Before being scorned by some of her former fans for her transphobic stances, J.K. Rowling was a writer respected for both her boundless imagination and her absolutely biting sense of humor. While the Harry Potter films are not without humor, it's a shame they failed to capture the author's signature sense of humor. Let's take a look back at XXX hilarious scenes from the Harry Potter novels, each representing a facet of J.K. Rowling's comedic talent.
#1 The Dursleys' Ridicule
Orphaned at a young age, Harry Potter is forced to live with the Dursleys, who hate and mistreat him because he is a wizard. At the end of each school year, Harry is forced to return to 4 Privet Drive, to endure both the boredom and tyranny of this ridiculous trio. In the Harry Potter films, the Dursley family appears five times; And while the film adaptations have managed to emphasize the ridiculousness of these three deeply hateful characters, the novels illustrate this dimension even more.
In this respect, the beginning of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsis a textbook case of buffoonish impetuosity. When his spoiled, rude cousin rudely asks him for the frying pan, he replies crossly, "You forgot to say the magic word." This simple sentence "had a stunning effect on the rest of the family: Dudley gave a stifled cry and fell off his chair with a loud crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley let out a small shriek and clapped her hands over her mouth; and Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, the veins in his temples pulsing with fury."
For J.K. Rowling, the Dursleys' ridiculousness allows her to criticize both narrow-mindedness and moral complacency. of the British far right (we remember Aunt Marge who explained at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that the Dursleys were "an honest and hardworking family") and to be part of the English literary tradition. There is indeed an undeniable kinship between the Dursleys and other tyrannical families in British literature; we are thinking in particular of the Bennets in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the Reeds in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë or the Dombeys in Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.
#2 The phlegm of Minerva McGonagall
Professor Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration professor and Head of Gryffindor House, is the Vice-Headmistress of Hogwarts School. Authoritarian and fair, she has a particular affection for young Harry Potter, but does not hesitate to punish him if he disobeys the rules. On screen, she was played by the exceptional British actress Maggie Smith, who sadly passed away, who perfectly captured the character's personality. However, since the length of a film is not the same as that of a novel, the film adaptations of the Harry Potter cycle focus more on the students than on the teachers, who ultimately do not have much screen time. Inevitably, with reduced screen time, some of the teachers' most iconic scenes were not adapted.
A scene from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has remained famous as it illustrates both Minerva McGonagall's character and her relationship with the young wizard with glasses. While Harry has just had a heated argument with Professor Dolores Umbridge, who denied the return of Lord Voldemort, the latter sends the fifteen-year-old student to deliver a parchment to the Head of Gryffindor House.
– Is it true that you opposed Professor Umbridge?
– Yes, replied Harry.
– That you called her a liar?
– Yes
– You told her that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?
– Yes.
Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk and looked at Harry with a frown. Finally, she said:
– Have a biscuit, Potter.
Always very classy, Minerva McGonagall doesn't need to say much to express her feelings. She is the very embodiment of British composure. In this respect, we also remember her confrontation with Professor Umbridge, now Grand Inquisitor, during the traditional careers interview. To her colleague, who tried to interrupt her with untimely coughs in order to put Harry down, Minerva asked her curtly: "Can I offer you some cough syrup, Dolores?" And when the Grand Inquisitor pointed out that Harry's grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts had plummeted, Minerva retorted: "I should have been more explicit. He's gotten high marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts exams every time he's dealt with a competent teacher."
#3 Lee Jordan's comments
The twins George and Fred Weasley are among the main troublemakers at Hogwarts. Pranksters and unruly, they're up to no good and always looking for something new to do. While the two characters form a close-knit duo in the films, they're often accompanied by a third character in the novels: their classmate Lee Jordan, also a Gryffindor. As much of a joker as his two friends, Lee is also the commentator for the school's Quidditch matches. Indeed, Lee Jordan is particularly biased in his comments, and does not hesitate to praise the Gryffindor team (and flatter Angelina Johnson's beauty) or to insult the opposing teams, under the outraged reprimands of Minerva McGonagall. Thus, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Gryffindor has just scored another penalty against Slytherin, Lee shouts into the microphone: "THIRTY TO ZERO! SERVES YOU WELL, YOU BUNCH OF DIRTY CHEATERS..." And Professor McGonagall reminds him of his duties: "Jordan, be less biased in your comments."
#4 The Gilderoy Lockhart Questionnaire
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron and Hermione have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He's Gilderoy Lockhart, a best-selling bookseller whose charming smile barely conceals a deep narcissism. In truth, Gilderoy Lockhart is simply incompetent, in addition to being a con artist who has taken credit for other more talented witches and wizards.
In this respect, the questionnaire Lockhart distributed to his second-year students during their first class perfectly illustrates the content of his lessons.
"1) What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?
2) What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition ?
3) In your opinion, what is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?There were three pages of questions down to the last:
54) What is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would he consider the perfect gift?"
#5 The Prophecies of Professor Sybil Trelawney
Among the teaching staff at Hogwarts, Sybil Trelawney is a special case. Living secluded in her tower and only occasionally going down to the dining hall, she is little known to the students who do not attend her classes. Barely more popular than Professor Binns, a soporific ghost who teaches History of Magic, she has a reputation for being strange. And her annoying habit of predicting the brutal end of her students doesn't help matters! In his third year, Harry Potter is the subject of a deadly prediction from the professor with the big glasses.
So much so that the young wizard with the lightning scar ended up dreading "the hours spent in the stifling atmosphere of the tower where Professor Trelawney officiated". J.K. Rowling explains her hero's feelings: "He was tired of deciphering the meaning of bizarre shapes and various symbols while trying to remain indifferent to the tear-filled looks that Professor Trelawney gave him from her enormous eyes.""
And you, which scenes from the Harry Potter novels made you laugh the most? Feel free to tell us in the comments section. And if this article interested you, we encourage you to discover the three actors chosen to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in the HBO series commissioned by Warner and expected in 2027. In fact, the audition of the actress playing Hermione has leaked, and it has impressed many Internet users!
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