Potterheads everywhere were recently greeted with the news that we will be getting an adaptation of the “Harry Potter” books in the form of a new TV series on HBO’s streaming service, Max. With over 20 years since the first film, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, the series will introduce a whole new cast to bring our favourite characters to life. Yeah, so don’t expect Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint or Emma Watson to be reprising their roles as the lovable trio. The idea of bringing the stories of the original novels to life in a long-form TV show is a brilliant idea! While we absolutely adore Warner Bros’ “Harry Potter” film saga, there were a number of plotlines and stories that we felt could have been explored in the films. Stories that had to be left on the cutting room floor for time’s sake.
However, shows like Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone”, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and BBC’s “His Dark Materials” have shown us that we don’t have to sacrifice narrative depth for spectacle anymore. We can have both! With a massive budget and all the time in the world, here are some crucial storylines we want to see explored in greater detail in HBO’s “Harry Potter”.
1. Neville Longbottom’s Prophecy
For most people who have grown up only seeing the films, they’d probably remember Neville Longbottom as the sweet, nebbish boy who would eventually find his courage in “Harry Potter and the Death Hallows – Part 2”. To this day, we remember his iconic speech to Voldemort and his Death Eaters when all hope seemed lost. Arguably he was also the one who landed the real killing blow on Voldemort, not Harry. Interesting, eh? Well, what if we told you that there’s a possibility that Harry isn’t the Chosen One, according to Sybill Trelawney’s Prophecy, after all, but rather it was Neville?
Both he and Harry were born in July, both had lost their parents to Voldemort in some way and he was even considered at some point to be a candidate to defeat Voldemort once and for all. He witnessed his parents driven insane by Voldemort and suffered great pain, yet displayed courage and kindness over and over again. In the “Harry Potter” series, he definitely deserves a subplot that at the very least hints more heavily at the possibility of him being the Chosen One. Not unlike what “Game of Thrones” did with Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen.
2. Voldemort’s Dark Past
One of the creepiest moments in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” was when Harry gazed into the past and learnt of Tom Marvolo Riddle’s childhood with Dumbledore visiting the young lad. He was something straight out of “The Omen”! That brief window into the past was haunting but we can’t help but feel that the film could have done more to flesh out the childhood of the main villain of the entire saga. The novel goes into far greater detail about Voldemort’s tragic past.
Imagine a whole episode dedicated to following Voldemort’s mother, Merope Gaunt, longing to escape her hellish life at home by bewitching a handsome Muggle named Tom Riddle using a love potion, only to lose it all when the spell wore off. Then, we’d see her son Tom Marvolo Riddle rise through the ranks of Hogwarts and excel at the Dark Arts, believing himself to be some amazing Pure-Blood Wizard. Oh, what we wouldn’t give to see the rage and hate on his face when he realises his biological father was a Muggle! If HBO’s “Harry Potter” went through with that, it would be amazing.
3. The Death of Ariana Dumbledore
Perhaps HBO’s “Harry Potter” series could finally answer the question “Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore” failed to last year: Who killed Ariana Dumbledore? Ariana’s death is one that has haunted Albus all the days of his life. That fateful night in Godric’s Hollow, Albus and his lover Gellert Grindelwald was confronted by Albus’ brother, Aberforth, about their intention to start a global wizarding war. The three of them argued and when Grindelwald had enough, he cast a Cruciatus curse on Aberforth. This led to Albus abandoning his lover to fight Grindelwald alongside his brother in the now legendary Duel at Godric’s Hollow.
During the duel, a stray curse landed on poor Ariana, killing her in the process. One of the biggest mysteries in “Harry Potter” lore is the mystery of who really killed Ariana. “Secrets of Dumbledore” had a fantastic opportunity to finally put this to rest, or at the very least show us parts of that incredible duel. Hopefully, the series will satisfy fans with an answer, if not give us a glimpse into one of the greatest magical battles in the history of the Wizarding World. There’s certainly more than enough time for that now.
4. Hermoine’s Fight For Elven Rights
One of the things we love about Hermoine Granger was her fiercely compassionate nature and this is best shown throughout the books with her crusade for better rights for house elves. Upon seeing the cruel treatment of the house elf Winky at the hands of Barty Crouch, Hermoine realised that something had to be done. So, alongside the house elf Dobby, she launched the Society for the Promotion of Elven Welfare (S.P.E.W.). It wasn’t easy for Hermoine though, seeing that so many of the house elves were accustomed to their masters’ abusive treatment and even took pride in their status as servants.
Hermoine’s S.P.E.W. subplot throughout the books is definitely a great bit of character development for her as she learns about internalised oppression. However, we totally get why David Yates had to cut out this subplot to make time for the larger events in the books. With a longer runtime altogether though, HBO’s “Harry Potter” series could take its time to explore Hermoine, Dobby and Winky’s stories as they navigate through the social politics of the Wizarding World.
5. Snape’s Greatest Sin
Of course, how could we forget about our beautiful Half-Blood Prince, Severus Snape? Hailing from a difficult home, Snape would grow to find comfort in his friendship with Lily Evans. However, his efforts to win over her heart were for naught for he was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor…like James Potter. He was also mercilessly bullied at the hands of the Marauders. This eventually led him down a dark path to join Voldemort as a Death Eater. When he learned that the Dark Lord had set his sights on Lily, he turned to Dumbledore playing the role of a double agent for years, secretly protecting Harry.
There’s so much more to Snape’s tragic story and secret mission that is told within the pages of the books. The “Harry Potter” films have unfortunately left out a tragic mistake Snape made that led Voldemort to murder the woman he loved so dear. Snape was painted in the films as more a creepy but benevolent obsessive who mourned a dead girl than a man who wished to find a way to make up for Lily’s death. HBO’s “Harry Potter” needs to make this clear to the audience. Only then, will his sacrifice in the end bear its full weight.
