Mary Poppins Went to Hogwarts?! Crazy Cool Fan Theory Thinks So

It’s no secret that Mary Poppins is no ordinary nanny. From the moment she blows in on the winds from the east, we know she’s magical. We also know she’s British. Put those two things together and you’re just a hop, skip, and a step-in-time away from the obvious conclusion…Mary Poppins is a witch. And where do witches come from? If you’re British (or a major fantasy nerd), they come from Hogwarts. At least that’s what this Mary Poppins-Hogwarts fan theory proposes.

Reddit user ProfFrizzo posted on r/FanTheories their idea that the famed nanny was in fact an alum of the same acclaimed wizarding school featured in the Harry Potter books, and the evidence put forth by the post and the commentary is pretty convincing.

Everybody unanimously agrees that the way she uses her umbrella perfectly mimics the way a witch uses her wand. And who else does magic with an umbrella? Hagrid! Dumbledore had to get the idea to put Hagrid’s broken wand in an umbrella from somewhere, right? It is true that she doesn’t seem to need the wand, as she often just points at things to use her magic, but that doesn’t discount the theory. In the Harry Potter universe, very practiced and skilled witches and wizards can use wand-less magic. (And of course, being practically perfect in every way, Mary Poppins would be one of those witches!)

And then there’s her bag: It’s bottomless! She pulls out a full coat rack, a plant, and a lamp, for crying out loud! That could easily be some kind of charm without any evidence from the Harry Potter books, but we do have evidence.

In book seven, The Deathly Hallows, Hermione uses the Undetectable Extension Charm on her handbag, to make it possible for the trio to pack whatever they might need on their cross-country horcrux hunt.

“But wait!” cry naysayers. “The statute of secrecy forbids the practice of magic in front of muggles! She would have been arrested and had her wand taken away!” There is a second theory that addresses this.

In a separate post, Reddit user BiggsyBig theorizes that Poppins could have been a ministry employee, sent to investigate homes of muggles that might have magical children. That would make Jane and Michael prospective Hogwarts students!

But what about Bert? Mary also practices magic in front of him, it’s true. Popular commentary on the theory proposes two options. The first postulates that he was also a Hogwarts student, but dropped out. The second, more likely theory, is that Bert is a squib: someone from a wizarding family that possesses little to no magic himself. It would be permissible for Mary to practice magic in front of a squib. And either of these theories also explains quite nicely how the pair knew one another, as the British wizarding community is relatively small.

Altogether, that’s some pretty convincing evidence for this fan theory! Even more theories spun out of this one, too. Some redditors noted that she and Dumbledore would have been classmates at Hogwarts, and perhaps even friends, given that her job at the ministry would have put her in close contact with him. Still others wonder if she was a witch at all, or something else entirely, like a Time Lord, or a former friend of Peter Pan’s.

What do you think of the idea? Any thoughts of your own to add? Let the “what house would she have been in” debate commence in the comments! Make sure to SHARE with your friends to see if they buy this Mary Poppins-Hogwarts fan theory!