The world was (and still is) enthralled by Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling gave us all a magical world of witches and wizards that existed, largely unseen, in a parallel universe. We followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione from blushing first-year students through the fateful Battle of Hogwarts, loving every minute of it. It was good versus evil personified.
We have orphaned Harry Potter, his mates Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, a dynamic trio that seems to have a knack for getting into trouble. And the rivalries were writ large. Sometimes they made sense. Sometimes they didn’t Here 5 epic rivalries that are real and 5 not so epic ones that make no sense.
Best: Harry And Professor Snape
To say that the relationship between Snape and Harry is complicated is the understatement of the century. There is the whole carrying the torch thing with Snape and Harry’s mother Lily. Then there is the fact that Harry’s father James and his friends taunted nerdy Snape while they were students at Hogwarts.
Harry reminds Snape of his loss of Lily. Snape also sees Harry as a chip off the old block as far as James is concerned. And that is a bad thing indeed.
No Sense: Minerva McGonagall And Sybil Trelawney
Minerva McGonagall is a no-nonsense Scotswoman with little charm or patience. Sybil Trelawney is a flakey half-blood witch and Professor of Divination at Hogwarts. The thing is that Sybil just seems to annoy Minerva in a big way. Mind you, almost everybody seems to annoy Professor McGonagall.
There is no set reason, but Minerva just seems to dislike her. Sybil, existing in her own divination universe, hasn’t a clue. In the end, McGonagall takes her side against Dolores Umbridge. So, the whole rivalry thing was a non-event. Call it a bit of filler to fluff out the story. Writers do that.
Best: Harry And Voldemort
This one is epic. The Boy Who Lived unintentionally zapped Voldemort from his crib. Because of this, they are connected. But Harry has to be taken out for Voldemort to prevail. From Harry’s point of view, Voldemort murdered his parents, gave him his signature scar and is seeking to undermine good and replace it with evil.
It is clear that one of them has to die. For a while, it seems as if Voldemort will prevail. Poor Harry struggles, particularly after Dumbledore’s death. He agrees to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends and teachers. It is intense in the extreme.
No Sense: Hermione And Ron Year One
Let’s face it, Ron Weasley sometimes sees himself as Number One. He has visions of being Captain of the Quidditch Team, maybe even Head Boy. And Hermione? Well, she is smart. And she knows it. She is resourceful. And she knows it. She can wave her wand and make things happen.
And Ron doesn’t like it or her one little bit. He upsets her by calling her a know-it-all. It is true that Ron is portrayed as a sulky, goofy guy. But the business with his resentment of Hermione seems like more fluff. The thing with Hermione their first year at Hogwarts? It makes no sense.
Best: Harry And Draco Malfoy
The thing about Draco and Harry is that, unlike some of the other rivalries, it is there almost from day one at Hogwarts. Looking at Ron, Draco tells Harry he needs to be careful of the company he keeps. Harry bristles and cuts him off. By the time Half-Blood Prince comes along, blood is drawn. Draco is, like his father, 100 percent in the Voldemort camp.
He sneers at Harry, insults Ron and Hermione. He is just a nasty piece of business. Harry usually gives as good as he gets, especially when his fabled invisibility cloak comes along.
No Sense: Filch And Peeves
Squib caretaker Filch doesn’t seem to like anything or anybody, other than his cat Mrs. Norris. In the books, he is on this crusade to get rid of Peeves, a pesky Hogwart. The whole thing seems a distraction, more than an out and out rivalry. Filch, as he is in most things, is utterly unsuccessful in his quest.
Peeves continues to torment Filch. But the whole thing is such a non-event that it just doesn’t make sense. In any event, other than Dumbledore, Filch seems to hate everybody, especially the students. In the movies, Filch is almost a comic character, lending weight to the argument that his thing with Peeves is just a waste of time.
Best: Snape And James Potter
As Snape’s back story gradually begins to unfold, we find out that he, Lily and James Potter were at Hogwarts at the same time. James and his friends Remus Lupin and Sirius Black taunt Snape and make fun of him. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Snape has a budding friendship with Lily.
This doesn’t make the relationship with James Potter any easier. Snape is resentful, jealous, and angry. This carries over into his dealings with James and Lily’s son Harry when he shows up at Hogwarts. Harry reminds Snape of his bullying at the hands of James and his friends. It’s very complicated and well set out, we think.
No Sense: Ron And Harry In The Goblet Of Fire
In the Goblet of Fire Ron throws an almighty wobbly when Harry’s name flies out of the goblet and the poor guy is obliged to enter the Triwizard Tournament. It is almost silly, as Ron well knows that Harry hadn’t entered himself. But Ron sulks. He insults and taunts Harry. Poor Hermione is kind of caught in the middle.
Sure, Ron has delusions of grandeur that will never come true, save for his one Quidditch triumph. Sure, Harry is the hero of the tale. In his heart of hearts, Ron resents that. But his behavior in the Goblet of Fire is almost as silly as his petulant flit from the tent in the Deathly Hallows.
Best: The Dursleys And Harry
Okay, the Dursleys took Harry in after Voldemort killed his parents. They ‘generously’ gave him a cupboard under the stairs as a bedroom. But the fact is they resent and hate him. Petunia Dursley always resented her sister Lily. Vernon resents the expense and hassle of having what he sees as a magical freak under his roof. And Dudley? He is just a nasty piece of work and a bully.
In the Sorcerer’s Stone, the scene in the zoo when Dudley “accidentally” falls into the snake pit is an indication that there will be payback aplenty for his bullying. But, why on earth, if Vernon hated him so much did he fight the idea of Harry’s going to Hogwarts?
No Sense: Ron And Hermione (And Scabbers And Crookshanks)
Ron has a pet rat Scabbers. He is, like much else in Ron’s world, a hand me down. We all know that Scabbers is really just Peter Pettigrew transformed and hiding out. Hermione has Crookshanks, a fluffy kitty. When Scabbers ups and disappears, Ron becomes convinced that Crookshanks has killed the rat.
Hermione does indeed give as good as she gets in their exchanges. And Harry is kind of left on the sidelines scratching his head. It takes a while, but Ron finally figures out what is going on. As someone said, he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
