Awesome / Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

You Shall Not Pass

Book

• The group's OWLs probably count to at least some extent. Hermione nabs all Outstandings (except for one Exceeds Expectations in Defense). Harry gets an O in Defense, Es in Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Magical Creatures, and even Potions, and an A in Astronomy (which was interrupted by the attack on Hagrid), only receiving a Poor and Dreadful in Divination and History of Magic (the latter of which he collapsed halfway through). Ron also does similar (except receiving an E in Defense and a P in History). What especially stands out are Harry's and Ron's Potion grades given that they loathed the class.
• Dumbledore explaining, while having Harry accompany him, why Harry would probably not need to defend himself despite expecting danger, in three words:
  You're with me.
• He also sees through Slughorn's ruse with practically no effort, then plays him like a Stradivarius to get him to come back to Hogwarts. Admittedly, Slughorn had been in a hurry, but it's no small feat, either.
• Harry gets one at the beginning brushing off Romilda.
  Romilda: Why don't you join us in our car? You don't have to sit with them.
  Harry: (coldly) They're friends of mine.
  (Romilda Vane sulks away)
  Luna: They expect you to have cooler friends than us.
  Harry: You are cool. They didn't stand with me at the Department of Mysteries.
  Luna: That's a nice thing to say.
• Dumbledore literally putting the Dursleys in their place. Granted, he's not the first wizard to give the Dursleys grief, but he's the only one Vernon couldn't talk back to in any way. Even better, he did it all politely...except for that one moment when he got a little mad.
  • He never raises his voice, yet the Dursleys are absolutely terrified. What's more, it's the moment where Dudley finally questions his life and choices.
  Dumbledore: You have not done as I asked. You have never treated Harry as a son. He has known nothing but neglect and often cruelty at your hands. The best that can be said is that he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you (points to Dudley).
  (Dudley sat quietly in thought, wondering if he had ever been abused)
• Fleur: "I am good-looking enough for the both of us, I theenk!"
  • This could double as a Heartwarming Moment
• During Christmas, when Harry is celebrating at the Burrow, new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour comes by pretending that his assistant Percy Weasley wanted to join his family for the holidays. But when he suddenly asks Harry to accompany him outside for a stroll around the yard, he understands the real reason why Scrimgeour came by. And when outside, he eventually gets tired of him trying to get in his good spirits and lays into how much of a disappointment he is.
  Harry: I don't want to be used.
  Rufus: Some would say it's your duty to be used by the Ministry!
  Harry: Yeah, and others might say it's your duty to check that people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison. You're doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people, do you? Either we've got Fudge, pretending everything's lovely while people get murdered right under his nose, or we've got you, chucking the wrong people into jail and trying to pretend you've got "the Chosen One" working for you!
  Rufus: So you're not "the Chosen One"?
  Harry: I thought you said it didn't matter either way? (laughs bitterly) Not to you anyway.
  Rufus: I shouldn't have said that. It was tactless -
  Harry: No, it was honest. One of the only honest things you've said to me. You don't care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help convince everyone you're winning the war against Voldemort. I haven't forgotten, Minister... (shows him the words that Umbridge forced him to carve on his hand a year ago) I don't remember you rushing to my defense when I was trying to tell everyone Voldemort was back. The Ministry wasn't so keen to be pals last year.
  Rufus: (after a Stunned Silence) What is Dumbledore up to? Where does he go when he is absent from Hogwarts?
  Harry: No idea.
  Rufus: And you wouldn't tell me if you knew, would you?
  Harry: No, I wouldn't.
  Rufus: Well, then, I shall have to see whether I can't find out by other means.
  Harry: You can try. But you seem cleverer than Fudge, so I'd have thought you'd have learned from his mistakes. He tried interfering at Hogwarts. You might have noticed he's not Minister anymore, but Dumbledore's still headmaster. I'd leave Dumbledore alone, if I were you. (another Stunned Silence occurs)
  Rufus: Well, it is clear to me that he has done a very good job on you. Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you, Potter?
  Harry: Yeah, I am. Glad we straightened that out. (starts walking back to house)
  • That entire confrontation, really. He does exactly what Dumbledore did over a year ago - as subtly and politely as possible, tells the entire Wizarding government of Britain to get lost.
  • The straw that broke the camel's back was Harry finding out that Dolores Umbridge still had her job at the Ministry. Any organization that would still employ a horrible person like her is not one Harry wants to be a part of.
• Ron and Hermione: "You said to us once before, we had time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?" "We're with you whatever happens."
• Dumbledore, despite being weakened by drinking the potion that was between them and the Horcrux, summoning a massive wall of flame to ward off the Inferi attacking him and Harry. Dumbledore during that entire sequence. That wall of flame was more like an inferno.
  • And he does the whole thing non-verbally, after it's been established that non-verbal spells are quite a bit more difficult.
• Dumbledore's last CMOA: "No, Draco. It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."
• Harry's fight with Snape:
  Harry: Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, you coward—
  Snape: DON'T! CALL! ME! COWARD!
  • It's also one for Snape as he parried all of Harry's spells before he could even finish the incantations, talking calmly all the while like they're still in class. He even gave Harry tips.
    Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!
  • It should be noted that though this was one of the most one-sided duels in the series, Harry fought Snape with everything he had despite knowing that Snape is an extremely powerful wizard.
• After Deathly Hallows, Snape killing Dumbledore becomes a CMOA for both of them: Dumbledore, for laying the groundwork for Voldemort's final defeat, sacrificing his life along the way, and doing so with complete dignity, and Snape, for being man enough to (1) kill his only remaining friend (Dumbledore asked him because he was going to die anyway, and this way Snape avoided Dumbledore much suffering, and was able to fool Voldemort into trusting him completely) and (2) shoulder the hatred of the entire Wizarding World, not to mention the one person he was truly trying to protect, for the rest of his life. Damn, just... Damn.
• After Harry defends himself against Snape when he tries to curse him under the pretense of teaching in the first DADA class (even though Harry got detention for it):
  Snape: Do you remember me telling you we were practicising non-verbal spells, Potter?
  Harry: Yes.
  Snape: Yes, sir.
  Harry: There's no need to call me "sir," Professor.
• While everyone is terrified by Voldemort's return, the Weasley Twins have the titanium balls to put this sign outside their shop:
  "WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO?
  YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO
  THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!"
  • Molly is horrified, believing her boys are going get themselves murdered in their beds by Death Eaters, but everyone else knows Fred and George can take care of themselves.
• After Harry got himself detention until the end of the year, including missing the final Quidditch match, he thought Ginny would hate him. After Hermione has gotten enough jabs in at Harry, well, he was wrong:
  Hermione: "[without the book, Harry wouldn't have]-got a reputation for Potions brilliance you don't deserve."
  Ginny: "Give it a rest, Hermione. By the sound of it, Malfoy was trying to use an Unforgivable Curse. You should be glad Harry had something good up his sleeve."
  Hermione, stunned: "Well, of course I'm glad Harry wasn't cursed. But you can't call that Sectumsempra spell good, Ginny; Look where it's landed him! And I'd have thought seeing what this has done to your chances in the match-"
  Ginny, snapping: "Oh, don't start acting as though you understand Quidditch; you'll only embarrass yourself."
  Stunned Silence
  • Especially notable because Hermione has always been like a Cool Big Sis to Ginny. Hermione, especially in the books, can be a bit full of herself, though, and it's great fun watching Ginny take her down a peg.
• Ginny gets a small one in that she gets herself invited to the Slug Club not because of personal connections or existing fame like everyone else but simply because of her own talent. (Slughorn witnessed her Jinxing another student and instead of giving her detention, he was so impressed he invited her to a club meeting.)
• During Fudge's meeting with the British Prime Minister in the initial chapter when he comes to meet and introduce him to his replacement Rufus Scrimgeour, we learn that Madame Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was killed by Voldemort. Not Voldemort's Death Eaters, Voldemort himself. She was that much of a threat that Voldemort decided he wanted it done properly and went after her himself, and from what Fudge says, she did not go quietly into that dying light.
• Bob Ogden is a rather unappreciated character—he's plainly very progressive for his time. He considers blood status "neither here nor there" and, even more impressively, he sees a young woman being abused by her father and brother, and he reports them to the authorities—a first in a 'verse where Social Services Does Not Exist. He's not some big hero, but he is a rather awesome wizard in his own way.
  • Tragically, his finest hour is tainted when you realise his actions led to Merope escaping her family, bewitching Tom Riddle Sr., and conceiving Voldemort, thus making Bob Ogden a brief but critical instigator in everything that's happened since.
• Tom Riddle speaking to an Ax-Crazy Morfin Gaunt calmly and fearlessly despite only being 16-17 years old. Even Harry feels grudging admiration for the teen's lack of fear.
• When Snape arrived at the Astronomy Tower, all of the Death Eaters went quiet and simply got out of his way. Even Greyback, the most feared werewolf in England, seemed fearful of Snape! One must wonder what Snape did to get such status among the Death Eaters.
• Thanks to the DA lessons, the students of Hogwarts were able to protect the school quite efficiently. Granted, that wasn't enough to stop the Death Eaters, but the students managed to hold the Death Eaters back enough that no one were killed that night except Dumbledore, but he planned it long before, and it also was just another step in his plan to Voldemort's defeat. And the fact that it was possible not only because of the fighting capabilities of the single students but also because of the friendship and the sense of community it formed outside of the Houses' boundaries. It's a shame it wasn't in the movie, really.
• Snape gets one for shutting down Bellatrix Lestrange while completely snarking at her during their meeting in the beginning. Also, his asking her if she doubts of Voldemort's ability in Legilimency becomes an offscreen one when you learn he was actually with Dumbledore from the beginning, meaning he successfully used Occlumency against Voldemort, probably multiple times given how paranoid Voldemort is. Also, points must be given to Bellatrix for being the only one not trusting Snape, considering she's the only one who thinks Voldemort might be wrong.
  • As Slughorn shows, it's possible for a good enough Legilimens to see that someone is hiding something from them. So not only does Snape successfully stop Voldemort from discerning his loyalties, but he does it so well that Voldemort never even suspects anything!
• Offscreen moment it might be, but Lupin's escapades among the Werewolves as Dumbledore's spy. Jury is still out on whether he harbors some resentment for being sent there (he hates being a Werewolf but nobody else would have been able to infiltrate the group, and the reveal of his feelings for Tonks might imply he went voluntarily expecting, even wanting to get into danger), but it is clear he must have exercised the patience of a saint and acting skills worthy of Snape himself given he was forced to put up with Fenrir Greyback, the monster who bit him as a child, and managed to keep his cover for at least half a year (as the battle at the tower blew his cover for good).
• A subtle one: Even after drinking the potion, calling up and sustaining a nonverbal firestorm, Apparating back to Hogsmeade, and undoing some of the enchantments around Hogwarts, Dumbledore's still got enough juice in him to do a nonverbal, possibly wandless, Freezing Charm on Harry.
  • Not only that, but within no more than a second or two of Draco showing up, Dumbledore figured out what to do and used his last spell to freeze Harry so he couldn't interfere.
• McGonagall proves herself in battle at the end of the book against the Death Eaters. While the other good characters are either stalemating or outright losing against their opponents, she sends Alecto Carrow running for her life.
• Ron himself, a teenager who still hasn't completed his education, and yet he fights one-on-one against a Death Eater. It's never pointed out which Death Eater, but the narration puts it in perspective easily enough by mentioning that he's fighting next to McGonagall and they're both fighting against respective Death Eaters.
• The Death Eaters deserve credit here. After sneaking into Hogwarts, they are faced with members of both the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, and, for most of the battle, they hold the upper hand. After Dumbledore's death, we see Bill and Neville injured, Amycus has Ginny on the defensive, Ron and Lupin are stalemating their opponents, Rowle is able to simultaneously duel Tonks and fire curses all over the place, and Harry is nearly mauled by Greyback. Had Snape not ordered them to retreat and Harry not interrupted their duels, the Death Eaters may have shed more blood that night!
• It's an Offscreen Moment of Awesome and glossed over, but Arthur—kind, gentle, semi-ridiculous Mr. Weasley—is mentioned to have terrified Fred and George when they tried to get Ron to cast an Unbreakable Vow to the point where he remembers it vividly many years later. We don't get to see it as often, but Arthur is just as much of a Papa Wolf as Molly is a Mama Bear.
• Draco Malfoy, of all people, gets a few villainous moments:
  • As if to show that he is no longer the toothless bully from previous books, he spots Harry spying on him while Harry was under the Invisibility Cloak while on the Hogwarts train, makes some excuse to his friends to stay back, gets the drop on Harry with a Petrification Spell, breaks the paralysed Harry's nose, and leaves him under the Invisibility Cloak, which would have resulted in him not being found for hours if not for Tonks having tailed the train. What makes it doubly awesome is that after five books of underhanded tricks against Harry and friends, this was one of the few times he legitimately one-upped them.
• Right before Harry and Dumbledore leave Privet Drive, there's an early hint at the power of the Elder Wand. With one wave, Dumbledore is able to transport not only Harry's trunk to the Burrow but Hedwig as well. In other words, the Elder Wand is capable of teleporting a flesh and blood being.
• Despite reliving his very worst memory (and we later discover what that memory was—it was no small thing), multiple times, in order to finish off the potion so that he and Harry could grab the locket.

Movie

• Dumbledore's claim: "Being me has its privileges."
• After being reduced to a near-catatonic wreck in the sixth movie by the Horcrux potion, Dumbledore snaps out of it and wrecks the whole bunch of Inferi trying to kill Harry. What was a mere wall of flames in the book, is instead turned into a full-on inferno raging throughout the entire cave.
  • And the very fact that Dumbledore forced Harry to give him the potion.
• Ginny running through a wall of fire, which was holding back two adult and fully-trained wizards, to follow Harry into the darkness in which an unknown number of Death Eaters were waiting, topped only by the Back-to-Back Badasses moment of the series's OTP
• There's also how Ginny handles the aftermath of the Sectumsempra incident. "You need to get rid of it. Today." She's there to help him when he needs her most, and then she plucks up her courage and kisses him.
• While it's mostly Funny, how Ginny helps Harry get the Quidditch hopefuls who won't stop talking long enough for him to start practice is pretty epic. How does she do this you might ask? Why, by yelling "SHUT IT!" at the absolute top of her voice, utterly cowing everyone and deeply impressing Harry, who promptly thanks her before getting down to business.
• The whole Unbreakable Vow scene - both for the characters and for the actors.
• The implication that Luna, the girl who everyone thinks is "weird", apparently realised what Harry was actually doing with the Liquid Luck - namely creating a Placebo effect to give Ron some confidence - and played along superbly. Credit to Harry too - he seems to realise this and plays along himself.