15 Harry Potter Book Moments Fans Want to See in the Reboot (That Weren’t in the Movies)

Seeing how Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released all the way back in 2001, it was inevitable that the worldwide phenomenon would get a reboot as it hit the two-decade mark. Warner Bros. and HBO confirmed that the reboot television show will be released sometime in 2026, and longtime fans of the franchise can’t contain their excitement.

Seeing that the reboot will be in a longer format, they are thrilled that the expansive story of Harry and the Wizarding World will finally get room to breathe and plenty of screentime to showcase parts of the story that were missing from the movies. The Harry Potter movies did an exemplary job of telling the story of the Boy Who Lived, but with a limited runtime, they had to skip some beloved moments from the books. Fans hope to see these in great detail in the television show.

Updated October 28, 2024, by Arthur Goyaz: The upcoming Harry Potter TV show has the potential to explore key details the movies left out, from iconic characters who were completely removed to important flashbacks. This list was updated to include more essential Harry Potter scenes that could enrich the next Harry Potter adaptation.

15 Dudley Says Goodbye to Harry

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Dudley Dursley is a character fans don’t get to see much, both in the Harry Potter movies and the books. Throughout the series, he’s nothing but a spoiled kid who treats Harry no better than he would a dog. However, a pivotal scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tells Harry and the reader everything they need to know about Dudley: he spent his entire childhood being manipulated by his dysfunctional parents to hate Harry, but he never truly understood why. As he grew up, the hate gave space to curiosity.

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As the Dursleys prepare to leave Harry, Dudley can’t seem to put into words what exactly bugs him about the farewell. What ensues is an awkward, yet genuinely moving moment between Harry and his cousin, which culminates in Dudley reassuring Harry he’s not a “waste of space.” Curiously, this beautiful scene was actually filmed and was supposed to be featured in the Harry Potter movies, but director David Yates decided to cut it. Hopefully, it will make for a great moment in Harry Potter‘s upcoming TV show.

14 Harry Visits Luna’s Bedroom

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Luna Lovegood is one of the most adorable characters in the Harry Potter series. Through her, fans get a broader look at Ravenclaw house, and how they can be more than just sharp-witted and intellectual. Luna is quite smart but also sweet and kind, and in one of the most moving passages of any Harry Potter book, Harry sneaks into Luna’s bedroom while visiting Xenophilius Lovegood’s house, which she decorated with the faces of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville.

This passage works perfectly in the book: the images aren’t moving like the portraits in Hogwarts, yet Harry still has the impression they are breathing. It means that even though the friend group is separated, their friendship is as alive as ever. If done right, Harry’s visit to Luna’s bedroom can have the same emotional impact on TV, as viewers may feel just what Harry did when he saw the beautiful, static images and the magic they channeled with no spells at all.

13 Voldemort’s Additional Memories

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

One of the most unique things about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is how the book alternates between past and present, strengthening the link between Harry and Voldemort as the young wizard dives into the memories of the tormented Tom Riddle. Rowling dedicates the sixth book to the villain of the story, welcoming fans to dissect the true nature of this complex character who went to vile extremes to get rid of his humanity.

Although the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie features important memories like the one where Dumbledore visits Tom, it omits key scenes covering the origins of Tom Riddle, some of them showing in detail how he got his hands on objects that would become Horcruxes. It’s easy to imagine an entire TV episode dedicated to Tom Riddle’s memories, adding depth to the character and explaining in detail how he transformed into Voldemort.

12 Gryffindor Wins the Quidditch Cup

In the Book: Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

One of the best milestones in Harry’s time as a Hogwarts student comes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Gryffindor finally wins the Quidditch Cup after years of loss streak. Most notably, the game ends with Harry getting the upper hand over Malfoy and grabbing the Golden Snitch. It’s a cheerful and euphoric sequence as well as a breather from the third book’s gloomy atmosphere.

Although the Quidditch Cup win means a lot to Harry, it doesn’t affect the main storyline of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which explains why it’s not featured in the movie. In addition, the Quidditch scenes were highly stressful to shoot, and any opportunity to remove them from the movies was welcomed despite how cool they looked onscreen. It’s sad, though, as Alfonso Cuáron would’ve done magic with the Quidditch Cup scenes. Hopefully, the Harry Potter TV will do justice to the best Quidditch moments.

11 Voldemort Duels McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is packed with epic battles, and even though a good chunk of the final Harry Potter movie is devoted to those action-packed moments, some key scenes were left out. To this day, fans can’t get over why the scene where Voldemort duels McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn simultaneously isn’t in the movie. It’s one of the most badass moments of the Dark Lord as he bests three of the most powerful wizards of all time.

To be fair, adapting this scene, which takes place in the Great Hall, would’ve possibly removed some of the impact of Bellatrix Lestrange’s death. In the book, the fall of the last of Voldemort’s most faithful Death Eaters enrages him so much that he dismisses the duel and directs his wand to Molly Weasley, escalating the chaos. In the movie, however, viewers have time to celebrate Molly’s triumph as she kills Bellatrix, without having to worry about Voldemort coming after her.

10 Petunia’s Correspondence With Dumbledore

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Dursleys were quite one-note at the beginning of the series, but their complexity was revealed slowly, especially in the later books. Petunia Dursley was no saint for keeping her nephew; in fact, she failed at most of her duties as a guardian. However, the cause for her hatred for the Wizarding World was revealed later, and it was an important moment.

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In Snape’s memories in the Pensieve, Harry found out that when Lily got her Hogwarts admission letter, young Petunia was dismayed. She wrote to Dumbledore, pleading him to admit her to the school and make her a witch too, to which Dumbledore responded kindly but sternly, making her understand why that wasn’t possible. This led to her disgruntlement with wizards and witches, and this is an important piece of lore that fans want to see as it adds incredible depth.

9 Everything About Peeves the Poltergeist

In the Book: Starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone till Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The biggest grouse that book readers had was the complete exclusion of Peeves from the Potter movies. The mischievous poltergeist was the source of much entertainment, chucking calk at students and even harassing Neville Longbottom for entertainment. In fact, he held a lot of significance to the story, too, as it was Peeves who dropped a cabinet in front of Filch’s office to distract him from Harry — this was the Vanishing Cabinet that Draco used later to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts.

Peeves was also party to Fred and George’s pranks in school, and the twins famously told Peeves, “Give her hell from us, Peeves,” when they left Umbridge’s suffocating rule. His actions prove why he needs to be a part of the show. Peeves’ absence in the Harry Potter movies also led to the absence of the Deathday Party, an iconic event that celebrates the undead personalities of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

8 The Marauders and Their Adventures

In the Book: Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

While Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James got their respective times on screen, the significance of the Marauders together, and their map, was never depicted. The movies showed them ganging up against young Snape, but they should have also shown the strength of their friendship. When Remus turned into a werewolf, Sirius, James, and Peter learned to become Animagi so that they could accompany their friend.

Most importantly, they created the infamous Marauder’s Map, which was used by the Weasley twins and then rightfully passed on to Harry for midnight sneaking about and spying. This was a crucial detail that was left out, and fans would be delighted to see a whole lot of these friends in their younger days.

7 Peter Pettigrew’s Death Was a Surprise

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

For his heinous betrayal, Peter Pettigrew met a fitting end in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but this crucial moment never made it to the movies. The fourth Marauder broke the Potters’ trust by giving away their location to Voldemort and then blamed Sirius for it. Pettigrew continued to serve the Dark Lord, cutting off his arm to resurrect him in the fourth installment, for which Voldemort rewarded him with a hand of silver.

It was this very hand that strangled Pettigrew in Malfoy Manor. Pettigrew tried to kill a fleeing Harry, but when Harry reminded him that he had spared the Animagus in the Shrieking Shack, Peter hesitated. This prompted the silver hand, which was charmed to detect even the slightest betrayal to Voldemort, to turn on its owner and choke him to death instead. This moment of closure is something everyone wants to see.

6 Harry Giving Fred and George His Triwizard Earnings

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Daniel Radcliffe portrayed Harry beautifully, but his generosity never shined in the movies. Harry was born with a lot of money, and he was very giving to all of his friends. When he won a 1000 galleon prize for the Triwizard Tournament, Harry did not wish to keep the money after everything that he had seen.

At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry offered all of his earnings to Fred and George, who accepted it after Harry claimed he would get rid of the money anyway if they didn’t take it. Harry’s money became the initial capital for Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, the twins’ highly successful prank shop. It was the beginning of something new for the twins, and a way to carry on their legacy of tricks and pranks outside Hogwarts.

5 Merope Gaunt’s Life and Times

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Seeing how vast Voldemort’s personal history was, it makes sense that the movies couldn’t fit it all in. Still, eliminating the troubled relations of his mother with her family, as well as the dubious circumstances of his birth, were absolutely imperative. Merope sought freedom by entrapping Tom Riddle Sr. with a love potion, which was wrong on several levels.

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Merope’s story also brought forth an essential fact: Voldemort was a half-blood himself. This underminded much of his pure blood agenda, and ultimately showed how traumatic and empty the man had been since a young age. HBO has the chance of shedding light into important backstories to spice up the narrative of Harry Potter‘s TV show.

4 Harry’s Rage and Pain After Sirius’ Death

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Sirius Black’s loss was universally the most painful death in the Harry Potter franchise, but Harry’s reaction to it was the most heartbreaking. While the movies depicted his sadness, they did not show his anger. In the book, Harry stormed into Dumbledore’s office and broke a bunch of his things, upset at the unfairness of losing his only family.

Despite the carnage, Dumbledore only treats Harry with gentleness and empathy. This scene was essential as it showed how deeply the death impacted Harry, and how kind and loving Dumbledore was to the young man. It would be perfect to watch onscreen.

3 Ginny and Harry’s Post-Win Kiss

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

One of the few things the movies got totally wrong was Harry and Ginny’s romance. From Ginny’s entire character to the dynamic the couple shared in the books — everything was missing in the movies. In fact, the best moments between the two, like their first kiss, were eradicated from the movies and replaced with weak scenes.

Ginny and Harry were tied by Quidditch, which was why their first kiss right after Harry’s victory in the Quidditch cup made complete sense. He had harbored feelings for her for so long that he couldn’t hold back, even in front of every single Gryffindor. This scene needs to be recreated in the TV show to redeem this couple.

2 Neville’s Visit to His Parents at St. Mungo’s

In the Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Neville almost became the Chosen One, so the lack of exploration of his history in the movies was disappointing. His parents were driven to madness by Bellatrix Lestrange’s torture by Crucio, and they permanently resided in the psych ward at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. They didn’t recognize their own son, but Neville had a heartbreaking Christmas visit in the fifth book, which was quite revelatory.

Alice Longbottom handed Neville a gum wrapper, which his grandmother insisted he throw into the bin. Instead, Neville kept the wrapper, proving just how much even his simple interactions with Frank and Alice meant to him. This scene showed the extent of Voldemort’s damage, and Neville’s pain deserves to be seen in the TV show.

1 Harry Repairs His Original Wand

In The Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

After defeating Voldemort in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the Boy Who Lived decides to end the cycle of the Elder Wand, once and for all. However, this is different in the movie and the book. In the book, Harry repairs his original wand with the Elder Wand, before laying it to rest in Dumbledore’s tomb, where its power would die with Harry.

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This made complete sense, as all Harry wanted was to be reunited with the wand that chose him. The movie skipped this important detail completely, instead making him snap the wand and throw it into a valley, which was slightly irresponsible. Harry wanted to be certain of ending the cycles of violence in the Wizarding World, and getting his own wand back was a heartwarming moment that was intrinsically Harry. Fans want to see this more accurate conclusion.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry’s rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Latest Film

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Upcoming TV Shows

Harry Potter

Where to watch

HBO Max

Character(s)

Harry Potter , Voldemort

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