The eight Harry Potter movies have charmed Potterheads for years now, as fans keep coming back for a marathon session at every opportunity. But some fans who have Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling complain about the amount of content not included in the movies. There are lots of moments from the books that could have packed a punch on the big screen, making the already excellent movies even better.
It is understandable that feature film adaptations of lengthy book series would omit things. However, some of these absences are simply too magical to excuse. They deserve to be remembered.
And so, here are the nine best Harry Potter storylines that the movies missed out on.
9. “May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?”
This is inarguably one of the most iconic scenes featuring Professor McGongagall, second only to the Piertotum Locomotor moment. In the otherwise grim book Order of the Phoenix, McGonagall’s deadpan defiance of Dolores Umbridge not only provides some much-needed comic relief but also foreshadows the revolt that comes later during the Battle of Hogwarts.
In this pivotal scene, Harry meets McGonagall in her office for career advice. He discovers that the pink-clad High Inquisitor and newly-instated Headmistress of Hogwarts is also attending the meeting.
Harry tells McGonagall that he would like to be an Auror, and she proceeds to inform him of the subjects and O.W.L. grades he’d need to be considered for the position. The seemingly straightforward interaction is interrupted by Umbridge repeatedly coughing, clearly because she has something to say. “May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?” McGonagall asks.
A simple line, delivered with McGonagall’s trademark wryness, perfectly reflects the contempt readers feel for Umbridge. Umbridge does not give up. She points out that Harry had criminal charges leveled against him; McGonagall reminds her that they were dropped. She brings up Harry’s poor grades in her class, to which McGonagall responds with another mic-drop line: “I should have made my meaning plainer. He has achieved high marks in all Defense Against Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher.”
Running out of patience, McGonagall finally asserts that she will help Harry become an Auror even “if it is the last thing” she does. The moment really brings out the iron spirit of Minerva McGonagall and the love and protective feelings she has for Harry.