Even 12 years after the release of the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the love for the Harry Potter franchise is still alive and well, even after they cast aside the series’ problematic author, they still kept the franchise strong. The majority of the fanbase adores the Harry Potter film franchise, and for good reason. The films are incredibly well crafted and contain so much heart and soul that captured the hearts of fans and critics across the planet.
But, like most book-to-film adaptions, Harry Potter is not without its inaccuracies. The books actually contain numerous characters that never made it to the film, for better and for worse. While some characters seemingly added nothing to the plot and merely brought humor to the table, others actually brought incredibly important moments that fleshed out the plot and added a plethora of context to many plot points.
15 The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Featured in: Book 6
Loyalty: The people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Due to the low number of wizards compared to muggles, and the fact that muggles tend to react to magic with fear and violence, the wizarding world decided that it would be best to hide themselves. They take special precautions to ensure that muggles do not learn about magic, and anyone caught practicing magic in the vicinity of a muggle by accident or deliberately is punished severely. However, some muggles are allowed to know about the wizarding world, such as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister is never named in the books, nor does he feature outside the prologue chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but his short scene is memorable because it offers the perspective of a muggle who is aware of magic. Audiences learn that he has been in contact with Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge for years, and has been informed of everything from the escape of Sirius Black to the return of Lord Voldemort and the beginning of the Second Wizarding War. He was even given protection from the Ministry in case Voldemort tried to go after him to stir trouble among the muggles of London. – Tyler B. Searle
14 Rodolphus Lestrange
Featured in: Books 4, 5 & 7
Loyalty: The Death Eaters
Audiences of movies remember Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin to Sirius Black, and perhaps Voldemort’s most loyal Death Eater. What they won’t know is that she has a living husband: fellow Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange, who, alongside Bellatrix and Barty Crouch Jr., tortured the parents of Neville Longbottom until their minds shattered. All three of them were sent to Azkaban, but escaped after Voldemort returned to power.
Rodolphus shared his wife’s devotion to the villainous Dark Lord and showed no fear of being sentenced to Azkaban. Unlike other Death Eaters, like the Malfoys, he refused to pretend to renounce his allegiance and looked down upon those who did as traitors and cowards. Removing him from the movie places more of the focus on Bellatrix as Voldemort’s most fanatical follower, which hurts Voldemort a little bit because it makes his followers feel less devoted and more like opportunists. – Tyler B. Searle
13 Professor Bins
Featured in: Books 1, 2, 4 & 5
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Humans aren’t the only kind of people that teach at Hogwarts, spirits do as well, thanks to Professor Cuthbert Bins. In the books, Professor Bins was the Professor of the History of Magic class at Hogwarts when he died of old age in the Hogwarts staff room. But to make matters stranger, when Professor Bins woke up the next morning for class, he didn’t even realize he was actually dead until he appeared in class as his ghostly self. Professor Bins didn’t let death stop him and simply continued to teach as a ghost.
Professor Bins was quite the expositional character in the books and was never truly important to the overarching story. In Harry and co’s first year at Hogwarts, they’d be placed into Professor Bins’ class. Harry always regarded the class as the most boring one due to Professor Bins’ hands-off teaching approach, simply reading off the lessons and expecting students to just take notes. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Professor Bins would teach Harry’s class about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. This moment in the books would be taken from Professor Bins and given to Professor Minerva McGonagall, a more important character in comparison.
12 Marietta Edgecombe
Featured in: Books 5 & 6
Loyalty: The Crouch Family & Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Film fans may remember Cho Chang, Harry’s love interest in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When Harry started Dumbledore’s Army, to instruct his fellow students on how to accurately defend against the Dark Arts, Cho and Harry’s relationship quickly fell apart when Harry suspected her of being the student who outed Dumbledore’s Army to Hogwarts staff… in the movies. What film fans might not know is that Cho never outed Dumbledore’s Army in the books and it was actually her good friend Marietta Edgecombe.
Marietta Edgecombe was a Ravenclaw student one year above Harry and friends whose mother worked as a Floo Network Regulator at the British Ministry of Magic. When she joined Dumbledore’s Army alongside Cho, but did so reluctantly as she held great fear for the current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge. When she eventually feared that her mother’s position in the British Ministry of Magic could be threatened if she was found in the ranks of Dumbledore’s Army, she would be the one to out the group to Umbridge to protect herself and her mother. This was really her only contribution to the series, though. So it makes sense that Marietta never made it to the big screen.
11 Winky the House Elf
Featured in: Book 4
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
After being let go as the house elf for the Crouch family, when she was caught in a suspicious situation, the fan-favorite Dobby the House Elf helped get Winky a job in Hogwarts’ kitchens. Due to her intense depression from being let go as the Crouch family house elf, Winky became a drunk and had zero intention of doing any work with her fellow Elves in the kitchens. Winky’s plot initially seemed like a small plot to give Dobby more characterization and while her story did that as well, it ended up being something much more harrowing.
When the Triwizard Tournament’s terrible event instigating Death Eater was caught, Winky was suspiciously called down to Professor Moody’s office by none other than Dumbledore. It was here that Winky’s role in the story found its true place. Winky would be told that the Death Eater they caught was none other than her former master, Barty Crouch Jr., the son of her former master, Barty Crouch Sr. Her situation would grow more distressing when she’d be informed that Barty Crouch Sr. was actually murdered by Barty Crouch Jr. So Winky’s role in the plot expanded to more than just a side plot for Dobby, but an avenue to bring more context to the events of the Triwizard Tournament, as depressing as it may be. Winky was actually so ingrained in the backstory of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that she was heavily considered to be placed in the movie, with official concept art of her circulating around the internet.
10 Peeves the Poltergeist
Featured in: Books 1-7
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
While the Harry Potter series, both in literature and film, initially began as lighthearted stories aimed more at children, they don’t stay lighthearted for long. When Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes around, the series finds a major tonal change and things in the wizarding world become a lot more serious, making it hard to find much wit or comedy in such dark times. But the books had a character that was made specifically to do just that.
Peeves the Poltergeist began the series as a character roaming about Hogwarts that just loved to make the lives of students harder, especially one Harry Potter. While some fans may write Peeves off as a nonsensical character made just to be a jerk to Harry, he is so much more than that on a thematic level. When the series gains a more serious tone, Peeves is frequently used as a light in the dark. Just when things felt like they were a downer, Peeves would hop onto the scene to make the readers laugh and remind them that the fun, lighthearted tone of the first three books was not long gone. Peeves was actually supposed to be featured in the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film and went as far as being cast, with actor Rik Mayall aimed to portray him before his scenes were cut.
9 Andromeda Tonks (Black)
Featured in: Books 5 & 7
Loyalty: Tonks Family & Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Keen fans of the Harry Potter films most likely picked up on her existence when she appeared on the Black family tree. So, while her character never officially appears in the film, her existence is recognized. Andromeda Tonks was once known as Andromeda Black when she was born into the Black family, being the middle sister between Bellatrix and Narcissa. While Sirius Black is commonly known as the rebel of the Black family, being disowned, Andromeda also suffered the same fate when she married Ted Tonks, a muggle-born man.
Due to her family’s dedication to the idea of being pure-blood, Andromeda was disowned and went her own way in life. She would go on to be an ally to the Order of the Phoenix due to her daughter, Nymphadora, being a member. She and Ted allowed their home to be used as a safe house for the Order of the Phoenix to give aid. In the books, when Harry and Hagrid needed to seek shelter after Hagrid sustained injuries in the Battle of the Seven Potters, they would retreat to the Tonks’ home.
8 Ted Tonks
Featured in: Book 7
Loyalty: Tonks Family & Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Like his wife, Andromeda, Edward Tonks is acknowledged within the universe of the films but never appears on-screen. During the Second Wizarding War, Ted helped to keep Andromeda calm by reminding her that their daughter was a trained Aura and knew how to handle herself in a fight. The two were even tortured for information regarding Harry’s whereabouts but refused to break.
After the fall of the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort set up a Muggle-Born Registration Commission, which Ted refused to sign. He went on the run but was sadly caught and killed by Snatchers led by the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Ted’s fate is a tragic but poignant way to demonstrate how Voldemort’s regime persecutes anyone who is not of pure magical blood. – Tyler B. Searle
7 Teddy Lupin
Featured in: Book 7
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Potter family
As if omitting her parents wasn’t bad enough, the later movies completely gloss over Nymphadora’s budding romance with Harry’s former Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Remus Lupin. As such, it’s no surprise that, in the final film, audiences are left scratching their heads when Harry talks to Lupin using the resurrection stone and mentions his son.
Teddy Lupin was a source of major stress for Remus in the books, who feared that his lycanthropy might pass to the child. He even offered to join Harry, Ron, and Hermione on their hunt for the hoarcruxes, only for Harry to shame him into returning to his wife and supporting her. When Teddy was born, Lupin was relieved to find that he showed no signs of lycanthropy, and named Harry his godfather. Sadly, Remus and Nymphadora were both killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, but Harry did everything he could to make sure Teddy would grow up as part of a loving family. – Tyler B. Searle
6 Phineas Black
Featured in: Books 5-7
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Slytherin)
Another one of the children born into the House of Black, Phineas Black only found major influence on the Harry Potter story after he had died and been hung as a portrait in both the Hogwarts Headmaster’s office and the family home of the Black family.
Thanks to the nature of portraits in the Harry Potter universe, the sentient version of Phineas within them actually had the ability to move between the two locations. When the Black family home eventually became the base of the Order of the Phoenix, Phineas’ unique ability would come in handy as they prepared for the battle to come against Voldemort. Additionally, during the events of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry would get messages from Dumbledore through the portrait located in the Black home.
5 Ludovic Bagman
Featured in: Book 4
Loyalty: British Ministry of Magic
When Harry was mysteriously entered into the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ludovic Bagman was one of his biggest supporters as he competed to win the day. But not for the most noble of reasons. Before he would meet Harry, Ludovic was known well around the wizarding world as irresponsible and idiotic. After the first war against Voldemort, Ludovic was put on trial for supplying information to a Death Eater. He was let off and found innocent, primarily due to his high profile status as a Quidditch player.
He was also a known gambler who frequently attempted to use deceit to weasel his way out of situations in order to not pay up when he needed to. When he met Harry in the Triwizard Tournament, he would bet highly on the boy to win in order to pay a debt he owed to the Goblins. Frequently throughout the tournament, he would attempt to offer Harry information that the young wizard consistently refused, as it would certainly be cheating. After Harry and Cedric Diggory technically tied for the win, even with Cedric dying in the process, the Goblins didn’t take a tie as a win for Harry and Ludovic had to go into hiding. Ludovic’s inclusion in the films would’ve been another great way to show Harry’s good heart and character.
4 Bertha Jorkins
Featured in: Book 4
Loyalty: British Ministry of Magic
As a student at Hogwarts, Bertha Jorkins was noted as being not too bright and having a love for gossiping. She joined the Ministry of Magic after graduation, where she floated between departments before finally settling under Ludovic Bagman in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. One day, while visiting Barty Crouch Sr. She learned that he had his son, a convicted death eater, squirreled away in his home under an invisibility cloak. Crouch blasted her with a powerful memory charm so she wouldn’t blab, which left her with brain damage and a terrible memory.
Bertha was eventually found by Peter Pettigrew while on holiday in Albania, who took her to Voldemort for interrogation before killing her. This is how he learned about Barty Crouch Jnr and the Triwizard Tournament, allowing him to make plans to use the tournament to kidnap Harry Potter to use in his return to power. Since the movies left Bertha out, one has to wonder how Voldemort learned of the tournament. Her story is also a foreshadowing of what is to come once Voldemort returns to full strength. – Tyler B. Searle
3 Frank and Alice Longbottom
Featured in: Book 5
Loyalty: The Order of the Phoenix – First Generation
While they may not physically appear in the Harry Potter film franchise, Neville Longbottom’s parents, Alice and Frank’s presences are still felt through their son’s undying love for them. Both were once members of the original iteration of the Order of the Phoenix, both being responsible for countless arrests and captures of members of Voldemort’s army. But unfortunately, due to this, they lost their lives when they were brutally tortured to sheer madness and became permanently incapacitated in St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Neville’s parents add a major layer of depth to his character in the books and provide more context for his relationship with his grandmother, Augusta. The moment in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film when Neville notes his parents’ role in the original Order and vows to make them proud, is far more effective in the book, with depth added to the Longbottom family. Neville’s character traits and actions make far more sense and have more impact with the inclusion of his parents’ lore and would certainly have aided his film adaption.
2 The Gaunts
Featured in: Book 6
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Voldemort may be known as one of the best villains in the fantasy film genre, but he’s even more effective and fleshed out in the book series due to the frequent inclusion of his maternal family, the House of Gaunt, within the flashbacks to Voldemort’s past. When Harry and Dumbledore look into the past, Harry is horrified by many of the things he sees within the villain’s origin story that add a plethora of profundity to Voldemort’s character and his existence in the wizarding world.
One of the most terrifying things Harry witnesses is the fact that Merope Gaunt, Voldemort’s mother, actually magically manipulated the mind of Tom Riddle and made him her husband. She used this marriage to flee her home and the abuse from her father and brother within it. When Voldemort was conceived, Merope released Tom from his mind-prison, in hopes he would stay because he had grown to truly love her or for the sake of his soon-to-be newborn child, but he was actually mortified at what had happened and fled home to his family. The family also happens to be very delighted descendants of Salazar Slytherin, meaning they all had mastered Parseltongue. The bone-chilling stories that make up the Gaunts’ family history add countless layers of depth to Voldemort’s character that would only have made him an even greater character in the films.
1 Charlie Weasley
Featured in: Books 5 & 7
Loyalty: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Surprisingly enough, one of the key members of the iconic Weasley family never made his appearance in the Harry Potter film franchise. The second oldest of the Weasley bunch is arguably one of the coolest, which is why it stinks that he’s mentioned all across the films but never shown. In the books, Harry first meets Charlie before the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. From this moment forward, Charlie would have a few incredibly crucial contributions to the series that only add to the confusion of why he wasn’t included in the cinematic rendition of the story.
Ron mentions his brother’s work in Romania with Dragons once in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film, but in the books, Charlie isn’t just a Weasley family member off doing his own thing in Romania. He was actually the man who supplied the Dragons for the Triwizard Tournament. When it came time to reestablish the Order of the Phoenix, Charlie joined alongside the rest of his family and was a huge recruiter for their cause. Rather than coming to the rest of the Order, Charlie stayed in Romania where he traveled around and recruited as many foreign wizards as he possibly could for the coming battle. Finally, when the Battle of Hogwarts erupted, Charlie arrived in the nick of time with hundreds of reinforcements about halfway through the battle and completely turned the tide in Hogwarts’ favor.
