The magic of Harry Potter was introduced to the literary world 20 years ago Monday.
The first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was released on June 26, 1997, and since then, children and adults everywhere have escaped reality and ventured to Hogwarts with Harry and his friends.
Even though moments in the Harry Potter series differ in importance to fans, here are 20 of the top ones:
1. Harry finds out he is a wizard
The movie gave way to one of the most iconic lines in the series, “Yer a wizard, Harry.” The line was delivered by the lovable half-giant, Hagrid.
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2. Harry defeats Voldemort with his touch
Who would have thought that behind Professor Quirrell’s turban was the Dark Lord himself. Voldemort acted as a parasite and took over the back of Quirrell’s head. It was all rather terrifying, and thank God Harry was able to defeat Voldemort just by touching him.
3. Harry kills the ghost of Tom Riddle with a basilisk fang
Voldemort never gives up. This time he came back as his younger self’s ghost and tormented Ginny Weasley, forcing her to open the chamber of secrets and let loose a basilisk. Harry, with the help of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, was able to figure out where the monster was hiding. The basilisk fang proved to be useful when it came to ridding Hogwarts of the ghost because it was able to destroy Tom Riddle’s diary.
4. Dobby is freed from the Malfoys
Dobby proved to be a big help throughout the series, and the house elf might not have helped had Harry not removed his sock. Harry took off his black sock, put it in the diary and gave it to Lucius Malfoy, who owned Dobby. Lucius gave the diary and sock to Dobby, making him free. Honestly, one of the sweetest moments of the entire series.
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5. Lupin is a werewolf and Peter Pettigrew is Scabbers
It was easy to see there was something wrong with Lupin, but no one would have guessed he was a werewolf. Equally as shocking was the fact Ron’s pet rat Scabbers turned out to be Peter Pettigrew, the person who betrayed Lily and James Potter. C’mon, his animagus is a rat — that should tell you something about his character.
6. Sirius and Buckbeak are rescued from death
All of the time-turner scenes were super cool, but the end result was even better. Because Harry and Hermione were able to turn back time, Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, and the hippogriff Buckbeak were able to escape death.
7. Harry’s name flies out of the Goblet of Fire
Anyone could have guessed Harry would be a triwizard champion — he is the title character after all. But who would have thought Dumbledore’s reaction in the movie compared to the book would cause such a debate?
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8. Voldemort returns to his human figure
This part was actually pretty creepy. Pettigrew carries an ugly-looking, baby-like Voldemort to a cauldron and throws him in. When Voldemort emerges, he is in human form. The only thing missing was his nose. Nobody “nose” where that went.
9. Dumbledore’s Army is formed
Dolores Umbridge, the most-hated woman in the entire series, obviously wasn’t going to teach her students the proper way to defend themselves, so Dumbledore’s Army was formed. The students were able to unite by their hatred for the woman and the desire to learn and protect themselves. Also, Hermione came in clutch with the fake galleons that allowed them to set secret meeting times.
10. The prophecy is revealed
Sybil Trelawney may not have been the best teacher at Hogwarts, but she delivered the prophecy that stated, “neither can live while the other survives.” This also told readers that the prophecy could have been talking about Neville Longbottom who also fit the criteria.
11. All of the teenage romance in the Half-Blood Prince
A lot of the characters in Harry Potter did not have the most common teenage experiences — they went to a magical school — but the sixth book allowed for more of those teenage experiences. People had relationships, got jealous and ended up confused by their hormones. It was a great last hurrah before the characters really had to fight.
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12. The pensieve scenes that revealed how the Horcruxes were formed
It really is a shame the movies did not include how all of the Horcruxes were formed, but then again, the movie probably would have been four hours long. When Dumbledore shows Harry all of the memories in the pensieve, readers got to see most of the ways Voldemort killed to split his soul into seven pieces. It was gruesome, but extremely helpful in understanding the Dark Lord.
13. Dumbledore dies
Yes, this was a shocker to all of the people who didn’t read the book before seeing the movie — myself included. The hardest part to swallow was the way Severus Snape seemed to betray the one person who stood up for him. But, as readers found out in the last installment, there was more to the story than met the eye.
14. Ron returns to the Forest of Dean and destroys a Horcrux
Ron is extremely loyal and there is a theory he should really be in Hufflepuff, so when he abandoned his friends on the quest to find Horcruxes, it was a big surprise. He does come back, though, saves Harry and destroys a Horcrux. It was all really impressive.
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15. The Tale of the Three Brothers
The Tale of the Three Brothers paved the way to some amazing animation in The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The story also introduced readers to the deathly hallows, which were very important to the ending.
16. Dobby dies
Tears were definitely shed by most Harry Potter fans when Dobby died in his friend’s arms. And Harry gave Dobby a proper burial, refusing to use magic to do it.
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17. Snape’s undying love for Lily
Snape “always” loved Lily and Harry was finally able to see that when Snape gave him his memories. Snape was the true hero of the story and probably the most complex character in the series.
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18. Molly Weasley takes down Bellatrix Lestrange
You do not mess with Molly Weasley. Everyone will remember her saying, “Not my daughter, you b*tch.”
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19. Voldemort is killed and Harry destroys the Elder Wand
Harry was able to defeat Voldemort in a final showdown, and the spell that delivered the final blow was not Avada Kedavra but Expelliarmus. With the Elder Wand rightfully belonging to him, Harry decides to fix his old wand and put it back in Dumbledore’s tomb.
20. “All was well”
The epilogue was a great way to end the series. It took place 19 years later where it all began — Platform 9 ¾ . It shows everyone married and with children, and “all was well.”
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