Emma Watson revealed one of her favorite Harry Potter movie scenes during Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return To Hogwarts, and nailed why it's so great. The highlight of the Harry Potter reunion was seeing Watson reunite with her two main co-stars, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. Having the Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley actors all back together added to the sense of occasion and emotion, and allowed for some discussion of their best Harry Potter scenes and memories.
Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson shared a lot about the bonds they formed on Harry Potter, as well as more individual stories of specific scenes, such as the struggle to shoot Ron and Hermione's first kiss in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The actors all came across well, with shared moments yet their own unique experiences (like Watson considering leaving the series), and the actress was particularly right about one key scene from the penultimate movie.
During the Harry Potter reunion, Watson discussed with Radcliffe and Grint one of the scenes that had proved particularly memorable, which was Harry and Hermione's dance in the tent during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The moment, which isn't in the books, comes with the pair at one of their lowest points: Ron has just walked out on them, they've had no luck hunting or destroying Horcruxes, and time is slipping away. With Hermione especially devastated by Ron's departure, the pair pick each other up by slow dancing to Nick Cave's song "O Children." Reminiscing about the scene, Watson said:
"The scene that I thought was gonna be really awkward, and I wasn't sure about at all, which was us doing our dance. Now that's one of my favorite scenes from the whole series, because the level of familiarity that you and I had with each other at that point, I didn't think I could have done a scene like that with another actor… There's was so much said in the scene. It was unspoken. I loved that. And also in the same way that for the characters, they got to have a moment of fun. I feel like you and I got to have a moment of fun, which we needed at that point."
Watson is right about the scene on two counts. The initial reaction, even to viewers, is that the dance is awkward, which is inevitable given it's two teenagers, neither of whom are dancers, having a slow dance inside a tent, and as a movie creation it's an unexpected diversion. But that initial awkwardness gives way to something even more unexpected, but much better. It becomes one of the most beautiful scenes Harry and Hermione get to share alone in the Harry Potter movies, perfectly capturing the close, unique bond they have, and allowing them the chance to not only cut loose by cutting some moves, but to really display their specific friendship as a duo, rather than as part of the core three.
Harry and Hermione's dance in The Deathly Hallows is a small, intimate moment in the grand scheme of its epic story, but that only makes it more important. By splitting the final book in two, then The Deathly Hallows needed to justify that decision; it's scenes such as Harry and Hermione's dance that do so, because it gives everything some room to breathe and, even towards the end of the saga, finds ways of fleshing out the characters while staying true to who they are.
By this point in the Harry Potter timeline, Harry, Hermione, and Ron have been forced to grow-up incredibly quickly and face unimaginable horrors, and the scene, with its aptly titled song, shows an emotional maturity yet allows them to act just as kids, and regains a melancholy air by the end to give it even more pathos. It's a scene that in lesser hands could've gone wrong and been way too awkward or cringe-worthy, but with Watson and Radcliffe it becomes a lovely, human moment amid the Wizarding World War, and the Harry Potter reunion perfectly captures why.
