50 Greatest Harry Potter Scenes

Troll trouble

The Scene: Ron, Harry and Hermione find themselves confronted by an infuriated troll. Fortunately, some nifty wandwork from our three young heroes makes short work of the blundering beastie.

The Awesome:
It’s the first time we’ve seen the trio face a magical monster, and very exciting it is too!

There's something about Bathilda

The Scene: Harry and Hermione head to Godric’s Hollow in search of Horcruxes. Instead they find ageing wizard historian Bathilda Bagshot. Or at least, they think they do…

The Awesome: The moment when Nagini springs out of Bathilda’s corpse (she was dead all along… gross) is one of the biggest scares of the series!

King's Cross

The Scene: Having endured another of Voldemort’s killing curses, Harry awakens in a pearly white version of King’s Cross, where Dumbledore informs him of his success in destroying the penultimate Horcrux… the one within himself.

The Awesome: It’s heartwarming to see Harry and Dumbledore reunited, but the grisly spectacle of Voldemort’s damaged soul stops things from becoming too saccharine.

Neville and Nagini

The Scene: Neville Longbottom destroys Lord Voldemort’s last remaining Horcrux, swinging the sword of Gryffindor to behead the hideous serpent, Nagini.

The Awesome: Neville has been growing into his role as unlikely badass as the saga has progressed, and this is the point at which he graduates to full-on hero status. Well done that man!

Pucker up

The Scene: Heading back down to the Chamber of Secrets to salvage a couple of Basilisk fangs, Ron and Hermione finally give into their feelings and share a long-awaited kiss. Awww.

The Awesome:
After eight films worth of squabbling, it’s nice to see these two finally get their act together. Not before time…

Snape's secret

The Scene: Having been attacked by Nagini, Snape passes his memories to Harry, before dying in the arms of his old adversary. Sniff!

The Awesome: This, and the following explanatory flashback scenes, finally reveal Snape’s true character. And Alan Rickman plays it beautifully.

Dementors

The Scene: The guards of Azkaban make their on-screen bow, cloaking the Hogwarts Express in darkness as they search for missing prisoner, Sirius Black.

The Awesome: The scene is supremely creepy, as the sky clouds over, the train grinds to a halt and the fiendish Dementors cloak the carriages in terror. No wonder Harry has a funny turn!

Voldemort's doom

The Scene: Having failed to realise that he is not the true master of the Elder Wand, Voldemort tries yet again to kill Harry, only for his curse to backfire and reduce him to a heap of smouldering ashes.

The Awesome:
It’s a fittingly dramatic end to one of the finest villains ever written. The moment is especially magical in 3D, as the last fragments of Tom Riddle’s butchered soul float out into the audience.

You're a wizard

The Scene: Hagrid makes his big-screen bow, tracking down Harry and the Dursleys to their remote island hideout in order to tell the young lad that he’s not like other boys…

The Awesome:
Those fateful words, “you’re a wizard, Harry.” And so, the adventure begins…

Dumbledore departed

The Scene: As Draco Malfoy falters in his mission, Severus Snape steps up to the plate and blasts Dumbledore from the roof of the Astronomy Tower to his doom.

The Awesome:
Dumbledore’s final words, “Severus, please,” are real tear-jerkers, particularly when you discover what he really means by them…

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.