Harry Potter fans had an emotional start to the new year thanks to HBO Max's reunion episode, Return to Hogwarts.
The two-hour special showed cast and crew reuniting on-set for a trip down memory lane, as they looked back at all eight Potter movies.
Many fans were left in tears by the special, which featured beloved cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint alongside big-name co-stars Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Ralph Fiennes.
But one of the most heartstring-tugging moments came when the reunion paid tribute to one of its most noticeable absences; Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape in all eight movies and who sadly passed away in 2016.
In a subtle allusion to Rickman's enormous influence on the films, the special ends with one of his most famous scenes in the franchise.
In the clip, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) tells Snape that Harry must die to defeat the evil sorcerer Lord Voldemort. When he asks if Snape has come to care for Harry, Snape reacts by summoning his Patronus, and revealing that he has been in love with Harry's mother Lily all along.
"After all this time?" Dumbledore asks.
"Always," Snape replies.
The big reveal is one of the franchise's most iconic scenes. It's also one of Rickman's most beloved lines, and ending on it is a subtle way of paying tribute to the late actor, who died in 2016 of cancer at the age of 69. It is also a wonderful line to sum up the love fans will always have for the magical movie franchise.
Elsewhere in the tribute, Radcliffe and Oldman spoke about how Rickman was the only cast or crew member who J.K Rowling - who was still writing the Potter books while the films were being made - disclosed the series' final twist to.
Radcliffe said that Rickman had "the inside line", but that he never shared the secret ending with anyone else on set.
Meanwhile, the special also featured an in memoriam segment paying tribute to Rickman and other cast members (including Richard Harris, Helen McCrory, John Hurt, and Richard Griffiths) who have passed away since filming wrapped. Ron Weasley star Rupert Grint reflected that losing fellow cast members has felt like losing family.
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is available to stream on HBO Max now.