History Fanon / HarryPotter

* Fans think: Snape and Regulus were friends. '''In canon:''' Given that Regulus was in a different year at Hogwarts and Snape judged Harry based on James's behavior, it's likely that the two of them rarely saw each other outside of glimpses. Plus none of the Death Eaters knew all of the other Death Eaters.

** On a related note, he knew Sirius was innocent and sent to Azkaban without a trial. '''In canon:''' Quite the opposite. It's very probable that he didn't know Sirius didn't have a trial; he may not have even been on the Wizengamot in 1981 (he's only shown as an observer in the Death Eater trials seen in the Pensieve), and he would've been very busy trying to get Harry hidden safely away - and no doubt dealing with a dozen other aftereffects of the war - at the time. Not to mention that Crouch was overseeing the sentencing, and there was no particular reason for him to inform Dumbledore about what had happened. All he knew was that there was a highly-placed traitor in the Order of the Phoenix, and Peter framed Sirius very well, so it wouldn't be a stretch for him to assume that Sirius was guilty and had been found such by a trial. As Dumbledore himself notes, he is not infallible or omniscient. Finally, ''Goblet of Fire'' indicates that Dumbledore disapproves of the Ministry of Magic being in league with Dementors, and ''Half-Blood Prince'' reveals that he tried to overturn a wrongful conviction for Morfin Gaunt, [[AssholeVictim a pureblood supremacist known for carrying out unprovoked attacks on muggles]]; the idea that he would knowingly and willingly leave Sirius to an undeserved imprisonment at the hands of the Dementors is laughable.

** He places a lot of faith in prophecies, and is willing to let Harry suffer hardships like abuse by the Dursleys if he thinks it's in accordance with one related to Voldemort's defeat. '''In canon:''' The only reason the prophecy in Rowling's material is relevant to his plans is because Voldemort acted on it, and subsequently made Harry an unintentional seventh Horcrux. If anything, Dumbledore's the exact opposite of this fanon characterization; as he tells Harry in ''Order of the Phoenix'', he secretly considered teaching Divination to be of little worth when he was interviewing Trelawney, and it's implied that the only reason he hasn't dropped it from the Hogwarts curriculum is because it gives him a convenient excuse to keep her -- and her knowledge of the prophecy - on Hogwarts grounds and out of Voldemort's reach. He is also the one to explicitly lay out to Harry that prophecies do not have to come true, and that the only reason Harry has to stop Voldemort is because of Harry's own sense of morality.
** He uses underhanded means - magical or otherwise -- to control other characters (particularly Harry) and have them act in accordance with his (often convoluted) plans. '''In canon:''' Dumbledore has little to no need to do this, since most of the people on his side -- including Harry -- follow him out of genuine loyalty and trust, whether out of respect for his abilities or because of things he's done for them in the past. The only time he ever uses magic to coerce one of his people is when he suggests to Snape that he put Mundungus Fletcher under a Confundus Charm before telling him to suggest to the Order of the Phoenix that they use decoys to evacuate Harry from the Dursleys, but this is done solely to try and ensure Harry's safe extraction in a way that won't blow Snape's cover as a loyal Death Eater.
** He knew the Dursleys would abuse Harry but sent him there anyway to either [[ToughLove toughen him up]], or make him meek and pliable enough for his schemes to work, with the added bonus of being able to appear as a saviour to Harry. This mostly goes in conjunction with the Dursleys being [[AdaptationalVillainy much more abusive]] in fanfic than they are in canon. '''In canon:''' If anything, the conversation Dumbledore has with the Dursleys in ''Half-Blood Prince'' -- during which he calls out Vernon and Petunia for their poor treatment of Harry over the years - indicates a far more benevolent intention; he had hoped they would take care of Harry and raise him as their own child after the boy turned up on their doorstep (which ironically might have been worse for Harry in the long run, given how [[SpoiledBrat Dudley]] turned out). ''Deathly Hallows'' also makes it clear that he fully understands what can happen to a magical child who's been abused in some way because of what happened to his sister and wouldn't willingly subject Harry or anyone else to that. Voldemort's show of skill in ''Deathly Hallows'' (duelling Slughorn, Shacklebolt, and [=McGonagall=] at the same time) implicitly proves that there just wasn't anyone good enough to keep Voldemort and the Death Eaters away, and that the blood protection was simply the only way to keep him safe.

* '''Fans think:''' Harry is ''really'' rich, and the gold in his vault at Gringotts isn't the sum total of his wealth; there's another vault with a lot of family heirlooms. And he has multiple houses, which often come with house elves (although why the Potters chose to live in Godric's Hollow instead of an ancient manor with nigh-unbreakable wards is rarely explained). He doesn't have access to them because [[RonTheDeathEater Dumbledore is an arsehole]]. The money comes from the Potters being essentially the "good guy Malfoys", with the same big mansions, political clout, and illustrious names, and they can claim descent from Godric Gryffindor himself. '''In canon:''' Godric's Hollow is the only property to the Potter name, and the vault is all the money. Creator/JKRowling reveals on Pottermore that the Potters possess a decent amount of money, though not on account of being old money but due to Fleamont Potter's business - which is why they are nowhere as rich, or even remotely as influential as families like the Malfoys. The Potter branch was more or less a footnote to Wizarding history until Harry came along, though they are descended distantly from the famous Peverell family.

* '''Fans think:''' Slytherin is a den of rapists. Girls are constantly at risk there. It makes for a lot of [[RuleThirtyFour the kind of thing fanfics like]]. '''In canon:''' First, ''Harry Potter'' is not that kind of series. Second, if this were true, one would think that the large number of well-connected pureblood families whose daughters are in Slytherin would raise some ''serious'' hell if they thought their children were in that kind of danger. And that's assuming Dumbledore - who canonically takes the safety of his students ''very'' seriously - didn't beat them to the punch.

* '''Fans think:''' Any rich pureblood family's home is named "[Family] Manor". It's named after "Malfoy Manor", first used (or at least [[TropeCodifier codified]]) by ''Fanfic/TheDracoTrilogy''[[note]]although the story actually uses "Malfoy Manor" and "Malfoy Mansion" interchangeably[[/note]] and later [[AscendedFanon named for real]] in ''Deathly Hallows''. This led to the idea that ''every'' rich wizard family does the same thing, like "Black Manor" ({{Jossed}} in ''Order of the Phoenix'' by the house's simple address of 12 Grimmauld Place) and "Snape Manor" (also {{Jossed}} as it was revealed Snape's father was a muggle, and they lived in a plain house at Spinner's End in Cokeworth - where Snape continues to live until his death).

** Veela and Merpeople are enemies, and Gabrielle was in danger because her placement in the lake violated some supposed truce between the two. Fics that believe this tend to include the "weakness to water" fanon -- which makes it ''less'' likely that Veela and Merpeople would be enemies, as it's hard to make enemies when you live in incompatible habitats. Familiarity breeds contempt, after all. Fics of this kind also tend to think of Dumbledore as [[RonTheDeathEater more explicitly not caring about Gabrielle's well-being]]. '''In canon:''' No animosity is shown to exist between Veela and Merpeople, and if it did, the canon Dumbledore - who is very critical of how the Wizarding World treats its nonhuman magical beings - would either A) try and smooth things out with the Merpeople beforehand, or B) simply not put Gabrielle at the bottom of the lake in the first place.

* '''Fans think:''' Salazar Slytherin was Irish. It fits in nicely; WordOfGod establishes that Godric Gryffindor was English, Helga Hufflepuff was Welsh, and Rowena Ravenclaw was Scottish, so Slytherin being Irish rounds it out. Additionally, he is said to come from a "fen", a common ecosystem in Ireland; he's associated with the colour green, which is also commonly associated with Ireland; and his affinity for snakes may be a reference to the old legend of Saint Patrick banishing all the snakes from Ireland. '''In canon:''' It does fit, but it's never stated. Moreover, fens are also found in England, most especially in the county of Norfolk, which general British culture tends to associate with inbreeding - which Slytherin's descendants seem to have done.

* '''Fans think:''' Peter Pettigrew's escape in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' was somehow pre-ordained by fate, meaning it would have happened regardless of both the nature of his confinement and any attempts to recapture him. This is typically used so that Trelawney can make her prophecy and have it come true - and thus enable the future return of Voldemort - despite Pettigrew being exposed, detained and imprisoned more securely than he was in the original story. '''In canon:''' There's nothing to suggest this. Yes, Trelawney made the prophecy, but Pettigrew very much had luck on his side during his canon escape; it was night, his captors were distracted by one of their number turning into an out-of-control werewolf, he could transform into a near-impossible to spot rat, and perhaps most importantly, Albus Dumbledore had no way of knowing he was still alive or accounting for his abilities. If any of these things were different, it could well be that Trelawney's second prophecy would never come about. Not to mention, as noted above, that prophecies do not actually have to come true.

!! See also

[[FandomSpecificPlot/HarryPotter Fandom Specific Plots]], [[Memes/HarryPotter Memes]], and [[FanNickname/HarryPotter Fan Nicknames]].

** He places a lot of faith in prophecies, and is willing to let Harry suffer hardships like abuse by the Dursleys if he thinks it's in accordance with one related to Voldemort's defeat. '''In canon:''' The only reason the prophecy in Rowling's material is relevant to his plans is because Voldemort acted on it, and subsequently made Harry an unintentional seventh Horcrux. If anything, Dumbledore's the exact opposite of this fanon characterization; as he tells Harry in ''Order of the Phoenix'', he secretly considered teaching Divination to be of little worth when he was interviewing Trelawney, and it's implied that the only reason he hasn't dropped it from the Hogwarts curriculum is because it gives him a convenient excuse to keep her - and her knowledge of the prophecy - on Hogwarts grounds and out of Voldemort's reach. He is also the one to explicitly lay out to Harry that prophecies do not have to come true, and that the only reason Harry has to stop Voldemort is because of Harry's own sense of morality.
** He uses underhanded means - magical or otherwise - to control other characters (particularly Harry) and have them act in accordance with his (often convoluted) plans. '''In canon:''' Dumbledore has little to no need to do this, since most of the people on his side - including Harry - follow him out of genuine loyalty and trust, whether out of respect for his abilities or because of things he's done for them in the past. The only time he ever uses magic to coerce one of his people is when he suggests to Snape that he put Mundungus Fletcher under a Confundus Charm before telling him to suggest to the Order of the Phoenix that they use decoys to evacuate Harry from the Dursleys, but this is done solely to try and ensure Harry's safe extraction in a way that won't blow Snape's cover as a loyal Death Eater.
** He knew the Dursleys would abuse Harry but sent him there anyway to either [[ToughLove toughen him up]], or make him meek and pliable enough for his schemes to work, with the added bonus of being able to appear as a saviour to Harry. This mostly goes in conjunction with the Dursleys being [[AdaptationalVillainy much more abusive]] in fanfic than they are in canon. '''In canon:''' If anything, the conversation Dumbledore has with the Dursleys in ''Half-Blood Prince'' - during which he calls out Vernon and Petunia for their poor treatment of Harry over the years - indicates a far more benevolent intention; he had hoped they would take care of Harry and raise him as their own child after the boy turned up on their doorstep (which ironically might have been worse for Harry in the long run, given how [[SpoiledBrat Dudley]] turned out). ''Deathly Hallows'' also makes it clear that he fully understands what can happen to a magical child who's been abused in some way because of what happened to his sister and wouldn't willingly subject Harry or anyone else to that. Voldemort's show of skill in ''Deathly Hallows'' (duelling Slughorn, Shacklebolt, and [=McGonagall=] at the same time) implicitly proves that there just wasn't anyone good enough to keep Voldemort and the Death Eaters away, and that the blood protection was simply the only way to keep him safe.

* '''Fans think:''' Charlie and Tonks were close friends, perhaps even AmicableExes who dated for a while before deciding they were BetterAsFriends. This fanon is more used as background for the characters than to actually set them up together (although fanon also likes to give Tonks an AffectionateNickname for Charlie). The fans figured they had to have interacted with each other because when you do the math, you find they coincided at Hogwarts. '''In canon:''' Creator/JKRowling revealed that Tonks was a Hufflepuff while Charlie was a Gryffindor, so they wouldn't necessarily have been any more than casual acquaintances. And if they were, someone would surely have mentioned it during the gang's convesation about Tonks joining the Weasley family in ''Half-Blood Prince''.

* '''Fans think:''' The consequence of breaking a MagicallyBindingContract, like an Unbreakable Vow or the one that runs the Triwizard Tournament, is a total loss of magic. This has led to stories where tricking Voldemort into breaking a contract is seriously considered as a method to defeat him. It also allows such contracts to be used as a means of ensuring someone is telling the truth -- ask a character to "swear on their magic", and the consequences will be dire[[note]] this may be fans confusing him with [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles the other Harry]], in whose world swearing on your magic is indeed a serious thing to do[[/note]]. Alternatively, as popularised by ''FanFic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', the subject is [[CompellingVoice magically compelled to comply]]. In some stories, Sirius is said to have sworn a "Godfather's Oath", which would have prevented him from acting against Harry, and thereby automatically proven his innocence. '''In canon:''' All that's established is that if you break an Unbreakable Vow, [[{{Geas}} you die]]. Canonically the only way we've seen someone get out of an unbreakable vow is Yusuf in the second ''Fantastic Beasts'' movie via LoopholeAbuse. That's because the person he swore to his father he'd get revenge on died a long time ago so it's null and void. Certainly, one of those other options can be true simultaneously, but canon doesn't say anything on that front. Other magically-binding contracts have no consequences for violation mentioned at all. Canon also doesn't have a surefire way of determining if someone is telling the truth, because methods can be resisted and memories can be doctored.

* '''Fans think:''' Every wizard has a wand that will suit him or her perfectly, and if it doesn't exist, a wandmaker will make one. Usually, if the customer is Harry, then his canonical phoenix-holly wand is the result of manipulation by Dumbledore, or to prove he's more powerful than he should be. The theory probably originated from Fawkes being the phoenix who provided the feather for Harry's wand (and Voldemort's), or Fleur's comment that the Veela hair in her wand came from her grandmother. '''In canon:''' The number-one rule of wandlore is "the wand chooses the wizard." There would otherwise be no point in sifting through hundreds of pre-made wands.
* '''Fans think:''' The consequence of breaking a MagicallyBindingContract, like an Unbreakable Vow or the one that runs the Triwizard Tournament, is a total loss of magic. This has led to stories where tricking Voldemort into breaking a contract is seriously considered as a method to defeat him. It also allows such contracts to be used as a means of ensuring someone is telling the truth -- ask a character to "swear on their magic", and the consequences will be dire[[note]] this may be fans confusing him with [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles the other Harry,]] in whose world swearing on your magic is indeed a serious thing to do[[/note]]. Alternatively, as popularised by ''FanFic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', the subject is [[CompellingVoice magically compelled to comply]]. In some stories, Sirius is said to have sworn a "Godfather's Oath", which would have prevented him from acting against Harry, and thereby automatically proven his innocence. '''In canon:''' All that's established is that if you break an Unbreakable Vow, [[{{Geas}} you die]]. Canonically the only way we've seen someone get out of an unbreakable vow is Yusuf in the second ''Fantastic Beasts'' movie via LoopholeAbuse. That's because the person he swore to his father he'd get revenge on died a long time ago so it's null and void. Certainly, one of those other options can be true simultaneously, but canon doesn't say anything on that front. Other magically-binding contracts have no consequences for violation mentioned at all. Canon also doesn't have a surefire way of determining if someone is telling the truth, because methods can be resisted and memories can be doctored.

* '''Fans think:''' "Harry" is short for something, like Harold, or Henry (like [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]]), or something cool and "magical" like Hadrian. '''In canon:''' This is a particularly egregious example. Harry's first name was established in the first chapter of the first book and Harry's full legal name, every time it is mentioned, is "Harry James Potter", full stop. Funnily enough, there is a canonical example of a Harry Potter who has a different first name. Henry "Harry" Potter, Harry's paternal great grandfather, who preferred to go by Harry among friends and family. Presumably, he was close enough to his grandson James for him to use his nickname as Harry's legal name.

** On a related note, that he knew Sirius was an innocent and knew that he was sent to Azkaban without a trial. '''In canon:''' Quite the opposite. It's very probable that he did not even know Sirius didn't have a trial; he may not have even been on the Wizengamot in 1981 (he's only shown as an observer in the Death Eater trials seen in the Pensieve), and at the time, was very busy trying to get Harry hidden safely away and no doubt dealing with a dozen other aftereffects of the war. Since Crouch was overseeing the sentencing, there was no particular reason for him to inform Dumbledore either. He did know there was a highly-placed traitor in the Order of the Phoenix, and Peter framed Sirius very well. It wasn't a stretch for Dumbledore to assume that Sirius was guilty and had been found such by a trial. As Dumbledore himself notes, he is not infallible or omniscient. So it is ''possible'' that he knew, but overall it seems very unlike the Dumbledore of canon to willingly allow an innocent man to be thrown into Azkaban.

*** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'' does mention a compulsion charm in connection with the diary. Apparently, such charms are cast on objects, not people, and can compel a person to interact with the charmed object in a particular way (e.g. the diary compelling people to write in it). It's not explicitly labeled Dark Magic, but it ''was'' Voldemort who put it on the diary.

*** Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets does mention a compulsion charm in connection with the diary. Apparently, such charms are cast on objects, not people, and can compel a person to interact with the charmed object in a particular way (e.g. the diary compelling people to write in it).

* '''Fans think:''' In addition to being brother and sister, [[VillainousIncest Amycus and Alecto Carrow are lovers]]. Some fics will even make them the parents of twins Flora and Hestia Carrow. '''In canon:''' There is no evidence of any sexual relationship between the elder Carrow siblings, and the relationship of either of them to the younger twins (who are only present in the movies) is not stated.
* '''Fans think:''' The Gaunts paired off with their own siblings to keep the bloodline pure. Thus, Merope had one more reason to be desperate to escape her family. '''In canon:''' Dumbledore mentions the Gaunts marrying their cousins, but no mention of BrotherSisterIncest is made.

* Fans Think: The Dursley’s weren’t selected to be Harry’s legal guardians if James and Lily died. In Canon, while Sirius was Harry’s godfather, that doesn’t change that the Dursley’s legal guardians. While Godparents are supposed to help, the role isn’t a legal one. They don’t necessarily have any sort of legal custody over the child, especially if the child still has living relatives.

* '''Fans think:''' Charlie and Tonks were close friends, perhaps even AmicableExes who dated for a while before deciding they were BetterAsFriends. This fanon is more used as background for the characters than to actually set them up together (although fanon also likes to give Tonks an AffectionateNickname for Charlie). The fans figured they had to have interacted with each other because when you do the math, you find they coincided at Hogwarts. '''In canon:''' Creator/JKRowling revealed that Tonks was a Hufflepuff while Charlie was a Gryffindor, so they wouldn't have been any more than casual acquaintances. And if they were, someone would surely have mentioned it during the gang's convesation about Tonks joining the Weasley family in ''Half-Blood Prince''.

* '''Fans think:''' That Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy course is a former Slytherin and the school's resident hot female teacher. '''In canon:''' We are given no details about her at all except that she exists and teaches Astronomy. Any details about her past or her physical description is not given. Her actress in the films is black, which tends to be the default fans use for her, but that is all that any canon provides.

* '''Fans think:''' That Hannah Abbot is chubby, if not being outright fat. '''In Canon:'''': Hannah Abbot's canon descriptions are that she is pink-faced and has blonde hair. No indication exists that she is chubby in the way the books would describe Dudley, Vernon, Neville, or Ernie. The most likely reason for this in fanon was to better match her up with Neville, her future husband, who is also known for being plump, by giving her a similar physique.

* '''Fans think:''' Sirius Black is sterile, either due to [[KissingCousins his parents being cousins]] or his time in Azkaban. ''In canon:''' There was no reason for Sirius to test that in story, being a fugitive and prior to it was just out of school and in the midst of a war, meaning he might simply have had no time to find out. Nothing in story says Sirius can or cannot have kids, and if ''Cursed Child'' is any indication, exposure to Azkaban doesn't guarantee a loss of fertility.

* '''Fans think:''' Snape is Draco's godfather. They base this almost entirely on a parallel with Sirius being Harry's godfather. '''In canon:''' Snape and Draco Malfoy were never that close aside from Snape's Slytherin favoritism. Draco sees Snape as an interloper trying to take his father's place among the Death Eaters and in his life in ''Half-Blood Prince''. In ''Deathly Hallows'', Snape confesses to Dumbledore that Draco no longer looks up to him after Lucius was imprisoned. And the fanon idea that Snape was tight with the family is ''plausible'', but the main canon connections we see between Snape and the Malfoys are that Snape and Lucius' time at Hogwarts overlapped (Lucius was a prefect and welcomed him to Slytherin), both are Death Eaters, and Snape promises Draco's mother that he will protect him. Moreover, blood purists like the Malfoys would never make a known half-blood their son's godfather.

* '''Fans think:''' Every Weasley hates Slytherin with a burning and irrational passion. This is usually done to turn the Weasleys [[RonTheDeathEater into enemies]] if Harry (or anyone else) befriends a Slytherin, becomes a Slytherin, or dates a Slytherin. After all, Ron in ''Philosopher's Stone'' was pretty insistent that Slytherin sucked. '''In canon:''' WordOfGod says that Arthur's mother was a Slytherin (and possibly Molly's as well). Also, Ron's claim that there was never a bad wizard who wasn't a Slytherin only comes from the movies; in the book, Hagrid says that line. Even then, it's understandable an eleven-year-old who hasn't even been to Hogwarts would be less than objective.
* '''Fans think:''' Magical marriage binds the couple for life. This is based on Bill and Fleur's wedding, where the officiant says they're "bonded for life"; fans think he meant it literally, and that it means the couple is magically bound never to cheat on each other or divorce.
* '''Fans think:''' The Marauders all lived together, even after James married Lily, in a scheme that one observer rightly likened to "Lily playing [[Literature/PeterPan Wendy Bird to a den of Lost Boys]]". It is certainly plausible that two or more of them may have roomed together for a year or two out of Hogwarts, as often happens among school friends in RealLife, and that they may have occasionally slept over at one another's houses later on. It's much less plausible that Lily, who in canon was pretty insistent that James act a little less [[JerkJock like his friends]] if they were going to have a shot together, would move in with all four of them after she married him. While WordOfGod did state that James supported Lupin financially (it being so difficult for a werewolf to make a living), that wouldn't imply that he ''lived'' with them.

* '''Fans think:''' The Potters and Longbottoms knew each other, and Alice in particular was Lily's close friend and Harry's godmother. '''In canon:''' They certainly knew each other as colleagues, being active in the Order and all, but the Longbottoms were probably several years older than the Potters, as they were full-fledged Aurors at the time of the Lestranges' attack. The godmother thing also doesn't make sense because at the time of Harry's christening, the Potters were keeping a ''very'' low profile, and only Sirius was close enough to them to be able to attend. Lily implies in her letter to Sirius that Bathilda was the only person they saw regularly while they were in hiding and that’s likely just because she was so old (and therefore out of the action), lived literally next door, and Dumbledore trusted her so much.
* '''Fans think:''' The Potters and Weasleys knew each other. '''In canon:''' The books make it clear that they did not. First, everyone who knew Lily and James recognises Harry immediately, but neither Molly nor Arthur do. Second, they're older than the Potters -- old enough that they likely never coincided with them at Hogwarts (Molly explicitly states that the Whomping Willow was planted after she left). Third, Molly and Arthur weren't part of the Order of the Phoenix the first time around, given that they were raising several young children -- Molly's brothers were, but they would hardly introduce their family to the secret underground organisation they work for.

* '''Fans think:''' Moaning Myrtle, while she was alive, [[SingleGirlSeeksMostPopularGuy had a huge crush on Tom Riddle]]. Riddle used this to his advantage and got her to serve him. He probably told her lies like "I may hate other Muggle-borns, but you're different" to make her feel special (or he might have not told her about how he felt about Muggle-borns at all). This would mean that her eventual death at the eyes of the Basilisk was not a random killing, but rather an act of betrayal. A further theory suggests that Olive Hornby (who found her body) was [[GreenEyedMonster jealous]] of Myrtle's relationship with Riddle. '''In canon:''' There is no solid evidence for or against either of these theories.
* Fans think: Snape and Regulus were friends. '''In canon:''' Given that Regulus was in a different year at Hogwarts and Snape judged Harry based on James’s behavior, it’s likely that the two of them rarely saw each other outside of glimpses. Plus none of the Death Eaters knew all of the other Death Eaters.

* Sue Li (sometimes spelled Su Li) is from a family of magical duelists and intends to be a duelist of her own merit and is thus very competitive. Due to her last name she tends to be of an East Asian ethnicity.

* '''Fans think:''' Tom Riddle's orphanage was run by nuns. {{Jossed}} by ''Half-Blood Prince'' showing Mrs. Cole, who's very likely not a nun, but even after that the idea persists in fanfiction.

* '''Fans think:''' Potion-making is an indicator of one's magical ability -- the more adept you are at it, the better a wizard you are.

** Special privileges at Hogwarts, including "Lords' Quarters" -- again, for [[HormoneAddledTeenager fanfic shenanigans]]. '''In canon:''' This goes entirely against the setting as based on a [[UsefulNotes/BritishEducationSystem British public school]], which in RealLife was designed to educate all members of the paying public, noble and commoner alike, on an equal footing. As such, no matter what rank you had -- whether you were a nobody or the Prince of Wales himself -- you had to go through the same things as everyone else (And sometimes the nobles were even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagging treated worse]] just to hammer home the point; just ask King Charles III, who had an absolutely ''dreadful'' time at Gordonstoun). All school privileges are earned ''at'' the school -- at Hogwarts, that would be things like being Prefect, Head Boy or Girl, or Quidditch captain.

* '''Fans think:''' The Magical Congress of the United States (the Ministry of Magic's TransatlanticEquivalent) is more progressive than its British counterpart. It confers equal rights to magical creatures, brooks no FantasticRacism, and has a closer relationship with No-Majes (American {{Muggles}}). '''In canon:''' ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'' doesn't show much, but what it does show suggests the opposite; in the States it's illegal to even interact with No-Majes, while in Britain it's legal to marry them. It's uncertain, however, if this is an {{Eagleland}} thing or just because it's set in the 1920s and things have moved on since then. The American Wizarding World is also more accepting of muggleborns than the British equivalent.
* '''Fans think:''' The official creed of the Death Eaters is "[[WhatIsEvil There is no good or evil]]. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it." '''In canon:''' We don't even know if the Death Eaters ''have'' a creed. The line itself is only spoken once in the entire series. It is a heck of a line, though, very much encapsulating Voldemort's way of thinking.

** Male Veela exist. '''In canon:''' All the ones we see are [[OneGenderRace female]], but it's never explicitly stated that there aren't male versions. This is how fanfic gets to weird ideas like Draco being a male Veela who undergoes his own magical love-bond with [[FoeYayShipping Harry or Hermione]]. We do know of one male ''part''-Veela -- Fleur and Bill's son Louis Weasley, who's one-eighth Veela. Whether he inherited any Veela traits at all is unknown.

* '''Fans think:''' Fudge and Umbridge were Slytherins. Fudge's House was never confirmed. Umbridge is sometimes portrayed as a Hufflepuff, too, to spice things up and showcase her loyalty [[MyCountryRightOrWrong to the ministry]]. WordOfGod is that [[http://www.leakynews.com/breaking-umbridges-hogwarts-house-revealed/ she was in Slytherin]].

* '''Fans think:''' Wizards use "Merlin" as an UnusualEuphemism for "God", so they can use expressions like "for Merlin's sake!", "Merlin knows", "honest-to-Merlin", or just "[[OhMyGods Oh Merlin!]]". They might also use more creative ones like "Merlin's beard!" and "Merlin's pants!" It allows fanfic writers [[HoldYourHippogriffs some flavour]], as well as [[PlayedForLaughs some laughs]] when the [[Myth/{{Merlin}} actual Merlin]] shows up. '''In canon:''' You ''do'' hear characters say, "Merlin's beard!" and a few other such phrases, but never anything that replaces "God" with "Merlin". Wizards can and do use "God" as an exclamation or a curse; interestingly, the one to do so most often seems to be Draco Malfoy. Hermione does once use "Merlin's pants!", which Ron thought was funny and ridiculous -- this in contrast to fanfic, which likes to use the term interchangeably with "Merlin's beard!"

* '''Fans think:''' Salazar Slytherin was Irish. It fits in nicely; WordOfGod establishes that Godric Gryffindor was English, Helga Hufflepuff was Welsh, and Rowena Ravenclaw was Scottish, so Slytherin being Irish rounds it out. Additionally, he is said to come from a "fen", a common ecosystem in Ireland; he's associated with the colour green, which is also commonly associated with Ireland; and his affinity for snakes may be a reference to the old legend of Saint Patrick banishing all the snakes from Ireland. However, fens are also found in England, most especially in the county of Norfolk which general British culture tends to associate with inbreeding - which Slytherin's descendants seem to have done.

* '''Fans think:''' Mind-healers, the equivalent of [[TheShrink psychiatrists/psychologists/therapists]] exist. Nothing of the kind is mentioned in canon. Considering how Hermione is given a Time Turner, being left to sink or swim (and shows dysfunctional stress reactions as a result); there is clearly evidence of unresolved mental health issues, particularly on the part of Snape, not to mention all the crap Harry goes through, with no intervention from responsible adults, the Wizarding World seems to run on ThereAreNoTherapists.

* '''Fans think:''' Practically everyone's middle name is their [[AncestralName parent's name]]. '''In canon:''' Examples abound -- like Harry James Potter, William Arthur Weasley, and Ginevra Molly Weasley -- but there are plenty more counterexamples, like Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, James Sirius Potter, Lily Luna Potter, Remus John Lupin, and Fleur Isabelle Delacour. Where middle names are not given, fans have a tendency to presume a parent's name if known:

* '''Fans think:''' With enough power or with the right motivation, it is possible to supercharge a Patronus and make it outright fatal to Dementors. Sometimes this supercharged Patronus is golden instead of silver to signify its superiority. Used as a way to show that Harry has achieved GodMode or that [[ThePowerOfLove this particular fanfiction's pairing is much better than the canon pairing]]. '''In canon:''' There is no way to kill Dementors. While a corporeal Patronus is indeed the mark of a very powerful wizard, and many adults are completely unable to conjure one, it can only ever repel Dementors (and Lethifolds).
* '''Fans think:''' That Parseltongue magic can be used for a variety of purposes [[PowerPerversionPotential that the author certainly didn't intend]]. '''In canon:''' There has never even been a hint that the ability has any use outside of controlling snakes or communicating with them or other people, and it comes up almost entirely as a means to give Harry additional abilities that make him the 'strongest, bestest, wizard at everything, including sex', and make Freudian jokes about why wizards don't like Parselmouths.

** His main ambition is to play Quidditch professionally as Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. '''In canon:''' There is nothing to indicate that Ron is more than a fan of the sport.
** He was the one who came up with the insulting nickname "Loony" for Luna. '''In canon:''' Where Luna got her nickname from is never elaborated on, nor is there anything that directly indicates that Ron knew her before her introduction in ''Order of the Phoenix''.

** He'd turn on Harry at the drop of a hat, especially where Hermione is concerned, sometimes going as far as to betray him in favor of Voldemort or an evil version of Dumbledore. '''In canon:''' Ron does have his moments of not getting along with Harry, but overall he's very much a faithful friend and ally to the Boy Who Lived, who sticks by him whenever it matters. As for the aforementioned moments, he has very much understandable reasons for them, and they don't stick anyway. [[labelnote:'''Case 1''']]While he resents Harry being made a Triwizard Champion in ''Goblet of Fire'', this comes as a result of him believing that Harry somehow found a way to enter the prestigious Triwizard Tournament that he didn't tell his best friend about, on top of several years worth of being overshadowed by his brothers and Harry. He also quickly retracts this viewpoint when he learns about the dragons and sees first-hand how dangerous the Triwizard Tournament really is.[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:'''Case 2''']]When he leaves during the Horcrux Hunt, it's after several weeks of the trio struggling to survive out in the wild with no clear direction on what to do, all while dealing with the corrupting influence of the one Horcrux they do have, as well as the stress of knowing that members of his family are at risk from Voldemort. And he almost immediately regrets leaving afterwards.[[/labelnote]]

* '''Fans think:''' Lots of things about [=McGonagall=] when she was at school. She was either a notorious [[ThePrankster prankster]] and forerunner to the Weasley twins, or a notorious IceQueen bookworm, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs perhaps both]]. She was a champion Quidditch player (usually a Beater or Chaser). She was best friends with future colleagues Pomfrey and Sprout. She went to school with Tom Riddle and interacted with him. She went to school with Umbridge and had an intense rivalry with her. And she went on to be an Auror and fought in the war against Grindelwald. '''In canon:''' We’ve never been given a canon birth year for her, but she’s never mentioned to have been at school with Tom Riddle. Chalk this one up to the movies; Creator/MaggieSmith was older than [=McGonagall=] was intended to be (not necessarily per date of birth, but because the films were made a decade after the books were set). No word whatsoever on coinciding with Umbridge, but their interactions in the fifth book, while certainly heated, don't imply any particular familiarity with each other. As for the rest, Pottermore says she ''was'' a Chaser at Hogwarts and school friends with Sprout, but just that.

* '''Fans think:''' Lupin has notable scars across his face from when Fenrir Greyback attacked him. '''In canon:''' No such scars are ever mentioned. One would think that this would have come up when Harry first meets him, especially since it would serve as a subtle clue to his lycanthropy.

* '''Fans think:''' James asked Lily out constantly. '''In canon:''' While it’s unclear how many times he asked her out, Snape telling Lily about James's on crush on her implies that he hadn’t asked her out until around Snape’s Worst Memory (in fact, that may have even been the first time, though it probably wasn't). Lily didn’t mention him asking her out when scolding James during the latter memory, further suggesting that he hadn’t asked her out much.

** He's willing to [[WellIntentionedExtremist do anything for the "greater good"]], up to and including taking over the Wizarding World. This is based almost entirely on a letter Dumbledore wrote to his friend Grindelwald saying exactly this -- when they were teenagers. This usually allows him to [[RonTheDeathEater be extraordinarily cruel to other characters]], because the ends justify the means. '''In canon:''' A lot has happened since that letter, and the Dumbledore Harry knows is so different as to be another person entirely. In particular, he explicitly states that after his sister died, he decided that he could not be trusted with power and actively avoided it, which is why he turned down several offers to be Minister of Magic. While Dumbledore has made choices that hurt Harry in favor of the common good, he is haunted by his actions and never goes to the lengths as he does in fanon.
** His position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot gives him political power on par with the Minister of Magic, and he got his power that way. '''In canon:''' As shown in the above point, Dumbledore likely wouldn't have taken the position if it would give him that kind of power. Instead, the Wizengamot is part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which is in turn subordinate to the Minister of Magic. The idea that the position grants him so much power is odd, given that when Dumbledore is on the outs with Fudge in ''Order of the Phoenix'', Fudge is easily able to remove him as Chief Warlock, and even before then, Dumbledore flat-out states in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' that he has no power to override Fudge's decisions. Chalk this one up to many fanfic writers being [[EaglelandOsmosis Americans]], more familiar with the U.S. Constitutional system of checks and balances putting the Supreme Court on par with Congress and the President.

** He dismisses Harry's tales of abuse at the hands of the Dursleys as exaggerations. '''In canon:''' Harry never tells Dumbledore that he was abused. And as noted in the above example, Dumbledore is aware of how badly Harry has been treated, and is ''very'' displeased by the Dursleys' actions.

** He thinks of himself as an irrefutable source of wisdom. '''In canon:''' He's very well aware of his weaknesses. While Harry does think he's utterly brilliant, as do many of the people he talks to, Dumbledore cautions against thinking of him as infallible, and notes that in his position, when ''he'' makes a mistake, the consequences tend to be much worse than when ordinary people do.

** He's on a FirstNameBasis with everyone, whether they like it or not. '''In canon:''' He addresses Ron and Hermione as Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, respectively. Besides Harry, the only person he addresses by his given name, against the latter's express wishes, is Voldemort. (Of course, Voldemort would no doubt have the exact same objection to being addressed as Mr. Riddle.)

* '''Fans think:''' That the Potters are a ancient and deeply connected family, while the Malfoys are NouveauRiche of considerably lesser wealth and status. '''In canon:''' While both families are old and wealthy, the Malfoys are older and more wealthy than the Potters, and much more connected. The first known Malfoy in England came with William the Conqueror in the 1000s A.D. and was granted wealth and status a result of services provided, while the first Potter known in the family line originated as a community healer from the 1100s A.D.

* '''Fans think:''' "Harry" is short for something, like Harold, or Henry (like [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]]), or something cool and "magical" like Hadrian. '''In canon:''' This a particularly egregious example. Harry's first name was established in the first chapter of the first book and Harry's full legal name, every time it is mentioned, is "Harry James Potter", full stop. Funnily enough, there is a canonical example of a Harry Potter who has a different first name. Henry "Harry" Potter, Harry's paternal great grandfather, who preferred to go by Harry among friends and family. Presumably, he was close enough to his grandson James for him to use his nickname as Harry's legal name.

* '''Fans think:''' Lupin is the smartest of the Marauders. '''In canon:''' The smartest of the Marauders was likely James Potter or Sirius Black since they’re the ones who are always described as extremely intelligent, whereas Lupin is rarely, if ever, described as smart or talented. He does seem to have been the most bookish, though, which is likely the origin of this belief.
* Fans think: James Potter asked Lily out constantly. In canon: While it’s unclear how many times he asked her out, Snape telling Lily about James Potter’s crush implies that he hadn’t asked her out until around Snape’s Worst Memory (in fact, that may have even been the first time, though it probably wasn't). Lily didn’t mention him asking her out when scolding James during the latter memory, further suggesting that he hadn’t asked her out much.