Headcanons are little stories or ideas that people have about established characters or universes that have little to no basis in actual canon. Unlike fan fiction, which exists in a story format, headcanons are more like little suggestions for ways that characters occupy their spare time or ways in which the reader thinks that the story could have been better.

Now, I love the beautiful universe that J.K.Rowling created for us; however, there are a lot of things left out of her stories that I would love to explore and create alternate ideas that I want to dive in to. The stories themselves are so focused on the battle of good vs evil so it’s always nice to sit back and watch our characters enjoy their everyday lives, free from the pressures of saving the world. So sit back, grab a butterbeer, and let's explore 15 headcanons about the Harry Potter universe.

15 A Peak Into The Teachers Lounge

If you’ve read Order of The Phoenix, than you’d know that Harry has a gift for teaching. In my mind, Harry had been through a lot in his short life and after the battle of Hogwarts ended, he decided that he never wanted to have to fight for his life again. He gave up his dream of being an Auror and shocked everyone, except Hermione, when he announced that he wanted to be a teacher at Hogwarts. Harry couldn’t get used to calling Professor McGonagall by anything other than “professor” and in the first few years of his career, he often found himself sitting amongst the students before realizing that he was supposed to be teaching this class.

His favourite student was Hagrid who was able to return to and finish his education in the wake of the war. Harry and Neville spent their off days in the Hogwarts teachers lounge together. Neville told Harry all about his students and every new plant fact he learned the night before, and Harry just looks out the window and enjoys the peace and quiet of his new life.

14 Bonding Over Nargles

Luna always just seems to know what everyone around her needs to hear; so I think that she would be the light that everyone needs after the war.

It’s the first Christmas after the war and everyone is trying their best to make it a good one. In all the rush, Molly accidentally sets an extra place at the table. Ron, lacking in tack, asks her who the plate is for (while his mouth is overflowing with sausages.) Hermione shoots him a lot and Molly pauses, realizing once again that her son is gone. Without wasting a moment, Luna announces that the spot is for Fred, of course, and serves the empty plate a big helping of mashed potatoes. Throughout the meal, she talks to the spot as if Fred was there. Hermione casts a charm that causes the food to disappear as if it was being eaten. Harry is beaming at her and everyone is thankful that Luna was there to lighten the moment and remind us that the ones we love never truly leave us.

13 Arthur And His Rubber Duck

Everyone knows that Arthur Weasley loves muggles. He loves the things they create, the things they do, and most importantly, he loves muggles themselves. After the war, Hermione finds and reverses the spell she placed on her parents. They are disorientated for a few weeks so they bunk with the Weasleys in the Burrow until they are able to get their bearings and get back to their normal lives.

Molly forces Arthur to contain himself for a little while, but after the first week, he spends every waking hour asking them about every aspect of muggle life. It’s nothing overwhelming as Arthur is blown away by the simple act of them charging their phones and laptops. When her parents fully warm up to Arthur, Hermione decides it’s time to introduce them to Ron. It’s just a warm and pure moment that everyone desperately needed after that war.

12 The Luna Of The Ball

Luna Lovegood doesn’t show up in the story until the trio's fifth year, but what if she had been present in their circle during their hectic fourth year? The poor Patel twins wouldn’t have to have their Yule ball ruined by a pouty ginger boy, and Harry would be free to bring Luna. Luna would be perfectly happy to sit with the boys as Ron angrily watched Hermione twirl on the dance floor.

When Hermione came over to share her joy only to have Ron throw it back in her face, Luna would distractedly tell her that Ron’s only acting like this because he’s secretly in love with her. Luna would then grab Harry’s hand, claiming that her favourite song was playing, and she would lead a laughing Harry to the dance floor in order to give Ron and Hermione some privacy. It would have saved Hermione an episode of end of the night stair crying and could even prevent Ron from dating Lavender Brown.

Also, Ginny could overcome her childhood crush on Harry by seeing him as a real person instead of this idolized figure and falling for Neville and his amazing dance skills. This headcanon literally benefits everyone.

11 The Aftermath...

Note: this author does not recognize the existence of a certain play which takes place while the Potter children attend Hogwarts after the original series.

One issue I have with the series is that everyone is (seemingly) perfectly okay after the Battle of Hogwarts. As we can see from the previous generation of adults, war is hard on everyone involved. The scars it leaves behind are both visible and psychological.

After the war, Malfoy visits the Potters during one of the weekly group therapy sessions that Luna holds. Luna answers the door and Draco is a mess. He falls to his knees, weeping, and barely manages to squeak out an apology for everything that he did in his youth. Harry pulls him up into a big hug and lets him know that he forgives Draco. Draco is invited in for tea and everyone is silent as he breaks down during his turn to share. Hermione reaches for him, her “mudblood” scar shining in the dim light, and forgives him for everything. Draco becomes a regular part of the gang and is given a second chance to be his own man.

10 Let's Just Leave Out The Dursleys

Look, I understand that Harry had to stay with the Durselys to seal that “love spell” that his mom accidentally placed on him when they died. However, I can guarantee that Lily and James Potter would have been perfectly fine with that spell never finalizing, and Harry living somewhere else with people who wouldn’t outright abuse him. Why doesn’t he live at Hogwarts? He would literally never be more that 100 yards away from Dumbledore (the only wizard that Tom Riddle has ever feared) at any given moment, so I think it’s pretty accurate to say that Harry would be exceptionally safe there.

Hagrid would raise him and train him how to be a groundskeeper and how to care for the creatures of the forest. Luna and Harry could bond over their mutual love and understanding of these misunderstood animals. Just imagine tiny Harry trailing behind Hagrid, carrying a pile of mismatched items bigger than himself, and shouting “Wait for me, Haygwid!” (Can this be actual canon please?) Harry would still be the same down to Earth, respectful, and polite boy if he was raised by Hagrid but this way he would have grown up knowing nothing but love and kindness.

9 Two Girls, One World Cup

In the canon story, Ginny quits her super BAMF job as a player for the Holyhead Harpies so that she can settle down and have babies. But that is not the girl my brain raised Ginny Weasley to be, so I am creating my own headcanon for what actually happened after the series ended.

First off, as previously established in this article, I'd like for Ginny to marry Neville, Luna marries Harry, and both of these boys become teachers. Ginny plays until they force her to take maternity leave and is right back on that broom as soon as it is safe to do so. The family goes to Ginny’s every game during the summer months, but during the school year—while Harry and Neville have to work—the children that are too young to attend Hogwarts spend their days with Hagrid. So what do Ginny and Luna do with this spare time, you might ask? They coordinate their schedules and travel the world. Luna is working to update Newt Scamander's text so Ginny accompanies her on away games to study creatures indigenous to that area.

8 Opposites Attract

The films do a really good job of casting Luna and Hermione as total opposites, but the lines are far more blurred in the book. Though I do love them, the films do a very good job of conveniently ignoring all moments in which their personalities intersect. Imagine Luna showing up to their fourth year instead of their fifth. Hermione is working on her S.P.E.W. badges and pamphlets. The rest of her House has teased her for this, and rumors of this organization have spread across the Great Hall and reaches Luna. She goes over to support her new friend and she proudly wears a pin.

Being a logical creature, Luna knows that the House Elves don’t want the liberation Hermione is advocating for but she supports the cause anyway because Hermione is her friend and this is important to her. This bond loosens Hermione up to Luna and the ideas that she has about the creatures that exist in the world around her, which creates a more open minded Hermione and shows that they really aren’t that different after all.

7 A Love Bi Any Other Name...

Don’t worry, I’m not taking Remus away from Tonks. I think they were perfect together and I honestly think that they should have had more time together. So I’m going to propose a headcanon: bisexual Remus.

Picture Sirius and Remus together. Everyone thinks that Sirius is the rebel but Sirius really just acts out because of his home life. He likes to be the centre of attention, the life of the party, the loudest and the liveliest so that no one looks too closely and sees that he’s actually broken. But Remus sees through the act and he fiercely defends his boyfriend from anyone and everyone — especially from his family. Both boys are used to taking care of themselves, so it’s hard for them to relinquish control and trust each other, but Sirius comforts Remus during his transformation and Remus returns the favour when Sirius wakes up at 2am, covered in sweat, and shaking in terror because his nightmares are real and waiting for him back home.

6 The Boys Are Back At Hogwarts

Professor McGonagall acts like she is exhausted by the Marauder’s pranks and tomfoolery, but the truth is is that she loves it. She catches them more times than they will ever know but instead of punishing them, she often smiles to herself and pretends like she saw nothing. To tell you the truth, she is actually impressed by the skills they demonstrate when staging these elaborate pranks. When the Marauder’s left Hogwarts, everyone thought that Professor McGonagall would be thrilled, but truth be told, she was bored. It wasn’t until the Weasley twins showed up that she was finally at peace again. She loved every prank that the Weasley’s pulled and their farewell prank was the highlight of her entire life. She could not wait for the next generation of Potters to grace the hallowed halls of Hogwarts once again.

5 Not Your Typical Bachelor Party

I know, the GIF I used wasn’t an actual photo of Remus but there are very few GIFs of them in their youth (AKA their canon ages), and Andrew Garfield is the perfect actor to play a young Remus.

Sirius could not stop talking about James’s bachelor party for months. Lily was starting to get worried. She trusted her friends and her fiance but she was worried that they might get caught up in the moment and go a little too far. But it was all a front. The talk of fireworks, countless robe-less witches, and the need for international waters was all just a big farce. Sirius took the boys to the attic of James’ parents house and they spent all night reminiscing and dreaming about their futures.

4 Mudblood And Proud

After a while of being teased for being a muggle born, Hermione has decided that she has had enough. She embraces this moniker as full heartedly as she possibly could. She makes herself a pin that says “mudblood and proud” and she proudly wears it everyday. Other students ask her to make them pins, too and pretty soon, most of the school has adorned her new slogan. If she reclaims the slur slung at her, it can no longer hurt her. Draco tries to get to her by calling her “mudblood” but she just replies “...and?” every time. He quickly gives up and moves on. She tries to work with Professor Flitwick to find a way around the ways that Hogwarts affects modern technology to give born muggles a way to easily keep in contact with their friends and family back home. She embraces herself and the world is a better place because of it.

3 The Stag And The Doe

Again, not a GIF of the “real James,” but I think this fan-cast does a way better job of capturing James’ essence than Snape’s flashbacks from the fifth film.

We know that Lily wasn’t into the old James and that he had to work on bettering himself before she would accept his advances. I like to think that James spent weeks trying to convince Lily that he changed by using all the classic rom-com tropes: public announcements of affection, serenading her with songs, and hiring Sirius and Remus to figure out where she is at all times so that he can “adorably” bump into her between classes.

One time James had to leap out of a window on the second story onto the roof, mount his broom, whip around the school, dismount, and attempt to appear as if he was casually leaning against a wall to ask Lily out. Unfortunately she didn’t even notice as she was completely absorbed in her novel. Remus and Sirius did not stop laughing for a week.

2 Meet Mr Weasley-Longbottom

It may be controversial but I like pairing Ginny and Neville together. After the Yule ball, Ginny realized that there actually was something between them and that her childhood crush on Harry was just that: a crush. Ginny was the tough sort of girl that was never afraid to stand up for herself and those close to her, especially Neville. If she ever heard anyone, including Neville himself, saying bad things about her beau, she would tear them a new one. How dare anyone ever doubt his bravery and kind soul? Ginny made it her personal mission to get Neville to see that he deserved to be in Gryffindor and that he is just as brave, special, and important as the rest of their friends. Also, Neville marrying Ginny would bring him into the Weasley clan and he was the only person to ever offer to help Molly cook dinner. A point that she made time and time again.

1 Hermione's Own Hermione

When I was a little girl, Hermione was my idol. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be brave, strong, and unafraid to do whatever it took to stand up for what was right. But who was Hermione’s Hermione? Who was the girl that she looked up to and dreamed she could be half as awesome as they were? I’d like to think that that girl was Matilda. Imagine little Hermione reading a book about a brilliant, bookish, kind little girl and realizing she wasn’t alone. Imagine her becoming obsessed with Matilda’s powers (like we all were). Hermione puts her book down and concentrates with all her might. She will not rest until the pencil in front of her moves. Suddenly her toys are spinning in a circle around her and she realizes that she is as special as she always felt she was.