Raise your wands if you love Harry Potter. *Raises wand.*
For years, I have been an active Potterhead, as we are called. Honestly, it was one of the first fantasy books that got me interested in the world of witches and wizards. But it’s only grown larger as the years have gone by. From my sixteenth birthday at Universal to the Hogwarts Legacy game, I’ve genuinely loved this franchise.
When the HBO series was announced, I knew it would be a great opportunity for the creators to fix several problems from the film. To add in things that we didn’t get to see before. So, in honor of it being four months away (WHAT), here are some things I need to see in this new HBO adaptation.
1. Ginny’s character expanded more in the Weasleys
One of the biggest issues I had with the original Harry Potter films is that we did not see much of Ginny Weasley. At all.
Was she there? Yes. I have no qualms about them removing her from the plot because she still ended up being with Harry and all that nonsense. But it’s the way she was portrayed that I didn’t like. Bonnie Wright did well with the material she was given, but the movie Ginny we were introduced to was nothing like book Ginny.
Book Ginny is spunky. She has character and a personality and honestly is around the Golden Trio so much more than she was in the film. You gradually see Harry fall for Ginny over time instead of him just suddenly really liking her in Half-Blood Prince. And he doesn’t fall for her because she’s just older and prettier (even though she is that). She’s genuinely a great person with a lot of spice and is super athletic. Heck, I’d fall for her!
I need her to be accurate in the TV series, at least a little more than what we got in the movies.
2. A little more information about the Marauders
There are so many different Harry Potter spinoffs that could happen, and while I don’t think they’ll be occurring any time soon because of the HBO show, there are aspects that we could dig into deeper in the series. One would be the Marauders.
James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew are mentioned consistently throughout the novels for their contributions to the school, the war, and more. I want a more detailed look at their past, how they became friends, where it all went wrong, and everything in between.
Just a single episode dedicated to them would be feasible. And with several seasons planned, this would be perfect.
3. A more detailed look into Tom Riddle’s past
While I don’t expect this to dig super deep into Tom as a person, I think we really only scratched the surface of who Tom Riddle was in the movies. We got a few flashbacks, but the books go into heavy detail about why Tom is the way that he is and how he became the Dark Lord.
We honestly don’t even know who will play Voldemort yet. Ralph Fiennes is a pretty tough casting to beat. But overall, I think if we were given more of his backstory, we would get a much better understanding of the complex villain instead of just a man who became evil and wishes for all the power in the world.
The iconic monster has deeper levels. We have to unearth them.
4. An expansion of Aunt Petunia
This is, by far, one of the biggest issues I had with the films — the complete erasure of Aunt Petunia’s real personality.
Yes, she was there, just as Ginny was. Fiona Shaw did a good job with the script she was given, and I appreciated every single second I got to experience. But that is not who Petunia is.
In the films, she’s just bitter and has a chip on her shoulder, but she also has a lot of trauma and a past that wasn’t touched on at all. In fact, in the books, she actually did try to mend things with her sister, Lily (Harry’s mother), at one point, but in the movies, Petunia bears heavy resentment towards her. That’s just icky to me. I need to see her for who she really is.
5. Peeves. Just Peeves.
I don’t even need to get into why Peeves needs to be there. He does.
For those who don’t know who Peeves is, Peeves is a poltergeist who haunts the halls of Hogwarts and often pulls pranks on students. He’s not the soul of someone; he's a manifestation of chaos and hijinks. But while he plays jokes on people, he’s also extremely loyal to the school and is an essential part of many plotlines. He also really respects Dumbledore, which is sort of rare with a poltergeist made entirely from chaos.
And he was just cut entirely, which really bothers me.
We know Peeves is officially cast, thanks to Variety. Peter Serafinowicz will play him. But how much he’s actually in the show will determine whether he’s truly utilized.
You can watch all eight Harry Potter films on HBO Max to prep for this new series. Or, you know, go and read the novels at your local library.
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