One of the most fan-favorite fictional worlds is the cinematic and magical universe of Hogwarts. The ‘Harry Potter‘ series is a chain of novels by J.K. Rowling, adapted by David Heyman and team into eight brilliant films. Over the last 20-plus years, the characters of Harry and his friends have managed to keep us engaged. The London-based drama has succeeded in capturing audiences ranging from young children to adults.
The plot starts with Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe being an orphan as his wizard parents are killed by the series’ main villain Voldemort, popularly referred to as ‘You Know Who’. The main theme of the story is that, apart from normal humans, there is a secret world of wizards and magical creatures. These wizards attend a wizarding school named Hogwarts where they are taught magic. As a particular wizard-turned-villain named Voldemort creates a world of violence and death, Harry, along with his friends, goes through many events fighting against him and saving the world.
Best Plot Twists In ‘Harry Potter’
Voldemort Existing On The Back Of Professor Quirrell’s Head
The very first movie ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, introduces us to Harry and his friends and how they go about in the world of magic and mystery. As Harry is delighted with the drastic and sudden change in his life, 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 Professor Quirrell already waiting for him. However, as it turns out, he wasn’t alone. We get to know about Voldemort’s presence at the back of Quirrell’s head and how it had been guiding him throughout.
Ron’s Pet Rat ‘Scabbers’ Was Actually Peter Pettigrew
In ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’, we get to know of Peter Pettigrew, that he was the one to betray Harry’s parents to Voldemort. When Voldemort lost his powers, everyone thought that Pettigrew died. As it turns out, Peter 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’.
The Revelation Of Horcruxes Gave A Hope For The Defeat Of ‘The Dark Lord’
In ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, the concept of Horcruxes is revealed. The Pensieve is a magical device that can lead to memories being revisited. In this 6th part of the series, Dumbledore and Harry go through the Pensieve and discover a lot of past memories 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. This discovery gives hope of “You Know Who’s” defeat.
Sirius Black Was A Misinterpreted Character At The Beginning of ‘Harry Potter’
Sirius Black first appeared in the first part of the story where he was mentioned for lending his bike to Hagrid. His character then mainly developed in ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’. Sirius was first introduced as Harry’s dad’s former best friend who later betrayed his parents, leading to their death. He had been serving imprisonment in 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 was also Harry’s Godfather and the two developed a very close bond as seen in the later parts.
The Triwizard Cup Was A Portkey To Ensure Voldemort’s Return
The fourth part of the series ‘The Goblet of Fire’ was a major turning point, with finally the return of the ‘Dark Lord’. The Triwizard tournament which was supposed to be a game of triumph and joy turned out quite the opposite. In the last scene, Harry and Cedric Diggory decided to take the cup together. However, soon enough they found out that the cup was actually a Portkey leading to none other than Voldemort himself. With Voldemort’s orders, Pettigrew killed Diggory. He then took Harry’s blood which finally led to the rise of Voldemort again.
Ginny Was The One To Open The Chamber Of Secrets
‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ is one that is packed full of drama and mystery. The Chamber of Secrets is a very important part of the whole story as it marks the beginning where Voldemort tries to rise again. And it definitely is a major plot twist as we learn that Ginny Weasley was the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. As the story unfolds, Tom Riddle takes control of Ginny completely via his diary, causing the whole chaos at Hogwarts.
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. As we already know, Draco Malfoy was tasked by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore. However, it’s not particularly shocking as a frightened Draco was unable to do so. 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 twist follows as Snape reveals to Harry that he is the ‘Half-Blood Prince’.
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. It is hence no surprise that Professor Moody turns out to be, well, not him. Throughout 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 actually Barty Crouch Jr. working with Voldemort to get Harry to the Triwizard Cup, which was actually a portkey.
Dumbledore Knew About Harry’s Forthcoming Sacrifice
Dumbledore was one of the most powerful and respected wizards, and people widely accept this. However, there are a few instances that can lead to having a few doubtful questions about our favorite mentor. As we see, in “The Order Of The Phoenix”, Dumbledore seems a bit distant and unresponsive towards Harry. Following this, towards the middle of the ‘Deathly Hallows‘, Harry begins to question some of his actions. Then, towards the end, 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.
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 added to his dark side. However, in the last part, the true identity of Snape is 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, it is finally revealed to him that Snape was not the monster he had thought 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 motivated by Snape’s love for Harry’s mother, Lily Potter.
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