If you know me, you’d know that I love Harry Potter. I’ve rewatched all the Harry Potter films and adore the Harry Potter cast. Today, I’ll be taking that love to a new level by talking about the coolest thing that several Harry Potter characters have done in the films (and books). Let’s get into it.
Harry Potter: Learning A Full Patronus At 13
I know. It’s hard to pick just one singular thing that Harry Potter has done in his series. I mean, he literally killed the Dark Lord. That’s pretty cool. But to me, I have to say that mastering a patronus spell at just 13 is even cooler. That’s a super high-level spell that really takes a lot of concentration to do, and while it took time, he accomplished it within a year. Super impressive.
Albus Dumbledore: Disappearing With Fawkes
Albus Dumbledore is pretty hard to beat in terms of coolness, and while he has plenty of great moments, one of my personal favorites was when he used his phoenix, Fawkes, in order to vanish from being arrested by the ministry. He claps, and then ‘poof,’ he’s gone in a burst of flame. Kingsley said it best – he’s got style.
Arthur Weasley: Being An Awesome Wizard And Surviving A Deadly Attack
I feel like Arthur Weasley was side-tracked a lot in the films, but the single coolest thing he ever did was live. He was attacked viciously in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so much so that he had to go to the hospital right after. But he came out still kicking, and I have to give him props for that.
Narcissa Malfoy: Lying To Voldemort
Narcissa quite possibly did one of the most incredible things anyone in the series has ever done – she lied about Harry being dead to Voldemort. I’m not sure she really cared about Harry's safety – more for the safety of her son – but she still paved the way for Harry to stay alive and take down Voldemort later on.
Hermione Granger: Literally Everything She Ever Did
I’m pretty sure there have been so many times in Harry Potter that if Hermione hadn’t been around, something terrible would have happened, which is why her coolest thing is just being her, the brightest witch of her age. Whether it’s learning how to make a polyjuice potion, creating a camp out of a bag, or using her incredible mind, Hermione is just that girl.
Luna Lovegood: Fixing Harry’s Nose
As someone who connected with Luna as a kid (I even have her wand), I wished we saw her so much more in the movie and her quirky nature. She’s done a few cool things, but the best was when, in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she’s able to fix Harry’s nose. I mean, granted, in the grand scheme of things, that feels simple, but for a sixteen-year-old, to be able to do that is pretty impressive.
Ginny: That Reducto Curse
I felt that Ginny’s character in the movie was disappointing, and so did the actress. It felt like she wasn’t as developed as the others. But she did have some incredible moments, and one of my personal favorites is when she casts a Reducto curse, and it’s so powerful it causes a whole room of prophecies to smash. I mean, it’s a bit of a mess, but still a really cool moment.
Cedric Diggory: Aid Harry In The Triwizard Tournament
While Robert Pattinson went on to star and become super famous for the Twilight movies, his first role to me will always be Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. One of the coolest things he did was help Harry in the Triwizard Tournament. Literally, everyone was against Harry, even Ron, but Cedric gave him clues on what to do despite being his direct competitor. That’s a cool guy.
Ron Weasley: Saving Harry From The Locket
I’m going to be honest and say that Ron is one of those characters that I genuinely believe would do so well if developed adequately because he’s great in the books. In the movies, he’s… alright, but there are some cool moments. My personal favorite is when Ron saves Harry from the locket trying to kill him in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 with the Sword of Gryffindor. It's a rare Ron win.
Hedwig: Sacrificed Herself For Harry
I don’t want to talk about it much without crying. In the Battle of the 12 Potters, Hedwig sacrificed herself and took a killing curse to save Harry, and we watched her fall. She was an excellent owl—a good one.
Remus Lupin: Teaching A Class While Also Dealing With Being A Werewolf
Yeah, I feel like no one talks about this. Remus Lupin is probably one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers because he’s knowledgeable and kind, but you want to know what else he is? A freaking werewolf who is also teaching. That, in itself, is so cool! If it hadn’t been for everything that happened at the end of the year, I think he would have stayed.
James And Lily Potter: Sacrificing Themselves For Their Son
There’s genuinely no other love like a parent’s love, and it’s because of that love that we got the entire Harry Potter series as a whole. Both James and Lily sacrifice their own lives to protect their son – and it’s because of that love that he even survives in the first place and gets his scar.
Mad-Eye Moody: Lead The Mission To Get Harry From The Dursleys
Mad-Eye is one of those characters that you either like or hate depending on the day because he can be annoying. Still, one of the best examples of him doing something cool was leading the mission to get Harry away from the Dursleys in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. He later died in the battle, but he still led the charge.
Draco Malfoy: Fixing A Vanishing Cabinet
I’m going to be very vulnerable with you right now and admit that I had the hugest crush on Draco as a kid, so I was entirely devoted to this man. But when thinking of the cool things he’s done, it runs dry because we only really see more of what he’s going through in later movies. For this, I picked him to fix the vanishing cabinet for the Death Eaters. The boy was under a ton of stress, and it’s not necessarily a good thing, but the fact that he was able to do it is pretty impressive.
Peter Pettigrew: Staying As A Rat For Several Years
This isn’t really a great thing to do, obviously, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and Peter Pettigrew's staying as a rat for several years is pretty impressive and, dare I say, cool. I’m not really sure how he did it for so long.
Hagrid: Somehow Taming An Entire Hippogriff
Hagrid is a character that feels at home when you watch him. He’s big and looks like he gives the best hugs. And his coolest thing is that he’s able to tame a whole Hippogriff. These majestic creatures really aren’t supposed to be rideable, but because of how excellent Hagrid is at his job, Harry is able to befriend one of them. That’s cool.
Bellatrix Lestrange: Escaping Azkaban
Out of all the side villains in Harry Potter, Bellatrix Lestrange was one that a lot of fans liked, whether for Helena Bonham Carter’s excellent performance or the fact that she is just pure crazy. She hasn’t done a lot of cool things, per se, but one of her best moments is when she gets out of Azkaban, which is pretty much inescapable for most of the franchise. Granted, she got help from an explosion, but it still works.
Dobby: Sacrificing Himself For Harry And His Friends
Dobby was a free elf all the way up to his final days. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, he sacrifices himself in order to get Harry and his friends out of Malfoy Manor and to safety, taking Bellatrix’s dagger into his chest during the whole ordeal.
Fred And George Weasley: Making A Mockery Of Umbridge During Testings
There have been some hilarious moments from Fred and George. Still, in terms of their coolest moment, when they absolutely make a mockery out of Umbridge and her tests in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when they fly in on their brooms and create magical fireworks and everything else. Just awesome.
Professor Snape: Working As A Double Spy
I mean, obviously. Look, I’m sort of iffy on Snape in general because I still don’t think he should have been as cruel to Harry as he was. However, there’s no denying the coolness of his working as a double spy for Voldemort and the Order. That takes a lot of skill and gut, and I have to give it to him.
Sybill Trelawney: Unknowingly Delivered The Prophecy
Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney was certainly a great casting pick, and she knocks it out of the park. The character gives her coolest moment when she unknowingly delivers the prophecy for Harry that he would follow years later. Granted, she doesn’t really remember doing so, but it happens regardless.
Molly Weasley: Killing Bellatrix Lestrange
“Not my daughter, you..."
When I tell you, the theater screamed when Molly Weasley uttered those words and took on Bellatrix Lestrange in that final fight in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A few flicks of her wand, and then Bellatrix was gone. Now, that’s what we call a mother.
Charlie Weasley: Tame Dragons
We don’t ever see Charlie Weasley in the actual movies, and he’s not a primary character at all. But I have to say that his coolest thing is that he literally tames dragons. And these aren’t the friendly, rideable dragons you’d see in How to Train Your Dragon. No, these are vicious creatures that, somehow, Charlie is able to subdue. That’s cool.
Professor McGonagall: Fighting Snape
Okay, so Professor McGonagall is cool overall. May Dame Maggie Smith rest in peace because she was the ultimate choice to play her. But if I had to pick a single cool moment from her, watching her fight against Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is epic. Taking him on was just everything I needed – that and the Statues scene (you know the one).
Garrick Ollivander: Giving Harry His Wand
I mean, obviously. If Harry had never gotten his wand, he would never have gone to Hogwarts, and we would never have had this crazy adventure. Of course, I’m going to put that here. Ollivander somehow kept his wand shop open for decades before the war – I have to give him props.
Sirius Black: Taking On All Of Those Death Eaters
Sirius Black, in general, is a cool dude, and I think he does a lot of cool things, but for me, I’d have to pick his last battle when he takes on all those Death Eaters alongside Harry and the Order. It doesn’t end well, but it’s still a cool moment.
Lord Voldemort: Splitting His Soul
Okay, so Voldemort splitting his soul into seven different parts isn’t a good thing by any means. But I will openly say that it is cool. That’s a level of dark magic that I don’t think anyone had ever come close to before him, and it’s something that I will openly say is an exciting concept.
Nymphadora Tonks: Can Change Her Appearance At Will
I wished we saw more of Tonks in the movies because I loved her character so much. Honestly, her cool thing is just her ability to change her appearance to anything she wants. She was born a Metamorphmagus, which means that she can change the way she looks at will. That’s pretty awesome.
Neville: Killing Nagini
Neville is one of those characters who, with his impact, really ended up becoming a huge part of the series later on, and he grew into himself a whole lot more. His coolest moment is certainly when he kills Nagini in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, which is the last Horcrux that had to be destroyed before Voldemort could officially be killed. Legendary behavior.
Barty Crouch Jr.: Impersonates Moody
This isn’t necessarily a good thing, but I have to admit that Barty Crouch Jr. impersonating Mad-Eye Moody for a whole year in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is quite impressive and pretty cool. He still got what was coming to him, thankfully, and he’s still a massive jerk, but it’s cool, regardless.
Viktor Krum: Playing In The Quidditch World Cup
Viktor Krum is one of those characters who had such an impact on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but we don’t hear much from him again in the series. Even so, his cool thing is that he literally played in the Quidditch World Cup while also being a student at Durmstrang. Talk about an athlete. That’s cool.
Horace Slughorn: Transforming An Entire House
Horace Slughorn was a wild card in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Still, he did have some cool moments, and one of my favorite is actually the first time we meet him when he’s able to completely clean up, mend, and make a house beautiful again when Harry and Dumbledore arrive there.
There are so many other Harry Potter characters out there I could talk about, but these are just some of my favorite and their cool moments. Now I feel like a Harry Potter marathon.