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This theory made me channel my inner Princess Bride nerd: "He's only mostly dead. And mostly dead means slightly alive."

Like your theory. You could imagine in universe some dark wizard researching ghosts to come up with a horcrux in the first place.

Important question that goes unaddressed: How do they un-petrify Nearly Headless Nick? He's not physical, so the potion created from mandrake wouldn't have worked, and since we see him later in the series we know that he does get cured of petrification. So, how!?

for YEEAAARSSS this was my number one “question i’d ask jkr about the world.” Before pottermore I thought it was a ministry experiment to create an option for ghosts to choose to move on. I STILL WONDER. IS THIS THEIR SALVATION IF THEY REGRET BECOMING A GHOST??!!!

"Most people aren't Harry Potter" -J Carlin, 2021

Ok... but what would happen if you threw Barty Crouch Jr. through the veil??

I've always felt that ghosts are a key factor in the veil. They're "veiled" themselves so I think they would be able to pass in and out.

As a teacher myself I’d say Binns’s unfinished business is probably that he still has papers to grade

One thing to add, Harry and Luna are NOT the only ones in the group that can see Thestrals. Neville sees them too, but you are right about "being comfortable with death" because Neville definitely isnt!

I think professor Binns unresolved issue IS indeed teaching. But he never succeeds and cannot pass on, BECAUSE, nobody ever listens to him in class🙃

"A ghost, as I trust that you are all aware by now, is the imprint of a departed soul left upon the earth ... and of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, transparent." - Snape HBP chapter 21

I completely understood Nicholas' description of Ghost "life". I do think Professor Binns' unfinished business is teaching which I can at least respect his commitment.

The mirror of erised doesn't show the dead. It showed Harry what he wanted most, a family. He knew he was an only child, so he didn't imagine any siblings, but there is no evidence that the rest of the people he saw actually looked like his real family members. He did see several people that gave him certain physical characteristics, but those could easily have been conjured by his desire

Interesting. To me, the next question is: Is The Veil used by the Ministry? Maybe they use it as a tool to carry out death penalties? This way, dark wizards/witches couldn't be killed, but opt to remain as a ghost in order to continue to spread dark magic through the living. Or maybe there is a Department of Ghost Management that has a process for Ghosts to request finally dying? Say Sir Nick is finally ready to die, can he apply to be allowed through The Veil?

You know, I never thought about it, but Neville in the books CAN infact see threstals, as he saw his great uncle I think die. So how could he not hear the Veil's whispers?

Just to correct you on the fact that Neville can also see thestrals, he saw his grandad die, read order of the phoenix chapter 21: eye of the snake mainly pages 412-415 in my house edition

What would happen if Voldemort went through the veil while horcruxes were still "alive"?

putting a soulless body through the veil like Crouch Jr. would probably send the body to the great beyond, because both Sirius’ soul AND body vanish when he falls through.

I really like the idea of ghosts being able to move on through the veil. It gives me hope that Helena Ravenclaw would be able to move one. Her unfinished business was the diadem. Heck maybe that would mean the Baron could move on as well since she was his unfinished business. That would just be beautifull.

Imo, I think nothing would happen to Barty Crouch Jr's consciousness, which was destroyed when the dementor ate it, but I feel like the body would essentially disintegrate, or at least vanish, same with Sirius's body, since I imagine their soul (if it's in the body) would be whisked away into "On" whilst the body simply turns to nothing and remains in the physical world, perhaps coming out the other side of the arch as a breeze or a speckle of dust, since a body is physical and cannot go 'on' considering "on" is a metaphysical plane of existance where something physical wouldn't be able to exist.

Theory Idea: Bellatrix wasn't a Death Eater when she went to Azkaban. I was reading Ch. 33 of GoF with a group, and we noticed that when Voldemort is walking around the circle of Death Eaters, he stops and points out a spot where two people should have stood, and says that it is where the Lestranges should have been. But three Lestranges went to Azkaban. Bella, her husband and her brother-in-law. Someone suggested that Rabastan died in Azkaban, but there are three other open spots for people Voldy claimed died in his service. The only other three open spots were supposed to be for Snape, Karkaroff and Barty Crouch Jr. So where is Bellatrix's spot? I think she wasn't originally a death eater. I also think Voldemort didn't allow women to become Death Eaters when he first rose to power. There are no other women in that circle or who are even refered to there. The only other woman Death Eater we know of is Allecto Carrow, but she is young (I think) and would have joined the group later. Maybe Bellatrix married Rodolphus literally to gain proximity to the group? He's absolutely a useless character otherwise and we know from Cursed Child she has Voldemort's daughter. I know Pottermore exists and it might contradict this idea, but Pottermore is quite literally not in the text, so even though I find it interesting from time to time, it is kinda useless as a literary tool. If you've just read the books then Pottermore means nothing. That's just to say this theory is based solely on the books.

If someone dies without having ever seen anyone else die, and then they choose to become a ghost, can they see Thestrals because they experienced their own "death"? (Death being used loosely since... ghosts aren't truly dead)

J: Harry and Luna are the only ones in that group that can see thestrals. Me: What about Neville?!

What would happen if you threw Junior through the Veil ? He would regenerate obviously!

Never thought about it before, but if you can't interact with ghosts, physically, how did Madam Pomfree reverse Nearly Headless Nick's petrification in The Chamber of Secrets?

Voldemort is so funny because literally everything other than what he actually did would’ve helped him live longer. Even for forever, if he decided to become a ghost.

You seem to be ignoring the only definition of a ghost we get in the books: The imprint left by a departed soul. So In my opinion, when someone dies but tries to cling to life, they leave a version of themselves - an imprint, to imitate their living selves. But the soul - reluctant as it is - will pass on. So, what happens when a ghost passes through the veil? Nothing, they will just appear on the other side of the archway in the mortal world. This is the tragedy of ghostly existence. They are stuck here, truly and completely.

pretty sure Neville can see Thestrals too, but cannot hear the voices. that has always been pretty intriguing to me

The more important questions.... What would happen if a Phoenix went through the veil? What would happen if you threw a horcrux through a veil? What happens to inanimate objects? Did Sirius' clothes.....die?

Neville can see thestrals, and based on his and Ginny's transfixed staring at the veil, they can both hear the voices behind it too

I wouldn''t call Lily's and James' appearances "loopholes" (or the result of loopholes). In the Mirror of Erised, they aren't really there. The mirror is interacting only with Harry - showing him the "deepest, most desperate desire of his heart." It's showing him a projection. They are not there in any sense. In the graveyard in Little Hangleton, they are an "echo." They are only sort of there, like Cedric, Frank Bryce, and Bertha Jorkins. They aren't even ghosts like the ghosts at Hogwarts. At "the close" is the one time they are, along with Remus and Sirius, in some sense there. That is the what the Resurrection Stone does, but again, as the one Peverell brother learns, it's not truly resurrection. Unlike Nearly-Headless Nick, who CHOSE his fld eeble imitation of life, they are dragged back to a feeble imitation of life. The only reason that they aren't miserable like the girlfriend of the Peverell brother is that Harry isn't trying to keep them there, where they don't belong. They are there with one purpose - to accompany him on his way to death. Still, it is Harry who invokes their fleeting, semi-presence in the living world and as soon as he drops the stone, they're gone. It seems to me that if a ghost, like Nearly-Headless Nick, were to choose to walk through the veil, he might be freed to move on. Perhaps if he were forced through the veil but still clung to his imitation of life, it would have no effect, or perhaps he would face the choice again to stay or go. I suppose you could be right that the veil leads only to the Beyond in which case he would be forced out of his feeble imitation of life no matter what. What would happen to Barty Crouch Junior's body? I suppose it would lose physical existence and thus Barty would then be totally dead. But my understanding of the dementors' kiss is that they consume your soul. They don't just remove it from your body, and leave it free to make the choice to be a ghost or move on. I suppose they might entrap it within themselves, but my impression is that it is destroyed - metabolized into the "stuff" a dementor is made of.

I think Rowling's description of why and how one becomes a ghost is this vague because she did not want to go to deep into such an obscure business. From a writing perspective, it's far easier to do as she did. Also I think Binns' unfinished business is to teach to a classroom full of genuinely interested students which does not seem to have ever happened.

Theory about the Killing Curse: To my knowledge we don't know anyone that has become a ghost after dying to the Killing Curse and if anyone would come back as a ghost, Voldemort would have. He effectively was killed by the Killing Curse rebounding and hitting him, so he couldn't come back as a ghost. Hermione specifically says running someone through with a sword kills the body, but the soul is untouched. What if the reverse is true for the Killing Curse? The soul is destroyed and the body is perfectly intact. We know the body is perfectly intact since the books mention that muggle coroners are baffled because they seem to be in perfect health, except that they're just dead. It even explains why it's an Unforgivable Curse. Sure killing someone is bad, but they clearly still have some form of an afterlife (*cough* *cough* Potters *cough*). The Killing Curse destroys your soul and utterly ends you. No choice to be a ghost, no afterlife. It also makes me wonder if Crucio actually damages the soul. The Imperious Curse being unforgivable makes some sense since it lasts so long and completely takes over you, but there are other forms of that that are sold commercially like love potions that can make loveless monsters like Voldemort. I'd love to see you guys dive into this a bit more!

I feel like the more convenient explanation is that living bodies sent through the veil are destroyed. However the more interesting explanation is that they get sent to the afterlife. So Sirius became sort of a reverse ghost, one of few who still has a body, and then Barty Crouch Jr's body go through and is just a dead body in the afterlife, which his his deceased family buries and gets some closure that otherwise may never come.

Maybe this is how dementors die: the person who’s soul they take is pushed through the veil and it pulls the dementor closer and closer to its demise… or maybe the dementor being pushed through the veil releases the souls it took in its life and finally set them free to “move on”? 👀 🤷‍♀️

"That's the room for ghosts that have been exorcised. Poor devils, that is death for the dead. It's all in the handbook." Beetlejuice answered this in 1988.

As a Ravenclaw, I only felt *slightly* embarrassed at how. VERY. EXCITED! I got when you said "I can show my work! I left room in the margins!" 🤩😍🥰 Also also actually actually, that clip of "But I am the chosen one." **WHACK!** "Okay, right, sorry." Is my FAVORITE. It's my "whatchu fellover for?" 😁😂

7:17 Why does no one remember that Neville can see Thestrals too? It doesn't come up as much, but it's said when Harry first learns about Thestrals from Hagrid

could the resurrection stone "bring back" a gost? ...you know give them a body again

Sirius' body vanished when he passed through the veil. I wonder, would that only work for living (or formerly living) things or is it a general dematerializer?

You guys should read the wheel of time by Robert Jordan, it’s a big commitment but it is very good and ripe for all kinds of theories Sane for the green bone saga by Fonda Lee, except it’s not nearly as big of a commitment

A couple thoughts: I hypothesise that, as usual in ghost lore, ghosts are permanently attached to the places they knew and cherished while living; this means that in order to get to the veil, they would need to have visited it o they would need it brought to them. Under that same assumption, if, say, Hogwarts were desdroyed, would its ghosts perish, move to a different cherished location, roam without a destiny or purpose, or what?

Ahh the good ol’ Reverse Paper Shredding analogy. A classic! *chef’s kiss*

This got me thinking. If a regular non gateway death leads you to a similiar room as Harry experienced it, and you have those 2 choices, how do you choose. Is it instinctual, or does everyone have their own version of a Dumbledore to explain it to them. Or perhaps normally the is Stan Shunpike waiting and asking "What you fell over for?".

The Roy Kent joke was quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen on this channel. Great job!

I have a weird theory/question that I’d like some input on: Could a dementor destroy a horcrux?

Love the theory, and I think you have the right idea! But, gotta say it, Neville can see thestrals too. And while Luna and Harry are definitely the most interested in the Veil and confirmed they hear the voices through it, Neville and Ginny are also ‘entranced’ by it. I always thought it was interesting that the 6 characters had different levels of experience with death and interest/interactions in the Veil.

You guys always forget that along with Harry and Luna, Neville can also see thestrals. He saw his grandfather die. I mean, honestly, if he couldn’t see them, I doubt anyone would be able to get him to mount one, let alone fly one to the Ministry. Even though Neville has his mojo at this point, we know he is terrified of flying, let alone on something he can’t see.

I doubt every witch IR wizard gets to chose. I think there would be a lot more ghosts. Perhaps, the “length” or “ability of the choice” depend on the connection to the living world. Since Harry’s was so strong (whole blood thing), his experience was very robust (a full train station and conversation). Someone with mere resentment holding them back, like myrtle may only have a split second to make the decision. That is why there are only so many ghosts, it takes a certain personality to be able to make that decision quick enough. If you gave everyone the choice and enough time, there would be ghosts everywhere.

Ok, so my thinking is, the veil is a portal between the world of the living and the world of the dead/afterlife/whatever you want to call it. It isn't a tool to kill and death is just a side effect of passing through it. So it doesn't really matter if ghosts are dead or alive, if they use the veil, they go to the world of the dead. The only difference is, if they would be considered dead, that mean they wouldn't experience the side effect of dying, they would simply walk through it to the afterlife, like walking through the "door". And as it's clearly stated that the veil is one way passage only, even if ghosts were considered dead and didn't change their form while passing through the veil, they still couldn't come back. And the same thing goes for a body of a dead person or a body without a soul - Barty Crouch Jr. or any other - it goes through the "door" and never comes back.

You guys always come up with the best theories. I love all the ones you’ve made about the veil, with the horcuxes and the blood pact and whether it would be able to destroy those.

Thank you for tackling this issue. Really appreciate all of the research that you guys do.

The description of the veil and dementors are very similar in my mind, so I think Barty Crouch Jr would for real die. I would argue that dementors are similar to the veil but specifically for your body. Especially when you consider how Harry was drawn to the veil and the voices beyond when he first sees the veil, and how the fight in the chamber seems to draw people closer and closer to the veil until someone eventually falls through it (Serious). Much like how the dementors are drawn to living things (happy, hopeful, full of life things), it seems to me that living things (aware of or aquatinted with death) are drawn towards the veil. Thoughts?

I always figured that this was the original/true purpose of the veil, as a gateway for ghosts, a way for those who were tired of the choice they had made to go about fixing things. But of course the ministry built itself up around it, making it impossible for ghosts to find and use it, trapping the regretful here on earth forever.

Y’all answering questions I’ve never had but I love it

4:43 that actually brings up a very interesting question. HOW exactly did Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout administer the Mandrake cure to Nearly Headless Nick?

You guys should do a video on how priori incantatem works, specifically in the graveyard, like are those ghosts? Are they their souls?

I think whoever said that bit in the books about ghosts being unable to learn was just flat out wrong (if it came from the books; I can't recall the source of that info). As pointed out in the video, the various ghosts obviously learn about new people every time there is a new year at Hogwarts. Even the "fact" that they don't change is contradicted by scenes in the book. Helena Ravenclaw learns what happens after she tells Tom Riddle about the diadem and regrets it. This experience changes her attitude about it as we can see in her reluctance to tell Harry. Perhaps there is some truth that ghosts are less likely to change and become more stubbornly set in their ways, but they can change and they can learn.

At about 7:25 it’s not only Harry and Luna can see thestrals. Neville can as well, but he can’t hear the voices.

Love this theory. I think I would actually choose to be a ghost to talk to my loved ones for a last time and maybe go somewhere I always wanted to but afterwards I would simply find a way to get to that veil and peacefully go on.

But didn’t Nick look directly into the Basilisk’s eyes? Why would that petrify him instead of killing him? Could fiend fire or basilisk venom kill ghosts or would it pass through them? Really makes ya think.

Ben for Kvothe!🧙🏻‍♂️🗡

Good sirs, you all cover topics I never knew I needed to know about! I like watching and re-watching your videos because like the Harry Potter series, I pick up details I didn't pick up before!

Only half way through, but can't Neville also see thestrals? He doesn't hear voices but he does see thestrals. He saw his grandfather die and tells toadlady this.

I love your theories 😍

What do you mean ghosts can't change their mind? Harry literally convinced Ravenclaw to tell him where the diadem was when she didn't want to. As did Voldemort.

11:35 begins to feel kinda like an introduction video you'd see reentering the mortal world as a ghost

I’ve always been fascinated with the department of mysteries. I would really like to see a series of shows or maybe a movie about it and what it contains, it could even go a minor horror route…

Haven’t finished watching the video yet, but I agree.

Hi

1:28 Knowing that the Veil is very much like a Rift conduit, it would likely do nothing unless the conduit was open. 4:16 That's more than 'a little'... that's what, five, six, eight gallons of water, at least? 7:16 I'll quote a short bit from Shinryu's writings on Rift conduits in the footnotes. Might be worth a read. Book 4, Part 135, Phrases 16 - 35: "...smooth stone archways, beautiful to the viscera of the foolish, for those that even draw near vanish in an instant, seemingly never to be seen again. Ivulisairan the Red Scaled One, called them 'Olai', an ancient draken euphemism. Mortals had called them many names, yet 'Kinzuita' seems to be the most common." *_Kinzuita_* is Kinrali (Fairy language!) for 'Conduit', but without supporting context it can mean one of several things. I do not know any dragon languages, so I have no idea what 'Olai' is in reference to. I'm actually curious about the Veil; is it always open? That's absolutely dangerous if so. Rift conduits should never be left open due to flux overflow perils, and I'm not kidding when I say that the level of danger from flux overflow is far greater than Tom Riddle could ever present (good luck taking over the entire world from a gravitation vacuum). Rift conduits are a massive Alteration sorcery project (yes I said project), and are not to be taken lightly. Alteration sorcery in itself, is not meant to be taken lightly. *_Velodareka!!_* (warps a long distance away)

Amazing theory. Love it. One image I couldn’t shake as I listened was the end of ‘The Last Battle’ by CS Lewis when, if I recall correctly (it’s been some years since I read it) there’s this final doorway that all beings and spirits in Narnia, even the stars themselves, have to pass through at the end of time. I love the idea that even the ghosts will get their chance to reach the great eternal beyond, even if not yet. 🤔

The veil has always haunted my imagination since I read book 5. An archway with no clear reason to be there, but you feel like you really don't want to walk through. When Sirius is hit with some sort of stunning curse (something the movie got horribly wrong) and is knocked into the veil, I still remember the awful feeling of confusion about his fate, and the false hope that he'd step back out again. I have my issues with the author, but when she chooses to, she can create some fantastically striking imagery.

the kicker though--the Veil probably wouldn't "kill" them. It would kill a partially living entity. My guess is, a living person dies but a ghost would just....vanish from existence all together. They don't move on or have that choice, they just...die in the most final way possible. Which makes being a ghost that much sadder...

This idea of ghosts basically being a horcrux would also give some explanation as to where horcruxes came from in the first place. If this is some witch or wizard seeing ghosts and thinking, "Can I get the benefits they have without the detriments?" then they have an avenue to start down to imitate the process in life.

I wanna say thanks for you making these videos especially the one about Andy’s dad is my favorite

if a wizard donates blood and that person is still alive. Would that wizard be anchored to life??

What if you threw Barty Crouch JR'S body through the Veil? You would get very wierd looks from the people around you as you randomly yeeted a soulless container of a criminal through an archway.

Y'all videos are great. Lots of laughs and makes me think a lot about one of my favorite series. 2 things for you guys to laugh and think about; 1.)Pettigrew chopped his own hand off and not only didn't bleed out, but just went about business casually. 2.) In CoS Tom shows Harry the memory of Hagrid being expelled. Thanks to the addition of the FB series we get to see a younger Dumbledore. If that memory is only 15 years after the FBCoG, why did Dumbledore age so badly? Lol. Books over movies.

What about Nick when he saw the basilisk? Usually looking at a basilisk would kill you, but they said Nick wasn’t affected due to already being dead.

Thanks for all the Harry Potter content. Those videos are my favorite :)

Thinking about it ghosts seem like a more mobile version of a portrait, like portraits seem fully capable of learning new info and dumbledores even continues to give instructions to snape after his death

I've always wondered what would happen if Harry (after becoming the master of death) walked through the veil holding the elder wand, turning the resurrection stone and underneath the invisibility cloak. I reckon he would actually be able to walk through the veil and return without dying

This video really got me thinking. What would happen if a ghost encountered a dementor? Would their soul become nonexistent or would some other magical phenomenon happen? Can dementors even effect ghosts, as they are indeed just the detached soul/persona of the past being who died.

J's impersonation of Nearly Headless Nick is wonderful! I could listen to him talk like that all the time.

For the last three months, this has been one of my top ideas/questions about Harry Potter, since I dived back into the series. It came about when Myrtle talked about her afterlife: Myrtle says that after she died, she haunted Olive Hornby in revenge, not stopping until the Ministry got involved. My question was how would that help? She is a ghost. What could the Ministry possibly do to punish her for malicious or annoying behavior? But if a ghost is on This side of the veil, and if a ghost can be petrified and then moved with a simple fan, then that would explain exactly how the Ministry could threaten a ghost. Problem solved. I searched your videos, and it looked as though you guys never tackled that one and I was wondering how to ask about these cool ideas, but apparently great minds think alike. Thank you for another great video.

Do we think there are any spells that could "kill/remove/disappear" a ghost? Could Dumbledore rid this school of all the ghosts if he wanted to? (This includes the Poltergeists)

Great theory. Also,death doesn't have to be inevitable,CGP Grey (I think) did a great video on it. How you must stop thinking that way and actually work to fight death,see it as an illness not a fact of life.

I always imagined the Veil in the Department of Mysteries was a device built by powerful wizards so that the living could access the Veil between life and the afterlife, and normally the Veil is ever present but only visible to those who are dying, so those who die can choose whether or not to pass through the Veil, and if they don’t pass through they become ghosts, stuck in the living world without a corporeal form to interact with it.

Very interessing, I just need to add that Neville is also one of the group who's able to see thestrals :) have a good day and thanks for the content!

I love it when a SCB theory becomes your own head cannon.

Excellent video. I dig the paper shredder metaphor. I like the theory.

10:50 Well, it's important because it gives Mrs. Norris a way to survive the basilisk.

I would like you guys to expound upon the portraits. Are the deceased’s thoughts limited to what they were when they died or are they basically ghosts?

Great videos !! I love your channel ! Continue the amazing job !

They say muggles can't become ghosts but Frank Bryce the old Muggle man showed up as a ghost/spirit form in the goblet of fire movie when the other people voldy killed showed up, so I'm wondering how that happened.

I like how he uses" the great beyond" phrase from Soul.

I mean on the mirror of erised point from the intro it might not have been what was really his family and more what he wanted it to be. It’s been a while since I read it but he mentioned seeing things like his knobby knees or unruly hair on people so it could’ve been a subconscious comfort to know that his own insecurities were from the family he never got to be apart of, which is of course what influenced the desire in the first place

After talking about what death is in HP, i just imagine Hedwig coming out the the res stone and just speaking English to Harry