Be honest. What would your childhood and early adolescence have been like without Harry Potter and his friends by your side? If you're anything like me, you've probably spent hours with Harry over the years, and whether those hours were spent in front of a TV or curled up with a novel upwards of 500 pages in your lap, chances are you count those times as some of the most magical of your early years. You also probably have an exceptionally strong opinion about which of Harry's years at Hogwarts was the best and are prepared to defend that opinion to the death should it come to that.

Well, worry no more, Muggles, because I've devised what I believe to be the definitive ranking of Harry Potter movies (books being an entirely different list, of course), and rest assured, it's the correct one.

8. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Don’t get me wrong, "Order of the Phoenix" has more than it’s fair share of greatness. But, in adjusting to the new, darker tone of the series after Voldemort’s return at the end of "Goblet of Fire", the fifth Potter film feels like the growing pains of the series. Steeped a little too thoroughly in darkness—both cinematically and thematically—for it’s own good, and without the humor that brought the first four (and, for the most part, the final three) to life, "Order of the Phoenix" feels like a funeral dirge in the middle of Harry’s great adventure. (Also, Umbridge is in this one.)

7. "Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban"

Before you drag me to the town center and begin to stone me, let me clarify that this is not, by any means, a bad movie. How could it be when it brought into the magical universe elements as great as patronus charms, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Time Turners and, most importantly, Hermione punching Malfoy in the face? The main problem with the "Prisoner of Azkaban" is that it’s just too busy. Between time travel, hippogriffs, dementors, patronus confusion, crazed godfathers, and a werewolf subplot, the "Prisoner of Azkaban" feels more than a little muddled at times.

6. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

"Deathly Hallows Pt. 1" has its teen heroes embroiled in the same romantic angst that we saw in the "Half-Blood Prince", only now it’s less comical and more…well…angsty. While you’d think that looking for horocruxes, escaping death eaters, and trying to save the magical world wouldn’t leave much time to bicker about who’s in love with who, it turns out the trio still had plenty of down time to stew, and they took full advantage of that.

5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

A little boring, but adorable enough to make up for it.

4. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

A solid addition to the Harry Potter canon, "The Chamber of Secrets" cemented Harry’s parseltongue abilities and gave the gang their first big mystery to solve. That screaming book thing was also scary as get-out to eleven year old me.

3. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

Ah the raging hormones of teenage wizards, how fully and unashamedly you were on display during the "Half-Blood Prince." Between the Ron’s sudden athletic prowess and popularity, Hermione’s tortured crush on him, and Harry’s developing guilt over his feelings for Ginny, the sixth Harry Potter film was by far the one that most closely resembled a nineties teen drama. But let’s not forget the important and magical plot elements also at play in this one, including Dumbledore’s death. *sob*

2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

As a wrap up to the series, "Deathly Hallows Pt. II" was poignant, well paced, and beautifully acted. It had everything we’ve come to love about the series, plus enough action to keep us talking for years to come. (It’s also worth mentioning that this film brought us hot Neville, which is enough to earn it one of the top spots on the list in and of itself.)

1. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

A controversial choice? Maybe. But as the fourth film out of eight, "Goblet of Fire" does a great job balancing the childhood wonder of the first half of the series with the darkness of the second. Also, who doesn’t love a deadly wizard competition?

Now, anyone up for a marathon?