Favourite Harry Potter funny moments or lines

[wanderings]

The series had lots of funny scenes, as well as the dark overall tone. What were your favourite funny scenes in the books, films, or the stage play if you've seen it? Here are some which made me laugh out loud. Some of these scenes feel weirdly topical at the moment.

Order of the Phoenix:

• Professor McGonagall having her lesson inspected by Umbridge. "Obviously I knew you would be inspecting, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom!" Also the scene where Harry is sent to McGonagall. "For heaven's sake, Potter!" she said, straightening her glasses angrily (she had winced horribly when he had used Voldemort's name). "Do you think this is about truth or lies?"

Half Blood Prince: the chapter "The Other Minister", where the minister of magic meets the Muggle prime minister. I think that's one of the funniest scenes in the whole series. "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister."

Deathly Hallows: the scenes with Phineas Nigellus, the snide and pompous Slytherin former head of Hogwarts. He also has some great moments in Order of the Phoenix:
"I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts, but you can't deny he's got style."
"You know, this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so convinced they know everything."

None of the above scenes appeared in the films, only the books. However, one scene in the film of Order of the Phoenix which I think was superb was the one where barefoot Luna Lovegood explains to Harry about the invisible Thestrals.

“Hermione, you’re a girl”
“Oh, well spotted”

In fact that whole scene in which Harry and Ron discuss getting dates for the ball instead of doing their prep with the divine Alan R lurking malevolently in the background.

In HP and the Goblet of Fire. Not verbatim.

Rita Skeeter: Can I have a word, Harry?
HP: Yeah you can have a word. Goodbye.

It really made DS proper belly laugh and now we quote it to one another occasionally.

In the same book, Ron using the Ominoculars to replay someone in the crowd picking their nose.

In Deathly Hallows. "Saintlike... holey, geddit?"

I love a Potter thread!

Dumbledore to the Dursleys: "I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing."

@BlastedMolluscum

Dumbledore to the Dursleys: "I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing."

There's a lot of agapanthus around us at the moment, which allows me the opportunity to say this numerous times

Mr and Mrs Weasley's security questions to each other, before one lets the other into their house (Half Blood Prince):

"What is your dearest ambition?"
"To find out how aeroplanes stay up."

"What do you like me to call you when we're alone?"
"Mollywobbles."

In the Deathly Hallows book, when Harry finds Sirius's bedroom, with the Gryffindor banners, the pictures of motorcycles, and the bikini-clad Muggle girls.

I love that bit!

Loads of great lines mentioned already. I also love Lupin showing the class the Wadiwasi spell in PoA ("This is a useful little spell")

In the film The Chamber of Secrets when Mr Weasley asks Harry 'What exactly is the function of a rubber duck?
Apparently every time in rehersals he asked about a different object so no one knew what was coming.

In the book of Half-Blood Prince, the scene where Hermione is warning Harry about the intentions of girls armed with love potions, in a whispered tone worthy of Mumsnet.
"Be careful what you drink, because she sounded like she meant business!"

There was a lot of snogging in that book.

McGonagall saying "I always wanted to use that spell"
The whole of the Knight Bus ride, Ernie the bus driver cracks me up

The worst thing about the movies is that Peeves doesn't exist.

@GinWithASplashOfTonic Peeves was supposed to be played by Rik Mayall... apparently they took him out because he made the kids laugh too much during his scenes. Or something along those lines

@easterbunny123 that makes it even worse somehow. RIP Rik Mayall, and I think he would have been perfect as Peeves

@GinWithASplashOfTonic it was mentioned in an interview with RM and he said he didn't mind as he still got paid agree though, he would have been brilliant!

@easterbunny123 especially as the movies got darker he would have been good for some light relief.

Another scene I like, is when Fred & George explain the Mauders Map to Harry
And also, when Harry sneaks into

Hogsmeade wearing the invisibility cloak and pulls, Malloy, Crabb & Goyle around in the snow.

Divination provided a lot of laughs - like when Ron and Harry are filling in their grusome dream diarys.

& Ron's divination OWL (I think?) - when he's describing his examiner in his crystal ball.

& - 'what did I see?' 'A great old bat in outsized specs?' (Or something to that effect)

I thought they edited Peeves out because the original run time of the film was like 7 hours or something bonkers?

Anyway, my fave lines include

“Rack your brains, Ron, that should only take a couple of seconds”

“I expect what you’re not aware of would fill several books, Dursley,”

@mnahmnah

“Not my daughter, you bitch!” Has to be the best, surely?!

Definitely. It made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

If Oscars could be won for delivering one-liners, Julie Walters deserved one for that.

‘Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.’

Also I was about 8 when I read philosophers stone and when Fred and George said they’d send Ginny a Hogwarts toilet seat I laughed every time, full on snort laugh.

And the understatement of all time:

"... He's back...!"

I recently listened to a podcast where Stephen Fry was talking about recording the books. There was one line in the Philosopher's stone he just couldn't say - I think it was "Harry pocketed it". He asked JK Rowling if he could say "Harry put it in his pocket" instead. JK refused, insisting on the words remaining exactly the same so that children can read along.

Stephen laughed and said she included that line in every book after that.

I love the fact that there is this little teasing joke in the subsequent books and will keep an ear out for it the next time I listen.

One of the joys of JKRs writing is that it can make you both properly laugh and properly cry! Book Fred and George are always laugh out loud funny, and a scene which always makes me laugh when I think about it is in Prisoner of Askaban when Harry meets the Weasleys in the pub and F & G are just ripping Percy for being pompous- “Harry my dear boy simply marvellous to see you!”

The characters and relationships in HP are wonderful and JKR is a very very gifted writer, i actually think she is underrated! I don’t mind the films but they are very pale imitations of the books.

Film moment (the shame!) but when Ginny comes downstairs in CoS shouting "Mum, mum, where's my jumper?" "It's on the cat."

Harry doing Aragog's pincers at the Aragog wake. (One of very few moments when DR doesn't act like a plank)

This was my first thought when I read the thread title Harry under the influence of Felix Felicis is easily the funniest five minutes from Daniel Radcliffe in the whole series... which isn’t saying much I know.

@BlastedMolluscum

Dumbledore to the Dursleys: "I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing."

and yes, I just love Harry doing Aragog's pincers!

@CircleofWillis which podcast was that?