The Harry Potter movies left many major moments unexplained, but HBO’s TV remake can fix it. As beloved as Warner Bros original movies are, there simply wasn’t time for each installment to dive into the same level of detail as the books. This means that those who only watched the films might have been left scratching their heads about certain plot twists, character reveals, and finales. Thankfully, the Harry Potter TV remake will have much more time to dive into the story, finally giving audiences a book-faithful screen adaptation full of answers.

The eight Harry Potter movies have a total runtime of about 19 hours and 40 minutes, and Warner Bros used this time as wisely as possible. However, this made it impossible for all the book details to be included. HBO’s Harry Potter remake will have seven seasons, each dedicated to one of J.K. Rowling’s seven books. If these individual seasons have 10 episodes, each one an hour long, this would give the Harry Potter TV show a total runtime of about 70 hours. This means some of the most confusing movie moments can finally be repaired.

8. The Marauder’s Map & Meaning Behind Harry’s Stag Patronus

The Harry Potter Movies Never Revealed Who Created The Marauder’s Map Or How It Connected To Harry’s Patronus

The Marauder’s Map was a fun feature in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and though the movie included the artifact as well, virtually no time was spent explaining where it had come from. When the Weasley twins gave it to him, Harry read that the map had been created by “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,” but it was never mentioned who these map-makers were and what had become of them. Additionally, later, when Harry’s Patronus appeared as a stag, there was no mention of why this was important—or that it had a connection to the Marauder’s Map.

Of course, the books explain that Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. By complete chance, Harry had gotten his hands on a powerful magical artifact created by his father. The book also explained that the self-dubbed Marauders were animagi (aside from Lupin) and that James would take the form of a stag when he transformed. This explained the nickname “Prongs” and clarified why Harry’s Patronus being a stag was a big deal.

The HBO series can dedicate an entire episode (maybe even two) to the Marauders and their backstory, finally giving movie audiences the answers that the 2004 movie missed out on.

Prisoner of Azkaban was the first Harry Potter movie that left a lot out from the books, so season 3 of the TV remake is when things really should start to get good. The HBO series can dedicate an entire episode (maybe even two) to the Marauders and their backstory, finally giving movie audiences the answers that the 2004 movie missed out on.

7. Voldemort’s Infant-Form In Goblet Of Fire

Voldemort Was Suddenly A Baby In Goblet Of Fire With No Explanation

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is likely the movie that left out the most information from the book. At the beginning of the film, Voldemort, Wormtail, and Barty Crouch Jr. are hiding out in an old house, and it is revealed that the Dark Lord suddenly has a new body. This is strange; since the last Voldemort had been seen, he could only take form by becoming a sort of parasite on another wizard’s body (i.e., Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone). The Goblet of Fire movie never explained how this came to be or why Voldemort didn’t execute his plan years ago.

The Goblet of Fire book explained that it was only because of Peter Pettigrew’s help that Voldemort could obtain the baby-like body he had at the beginning of the story. Wormtail went looking for Voldemort after he lost his cozy home with Ron Weasley, knowing there was no one left for him to turn to. While searching, he came upon a Ministry of Magic official, Bertha Jorkins, whom he brought to his master as a peace offering. Through Bertha’s information about the Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort could hatch his master plan.

It’s heavily implied that Voldemort’s temporary body also came from Bertha, though the disturbing details of how this worked were never mentioned. Rowling said it was too dark to include, but HBO’s Harry Potter remake may shed more light on Wormtail and Voldemort’s dealings.

HBO’s Harry Potter remake is expected to premiere in 2026.

6. Harry & Voldemort’s Graveyard Duel

The Reaction Between Voldemort & Harry’s Wands In Goblet Of Fire Was Never Explained In The Movie

Near the end of the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie, Harry and Voldemort face each other in a duel at the graveyard where the Dark Lord has been resurrected. However, when they both launch their respective spells at one another, the magic streams connect, and what seem like ghosts emerge from their wands. When Harry returns to Hogwarts, he tells Dumbledore about this, and the headmaster says the words “Priori Incantatum”—but that is all the explanation ever given.

The Harry Potter movies didn’t have time to explain this, but the books went into far more detail. Dumbledore told Harry that the matching Phoenix-feather cores had caused this reaction and that the effect caused imprints of Voldemort’s most recent murders to emerge. Since these happened to be Cedric Diggory and Harry’s parents, they gave Harry enough time to escape.

Unfortuantely, the Harry Potter movies used this rare phenomenon to make any wizarding duel look interesting, diminishing the situation’s uniqueness. This is something that HBO’s remake can avoid, especially if it takes the extra time to allow Dumbledore to give his full explanation.

5. Goblet Of Fire’s Big Barty Crouch Jr Reveal

The Goblet Of Fire Movie Didn’t Explain How Barty Crouch Jr Escaped Azkaban

The big mystery in the fourth Harry Potter movie was who put Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire. Several red herrings were placed throughout the film, with the most likely suspect being Igor Karakaroff. However, the movie’s end arrived, revealing that it was Barty Crouch Jr who did the deed while disguised as Mad-Eye Moody. The problem with this reveal is that there hadn’t been much reason to care about this character up to this point, so many movie audiences didn’t even know who he was. Then, to make matters worse, it was never explained how he ended up back in Voldemort’s service.

Barty Crouch’s decision that Harry Potter must compete in the Triwizard Tournament has been deemed a plot hole, but the books explain why it isn’t.

On the other hand, the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book had spent a lot of time building up Barty Crouch Jr.’s story, and, after the reveal, there was a far more in-depth interrogation that explained precisely how the man, who was supposed to be dead, was alive and well outside Azkaban. Much of this was revealed through Winky the house-elf, who wasn’t even in the Harry Potter movies.

Barty Crouch Jr escaped Azkaban when his dying mother used Polyjuice potion to take his place.

Since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be an entire season in HBO’s TV remake, several episodes can cover the big Crouch family secret, and a larger budget will allow Winkey to be restored to the story. This will make the final big reveal far more impactful and memorable.

4. Harry Potter’s Prophecy In Order Of The Phoenix

Only Part Of The Chosen On Prophecy Was Ever Heard In The Movies

The story of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was based entirely on Harry’s prophecy, but the movie never explained its full significance. In the film, the glass orb was called a weapon Voldemort “didn’t have last time,” but it was never stated how he would use it. Additionally, once the thing was broken, Voldemort moved on from this big scheme, and it was hardly mentioned again, despite the hard work that had gone into retrieving it.

In the book, Dumbledore comes to the rescue with a long and thorough explanation. He told Harry that, before Harry was born, Professor Trelawney had made the prophecy during her interview for the Divination position. Part of it had been overheard by Severus Snape, who reported it back to Voldemort. The Dark Lord only heard the bit about a boy born in July being his downfall, and he attacked the Potters based on this information. In Order of the Phoenix, he hoped hearing the rest of the prophecy would help him understand where he went wrong.

In the book, Harry only heard part of it when it was smashed, but Dumbledore revealed that he had a Pensieve memory of the whole thing.

The first step to making the prophecy in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix make sense in HBO’s remake is to feature it in its entirety. In the book, Harry only heard part of it when it was smashed, but Dumbledore revealed that he had a Pensieve memory of the whole thing. This made the entire plotline surrounding the prophecy make much more sense.

3. Slughorn’s Horcrux Memory In Half-Blood Prince

The Reason Dumbledore Needed Slughorn’s Memory Wasn’t Explained In The Half-Blood Prince Movie

Harry worked hard in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to get ahold of Slughorn’s memory about Horcruxes, but it’s never explained why it was so important or what information Dumbledore gleaned. By the time the headmaster saw the untampered-with memory, he had already figured out that Voldemort had created Horcruxes and had hunted down and found one of them. So, what good was Slughorn?

In the Half-Blood Prince book, Dumbledore explained that he needed to know how many Horcuxes Voldemort made and that he guessed a young Tom Riddle would have discussed this with Slughorn. Additionally, the headmaster noted that when Riddle asked about splitting the soul seven times, he meant he would create six Horcruxes—something the movies left unclear.

Voldemort’s plan was to create six Horcruxes, with the seventh fragment remaining in his body. However, he accidentally created an extra with Harry.

Dumbledore’s private lessons were cut rather short in the Harry Potter movies, so audiences missed a lot of important information if they hadn’t read the books. HBO’s Harry Potter remake must find a way to include these moments engagingly since this information is invaluable to the ending of Harry Potter.

2. The Golden Trio’s Horcrux Search In Deathly Hallows

Dumbledore Told Harry More About The Horcruxes Than The Harry Potter Movies Let On

Another reason that HBO must include Dumbledore and Harry’s private lessons in more detail is because it would make the Golden Trio’s Horcrux hunt in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows seem far less directionless. Harry has no idea what the Horcruxes could be in the two Deathly Hallows movies. He wanders aimlessly, hoping to get lucky, and ultimately, he does. He has visions of Hufflepuff’s cup and Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, and therefore knows they must be Horcruxes. In the book, however, he already knew this.

Among the Pensieve memories that Dumbledore showed Harry was one from the house-elf of a wealthy woman named Hepzibah Smith, who showed a young Tom Riddle her collection of rare wizarding artifacts. This included Slytherin’s locket and Hufflepuff’s cup, and Dumbledore had deduced from this (and Hepzibah’s murder the next day) that Voldemort had turned these into Horcruxes. The headmaster had also realized that Voldemort had unique control over Nagini after the events of Order of the Phoenix, and he informed Harry of this as well.

Harry knew from the start that he was looking for the locket, cup, and Nagini, and based on this pattern, he knew he needed an item belonging to Ravenclaw.

The Harry Potter movies made it seem as if Dumbledore left Harry with absolutely no information to help in his search, and while this is true to a point, it wasn’t nearly this extreme. Harry knew he was looking for the locket, cup, and Nagini, and based on this pattern, he knew he needed an item belonging to Ravenclaw. By restoring this information, HBO’s Harry Potter remake can make this search less outrageous.

1. Dumbledore & Harry’s Meeting At The King’s Cross Purgatory

Harry & Dumbledore’s Conversation In Deathly Hallows Part 2 Didn’t Explain Much

Harry’s meeting with Dumbledore after sacrificing his life to Voldemort should have explained everything, but frustratingly little happened during this scene in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie. Harry is frustrated and angry with Dumbledore throughout the two Deathly Hallows films, wondering if he was even a good man. The reveal that he had been friends with Grindelwald made this all the more bitter, but when Harry finally had a chance to ask all his questions, nothing was said.

In the book, Dumbledore takes this opportunity to explain everything. He tells Harry about his history with Grindelwald, his search for the Deathly Hallows, and why he had never been worthy to unite them. Many hints are dropped regarding the loyalty of the Elder Wand, and this is when Harry finally understands his destiny.

The Harry Potter movies tried to cut back on scenes that contained too much talking and exposition since action sequences were the priority. There wasn’t time for it, and these scenes can become boring in a movie format. TV shows have more flexibility, so HBO’s Harry Potter remake can get away with centering an episode around Harry’s final talk with Albus Dumbledore. It’s the chance to wrap up the final threads of the story, finally making every mystery make sense.