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The original Harry Potter movies ended more than a decade ago, but there were plenty of fan theories floating around before they came to a close. Some were so outlandish that viewers will no doubt look back on them and laugh. However, there were a few wild speculations about the Harry Potter films that actually came true. These three, in particular, stand out.

1. Severus Snape had romantic feelings for Lily Potter

The Harry Potter books and movies gave fans enough clues to figure out that Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) was a double agent, but the fan theories about him being in love with Lily Potter (Geraldine Somerville) were always more out there. The whole thing seemed too far-fetched at the time, even if Snape’s motives clearly went deeper than he let on.

Still, these speculations made the rounds on sites like LiveJournal. And even Vulture guessed this would come to fruition back in 2007. In fact, a pretty large subset of the fanbase pushed this theory until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out and promptly proved them all correct.

When Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) looks into Snape’s memories, he realizes the Potions professor had romantic feelings for Lily. As many suggested, it’s why he changed sides when Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) killed her. It’s also one reason Snape hated James (Adrian John Rawlins) — and by extension, Harry.

2. The final Horcrux was at Hogwarts

Hogwarts castle in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.' It's next to the Great Lake and Forbidden Forest.
Hogwarts in ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ | Warner Bros. Pictures

When Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince revealed that the Golden Trio would leave Hogwarts in search of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, fans began theorizing about where they might be. Many suggested the hunt would eventually bring the trio back to Hogwarts. And as wild as it seemed that a piece of Voldemort’s soul was under their noses the whole time, that turned out to be true.

Fans posited the final Horcrux might belong to Rowena Ravenclaw (Kelly Macdonald) on sites like LiveJournal, and the final film revealed her diadem was the missing piece. Given Voldemort’s obsession with powerful wizards, that wasn’t necessarily surprising. Yet hiding it at Hogwarts — and in the Room of Requirement, no less — was a shock. And it’s something that various theories hinted at long before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out.

3. Harry Potter turned out to be a Horcrux

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Even more surprising than a Horcrux living at Hogwarts throughout the Harry Potter series was Harry himself containing a piece of Voldemort’s soul. But many fans (and Vulture) called it well before Deathly Hallows’ big reveal. And although their suggestion that The Boy Who Lived would die seemed wild initially, that came to fruition as well.

Of course, Harry doesn’t actually die in the final film — just a part of him does. Still, the whole affair was a win for the “Harry Is a Horcrux” camp. Even Voldemort didn’t see that particular development coming.