The Deathly Hallows Dance
I enjoy the little things. I tend to find deep meaning in even the smallest of scenes. In the 2010 film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, one of my favourite clips is one that contains no dialogue. It’s a scene that wasn’t found in Rowling’s book, but it is not at all out of place.
Feeling neglected, Ron leaves Harry and Hermione following a heated spat in the midst of their hunting horcruxes mission. This leaves Hermione heartbroken, as it’s clear that she has romantic feelings for Ron.
Harry is not the type of guy to be emotionally vulnerable. He is not someone who would sit down with Hermione and talk with her about her feelings. However, this doesn’t mean that Harry is oblivious. He notices that she leaves items every time they travel in hopes that Ron might decide to come back. He notices that she is depressed and on the verge of tears at any moment.
What is beautiful about this scene is Harry realizes he needs to do something but he doesn’t sacrifice who he is to do this. He tries to help Hermione in the best way he can that is genuine. It’s not a heart-to-heart talk but it still accomplishes something.
Harry spends a good 15 seconds sitting in his chair looking over at her. He knows what he has to do, walks over, and takes action. Why do I love this? Because when I put myself in Harry’s shoes, there is doubt within me that I would walk over to Hermione. It’s not an easy decision. There is risk involved. Certainly nothing like death but Hermione could reject his attempt to cheer her up. Maybe she will think that he’s making a romantic pass and get even more flustered. So, it’s a courageous decision by Harry. It is what a leader would do. What a true friend would do.
He calmly offers out his hand which Hermione accepts. He takes off the locket horcrux from her neck. He begins to swing her arms back and forth to the rhythm. Okay, cue the embarrassment. I’m kidding, of course. I mean, the picture of Harry dancing looks a little goofy but it’s genuine and it did the job because guess what – we see a little smirk from Hermione.
Have I mentioned the music yet? I can’t think of a better choice for the moment than O Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Two wizards with muggle lineage dancing to a muggle song. The lyrics about a train heading to a kingdom must bring a hint of nostalgia for the pair now realizing that they are adults and dealing with its associated difficulties.
Hey, little train! We are all jumping on the train that goes to the Kingdom. We’re happy, Ma, we’re having fun. It’s beyond my wildest expectation.
Harry proceeds to spin her, spin himself, pump water, and bring an incredibly uplifting tone to the dynamic in the tent. As the song fades out though, the joy leaves as quick as it came. They look at each other. Uh-oh. When screenwriter Steve Kloves saw the film, he described that you could hear a pin drop in the audience, because they were scared about where this was headed (Lannigan, 2021) You can’t watch this scene and say that there is nothing between them. But by the end, it becomes clear that it is not romantic, it is a connection between two friends, who have been though a lot together.
Hermione goes to sit back down, basically as if nothing has changed. The scene doesn’t change much, plot-wise. Hermione doesn’t get back to her normal self until Ron returns and they reconcile. So, how can this scene be so significant?
When we do something nice for others, especially a straight person to the opposite sex, people can be quick to assume it has romantic intentions. That’s why the theatre went quiet and got nervous, even though it ended up being an innocent friendly gesture. Harry had no selfish intentions in initiating the dance with Hermione. He didn’t want anything in return. He didn’t overstep. He didn’t push. This is a powerful lesson for all of us. We can uplift others without the expectation of receiving something back, especially romantic concessions.
As I mentioned before, Harry cheers Hermione up in the best way he can. And when you stick with being yourself, the authenticity of the action can have a larger effect than the action itself. Maybe Hermione really does want to talk about her feelings with someone. Harry has enough sense to know that he’s not that person. But by being his quirky self on the dancefloor, Hermione is truly relieved in the moment.
For much of his young life, Harry needed to be serious. He was the “Chosen One”, something you can’t take lightly. However, in this scene, Harry shows that he is dynamic. He can keep things light and loosen up when they need to be. It’s isn’t all-or-nothing – completely serious or completely frivolous. He lives in an ideal way that I would like to emulate – adapting to the needs of the situation.
It's clear I’m not the only one obsessed with this scene. Commenters for this clip have described it as the most normal scene in all of Harry Potter. It shows the pure emotion of two wizards finding the joy in doing something that involves no magic. While some count it as their favourite in all of cinematic history, you can’t deny that it is a masterpiece of a scene.