Harry Potter: Best Quotes That Are Only In The Books
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Making books into movies is never easy, there are always things missed out, things that can’t translate from the written to the visual medium, and scenes which couldn’t be fit in due to the time constraints of a feature film.
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The Harry Potter movies were no different. So many great scenes, characters and lines that filled readers with laughter, inspiration and joy were left out of the final movies due to the constraints of cinema and which many fans have sorely missed. With that in mind, here are some great quotes that were only in the Harry Potter books.
Rita Skeeter: “I Wonder If You Could Give Me A Quick Word?” “Yeah, You Can Have A Word,” Said Harry Savagely. “Goodbye.”
Rita Skeeter’s savage squill scribbled so many falsehoods about Harry and his relationships in the run-up to the first task of The Triwizard Tournament, it is unbelievable to think she could have received anything but the cold shoulder from Harry after his performance against the Hungarian Horntail in The Goblet of Fire.
The ferocity of Harry’s retort was a long time coming, knocking Skeeter down a peg or two and putting a swift and decisive end to any further interview possibilities for the Daily Prophet reporter. She gives journalists a bad name.
“You, Unlike Me, Are A Git, So Get Out And Leave Us Alone.” – Harry Potter
Throughout the books, Harry has got his own back on Malfoy for his snide and offensive remarks about himself and his friends, but this retort in The Order of the Phoenix has to be one of the best. It’s always good to see Malfoy’s arrogance get its comeuppance, and his pride must have been hurting after Harry threw this comeback his way, followed swiftly by slamming the door in his face.
Malfoy: “You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments.”
“Yeah,” said Harry, “but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone.”
“We Did It, We Bashed Them, Wee Potter’s The One!”– Peeves
If there was ever a glaring omission from the films, it is the character of Peeves, the rampaging poltergeist who causes untold chaos around Hogwarts. Peeves is the source of many a magical if mischievous moment throughout the book series.
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One of his most memorable moments of mayhem is this little song he sings as he zooms around Hogwarts after the vanquishing of Voldemort in The Deathly Hallows. “We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter’s the one, And Voldy’s gone moldy, so now let’s have fun!”. Ron only adds to it by commenting, “it really captures the scope and tragedy, doesn’t it?”
“Wow, I Wonder What It’s Be Like To Have A Difficult Life?”- Harry Potter
Harry’s life has never been an easy one, to say the least. Since the moment he was born he has faced abusive family members, vindictive Ministry officials, and attempts on his life from Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort, not to mention all the other challenges that come from being The Boy Who Lived.
Yet in Order of the Phoenix, Hermione urges Harry not to go around picking fights with Draco, given that Draco was now a prefect, and with his new powers he could easily make Harry’s life “difficult.” Harry’s sarcastic response reminds Hermione that a difficult life would be nothing new to him, much to the amusement of his friends.
“There’s No Need To Call Me Sir, Professor” – Harry Potter
Book Harry was far more cutting and sassy than his character portrayed in the films. A prime example of this is an exchange with Severus Snape in The Half-Blood Prince. Harry was always Snape’s favorite target for a harsh comment or mockery. Mostly Harry just had to put up with it in fear of the consequences that Snape would be more than happy to inflict. Yet sometimes, enough was enough.
In Half-Blood Prince during Snape’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Snape asked Harry a question, to which he simply responded “yes.” Snape, feeling that Harry was not showing him the respect due to a teacher, reminded Harry of this by saying “yes, sir”. Harry, too angry to call Snape ‘sir’ responded “There’s No Need To Call Me Sir, Professor”. The detentions followed not far behind this sassy comeback.
Vernon: “Listening To The News! Again?” Harry: “Well It Changes Every Day You See.”
In another prime example of Harry’s sassiness, the Boy Who Lived roasts Uncle Vernon in The Order of the Phoenix. After catching Harry hiding under the living room window in order to listen to the News, he interrogates Harry as to his reasons, given that “there won’t be anything about your lot on there.”
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Harry’s cutting remarks are a tragic omission from the movies, and are Harry’s only way of getting his own back on his relatives who have oppressed him for years, even if it is in this small way.
“Have A Biscuit, Potter”– Minerva McGonagall
This quote reveals some of McGonagall’s soft interior after years of seeing her unbending firmness and strictness. Harry has just been given detention by Umbridge for shouting at her, calling her a liar and declaring in the middle of her class that Voldemort killed Cedric the previous year and has returned to full strength and is planning to take over the wizarding world.
Expecting to receive stern punishment from his Head of House, Harry is instead offered a biscuit. This is McGonagall’s subtle way of telling Harry that she supports and sympathizes with him and that she despises Umbridge and all that she stands for.
“Differences Of Habit And Language Are Nothing At All If Our Aims Are Identical And Our Hearts Are Open” – Albus Dumbledore
Despite his many horrible decisions regarding Harry’s upbringing and manipulation of his life, Dumbledore was still full of wisdom and delivered it often to his students in the darkest of times.
On the death of Cedric Diggory at the hands of Voldemort in The Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore speaks to the assembled Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students urging them to come together in spite of this tragedy. This quote from the headmaster reinforces his constant message; that of unity and love in the face of evil and darkness.
“If You Want To Know What A Man’s Like, Take A Good Look At How He Treats His Inferiors, Not His Equals” — Sirius Black
Although Sirius Black’s speech to Harry in Order of the Phoenix, was phenomenal to watch, this quote from Book Sirius would have given Gary Oldman’s character even greater depth.
While Sirius is talking to Harry, Ron and Hermione about the events of the Quidditch World Cup in The Goblet of Fire, Hermione criticizes Barty Crouch Sr. for sacking his House Elf Winky (another character missing from the movie). Ron tells her to give it a rest about Elves, but Sirius cuts him off, informing him that Hermione understands Crouch better than he does and that his actions towards his ‘inferiors’ reveal a serious flaw in his character.
“It Is The Unknown We Fear When We Look Upon Death And Darkness” — Albus Dumbledore
This is one of the best quotes from the Hogwarts’ Headmaster, which for some unknown reason did not make it into the movies. Not just a great quote, but a poignant lesson on life and the management of fear in the face of death this piece of wisdom was especially important for Harry.
In The Half-Blood Prince Harry knew the threat of death was ever-present, with Voldemort back in the open and carrying out public and gruesome attacks, and these words must have provided some solace to a teenager with heavy responsibilities on his shoulders
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