Harry Potter: 10 Scenes that Best Capture the Spirit of the Books
CHALLENGE 21 BRAIN TWIN
Brain twins/triplets: rosamondandcats & spectrespecs
Fandom: Harry Potter
Topic: 10 Scenes that Best Capture the Spirit of the Books
insert picspam title here Harry Potter and the 10 Scenes that Best Capture the Spirit of the Books
Well, if you still haven't read the books or seen the movies, there may be spoilers.
Not everybody is going to agree with the scenes I chose. You have to admit that us Harry Potter fans are quite particular about the way our favourite parts of the books are treated in the films, and there is always a wide array of opinions on every bit. These ten scenes to me not only depicted the corresponding passage well, but they also captured the entire essence of the scene from the way in the book you could almost feel the slow movement of a character as they turned around to how you envisioned the gleaming or grungy enviornment they were in. Of course, they most importantly, captured the spirit of the Harry Potter books (or at least they do to me). And I nearly pulled out my hair trying to choose the scenes! To me a scene does not simply capture the spirit by getting everything down to the last comma of the excerpt from the book, but just the entire feeling. For me, these ten scenes did it. I attempted to give a small explanation about why I chose each scene, but I'm slightly a mess at trying to convey my thoughts; therefore, I sound crazy. Plus, I was writing them at some ungodly hour after working on chemistry homework. Either way, enjoy!
Also, all the page numbers are from the American hardcover books.
10. The Shrieking Shack
BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.
"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."
Black stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 359
[The movies may not have entirely done the Marauders' storyline as well as some of us may have hoped,
but I feel like the Shrieking Shack scene did a fair job in conveying the animosity that existed between Snape, Lupin, and Sirius.
It captured one of the things I feel is pretty reoccurring in the series: long-lasting rivalries.]
09. Tom Marvolo Riddle
"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."
"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."
He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 313-314
[I regard this as one of the "oh shit!" moments that you have the first time you read the books. Definitely at least slightly surprising.
I still remember the day the movie came out and people in the theatre gasped whenever the whole reveal took place.
Plus, Christian Coulson achieved the right amount of creepy.]
08. Lord Voldemort Rises Again
The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry... and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils...
Lord Voldemort had risen again.
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 643
[So, Voldemort's back. Oh. shit! Again, just beautifully done. There's almost a softness to the way Voldemort returns
that complements the eerie gruesome way it is depicted in the book.]
07. Emotional Range of a Teaspoon
A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode."
"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her quill again.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 459
[The scene in the book may have had a different end, but I appreciate the fact that David Yates or
whoever decided on this chose the take when the trio began laughing.
It's just a good scene that really shows the friendship and and the whole trioness of the trio.]
06. Platform 9 ¾
He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - learning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash -
It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes.
A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 93
[Harry's second proper encounter with the wizarding world comes off as bright and colourful as you imagined it would while reading.
The engine gleams and Harry's smile is as big as yours when you read it. You know it.]
05. Sirius' Death
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved into a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch...
And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 806
[Completely heartbreaking and just abrupt in the book,
and it's completely heartbreaking in the movie as well.
I don't care, but Harry's silent scream along with the music killed me.]
04. Diagon Alley
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.
The brick he had toched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."
He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall."
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 71
[It's a bit like when Harry sees the Hogwarts Express for the first time, but this is his first proper
time being in the wizarding world. Everything is just shining and bright and just ace on how you'd expect the madness of the wizarding world to be.]
03. Yer a wizard, Harry
"Ah, go boil your heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.
"I'm a what?" gasped Harry.
"A wizard, 'o course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum and dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."
Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green ink to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 50-51
[Does this really need to be explained?]
02. Sectumsempra
And Harry realized, with a shock so huge it seemed to root him to the spot, that Malfoy was crying-actually crying-tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin. Malfoy gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Harry staring at him over his shoulder.
Malfoy wheeled around, drawing his wand. Instinctively, Harry pulled out his own. Malfoy's hex missed Harry by inches, shattering the lamp on the wall beside him; Harry threw himself sideways, thought Levicorpus! and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked the jinx and raised his wand for another -
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, page 522
[I promise this isn't due to my bias towards Draco! This is just truly a beautiful scene.
The movie perfectly conveyed the feeling of the entire scene for me. Tom's acting is brilliant. The almost monochrome look is gorgeous.
With the two of them dueling you can feel the dislike and animosity and sexual tension and the magic. Just so good.]
01. Hogwarts
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
[...] And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 111-112
[This doesn't need explaining.]
-Please do not take and credit as your own.
-Please do not repost to other sites.
-Comments are lovely.
-Watch potioned if you like my work.
-Thank you!
Brain twins/triplets: rosamondandcats & spectrespecs
Fandom: Harry Potter
Topic: 10 Scenes that Best Capture the Spirit of the Books
insert picspam title here Harry Potter and the 10 Scenes that Best Capture the Spirit of the Books
Well, if you still haven't read the books or seen the movies, there may be spoilers.
Not everybody is going to agree with the scenes I chose. You have to admit that us Harry Potter fans are quite particular about the way our favourite parts of the books are treated in the films, and there is always a wide array of opinions on every bit. These ten scenes to me not only depicted the corresponding passage well, but they also captured the entire essence of the scene from the way in the book you could almost feel the slow movement of a character as they turned around to how you envisioned the gleaming or grungy enviornment they were in. Of course, they most importantly, captured the spirit of the Harry Potter books (or at least they do to me). And I nearly pulled out my hair trying to choose the scenes! To me a scene does not simply capture the spirit by getting everything down to the last comma of the excerpt from the book, but just the entire feeling. For me, these ten scenes did it. I attempted to give a small explanation about why I chose each scene, but I'm slightly a mess at trying to convey my thoughts; therefore, I sound crazy. Plus, I was writing them at some ungodly hour after working on chemistry homework. Either way, enjoy!
Also, all the page numbers are from the American hardcover books.
10. The Shrieking Shack
BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.
"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."
Black stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 359
[The movies may not have entirely done the Marauders' storyline as well as some of us may have hoped,
but I feel like the Shrieking Shack scene did a fair job in conveying the animosity that existed between Snape, Lupin, and Sirius.
It captured one of the things I feel is pretty reoccurring in the series: long-lasting rivalries.]
09. Tom Marvolo Riddle
"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."
"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."
He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 313-314
[I regard this as one of the "oh shit!" moments that you have the first time you read the books. Definitely at least slightly surprising.
I still remember the day the movie came out and people in the theatre gasped whenever the whole reveal took place.
Plus, Christian Coulson achieved the right amount of creepy.]
08. Lord Voldemort Rises Again
The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry... and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils...
Lord Voldemort had risen again.
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 643
[So, Voldemort's back. Oh. shit! Again, just beautifully done. There's almost a softness to the way Voldemort returns
that complements the eerie gruesome way it is depicted in the book.]
07. Emotional Range of a Teaspoon
A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode."
"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her quill again.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 459
[The scene in the book may have had a different end, but I appreciate the fact that David Yates or
whoever decided on this chose the take when the trio began laughing.
It's just a good scene that really shows the friendship and and the whole trioness of the trio.]
06. Platform 9 ¾
He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - learning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash -
It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes.
A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 93
[Harry's second proper encounter with the wizarding world comes off as bright and colourful as you imagined it would while reading.
The engine gleams and Harry's smile is as big as yours when you read it. You know it.]
05. Sirius' Death
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved into a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch...
And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 806
[Completely heartbreaking and just abrupt in the book,
and it's completely heartbreaking in the movie as well.
I don't care, but Harry's silent scream along with the music killed me.]
04. Diagon Alley
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.
The brick he had toched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."
He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall."
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 71
[It's a bit like when Harry sees the Hogwarts Express for the first time, but this is his first proper
time being in the wizarding world. Everything is just shining and bright and just ace on how you'd expect the madness of the wizarding world to be.]
03. Yer a wizard, Harry
"Ah, go boil your heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.
"I'm a what?" gasped Harry.
"A wizard, 'o course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum and dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."
Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green ink to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 50-51
[Does this really need to be explained?]
02. Sectumsempra
And Harry realized, with a shock so huge it seemed to root him to the spot, that Malfoy was crying-actually crying-tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin. Malfoy gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Harry staring at him over his shoulder.
Malfoy wheeled around, drawing his wand. Instinctively, Harry pulled out his own. Malfoy's hex missed Harry by inches, shattering the lamp on the wall beside him; Harry threw himself sideways, thought Levicorpus! and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked the jinx and raised his wand for another -
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, page 522
[I promise this isn't due to my bias towards Draco! This is just truly a beautiful scene.
The movie perfectly conveyed the feeling of the entire scene for me. Tom's acting is brilliant. The almost monochrome look is gorgeous.
With the two of them dueling you can feel the dislike and animosity and sexual tension and the magic. Just so good.]
01. Hogwarts
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
[...] And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 111-112
[This doesn't need explaining.]
-Please do not take and credit as your own.
-Please do not repost to other sites.
-Comments are lovely.
-Watch potioned if you like my work.
-Thank you!