Harry Potter Theory: Why Harry Wasn't An Obscurial

One of the most common questions we have received since Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them came out is Why wasn't Harry an obscurial? Today Ben goes over our own Harry Potter Theory as to why this was the case.

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[saintjimmy]

If I recall correctly, an obscurus is developed under one's prolonged suppression and hatred of one's own magic. Harry never hated his magic and was never ashamed of it, which I think is the distinction saving him from being an obscurial.

[jenniferpruitt]

If you ask me, Credence's adoptive mother is a Squib who's ticked off at not being able to do magic. That or she had a few ancestors who were involved in the Salem Witch Trials...

[ageofabstaining]

Fun fact: toothpick, napkin, 50 p. Those are the things Dursleys gave to Harry. They resamble the Elder wand, The Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection stone. (Sorry for my bad English.)

[Vincekun]

Before watching: The reason why Harry wasn’t an obscurial is as simple as “he didn’t know he had magic” since the Dursleys never told him about magic he didn’t know to “suppress” it, he was blamed for the “weirdness” around him but without a proper explanation he could only shrug and sigh at the unfairness of his life
After watching: so yes, exactly what you said

[JD]

He never knew he had magic, so he never hated it. Tried to suppress it, sure, but that was after he discovered the wizarding world, made friends, and found a real home in hogwarts. Before first year, he just thought strange things happened around him. After, he loved magic, because it made him free.

[davidsolvalu]

I think it's largely psychological as well. Different people respond differently to outside forces trying to suppress things about them. Some self-hate, suppress and become emotionally unstable and others bear through it find a way to get out and be themselves. Harry was a fighter. He was never going to hate himself just because the Dursleys seemed to hate him.

[margo]

Here's my thoughts: Harry never really had reason to surpress his powers. All of the instances that were shown in the books of him using his magic were instances in which it was good for him to use magic. He made Dudley's horrible sweater shrink, he turned his teacher's wig blue, he jumped on the roof to escape Dudley and his gang, and he made his hair grow back from it's previous awful state. Not to mention the time he sicced a boa constrictor on Dudley. Every time he used magic, or almost every time, there was something in it for him. He subconsciously wanted to use his magic, even though he didn't know he had it. The wizard in him wanted him to use his magic, and so he did, and he didn't surpress it, so he didn't become an Obscurial.

[whovian]

Honestly, Harry was very stubborn and didn't give up that easily. He didn't really care what the Dursleys thought, anyway. Maybe that's why he wasn't an obscurial.

[UltimateVegetto]

For the same reason all of the other hundreds of muggle born wizards weren't obscurials. They didn't know so they didn't suppress.

[SuperCarlinBrothers]

Hello there Towel Section! How are you today!?

[myhandle]

Ignorance definitely plays a large part. But, knowing Harry, if he'd known that he was being punished for magic ... well, he'd be too rebellious to suppress his magic. He'd just sneak out to use it, lol.

[ferrosplice]

He didn't know he had magic to repress in the first place.

[zosasen]

To be fair, while they definitely were emotionally abusive, they never full out beat or tortured Harry the way Credence was abused.

[rubenbohan]

Maybe harry did actually develop one but the part of voldemorts soul was like na ah not in my crib i don't want a roommate and killed it

[jayrubin]

Harry wasn't an obscurus originally because like you said, he didn't know what to suppress aka "blissful ignorance". Why it never developed when he came home for the summer holidays and the Dursleys told him not to do magic was because while he did repress it, he still wanted to use it. An obsucial is someone who is not willing to use magic and Harry is more than willing to use magic in the right circumstances

[kylelundgren]

But would the horcrux in Harry protect its vessel from becoming an obscurus?

[anat]

What about Lily's act of love that protected him from the death curse? It wouldn't be that far fetched to say that if that primal magic is strong enough to tare Voldemort to bits it might be strong enough to at least help prevent the creation of an obscurus. Also, on a deeper level, you could say the love of his mother gave him the inner strength to endure the abuse of the Dursleys. Creedence and Ariana didn't have any primal mojo protecting them from dark magic.

[jackalackb]

I think its more because Harry was never scared of the Dursleys. They would punish him over and over but he never describes Vernon as scary, just as ridiculous(Riddikulus).

[sarahshoe]

"That was my approach for homework. It doesn't work." Same

[kevindowney]

Should Dumbledore have thought that maybe there was a chance Harry could become an obscurial growing up with the Durseley’s?