Eight Subplots That Never Made It to the Screen

The world of Harry Potter is rich, complex, and embedded with so many threads that it can sometimes be difficult to include them all in a two-hour movie. We understand that not everything can make it to the screen, but we also can’t help but fantasize about all the what-ifs of an extended five-hour edition of each movie installment. What if everything we could ever dream of was included in the films? We’re taking a look at some of the best subplots that were missing in the Potter films.

The Marauders

What was a key component in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book was glossed over in the film. We find out that James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all friends in school, but the whole backstories of Lupin’s days as a werewolf at Hogwarts, his friends becoming unregistered Animagi, and the Marauders Map’s creation are somehow lost to film-only viewers. This backstory would have been great to see as a flashback with young actors, and it probably would only have taken five minutes of screen time. But alas — we can’t have everything in the movies.

Hermione’s Time-Turner Stress

There is a great emotional and mental cost for Hermione when she overloads her school schedule in Prisoner of Azkaban. Her relationship with Harry and Ron is strained, and she’s constantly on the verge of tears. But this all goes unnoticed in the film. Seeing this strain would have grounded Hermione’s character by showing her weaknesses and added more weight to the dynamics of the trio.

The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare

Hermione’s crusade to promote the welfare of house-elves doesn’t even exist in the films. But this political effort is such a great window into Hermione as a character — she notices an injustice, becomes passionate about it, and isn’t afraid to push boundaries, even if it means making others uncomfortable. It’s moments like this that make young readers interested in real-life issues, so it’s a shame it wasn’t even mentioned in the films.

Percy at the Ministry

Percy’s rising ambition spans over the books, expanding with his becoming Barty Crouch’s assistant and then rising to Junior Assistant to the Minister. He’s led to believe his family is a threat to his reputation and career, so he cuts them out of his life completely until Book 7. But if you blink watching the film, you miss any sort of role Percy has. Highlighting Percy’s blind ambition would have created some really rich moments in the Weasley family dynamics, particularly between Arthur and Molly Weasley, who have boiling conflict right at the surface — what a missed opportunity.

Hagrid’s Tale

Some “missing” moments in the films are simply told and not shown, and this is one of them. In the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book, Hagrid spends an entire chapter explaining his excursion with Madam Maxime to earn the trust of some of the most dangerous giants. But with just a few lines in the film, Hagrid summarizes the whole thing and doesn’t even mention Madame Maxime. We regret that she wasn’t even brought up in this dangerous tale of events considering she risked her life. The female characters and the roles they play in the war effort deserve more credit than this.

Neville at St. Mungo’s

Remember the pitiful exchange of the gum wrapper between Neville and his mother on Christmas? In the film, what happened to Neville’s parents is only briefly mentioned in dialogue, but it would have been a real punch in the gut to actually show this. Not only would this have had a more lasting impact, but it would also have given more fight for Neville’s character in Dumbledore’s Army.

The Missing Riddle Memories

The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film contains some very eerie memories of Tom Riddle. But two key memories are missing — the Gaunt family and the conversation with Hokey and Hepzibah Smith. We figure this would be key information to include in a movie that’s setting up Harry’s hunt for Horcruxes. Hearing Horcruxes as a high-pitched whine is something only done in the films, and it seems like an all-to-easy solution to finding all the Horcruxes. Riddle’s missing memories would at least pave the way for the trio to know what to look for and have it make sense.

The Blissful Time with Harry and Ginny

The sixth film was marketed so much as a romance, it’s a shame we don’t see more of Harry and Ginny actually together as a couple. What about those blissful weeks together after their first kiss? Granted, we don’t see much of this in the book either. But that just means this was a definite missed opportunity for the film. Even a small montage would have been nice to see.

We Harry Potter fans are just hard to please. Of course, we agree that a majority of the creative direction of the Potter films was fantastic, but it’s always fun to dream about what could have been. What do you think? Is there anything that was missing from this list? Comment below.