When adapting a novel into a film, more than a few things are bound to be left out. There’s just more leeway to tell a story in 800 pages than there is in two and a half hours. That’s especially true for the Harry Potter series. Some notable storylines and characters were cut entirely from the films.
Some of these characters would have added some depth to the story and the decision to leave them out is questionable. Conversely, others may have caused the story to become bloated.
Here are the characters we wanted to see the most and the ones we’re glad never made it!
Glad: Bane
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a pivotal scene sees Harry come face to face with a centaur named Firenze. He saves Harry from what’s left of Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. In the books, Harry also meets a less friendly centaur named Bane, who chastises Firenze for allowing Harry to ride him to safety, calling him a common mule.
This is a case where more conflict hurts a screenplay. Bane is a character who has a few other significant scenes in the books, including during the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. However, he’s not all that important and viewers hardly missed anything by leaving the centaur out of the adaptation.
Wish: Peeves
The ghosts that roam the halls of Hogwarts aren’t seen often in the films. Nearly Headless Nick appears in memorable scenes in the first two installments and we get a pivotal scene with the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Still, there’s one entity left out of the screen version.
Peeves is a poltergeist who causes mischief throughout the books. He wouldn’t have added much to the story, but watching him wreak havoc would have been a nice little treat within the lighthearted nature of the first two films. Plus, a compelling visual would be how a poltergeist differs from a ghost. He did make some appearances in video games, though. Rik Mayall was cast and even filmed some scenes as Peeves, but they were cut from the final product.
Glad: Ludo Bagman
Ludo Bagman was kind of the perfect character to introduce in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he oversaw the events of the Triwizard Tournament. His gambling problem led him to lose a bet to the Weasley Twins and they used that money to fund their eventual joke shop.
While it would be nice to see where the Weasleys got their money from, keeping Bagman out of the movies was a good move. There are a lot of concepts and characters to introduce in the fourth movie. Bagman may have been seen by most as one new face too many.
Wish: Teddy Lupin
Sadly, the films largely keep the relationship between Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin in the dark. It’s a vital aspect of the books, yet we barely see it on the big screen. The most significant omission from their romance is their son, Teddy Lupin. His omission lessened the impact of his parents’ death in the final film.
With his parents gone, Teddy becomes a young orphan. It’s a similar situation to that of Harry himself. In the books, we learn that he grew up to become close to the Potters. At the very least, he could have had a speaking line or two during the closing scene that takes place 19 years in the future.
Glad: Professor Binns
The teachers at Hogwarts make up some of the most memorable characters in the series. Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubeus Hagrid come to mind. One of the more unique staff members is Professor Binns, who teaches History of Magic. He stands out because he’s a ghost.
Binns passed away in his sleep and got up the next morning to teach as if nothing had happened. His dull voice leads to students falling asleep during lessons. Leaving him out of the movies worked because we already had some interesting teachers and because he is mostly insignificant to the overall story.
Wish: The Longbottoms
Neville Longbottom blossoms from the laughing stock of the school to one of the heroes during the Battle of Hogwarts. A lot about him is left to the books, including his status as one of those babies alluded to by the “chosen one” prophecy. The other was, of course, Harry Potter. Neville’s parents, Frank and Alice, were members of the Order of the Phoenix.
We only get a glimpse of them in a photograph during the fifth movie. They were tortured for information by Bellatrix Lestrange. The film doesn’t dive much deeper; on the other hand, the books include a scene where Neville’s parents are shown in a mental institution from the torture. Getting to see that and the impact it has on Neville would’ve made his heroic moment in the end that much more triumphant.
Glad: Piers Polkiss
Most casual fans of the series don’t even remember Piers Polkiss. To be fair, it’s not like he’s from the magical world where most of the story takes place. He’s a friend of Dudley Dursley and a fellow bully who likes to make Harry’s life hell. Piers accompanies Harry and his family at the zoo where Harry accidentally unleashes a snake on his cousin.
This is another case of leaving someone out improving things. There’s no point having Piers around. Dudley and his parents do more than enough to make audiences sympathize with Harry’s life. Piers doesn’t do enough to justify his inclusion. He does technically appear in one film, but gets no speaking lines and is just hanging out in the background.
Wish: The Gaunts
Harry Potter fans everywhere questioned the House of Gaunt’s absence in the movies. It effectively cuts the backstory that helps create Voldemort. They were a pureblood family descended from Salazar Slytherin, made up of abusive father Marvolo and his children Morfin and Merope.
Merope used a love potion on Tom Riddle, a wealthy Muggle. After marriage came pregnancy and she broke the spell. Riddle abandoned her and she died giving birth to a son she named Tom Marvolo Riddle, who grew up to become Voldemort. This is a massive piece of his story and helps to explain his disdain for muggles, even if it is hard to blame Voldemort’s father for abandoning Merope.
Glad: Winky
As much as fans loved Dobby the house elf, they admit he can be pretty annoying. Kreacher’s inclusion in the movies works because he barely speaks. The other prominent house elf in the story is Winky, who initially works for the Crouch family and then gets a job in the kitchen at Hogwarts, which she hates.
The character wails a lot and nobody missed that annoying trait on film. The only value contribution her role brings is the impact it has on Hermione’s interest in helping elves. She eventually continues work in that field for the Ministry of Magic. Still, Winky wasn’t missed.
Wish: Ariana Dumbledore
We see Ariana Dumbledore in a painting and that’s it. That’s a real shame for someone so pivotal in Albus Dumbledore’s story. When she accidentally did magic in front of Muggle boys as a kid, they assaulted her. It scarred Ariana and she could no longer control her magic. Her father went after the boys and landed in Azkaban.
Ariana had an emotional outburst that killed her mother and Albus took over as caretaker. When he became friends with Gellert Grindelwald and discussed leaving to make muggles subservient, Albus’ brother Abeforth confronted them. It led to a three-way duel. Ariana tried to stop it but was killed by one of their wands. It is why Albus never went through with Grindelwald’s plan and put him on the path to being the great wizard that he became. This is part of a lot of backstory about Albus left out of the films.
