TheHarry Potterseries is full of side stories that never got their day in the sun, but HBO’s remake is a chance to finally change that. The upcoming TV show will dedicate entire seasons to each of J.K. Rowling’s books, which means there is a great deal more wiggle room for the tale’s entirety to make it on the screen. This also means that some of the stories ofHarry Potterthat are only mentioned in passing or told through a third-person perspective can play out in more detail. For some, this will just mean a few flashback scenes that dive into the action. Still, other stories deserve full episodes.
HBO’sHarry Potterremake is expected to kick off its first season in 2027, which would explore the story ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.From there, season 2 would dive intoHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and so on. HBO typically averages about eight to 10 episodes per seasonwithin its original series, so there is plenty of room to expand on Harry’s established story. This makes full episodes outlining stories like theMarauders becoming Animagior Tom Riddle’s first experience making a Horcrux not only possible but imperative to the overarching story.
10Professor Quirrell Finding Lord Voldemort
The Villain Described An Intriguing Misadventure
Professor Quirrell is one of the more forgettablevillains ofHarry Potter. The whole point of his character was that he was easy to overlook, making the final reveal that he had Lord Voldemort on the back of his head all the more shocking. Of course,Harry Potterfans will go into season 1 of HBO’s series, already aware of this twist. So, it would be highly beneficial for the series to create more interest in Quirrell’s turn to evil.
After Harry learns the truth about Professor Quirrell near the end ofHarry Potterseason 1, it would be interesting to see an episode that jumps a handful of months back in time to Quirrell’s search for Voldemort. It would bea moment dedicated to learning about this young professor’s trek through the wilderness, hoping to make his mark as the man who found what was left of the Dark Lord, only to become the subject of Voldemort’s gruesome possession.
9Hagrid Losing His Father & Getting Expelled
Hagrid’s Full Tragic Story Deserves To Be Told
Rubeus Hagrid is among the most beloved charactersinHarry Potter, buthe didn’t get nearly enough attention. The books dropped tidbits about his full story, and a broader picture was ultimately constructed. Still,this is all learned secondhand, andHarry Potter nevertook Hagrid’s POV. HBO’s remake could take advantage of the events ofChamber of Secretsto change this in season 2.
An episode all about Hagrid’s past could explore the young half-giant’s relationship with his human father while also diving into his early years struggling to be accepted at Hogwarts.
An episode all about Hagrid’s past could explore the young half-giant’s relationship with his human father while also diving into his early years struggling to be accepted at Hogwarts. Of course, this would be a tragic story since Hagrid would be doomed to lose his father in his second year, only to be expelled after being framed by Tom Riddle in his third. Still, thisHarry PotterTV show episode could have a happy ending asDumbledore secures young Hagrid an eternal place among Hogwarts' staff.
8The Marauders Becoming Animagi & Other Adventures
A Full Marauders Story Has Been Highly Requested
InHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns all about the Marauders—James Potter and his friends. This mischievous group created theMarauder’s Map, which they used to explore Hogwarts Castle more effectively. Three of them,James, Sirius, and Peter, also went through the challenging process of becoming Animagi in secretso they could spend more time with their werewolf friend, Remus Lupin.
While this is all canon, these stories have only ever been told secondhand. Seeing an entire episode (or maybe more) dedicated to the Marauders and their primary adventures as students at Hogwarts would be a dream come true for manyHarry Potterfans, and the third season of the HBO remake would be an excellent time to make this happen. What’s more, it would make for a stronger foundation forPrisoner of Azkaban’s overarching story.
7Peter Pettigrew, Lord Voldemort, & Bertha Jorkins
This Dark Story Is Full Of Mystery
Between the events ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanandHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Peter Pettigrew is reunited with his master, Voldemort. He kidnaps Bertha Jorkins as an offering to the Dark Lord. This reunion and Bertha’s torturous interrogation are mentioned several times throughoutGoblet of Fire. However, the details of this have never been brought to the screen.
This is around the time that PeterPettigrew helped Voldemort make a temporary body—the fetus-like form he maintained until his resurrection at the end ofGoblet of Fire. Rowling has remained tight-lipped about precisely how Pettigrew and Voldemort did this. However, an episode about these villains' reunion could finally shed some light on this dark story.
6Barty Crouch’s Escape From Azkaban
There Was More To This Story Than Ever Made The Screen
Thebig twist ofHarry Potter and the Goblet of Firewas that Mad-Eye Moody was actually Barty Crouch Jr, who was supposed to have died in Azkaban years before. The ending of the book saw Dumbledore interrogate Crouch Jr, who gave a lengthy explanation about how his mother had used Polyjuice potion to take his place in Azkaban and thathe had spent the following years imprisoned in the Crouch home under the Imperius Curse.
While an extended scene of this character telling his story wouldn’t be much fun on screen, a flashback episode beginning with his arrest and ending with his big reunion with Lord Voldemort could help make this character even more interesting.
TheHarry Pottermovie did not provide this explanation, which is why an episode featuring Barty Crouch Jr.’s full story would be so valuable to theHarry PotterTV remake. While an extended scene of this character telling his story wouldn’t be much fun on screen, a flashback episode beginning with his arrest and ending with his big reunion with Lord Voldemort could help make this character even more interesting.
5Lily & James Potter’s Wedding
A Chance To Get More Connected To The Adult Marauders
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixis when Harry began to learn more about his father’s time at school, and HBO could take advantage of this to bring an untold story to the screen. Harry possessed a photo album of Lily and James' wedding, and Sirius told a couple of brief stories about the event, but the movies left this out entirely.
While the Potter wedding isn’t as important as otherHarry Potterside stories, HBO including this would serve a significant purpose. First, it would open the door to the dynamic between James and his friends as adults, which is especially interesting since Peter Pettigrew was in attendance. Still, even more importantly,an episode that jumps back to James and Lily’s wedding could help make audiences even more invested in these characters, driving home the tragedy of their deaths only a short time later.
4Merope Gaunt’s Full Story
Voldemort’s Mother Is An Important Piece Of The Puzzle
In theHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princebook, Harry observes several memories in the Pensieve, most of which don’tmake it into theHarry Pottermovie. While the HBO remake would be expected to feature all of these, some stories in particular would warrant some extra attention. An example would be that of Merope Gaunt, Voldemort’s mother, who died giving birth to him.
Merope is meant to be the antithesis of Lily, but the meaningful parallels here are lost if Voldemort’s mother is left out.
Merope was raised in a terribly abusive and neglectful home, and this ultimately led her to make some deeply questionable decisions herself. She was a tragic character, though in a different way than Harry’s mother, Lily Potter. Merope is meant to be the antithesis of Lily, but the meaningful parallels here are lost if Voldemort’s mother is left out. For this reason, an entire episode detailingMerope’s story in the HBOHarry Potterremake is a must.
3Tom Riddle’s First Murders & Horcruxes
The Harry Potter Remake Could Show Voldemort Tearing Apart His Soul
Another significant focus ofHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princeis Harry’s Horcrux lessons, through which he learned all about Voldemort’s efforts for immortality. Through the Pensieve, Harry saw memories of a young Tom Riddle learning about Horcruxes, but HBO’sHarry PotterTV show could take the story so much further than that.
An episode inHarry Potterseason 6 couldsee Tom Riddle through his first murders and observe the changes he goes through every time he rips his soul. It would follow the young villain through his research and interrogation of Slughorn, through to his first murders of Moaning Myrtle and the Riddle family. These scenes could even show for the first time the terrible steps necessary to actually make a Horcrux, which remains a mystery.
2Albus Dumbledore & Gellert Grindelwald’s Meeting & Friendship
HBO’s Remake Could Do What Fantastic Beasts Couldn’t
TheFantastic Beastsmovies attempted to explore Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s story, but the franchise has remained at an unfortunate standstill. Still, it didn’t seem as if the prequel film series was going to go as far back as their first meeting at Godric’s Hallow, the summer they spent together searching for the Hallows.
InHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore tells Harry the story of his meeting with Grindelwald and outlinesthe unfortunate decisions he made thatled to Ariana Dumbledore’s death.Seeing this all play out on screen would make this story all the more impactful, and the summer after Dumbledore’s graduation from Hogwarts provides more than enough content to fill up a full, exciting episode.
1The Half-Blood Prince’s Full Tale
Snape’s Full Backstory & More
Theending ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallowssaw Harry dive into the Pensieve one last time to observe Snape’s memories. These scenes made up a full chapter in theHarry Potterbooks, but the movies were forced to cut them down significantly. This meant a great deal was missed, which is HBO’s cue to restore the full story and then some.
Actor Paapa Essiedu is reportedly in talks to play Severus Snape in the HBOHarry Potterremake.
A full episode—or series of episodes—outlining Severus Snape’s full story would be an excellent way to wrap up HBO’sHarry PotterTV show.Snape’s memories serve as the connective tissue of the overarching story, linking together various unsolved mysteries to allow a broader, tragic, but more expansive picture. HBO could take this even further by fully exploring the circumstances of Snape’s home life, the nuance of his friendship with Lily, and his decline to becoming the Death Eater who would pass on that prophecy to Lord Voldemort. It’s aHarry Potterstory that deserves far more attention.
Harry Potter
Cast
Harry Potter is HBO’s remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling’s popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did.
