Dragon dodging
Dumbledore's getaway
The Scene: Cornelius Fudge and his Ministry cronies arrive at Hogwarts to arrest Dumbledore, only for the Headmaster to make his escape via Fawkes the phoenix. Foiled again, Fudge!
The Awesome: It’s Dumbledore’s slightly amused dialogue that really makes this. “You seem to be labouring under the delusion that I’m going to, what was the phrase…come quietly?” Gold.
A mother's love
The Scene: Molly Weasley takes on Bellatrix Lestrange, who had been aiming killing curses at her only daughter, Ginny. This doesn’t go down well with Molly, who unleashes the full force of her maternal rage upon the Death Eater…
The Awesome: “Not my daughter you BITCH!” As war cries go, they don’t get much better than that.
Full moon
The Scene: Remus Lupin is transformed into a werewolf as the full moon rises. As Snape attempts to protect the children, Sirius arrives as his canine alter-ego Padfoot, and launches himself at the wolf. So begins a full-on brawl between the two animagi…
The Awesome: It’s a werewolf fighting a massive dog, with added interst generated by the fact we know both to be likeable human characters… what’s not to enjoy?
The Department of Mysteries
The Scene: Harry and his friends become embroiled in a battle with the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. Just as things are looking grim, the Order of the Phoenix arrive to turn the tide, but at a cost… the life of Sirius Black.
The Awesome: The critical blow is dealt by Bellatrix Lestrange, whose gleeful reaction only serves to make the moment more shocking.
Aragog
The Scene: Ron and Harry find themselves at the mercy of Aragog the giant spider and his family of hungry acromantulas. Fortunately, an old friend is on hand to save the day.
The Awesome: Thank goodness for the magical Ford Anglia, eh? Although Arthur Weasley can probably say goodbye to his no-claims bonus.
Dudley demented
The Scene: Harry and Dudley are attacked by a pair of Dementors in the unlikely location of a Little Whinging underpass. Fortunately, Harry has mastered the Patronus charm, which narrowly saves Dudley from receiving an unwanted kiss.
The Awesome: This is comfortably one of the most exciting Dursley scenes, with the Dementors reprising their nerve-shredding performance from The Prisoner Of Azkaban .
The three brothers
The Scene: Hermione reads aloud the tale of the three brothers by Beedle the Bard, explaining the myth of the Deathly Hallows as she does so.
The Awesome: The accompanying animation is an inventive way of illustrating the story, and one of the finest moments (from an artistic standpoint) of the eight-movie series.
Resurrection Stone
The Scene: Harry makes his way into the Forbidden Forest to face his destiny, stopping for some words of comfort from his departed friends and family. Handy thing, that Resurrection Stone.
The Awesome: A heartbreakingly sad interlude before the film’s triumphant conclusion. Plus, it’s also nice to see Gary Oldman return as Sirius.
Porky pies
The Scene: The loathsome Dolores Umbridge summons Harry to her kitten-clad office to write some lines with her very “special” quill. The results are agonising to watch.
The Awesome: Imelda Staunton captures Umbridge’s girlish awfulness perfectly, and this scene shows her at her most sadistic. That quill is going to leave a mark…
