- ‘Mysterious thing, time.’ This Albus Dumbledore quote has always been one of my favourites from the Harry Potter franchise, and the fact that this reunion begins with it, is only reassuring me that I am going to be embarking on a nostalgic ride!
- Oh my god, it’s London and for some reason, I’m already teleported to the 2000s where it all began.
- There is a big smile on my face as the ‘Return To Hogwarts‘ letter appears on the screen, and my reaction is exactly the same as Hermione Granger’s (Emma Watson).
- It’s the Great Hall, where A LOT happened! The theme music and the setup is literally giving me goosebumps.
- It’s 20 years, the cast has all grown up, but why is it that I only remember their teenage faces! (I already think I’m going to cry by the end of it)
- ‘The Boy Who Lived’ Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), is walking down the Diagon Alley and it literally feels like I am walking with him. #NotEvenKidding
- Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) says, ‘Harry Potter is such a perfectly and intricately designed universe and I couldn’t agree more!
- What would have happened if Daniel’s parents didn’t allow him to audition for the role? Would we be okay with someone else playing THE part?! I can’t even imagine.
- Of course, you’ve earned this reunion Ron! Ask us, and trust us when we say this, we’ve all been waiting to see this reunion!
- When Emma said, ‘Hermione is just me,’ I believed her. I mean no one else could bring that kind of finesse to this character but Emma.
- Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) said, ‘I spent more time with you guys than I spent with my own kids.’ I think deep down I knew this because that’s the camaraderie he had in the films with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
- Besides Hogwarts, I always wanted to visit the Weasleys’ Burrow and when Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) said, ‘Being a Weasley was the fun part,’ it was relate max!
- While everybody had their own opinions about Lucius Malfoy (Jason Issacs), I personally loved his character. I mean, he was the perfect representation of the Malfoys –the pureblood, elite and non-inclusive family, completely opposite to the Weasleys. I’m so glad he didn’t end up playing Gilderoy Lockhart, the character he went to audition for. Like he said, ‘Thank god they did!’
- I am being super honest when I say that I strongly disliked Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). He was a bully, but over the years, I have only grown to pity him. I mean, if your father was Lucius, what were the chances? Not to forget, the cobra cane he carried. Yes Tom, I agree with you, your father Lucius was evil.
- Dobby (Toby Jones), you have no idea what you’ve given us with the character you essayed. After watching Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, I always wished for a dobby. That’s the impression Toby’s character cast on me. I even have fresh pair of socks ready to gift Dobby. I mean, who knows what the future holds.
- WHAT! That phoenix in the second part was a robot! I would have never guessed it!
- Yes, Rupert, Prisoner Of Azkaban (POA) was darker, and I am not going to deny, that when I saw the film, it took me a while to fathom that the characters were no longer kids.
- Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) may be a dark character at the start of POA, but the fatherly love he showed towards Harry throughout the series, actually got me quite emo. He gave Harry the paternal affection that the young wizard always missed and looking at this BTS, I see where it came from.
- The Triwizard Tournament was another favourite I had, and it actually took the magic in the Harry Potter films a notch up. The film, for sure, had the theatrical setup.
- Besides magic, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire actually showcased what teenagers go through when they are growing up, and their first-hand experiences with love. I remember, back then, the film was my reference point because I was of the same age and it was the peak hormones phase, like Daniel said. It was all about the flirting, the texts, the emojis but the only difference was that I wasn’t in the defence against the dark arts class, I was in my 9th grade.
- Just like Harry and Ron, I think all of us were shocked by how gorgeous Hermione looked when she went to the Yule Ball with Victor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski). Like Emma described it, it genuinely was the ‘duckling becoming the swan’ moment!
- This is a revelation! I didn’t know, Emma had a crush on Tom! The way she speaks about him, and his number 07 on the call sheet, it is so damn cute. In a parallel universe, Draco and Hermione are surely dating guys!
- Everything was going hunky-dory for the teenagers till their universe shifted and the man who mustn’t be named, Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), returned. He is one of the most powerful villains in the history of cinema and Ralph did a fantastic job as the Dark Lord. The husky voice, the snake like behaviour just suited him so well.
- Also, SPOILER ALERT, Ralph says Voldemort does have a nose. I have my doubts there, but I will take his word on it.
- The makers did shock us when Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) died in the fourth film and like they rightfully said, that was one of the biggest turns in the franchise because even we, as an audience, could gauge that things are about to turn bad now.
- While Voldemort is the real evil, another character that comes close to him is Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter). Daniel and Helena’s meeting at the Gringott’s Bank in the reunion instantly brings back the memory when Ron and Harry, with Hermione dressed as Bellatrix, enter the bank in the Deathly Hallows. Daniel actually wrote a love letter to Helena and wished he was born 10 years early. Wow, this reunion is actually spilling a lot of tea!
- Bellatrix has said sorry to Sirius for killing him and I can finally sleep peacefully tonight.
- Director David Yates, who helmed the last four films of the franchise, rightly summed up those parts when he called them, adult, thematic and a little darker. I, for sure, couldn’t agree more because I felt exactly that. The films actually went from being childish to now influencing darker events.
- I am so proud of Emma for opening up about the lonely phase she went through during The Order Of The Phoenix, and how she was considering never coming back, because the stress of being famous had got to her.
- Actor Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) actually manifested being a part of the Harry Potter series. She was J.K. Rowling‘s pen friend and I love the kind of vibe she brought to the films. Luna might be spacey like Evanna said, but she surely was one of the characters with a pure heart. Also, even though her character was strangely odd, the film actually taught us to accept our oddness and treat it like our super power. How cool is that!
- Yes Ron, even I didn’t believe that Harry and Ginny Weasley’s relationship would develop so much over the course of the films that Harry would literally become a Weasley! Tots agree.
- When Draco killed Dumbledore, just like the makers, even I saw a different side to the character which probably till now was missing. The scene before Dumbledore’s death showcases the inner conflict and struggle Draco is going thorough and Tom delivered that scene to the T. I did feel empathetic towards him.
- The part where the cast talks about the late actors, Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore Part 1 & 2), Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley), John Hurt (Garrick Ollivander), Helen McCory (Narcissa Malfoy) and Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape), is very emotional and actually got me in tears. Each actor has brought so much to the table that watching this reunion without them, just feels incomplete.
- After this emotional segment, the reunion does give the viewers time to take it all in and continue the Hogwarts journey with sweet memories in their hearts.
- To witness Ron and Hermione’s transition from friends to lovers, was quite a journey in itself. All that anticipation was worth the wait, and the actors totally felt every bit of that angst. Also, the entire preparation for ‘The Kiss’ was amaze.
- I have waited for years to know more about The Final Battle, and when the reunion begins the segment with Neville Longbottom (Mathew Lewis ), I get goosebumps. The way he spoke about how his character shaped him as a person, was so empowering.
- The last 10 minutes of this reunion are surely going to make you cry as they sum up the cast’s journey, everything they went through and how they became their characters in real life.
- I need tissues because I am already crying!
- And, it ends with my most favourite scene, Always!
This Harry Potter reunion is everything you wanted and wished for, and this New Year, Warner Bros Studio and HBO Max delivered it with the right kind of emotion, memories and so much to hold on to. It is a Happy New Year indeed!