Harry Potter: 10 Dark Things That Almost Happened (& Would Have Been Terrible)
Back in 2007, Harry Potter fans were fearful. There were rumours that JK Rowling would bump off The Boy Who Lived and some of his closest friends but, in the end, it proved to be a false down. The schoolboy defeated Lord Voldemort and some overdue peace was finally given to the wizarding world.
But things could have been so different. From alternative endings to horrific encounters with Dementors, we'll now take a look at 10 dark things that nearly happened throughout the course of the series - yet fortunately didn't.
10 Voldemort Becomes A Teacher
Tom Riddle was a gifted pupil throughout his time at Hogwarts, being capable of things that other students could only dream of. Yet he only worked at Borgin and Burkes after leaving the wizarding school and, after quitting his job there, he spent many years lying low.
However, the wizard who would one day be known to the world as Lord Voldemort then surprisingly applied for the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Fortunately Albus Dumbledore rejected this idea but, if he had, the Dark Lord would have been able to influence and warp the minds of thousands of children. Voldemort knew he'd be snubbed, though, and used the trip to hide two of his Horcruxes.
9 Neville Longbottom Is The Chosen One
Lord Voldemort only became aware of the prophecy concerning himself and Harry Potter because of Severus Snape. Snape eavesdropped on a conversation between Albus Dumbledore and Sybil Trelawney when the latter had a sudden episode and ended up revealing that the Dark Lord would only be destroyed by somebody whose parents had tried to thwart him twice before and in the month of July, 1980.
Snape took this to mean Harry but it could easily have been about Neville Longbottom instead. This wasn't the case, though, and Neville's parents survived - albeit after being tortured to the point of insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr and other Death Eaters.
8 The Troll Kills Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger hides in a girl's bathroom in the Sorcerer's Stone after overhearing Harry Potter and Ron Weasley talking nastily about her. What she doesn't bank on, however, is a huge mountain troll bursting into the the restroom.
It's about to crush her to death when Harry and Ron enter to distract it. Fortunately, Ron's wandwork is able to knock the creature unconscious and they all live to see another day. The troll was actually allowed into Hogwarts by Professor Quirrell, who used it to create a diversion.
7 Harry & Ron Lose Their Memories
Professor Gilderoy Lockhart was pretty useless throughout his time as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. This was because he actually possessed little to no magical talent, other than memory charms. To achieve his status, he stole other people's accomplishments and wiped their memories clean.
When Harry and Ron discover this, Lockhart attempts to wipe their memories. Luckily, the spell backfires on him instead thanks to Ron's busted wand. Consequently, he ends up spending the remainder of his days locked up at St. Mungo's Hospital.
6 Voldemort Drains Ginny Weasley's Life
Had Lockhart's spell not rebounded on himself, then it's fair to say that would have been bad news for Harry and Ron. But it also would have been extremely grave for Ginny Weasley, who would have been drained of her life in order to restore Lord Voldemort to full power.
Harry comes to her rescue, managing to get rid of Tom Riddle after destroying the villain's old diary via a Basilisk fang. Little does he know he didn't just stab an old school book. It was also actually a Horcrux, containing a piece of the dark wizard's soul.
5 Harry Loses His Soul To The Dementors
Harry is daring to dream of a life away from Number 4 Private Drive in The Prisoner of Azkaban when he finds out Sirius Black is his godfather - and innocent person who has been falsely branded as a Death Eater. Disaster strikes, however, and Sirius and himself are left to the mercy of the Dementors of Azkaban.
They're about to have their souls sucked up through their moves when a mysterious figure saves the day, casting a Patronus charm that sends the dastardly creatures scarpering. It's eventually revealed that Harry, from a few hours later using a time-turner, was the one responsible.
4 Arthur Weasley Dies By A Snake Bite
Arthur Weasley was nearly killed off in the Order of the Phoenix when he sustains a serious snake bite. This was revealed by JK Rowling but there's a catch: Arthur's survival was the reason she got rid of Fred Weasley instead.
"If there’s one character I couldn’t bear to part with, it’s Arthur Weasley," she told The Today Show back in 2007. "I think part of the reason for that is there were very few good fathers in the book. In fact, you could make a very good case for Arthur Weasley being the only good father in the whole series."
3 Innocent People Get Sent To Azkaban
Ron Weasley impersonates a Ministry of Magic worker named Reg Cattermole in the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. What he doesn't know, however, is that Cattermole's wife (who is Muggle-born) is about to be sent to Azkaban after being accused of stealing magic from wizards and witches.
Much to her good fortune, Harry, Ron and Hermione are able to rescue her just as the Dementors are closing in. They attack Dolores Umbridge, Death Eater Yaxley and repel the forces that descent on them, instructing Mrs. Cattermole and her husband to get away to safety.
2 Voldemort Kills Harry & Wins
Everyone who knows Harry Potter was expecting this to make it to the list, and with good reason. Had Harry Potter not been protected by the accidental creation of a Horcrux, he'd have died right then and there in the Forbidden Forest. This would have meant Lord Voldemort reigning supreme.
Hogwarts would then become a school of the Dark Arts, with countless of people imprisoned or wiped out, guaranteeing suffering across the globe. Thankfully, in the books, Voldemort is defeated by Harry in the Great Hall and everybody erupts when the Dark Lord's body hits the floor of the castle.
1 J.K. Rowling Kills Ron Weasley
In the buildup to the release of the Deathly Hallows book, fans were worried about the fates of their favorite characters - especially Ron. And it's since emerged that Ron came really closes to biting the dust.
"Funnily enough, I planned from the start that none of [the trio] would die," Rowling said. "Then midway through, which I think is a reflection of the fact that I wasn’t in a very happy place, I started thinking I might polish one of them off. Out of sheer spite. 'There, now you definitely can’t have him anymore.' But I think in my absolute heart of heart of hearts, although I did seriously consider killing Ron, [I wouldn’t have done it]."