Top 10 Harry Potter Battles

In what is the first proper wand-to-wand encounter between Harry and The Dark Lord, we gather in a graveyard, following the treacherous Triwizard Tournament. Resurrected and ready to finish what he started, Voldemort comes at Harry swinging, and before we know it they’re both locked in a Prior Incantato spell and the ghosts of Voldemort’s past victims make an appearance. Not only is the battle itself memorable, but it’s everything that goes with it - Harry’s parents, Wormtail slicing off his hand, Cedric Diggory's death! It’s a frenzy of drama.

We’ve seen these two grow up together. We’ve watched them bicker and somewhat playfully duel in “The Chamber of Secrets” - and it’s that history that makes this encounter so enthralling. With Harry hunting down the scheming Malfoy to the toilets, they both engage in what’s probably the closest thing to a classic shoot out the franchise has to offer. But it doesn't just end with one of them harmlessly being shunned aside. Harry inflicts Snape’s own brutal Sectumsempra curse, a spell that simulates a slashing action. Bloody and beaten, Malfoy needs Snape to come to his rescue.

For this entry we head to the headquarters of Dumbledore’s army aka The Room of Requirement. Chasing after a horcrux, Harry goes head-to-head with Malfoy and co. with Ron and Hermione chiming in just in time. Spells fly - as do chairs - a giant snake is summoned and waves of fire crash down, burning everything in their path. Eventually an exciting broomstick rescue takes place and our Gryffindors, emerge victorious. Varied and fast-paced, it’s a perfect example of how the series can explode into life in a matter of moments.

Aww, remember Neville? The geeky wimp from the earlier films? Well, he’s grown up a fair bit since then and his brave face-off against an entire army is perfect proof of it. Playing gatekeeper to Hogwarts as The Snatchers plan to attack, Neville stands firm and proud and denies them entrance. And even when everything goes south, he still manages to take out numerous bad guys by exploding the famous wooden bridge leading to the castle. Sure, there was a protective dome to help him initially, but it still took guts. You go, Mr Longbottom.

There’s nothing stronger than a mother’s love - and Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange finds this out the hard way. Bellatrix takes fire at Ginny in Hogwarts, before Molly swiftly steps in the way to protect her daughter and avenge her son, famously stating… “Not my daughter, you bitch”. Giggling and smirking as usual, Bellatrix soon realises that she’s bitten off more than she can chew, with adrenaline-pumped, love-fuelled Molly promptly freezing her on the spot and shattering her to pieces. Parenting 101 folks. Glorious.

What does Harry Potter do when confronted with a dragon? He does what anyone else would, he runs like hell. Well, technically in this case, he flies. Tasked with defeating a fiery foe in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry takes us to the heights of Hogwarts for this Broomstick-singeing showdown. And he’s learnt a few things since his first flying lesson. Ducking, diving and sliding, Harry manages to dodge the dragon’s fiery breath before dismissing it on a bridge - then coolly swooping in to claim his golden prize.

Taking place in the depths of Hogwarts, this head-to-head sees Harry and Tom Riddle battle it out, only Riddle has an enormous Basilk snake in his corner. Blinded by Fawkes the phoenix, the snake stalks Harry through the sewers, following the sound of his footsteps in a truly terrifying ordeal. Harry then comes face-to-face with the vile reptile and stabs it in the head with a sword, whilst having one of its poisonous teeth impaled in his arm. Harry’s not even a teenager at this stage. What a badass.

Their soldiers have fought well, friends have fallen, horcruxes obliterated. There’s nothing left but for Harry and Voldy to settle it once and for all. Wrestling, falling, flying, scratching, and eventually crashing down and clashing with their wands, it’s this scuffle mixed with the multiple other battles going on in the background i.e. Neville defeating the horcrux Nagini, that make this confrontation truly epic. Time stands still. We’re not quite sure what’s happened. Or who’s won. And then a withered Voldemort reveals all.

On a mission to save Sirius Black, team Harry enters The Department of Mysteries only to be ambushed by Death Enters. Exchanging blows in the dark, eerie, labyrinthine setting, each of them, including Neville and Lunar, stand their ground. They’re then captured, only to be liberated by Sirius along with many others - and then another criss-cross of spells ensues, unfortunately ending in Bellatrix using the Killing Curse on Sirius. It’s exhausting carnage that had Potter fans everywhere on the edge of their seats, and on the brink of tears.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

Snape vs Dumbledore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009)

The Seven Potters
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1” (2010)

Death Eaters At The Burrow
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009)

An unstoppable force, an immovable object. This had to be number one. Taking place just moments after the death of Sirius Black, Dumbledore comes to Harry’s rescue to exchange fisty cuffs with Voldemort. Oh yes. Acting as a physical barrier between them, Dumbledore proves he is just as powerful as The Dark lord, easily dismissing his fiery serpent and turning a barrage of deadly glass into sand, occasionally turning back to Harry to nudge him back into cover. It’s a true clash of magical heavyweights. And it finally proves to us, Dumbledore does mean business.