Grab your Time Turner and let's take a trip down Hogwarts past.
The Kneazle's out of the bag—Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is arriving Jan. 1 on HBO Max. But before we pull out our chocolate frogs from the cupboard, pour ourselves a cold glass of Butterbeer and settle in to watch the special, wE! decided to celebrate by reminiscing on our favorite Harry Potter moments ahead of the new year. And yes of course, we included the sorting hat ceremony.
Thanks to the streamer, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger) are coming together to reflect on their Gryffindor days. But that's just the tip of the dungheap! Other cast and crew, including Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), are returning to the hallowed halls for the festivities.
From the moment Harry got Hedwig to the final Battle of Hogwarts, scroll through to see the best Harry Potter movie moments ever.
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Hedwig was given to Harry as a gift for his 11th birthday by Hagrid. She was always there for Harry to deliver his mail, or just hang out with him while he lived at the Dursleys' home. She was such a hoot and will always be missed.
Ah, yes the infamous hat that decides your fate at Hogwarts. Can you imagine what would have happened if Harry actually got placed in Slytherin?
This troublemaking mountain troll was a diversion created by Professor Quirinus Quirrell so he could attempt to capture the Sorcerer's Stone for his master The Dark Lord. Little did he know that his evil plot would foster the moment when Harry, Ron and Hermione become true friends. Aw! Big hug.
Who could forget the simple days when Ron would crush Harry in a heated game of Wizard's Chess? Now that we think about it, it actually got pretty dangerous when the trio played a deadly game in the chamber in order to find the Sorceror's Stone. That was one of the first times we saw the loyalty in Ron toward Harry and Hermione.
En Garde! Rictusempra! The Duelling Club was formed when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart wanted the students to learn how to protect themselves by duelling (or just get some attention for himself ). This led to one of the first scuffles between Draco and Harry, you know, the one where former conjured a snake to attack the latter. But that's when it was revealed that Harry is a Parselmouth, which is a trait of The Heir of Slytherin.
"For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning. It tastes like goblin piss," Mad-Eye Moody warned. We have seen the potion used many times, but one our favorite moments has to be when Hermione accidentally pulled the wrong hair from Millicent Bulstrode's coat and she turned into a cat!
Every muggle's dream car has to be this one. It flies, it can be invisible and it has the ultimate trunk space because it has a whopping six trunks! Road trip anyone? That might not be possible though since Ron and Harry drove flew it straight into the Whomping Willow in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Who are we kidding? It's a magic car after all and it survived that crash landing, and later saved the boys from trouble.
A fearful battle between Harry and Salazar Slytherin's basilisk (controlled through Tom Riddle's enchanted diary) ensued in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry ultimately killed the basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's Sword, which had been concealed in the Sorting Hat that Fawkes delivered.
Enough is enough I tell ya! That's basically what Hermione meant when she threw a jab at Malfoy after he insulted her in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. You go girl!
It's just so Hermione! She was given the Time-Turner by Professor McGonagall in The Prisoner of Azkaban in order to take extra classes that she didn't have time for initially, allowing her to be in two places at once. However, she ended up using the time traveling device as a means to help save Sirius Black and the hippogriff Buckbeak.
Kisses aren't normally associated with sucking the happiness from your soul, but in the world of wizards nothing is what it seems. In the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry and Sirius Black find themselves by the Black Lake surrounded by Dementors, and are almost left for dead. However, Harry catches a glimpse of a familiar figure across the way who summons a Patronus in the shape of a stag, which finally drives those evil Dementors away.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the tournament of all tournaments requires the best and bravest students to compete in the magical competition. It is likely that each participant will stand in the face of death due to the impending danger that comes with each challenge. Harry was entered into the tournament as a scheme plotted by Lord Voldemort to destroy the boy. Of course, he valiantly prevailed through each challenge.
In Goblet of Fire, the Dark Lord finagles his way back into full physical and magical form. Of course, he didn't mind spilling some blood along the way, but we'll get to that in a second.
Hogwarts' golden boy and star competitor in the Triwizard Tournament was tragically used as a pawn in the Dark Lord's attempt at making a comeback in Goblet of Fire.
Hogwarts' favorite rebels famously caused a complete raucous against the terrible Dolores Umbridge. The twins set off their complete supply of Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs fireworks, which sends the students and (secretly) the faculty wild with excitement.
Since Headmistress Umbridge is a dictator, Harry and the gang have to learn how to defend themselves from danger on their own. Enter Dumbledore's Army, which was a training ground for the Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ten-hut!
It is a classic battle between good and evil, but with magic so it's way better. After the death of Sirius Black in Order of the Phoenix, Lord Voldemort appears and the two head honchos duke it out, but Voldemort realizes he is no match for the great Dumbledore so he makes like a banana and splits.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ginny takes Harry to the Room of Requirement in order to hide the Half-Blood Prince's potion book, and then she does something totally unexpected... she gives Harry a kiss. And it was so perfect!
After poor Ron gets poisoned, his devoted girlfriend Lavender Brown rushes to his bedside only to be disappointed and heartbroken. As Ron comes into consciousness, the first words we all swooned with delight to hear were none other than, "Hermione, Hermione."
It is one of the saddest moments of the series as Hogwarts lost a legendary wizard. Poor Harry had to watch his last parental figure fall to his death, leaving him feeling alone and unsure of his destiny.
Ladies, rejoice! There's plenty of Harry Potters to go around, except in this case you would have to embark on a very dangerous journey to a safe house. If you can handle the company of angry Death Eaters and a surprise visit from Lord Voldemort, then be our guest!
In Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the destruction of Salazar Slytherin's locket-turned-Horcrux was no easy feat. The trio brilliantly stole the locket from Umbridge, carried it around for months while trying to keep civilized, as the necklace had a negative effect on their emotions. However, Ron courageously destroyed the Horcrux while facing his deepest fears that the locket's energy revealed when it was opened.
Hunting for a Horcrux will make you do some crazy things. This break and enter scheme in Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was one of the most elaborate plots we have seen, and it sure didn't dissapoint. We coulnd't get enough of Hermione trying her hardest to act the part of Bellatrix Lestrange.
Ah, the moment we have all been waiting for since the first time Ron and Hermione met at Hogwarts. After almost being killed by a tsunami in Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the two share a magnificently passionate kiss that just melts our hearts.
After eight movies worth of build up, the time has finally arrived for the Battle of Hogwarts, but most importantly the final fight between The Boy Who Lived and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Was it everything you imagined it to be?
Who knew little Longbottom would turn out to be a dashing young hero? In Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he cunningly makes his move toward the serpent Nagini as soon as Harry removes the Cloak of Invisibility, and wham! Neville slices the snake's head off, destroying yet another of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Talk about a crowd pleaser, Neville!