The new trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone just dropped on Wednesday, Sept. 2, one day after the Back to Hogwarts celebrations in London. There's no doubt the trailer is a notable improvement from the first teaser for the new Harry Potter series, and there are a few things you probably missed.
For the most part, the new Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone trailer is exactly what you'd expect. We're introduced to the Golden Trio of Harry Potter (Dominic McLaughlin), Ron Weasley (Alistair Stout), and Hermione Granger (Arabella Stanton) on the Hogwarts Express, and we follow them through their first few moments at the school and through the Sorting Hat ceremony. From there, the magic begins, and we see a montage of important clips from Harry's first year at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It's quite the montage, so there are things that are easy to miss. Let's take a look at three things you probably didn't notice while watching the trailer and what it could mean for the story.
First look at Professor Quirrell
In the first blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment of the Harry Potter trailer, we have Professor Quirinus Quirrell, played by Luke Thallon, sitting next to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (John Lithgow) during the Sorting Ceremony. Harry sits on the stool with the Sorting Hat on his head, and literally right behind him, we have Professor Quirrell.
That's a very interesting choice, but it's also the first time we've really seen Professor Quirrell so far. We know he looms quite large in this story, and I'm sure we'll see more of him as we get closer to the premiere. It's interesting that he's not one of the professors we've met so far.
The trailer shows quite a good look at Professor McGonagall (Janet McTeer), Professor Snape (Paapa Essiedu), and others, as well. I guess we'll have to wait for Quirrell's close-up.
Neville Longbottom is with Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they meet Fluffy
When the Harry Potter TV series was announced, fans expected that we'd get a more authentic adaptation. The movies are close to J.K. Rowling's book series, but there are some major changes that had to be made for time, pacing, and other reasons.
In the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone movie, there is a major sequence that gets cut and changed because it doesn't really flow, and that's the Midnight Duel. In the sequence, Draco Malfoy challenges Harry to a duel. Harry and Ron sneak out because they're up for a fight. Hermione follows to stop them, and Neville joins them because he got locked out of the Gryffindor dormitory.
Well, it looks like that scene is going to actually happen in the TV series. In the clip that shows Harry, Ron, and Hermione meeting Fluffy, there's another person there. You can't really tell who it is, but it's going to be Neville (Rory Wilmot). After the "duel," the four students accidentally run into the monster.
This introduction to Fluffy plays out very differently in the first of the Harry Potter movies. It's a reminder that, even if you have seen the movies, they are going to be some minor changes that could have major ramifications.
Lord Voldemort in Godric's Hollow
In the final moments of the trailer, we get our first look at Lord Voldemort in Godric's Hollow, which is where he was vanquished after trying to kill Harry and after killing Harry's parents, Lily and James. At first, I thought this might be someone going to Hagrid's cottage, but there are some YouTube videos that confirm the Godric's Hollow location. It's definitely Harry's old house.
We don't see Voldemort's face. We just see a hooded cloak from behind walking up to the house. It's a shot that's similar to what we've seen in the movies, but this is likely more proof that we're going to see more flashbacks and scenes that happen before Harry's time at Hogwarts.
There are many scenes that we learn about in the books that we don't actually see in the movies. It's going to be interesting just how much of that the series will reveal. Based on that shot in the trailer, and the fact that it's included in the trailer, I think we're going to see a lot more backstory revealed than we saw in the movies.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day (Dec. 25, 2026). We're still waiting for the release schedule for the first season, but we'll share more information as we find out.
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