10 Harry Potter Movie Scenes That Won’t Be In HBO’s TV Show

Even some of the Harry Potter movies' most memorable scenes are very unlikely to make it to HBO's TV show. Overall, the decision to adapt J.K. Rowling's fantasy story again is divisive, since Warner Bros' films remain widely beloved across the globe. Still, HBO's pitch is that the long-form of a TV show should allow for a more book-faithful adaptation. With seven seasons and dozens of episodes, the new Harry Potter series will include key book moments and stories that have previously never made it to the screen.

Of course, a book-faithful adaptation also means that the Harry Potter TV show won't include those scenes that were unique to the movies. This can be considered a positive and a negative, depending on the specific scene or moment. There are some elements of the films that it's easy to forget weren't canon, so it may be surprising not to find them in HBO's show. On the other hand, several scenes in Warner Bros' Harry Potter movies are not just unique but completely contradict the canon story. If HBO wants to remain book-faithful, it will have to toss them out.

Dudley Getting Trapped In The Snake Cage

It may be a surprise in Harry Potter season 1, adapted from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, when Dudley Dursley doesn't find himself trapped in the snake enclosure at the London Zoo. In the original 2001 film, the glass vanishes while Dudley is leaning up against it, causing him to fall in and the snake to escape. The glass then reappears, trapping Dudley. The moment is comical and most certainly magical, so it's easy to forget that this doesn't happen in the book. Instead, HBO's Harry Potter will likely free the snake and keep Dudley on the loose.

Lucius Malfoy Attempting To Murder Harry At Hogwarts

Among the more bizarre additions to the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie is Lucius Malfoy's decision to murder Harry Potter just outside Albus Dumbledore's office. The moment comes after Harry tricks Draco's father into freeing Dobby, which will absolutely happen and enrage Lucius in HBO's TV adaptation. However, a book-faithful version of this character would never raise his wand against Harry and begin to utter "Avada Kedavra" right there at Hogwarts while trying to preserve his status as a respected, upstanding citizen.

Harry Practicing Magic At The Dursleys

While this scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is used as a sort of title sequence, it still makes absolutely no sense. As the movie begins, Harry is seen hiding beneath his blankets at No. 4 Privet Drive, practicing the illumination spell. This is frustrating because, as the previous movies perfectly well established, Harry is not allowed to use magic outside of school. He isn't just breaking the rules in secret, either. The Ministry would immediately know and expel him. It's something that can't happen in a book-faithful adaptation.

Dumbledore Attacking Harry Over The Goblet Of Fire

Easily one of the most laughable moments in the Harry Potter movies comes in Goblet of Fire, when Albus Dumbledore essentially tackles Harry, screaming, "Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" While the Hogwarts headmaster could certainly lose his temper in the books, it's explicitly stated that he questioned Harry "calmly" during this moment. What we saw on screen was grossly out of character, and this fact has turned the scene into a running meme. HBO's Harry Potter is guaranteed to set the moment right.

Harry’s Dragon Chase Around Hogwarts Castle

Another frustrating addition to the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie came during Harry's first Triwizard Task. While attempting to steal the golden egg from the Hungarian Horntail, Harry suddenly found that the beast had broken free of his chains. The pair engage in a risky chase around the castle towers, all while teachers like Dumbledore and McGonagall sit around waiting for them to return. The addition was purely for drama and makes no sense within the book context, where professionals were set up to step in and subdue the dragons if anything went wrong.

Dumbledore & Voldemort’s Priori Incantatem Duel

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry has his first face-to-face duel with Lord Voldemort at the cemetery in Little Hangleton. In both the book and movie, the two enemies' wands connect because of a rare phenomenon known as Priori Incantatem—a unique reaction resulting from the twin cores. Where the movies went wrong was throwing in the connected red and green threads in other wizarding duels, including Dumbledore and Voldemort's showdown at the Ministry of Magic in Order of the Phoenix. Certainly, HBO's show will have other ways to make duels look flashy without breaking canon.

Harry’s ‘I Feel Sorry For You’ Moment

Most things really do come down to the power of love in the Harry Potter books, but the movies made this seem far cheaper than it was ever meant to be. In the Order of the Phoenix film, Voldemort possesses Harry's body and very nearly takes control of him. However, the Dark Lord is effectively fought off when Harry tells him that he will never know love or friendship, and that he feels sorry for him. It's a bit silly and weakens the moment compared to the book, which saw Voldemort discover suffering as he experienced Harry's grief over Sirius Black's death.

Bellatrix Lestrange’s Attack On The Burrow

The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie comes with another needlessly dramatic scene like Goblet of Fire's dragon chase that makes absolutely no sense in canon. While visiting the Burrow, Harry, the Weasleys, and other members of the Order of the Phoenix come under attack by Bellatrix Lestrange and a handful of other Death Eaters. It's outrageous, because if it were so easy for Harry Potter's villains to find and attack the Boy Who Lived, it would have happened long before. Instead of this scene, HBO's Harry Potter season 6 will likely include Harry's fight with the new Minister for Magic during Christmas at the Burrow.

Harry & Voldemort Flying Around The Castle

Once again, the Harry Potter movies went with drama and spectacle rather than book faithfulness in Deathly Hallows - Part 2. In this version of the two enemies' final duel, Harry grabs Voldemort, tells him that they should finish things the way they started them ("together"), and leaps off a Hogwarts tower in a bizarre embrace. They then distortedly fly around the castle surrounded by black smoke before landing in the courtyard for another frustrating instance of Priori Incantatem (despite no longer having matching cores). If HBO's Harry Potter does this, it can't be considered book-faithful.

Harry Potter Breaking The Elder Wand

Harry breaking the Elder Wand is a topic of debate among Harry Potter fans. The books never say that it can't be done, especially if the wand is broken by its master (thus, it's defeating itself). Then there is the fact that Harry's solution of reburying the Elder Wand with Dumbledore in the book doesn't eliminate the risk of the wand being passed on in the way he seems to think it will. Regardless, in canon, Harry does not break the wand, so HBO's Harry Potter must stick to the script. Moreover, it's imperative that, in this adaptation, Harry at least fix his own wand first.