It’s easy to forget how much the Harry Potter films had to condense across eight movies, especially after the books doubled in size. Somehow, The Order of the Phoenix, the longest book in the series, ended up being one of the shortest films in the franchise, and pretty much all of the other novels were hacked up to some extent, too. Whole subplots and characters were left behind, and several of the most unforgettable scenes are completely absent from the general public’s memory of the Harry Potter saga.
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However, with HBO Max’s upcoming reboot giving each book the full-season treatment (and TV being a more flexible medium overall), fans may finally have a chance to see the story unfold in a pure adaptation that retains all the nuance. The essential moments that defined characters, relationships, and the stakes of the Wizarding World shouldn’t need to be cut this time around. We’ve found the top five missing scenes we’re most eager to see on screen.
5) Dobby’s Gillyweed (and the House Elves)
In Goblet of Fire, the first of the particularly large novels, Harry doesn’t get gillyweed from Neville. Rather, he gets it from Dobby, who discovers it after overhearing Moody’s (Barty Crouch Jr.’s) hint. Dobby wakes Harry in the library minutes before the second task to offer him gillyweed stolen from Snape’s office. The scene is just one in a series of fascinating house elf moments related to Winky, Hermione’s S.P.E.W. crusade, the Hogwarts kitchens, and the underlying systemic injustice related to the elves. None of that survived the transition to film. Given how much weight is placed on Dobby’s death, it’s essential to the narrative that he has saved (or at least tried to save) Harry on numerous occasions. This is a big one to leave out, and without it, Dobby plays no part in the GoF at all.
4) Molly Weasley’s Boggart
In Order of the Phoenix, Molly attempts to clear out a boggart in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. But rather than a vague or theoretical childhood fear like snakes or spiders, the boggart cycles through every single one of her loved ones lying dead on the floor: Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Arthur, Ginny. She collapses, sobbing, unable to banish it, until Lupin comes to help. It’s a brutal moment because it strips away the cozy “Molly Weasley” idea and shows a mother living in constant fear. The scene lays out the stakes of Book 5. Molly knows exactly what Voldemort’s return means. It foreshadows the series’s later losses, including Fred’s death. A scene that simultaneously shows Molly as a real, vulnerable person and communicates that the game has now changed will certainly be pivotal in the reboot.
3) The Weasleys Crash the Dursleys’
Another great Goblet of Fire beat comes when Arthur, Fred, and George try to pick Harry up by using the Dursleys’ blocked fireplace, and end up blowing a massive hole through it. Additionally, Fred “accidentally” drops a Ton-Tongue Toffee, which Dudley eats, causing his tongue to swell several feet long. The Dursleys’ horror and Arthur’s wide-eyed fascination with Muggle home décor make it one of the funniest chapters in the entire series. The films skipped this entirely, likely because it’s not integral to the plot structure, but the Weasleys and the Dursleys’ interactions as a whole are always fantastic, contrasting the magical world and Harry’s miserable Muggle upbringing. It’s also an early sign of Fred and George’s eventual business venture. In the reboot, this could be the Weasleys’ big introductory set piece for Season 4.
2) The St. Mungos Hospital Visit
The kids’ visit to St. Mungo’s in OotP does some heavy lifting for Neville’s backstory and for the kids’ understanding of the costs of Voldemort’s war. After the initial shock of seeing Gilderoy Lockhart, still cheerfully oblivious, signing autographs despite having no memory of who he is, they come across Neville, visiting his parents. They come to understand the Longbottoms, who were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and the other Death Eaters. Alice Longbottom hands Neville a gum wrapper, which he tucks away. Absolutely devastating. This scene is vital because it’s the first time the Trio (and readers) fully grasp what Neville is carrying. In the reboot, this will be a chance to really invest in Neville’s long-term arc from goofy kid to hero and explore the theme of wartime generational trauma more deeply.
1) Harry Loses it in Dumbledore’s Office
In yet another Order of the Phoenix moment, after Sirius dies, Harry storms into Dumbledore’s office and lets loose. He screams that Sirius is gone and proceeds to trash the office, destroying Dumbledore’s things, consumed by grief. It’s one of the most raw moments we get with Harry throughout the series. Dumbledore just sits silently, allowing Harry to exercise his emotions. Harry even thinks at one point that he wants to hurt Dumbledore the way he’s hurting. His pent-up rage surfaces, and he finally confronts the one man who is supposed to hold all of the answers.
It’s cathartic, devastating, and it depicts Harry coming to terms with Dumbledore’s fallibility and the loss of his godfather in real time. Simultaneously, it showcases Dumbledore’s unique brand of compassion: endless but at arm’s length. He accepts Harry’s rage because he knows he deserves it. In the reboot, it could be a standout performance moment for the actors, as it’s a pivotal scene for both characters and their relationship. It’s so important, in fact, that it’s astonishing to consider why it was ever omitted in the first place. If the reboot pulls it off, it’s likely to be one of the most memorable moments of the show.
What missing scene are you most eager to see in the reboot? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm -
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros
