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Harry Potter: 15 greatest rivalries in franchise history

By Alexandria Ingham

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: (U.S. TABLOIDS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) (L-R) Actors Daniel Radcliffe Ralph Fiennes and attend the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" on November 12, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: (U.S. TABLOIDS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) (L-R) Actors Daniel Radcliffe Ralph Fiennes and attend the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" on November 12, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Maggie Smith arrives at “The Lady In The Van” – Centrepiece Gala, at Odeon Leicester Square on October 13, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI) /

3. Minerva McGonagall vs. Delores Umbridge

Book or movie? We got to see this rivalry in both the books and the movies, but the movies would help it stand out a little more.

Brief description of the rivalry: It was clear from the beginning that McGonagall didn’t like Umbridge. And that feeling was mutual. Why wouldn’t they like each other? That was something for us to quickly find out as we learned more about the evil woman in pink.

Did it remain a rivalry? Was there any chance that the rivalry would come to an end? Considering the type of woman Umbridge was, there was never going to be any hope.

Why it’s one of the greatest: One of the greatest things about this rivalry was seeing McGonagall for the professor, woman, and witch that she was. While Umbridge threw her weight around, McGonagall waited. She did as much as she could to help the students in the time that Umbridge was Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and then headmistress.

There’s no doubt the look on McGonagall’s face when Umbridge was knocked down a notch or two (or three) was a picture.

This was one of those rivalries that we needed. It put two strong women against each other, while giving us pure good vs. evil in the middle of the bigger fights going on. And in a way, the rivalry was more grounded than many of the others, offering something for us to understand better.

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