, are you saying this implies behind the painting? Or does this come from somewhere else entirely? And to your second point, it would surprise me if none of the previous headmasters knew nothing of the elder wand given it's historical significance and it being part of the tale of the brothers.

[@Marcus-ps9mw]

@@CanonCosmic as far as I'm aware it should be in the book I've always had the audio versions

[@Yuvalbh]

Again, Harry respected Dumbledore too much to break the wand that was taken from his grave

[@gamermunja9119]

Am I the only one remembering that in the books he fixes his original wand and hides the Elder Wand with Dumbledore? Meaning even if he was disarmed, they’d have to go to Dumbledore’s grave to get the wand?

[@ryangustin4752]

yeah but dumbledores grave isn’t exactly fort knox. Voldemort just got in there like it was nothing. I assume anyone else could as well.

[@gamermunja9119]

@@ryangustin4752 In the books, Snape lead him to the tomb, since he was headmaster he could do whatever without problems. Do you think any remains Headmasters are going to let someone defile and break Dumbledore’s tomb?

[@CanonCosmic]

I completely hear you in that if nobody would ever find out where the wand was, then it doesn't matter because the true owner would never find it. The point of the video is that, if you truly want to prevent that a potential future owner of the elder wand uses it, the best way to do so, is to break the wand. As long as you keep it around, there will always be a chance that someone will gain its allegiance and wield it, however small it is. The funny thing is that Harry could even have used a fidelius charm on it with himself as a secret keeper, than as long as he wouldn't tell anybody it would be safe, but again, it's even safer to just break it. hope this clears it up :)

[@caroltan7764]

but i agree Harry breaking the wand was better than Harry putting it in Dumbledores tomb but the movies arent canon

[@jackwriter1908]

Not only that, but barely anyone knew he was the master of the Elder Wand.

[@CaitLumos]

I find that most people don’t have an issue with Harry breaking the Elder Wand. The issue is with the fact that he doesn’t fix his own wand with it first

[@anogaft1543]

Yeessss!

[@stianaandal1488]

It would have been way cooler if he kept it

[@PMVault]

Or the school

[@musicjunkiie2393]

It's a small detail that wasn't needed in the movie as you never see him use magic after the battle in the movie. I do think this is one of the few changes I prefer over the books though

[@zingdynasty]

He didn’t have his broken wand in the movie. Fenrir tosses it aside in the forest so in the movie canon, it’s lost.

[@seanburrows9130]

AT LEAST YOU COULD HAVE USED THE MOST POWERFUL WAND EVER TO HELP REBUILD THE GODDAMNED SCHOOL BEFORE SNAPPING IT, HARRY!

[@marcushendriksen8415]

Harry's knowledge of magical repair only extends as far as Reparo lol, I don't think that would've cut it in that situation

[@seanburrows9130]

@@marcushendriksen8415 Ahhhh, but we are neglecting certain charms and other spells that could be used to clear away rubble and or place destroyed bricks and moter back together. Like Wingardium Leviosa.

[@sayanbhadra2371]

Harry actually is not that skilled with spells, so i don't think he would have been able to do that

[@RennieAsh]

If only there were more people around the place who have wands and know spells.

[@sansthitadutta3832]

Um It was. A Decoy

[@Cragmortis]

Dumbledor: Uses it like a boss Harry: Haha, most powerful wand go snap.

[@lasagnasux4934]

One does not simply destroy legendary historical artifacts. Unless you're the taliban.

[@BigJeremyBeyer]

Even if that is the better outcome for the Elder Wand, there was no reason to leave out the part where he used it to repair his Phoenix Wand. It would have taken 3 seconds to show.

[@dylanb2990]

What would it have added to leave it in?

[@BigJeremyBeyer]

@@dylanb2990 it would have added the part where he fixed his Phoenix wand....

[@Eldrich4291]

It's just weird that a legendary magical artifact can be destroyed only just by snapping it.

[@onilink0thefur]

Because it can't. If it could have been just snapped, Dumbledore would have already done it.

[@thomasvansuilichem3561]

Daniel Radcliffe just liked druming on his leg

[@dansharp2860]

@@onilink0thefur and no need for a convoluted plan that ran over Harry's sixth year to make sure Voldemort didn't get it.

[@thecompoundshop9322]

I think it’s because Harry was the owner of the wand so he could choose to do whatever he wanted with it, so like no one else could’ve snapped it but him

[@dansharp2860]

@@thecompoundshop9322 Was Dumbledore not the master when he had it? He could still have done it and not made it an issue for Harry to worry about.

[@Lj_Redd]

Man a series about Harry as an auror would’ve been so much better than cursed child or fantastic beasts

[@JessicaClark-lq4gw]

Harry returned the elder wand to Dumbledores grave. No one else aside from Ron and Hermione would ever know it was there. Besides hiding it i dont think it makes much difference as i dont believe the wand would recognise another master after Harry anyway. Harry is the true master of all three Hallows and the master of death. I think after Harry all of the Hallows would only recognise a new master if Harry gave them over willingly. The Stone becomes a pebble in the forest, the wand becomes nothing more than a twig and the Cloak is willingly passed to the next generation. If Harry died without handing the Cloak over to anyone it would lose its power. Dumbledores portrait even says that the Cloak is Harrys to keep until HE Chooses to pass it along. Its only my theory and not confirmed tho.

[@CanonCosmic]

You're right in that, as long as nobody would ever find the elder wand, a new true owner wouldn't matter since they wouldn't be able to use it, my point is more that it would've been a safer choice to break it since Harry wanted to prevent anyone else from wielding it. Interesting theory! I like how you've brought Harry being the master of death into it! My only quarrel with it would be that it's never adressed that the master of death would be able to do that. As headcanon, this is pretty cool though :)

[@L1z43vr]

See, but that’s the thing, there is no such thing as the Master of Death. Dumbledore himself explained this in the books. The Peverell brothers were just so talented that they created these items. The Tale of the Three Brothers was a morality fairytale for children to understand that bragging and cheating death are bad stuff and it’s better to be humble, and that there’s no way to escape death. And as such, the Elder Wand would continue changing its allegiance to whoever disarms Harry in the future.

[@Yuvalbh]

Harry returned the wand to dumbledors grave, he didn’t kept it

[@CanonCosmic]

Yes, you're right, but the point is that is doesn't matter where the wand is, it's allegiance lies with Harry until he is defeated in battle, no matter the wand he himself uses.

[@Yuvalbh]

@@CanonCosmic still As long as Harry Hermione Ron and Dumbledore portrait won’t tell anyone, no one will actually know where is the elder wand

[@CanonCosmic]

you're right in that, if the elder wands location remains a secret, no one will ever use it again. Harry does want to actually break the elder wands power though, by dying as his last true master, if he'd be disarmed at some point, that person would be the true owner. Since they wouldn't know where the wand is, they still wouldn't be able to use it, so yes, that wouldn't be a problem. However the elder wands power continue to life on, which would go against Harry's plan. So yes, if no one would ever find the wand, it wouldn't be a problem anymore, but breaking would definitely get rid of it for good. ^^

[@toast6375]

@@CanonCosmic yea, but it’s a great backup plan

[@dodixaverius9176]

@@CanonCosmic I believe Rowling does make a complicated rule of wand allegiance. It need to be said slinging a spell, even disarming one, is not enough to make your wand switch allegiance, otherwise after the practice with disarming, many of DA members wand will suddenly does less. Rowling introduce that, the act of harmful spell, must be done in full intent to overpower the other wizard. Casting a joke jinx, wont shift the allegiance that quickly. Of course, this just prove that Rowling did not really think this through. Her explanation about wand allegiance still does not answer why after restoring his own wand, he did not just destroy the wand. We knew that brunt force can break a wand, as evidenced by Ron Wand earlier in series, and even advanced magic could snap a wand, as evidenced earlier in the book where Lucius wand snapped and later his own, so she could not say, it was impossible to break a wand. What I find hard to believe, the relative easiness of Harry breaking the wand on the movies.

[@majinjason]

A new headmaster could just disarm Harry, even in a friendly competition so as not to raise suspicion, and then get the wand out of the grave. Maybe even thinking he'd put it to good use or better protection. But now the wand is back in circulation. Eventually it could end up in evil hands. Breaking it prevents all this.

[@brooklynnmcloud1470]

Him snapping the most powerful wand in existence like a toothpick seemed terribly weird to me.

[@tomw3863]

I'm gonna be honest I literally understood none of that

[@nigelhe885]

You really think that the wand of death can be snapped like that. It’s a relic that longs to be reunited with its brothers and Harry would have been the master of death fulfilling the cycle

[@majentabell9537]

I think the wand would have been that easy to snap because although it a magic wand it is still only made out of wood, just like how it was so easy when Ron's wand broke

[@thericepotato5847]

@@majentabell9537 yes but there wouldn't be any backblast or repercussion? It's literally one of the three most powerful fucking artifacts in the world

[@matthewradabaugh1635]

@@thericepotato5847 none. Because the wand relies on man’s greed to keep going. So it likely doesn’t have safe guards against its destruction as it doesn’t think it will be destroyed. Also the wand isn’t containing *that much* magic it only enhances the wielder’s magic.

[@thericepotato5847]

@@matthewradabaugh1635 still seems like lazy writing.

[@jameshunter6121]

You have to remember, Harry was the master of Death at that point, meaning he had a symbolic power of the artefacts. He was able to break the cycle at that point.

[@jeffdunham3360]

You know I read the books when I was a child and watching this video made me realize that I didn’t retain a single thing from them

[@hugomungus7306]

He needed to fix his wand. I was waiting for years to see that on screen, and they just broke it :( I'm not mad, but they could've just done the repair and THEN break it.

[@TheKing-ns4re]

Harry fixed his wand in the books, therefore it’s canon off-screen anyways…

[@michaelcarlton1484]

Makes you wonder why Dumbledore didn't just leap off himself so it didn't even have to transfer to anyone before he died...

[@Kaltar_]

I just watched a video that explained perfectly why it was still a good plan because if harry would've been disarmed someone else would disarm the other and so on so the no one would in the end know who possesses the elder wand

[@CanonCosmic]

Thats technically true, you could still argue that both Grindelwald and Voldemort managed to trace the order of previous owners to get to the wand but yes there is a chance that these owners wouldn't be aware that they are the owners which would make it more difficult to follow the line of ownership. I'm primarily arguing here that if your goal is to get rid of the elder wand problem, breaking the wand is a safer way as opposed to letting the last owner die undefeated :)

[@jackwriter1908]

@@CanonCosmic the thing about that is that most believe you got to kill the former owner to gain the wand (though up to this day I don't understand why people believed that when Grindelwald didn't even kill Gregorowich). So that would mean there would just be a killing spree, where every dark wizard would try to kill the last one to fight Harry or just kill Harry. And to be honest it is in the end just a wand, that is a little bit more powerful. Harry claiming to have been in the possession and then snapped the wand would definetly not be believed by anyone searching for the wand.

[@cgi2002]

Disarming someone isn't defeating them though, it seems to be much deeper than that. Draco defeated Dumbledore without even casting a spell, it was the emotional defeat that counted. Harry while he disarmed Draco beat him mentally, he made Draco become terrified for his life, as Harry's presence alone and then his failure to stop him meant he feared for his life due to his failing Voldemort, thus Harry beat him. Consider if disarming was enough, Voldemort disarmed Harry in the forest before he "killed" him. He never beat Harry, he just got the better of him that once, even if that was what Harry planned. Beating Harry would likely involve either killing him, or harming his friends or family while he is unable to help them. Defeating someone requires you to either kill them when it's not their plan, or to beat them in their own mind.

[@jackwriter1908]

@@cgi2002 sounds nice but only that. It sounds nice. If that would be the case then no-one would know the actual owner of the Elder Wand. We have seen that someone else can use the wand even if they aren't the owner. And the true ownership doesn't change. So you want to tell me that for probably a thousand years no-one defeated an owner without using their magic and then in within a year, this defeating on an emotional level happened twice?

[@cgi2002]

@@jackwriter1908 tbh it'd be impossible to figure it out based on the logic of disarmed/killed as most of its owners were apparently assassinated rather than beaten in stright up fights without some major plot armour for that thinking. Merely having possession of the wand wouldn't have been proof of ownership when you really think about it. That said, there are apparently ways to figure out if a wand is yours, as Olivander does with the wands the potter gang steal from the Malfoys when they flee. There may be, with the right magic, a way of having the wand tell you who owns it, as it will likely seek to return to its rightful owner. Voldmort simply lacked knowledge of or access to that spell at the time he claimed the wand. Yes I admit its a stretch, but its an illogical world that doesn't seem to have set rules, so stretches are par for the course.

[@scfisdead4436]

i think that harry should have used his moleskin pouch (which only allows the person who put items in to take them out) to put the leader wand in, thus stopping anyone from wielding it ever again

[@OscarGreenworth]

Wands really need Wii Remote wrist straps

[@svenabel2987]

Well Harry won't be disarmed during his work because he used those Wii mote straps

[@randomaccount-dq1jq]

Old Voldy went moldy.

[@JRockThumper]

It’s good either way, because in Harry’s line of work he would get disarmed then the next guy would get disarmed then the next guy and with Harry not bragging about himself having the Elder Wand; and it not being common knowledge that it exists (most people thinking it’s a myth) then just like Draco, people would end up owning the wand without realizing they owned it. It would get lost within two to three owners. And if anyone ever tried to steal the wand after Harry put it back with Dumbledore, then the Elder Wand would end up just like when Voldemort was using it, a regular wand.

[@michaelsaquimux97]

I always think damn he could’ve atleast help repair the school with the wand everytime I see that scene lmaooo

[@picklemat4619]

At the end of the movie Ron went down and 🎶picked up the pieces🎶

[@fredmertz1791]

Harry should have repaired the damage to Hogwart's then put the wand in the chamber of secrets.

[@daniloalmeidadotcom]

holy cow!! I like this

[@kartikayysola]

Except he can't get in anymore, seeing as he lost the ability to speak Parseltongue after Voldemort killed his last bit of soul inside him.

[@fredmertz1791]

@@kartikayysola that's not right. If you remember, Ron Weasley opened the chamber of secrets with Harmonie to get a basilisk tooth.

[@kartikayysola]

@FRED MERTZ oh yeah I forgot about that lol. If I remember correctly, I think he was imitating Harry when he opened the locket. It'd probably take a few tries but it's possible lol

[@daniloalmeidadotcom]

@@kartikayysola ron got in impersonating harry's parseltongue

[@cisio64123]

In the book Harry put the wand back in Dumbledore's grave believing that with it's exact location being unknown except to him the original plan of breaking the chain would still work. There would also be a huge difficulty in getting the wand if it's location was discovered because it is at Hogwarts which has all kinds of enchantments that protect it so it's not a easy place to get into. Voldemort was a highly rare wizard who was extremely skilled and powerful enough to break Hogwarts enchantments to get it and definitely not the norm. There was also still the option that Harry or his friends could always destroy it if there ever were the threat of another dark wizard of Voldemort's caliber on the rise. I do think breaking it thus ensuring the absolute ending it's power before returning it to Dumbledore's grave probably would have been a better idea.

[@zinzolin14]

At the very least, use it to fix your own wand before snapping it Harry 😭

[@neevious]

I’ve always assumed he became the defense against the dark arts teacher. There was a new one in every movie so the jobs always been up for grabs and he did so well in order of the Phoenix filling that role

[@AllyStrikesBack]

Seeing the damage it caused while in the wrong hands it's was for the best that the Elder Wand was destroyed.

[@MegaMerlin5]

I'm pretty sure it's implied in the books that the wand isn't so easily destroyed

[@williamholland415]

No

[@St3a1thsniper32]

The real question is how many people are aware of The Elder Wand? More importantly how many people would be able to deduce the path of ownership to Harry? I still think either destroying it or hiding it in some random location would be better so even if Harry loses the right to wield it. That person would still have to find the wand.

[@knull1237]

Should've intentionally let him be disarmed by friends, who in turn would be disarmed by others. Eventually they'd have no idea to whom the Elder wand belongs

[@thorthewolf8801]

I see many people commented about the allegiance of the wand. First off, watch the supercarlin video about it. Second, even if we dont consider that, Voldemort was still able to use it very well. I know he said that he is extraordinary and the wand just performed his ordinary magic, but thats probably arrogance on his part. So when some schmuck finds the elder wand, they are gonna suddenly be more powerful, even if it isnt theirs. Snapping it is the right decision. Nobody defeated the first brother either in duel (according to the story), but we all know the wand had an alliance down the line.

[@Starwolves57]

Harry puts the wand in unbreakable glass, sealing the entire 2"×2"×16" box. Any spell that could get into that box would break the wand as well. Effectively braking the wand like he did in the movie. I just wish he fixed his own wand first. As that is a unique power of the elder wand.

[@majentabell9537]

So did Snape know that Voldemort would have killed him for the wand. I mean like after all didn't he want draco to do it so that he would be so much easier to kill

[@alexsass6539]

In the books it shows Voldemort didn’t know Dumbledore wielded it until months after his death

[@cgi2002]

Honestly though, Snape probably suspected that this would happen. He had long been prepared to die to stop Voldemort as that act would help Harry, and he would protect Harry with his life. He's also confident enough in his own skills that he may have been able to wound Voldemort, or possibly even kill him in a straight up fight.

[@unamusedrowlett6303]

What actually counts as disarming in the Harry Potter universe? Cause if it's that finicky, I don't see why tightining string at the users end of it or getting a strong metal chain to grip the wand and have harry wear a wrist band wouldn't work.

[@ske7chy]

I’m just gonna say it. They should make a mini series focusing on Harry as an Auror.

[@ryansauchuk7290]

*casts Cruxio* STOP RESISTING!!! STOP RESISTING!!!

[@literatemax]

Bro he literally took the wand from Draco, becoming it's master. It doesn't matter that he doesn't use a spell to do it. The second master of the wand simply slit the first's throat in his sleep! The wand would count it when being wrenched from Draco's hands.

[@MiriRivera978]

Where I thought made a lot of sense would be Harry road repair the other one and then break the other wand and that would destroy the chain of events as well.

[@flamingknight1356]

I actually like him destroying the wand because there are so many problems leaving the wand with dumbledore. Like someone could just steal it again, if he gets disarmed the person that disarmed him is now the master etc

[@mscwman1]

I so remember that the book said he fixed his wand in the head masters office . Then when it’s don’t he takes the wand and places it back in Dumbledore’s tomb . Never to be use again . When Harry died the wand would no longer work for anyone . So also if he lost a battle with his wand no one would still get the elder wand because it was finally hidden

[@CanonCosmic]

You're right in that the wand wouldn't work for everyone after Harry's death if Harry would die undefeated. If he is ever defeated at one point in his life though, the wand would switch it's allegiance to the person who defeated Harry. It's also true, that that new owner of the elder wand would still need to actually find the wand in order to also wield it. How likely is it that anyone would find it? Well that's pretty much up to interpretation. The secret is definitely not airtight though since, Harry, Ron, Hermione and all the paintings in the headmasters office know where it is so there is a chance that it could get out. My main point is that if you want to prevent that the elder wand will ever be used again, which is Harry's intention, it's safer to just destroy it.

[@lmee1982]

Why should Harry, the true Master of death, who united all three Deathly Hallows (though not possessing them at the same time), destroy the Elder Wand? He has the Invisibility Cloak and - according to legend - he hides from death until they meet each other at old age as friends. I do not think that Harry has to fear a continuing trail of blood of the Elder Wand.

[@Spintechfilms]

As far as i remember, Harry fixed his Original Wand with the Elder Wand, then presumed he returned the Elder Wand to Dumbledores Grave under the guise of it being Dumbledores Wand that Voldermort stole to "Mock" his old Adversary, meaning nobody outside of Harry, Ron, and Hermione would know that Dumbledores "Wand" that he is buried with is nothing more then an ordinary wand used by an Extraordinary Wizard such as Dumbledore

[@jaredgandy191]

OK i have really only one thought on this. Bear in mind that the elder wand, cloak, and resurrection stone are considered stories. Most people would believe that they don't exist so whereas Harry might be defeated or disarmed the person who does it would likely not know that they were now owner of the elder wand.

[@themagician2008]

Besides it doesnt matter what wand you using if its dissarmed in any way even if its not your wand you still lost and would go to the person who dissarmed you

[@slytherinson8302]

My aunt says ”Harry knew that the elder wand was too powerful for just one person”.

[@CanonCosmic]

your aunt seems to be a wise woman :)

[@slytherinson8302]

@@CanonCosmic she is a ravenclaw

[@CanonCosmic]

naturally ;)

[@jeffhardysoul]

Idk, power could change a person, as soon as you get a taste of it, something like "people for go through a lot to obtain a power like this (elder wand)" moment... I guess Harry (movie) thought the world would be better off without it, it's not certain that he'd create a lesser evil, but at least he doesn't need to worry about it anymore.

[@joeking1584]

Never break a wand, never destroy history, that's how I think. But if you watch harry's behavior in the books, wand-breaking would seem to be an emotionally upsetting thing for him to contemplate doing. His best friend's wand snapped almost in two due to his own (shared) foolishness. His own wand snapped almost in two seemingly due to Hermione's spell (I think it's because harry stepped on it blindly) Hagrid's wand was snapped entirely after he was expelled, due to t Riddle's framing of him. Tom's uncle Morphin was imprisoned for life, and his wand was snapped completely, due to a crime he had never committed, he maaaaay have, but in truth his nephew had gotten to him and got off scott free. So for harry snapping of wands was a very unsettling thing I think, and if he were in charge of education in the ministry may have had the rule changed that expulsion wouldn't warrant a wand snapping unless the crime was egregious. Then again, maybe he wouldn't champion for expulsion in the first place, because he loved the place so much. Anyway, I dont think harry was a fan of snapping wands. Dont use it if it's too much, but don't snap it. Notice the thought never crossed his mind in the book. He didn't go "what would happen if I decided to snap this wand. Nah nvm" it just never occurred to him. I think it was a complete break of character for the films to have harry break it

[@atchmon902]

I wish they emphasized how powerful the wand is by explaining why wands cant be repaired, and then he repairs his wand with the Elder. Then a short line of "its powerful enough to make the impossible happen" or something to that effect.

[@Riftsrunner]

My problem with Harry snapping the Elder Wand is it was created by a supernatural force of nature, not some magic using humans. The Elder Wand was able to repair Harry's first wand, so what keeps it from repairing itself? Harry's invisibility cloak being one of the other Deathly Hallows has survived longer than its human made equivalents which over time lose their magic. And for the sake of argument, I am going to assume the cloak is able to self repair as it would be both difficult to have to mend it, as well as, keep it from being damaged by getting snagged by something in the world.

[@CoryRayGordonMusic]

Simply disarming him would make the wand have a new owner. Best to break it...

[@Real_Beaky]

I think the books and the movies each had part of what could have been the best ending. He should have used the elder wand to fix his original wand and then destroyed the elder wand. The movie doesn't show him repairing his own wand, and the book Harry should have wanted it destroyed kind of like how he dropped the resurrection stone and left it to be lost.

[@potato6785]

Frankly when Harry becomes an Auror, you’d expect most “Dark Wizards” would either flee or surrender. Before them stands the child that took two killing curses, shrugged them off, then single handedly took out Lord Voldemort.. That’s his childhood CV, just how much better would he be as an adult? It’s like Dumbledore. He shows up, every death eater flees - only Voldemort actually goes toe to toe with him, and he’s scared the entire time. Why? Just like Harry, Dumbledore shrugs off killing curses - he never gets hit, whilst Harry gets hit and never dies. You have to remember nobody else knows precisely why Harry never dies when being hit by a killing curse.

[@frasergibson5763]

He should’ve kept the wand in his vault at Gringotts under the tightest security measures available

[@Ranger1812]

Breaking the wand is quintissential Harry. It ends the cycle. It's over. The death and destruction caused by the desire for and use of the Elder Wand is over. Not to mention that the Elder Wand isn't the kind of wand to die with its master. If its master died without being overpowered, it would simply lie in wait for the next wizard that picks it up and they would be its master.

[@MereImitation]

Since it was theorized within the story (and that usually means it’s probably true) that the 3 brothers were just exceptionally talented wizards… what’s stopping another exceptionally talented wizard from making another Elder Wand? In that regard the chain of power can’t truly end with the erasure of the wand. You’d also need to erase the knowledge of making wands from the planet to be 100% safe.

[@clasher138]

Maybe he should have kept one of the halves in case someone suddenly stumble across the pieces

[@jamestrump8098]

Yeah Harry fixed his original Phoenix feather one. No wand better suited for him

[@fr0stb1ght34]

I feel like breaking it makes the most sense as it is literally the only fool proof way to make sure no one ever gets a hold of such a dangerous tool. Whether it gives its allegiance to them or not. As we know not just any wand can fix another otherwise they could have fixed Harry's with Hermione's or Ron's with anybodys and his was in better shape than Harry's during 2nd year as it was at least still attached at the stick. So once broken it can't be fixed rendering it useless plain and simple. However I'm OK with it going back in Dumbledores tomb as Hogwarts is still the safest place to be other than Gringots of course. Who's jus' gonna walk into Hogwarts, walk up to & inside Dumbledores tomb and jus' take it, even if they know both the final resting place of the wand & they know Harry's the true owner whom they've disarmed? Yeah, no ones doing that at all. Elder wand or no it's not worth the hell you're gonna have to go through to get it.

[@stormcry8202]

So, I have one thing to say about wands. Get a chain, unbreakable if possible. Or make it a very strong cable or thick piano wire. Then attach it to your belt. No more wand flying across the room. Instead the wand drops to your side, and you just pick it up. You can have a wallet on a chain, why not YOUR FRICKIN' WAND?!? It would also be hilarious to disarm someone, only to have them rocket towards you, and bowl you over. :)

[@HUDDYBUDDY101]

But think about how many times Harry could be dis armed, and then the person he disarms may not be aware that they’re the master of the elder wand. The the person who disarms Harry could be disarmed, and so fourth. Therefore a few years down the line no one truly knows who the master of the elder wand is.

[@juliet5472]

Yes it would prevent anyone trying to have too much power

[@jacobquackenbush2981]

He mends his own wand back together with the elder wand. This was achieved because of the powerful magic the elder wand possesses. After fixing his wand, he leaves the elder wand in the headmasters room I believe

[@robertagren9360]

so it's a repair tool

[@IHateYTHandlesGiveMeMyNameBack]

Just a small note: Aurors are more than just magical police. They’re the army/special forces, basically SWAT.

[@swaggydino._]

Its very easy to become the master of the elder wand. for example, draco became the master of the elder wand by merely disarming Dumbledore in the battle of the astronomy tower, and harry became the master of the elder wand by just snatching it from draco. its much more easy to just snap it and be done with it. ik the movies aren't canon, but this is one of the things that the movies did better than the books. in the books, Harry hides the elder wand in Dumbledore's grave, which is the place voldemort stole it from. why would you hide something somewhere it was already stolen from? the movies did a much better job at portraying the elder wand than the books. harry became an auror, which is a pretty risky job and if somebody disarmed him if he had the wand, the enemy would become the master. Ik harry hid the elder wand in Dumbledore's grave in the books, but they could've taken it from there and become the master of the wand. now ik harry could've repaired the school with the wand before snapping it, but he didn't and it didn't really make much of a difference because everyone could've repaired it together. ik a lot of people would disagree with me but this is just my opinion. if you have another one just reply

[@14assassin99]

No one should have that much power

[@thericepotato5847]

I think it's stupid in that the movies, all it takes to break literally the most powerful piece of magic on the damn planet is a little bit of pressure, and there aren't any repercussions.

[@flibbettyjibbetts6766]

That’s the point. Just like how Voldemort dies in an anticlimactic way (in the books at least) such a powerful wand is actually quite fickle, especially being made out of wood. It’s poetic

[@thericepotato5847]

@@flibbettyjibbetts6766 yeh but there's anticlimax, then there's just lazy writing. And it isn't in the books like that for a reason

[@apex8608]

Imagine harry becoming the new headmaster after the series ...damn

[@SantomPh]

You actually have to finish school to be the Headmaster

[@wancheng89]

As I understand it, the power of the Elder Wand lies not with the wand itself but with the witch/wizard who defeated the last owner. That’s why Harry became the owner of the Elder Wand (when he disarmed Malfoy) and was able to defeat Voldemort even though Voldemort was holding the actual Elder Wand. So it doesn’t matter if he destroyed the actual Elder Wand or not. Harry was still the owner of the Elder Wand no matter which wand he was using, and the power of the Elder Wand remains. Perhaps destroying it would have made it harder (if not impossible) for any future witch/wizard to trace and chase after its power because it has become “invisible” due to the lack of the physical Elder Wand.

[@trevorsreya8277]

Harry: *Breaks Elder Wand* Me remembering that wands are apparently living things: "That poor stick."

[@_kim123]

I think Harry should've done a really big reparo spell and fixed the school first. Then break the wand.

[@WhatHistoryShorts]

I thought the ownership of wands changing after the owner being disarmed was one of the worst retcons in the books and films. Book 5: they're practicing "expelliamus" in the room of requirements. Does that mean, every time someone disarms someone, their wand switches allegiance? Hell, Neville disarms Harry when he's distracted, surely from that point onwards, Harry's wand answers to Neville who, in turn, is disarmed by Ron and Hermione. It would make wand ownership completely impossible and pointless. Book 2: is Lockhart's wand now Snape's because Snape disarmed him in the duel? And then Snape's disarmed in book 3 in the shrieking shack by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Does ownership pass to them? So when Neville disarms Harry, now Neville has Snape's wand as well? It's just completely ridiculous.

[@echo3996]

I like the theory about the wand choose the strongest wizard before they even fight makes it even more interesting. Also gives Harry as lone victor against death 2 more meaning. Also making him the last true owner of the wand.

[@Alpharius_Dominatus]

Harry should say "heee hehe"

[@ZacharyJeffriess]

When he breaks the elder wand my eyes fell out of my skull it hurt so bad 😢😢

[@DavidRay39]

If he repaired his original phoenix wand first, I wouldn't have minded him breaking it. But he went ahead and kept Draco's wand instead. Repairing his original wand would have taken five seconds of screen time.

[@thatbadger9519]

I understand why Harry broke the wand. If fallen into the wrong hands it can cause death and destruction and, if it was in the right hands, any dark wizard would try to claim it for themselves when they learnt what the wand was.

[@nashnash4328]

If words spreads publicly that the elder wand exists it will be a source of more troubles anyway.. somethings are better left destroyed.

[@WilliamWizer]

there's no point in breaking it. just keep it safe. if nobody can find it, it doesn't matter if you are defeated. how to keep it safe? 1. transfigure, in secret, a regular piece of wood into a fake elder wand. 2. tell everybody that you leave the elder wand at dumbledore's grave but leave the fake. 3. transfigure the real elder wand into some sort of item that you can carry or leave at your house. even if you are defeated, nobody will find the wand so it doesn't matter if you are defeated.

[@NefariousElasticity]

Breaking it was probably the more responsible choice. A nuke that anyone can get the launch code for isn't the safest thing.

[@dannyjorde2677]

Most of the Wizarding world believed that the Deathly Hallows were a mith, so it's not like anyone would be focused on getting the wand. Besides, having a powerful wand doesn't mean anything if you're not a talented wizard. And Voldemort didn't become the most evil wizard because of the Elder Wand, but because he was a psychopath.

[@optimusmaximus8287]

First point, everybody in the school heard the story Harry spun, second point true, Grindelwald had the Elder wand, and lost to Dumbledore

[@RichO1701e]

*myth

[@professorsypher6174]

Don't forget that Harry's existence is a legend in the wizard world. I'd imagine the stories of the boy who lived wielding the deathly hallows. I'd also think that there would be those who wouldn't believe it and think it's a conspiracy.

[@denizkenger52]

@@professorsypher6174 he would probably still lose to the top tier wizards. Harry is just an average wizard.

[@dannyjorde2677]

@@optimusmaximus8287 Still, all the survivors were nice people, and Harry didn't reveal in front of them that he was going to hide the wand in Dumbledore's tomb. They probably assumed that he would keep the wand for himself

[@mrdark9916]

Harry didn't keep the wand .. He repaired his old Phoenix feather wand, and then hid the elder wand in the tomb with Dumbledore iirc. That being said, considering he had a conversation with Voldemort about the wand and how it changes hands literally in front of the entire battleground in the school lol it's not really hid whatsoever

[@yanimustapha4506]

I think in the books there's a similarity here to the lord of the rings. Harry doesn't have the will to destroy the wand and it explains how his two friends also coveted the wand. Had I been Harry at that point I also would not have been sure that the dark one wouldn't ever come back. As the ending of the book shows even 19 years later Harry still thinks of his scar and how it hasn't hurt since he defeated Voldemort, meaning even 19 years later Harry is still paranoid about it to some extent. Anyone who went through what Harry did would probably have a similar lifelong trauma.

[@tomdyson4797]

A dark movie about Harry being a magic cop would actually be really good.

[@doctordisney5755]

I think that its possible jk put that in as a possible development for a sequel series plot. But I think he should have broken it.

[@Dannyboy16434]

Served no purpose beyond temptation

[@ethanproffit2284]

Basically harry became a cop and kept a bazooka

[@YautjaSpacePirate]

I always thought maybe he could keep the wand locked up somewhere and perhaps own his own museum displaying the wand, Voldemort's defeated Horcruxes, and other magical artifacts he used up to the Battle of Hogwarts. That's what I would've done.

[@CanonCosmic]

That's a great idea! As long as a broken elder wand is displayed of course ^^

[@elderlybody]

Unlike the movie, Harry returned the Wand to Dumbledore's tomb according to the canon. Do diligence, man

[@tomvandecruys5442]

Well it is best cause there is Always an option that someone finds it ultimatly and disarming someone can Always happen. And no dissarm is not defeat or kill per se (possible bad grammar I know)

[@DieFarbeLila88]

So basically, the best case would be to give the elder wand to a pacifist

[@zach415]

I preferred him breaking the Elder Wand because it’s kinda like a breaking of the cycle of evil. It’s more poetic that way how each Hallow is lost in the movies because it almost mirrors how each of the Peverell Brothers died. The Elder Wand was destroyed after a great duel. Antioch was killed after a great duel. Cadmus used the Resurrection Stone to see his dead wife, but was so stricken with grief he took his own life. Harry used the stone to see his dead family and after having that closure, let go of his grief and went to face Voldemort, eventually having to give his own life. And the Invisibility Cloak was passed down to Harry’s son like how Ignotus Peverell gave it to his son

[@angelhurtado55]

You better believe that when the Boy Wo Defeated You Know Who shows up, everyone with selfpreservation will yield

[@lunarmothcat]

Yes, he should have broken it because that's poetic, and for me that's the main purpose of literature

[@lordvoldemort4242]

Not magical bully, Harry intends to be a magical police

[@renarchonofstorms1690]

If the elder wand is the most powerful wand in existence then where does that power stem from? We know that it's possible for wizards/witches to cast without wands so the magic doesn't stem from the wand itself, so does the elder wand contain a more effective focusing mechanism than other wands when it comes to the the user's innate magic or does it provide to its user an upgraded reserve or potency of their innate magic?

[@CanonCosmic]

Great questions! Let's investigate!

[@PhoenixFires]

Its crazy that I read all the books, watched all the movies, played most of the games, owned many of the LEGO sets, and yet retained none of these games nor any of the knowledge of the storyline.

[@orvillefischer7503]

Harry should have fixed his wand in the movie and then break the elder wand and placed the pieces in dumbledore's tomb and there's no need to worry for a wand can't be fixed