8 ‘Harry Potter’ Details Fans Want In The New HBO Show (That Weren’t In The Movies)

For longtime fans who’ve suffered through missing characters and butchered storylines in the films, this format promises to restore everything from house-elf politics to Harry’s emotional breakdowns.

Harry Potter fans never fully embraced the movies as proper adaptations of the books they loved. Major plotlines went missing, favorite characters were cut, and crucial backstories were simplified beyond recognition. Now that HBO is giving each book a full season to breathe in their upcoming TV series, Potterheads are cautiously optimistic that the show might finally nail what the films couldn’t. With more screen time to explore the wizarding world’s nooks and crannies, maybe we’ll finally see the rich tapestry that made the books so immersive in the first place. Here are eight overlooked details from the books that fans are desperate to see make the jump to television.

1. More of The Elves

The movies barely scratched the surface of house-elf culture and politics. Winky, Barty Crouch’s loyal elf who guarded his son and was unjustly dismissed, never made it to the screen, creating massive plot holes around Barty Crouch Jr.’s escape and Voldemort’s return. Her absence also undermined the powerful social commentary on magical creature enslavement that ran throughout the books.

Dobby, while present in Chamber of Secrets and Deathly Hallows, lost his continuing friendship with Harry in between. Most egregiously, Kreacher’s redemption arc vanished completely, robbing fans of the glorious moment when he led Hogwarts’ house-elves into battle against Death Eaters, shouting for brave Regulus and wielding kitchen knives. A series format would allow these storylines to breathe.

2. Ron Weasley’s True Character

The films did Ron dirty. Book-Ron was loyal, brave, and strategically brilliant, occasionally stumbling but always making things right. Movie-Ron became comic relief, with his best lines and moments often reassigned to Hermione. His chess mastery, Quidditch triumph as “Weasley is our King,” and deep knowledge of wizarding culture were minimized or cut entirely. The TV series has the chance to restore Ron’s dignity and showcase why he was Harry’s first and best friend.

3. Horcrux Logic That Actually Makes Sense

The films mangled a critical piece of Horcrux lore. The films butchered the entire Horcrux storyline by cutting four of Dumbledore’s six crucial memory sequences with Harry. In the books, after seeing Slughorn’s memory, Dumbledore methodically lists everything he suspects are Horcruxes, including the Hufflepuff Cup and Nagini, giving Harry clear targets. This logical progression made the hunt feel like detective work rather than random guessing.

The movies inexplicably reversed this approach, with Hermione and Ron lamenting that Dumbledore left Harry with no starting point whatsoever. Instead, film-Harry relies on bizarre “feelings” and mind-connection visions to locate Horcruxes, making their eventual discovery seem like an impossible coincidence rather than the result of careful investigation and planning. This change not only confused viewers but created massive plot holes – how could the trio possibly know to seek Hufflepuff’s Cup when they never saw the memory revealing its significance? A series format could restore this crucial narrative framework that made the final hunt both logical and satisfying.

4. Peeves the Poltergeist

Hogwarts without Peeves is like Christmas without crackers. The chaotic poltergeist tormented students and teachers alike throughout all seven books, providing comic relief and occasionally helping our heroes in unexpected ways. His absence from the films removed a crucial piece of Hogwarts’ personality. Imagine what a full season could do with Peeves dropping water balloons on first years or saluting the Weasley twins as they make their legendary exit.

5. Harry’s Cathartic Breakdown

The movies completely gutted one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the series. After Sirius dies, book-Harry absolutely loses it in Dumbledore’s office – smashing irreplaceable magical instruments, screaming himself hoarse, physically unleashing all the rage he’d been bottling up all year. And Dumbledore just sits there and lets him, silently acknowledging his own role in Harry’s pain. This raw breakdown leads to Dumbledore finally telling Harry everything about the prophecy and his connection to Voldemort. But the movies reduced this pivotal moment to a brief, calm conversation, suggesting Harry’s anger was just Voldemort’s influence rather than a natural response to trauma and loss. The TV series could restore this cathartic scene that shows rage as a valid part of grief, especially for a teenager carrying impossible burdens.

6. The Marauders’ Full Story

The films never properly explained how Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs created their map or why these four friends became Animagi. Their rich backstory – including how they supported Lupin during full moons and their complex relationship with Snape – was reduced to just a few throwaway lines. This lost context undermined the emotional impact of Harry’s connections to his father’s friends and made some of the story’s plot points confusing for viewers who hadn’t read the books.

7. Dudley’s Redemption

The movies completely dropped the ball on Dudley’s character growth. In the books, this spoiled brat who tormented Harry for years actually gets a decent redemption arc. When the Dursleys are about to go into hiding, Dudley stands there awkwardly and finally blurts out, “I don’t think you’re a waste of space” to Harry. It’s this perfectly understated British moment that shows how much he’s changed.

But in the movies, we never get to see Dudley grow up or realize that maybe his cousin isn’t the freak his parents always claimed. It’s such a small scene in the book, but it packs this emotional punch that shows how even the most obnoxious characters can change. The movies robbed us of that satisfying conclusion to their relationship, and it’s exactly the kind of character moment that a TV series could finally give us, showing that bullies can learn and grow up too, even if they express it in the most awkward way possible.

8. Proper Quidditch

The movies robbed us of proper Quidditch, especially that epic World Cup scene in Goblet of Fire. The book gave us this massive international spectacle with wizards from all over the world, magical tents stretching for miles, and the Weasleys scoring prime seats in the top box right next to the Minister and the Malfoys (awkward!). Readers actually experienced the entire match, with all its drama and Ireland’s ultimate victory despite Krum catching the Snitch.

But the movies only gave us a few seconds of people walking to the stadium, a brief glimpse of the pre-game show, and then cut straight to everyone walking back to their tents after it’s over. Viewers didn’t get any of the actual match. The series could finally give us the full Quidditch experience, from Harry’s school matches (including his actual Quidditch Cup victory that the movies skipped) to the proper World Cup spectacle that fans have been waiting to see on screen for almost two decades.