I mean, it's pretty obvious we would watch the episode. It makes us think and I live for the deep dive theories. Inside Dumbledore's Big Plan, what if Harry wasn't selected in Golbet of Fire?
There's a glaring flaw in the brothers' master of the Elder wand theory. Dumbledore planned to lose to Snape, which meant the wand would have "known" its master's loss was a sham and was unlikely to switch its loyalty. So Snape showing up with the sword and "losing" to Harry in a fight, thereby transferring the power of the Elder wand to him is problematic to say the least. They're also ignoring the fact that if Snape was indeed the true master of the Elder wand, by defeating him, Harry not only wins the Elder wand, he also wins Snape's wand and I don't think Snape would have gone for that at all. As Ollivander told Harry at Shell Cottage, "the manner of the taking matters" and on the won wand itself. When Harry fought Draco at Malfoy Manor, he was not pretending or playacting. He meant to disarm Draco. That he did so without a wand must have impressed the hell out of Draco's wand and the Elder wand, to convince them switch loyalty. Seems more plausible based on what we're told about wand ownership/mastership.
I just realized, maybe Dumbledore wouldn't want Harry in Slytherin because Snape is the head of house. This makes it so Snape remains distant to Harry, which is important in case Snape ever needs to learn that Harry MUST die. Dumbledore has probably had Snape as a backup to himself, to ensure his plan succeeded, for awhile. I can't remember if this was just in the movies or in the books as well, but McGonagall doesn't like the idea of using Harry as bait in Goblet of Fire. If Snape was Harry's head of house, he either would have created a bond (with Lily's side of Harry) or bc he wouldn't let go of a childhood grudge, would have been too hard on Harry making him miserable. Both outcomes too hard on Harry or too attached is the opposite of Dumbledore's plan.
Me too!! 😅 Although I made a suggestion about this VERY fact in MY comment. See my comment above 👆🏻! 😊 I'm basically just watching to support them at this point, to get the video more views, so to speak! 😅😉
I think the hiring of Lupin is to counteract the fact that Sirius supposedly had a hand in the death of Harry’s parents. Lupin gives a positive insight into Harry’s parents and acts as somebody Harry can confide in because of this.
I really believe that Molly was asking that particular question to quiz Ginny. However, Dumbledore may have simply instructed Molly to call attention to herself, leaving it to her to figure out how. In fact, the question about the platform number is the 2nd thing she says that indicates she's a witch. The first thing Harry overhears is "-- Packed with Muggles, of course --" They're also carrying an owl.
THIS. This has been my take on it ever since Book 5 came out. The first time I reread PS/SS after OotP came out, I immediately understood her to be doing this.
THIS! Yes! I have a six year old, and ask her questions I know the answer to ALL the time. She is asking the question to the only remaining member of the family who will not or has not boarded the train yet. After becoming a dad I realized feigning forgetfulness is a very effective way of reinforcing important facts like addresses, phone numbers etc.
I always thought it was more of a movie trope to get Harry to the platform because he was new to the wizarding world, also serving the same purpose to the reader or watcher. I think if it was a question to Ginny or Ron, one of them would have answered the question and Mrs Weasley would have responded like ‘well done Ginny! Excellent’. In the movie, her tone sounds like she’s asking the question because she doesn’t know the answer and makes her come across (to me at least) as an overstimulated Mother trying to get 4 kids to school on time and the ‘mum brain’ took over for a second.
Huh. I didn't know people actually thought Molly was talking about the platform out loud on Dumbledore's orders to ensnare Harry. I thought that was just a Molly Weasley bashing trope in fanfiction. 😂 I'm fully of the opinion that Molly is simply a good mother trying to get her 10 year old daughter involved. Or maybe she's even saying it to try and subtly help out any confused muggleborns.
Maybe even Firenze read in the stars that he was going to be chosen to teach kids. Maybe that’s why in book 1 he intersected Voldemort in the Forrest. He knew from the stars that he was meant to be a part of the Hogwarts staff somehow. That’s why he sacrifices himself being exiled in order to have the prophecy fulfilled.
Hi, Mitch T here. One of my favorite things about this podcast is the music at the beginning because it reminds of the music that plays at the beginning of the audio books on audio. Also as a kid I used to look like Harry Potter from the movies. I'm a Gryffindor btw
Two new theories about the troll, both rely on the same fact that controlling dangerous animals is difficult and not always predictable. 1. Quirrel was "bringing the troll in to make it part of the defense early to make sure the troll was acclimated to the new area" (possibly to shape the passages so he could bypass the challenges) and genuinely lost control of the troll. At this point he bursts in and does that and tries to take advantage of the chaos. 2. (my new headcanon) Quirrel was bringing the troll in (note the club) for the same "official" reason but in reality to see if he could knock fluffy out (or worse) with the troll so they wouldn't be able to use the dog to guard the door. But he lost control and tried to take advantage of the chaos instead.
I kind of like the idea of having 1 episode in between books where you guys go into a massive theory like this one. No what ifs or anything. Just take some of the biggest and best theories you guys have and cover those for like an hour as a little transition. Maybe between book 6 and 7 do something about the three brothers. Edit: Okay, just the Dumbledore's big plan stuff is also neat
Ooo, that's a good question, was Lupin's hiring a response to Sirius's escape since he thought Lupin might be able to talk Sirius down or otherwise stop him.
My biggest issue is the entire plot around preventing Harry from being a "murderer" and ripping his soul. There is a huge difference between Voldemort using the killing curse on people randomly and striking them down in cold blood and self defense. If snape killing Dumbledore made him think that it wouldn't rip his soul then how could Harry taking Voldemort out in self defense rip his soul? Does that mean that every auror who ended the life of one of Voldemort's followers that was trying to kill them has ripped their soul? That seems like a huge plot hole to me and has never made sense.
I think a major difference is that although Harry is fighting to protect everyone, he also has personal reasons to see Voldemort dead, confirmed by Harry himself in the end of book 5. So Harry is going to willingly attempt to kill Voldemort no matter what, meaning Dumbledore has incentive to try and make sure Harry’s soul isn’t tarnished in the name of vengeance.
As for Snape telling Dumbledore about Quirrel killing Harry, they were on the same side of the field and several seats away. Is it possible that Snape could recognize that it was a jinx but that he wasn't certain it was Quirrel? Maybe this scene even happened before the "Keep an eye on Quirrel" scene, and this is what helped put them onto him wanting to harm Harry. They didn't know that he had Voldemort on the back of his head, they just thought he was trying to retrieve the stone for Voldemort. They probably never thought that he would try to kill Harry outright, so it could be after that they suspect him.
This has also bothered me. I think they take the killing = ripped soul too black and white. Self defence is a thing and it will affect you, but I would see that the soul is ripped, when one murders intentionally. Like Draco is at the risk of having his soul ripped, because while it is to protect himself, he is not doing it in self-defence against Dumbledore. Molly's soul is not ripped, because she is doing it to defend her children. Harry is at the risk of ripping his soul, is he kills Voldemort as revenge or with hatered in his heart and Dumbledore's goal is to make sure Harry doesn't defeat Voldemort with that intention in order to protect Harry's soul. And I would speculate, that ripping one's soul is also about how much it rips. I don't think ripping one's soul always leads to two separate pieces of soul. Making a horcrux requires a lot of intent and the willingness to rip a soul into two entirely separate pieces in order to be able to store the other part in an object.
@@sonjaimmonen6610think of it like killing in real life, killing even in self defense can result in mental trauma. That can be analogies to ripping souls. You can be in a headspace that it’s not overwhelming and appear unaffected but it’s no guarantee. You may not fully tear but scar your soul with that act. And it could tear even after the fact if not properly worked on or not feeling remorse in the case of the series.
Tom Riddle: I'd like to apply for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Dumbledore: OK, but only if you're on the back of someone else's head.
Chamber of Secrets section: I think I JUST realized the (or at least A) main reason why Lockheart was put in charge of being the Defense Against the Dark Arts (or DADA, lol) teacher. I think it was part of Dumbledore's plan as a subconscious/subtle way to show Harry what he shouldn't be. Because when you think about it, DADA is basically the "What Not to Do with Magic" class, and Lockheart's Dumbledore's way of showing "what not to do in magic" in terms of having his ego checked.
I discovered you guys when you started Dumbledore's big plan during the pandemic and it makes me super emotional that I have been following you for so many years now...
One thing that I’ve been thinking about a bunch recently that makes me giggle is that when Harry and co are finding out about what all they get in Dumbledore’s will Harry makes a quip about offing Voldemort by running a sword through him. It is meant as a sarcastic joke in the moment, but three of the horcrux (and thus partially offing Voldy) are with that very sword.
one big thing missing from the analysis is that Dumbledore has already seen what an unloved child can become. He is probably aware that he let Harry grow up unloved. Hence why he might have been worried if Harry ended up in Slytherin
This is the one big issue I have with a lot of the theory crafting SCB does. They so often lean on this idea of Dumbledore being "the only one who knows the full prophecy" and how he knows it has to be Harry who defeats Voldemort, as though the prophecy itself is some immutable law of reality that must be adhered to inevitably, and that just isn't true. That's not how prophecy works in this universe. Dumbledore spends two whole pages just trying to get this point through to Harry. In fact, Harry continuing to not get the point that the prophecy isn't what matters is one of the very few things that are cause for Dumbledore to raise his voice (at least in the books, anyway). From the text (HBP Ch.23): "But Harry, never forget that what the prophecy says is only significant because Voldemort made it so. I told you this at the end of last year Voldemort singled you out as the one person who would be most dangerous to him - and in doig so, *made* you the person who would be most dangerous to him!" "But it comes to the same-" "No it doesn't!" said Dumbledore, sounding impatient now. Pointing at Harry with his black, withered hand, he said, "You are setting too much store by the prophecy!" "But," spluttered Harry, "but you said the prophecy means-" "If Voldemort had never heard the prophecy, would it have been fulfilled? Would it have meant anything? Of course not! Do you think every prophecy in the Hall of Prophecy has been fulfilled?" Note how Dumbledore never actually claims Harry is destined to kill Voldemort, or even that he's the only one who can, just that he's the most dangerous to him, meaning he's got the best shot at it, and NOT because of the prophecy, but because Voldemort chose him. It wasn't fate, it was Voldemort himself. HE chose Harry, not the prophecy. The reason Dumbledore never attempts to find and destroy Voldemort in the meantime despite knowing his location is because he still isn't sure how Voldemort survived the backfiring curse. He doesn't know HOW to kill Voldemort at this point. Remember: Dumbledore doesn't know about the horcruxes until the end of book 2. All he knows is that Lilly's sacrifice protected Harry and rebounded a curse on Voldemort that should have killed him but didn't. It would be foolish to try to track down and kill Voldemort now, without understanding why he survived, and in the interim, Harry needs to be protected and nurtured as their best hope of vanquishing Voldemort for good, not because a prophecy said so, but because Voldemort had just MADE it so.
18:27 That actually goes back to what you guys were saying about Dumbledore’s watch. I think he knew Neville was going to be involved somehow and he thought it meant that he was going to be with them when it actually meant that he was going to try and stop them. Much like the centaurs being a bit early in their prediction of Voldemort killing Harry in the forest, Dumbledore was a bit off about the extent of Neville’s involvement.
You have a huge oversight. Umbridge was not appointed because Dumbledore couldn't possibly find a suitable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor but rather because, after what happened with Barty Crouch Jr the Ministry decided that his choices couldn't possibly be suitable. They chose to override it because they wanted to control the narrative and didn't trust Dumbledore anymore. They didn't want to admit that Voldemort had returned so they were burying their heads in the sand.
I think you guys are overlooking exactly how *cursed* the defense against the dark arts professor position is. In the books, the best fate any of them meet is 'was kept in a box for a year', and a pretty high percentage die, and we know that no one had lasted for more 1 year in the position in over a decade before that. If Dumbledore puts someone in that position, he is essentially saying they are expendable. He probably only hired Lupin because Lupin was desperate, and Dumbledore thought it was worth the risk to ensure Harry actually had one decent Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He also probably felt confident that he knew what would end Lupin's ability to stay in the position. But with Voldemort back, he wasn't willing to sacrifice one of his closest allies to a doomed position.
Ms. Weasley asks her kids about the time and platform number to include them. It always felt, to me, just a normal thing. My parents, when I was young, would do the same thing. Yes, they knew when class started, they're just getting me more engaged and including me in on the trip, rather than just have me blindly follow
I definitely subscribe to the big plan. But I think the weasleys being there at the platform was just coincidence. I feel like Mrs. Weasley was just asking her children if they remember the platform number. Mostly just for Ron’s and Ginny’s benefit. As it’s Ron’s first year and Ginny will be starting next year.
I still don’t understand why they think Molly trying to get Harry’s attention is the ONLY explanation. People saying otherwise has filled their comment sections every time they’ve said it
I like this theory, it's perfect as far as the fun part of theories, where the story works with or without it being true. It being true doesn't harm much cannon and might explaina few strange things. It even enhances a lot of your videos where you discuss various things with that idea, because it gives this sense that you are always looking for connections. However one of my biggest issues is with how you present a few points without ever seeming to address other peoples counter thoughts. For example Every time you guys talk about the big plan dozens upon hundreds of folks bring up the exact same point about the very first scene. Where it is incredibly normal for parents to ask children questions to remind them of things. "I spent the last 3 weeks telling you what platform it is, do you remember?" Just once i'd like to see you guys say "Hey we heard this idea from folks and it could be true, here is why we disagree anyway." Or "Thats a strong point but we like the theory better if this is part of it" or even "This is a weaker part of the theory" If you have acknowledged it and i've missed it, apologies. But the fact that you haven't acknowledged it yet is sorta sad to me due to how much community interaction you guys do otherwise. It would be nice for you guys to address this so that the talking points here in the towel section could move on as well, I wanan read more people discuss the idea but lots of folks are caught up on that one.
In Chamber Dumbledore indirectly says that Harry is a horcrux. He explicitly says that the reason that Harry could talk to snakes is because Voldemort could talk to snakes and there is a piece of Ole Voldy could in Harry.
Yep, he 100% knows or at least strongly suspects the truth about Harry early on. Mostly he’s leading Harry in a direction to help him realise that for himself but also obtaining as much information as possible for Harry to fully be prepared to face/understand who his opponent is.
My only thing about Molly asking about the platform number is that, she could just be quizzing her two youngest children to see if they know the platform number 🤷🏽♂️
I finally finally got to watch this episode today 3 hours later!! I can't wait and not required that there is an in between between one and book two!!! Even more exciting will be when we get to book three my favorite in the series of Harry Potter ,The Prisoner of Azkaban. I like them all but that is my favorite
Okay, so my timeline was off by a week. January 21st is when CoS starts, it wraps up on May 19th, and PoA begins on May 26th or June 2nd, depending on if there's another transition episode or not.
I always took molly weasley asking what platform as a way of testing how much ron is paying attention since hes never gone to hogwarts yet and shes not gonna see him again until summer break. A bit of a helicopter parent nervous about her youngest son being gone for a whole semester
For the DADA position in book 5 Dumbledore could also just have done what he ultimately does in book 6 and give it to Snape, and then just find someone else for potions. Which, at least in terms of teaching quality would have been better, because Snape may be an absolute dick, but he is an extremely capable wizard and knows what he's doing.
Voldemort cursed the job when he didn’t get hired for the job…that whole no one last more than a year thing…and he needed Snape still as a teacher so Snape could kill him in book 6
I don't think Snape was told to keep an eye on Quirrel yet during the quidditch match. Otherwise he could have just turned around and stood in front of Quirrel or something to stop the eye contact.
Yes obviously. But that doesn't mean that Dumbledore couldn't have told her to get Harry's attention. And it was the use of the word "muggles" that got him to follow them, not just the platform number thing. It's a possibility, you can't just dismiss it as nonsense.
Well, at least 17 times Molly Weasley has been to platform 9 3/4, right? I think Fabian and Gideon are older than her, so she could have gone to the platform however many years with them until she's 11 just like Ginny and Lilly later on.
I disapprove of dumbledore being why the weezlys are befriending harry. That takes alot away from fred and gorge as well as some of rons traits. It definitely seems like dumbledore approves of the connection. And dumbledore does what he can to promote the weezlys relationship with harry. The twins helped out a random first year getting onto the train. Then they tell the rest of the family its the famous harry potter then that intrigued ron. Then harry was intrigued by ron being a pure blood wizard ( who wasnt a turd ) * harry didnt like malfoy per malfoy being a turd *
I totally love The Plan since the original video The only part I don’t agree with is: Molly “forgetting” the platform number I’m quite sure she was asking just like parents always ask there children common knowledge questions It’s not that they don’t know that 2+2=4 or that they commute every time on One train ) But for children to think, learn and so on I think the only thing Dumbledore planned Is for Hagrid to get him safe to a train station - but without intimidation of Harry walking onto the platform with a huge Hogwarts employee So he wouldn’t be noticed as much straight away Or have any upper hand on a situation I’m quite sure he didn’t even consider that Harry won’t find it one way or another But he would probably send someone back to station 5 minutes after train left - and he would get an info that they left the only person who can save the world stranded )
Regarding the appointment of Umbridge. I don't entirely disagree with your theory, but I'm not sure it takes into account something that has always bothered me about the "curse" on the DADA position. Doesn't the curse say that no one will occupy that position for more than one school year? And didn't Voldemort put the curse on that position decades earlier? If that's correct, surely Dumbledore has already gone through numerous DADA teachers by Harry's fifth year. And also, the impact of the curse isn't always relatively benign, as it was with Lupin (unlike Gilderoy (memory loss), Squirrel (death) and, even to some extent, Moody (trapped in a trunk all year)). Also, are we sure that some other members of the order haven't already served as DADA teachers for a year in the past? Would the curse prevent someone from serving a second year? Maybe Dumbledore is (a) running out of options for DADA teacher and (b) doesn't want to risk harm to a member of the Order of the Phoenix at such a critical time? Perhaps he saw Umbridge as a necessary evil that he was also able to build into his overall strategy. I do see your point about Firenze, but that feels a bit like a last resort - because of the extreme sacrifice it requires Firenze to make.
really hoping to see a different set design for chamber, maybe more green lighting and some references to chamber. I would say green walls but painting that would be annoying.
14:40 Another reason is that she's testing if Ginny (her youngest who goes to Hogwarts the next year) knows the platform number. Maybe testing Ron too as he's also going, but mostly Ginny. But it could be both reasons, who knows 🤷♂️🙂
Already seen your dumbledore's big plan theory video on scb and personally think it's brilliant, fully subscribe to it, and know what it involves, but I'm still watching this video because your videos are great :)
26:00 - There is also the issue of narrative Power Creep. Telling the students that they shouldn’t go there if they don’t want to die and sealing it with a simple lock charm seems fine. Until you need to write a new method of locking things, since you realize that can’t be *all* there is.
I loved this theory. I would also say that maybe his deluminator works similar to how Voldemort uses his name as a taboo, except that it works on people that are friends of the user. That’s how Albus knew to send Fawkes in chamber of secrets and Ron knew how to find Harry and Hermione. Also, there’s no way that Albus didn’t have a waaaaaaaay fancier version of the marauder’s map. Dumbledore seems very chill and easy going in light of all the dark events happening and I think part of it is that he knows everything going on at Hogwarts.
One (of the many) things that bugs me about Harry getting Draco’s wand (by physically taking it from him) goes against canon a bit. Per Pottermore, unicorn wands are the most loyal to their orignal owner. (Example Charley’s wand not totally loving Ron and then Ron coming to his own when he gets a wand that chose him before his third year). We know Draco had a unicorn wand (per Ollivander at Shell Cottage) so why was it so quick to switch allegiance?
The wand chooses the wizard. There needs to be room in this conversation for accepting the sentience of wands. I don't like that Harry took the wand without magic but the elder wand's first owner, the first brother, was stabbed in his sleep. Elder wand changed allegiance. Draco's wand can therefore change allegiance.
@@overthehillskating6244 it bothers me more that he has a unicorn core and those are supposed to be most faithful to their original person than the method of taking.
@@hufflepom fair point and I understand where you are coming from. The wand is sentient. It chose Draco for a reason. It chose Harry for a reason. Maybe it didn't like how it was being used by draco?
@@hufflepom as far as Ron's wand goes, it was given to him. Perhaps if Ron had stolen it from his brother or won it by beating him in a competition or something then it would have switched allegiance. The wand never chose Ron. It was a choice by wizards to give the wand to Ron. I'm wondering why Ron even got that wand in the first place. If Charlie got a new wand and could give that one to Ron, why not give Ron the new wand?
You should link relevant videos from the main channel to these that pertain to what you're talking about in these episodes. It's more views for you and easier for us to find if we want to refresh
Wow, you guys really did just add six or seven weeks to the runtime of this 4 year podcast, I'm down, im in, I'm here. Let all buckle up, ride the high and have better lives for ourselves when this is over.
Well for one thing Dumbledore doesn’t do anything about Voldemort because “forests in Albania” is surprisingly vague. 36% of Albania is forests. Thats over 10000 square kilometers.
Hey maybe the way Quero got the troll in the the dungeon was because Dumbledore had asked him to put it down by the mirror and he can't just run in the great hall and tell all the students he is moving a troll down to guard the philosopher stone, And then if you were caught by Snape up on the third floor corridor he would have a good excuse saying the troll escaped while he was trying to move it there, that is just a private conversation he would only have with the other staff so we would never hear it
47:30 Interesting to see Dumbledore's intentions being foiled just because of Harry's selection as the Triwizard champion. Now I wonder whether that may have made Dumbledore furious for once, because that would explain the not-so calm tone Dumbledore used when interrogating Harry in the movie. Because if my secret plan was faltered by one simple event, I am pretty sure I would also have a small outburst of anger and not just be calm (but concerned) as the book would describe.
The theory: Dumbledore is tracking all of the characters and circumstances and then pre-planning and controlling Harry’s course to prepare him to defeat Voldemort. Reality: J.K. Rowling is tracking all of the characters and circumstances and then pre-planning and controlling Harry’s course to prepare him to defeat Voldemort.
YES! All these "theories" are more like justifications. The fact is that Rowling was a rather inexperienced writer, and there are flaws and plotholes and little bits that don't make sense in the books. Deal with it. We love the books anyway, and there's so much good stuff in them that we can happily overlook these relatively minor flaws for the sake of a good story. You don't have to come up with convoluted theories to justify all the little anomalies.
I love these guys. They’re so entertaining with their “What ifs…?” But in my interpretation of the books, the series is an utter rejection of prophecy and destiny. Half-Blood Prince crushes this notion of Harry being the only one to defeat Voldemort in an objective sense. See Chapter 23 p. 510-512 of the US first printing hardback. To say that Dumbledore believes the prophecy and that Harry is the only one to do so completely ignores what he himself says in that chapter. “You see, the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything! But the prophecy cause LV to mark you as his equal … In other words, you are free to choose your way, quite free to turn your back on the prophecy. But Voldemort continues to set store by the prophecy.”
Do we know if that 3rd floor corridor is ever mentioned again? Like, are there classes on that floor now that its unused? Does it disappear because its unneeded thereafter like the RoR? Maybe just shutdown. I don't know.
What if the Dudley photo is like a disillusioned portrait of someone from dumbledore thinking they would never change Dudley’s photo and how they know everything that goes on in the dursleys home haha
Hey Brother(s) (from another mother) Guys, absolutely love love love the read thru and content here, great for multiple listening. I had an idea, maybe after each book you have an episode of talking about how the movie stands up to the book, besides hearing your POV on the books we can get some insight of what you guys think about the transfer from page to screen. Be safe.
So my thoughts on Lockhart was he was a lesson to all the students maybe like what happens when u take shortcuts in your education as well as to not blindly trust/fallow celebrities
Also, first time I read about big plan was lots of years ago and it was done by Russian girls who explained everything in details. But what was the most incredible - they did it before last two books were issued and predicted almost everything that happened at the end
It’s just occurred to me that there is another overarching theme and lesson outside of Dumbledore’s big plan that starts in Chamber, owing to the fact that outside factors influence the course of the year that Dumbledore didn’t intend. So the fact Harry can speak parseltongue divides the school as to whether he’s the heir of Slytherin, with most people not initially believing that he is not in fact the heir and didn’t let the basilisk out. It really sets Harry up to understand how it feels for most of the world to not believe him. Ultimately when Voldemort returns in GoF, most of the population do not believe that Harry is telling the truth. I think the arch / unintended lesson of book 2 sets Harry up really well to not let the fact that people don’t believe him get him down or take away from his mission. He knows what to do despite whether people believe him or not. He got a good taste for that in the years before.
So watching the films recently I realised how cool it would have been if Snape got the kill on Nagini before Voldy kills him, either with the sword that comes to him for his hard life of being a secret hero or through another bad ass spell he invented. Which led me to an interesting question, Can the sword only come to people who were in gryphondor house or is any heroic enough act enough?
It's a good idea, but I don't think he had the opportunity. If Voldy sees him do it (or even finds out later that Snape killed Nagini), then his cover is blown, and Voldy would know that Snape has been working against him the whole time. V would then have to completely change his plan.
@@PhilBagels I am talking about the convo they have at the docks, all 3 are there and Snape must have guessed what was going to happen. He was dead no matter what so why not try and take the snake down as well? Literally nothing to lose.
@@samhobbs9116 But then Voldy would have realized what was going on the whole time and would change his entire plan. He would retreat and re-strategize and maybe take the time to make seven new horcruxes or something, or otherwise do a heck of a lot more damage, kill a lot more people.
@@PhilBagels This is why I love theory crafting because you can take things in so many ways. Voldy knowing at the last second that Snape was never on his side would blindside him so hard, he would not flee he would attack in a blind rage but be terrified of this man who tricked him for 30 odd years. Harry is literally right outside the room as this all happens so the series of events would be Snape kills the snake in a badass way, Voldy gets hella mad and attacks him, Harry comes in from behind with a steel chair, big fight erupts where we make sure we see Harry take a direct killing curse from Volders and then cut away to Snape being like noooooooo and battling harder and then you see a spell that hits Voldy and you think it is Ron or Hermione but then it pans round to show Harry stood up wand in hand with no explanation until after the fact. Snape could live man don't take this away from me lol.
@@samhobbs9116 I think there are a few flaws with that scenario, but sure, something like that might have happened. Part of the story is that Harry sacrificed himself willingly, providing protection for everyone in Hogwarts; that Voldy himself kills Harry (destroying the horcrux in him); that Harry is the true master of the Elder Wand; etc. So if Voldy flies into a rage, he'd probably immediately try to kill Snape - and would likely succeed! Only Harry can kill Voldy. The best Snape can do is escape, which is also possible - the same way he escaped from the Great Hall earlier. Or maybe he could have set up a portkey in advance for this contingency. Yeah, OK. There are some possibilities there. It relies on Voldy reacting out of rage - which is certainly not unlikely - instead of calmly and rationally retreating and rethinking his strategy, which might be less likely, given his current emotional state, despite the fact that he's been playing the "long game" for over 50 years. I guess it comes down to the question of whether Voldy can stay calm and focused in that moment when Snape kills Nagini. OK. I get it. That is an interesting "what if" scenario!
Question. Why is hagrid doing magic and having a wand is still an issue after his release from azkaban in book 2 he was cleared of all charges ie- hagrid enlarging the pumkins. ( and furthermore why doenst hagrid continue his magical education i.e quick spelll courses or even night hogwarts classes..... lol especially since the teachers tend to never sleep. )
In the books they talk about Dumbledore, Ludo, crouch, and the other headmaster have been discussing and planning out the wizard tournament for a while, do you think Dumbledore started his plan to reinstate the tournament right when Harry started his first year??
Oh 😢 I'm a big fan and I hate to criticise but I wish there had been a heads up that we weren’t going to start chamber today. I'll still listen to this and enjoy it but I've watched your long one many times already! I was looking forward to the one I was expecting.
Fun fact of the day: I heard from a professor lecturing on the books who said that there were a lot of theories that Dumbledore was actually on the dark side when the fourth book came out, because of the gleam of triumph in his eye when Harry tells him Voldemort got his blood and came back. They had to wait a long time until the next book came out to see otherwise.
I think Dumbledore didn't want anyone from the Order as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher because, as Sirius and Remus explain to Harry once he gets to headquarters, the Order doesn't actually seem to be doing that well and there aren't that many members who would be freely available. Dumbledore wouldn't get away with appointing Lupin again since the Ministry is being lobbied by people like Malfoy and discrediting Dumbledore. Moody might have put his foot down saying he's not trying that again + he's more use to the Order out of Hogwarts. Kingsley is the Auror in charge of searching for Sirius and needed to put out false trails. Also he's not supposed to let on that he's siding with Dumbledore and taking a teaching post - that particular teaching post - would do that, especially at that point in the story. Many other members probably have other jobs they can't/shouldn't/mustn't ditch for a teaching post because they are needed elsewhere. And most importantly: Dumbledore simply might not want to risk a valuable Order member having something weird (and potentially lethal) happening to them. He knows the position is cursed and anyone taking it only lasts a year. It doesn't mean they have to die but at least one (Quirrel - we don't get to know what happened to all the teachers prior to Harry's arrival at the school) did and with the situation as it is the risk might just be too great.
Personally, I always thought of Dumbledore not going after Voldemort was more of a calculated risk. He knows that for the moment Voldemort is harmless, he knows where Voldemort is, and has Harry safely hidden away. However, he also realizes that even if he went after Voldemort he doesn't know how to kill whatever Voldemort currently is, and he doesn't even truly know what is stopping Voldemort from dying for real. He suspects things, but has no proof of anything at the time. So, by leaving Voldemort in the forest, Dumbledore can keep tabs on him while searching for a way to kill him and try to figure out what is keeping him alive. Where as if he went after Voldemort then, even if he found him, Dumbledore would be unable to kill him while also risking sending Voldemort into hiding some place Dumbledore might not be able to discover again.
Dumbledore's big plan makes sense/exists because of Dumbledores role as something of a stand in for the writer. I use term writer instead Rowling here, because he's not a reflection of her like parts of Harry and Hermione are, but of "the writer".
I wouldn’t be surprised if the author originally intended to have the platform change every time as another element of the cooky magical world (like the stairs moving), but it became so iconic that they kept it that way moving forward
@@FartsForEyes that is so fair. I bet she never in a million years expected when she wrote the first book that it would one day be subject to this much scrutiny! Lol
Can I make a friendly suggestion: Most of us listeners (I think) are also subscribers to the main channel & thus, already know of Dumbledore BIG plan (& also, you seem to repeating yourselves A LOT in this podcast), & therefore, instead of spending an entire episode explaining something you already have on your main channel, you can just DIRECT people over to your main channel to explain this, especially to those who have NOT seen all your videos. You may even get new subscribers to the main channel that way, too!! 😊 Again, JUST a suggestion!! 😉 Also, some other UA-camrs have pointed out (MovieFlame, for example, I think 🙃) that Molly might have asked the question of "What's the Platform #?" as more of kinda a teaching moment to her children, rather than for Harry, himself . . . Just another explanation for this scene to think about . . . 😉 Also, hasn't Voldemort already figured out that Harry has been hunting (& killing) horcruxes BEFORE he kills him in the forrest? You mention something about him not knowing that Harry already has a plan to kill him . . . But this is incorrect, isn't it? Voldemort already know that Harry knows his secret & is ACTIVELY trying to destroy all of them by that point in the story, right?? 🤔Also, Also, in regards to Lockhart, I'm half-wondering if all the other teachers (well, maybe not Snape 😅) take it upon themselves to kinda "teach" DADA (@ least a little bit) b/c they know that Lockhart's "teaching" is NOT helpful @ ALL, @ least to all the O.W.L. & N.E.W.T. levels students so they CAN pass the VERY important "state/national" exams . . . !! 🤔😅 And, oh, my gosh, I would have LOVE to see Tonks as a teacher!! 😍 She would have been GREAT, I think, a lot like Lupin, I think!! HUFFLEPUFF FOR THE WIN!! (I'm a Hufflepuff, in case you couldn't tell from that last sentence! 😅) 🤩😍 So, wait, then why didn't Snape just dual Harry for the sword in the end?? If that was the original plan . . . Did Dumbledore already figure out that Draco was the Master of the Elder Wand b/c he disarmed him, not Snape? That dueling Snape wouldn't have worked in getting the Elder Wand? Okay, now onto Book 2, & the introduction of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE character of the WHOLE series: sweet DOBBY!!! 😍🥰🤩
There's nothing wrong with them talking about the theory. And yes it's obvious about the Molly thing, but that doesn't mean that Dumbledore COULD'VE told Molly to get Harry's attention in some way, shape or form. She just used what she said to Ginny as a way to get his attention while also using it as a way of "testing" her.
@@diminie_chimket Yes, I agree. I was just making a SUGGESTION!! … They just seem to be repeating themselves A LOT in this podcast & that could get tiring for some people & make them not want to continue listening 🎧 anymore … Most of us have already heard this theory before anyway … that’s all I was trying to say! 😉 Also, yes, I agree with the whole Molly thing, too; she could have been doing both things at the same time! 😊
I really dislike your interpretation of soul ripping. In my mind tthe ripping of your soul only happens if it's murder, in fact I believe Dumbledore specifically said murder. I've always assumed that murder means murder, as in an unjustified killing. Just killing another person if it is justified for instance in self defense wouldn't tear your soul. On top of it needing to be murder, the way you repair your soul is through remorse and I would have to imagine Harry would feel remorse. So I guess for me the specifics would have to be unjustified, and no remorse, straight up cold blood.
It's not Dumbledore who sets up Molly Weasly at King's Cross. It's JK Rowling. Presumably, when Hagrid brings the sorcerer's stone to Hogwarts, the trials to get to it are immediately set up. Why would Dumbledore set up challenges for Hermione, Ron, Harry, even Neville, when they haven't even been sorted into the same house yet? Even if it is true that he asks Molly to help Harry so he gets a connection to the Weasleys, isn't Hermione's friendship just as important? Yet, her friendship with Ron and Harry comes about, in a sense, as consequence from Quirrel/Voldemort's actions bringing the troll into the school. You think Dumbledore asked Quirrel to do that too? JK Rowling is the puppet master. I think you're giving to much "credit" to Dumbledore for things that the author "forced", such as the trials to get to the sorcerer's stone. The clinching argument for me in that particular one is when Dumbledore tells Harry that "no sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I just left". He wouldn't lie to Harry about that. I don't believe it's true that Dumbledore was aware of everything that was going on at Hogwarts and "allowed" Harry to have a go. He saw the signs, better than anyone, and usually is "guesses" were right, but he's not omniscient. "I feared I might be too late". That's not a lie either. At that moment Dumbledore had no intention for Harry to be in danger. At that moment, I don't believe he fully understands the prophecy or the sacrifice it requires yet. Later on in the series, it's true that Dumbledore keeps things to himself and does things "for the greater good" that may be questionable. He definitely has a plan. But the Big plan, as you describe it here, is JK Rowling's all the way. What's Dumbledore's motive for letting Harry face Voldemort in the first year? Put him in mortal peril just to make sure he renounces Voldemort? That he's on the good side? Anyone who meets Harry in the first year could have told him that for free. Dumbledore doesn't know Harry is going through the trap door. He doesn't know Voldemort himself will be there. The same way he doesn't know Mad Eye is Barty Crouch in disguise. He is a very smart man, with many ways to find out things from spies to star gazing. By the way, the theory about him learning a thing or two about interpreting the stars from the centaurs is one of your best. But he is still just a man. TL, DR: It's not Dumbledore's big plan, it's Rowling's. She puts those challenges in front of Harry for us the audience to witness his character growth, for us to get to know him. And a lot of things that happen later on in the series are not by Dumbledore's design, but by plot necessity. Dumbledore is aware of a lot more than other characters, but the master mind behind the story is the author.
Considering that the centaurs pretty clearly thought Harry would die by Voldemort's hand during his detention in the forbidden forest because all the necessary actors were there and circumstances were met according to the stars, I wonder if it was the same with Harry coming face to face with Voldemort in the school. Since Dumbledore really only learned about the Horcruxes at the end of Chamber, he might've hoped that the prophecy would come true in the first year already, that maybe Harry would somehow find a way to overcome Voldemort once and for all right there. He might've not had an idea how that could work but if there's anyone who recognizes that magic essentially works in mysterious ways sometimes, it's certainly Dumbledore.
It’s also possible that in year five her knew that if DADA wasn’t being taught correctly that hairy would step up and teach the other students and that this would unify the school behind harry.
"If you are already familiar with Dumbledore's big plan, you probably don't need to listen to this episode" ha, always good to review the material.
Exactly
I mean, it's pretty obvious we would watch the episode. It makes us think and I live for the deep dive theories.
Inside Dumbledore's Big Plan, what if Harry wasn't selected in Golbet of Fire?
Bold of them to assume i havent relissened to the original videos multiple times and will relissen to this just as often
I've probably listened to Dumbledores big plan video. That hour and 53 minute version. 34 times.
its good sunday chilling thing to watch something older to relax
There's a glaring flaw in the brothers' master of the Elder wand theory. Dumbledore planned to lose to Snape, which meant the wand would have "known" its master's loss was a sham and was unlikely to switch its loyalty. So Snape showing up with the sword and "losing" to Harry in a fight, thereby transferring the power of the Elder wand to him is problematic to say the least. They're also ignoring the fact that if Snape was indeed the true master of the Elder wand, by defeating him, Harry not only wins the Elder wand, he also wins Snape's wand and I don't think Snape would have gone for that at all.
As Ollivander told Harry at Shell Cottage, "the manner of the taking matters" and on the won wand itself. When Harry fought Draco at Malfoy Manor, he was not pretending or playacting. He meant to disarm Draco. That he did so without a wand must have impressed the hell out of Draco's wand and the Elder wand, to convince them switch loyalty. Seems more plausible based on what we're told about wand ownership/mastership.
I just realized, maybe Dumbledore wouldn't want Harry in Slytherin because Snape is the head of house. This makes it so Snape remains distant to Harry, which is important in case Snape ever needs to learn that Harry MUST die. Dumbledore has probably had Snape as a backup to himself, to ensure his plan succeeded, for awhile. I can't remember if this was just in the movies or in the books as well, but McGonagall doesn't like the idea of using Harry as bait in Goblet of Fire. If Snape was Harry's head of house, he either would have created a bond (with Lily's side of Harry) or bc he wouldn't let go of a childhood grudge, would have been too hard on Harry making him miserable. Both outcomes too hard on Harry or too attached is the opposite of Dumbledore's plan.
Me listening to this like I haven't played the 7 episode mega video on Dumbledores big plan like 4 or 5 times 😂😂😂
Same here 😂
Plus one 😊
Me too!! 😅 Although I made a suggestion about this VERY fact in MY comment. See my comment above 👆🏻! 😊 I'm basically just watching to support them at this point, to get the video more views, so to speak! 😅😉
Exatly why they should have done any other topic
Rookie numbers. I'm an insomniac, I must have tried to sleep to that on at least 50 different occasions.
I think the hiring of Lupin is to counteract the fact that Sirius supposedly had a hand in the death of Harry’s parents. Lupin gives a positive insight into Harry’s parents and acts as somebody Harry can confide in because of this.
I really believe that Molly was asking that particular question to quiz Ginny. However, Dumbledore may have simply instructed Molly to call attention to herself, leaving it to her to figure out how. In fact, the question about the platform number is the 2nd thing she says that indicates she's a witch. The first thing Harry overhears is "-- Packed with Muggles, of course --" They're also carrying an owl.
THIS. This has been my take on it ever since Book 5 came out. The first time I reread PS/SS after OotP came out, I immediately understood her to be doing this.
Yeah. It makes sense for Molly to ask that question for see if both Ginny and Ron know.
THIS! Yes! I have a six year old, and ask her questions I know the answer to ALL the time. She is asking the question to the only remaining member of the family who will not or has not boarded the train yet.
After becoming a dad I realized feigning forgetfulness is a very effective way of reinforcing important facts like addresses, phone numbers etc.
I always thought it was more of a movie trope to get Harry to the platform because he was new to the wizarding world, also serving the same purpose to the reader or watcher. I think if it was a question to Ginny or Ron, one of them would have answered the question and Mrs Weasley would have responded like ‘well done Ginny! Excellent’. In the movie, her tone sounds like she’s asking the question because she doesn’t know the answer and makes her come across (to me at least) as an overstimulated Mother trying to get 4 kids to school on time and the ‘mum brain’ took over for a second.
Huh. I didn't know people actually thought Molly was talking about the platform out loud on Dumbledore's orders to ensnare Harry. I thought that was just a Molly Weasley bashing trope in fanfiction. 😂
I'm fully of the opinion that Molly is simply a good mother trying to get her 10 year old daughter involved. Or maybe she's even saying it to try and subtly help out any confused muggleborns.
Maybe even Firenze read in the stars that he was going to be chosen to teach kids. Maybe that’s why in book 1 he intersected Voldemort in the Forrest. He knew from the stars that he was meant to be a part of the Hogwarts staff somehow. That’s why he sacrifices himself being exiled in order to have the prophecy fulfilled.
Hi, Mitch T here. One of my favorite things about this podcast is the music at the beginning because it reminds of the music that plays at the beginning of the audio books on audio. Also as a kid I used to look like Harry Potter from the movies. I'm a Gryffindor btw
Two new theories about the troll, both rely on the same fact that controlling dangerous animals is difficult and not always predictable.
1. Quirrel was "bringing the troll in to make it part of the defense early to make sure the troll was acclimated to the new area" (possibly to shape the passages so he could bypass the challenges) and genuinely lost control of the troll. At this point he bursts in and does that and tries to take advantage of the chaos.
2. (my new headcanon) Quirrel was bringing the troll in (note the club) for the same "official" reason but in reality to see if he could knock fluffy out (or worse) with the troll so they wouldn't be able to use the dog to guard the door. But he lost control and tried to take advantage of the chaos instead.
I kind of like the idea of having 1 episode in between books where you guys go into a massive theory like this one.
No what ifs or anything. Just take some of the biggest and best theories you guys have and cover those for like an hour as a little transition.
Maybe between book 6 and 7 do something about the three brothers.
Edit: Okay, just the Dumbledore's big plan stuff is also neat
Do we know what came first that summer? Dumbledore hiring Lupin or Sirius escaping?
Ooo, that's a good question, was Lupin's hiring a response to Sirius's escape since he thought Lupin might be able to talk Sirius down or otherwise stop him.
My biggest issue is the entire plot around preventing Harry from being a "murderer" and ripping his soul. There is a huge difference between Voldemort using the killing curse on people randomly and striking them down in cold blood and self defense. If snape killing Dumbledore made him think that it wouldn't rip his soul then how could Harry taking Voldemort out in self defense rip his soul? Does that mean that every auror who ended the life of one of Voldemort's followers that was trying to kill them has ripped their soul? That seems like a huge plot hole to me and has never made sense.
I think a major difference is that although Harry is fighting to protect everyone, he also has personal reasons to see Voldemort dead, confirmed by Harry himself in the end of book 5. So Harry is going to willingly attempt to kill Voldemort no matter what, meaning Dumbledore has incentive to try and make sure Harry’s soul isn’t tarnished in the name of vengeance.
As for Snape telling Dumbledore about Quirrel killing Harry, they were on the same side of the field and several seats away.
Is it possible that Snape could recognize that it was a jinx but that he wasn't certain it was Quirrel? Maybe this scene even happened before the "Keep an eye on Quirrel" scene, and this is what helped put them onto him wanting to harm Harry. They didn't know that he had Voldemort on the back of his head, they just thought he was trying to retrieve the stone for Voldemort. They probably never thought that he would try to kill Harry outright, so it could be after that they suspect him.
@@empiar5481 Also in book 3, when he stated his intention to kill Sirius.
This has also bothered me. I think they take the killing = ripped soul too black and white. Self defence is a thing and it will affect you, but I would see that the soul is ripped, when one murders intentionally. Like Draco is at the risk of having his soul ripped, because while it is to protect himself, he is not doing it in self-defence against Dumbledore. Molly's soul is not ripped, because she is doing it to defend her children. Harry is at the risk of ripping his soul, is he kills Voldemort as revenge or with hatered in his heart and Dumbledore's goal is to make sure Harry doesn't defeat Voldemort with that intention in order to protect Harry's soul. And I would speculate, that ripping one's soul is also about how much it rips. I don't think ripping one's soul always leads to two separate pieces of soul. Making a horcrux requires a lot of intent and the willingness to rip a soul into two entirely separate pieces in order to be able to store the other part in an object.
@@sonjaimmonen6610think of it like killing in real life, killing even in self defense can result in mental trauma. That can be analogies to ripping souls. You can be in a headspace that it’s not overwhelming and appear unaffected but it’s no guarantee. You may not fully tear but scar your soul with that act. And it could tear even after the fact if not properly worked on or not feeling remorse in the case of the series.
I think the reason that he doesn’t sack Quirrel-mort is because “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
I agree I think he knew he was there and just kept an eye on him. He probably had people on alert when he left similar to book 6.
I love that you said "Quirrel-mort" 😅
@@KitsuneOnPaws-c2q well we need to know which Ole Voldy we are dealing with! lol
Tom Riddle: I'd like to apply for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Dumbledore: OK, but only if you're on the back of someone else's head.
@@PhilBagels co-teaching is totally a thing! Just usually not in this way. lol.
Chamber of Secrets section:
I think I JUST realized the (or at least A) main reason why Lockheart was put in charge of being the Defense Against the Dark Arts (or DADA, lol) teacher. I think it was part of Dumbledore's plan as a subconscious/subtle way to show Harry what he shouldn't be. Because when you think about it, DADA is basically the "What Not to Do with Magic" class, and Lockheart's Dumbledore's way of showing "what not to do in magic" in terms of having his ego checked.
I discovered you guys when you started Dumbledore's big plan during the pandemic and it makes me super emotional that I have been following you for so many years now...
One thing that I’ve been thinking about a bunch recently that makes me giggle is that when Harry and co are finding out about what all they get in Dumbledore’s will Harry makes a quip about offing Voldemort by running a sword through him. It is meant as a sarcastic joke in the moment, but three of the horcrux (and thus partially offing Voldy) are with that very sword.
one big thing missing from the analysis is that Dumbledore has already seen what an unloved child can become. He is probably aware that he let Harry grow up unloved. Hence why he might have been worried if Harry ended up in Slytherin
This is the one big issue I have with a lot of the theory crafting SCB does. They so often lean on this idea of Dumbledore being "the only one who knows the full prophecy" and how he knows it has to be Harry who defeats Voldemort, as though the prophecy itself is some immutable law of reality that must be adhered to inevitably, and that just isn't true. That's not how prophecy works in this universe. Dumbledore spends two whole pages just trying to get this point through to Harry. In fact, Harry continuing to not get the point that the prophecy isn't what matters is one of the very few things that are cause for Dumbledore to raise his voice (at least in the books, anyway). From the text (HBP Ch.23):
"But Harry, never forget that what the prophecy says is only significant because Voldemort made it so. I told you this at the end of last year Voldemort singled you out as the one person who would be most dangerous to him - and in doig so, *made* you the person who would be most dangerous to him!"
"But it comes to the same-"
"No it doesn't!" said Dumbledore, sounding impatient now. Pointing at Harry with his black, withered hand, he said, "You are setting too much store by the prophecy!"
"But," spluttered Harry, "but you said the prophecy means-"
"If Voldemort had never heard the prophecy, would it have been fulfilled? Would it have meant anything? Of course not! Do you think every prophecy in the Hall of Prophecy has been fulfilled?"
Note how Dumbledore never actually claims Harry is destined to kill Voldemort, or even that he's the only one who can, just that he's the most dangerous to him, meaning he's got the best shot at it, and NOT because of the prophecy, but because Voldemort chose him. It wasn't fate, it was Voldemort himself. HE chose Harry, not the prophecy.
The reason Dumbledore never attempts to find and destroy Voldemort in the meantime despite knowing his location is because he still isn't sure how Voldemort survived the backfiring curse. He doesn't know HOW to kill Voldemort at this point. Remember: Dumbledore doesn't know about the horcruxes until the end of book 2. All he knows is that Lilly's sacrifice protected Harry and rebounded a curse on Voldemort that should have killed him but didn't. It would be foolish to try to track down and kill Voldemort now, without understanding why he survived, and in the interim, Harry needs to be protected and nurtured as their best hope of vanquishing Voldemort for good, not because a prophecy said so, but because Voldemort had just MADE it so.
18:27 That actually goes back to what you guys were saying about Dumbledore’s watch. I think he knew Neville was going to be involved somehow and he thought it meant that he was going to be with them when it actually meant that he was going to try and stop them. Much like the centaurs being a bit early in their prediction of Voldemort killing Harry in the forest, Dumbledore was a bit off about the extent of Neville’s involvement.
You have a huge oversight. Umbridge was not appointed because Dumbledore couldn't possibly find a suitable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor but rather because, after what happened with Barty Crouch Jr the Ministry decided that his choices couldn't possibly be suitable. They chose to override it because they wanted to control the narrative and didn't trust Dumbledore anymore. They didn't want to admit that Voldemort had returned so they were burying their heads in the sand.
I think you guys are overlooking exactly how *cursed* the defense against the dark arts professor position is. In the books, the best fate any of them meet is 'was kept in a box for a year', and a pretty high percentage die, and we know that no one had lasted for more 1 year in the position in over a decade before that. If Dumbledore puts someone in that position, he is essentially saying they are expendable. He probably only hired Lupin because Lupin was desperate, and Dumbledore thought it was worth the risk to ensure Harry actually had one decent Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He also probably felt confident that he knew what would end Lupin's ability to stay in the position. But with Voldemort back, he wasn't willing to sacrifice one of his closest allies to a doomed position.
I'm so excited for Chamber of Secrets, its always been one of my personal favourites in the series
Apollo, serpent-killer
Ms. Weasley asks her kids about the time and platform number to include them.
It always felt, to me, just a normal thing. My parents, when I was young, would do the same thing. Yes, they knew when class started, they're just getting me more engaged and including me in on the trip, rather than just have me blindly follow
I definitely subscribe to the big plan. But I think the weasleys being there at the platform was just coincidence. I feel like Mrs. Weasley was just asking her children if they remember the platform number. Mostly just for Ron’s and Ginny’s benefit. As it’s Ron’s first year and Ginny will be starting next year.
I still don’t understand why they think Molly trying to get Harry’s attention is the ONLY explanation. People saying otherwise has filled their comment sections every time they’ve said it
I like this theory, it's perfect as far as the fun part of theories, where the story works with or without it being true. It being true doesn't harm much cannon and might explaina few strange things. It even enhances a lot of your videos where you discuss various things with that idea, because it gives this sense that you are always looking for connections.
However one of my biggest issues is with how you present a few points without ever seeming to address other peoples counter thoughts. For example Every time you guys talk about the big plan dozens upon hundreds of folks bring up the exact same point about the very first scene. Where it is incredibly normal for parents to ask children questions to remind them of things. "I spent the last 3 weeks telling you what platform it is, do you remember?" Just once i'd like to see you guys say
"Hey we heard this idea from folks and it could be true, here is why we disagree anyway." Or "Thats a strong point but we like the theory better if this is part of it" or even "This is a weaker part of the theory"
If you have acknowledged it and i've missed it, apologies. But the fact that you haven't acknowledged it yet is sorta sad to me due to how much community interaction you guys do otherwise.
It would be nice for you guys to address this so that the talking points here in the towel section could move on as well, I wanan read more people discuss the idea but lots of folks are caught up on that one.
In Chamber Dumbledore indirectly says that Harry is a horcrux. He explicitly says that the reason that Harry could talk to snakes is because Voldemort could talk to snakes and there is a piece of Ole Voldy could in Harry.
Yep, he 100% knows or at least strongly suspects the truth about Harry early on.
Mostly he’s leading Harry in a direction to help him realise that for himself but also obtaining as much information as possible for Harry to fully be prepared to face/understand who his opponent is.
i look foreword to this show every week to hear the stuff i may have missed. thanks
My only thing about Molly asking about the platform number is that, she could just be quizzing her two youngest children to see if they know the platform number 🤷🏽♂️
Agreed
Now y'all should do a JvB super ultimate sorcerer's stone quiz to see how much you remember after this deep dive
I finally finally got to watch this episode today 3 hours later!! I can't wait and not required that there is an in between between one and book two!!! Even more exciting will be when we get to book three my favorite in the series of Harry Potter ,The Prisoner of Azkaban. I like them all but that is my favorite
I love the podcast I get excited every time Sunday rolls around.
21:10 Snape: "Hey! Quirrell just tried to knock Harry Potter off his broom. I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO DO THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Okay, so my timeline was off by a week. January 21st is when CoS starts, it wraps up on May 19th, and PoA begins on May 26th or June 2nd, depending on if there's another transition episode or not.
So do we have to wait until next week for Chamber of Secrets??
Would’ve answered my question if I would’ve started the video lol
Yeah, pretty disappointed with that...
Guys, this series is really great. Are you THAT bothered that we get extra weeks between books? Think of it as a palate cleanser before the next book.
@@Zeke_O3773 I’m not disappointed at all. I hadn’t clicked the video yet.
@@jaycclark217 I was responding to a comment on your post but forgot to @ them. My bad.
I always took molly weasley asking what platform as a way of testing how much ron is paying attention since hes never gone to hogwarts yet and shes not gonna see him again until summer break. A bit of a helicopter parent nervous about her youngest son being gone for a whole semester
For the DADA position in book 5 Dumbledore could also just have done what he ultimately does in book 6 and give it to Snape, and then just find someone else for potions. Which, at least in terms of teaching quality would have been better, because Snape may be an absolute dick, but he is an extremely capable wizard and knows what he's doing.
Voldemort cursed the job when he didn’t get hired for the job…that whole no one last more than a year thing…and he needed Snape still as a teacher so Snape could kill him in book 6
I don't think Snape was told to keep an eye on Quirrel yet during the quidditch match. Otherwise he could have just turned around and stood in front of Quirrel or something to stop the eye contact.
Molly didn’t forget Platform 9-3/4. She’s just testing whether Ginny was listening to her and remembers what she was told about the platform.
Yes obviously. But that doesn't mean that Dumbledore couldn't have told her to get Harry's attention. And it was the use of the word "muggles" that got him to follow them, not just the platform number thing. It's a possibility, you can't just dismiss it as nonsense.
She’s asking Gini to make her feel included as she want to go to Hogwarts.
Well, at least 17 times Molly Weasley has been to platform 9 3/4, right? I think Fabian and Gideon are older than her, so she could have gone to the platform however many years with them until she's 11 just like Ginny and Lilly later on.
I disapprove of dumbledore being why the weezlys are befriending harry. That takes alot away from fred and gorge as well as some of rons traits. It definitely seems like dumbledore approves of the connection. And dumbledore does what he can to promote the weezlys relationship with harry. The twins helped out a random first year getting onto the train. Then they tell the rest of the family its the famous harry potter then that intrigued ron. Then harry was intrigued by ron being a pure blood wizard ( who wasnt a turd ) * harry didnt like malfoy per malfoy being a turd *
I totally love The Plan since the original video
The only part I don’t agree with is:
Molly “forgetting” the platform number
I’m quite sure she was asking just like parents always ask there children common knowledge questions
It’s not that they don’t know that 2+2=4 or that they commute every time on One train )
But for children to think, learn and so on
I think the only thing Dumbledore planned
Is for Hagrid to get him safe to a train station
- but without intimidation of Harry walking onto the platform with a huge Hogwarts employee
So he wouldn’t be noticed as much straight away
Or have any upper hand on a situation
I’m quite sure he didn’t even consider that Harry won’t find it one way or another
But he would probably send someone back to station 5 minutes after train left - and he would get an info that they left the only person who can save the world stranded )
Regarding the appointment of Umbridge. I don't entirely disagree with your theory, but I'm not sure it takes into account something that has always bothered me about the "curse" on the DADA position. Doesn't the curse say that no one will occupy that position for more than one school year? And didn't Voldemort put the curse on that position decades earlier? If that's correct, surely Dumbledore has already gone through numerous DADA teachers by Harry's fifth year. And also, the impact of the curse isn't always relatively benign, as it was with Lupin (unlike Gilderoy (memory loss), Squirrel (death) and, even to some extent, Moody (trapped in a trunk all year)). Also, are we sure that some other members of the order haven't already served as DADA teachers for a year in the past? Would the curse prevent someone from serving a second year? Maybe Dumbledore is (a) running out of options for DADA teacher and (b) doesn't want to risk harm to a member of the Order of the Phoenix at such a critical time? Perhaps he saw Umbridge as a necessary evil that he was also able to build into his overall strategy. I do see your point about Firenze, but that feels a bit like a last resort - because of the extreme sacrifice it requires Firenze to make.
really hoping to see a different set design for chamber, maybe more green lighting and some references to chamber. I would say green walls but painting that would be annoying.
LOVED the huge video of it on the other channel 😊😊😊❤❤❤
That part about the glint in dumbledore's eyes at the end of book 4 is huge!.
14:40 Another reason is that she's testing if Ginny (her youngest who goes to Hogwarts the next year) knows the platform number. Maybe testing Ron too as he's also going, but mostly Ginny.
But it could be both reasons, who knows 🤷♂️🙂
Posted at the right time..was about to start work and I love listening to videos and audio book
Already seen your dumbledore's big plan theory video on scb and personally think it's brilliant, fully subscribe to it, and know what it involves, but I'm still watching this video because your videos are great :)
26:00 - There is also the issue of narrative Power Creep. Telling the students that they shouldn’t go there if they don’t want to die and sealing it with a simple lock charm seems fine. Until you need to write a new method of locking things, since you realize that can’t be *all* there is.
I loved this theory. I would also say that maybe his deluminator works similar to how Voldemort uses his name as a taboo, except that it works on people that are friends of the user.
That’s how Albus knew to send Fawkes in chamber of secrets and Ron knew how to find Harry and Hermione. Also, there’s no way that Albus didn’t have a waaaaaaaay fancier version of the marauder’s map.
Dumbledore seems very chill and easy going in light of all the dark events happening and I think part of it is that he knows everything going on at Hogwarts.
Wait is this instead of chapter one of chamber of secrets?
One (of the many) things that bugs me about Harry getting Draco’s wand (by physically taking it from him) goes against canon a bit. Per Pottermore, unicorn wands are the most loyal to their orignal owner. (Example Charley’s wand not totally loving Ron and then Ron coming to his own when he gets a wand that chose him before his third year). We know Draco had a unicorn wand (per Ollivander at Shell Cottage) so why was it so quick to switch allegiance?
The wand chooses the wizard. There needs to be room in this conversation for accepting the sentience of wands. I don't like that Harry took the wand without magic but the elder wand's first owner, the first brother, was stabbed in his sleep. Elder wand changed allegiance. Draco's wand can therefore change allegiance.
@@overthehillskating6244 it bothers me more that he has a unicorn core and those are supposed to be most faithful to their original person than the method of taking.
@@hufflepom fair point and I understand where you are coming from. The wand is sentient. It chose Draco for a reason. It chose Harry for a reason. Maybe it didn't like how it was being used by draco?
@@hufflepom as far as Ron's wand goes, it was given to him. Perhaps if Ron had stolen it from his brother or won it by beating him in a competition or something then it would have switched allegiance. The wand never chose Ron. It was a choice by wizards to give the wand to Ron.
I'm wondering why Ron even got that wand in the first place. If Charlie got a new wand and could give that one to Ron, why not give Ron the new wand?
@@overthehillskating6244 in Philosopher’s Stone Draco mentions that his mum is looking at wands for him. Maybe Narcissa was the one it chose. lol
Theres no reason to not do this episode but it should have been a bonus episode in addition to CoS ch1 not in place of.
You should link relevant videos from the main channel to these that pertain to what you're talking about in these episodes. It's more views for you and easier for us to find if we want to refresh
Great episode guys.
Nooo I wanted to start Book 2 :(
Oh my god. Im just doing the Dumbledores big plan episodes and seeing J without a mustache is jarring
"Ah Ms. Granger - Professor Flitwick tells me you're excelling in Charms, have you heard of Alohamora - might prove useful..."
Wow, you guys really did just add six or seven weeks to the runtime of this 4 year podcast, I'm down, im in, I'm here.
Let all buckle up, ride the high and have better lives for ourselves when this is over.
Is the chamber of secrets episode coming out today as well?
next week
My head canon is all Dumbledore had to do was put stone in mirror, mirror behind door, fidelious charm now try and get the stone quarrel
Well for one thing Dumbledore doesn’t do anything about Voldemort because “forests in Albania” is surprisingly vague. 36% of Albania is forests. Thats over 10000 square kilometers.
Hey maybe the way Quero got the troll in the the dungeon was because Dumbledore had asked him to put it down by the mirror and he can't just run in the great hall and tell all the students he is moving a troll down to guard the philosopher stone, And then if you were caught by Snape up on the third floor corridor he would have a good excuse saying the troll escaped while he was trying to move it there, that is just a private conversation he would only have with the other staff so we would never hear it
47:30 Interesting to see Dumbledore's intentions being foiled just because of Harry's selection as the Triwizard champion. Now I wonder whether that may have made Dumbledore furious for once, because that would explain the not-so calm tone Dumbledore used when interrogating Harry in the movie. Because if my secret plan was faltered by one simple event, I am pretty sure I would also have a small outburst of anger and not just be calm (but concerned) as the book would describe.
The theory: Dumbledore is tracking all of the characters and circumstances and then pre-planning and controlling Harry’s course to prepare him to defeat Voldemort.
Reality: J.K. Rowling is tracking all of the characters and circumstances and then pre-planning and controlling Harry’s course to prepare him to defeat Voldemort.
YES! All these "theories" are more like justifications. The fact is that Rowling was a rather inexperienced writer, and there are flaws and plotholes and little bits that don't make sense in the books. Deal with it. We love the books anyway, and there's so much good stuff in them that we can happily overlook these relatively minor flaws for the sake of a good story. You don't have to come up with convoluted theories to justify all the little anomalies.
"He's a good... well, Percy goes on to suck, but AT THE MOMENT..." ROFL
I love these guys. They’re so entertaining with their “What ifs…?” But in my interpretation of the books, the series is an utter rejection of prophecy and destiny. Half-Blood Prince crushes this notion of Harry being the only one to defeat Voldemort in an objective sense. See Chapter 23 p. 510-512 of the US first printing hardback. To say that Dumbledore believes the prophecy and that Harry is the only one to do so completely ignores what he himself says in that chapter. “You see, the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything! But the prophecy cause LV to mark you as his equal … In other words, you are free to choose your way, quite free to turn your back on the prophecy. But Voldemort continues to set store by the prophecy.”
Do we know if that 3rd floor corridor is ever mentioned again? Like, are there classes on that floor now that its unused? Does it disappear because its unneeded thereafter like the RoR? Maybe just shutdown. I don't know.
I think that the troll in the dungeon is the troll that Quirrell brought to protect the stone.
What if the Dudley photo is like a disillusioned portrait of someone from dumbledore thinking they would never change Dudley’s photo and how they know everything that goes on in the dursleys home haha
Hey Brother(s) (from another mother)
Guys, absolutely love love love the read thru and content here, great for multiple listening. I had an idea, maybe after each book you have an episode of talking about how the movie stands up to the book, besides hearing your POV on the books we can get some insight of what you guys think about the transfer from page to screen. Be safe.
So my thoughts on Lockhart was he was a lesson to all the students maybe like what happens when u take shortcuts in your education as well as to not blindly trust/fallow celebrities
Also, first time I read about big plan was lots of years ago and it was done by Russian girls who explained everything in details. But what was the most incredible - they did it before last two books were issued and predicted almost everything that happened at the end
Good summation of DBP if you don't have several hours to listen to all the vids. However, those all are a great listen.
It’s just occurred to me that there is another overarching theme and lesson outside of Dumbledore’s big plan that starts in Chamber, owing to the fact that outside factors influence the course of the year that Dumbledore didn’t intend. So the fact Harry can speak parseltongue divides the school as to whether he’s the heir of Slytherin, with most people not initially believing that he is not in fact the heir and didn’t let the basilisk out.
It really sets Harry up to understand how it feels for most of the world to not believe him. Ultimately when Voldemort returns in GoF, most of the population do not believe that Harry is telling the truth.
I think the arch / unintended lesson of book 2 sets Harry up really well to not let the fact that people don’t believe him get him down or take away from his mission. He knows what to do despite whether people believe him or not. He got a good taste for that in the years before.
So watching the films recently I realised how cool it would have been if Snape got the kill on Nagini before Voldy kills him, either with the sword that comes to him for his hard life of being a secret hero or through another bad ass spell he invented. Which led me to an interesting question, Can the sword only come to people who were in gryphondor house or is any heroic enough act enough?
It's a good idea, but I don't think he had the opportunity. If Voldy sees him do it (or even finds out later that Snape killed Nagini), then his cover is blown, and Voldy would know that Snape has been working against him the whole time. V would then have to completely change his plan.
@@PhilBagels I am talking about the convo they have at the docks, all 3 are there and Snape must have guessed what was going to happen. He was dead no matter what so why not try and take the snake down as well? Literally nothing to lose.
@@samhobbs9116 But then Voldy would have realized what was going on the whole time and would change his entire plan. He would retreat and re-strategize and maybe take the time to make seven new horcruxes or something, or otherwise do a heck of a lot more damage, kill a lot more people.
@@PhilBagels This is why I love theory crafting because you can take things in so many ways. Voldy knowing at the last second that Snape was never on his side would blindside him so hard, he would not flee he would attack in a blind rage but be terrified of this man who tricked him for 30 odd years. Harry is literally right outside the room as this all happens so the series of events would be Snape kills the snake in a badass way, Voldy gets hella mad and attacks him, Harry comes in from behind with a steel chair, big fight erupts where we make sure we see Harry take a direct killing curse from Volders and then cut away to Snape being like noooooooo and battling harder and then you see a spell that hits Voldy and you think it is Ron or Hermione but then it pans round to show Harry stood up wand in hand with no explanation until after the fact.
Snape could live man don't take this away from me lol.
@@samhobbs9116 I think there are a few flaws with that scenario, but sure, something like that might have happened. Part of the story is that Harry sacrificed himself willingly, providing protection for everyone in Hogwarts; that Voldy himself kills Harry (destroying the horcrux in him); that Harry is the true master of the Elder Wand; etc. So if Voldy flies into a rage, he'd probably immediately try to kill Snape - and would likely succeed! Only Harry can kill Voldy. The best Snape can do is escape, which is also possible - the same way he escaped from the Great Hall earlier. Or maybe he could have set up a portkey in advance for this contingency.
Yeah, OK. There are some possibilities there. It relies on Voldy reacting out of rage - which is certainly not unlikely - instead of calmly and rationally retreating and rethinking his strategy, which might be less likely, given his current emotional state, despite the fact that he's been playing the "long game" for over 50 years.
I guess it comes down to the question of whether Voldy can stay calm and focused in that moment when Snape kills Nagini.
OK. I get it. That is an interesting "what if" scenario!
11:49 I always thought that Mrs Weasley was quizzing her kids (especially Ron, who was going into his first year).
Question. Why is hagrid doing magic and having a wand is still an issue after his release from azkaban in book 2 he was cleared of all charges ie- hagrid enlarging the pumkins. ( and furthermore why doenst hagrid continue his magical education i.e quick spelll courses or even night hogwarts classes..... lol especially since the teachers tend to never sleep. )
I LOVE THROUGH THE GRIFFIN DOOR!! THANKS SCB TEAM!
In the books they talk about Dumbledore, Ludo, crouch, and the other headmaster have been discussing and planning out the wizard tournament for a while, do you think Dumbledore started his plan to reinstate the tournament right when Harry started his first year??
Oh 😢 I'm a big fan and I hate to criticise but I wish there had been a heads up that we weren’t going to start chamber today. I'll still listen to this and enjoy it but I've watched your long one many times already! I was looking forward to the one I was expecting.
Tanks teaching would have been a riot
This is my favorite theory/video you guys posted on the main channel so I’m excited for another
Fun fact of the day: I heard from a professor lecturing on the books who said that there were a lot of theories that Dumbledore was actually on the dark side when the fourth book came out, because of the gleam of triumph in his eye when Harry tells him Voldemort got his blood and came back. They had to wait a long time until the next book came out to see otherwise.
I think Dumbledore didn't want anyone from the Order as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher because, as Sirius and Remus explain to Harry once he gets to headquarters, the Order doesn't actually seem to be doing that well and there aren't that many members who would be freely available.
Dumbledore wouldn't get away with appointing Lupin again since the Ministry is being lobbied by people like Malfoy and discrediting Dumbledore.
Moody might have put his foot down saying he's not trying that again + he's more use to the Order out of Hogwarts.
Kingsley is the Auror in charge of searching for Sirius and needed to put out false trails. Also he's not supposed to let on that he's siding with Dumbledore and taking a teaching post - that particular teaching post - would do that, especially at that point in the story.
Many other members probably have other jobs they can't/shouldn't/mustn't ditch for a teaching post because they are needed elsewhere.
And most importantly: Dumbledore simply might not want to risk a valuable Order member having something weird (and potentially lethal) happening to them. He knows the position is cursed and anyone taking it only lasts a year. It doesn't mean they have to die but at least one (Quirrel - we don't get to know what happened to all the teachers prior to Harry's arrival at the school) did and with the situation as it is the risk might just be too great.
do you think the curse would have prevented moody from being the defense against the dark arts professor in book 5?
Personally, I always thought of Dumbledore not going after Voldemort was more of a calculated risk. He knows that for the moment Voldemort is harmless, he knows where Voldemort is, and has Harry safely hidden away. However, he also realizes that even if he went after Voldemort he doesn't know how to kill whatever Voldemort currently is, and he doesn't even truly know what is stopping Voldemort from dying for real. He suspects things, but has no proof of anything at the time. So, by leaving Voldemort in the forest, Dumbledore can keep tabs on him while searching for a way to kill him and try to figure out what is keeping him alive. Where as if he went after Voldemort then, even if he found him, Dumbledore would be unable to kill him while also risking sending Voldemort into hiding some place Dumbledore might not be able to discover again.
Dumbledore's big plan makes sense/exists because of Dumbledores role as something of a stand in for the writer. I use term writer instead Rowling here, because he's not a reflection of her like parts of Harry and Hermione are, but of "the writer".
I wouldn’t be surprised if the author originally intended to have the platform change every time as another element of the cooky magical world (like the stairs moving), but it became so iconic that they kept it that way moving forward
Yeah I bet she didn’t really a solid plan continuity wise until after the the first book became so popular
@@FartsForEyes that is so fair. I bet she never in a million years expected when she wrote the first book that it would one day be subject to this much scrutiny! Lol
Can I make a friendly suggestion: Most of us listeners (I think) are also subscribers to the main channel & thus, already know of Dumbledore BIG plan (& also, you seem to repeating yourselves A LOT in this podcast), & therefore, instead of spending an entire episode explaining something you already have on your main channel, you can just DIRECT people over to your main channel to explain this, especially to those who have NOT seen all your videos. You may even get new subscribers to the main channel that way, too!! 😊 Again, JUST a suggestion!! 😉 Also, some other UA-camrs have pointed out (MovieFlame, for example, I think 🙃) that Molly might have asked the question of "What's the Platform #?" as more of kinda a teaching moment to her children, rather than for Harry, himself . . . Just another explanation for this scene to think about . . . 😉 Also, hasn't Voldemort already figured out that Harry has been hunting (& killing) horcruxes BEFORE he kills him in the forrest? You mention something about him not knowing that Harry already has a plan to kill him . . . But this is incorrect, isn't it? Voldemort already know that Harry knows his secret & is ACTIVELY trying to destroy all of them by that point in the story, right?? 🤔Also, Also, in regards to Lockhart, I'm half-wondering if all the other teachers (well, maybe not Snape 😅) take it upon themselves to kinda "teach" DADA (@ least a little bit) b/c they know that Lockhart's "teaching" is NOT helpful @ ALL, @ least to all the O.W.L. & N.E.W.T. levels students so they CAN pass the VERY important "state/national" exams . . . !! 🤔😅 And, oh, my gosh, I would have LOVE to see Tonks as a teacher!! 😍 She would have been GREAT, I think, a lot like Lupin, I think!! HUFFLEPUFF FOR THE WIN!! (I'm a Hufflepuff, in case you couldn't tell from that last sentence! 😅) 🤩😍 So, wait, then why didn't Snape just dual Harry for the sword in the end?? If that was the original plan . . . Did Dumbledore already figure out that Draco was the Master of the Elder Wand b/c he disarmed him, not Snape? That dueling Snape wouldn't have worked in getting the Elder Wand? Okay, now onto Book 2, & the introduction of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE character of the WHOLE series: sweet DOBBY!!! 😍🥰🤩
There's nothing wrong with them talking about the theory. And yes it's obvious about the Molly thing, but that doesn't mean that Dumbledore COULD'VE told Molly to get Harry's attention in some way, shape or form. She just used what she said to Ginny as a way to get his attention while also using it as a way of "testing" her.
@@diminie_chimket Yes, I agree. I was just making a SUGGESTION!! … They just seem to be repeating themselves A LOT in this podcast & that could get tiring for some people & make them not want to continue listening 🎧 anymore … Most of us have already heard this theory before anyway … that’s all I was trying to say! 😉 Also, yes, I agree with the whole Molly thing, too; she could have been doing both things at the same time! 😊
I really dislike your interpretation of soul ripping. In my mind tthe ripping of your soul only happens if it's murder, in fact I believe Dumbledore specifically said murder. I've always assumed that murder means murder, as in an unjustified killing. Just killing another person if it is justified for instance in self defense wouldn't tear your soul. On top of it needing to be murder, the way you repair your soul is through remorse and I would have to imagine Harry would feel remorse. So I guess for me the specifics would have to be unjustified, and no remorse, straight up cold blood.
Aggh, im already 5 chapters into chamber already, gotta put the book on hold for a month
will you guys address Hagrid disfiguring an 11year old child just because his father is insulting another grown up? and also bodyshaming him...?
Already watched the “big plan” super cut twice, so might as well watch this one too.
It's not Dumbledore who sets up Molly Weasly at King's Cross. It's JK Rowling. Presumably, when Hagrid brings the sorcerer's stone to Hogwarts, the trials to get to it are immediately set up. Why would Dumbledore set up challenges for Hermione, Ron, Harry, even Neville, when they haven't even been sorted into the same house yet? Even if it is true that he asks Molly to help Harry so he gets a connection to the Weasleys, isn't Hermione's friendship just as important? Yet, her friendship with Ron and Harry comes about, in a sense, as consequence from Quirrel/Voldemort's actions bringing the troll into the school. You think Dumbledore asked Quirrel to do that too?
JK Rowling is the puppet master. I think you're giving to much "credit" to Dumbledore for things that the author "forced", such as the trials to get to the sorcerer's stone. The clinching argument for me in that particular one is when Dumbledore tells Harry that "no sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I just left". He wouldn't lie to Harry about that. I don't believe it's true that Dumbledore was aware of everything that was going on at Hogwarts and "allowed" Harry to have a go. He saw the signs, better than anyone, and usually is "guesses" were right, but he's not omniscient. "I feared I might be too late". That's not a lie either. At that moment Dumbledore had no intention for Harry to be in danger. At that moment, I don't believe he fully understands the prophecy or the sacrifice it requires yet.
Later on in the series, it's true that Dumbledore keeps things to himself and does things "for the greater good" that may be questionable. He definitely has a plan. But the Big plan, as you describe it here, is JK Rowling's all the way. What's Dumbledore's motive for letting Harry face Voldemort in the first year? Put him in mortal peril just to make sure he renounces Voldemort? That he's on the good side? Anyone who meets Harry in the first year could have told him that for free. Dumbledore doesn't know Harry is going through the trap door. He doesn't know Voldemort himself will be there. The same way he doesn't know Mad Eye is Barty Crouch in disguise. He is a very smart man, with many ways to find out things from spies to star gazing. By the way, the theory about him learning a thing or two about interpreting the stars from the centaurs is one of your best. But he is still just a man.
TL, DR: It's not Dumbledore's big plan, it's Rowling's. She puts those challenges in front of Harry for us the audience to witness his character growth, for us to get to know him. And a lot of things that happen later on in the series are not by Dumbledore's design, but by plot necessity. Dumbledore is aware of a lot more than other characters, but the master mind behind the story is the author.
Considering that the centaurs pretty clearly thought Harry would die by Voldemort's hand during his detention in the forbidden forest because all the necessary actors were there and circumstances were met according to the stars, I wonder if it was the same with Harry coming face to face with Voldemort in the school. Since Dumbledore really only learned about the Horcruxes at the end of Chamber, he might've hoped that the prophecy would come true in the first year already, that maybe Harry would somehow find a way to overcome Voldemort once and for all right there. He might've not had an idea how that could work but if there's anyone who recognizes that magic essentially works in mysterious ways sometimes, it's certainly Dumbledore.
It’s also possible that in year five her knew that if DADA wasn’t being taught correctly that hairy would step up and teach the other students and that this would unify the school behind harry.