Potterheads, where you at? A Harry Potter TV series is rumoured to be in the works under HBO Max and we’re… well, not sure what we feel about it yet. With the many reboots and remakes lately — not all of which are great *coughs* Fate: The Winx Saga — we can’t help but ask: do we really need another one? Especially the one about J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.
Sure, the prospect of a Harry Potter TV series brings in nostalgia, but there’s also J.K. Rowling’s controversies involving queer baiting and transphobia. The idea of work versus creator is surely not to be set aside.
Even so, we’re still curious about how a Harry Potter TV series would look. Will it explore narratives that the original films deliberately left out? Will each book equate to one season? How many episodes will be dedicated to a single chapter? The questions are endless.
While waiting for confirmation to the rumours, we share some of the scenes from the books we’d love to see should there be a TV drama.
Hermione’s S.P.E.W. activism
Hermoine’s S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare), which she established to fight against the unjust treatment of house-elves, was one of the best examples of youth activism in the books, apart from Dumbledore’s Army. Hermione pushed this agenda passionately because she strongly believed in her end goal despite people misunderstanding and judging the purpose of her cause (we’re looking at you, Ron Weasley).
However, looking back at this arc, we see that while Hermoine’s vision for S.P.E.W. is good, her approach (a.k.a. baiting house elves to freedom by hiding clothes in the common room as they clean) was not exactly the best. While it is understandable that some house-elves act the way they do because of conditioning after years and years of oppression, Hermoine’s manipulation, albeit pure in intention, was self-serving.
This can be tackled in a TV series to show that there is a careful and sensitive approach to fighting for causes and those we are trying to protect should be a main priority.
Harry dealing with grief over Sirius and then Dobby
The Harry Potter movie franchise started to quicken its pace starting from Goblet of Fire as we finally started to deal with Voldemort’s more proactive schemes. Pressed for time, the movies left little room for Harry to mourn on screen.
This is why we want to witness scenes in the books where Harry showed grief for two beloved characters: when he was lashing out at Dumbledore’s office after Sirius’ death and when he buried Dobby to pay his last respects.
Both scenes are a testament to Harry’s caring personality and a catalyst to his journey into being The Chosen One. It showed a huge contrast between him and Voldemort and the role of love in winning the war.
Harry confronting Remus about Tonks’ pregnancy
Another great moment we’d love to see onscreen is Harry telling off Remus after he volunteered to go with the Golden Trio on their quest to find Horcruxes despite his wife Tonks being in the middle of her pregnancy. Despite Remus’ protests and denial, Harry insisted that Remus only wanted to come with them to run away from his responsibilities as a father, causing the first (and last) heated argument between the two.
Harry’s reaction showed maturity and reminds readers that his dynamic with Remus is no longer that of a student and a teacher but rather of equals and friends. The scene also included a touching moment when Remus asked Harry to be his son Teddy’s godfather — a huge deal considering what we know of Remus and Tonks’ fate at the end of the story. It signifies not just the bond of the Marauders extending from James to Harry, but also how Harry will be Teddy’s father-figure in the future, much like Remus and Harry’s relationship in Prisoner of Azkaban.
Harry receiving Fabian’s watch from Molly for his 17th birthday
Ginny Weasley being THE Ginny Weasley
Okay, no hate to Bonnie Wright since it’s not her fault movie-Ginny was written so… blandly, but Ginny was the perfect match for Harry in the books and their connection was treated haphazardly in the movies. Moments, where Ginny empowers Harry or relates to him about their shared trauma over being possessed by Voldemort (see: Chamber of Secrets), was axed from the releases completely. The way she was witty and unapologetic — and a badass Quidditch player — was also scraped from the films. Fans were also not able to see how Ginny was not afraid to tell him off when he’s being eaten by self-loathing especially in the first half of Deathly Hallows. HBO Max, if the rumours are true, please do right by Ginny!
McGonagall clapping back at Dolores Umbridge about Harry’s future
McGonagall and Umbridge did butt heads in the Harry Potter films, but the producers and writers failed to include the iconic scene where McGonagall tells off Umbridge about Harry’s future. Umbridge said Harry wasn’t fit to become an Auror because his actions are ‘anti-Ministry’. When the news reached McGonagall, she faced Umbridge boldly as Harry’s Head of House, divulging that Harry received exceptional grades from all competent professors, implying that even resident fraudster Gilderoy Lockart was way better than Umbridge as a teacher.
“Have a biscuit, Potter.”
One of the most amusing things about Order Of The Phoenix was McGonagall’s distaste over Umbridge’s presence in Hogwarts. When Harry was sent over to the Head of House’s office after making a scene in one of Umbridge’s classes — where he called her “a liar” when she tried to ‘correct’ him about the facts surrounding Cedric Diggory’s death — we half expected McGonagall to scold Harry for his behaviour. Instead, she asked him to sit down and have a biscuit almost nonchalantly, even commending him for his actions.
The moment was so iconic to book readers that the single line has over 6.5 million search results on Google including memes, reimagined edits, and screenshots of the scene from the book. Talk about a short but sweet plot-twist that we can’t wait to relive on screen!
Harry and Dudley’s goodbye
It’s been years since Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiered but we’re still bitter about this scene not making the final cut. Hardcore fans can say that it was shot but deleted — it’s included in the extended version, which you can watch above — but it wouldn’t have hurt if they didn’t cut it at all. Dudley’s attempt to make amends in the end — even extending a hand to Harry as a sign of respect — showed growth and understanding between the two characters despite its subtlety. We’d love for this scene to have a bit more screen time in the TV series because it provides a nice contrast to Petunia and Lily’s relationship, which never reached its own closure.
Which scene from the book that didn’t make it in the original films would you like to see in a Harry Potter TV series?
(Cover photo from: @wizardingworld)
Next, we weigh in on fanfiction writing here.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].
Related Articles
