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Despite some confusion with the timeline – which happens a lot with JK Rowlings’ books – June 30th was a momentous day in Harry Potter history. A dark, terrible, and momentous day. It marked the single most significant change in the second war against Voldemort, and easily the Dark Lord’s biggest victory. In both the book and, particularly, the movie adaptation, the day was also very much the most difficult part of Harry Potter for fans to experience. More so than any other death or near-death, the climax of The Half-Blood Prince left an emotional tear through the fanbase that still resonates now, and in-universe, that fateful day fell on June 30.
I’m talking, of course, of the death of Dumbledore, but the greatest trick of Rowlings’ most memorable bit of writing was that everything that led to the fatal moment made the Hogwarts legend’s death feel like a relief. At the time, it felt perverse, and in hindsight, knowing what we now know about Severus Snape – and particularly his relationship with Dumbledore – the Killing Curse is even more traumatic. But really, the darkest part of Harry Potter came earlier, when Dumbledore took Harry on a grim adventure to hunt a Horcrux, and forced the young boy to agonizingly force-feed him the Emerald Potion, otherwise known as the “Drink of Despair,” to uncover the locket Horcrux. It is a perfectly written moment, deeply harrowing, and it was Michael Gambon’s finest moment in the movies.
HBO’s Remake Will Struggle to Outdo the Movie’s Cave Sequence
The only mistake the movies made in adapting Dumbledore and Harry’s journey to the seaside cave (and everything that followed) was cutting Harry’s interaction with Professor Trelawney, which ultimately makes him witnessing Snape killing Dumbledore even more painful. In the book, Trelawney reveals Snape heard the prophecy and reported back to Voldemort, effectively sealing the Potters’ fates. That added betrayal is compounded not long after when Dumbledore insists Snape kill him to save Malfoy and as an act of mercy, but of course, Harry is unaware and sees his mortal enemy kill his mentor. HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter remake can reinstate that scene and add to an already stunning sequence, but even with that change, the series will struggle to match the quality of the movie’s take on Dumbledore’s self-determined torture and death.
For anyone who had read the book before the cave scene, the dread was already palpable, but Gambon’s incredible performance turned Dumbledore – an otherwise unquestionable pillar of strength and resolve – into a vulnerable child. Having just lost one father figure, Harry was forced to do the unthinkable and put another through hell, even as he begged for it to be over. Dumbledore comes across as a wretched, tragic figure, and the sight remains burned into my mind, so many years later. For it to then be immediately followed by the Inferi attack, for which Dumbledore rallies, and then the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, which spells his tragic end, is seriously incredible storytelling. Putting the reader in Harry’s position, it’s all completely overwhelming, and when HBO remakes it, it could well be the single most impressive episode of the entire show.
And it’s still not over at that point: Snape killing Dumbledore is almost overlooked in his own story because of what it means to Harry. But Dumbledore was Snape’s closest ally, and most powerful protector. He had to be pleaded with to cast the curse, and Alan Rickman’s performance in that moment in the movies is a masterclass. The fact that he then keeps up the ruse of being loyal to Voldemort as Harry confronts him is beautifully nuanced. And then, the trauma ends on the most enduring image: of all of Dumbledore’s allies raising their wands to honor his life, without Snape able to join in because of the weight of his painful secret responsibility. Rowling may not be universally praised as a writer, but here, she caught lightning in a bottle.
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