This Hilarious Hogwarts Legacy Theory Reveals The Main Character's Secret

"Hogwarts Legacy" was a hugely popular game when it hit shelves in early 2023, though it hasn't been without its controversies. Not only did the game release in the shadow of the franchise creator's critical comments about the trans community, but even Wizarding World superfans who tried to enjoy the game on its own merits still felt that some things didn't add up. In particular, the main character of the game has been a bit puzzling for players. Set a century before Harry Potter's matriculation at the titular magic school, "Hogwarts Legacy" follows the adventures of a new student who finds themselves caught in the middle of a mystical conspiracy and a battle between good and evil. Going against usual canon, in which kids start at Hogwarts when they're 11 years old, the protagonist of "Hogwarts Legacy" joins the school as a Fifth Year student, thanks to their magical talents emerging a little bit later in life than usual.

Over the course of the game's story campaign, the protagonist comes to learn that their powers have suddenly surged due to their connection to an ancient magic source. Outside of the world of the game, this plot device also allowed the devs to craft a title in which players can immediately learn some more advanced spells, including Expelliarmus and even some Unforgivable Curses. However, one humorous fan theory supposes that the protagonist is not at all what they appear to be, even hiding their true nature from the player. What if the lead character of "Hogwarts Legacy" is actually an undercover cop simply posing as a student, hoping to uncover corruption in the Wizarding World?

Reddit user Wookiee_Diplomat makes a pretty strong argument for the protagonist of "Hogwarts Legacy" being a member of law enforcement, though they have added the "humor" label to their thread. They write, "This game makes way more sense once you decide that the main character is a deceptively young-looking Auror (or Unspeakable) working undercover at the school, pretending to be a student." In the Wizarding World, Aurors are essentially police officers, while Unspeakables are shady government agents that cannot share the details of their job with anyone.

As for why an adult in these positions would want to pretend to be a kid at Hogwarts, Wookiee_Diplomat compares the situation to the "21 Jump Street" franchise. In essence, the protagonist would embed themselves in the school's curriculum and culture in order to sniff out the bad elements hidden among seemingly innocent students and staff. Considering the fact that the lead character ends up facing off against all kinds of dark magic, not to mention discovering an ancient fountain of power beneath the school, it's not a stretch to imagine that various agencies to want to keep a closer eye on Hogwarts. The more you think about this theory, the more a few other things about "Hogwarts Legacy" start to make sense.

My Hogwarts Legacy Conspiracy Theory
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u/Wookiee_Diplomat in
HarryPotterGame

When "Hogwarts Legacy" was released, fans of the franchise's lore took umbrage (but not Dolores Umbridge) with a few aspects of the game and its plot. Aside from the strangeness of beginning school as a Fifth Year, players had issues with the game's lack of romance options, the ease with which the protagonist learns advanced spells, and the fact that this kid apparently doesn't have to obey curfews or class schedules like everyone else. Wookiee_Diplomat points out that these incongruities can be explained away by the lead character not being a real student. They'd already know plenty of spells, and could thus pretend to learn them quickly. If the protagonist is secretly an adult, it would also explain why they'd steer clear of romancing the other students. Their lackadaisical approach to attendance also suddenly becomes clear: As Wookiee_Diplomat writes, "Why is Hogwarts treated as an afterthought? Because being a student is a ruse, that's why."

Even the late entry to the school makes a good bit of sense with this theory in mind: If the protagonist wants to learn more about the ancient magic hidden at the school, they need to endear themselves to the Keepers guarding the wellspring. Knowing that both Keepers joined the school as Fifth Years, this undercover wizard would follow suit as a way of making a connection.There are certainly some small holes in this narrative, but the fact that the protagonist never talks about their own personal history makes it a lot easier to fill in the blanks with Wookiee_Diplomat's wild conspiracy theory.