By The Half-Blood Prince, the Harry Potter franchise has definitely grown up. While the first films packed charming, wholesome, and sweet magical moments into every few scenes, at this point, they are few and far between. Instead, the tone and the magic used is dark and often frightening, and the magic is defensive, rather than quite so purely joyful as it had been before.
Still, Harry Potter wouldn’t be what it is without some scenes that conjure up the feeling of light and hopeful magic that define the franchise. For Harry’s last year at Hogwarts, these were the big ones.
Meeting Slughorn
Before heading back to Hogwarts, Harry accompanies Dumbledore to convince an old friend to come back to teach at the school – Horace Slughorn. Professor Slughorn has his faults, of course, but the way in which he and Harry meets has some fantastic magic to it. Seeing Dumbledore and Slughorn magically put the house back together, and their banter, is surprisingly light (given that it looked like there was an attack, at first!), and sets up Slughorn beautifully.
Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes
As always, Fred and George Weasley are there to lighten the mood, and in this film, they have launched their incredible magic shop: Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. This brightly colored shop stands out in stark contrast to the much more subdued Diagon Alley, and the scenes inside it feel like a step back in time to the earlier films. Everything from love potions to pygmy puffs are charming, and the twins are as hilarious as ever.
Liquid Luck
Over the course of the franchise, classroom scenes become less and less important – the thrill of lessons has lessened, and the focus in The Half-Blood Prince is almost entirely on Harry, Dumbledore, and the time between classes… except for Potions.
Slughorn’s class and the offer of Felix Felices as a prize is magical for multiple reasons, including a return to the kind of ‘magic school’ scene that defines the first film. However, there’s a little extra magic to seeing the normally unflappable Hermione becoming increasingly flustered!
Ron Becomes Keeper
Quidditch took a bit of a back seat in the previous film, The Order of the Phoenix, as Umbridge had banned Gryffindor from playing. In this film, though, it makes a roaring comeback (and a final one, as Harry leaves school at the end of the film). All of the games have their usual magic, but it is Ron as keeper who steals the show in this film. From watching Hermione use a confundus charm to help Ron secure the position, to seeing his confidence and glee at actually succeeding on the pitch, Ron’s time as Keeper is magical and uplifting.
Christmas At The Burrow
Christmas is always a magical time in the Harry Potter films – to the extent that many people view them as Christmas movies! However, at this point in time, the celebrations are muted and tense, and Death Eaters end up attacking. However, there is a moment before that that captures some of the classic Harry Potter Christmas magic: when the camera pans across a Christmas cake with an enchanted ice skater on top, and Fred and George pulling a wizarding cracker.
Getting The Memory
For much of the film, Harry is attempting to get a memory from Slughorn – of a night that he spoke to Tom Riddle about Horcruxes. Eventually, he manages it, thanks to the Felix Felices that he won early on in the film. The scene itself is quite sad, as it involves Hagrid mourning the death of Aragog, and Hagrid and Slughorn getting quite drunk in memory of him. However, there’s sincere charm in seeing Harry when the Liquid Luck takes effect, and the consternation of Hermione and Ron when he seems to be going in entirely the wrong direction. It’s a deeply satisfying use of magic.
Harry & Ginny’s First Kiss
No spellwork in this one, just the magic of romance between Harry and Ginny, whose relationship had been teased for some time.
It’s not quite first love for either of them, as they had both dated other students in the past, but it’s still a sweet and romantic moment for both them and fans.
Harry & Dumbledore Hunting Horcruxes
While most of the memories themselves are dark and often disturbing, and the scenes where Harry and Dumbledore go to the lake cave to find the locket is often extremely difficult to watch. Still, there are some incredible magical moments, here, from the use of the Pensieve to the bond between Harry and Dumbledore as they search.
Wands Up
One of the most magical moments in the entire franchise, not just this film, is when Dumbledore has been killed, and the staff and students of Hogwarts gather at the foot of the Astronomy Tower. Here, they slowly raise their wands, with a small point of light at the end of each one, mourning and celebrating the great man who died. This is also one of the saddest moments in the franchise, but the depth of emotion adds to how magical it is – and the sense of unity and strength of purpose is beautiful.
Harry & Hermione On The Tower
As usual, the final scene is a powerful one, even though there is no spellwork involved in creating the magic here. Instead, it is simple, as Harry and Hermione stand on the Astronomy Tower, talking about the locket, the search for Horcruxes, and Harry’s decision not to return to Hogwarts the following year. It’s a surprisingly light and hopeful scene, for the film, and one that focuses on the magic of friendship and support, as Hermione assures Harry that she and Ron are coming too.
