This list contains major spoilers!
Summary
TheHarry Pottermovie franchise boasts emotional depth through powerful dialogue and gripping performances. The three young guns, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, give viewers plenty of food for thought via profound words. Seasoned witches and wizards, namely Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape, sacrifice everything for the good side.
Dumbledore and Snape die, while McGonagall ends up serving Hogwarts as Headmistress. TheHarry Pottermovies are a storehouse of engaging quotes, but here aresome impactful onesthat tug at the heartstrings.
“I Did My Waiting! Twelve Years Of It! In Azkaban!”
The Prisoner Of Azkaban
This particular quote by Sirius Black at the Shrieking Shack is a step towards establishing his innocence in the murders of James and Lily Potter. Sirius, the title character, is in a pitiful state and subject to a manhunt. He served twelve years in the notorious Azkaban. This wrongful conviction goes all the way back to the Halloween night of 1981, and the following day, i.e., November 1.
One of the Maraudersand the Potters' Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, sold them to the Dark Lord and paved the way for their deaths. The Killing Curse aimed at baby Harry rebounded, causing Voldemort’s disembodiment and the splintering of his soul into a new Horcrux. The following day, when cornered on a busy street by another one of their friends, Sirius, Pettigrew loudly blamed the treachery on him and used an explosive curse to escape through the sewers in his rat Animagus form. He faked his death, and Sirius was subsequently thrown into Azkaban for murdering Pettigrew and 12 Muggles, and tortured all this while being innocent. 12 years later, Sirius breaks free and narrates his ordeal in front of the Golden Trio, and Peter, disguised as Ron’s pet, Scabbers.
“Besides People Like Me. Well, Let’s Just Say I’m Used To It By Now.”
Remus Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts in The Prisoner Of Azkaban, has experienced ordeals throughout his life as he is a werewolf. He smiles through pain, and Harry and his classmates take to him. Hermione takes notice of things amiss, such as his missing classes, and has known about his condition ever since Professor Snape set an essay on Werewolves.
In the books, the whole school gets to know aboutProfessor Lupin’s condition, thanks to Professor Snape. Lupin resigns, fearing parental outcry and the harm it could cost Dumbledore’s position and reputation. Then, to top it all, Lupin isn’t in good shape when Harry goes to see him. He acknowledges how the nature of his condition hampers just about everything he sets out to do.
“My Mother Did That After I Ran Away. Charming Woman.”
The Order Of The Phoenix
A truly selfless man, Sirius offered up his ancestral house, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London, to Dumbledore to be used as headquarters for the Order. InThe Order of the Phoenix, he gets a chance to show Harry his image, burnt off the Black family tapestry displayed in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. By the time ofThe Order of the Phoenix,Sirius had endured multiple traumas, and his godson Harry was his only true family.
Sirius belonged to a family of pure-blood wizards known for their prejudice towards Muggles, Muggle-borns, Squibs, and so-called Blood traitors. His mother, Walburga, was a pure-blood elite and was disappointed in him for not adhering to the Black family’s views on pure-blood supremacy. He ran away at 16, following which Walburga burned off his image on the tapestry, but the Potters took him in.
“When All This Is Over, We’ll Be A Proper Family. You Will See.”
In the same conversation as the entry above, Sirius admitted that Harry reminded him of James. Harry battled numerous internal conflicts at the time, which Sirius helped him work through. He hoped he and Harry could live togetheronce his name was cleared.
Sirius' earnest wish never came true. He was also the closest thing Harry had to a family, but even that didn’t last. His death during the battle at the Department of Mysteries left Harry devastated.
“Such A Beautiful Place… To Be With Friends… Dobby Is Happy To Be With His Friend… Harry Potter.”
The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The mortally wounded Dobby makes this heartbreaking admission right after he rescues Harry and his friends from the Malfoys. He was once bound to the Malfoys, but gained his freedom, thanks toHarry’s clever trick with the sockat the end ofThe Chamber of Secrets.
Dobby ultimately gave his life protecting Harry. His parting words encapsulate his loyalty to the wizard. They sum up his journey—from serving Death Eaters to breaking free and finally dying in the service of his friend.
“Look At Me. You Have Your Mother’s Eyes.”
The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Snape’s dying words are just as harrowing as Dobby’s, and they come at a critical juncture in the story. After Voldemort orders Nagini to kill Snape, Harry kneels beside him and watches him tremble.
In his last moments, Snape reveals the truth that defines his tenure at Hogwarts: his unrequited love for Harry’s mother, Lily. He directs Harry to collect the silvery substance—his memories. Asthe last of his life slips away, he asks Harry to look at him just so he can get a glimpse of Lily’s eyes. Snape quietly admits that Harry inherited his mother’s eyes, and with that, he dies a painful death.
“You’ve Kept Him Alive So He Can Die At The Proper Moment. You’ve Been Raising Him Like A Pig For Slaughter.”
Snape’s truth comes to light when Harry pours his memories into the Pensieve and dives in. He witnesses everything —younger iterations of Snape and his mother, their budding friendship, and Petunia’s jealousy. He also sees their time at Hogwarts, the telling of the Prophecy, and Snape’s confidential meetings with Dumbledore, among other things.
In one of the scenes,Snape confronts Dumbledoreabout his motive for protecting Harry. He is displeased when Dumbledore confirms that “Yes, he [Harry] must die” at Voldemort’s hands. Snape unleashes a barrage of questions, accusing the Headmaster of raising Harry for slaughter. His heroism and selflessness shine through in this scene, making his death more heartbreaking in retrospect.
“Always.”
When Dumbledore questions Snape’s sudden affection for Harry, the latter conjures a silver doe — the same Patronus as Lily’s — symbolizing his undying love. This is the answer to Dumbledore’s question that, after all these years, his love for Lily indeed hasn’t faded.
Snape’s “Always” is the most essential expressionof his character. Beneath the layers of being a double agent, a brilliant wizard, and Dumbledore’s ally, he remains the person who loved Lily with all his heart.
