Somehow, the final Harry Potter movie released 11 years ago, bringing a decade of on-screen storytelling to an end and providing fans with a fitting finale for a series that had left them enchanted for over 10 years. But while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 hit many high notes, there were characters omitted from the final blockbuster that would have warranted their inclusion.
Over the years, certain people from the Potterverse were snubbed as Warner Brothers tried to cram as many individuals in as possible. With the books getting bigger, the films were destined to follow suit. We now look at 10 people whose roles became significantly less as the franchise edged towards its enthralling, final chapter.
Madam Hooch
Many were excited when it was revealed Zoe Wannamaker, a regular in British television programs, would be playing the role of Madam Hooch throughout the Harry Potter series. She makes her first, and only, appearance during the 2001 blockbuster the Sorcerer’s Stone but fails to appear in any more movies going forward.
In the books, Hooch is admittedly not a character at the forefront of the action. But Wannamaker’s character deserved more than just one outing. In the core material, she strips Harry, Fred, and George Weasley of their broomsticks following an altercation with Draco Malfoy after a Quidditch game. Quidditch’s own role was reduced as the movies went on but that scene, at the very least, should have made the cut.
Viktor Krum
Viktor Krum was on the fringes of the action during the events of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, despite being one of the contestants of the Triwizard Tournament. The star of the Bulgaria Quidditch team is overlooked throughout the blockbuster, with scenes showing him catching the golden snitch and interacting with Hermione Granger both failing to make it into the movie.
Krum was also underused as the series went on. A scene showing him talking with Harry Potter during Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley’s wedding was scrapped from the final cut of Deathly Hallows - Part 1, meaning the character’s involvement in the franchise was limited to just one film. Which, given how his relationship with Hermione impacts her later one with Ron Weasley, was an unforgivable decision.
Sybill Trelawney
There was certainly weird characters within Harry Potter’s world who gathered an appreciation among fans. Divination teacher Sybill Trelawney was one of those, with Emma Thompson’s portrayal of the crazy, divisive lady going down well with those who were eager to see her weird ways played out on the big screen.
Trelawney features in both the Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix movies but, despite that, fans wanted more. There was never any mention of her fierce relationship with the centaur Firenze, who succeeds her as Divination teacher once Dolores Umbridge gave Trelawney her marching orders, nor that she was behind the so-important prophecy. Plus, we never saw footage of her throwing crystal balls at Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts. A missed opportunity.
Cornelius Fudge
Cornelius Fudge is a fairly prominent character during the first five Harry Potter movies. But the moment he loses his job as Minister of Magic, he drops out of the franchise never to be seen again.
In fairness, even the books pay little attention to Fudge once it’s been revealed that he’s lost his job following Lord Voldemort’s return to power. Still, there were scenes he should have been involved: Namely the one showing him interacting with the Muggle Prime Minister. At the start of the Half-Blood Prince, we learn all about how the magical and non-magical worlds exist in a peaceful coalition. Such details are snubbed from the theatrical version of the story.
Remus Lupin
Remus Lupin is a great character. He’s one of the most popular members of the Order of the Phoenix, ensuring the Boy Who Lived always has a helping hand and being a key player in the fight against Lord Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters. After being a significant character in the Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix, Lupin is marginalized.
Lupin has just a handful of scenes in the Half-Blood Prince and both Deathly Hallows movies. In the books, he becomes an even greater advisor to Harry, while also fathering a child with Nymphadora Tonks. Lupin even plots to turn his back on his wife but that detail is omitted as well, making one of Harry’s greatest allies one of the series’ most underused characters as a result.
Nymphadora Tonks
Like Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks is a big part of the books. Her relationship with the werewolf is a key talking point during the Half-Blood Prince novel, while her determination to bring a child into the world at such a chaotic point in time also gets plenty of page time.
In the movies, plenty of her relationship with Lupin is omitted and snubbed, never to be talked about. There’s a touching scene that shows her touching hands with her husband shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts but, because so many details of their relationship fail to make the final part of the entire franchise, it looks a bit thrown in. Like Lupin, she’s another character who deserved better.
Luna Lovegood
There’s one scene, in particular, that shows how Luna Lovegood is underused throughout the Harry Potter series. During the Battle of Hogwarts, she helps Harry gain access to the Ravenclaw Tower in search of Rowena Ravenclaw’s lost diadem.
Luna finds her screen time for both the Half-Blood Prince and both Deathly Hallows movies cut significantly as Warner Brothers try to cram in as much as possible. But the scene of her showing her remarkable intelligence to gain entry to her common room should have made the cut of Deathly Hallows - Part 2. The last movie spends much time focusing on Harry but forgets to pay tribute to those who helped along the way. Luna is a victim of that.
Kreacher
Kreacher’s role in the movies is significantly reduced as well, despite his importance to the story during the books. It’s the house-elf who feeds Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger useful tidbits of information as they aim to take Salazar Slytherin’s locket from Dolores Umbridge and, in the books, he also joins the Order of the Phoenix in their fight against Voldemort.
JK Rowling herself insisted that Kreacher be included in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie but he barely features after that. As a result, the movies skim over the details of his intimate relationship with Regulus Black - one of the biggest revelations from the Deathly Hallows novel.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Kingsley Shacklebolt is introduced to audiences in both the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book and blockbuster. He’s a tough, imposing Auror with a light sense of humor but many details of his character are overlooked following his arrival into the franchise.
For example, there’s never any mention of the fact that, for a time, Kingsley worked alongside the Muggle Prime Minister in order to keep him safe from any assassination attempts. He admittedly returns for the Battle of Hogwarts but there’s no scene of him fighting Lord Voldemort in a duel - despite it being included in the source material. Throw in the fact that his appointment as Minister for Magic was overlooked completely and we can’t help but feel the whole character was somewhat underused.
Voldemort
OK, so Voldemort fans can’t complain too much. He is, after all, a central figure in the books and movies. However, he still becomes somewhat underused by the time his character dies at the end of Deathly Hallows - Part 2.
The Half-Blood Prince movie, for example, sheds little light on his crucial upbringing, with characters such as Marvolo, Morphin and Merope Gaunt all failing to get even a mention. We also see little into Voldemort’s mind as the story progresses, despite Harry often tapping into his enemy’s head to see what he’s up to and what he plans to do next. Voldemort was a regular in the series but, for a character so big, Warner Brothers should really have given audiences more.