The Adventures of the Marauders and the Original Order of the Phoenix
Ok, realistically, the amount of backstory involving Harry’s parents, the Marauders, and the original Order of the Phoenix was so great that there would have been no way to cover everything alongside Harry’s journey in the movies. However, they definitely could have delved into the Marauder’s connection to the map more in Prisoner of Azkaban and the rebellion of the original Order in Phoenix. Or someone could create a spin-off series or two. Get on that, Netflix. Please and thank you.
Dobby’s Greater Role
Dobby in the books played a far more significant role in the lives of our Golden Trio than he did in the movie. In Goblet of Fire, we see that Dumbledore has taken Dobby in and given him a job at Hogwarts after his departure from the Malfoy family. Being near to Harry gives Dobby the opportunity to help our champion with second task of the Triwizard Tournament by providing him with gillyweed. In Order of the Phoenix, he tells Harry about the Room of Requirement and helps to warn Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army that Umbridge has learn of their secret meetings. In Half Blood Prince, Dobby is integral to Harry and Ron’s plans to spy on Malfoy, learning of his use of the Room or Requirement to bring the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Dobby’s actions throughout the entire series solidify his true friendship with Harry, making his tragic death while saving Harry and his friends all the more painful. I got a fever and the only prescription is more Dobby.
S.P.E.W.
Hermione didn’t fight for the freedom and rights of enslaved house elves everywhere for you to leave her activism out of the movies.
Visits with Sirius
In the books, Goblet of Fire finds Sirius Black living in a van down by the river…I mean, a cave near Hogsmeade. Throughout the Triwizard Tournament, Sirius was never more than an afternoon walk away from Harry, offering him moral support and advice on many occasions. Harry and Sirius had such a strong relationship with one another in the books. When Sirius came into Harry’s life, I think we all had visions of Harry finally having a true and permanent father figure. However, that was cut short after the crushing loss of his character at the hands of Bellatrix LeStrange. It was probably one of the most devastating moments in the series to read and it would have been nice to have a few more happy moments on screen to show the bond between the two before Sirius’ demise.
The Sphinx
The riddle of the sphinx in the third task of the Triwizard Tournament was honestly a cool moment of victory and cleverness for our hero, Harry. Plus, who doesn’t love a bit of mythology.
Dumbledore’s Howler to Mrs. Dursley
After the scare with the dementors in Order of the Phoenix, Vernon wasn’t exactly happy harboring Harry in their house. Dumbledore’s howler to Mrs. Dursley in the book served as a reminder of the promise Petunia made all those years ago to take Harry in and protect him. This moment really helped to humanize Aunt Petunia and show that, underneath her jealousy of Lily and prickly demeanor, perhaps she cared for Harry and the memory of her sister more than Harry realized. "Remember my last, Petunia.”
Explaining the Thestral Escape
The desire to include this scene in the fifth movie is purely from a clarity standpoint. For those who haven’t read the books, I’m sure it was quite confusing that only Harry and Luna could see the thestrals, and yet, the Order of the Phoenix gang uses them as a mode of transport to the Ministry of Magic. Much like Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man trying to figure out how his webbing works, Harry and Luna explaining thestrals to the others in the books is definitely a delight. It would have been a nice moment of levity in the films.
Memories of Voldemort’s backstory and the Riddle and Gaunt families
The tragic backstory of Voldemort’s parents is important in that it ultimately led Tom Marvolo Riddle down a path of bad choices. His father was a muggle from a snobby and hated family, the Riddles, and his mother was a Gaunt, an ancient pure-blood family that detested muggles. Tom’s mother, Merope, was obsessed with Tom Sr. and put a spell, or shall we say a curse, on him to force him to love her. When she removes the spell, his dad flees and his mom later dies in childbirth. Voldemort spends his childhood in an orphanage, never feeling loved and accepted. He eventually finds out his mother’s side was the Gaunt family, connecting his lineage to the Peverell brothers, as well as Salazar Slytherin. Desperate to belong in the wizarding world, Voldemort is warped in his quest to connect himself with his Gaunt/Slytherin family roots, captivated by the dark arts, immortality, and pure-blood supremacy. It was this darkness and hatred for his muggle past that lead to Marvolo’s murder of the remaining Riddle clan and the beginning of his horcrux spree. Voldemort was born out of obsession, not a happy marriage, and he never knew true love and acceptance. This at least makes Voldemort a pitiable character, unlike some other characters we know who are just straight-up pure evil. *cough Umbridge cough* Seriously, I think we all hate Umbridge more than Voldemort.
Dudley’s Goodbye and Redemption
We love a good redemption arc! Dudley had a huge change of heart and about-face in Deathly Hallows. It would have been nice to see his support of Harry and that hug in the films. Plus, it drives home one of the main lessons this series has taught us: “We all have light and dark within us, but it is our choices that show who we are.”
Hufflepuff’s Cup and Ravenclaw’s Diadem
In the books, Harry originally finds the cup thanks to having already witnessed it in Dumbledore’s memories in the pensieve and he saw Rowena Ravenclaw’s lost diadem in the Room of Requirement back in the Half Blood Prince. In the film portrayal, Harry closes his eyes and ‘senses’ where the horcruxes are, which makes absolutely no sense because if he could control what he sees in Voldemort’s mind and hear Voldemort’s trapped soul in the horcruxes all along, then why would he go on that months-long journey with Hermione and Ron looking for clues and seeking them out? Riddle me that, filmmakers.
Peeves the Poltergeist
The master of mischief and shenanigans didn’t make his way into any of the films, which was a shame since no one raged harder after Voldemort’s end than old Peeves-y. “We did it, we bashed them. Wee Potter is the one. And Voldy’s gone all mouldy, so now let’s have some fun!”
Neville’s Prophecy
The movies failed to truly explain Trelawney’s prophecy and Neville’s role in Harry’s story. The books explain that Trelawney’s prediction could have just as likely applied to Neville and he could have ended up the ‘Chosen One,’ if Voldemort hadn't marked Harry as his equal. This similar tragedy of fate, along with their sad home childhood with relatives and their missing parents, Harry’s being dead and Neville’s sadly driven to insanity, links these characters, making their friendship all the more heartwarming. It also makes Neville’s speech against Voldemort and his destruction of the final horcrux all the more significant. But, Neville did get unexpectedly foxy in the last movie, so I guess we can let this slide. 10,000 points to Gryffindor for Neville’s glo-up.
Voldemort’s Real Death
In the movies, Voldemort dies by shredding into a thousand pieces and floating off into the air like dandruff in a Head and Shoulders commercial. This just didn’t make sense. He should’ve died a human death with an utterly ordinary sense of finality. In the books, his killing curse rebounds and his body lands with a resolute thud. He wasn’t other-worldly and his death shouldn’t have been treated as such. He was, after-all, just human. There is an important message that resonates from his human death: In the end, it doesn’t matter if you are pure-blood or muggle, we all die the same way. What matters are the choices we make and the good we do and the love and friendship we find along the way.
Harry’s Mended Wand
Harry’s mended wand was another point of clarity needed. Many who were only moviegoers were probably very confused by the fact that Harry’s wand was still broken and he was snapping the Elder Wand in two. It was also incredibly poignant in the books when Harry uses the Elder Wand to mend his own before disposing of it. It reminds us all that, unlike Voldemort, Harry chooses to be ordinary. He has no thirst for power and no desire to be famous, or rather infamous. He just wants to save the ones he loves and have a sense of peace and normalcy in his life, which he gets in the epilogue. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Teddy Lupin
Lupin and Sirius were the fathers Harry didn’t have and I think we all wanted to see a few moments of godfatherly love between Harry and Teddy. Now that would have been an Oprah 'full-circle moment.'
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