What I’d Like to See in the New Harry Potter Series

July 28, 2025

What with the main cast (with the notable exception of Voldemort) now announced for the HBO Max Harry Potter extravaganza, I got to thinking a bit about what I’d like to see the series do.

(I’m still torn about the idea of watching it, loath as I am to direct any funding, even indirectly, to JKR, but that’s a bridge I’ll burn when I come to it.)

“Book Accurate”

Which probably means something different to me than it does to many chronically online Potterheads.

In a media release from Warner Bros. Discovery (who owns HBO Max), She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is quoted as saying:

“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.

Many folks have interpreted this (in addition to a tweet from the Max X/Twitter account promising a “faithful adaptation”) to mean the series will hew closely to the events, scenes, and characterizations of the seven Potter novels. This has, in turn, fueled a seemingly bottomless debate over how closely the announced cast resemble their characters’ book descriptions.

To me, this is (mostly) immaterial.

As long as the actors look vaguely plausible as their fictional counterparts, the only thing I really care about is that they inhabit their characters in ways that aren’t at odds with the novels. And bonus points if they do interesting things that make me look at a familiar character in a new light. (Tangent: I will never forget how Fiona Shaw made me re-examine all my preconceptions of how Hedda Gabler could be played.)

The show’s purported seven seasons will give it ample time to faithfully adapt every single scene in the books, which … I don’t know. Do we need every moment from the page realized on screen? But fine. Whatever. Show us endless Quidditch scenes if you must, but make it scary. I mean, adolescents zooming around hundreds of feet in the air without helmets? (One truly hopes there was a staff member assigned to each practice and match to do the old “Arresto Momentum!” that Dumbles did for Harry in PoA.)

The last thing I’ll say about this is that they had better include “have a biscuit, Potter” and “it unscrews the other way.”

Gimme All the Characters

One of the things that JKR did so well was to fill the pages of the books with fun, interesting minor characters, who were, of necessity, left out of the movies.

I need a pipe-smoking Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank. If I don’t get her, I will personally … I dunno, eat too many Oreos and cry, I guess. I may also need a monocled Amelia Bones.

Other welcome necessary additions would be:

a dragon-obsessed Charlie Weasley
a sad, drunken Winky
the entire Gaunt clan in all their glorious dysfunction and toxicity
the screeching portrait of Walburga Black
flashback Regulus Black with an adoring Kreacher
Augusta Longbottom and her very fine vulture hat
Peeves (if only so we get the aforementioned “unscrews the other way” scene)
boring old ghost-professor Cuthbert Binns droning on about the Goblin Wars

If we’re going to have to sit through seven years of Potter rehash, then, by golly, we’d better get all the goodness the movies withheld.

Expanded Perspectives

With the exception of a few opening pages at the start of several of the novels, the entire Potter saga is seen from the point of view of an adolescent boy, which is great (I mean, teenaged white males have historically not gotten enough airtime, right?) but is it seven years’ worth of great? I can’t think of many successful television series that have focused exclusively on a single perspective, so I hope they’ll open it up a bit.

It would be nice to see familiar events unfolding through other characters’ eyes, especially one of the antagonists’, perhaps, like Draco’s or Snape’s?

Of course, I’d love to get the teachers’ perspectives. Say, for each episode can we maybe have a cold open in the staff room with all the teachers bitching about the latest absurdity to befall Hogwarts and her denizens? (“Really, Albus, a giant three-headed hellhound? Couldn’t we maybe use, I don’t know, say, a Protego totalum?”)

More About How Stuff Works

Not just magic (but seriously, what are the bloody rules?) but about everything.

Nerdy little Ravenpuff that I am, I need to get bogged down in thoughts of how things in the wizarding world work.

While I realize they can’t go deeply into any of this in the series, a few hints nestled into the basic narrative would be nice.

A few burning questions:

Education—how do young mages learn to do mundane things like read and write? Do they go to Muggle schools? Are there wizarding primary schools? Homeschooling?
Poverty—if wizards can cast charms and transfigure shit, why is the Weasley home, for example, so ramshackle? And why didn’t Ron just transfigure his horrible Tri-wizard robes into something more presentable (or get Hermione to do it for him)?
Transportation—how do wizards who, due to frailty or disability, can’t use the standard (and unbelievably violent) methods of magical transport get around?
The Trace—how does it work?

I want to know little piddly things that could probably be shown on the fly, like:

Teachers—are the ones mentioned in the books the only ones at Hogwarts? If so, how the fuck do they manage their impossible teaching loads? Time-turners?
Nearly-Headless Nick—how did he get rescued from Petrification if ghosts can’t eat human food or, presumably, swallow a Mandrake Potion?
Professor Binns—and while I’m on the subject, how does Binns mark tests and homework if he can’t touch things?
Veritaserum—why can’t the Ministry just use Vertiserum—or Legilimency—during trials?

It’s probably too much of a stretch, but I also want to know bigger-picture things about wizarding society that JKR didn’t want or need to figure out for the books, like:

Economy—how does the wizarding economy work, given the small magical population? For example, how do they get their food? Although they can enlarge or duplicate it once they have it, presumably, most wizarding families have to acquire it somewhere? Are there wizarding grocers? Farmers? Or do mages have to go to Muggle shops? If so, why are they so freakin’ bad at dressing like Muggles?
Government—how does the British wizarding government work? (For fic reasons, I’ve had to come up with my own thoughts, but I’d like the official version.)
Employment—what kinds of jobs exist in the wizarding world? Surely not everyone is Hogwarts staff, Ministry functionary, Auror, publican, or Knight Bus conductor?
Muggles—how exactly do they manage large Muggle exposures to magic? I mean, this must happen all the damn time.

Backstory and Background

I want to know a lot more about everything, but again, acknowledging that they can’t include everything, there are a few things I think are key:

House-elves—how? Why?
The DADA curse—how did it happen? When did Dumbledore realize it? And what kind of asshole is he that he keeps hiring people for a position he knows is cursed? I mean, assuming the curse was placed around 1957, it means Dumbles put an astonishing 40(!) people in harm’s way. And why would anyone apply for this position? (See my question about the limitations of wizarding employment, above.)
Lily Potter’s blood protection—why don’t more wizarding children have this kind of protection? Most parents I know would readily sacrifice their lives for their children if necessary. Is Lily’s love for Harry special somehow?
Lots more about Flitwick—a dueling champ, you say? And, once and for all, does he or does he not have goblin ancestry?
Speaking of goblins—why do they run the bank? Are they also in charge of the wizarding economy? And did JKR mean to perpetuate an anti-Semitic trope when she thought them up? Or did she somehow not realize that “swarthy, money-grubbing little dudes with wiry and hair and big noses” would be read in certain of the ickier corners of the community as “Jewish?”
If giants are like enormous toddlers—as Grawp is portrayed, how exactly did Hagrid come about? It’s implied that Hagrid’s father and mother had some kind of relationship beyond the requisite physical act (and how did that work?), since his dad was “heartbroken when she left.” It’s all pretty mind-boggling.
Dragon’s blood—what exactly are the 12 uses of it?
Privacy—is the use of things like Legilimency, Polyjuice Potion, and love potions regulated somehow? If not, why the fuck not? Have wizards never heard of privacy?

To quote that towering member of the wizarding world’s fourth estate, me, myself, and I want to know.

What about you?