Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the penultimate title in the series starring Daniel Radcliffe as the Boy Who Lived. Unlike the previous six entries in the series, Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger aren’t at Hogwarts for the most part. Instead, they begin their dangerous quest to hunt down Lord Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. It’s a slower burn than usual but still a classy blockbuster nonetheless and was the third-biggest movie of 2010, with only Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland making more money at the box office worldwide.
Of course, not every scene actually made it into the final cut, but thankfully, the DVD extras include some of the deleted scenes that could have changed the film. From start to finish, these are the scenes that didn’t appear in the theatrical version.
8 Harry And Petunia’s Final Chat
The Dursleys only make a fleeting cameo in the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. But a deleted scene gives fans a final chance to say goodbye to the trio. Harry walks into the empty living room of Number 4 Privet Drive and sees his aunt Petunia standing there looking somber at having to leave her lovely home behind. She usually snubs him but, this time, they have a final conversation.
Petunia says she’s reluctant to go and Harry informs her that, if she stays, she’ll face problems if Lord Voldemort and his loathsome Death Eaters decide to pay a little visit. She then retorts that she knows exactly what they’re capable of and, rather uncharacteristically, adds: Do you think I don’t know what they’re capable of? You didn’t just lose a mother. I lost my sister’. This was actually in the book, as well, and would have been an excellent addition to the film.
7 Harry and Dudley’s Goodbye
While Petunia is sad to be departing, husband Vernon is the exact opposite. He looks delighted to be leaving Harry behind at last after seventeen years of reluctant parenting (if you can call it that). Dudley asks if his cousin is going with them on their journey and Vernon says he isn’t. Harry can’t resist a dig and says they wouldn’t want him anyway because he’s a ‘waste of space’.
It’s there that Dudley, who has bullied the Boy Who Lived throughout his entire life, backs down. He shoots his father a curious look and then goes up to Harry, shaking his hand and saying he doesn’t think he’s a waste of space. The Chosen One then says ‘thanks big D’, using the same nickname he mocked his relative with during the early stages of the Order of the Phoenix. It’s a moment straight out of the source material, too.
6 The Death Eaters Visit The Grangers
At the start of the seventh Potter movie, Hermione sets a plan in motion. Having pledged to join Harry on his Horcrux mission at the end of the Half-Blood Prince movie, she then takes action to protect her parents. In a rather emotional moment, she erases the memories of her parents. She wells up as she disappears from portraits around the house and, in the book, it’s revealed she sent them off to Australia to get them as far away as possible.
On the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film, Death Eaters visit the Granger residence. Yaxley is there but, when he steps over the threshold, he sees they’ve packed up and moved away. This makes Hermione’s decision all the more important because, had she not intervened, her parents would very likely have been tortured – or even killed.
5 Ron Sees Arthur’s Latest Experiment
It’s established in the Chamber of Secrets movie that Arthur Weasley likes to bewitch non-magical items to make them even better. This works for his Ford Anglia, which Ron and Harry fly to Hogwarts. And, in the early stages of the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, there’s a deleted scene that shows Arthur has experimented with an old radio so that the Order of the Phoenix can maintain contact.
The radio doesn’t get any action during the official movie but, in the books, it’s a key device for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. With the trio on the run, and wanted by Voldemort, they have to lie low. So they use the radio to keep up to date with goings-on around the wizarding world. Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Lee Jordan all make appearances on the show ‘Potterwatch’, where they discuss the latest victims of the Dark Lord. It’s of particular comfort to Ron who, with such a big family, always fears the worst.
4 Harry And Ron Encounter Arthur At The Ministry Of Magic
After they discover that Dolores Umbridge has obtained the locket formerly belonging to Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hatch a daring plan to steal it. This involves the trio breaking into the Ministry of Magic, which is perhaps the most dangerous place for them to be. Fans know what happens next of course. But a deleted scene has a cool little tidbit from the books.
Harry and Ron bump into Arthur when they’re disguised as Albert Runcorn and Reg Cattermole respectively. Harry, as Albert, then warns Arthur that the Ministry are tracking him. This actually happens in the source material and it’s great to see it play out in live-action. It would have taken away some of the speed of the movie, though, so we can understand why it didn’t make it into the final cut.
3 Ron Reveals The Curse
After their successful break-in to the Ministry of Magic, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spend some time together planning their next move. And a deleted scene shows Ron revealing to the pair that, during his time as Reg Cattermole, he overheard a conversation. In this chat he heard that Voldemort’s name had been jinxed so that people who use it would be in for a nasty surprise. Again, it’s something that happens in the Deathly Hallows book.
They also discuss the locket and Hermione reveals it scares her because of the ticking sound that comes out of it. The locket is later destroyed by Ron, of course, when he returns from his absence, closing the gap on the Dark Lord in the process.
2 Ron And Hermione Skipping Stones
This is perhaps the least interesting deleted scene. Ron and Hermione skip stones while Harry sits away from the pair, symbolizing the feelings of isolation and loneliness the Boy Who Lived feels at times. The acting leaves much to be desired and Ron and Hermione come across more as actors Rupert Grint and Hermione Granger, while Radcliffe simply looks uncomfortable sitting away from his close allies.
It ends with Harry looking at the mirror previously given to him by godfather Sirius Black. There, he sees both himself and Aberforth Dumbledore, who acquired the mirror’s twin from Mundungus Fletcher. This foreshadows Dobby’s rescue, which comes later on.
1 The Hunt
With Harry, Ron, and Hermione not attending Hogwarts, they’re not enhancing their magical skills. They choose to get some practice in during a deleted moment from the movie, with Harry and Ron hunting down a rabbit. The Boy Who Lived is left shocked, however, when his friend very nearly hits him with a powerful spell instead.
This foreshadows Ron’s feelings of anger and resentment that force him to turn his back on his friends during their hour of need. He departs because of the Horcrux, which alters his personality given a piece of Voldemort’s soul lies within. It made sense omitting it for pacing reasons but, nonetheless, it’s another interesting moment to watch.
