One of the most beloved fictional worlds is the cinematic and magical universe of Hogwarts. The ‘Harry Potter‘ series, originally a novel series by J.K. Rowling, was brilliantly adapted into eight films. For decades, Harry and his friends have kept audiences captivated, from young children to adults. Now, it’s set for a TV adaptation.
The story begins with Harry, an orphan whose wizard parents were killed by the series’ main villain, Voldemort—also known as “You-Know-Who.” The central theme is the coexistence of a hidden magical world alongside that of ordinary humans. Yeah, we are the muggles who get to peek into this magical world. Wizards attend a school named Hogwarts. As Voldemort, a former student-turned-dark-wizard, plunges them all into darkness and chaos, our golden trio faces a series of trials to stop him and save everyone. So, along these fantastical plot lines, there are many twists no one saw coming. And, they unfolded brilliantly.
10. Ginny Opened The Chamber Of Secrets
‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ is packed full of drama and mystery. Hogwarts is plagued by strange acts and attacks as the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. This marks the beginning of Voldemort reclaiming his power. And it definitely is a major plot twist as we learn that Ginny Weasley was the one to open the Chamber of Secrets, albeit unknowingly. She gets enchanted by Tom Riddle’s diary, doing the Dark Lord’s bidding. By the end, Ginny loses complete control of her own actions, until Harry reaches to destroy the diary.
Related: How ‘Harry Potter’ Movies Failed Ginny Weasley
9. The Triwizard Cup Was A Portkey For Voldemort’s Return
The fourth part of the series, ‘The Goblet of Fire,’ was a major turning point. It marked the full-blown return of the Dark Lord, not just manipulations through his loyal servants and Death Eaters. The Triwizard tournament, which was supposed to be a game of triumph and entertainment, turned out to be quite the opposite. In the last scene, Harry and Cedric Diggory decide to take the cup together. However, they find out soon enough that the cup was actually a Portkey leading to none other than Voldemort himself. Upon the dark wizard’s orders, Pettigrew kills Diggory, and then Harry’s blood helps resurrect Voldemort in his full form.
8. Professor Moody Turns Out To Be Barty Crouch Jr.
We are well aware of the “cursed” remark regarding the position of the Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Professor Moody turns out to be, well, not him. Throughout ‘Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire,’ we see Professor Moody being a normal teacher, even helping out Harry during the Triwizard Tournament. However, Rowling very skillfully reveals at the end that Professor Moody is dead. And, Barty Crouch Jr. impersonated him while working with Voldemort to get Harry to the Triwizard Cup, which was actually a portkey for the big bad’s return.
7. Sirius Black’s True Legacy
Sirius Black first was mentioned early on for lending his bike to Hagrid. His character then mainly developed in ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban.’ Sirius was Harry’s dad’s best friend who fell into notoriety for betraying the Potters, leading to their death. He had been imprisoned at Azkaban for over a decade for the convicted murder of 12 muggles and also of Peter Pettigrew. As it later turns out, Sirius was actually a good person and had been framed by Pettigrew. Sirius then became Harry’s Godfather and the two developed a very close bond.
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6. Professor Quirrell Brought Voldemort To Hogwarts
The very first movie, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,’ introduces us to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. While they explore the world of magic and mystery, the movie also builds up a palpable alarm about its main villain. As audiences predict the eventual return of Voldemort, they never expect it to be so soon. When Harry goes to retrieve the sorcerer’s stone towards the end of the film, he finds the dim but delightful Professor Quirrell already waiting for him. As it turns out, he wasn’t alone. Voldemort’s presence at the back of Quirrell’s head is a sinister twist indicating how the darkness had been guiding Quirrell throughout.
5. Ron’s Pet Rat Scabbers Was Actually Peter Pettigrew
In ‘Prisoner of Azkaban‘, we get to know about Peter Pettigrew, and that he was the one to betray Harry’s parents. When Voldemort lost his powers, everyone thought that Pettigrew died a heroic death. But, that was a story concocted to save Peter. He was not dead but was actually living as a pet rat of the Weasleys. Peter was the main antagonist in the third edition of the novel, and also comes up in following editions till the ‘Deathly Hallows.’
4. The Revelation Of Dark Lord’s Horcruxes
In ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’ the concept of Horcruxes is revealed. The Pensieve is a magical device that can help one revisit memories. Dumbledore and Harry go through the Pensieve and discover a lot about the lost past of Voldemort, or more aptly, Tom Riddle. They also go through Professor Slughorn’s memories and find out that Voldemort had, in fact, split his soul into seven parts to gain immortality. This discovery of Horcruxes ignited hope of “You Know Who’s” defeat.
3. Snape Killing Dumbledore
One of the story’s major shocks was delivered by ‘Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.’ Dumbledore was one of the most powerful wizards and was dear to the fans. While Draco Malfoy was tasked by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore, the Slytherin lad was frightened out of his mind. It’s not particularly shocking that Draco was unable to cast the spell. The major twist was when at the end of the scene, Snape took it upon himself and muttered “Avada Kadavra,” finally killing Dumbledore. Another major bombshell: Snape was the Half-Blood Prince.
2. Dumbledore Knew About Harry’s Forthcoming Sacrifice
Dumbledore was one of the most powerful and respected wizards and seemed to be in Harry’s corner whenever the need arose. However, there are a few instances that, in retrospect, made us question our favorite mentor. As we see in ‘The Order Of The Phoenix,’ Dumbledore is a bit distant and unresponsive towards Harry. Following this, towards the middle of the ‘Deathly Hallows,’ Harry begins to ponder about some of his actions. Then when they meet at the “dreamy” platform nine-and-half, it is revealed that Dumbledore was always aware of Harry being the last Horcrux. And, Harry had to sacrifice his life in order for Voldemort to die.
Related: How Dumbledore Went From Being The Greatest Wizard To The Real Villain In ‘Harry Potter’
1. Snape’s Final Pensieve Memory
For most of the story, Snape had been a “partial villain” towards Harry and his hate towards him was very evident. Then, his support of the Dark Lord was revealed. The killing of Dumbledore by Snape further enhanced his dark persona. However, as the story approaches its climax, Snape’s real motivations are finally revealed. As he is killed by Voldemort, Snape asks Harry to take his tears to the Pensieve and see his memories one last time. As Harry does so, the biggest shock lands: Snape is not the monster everyone pinned him to be. With the aim of protecting Harry, Snape had been following Dumbledore’s orders throughout, including the killing of the headmaster. Snape also reveals to Harry that this was all due to Snape’s love for Harry’s mother, Lily Potter. After all this time? Always.
