As incredible as the Harry Potter film adaptations have largely been, readers of the books can't help but long for many of their favorite scenes from the pages to be brought to life on the big screen. Some of the best HP quotes, most hilarious moments and most action-packed scenes were snipped in order to make room for the rest of the material, and while many of us wouldn't mind six-hour movie adaptations for each book, including every moment just isn't feasible in terms of movie-making.
From the Weasley twins' most epic moments to the times Ron Weasley was a bigger hero than we ever expected him to be, here are 20 Things They Left Out Of The Harry Potter Movies (But Shouldn't Have).
20 The Weasley Chimney Scene
The Weasley family came to retrieve Harry for the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and it's a shame that the scene was cut because not only did they blow up the Dursley's boarded-up chimney in order to access the Boy Who Lived, but the twins even left behind some of their Ton-Tongue Toffee, leaving Dudley in a rather uncomfortable position!
19 Dumbledore's Collection Of Harry At The Dursley's
Harry's final departure from the Dursley home was rather wonderful. From Dumbledore conjuring drinks out of midair to bonk the family in the head during his collection, to his ever-polite way of shaming them for their mistreatment of Harry, to the family's unexpected reactions to Harry' fate, it's a shame it wasn't included. Petunia looked fearful for Harry, understanding on some level what he was up against, while Dudley flat out said, "I don’t think you’re a waste of space," shaking Harry's hand. This last bit was included in a deleted scene.
18 Hermione's S.P.E.W. Organization
If you haven't read the books, you may not know that Hermione Granger created an entire organization to advocate for House Elf rights called Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or S.P.E.W. She attempts to recruit Harry and Ron, but nobody is really interested in her crusade--including most of the House Elves. Still, it caused Hermione and Ron's first kiss, which occurred after he remarked that they couldn't leave without saving the House Elves.
17 Ron's Real Reaction To Hermione Being Tortured
Many fans were also saddened to see Ron's reaction to Hermione's torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film, which was a sharp contrast to the screaming and wall-pounding he did in the book that made fans cry along with him. Nothing against Rupert Grint, but the actor should have had more of Ron's source material to work with, as it made him such a better character.
Speaking of Bellatrix, there's no way Molly Weasley would look so smug after taking out the evil witch, either, as she did in the film, no matter how devastated she'd been by the loss of Fred.
16 De-Gnoming The Weasley's Garden
One of the funniest pieces of wizard lore in the series is that garden gnomes are anything but cute little decorations. On the contrary, they are pests that need "de-gnoming," and Harry is put to work alongside the Weasley clan to yank garden gnomes out of the garden and hurl them far away, where they run off in a rage. It's a shame we'll never see these hilarious moments.
15 House Elf Plots
Hermione's sympathy for House Elves wasn't the only thing about the creatures kept from the movies. We completely miss Winky, the disgraced former House Elf who's sent to work in the kitchens at Hogwarts with Dobby (and who becomes rather fond of the drink), and we miss Kreacher and harry's repaired relationship, which includes Kreacher leading the House Elves of Hogwarts in battle against Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts.
14 Barty Crouch's Mindless Amble Through The Woods
Goblet of Fire is a better movie than book in some ways, since it's full of creatures to show and not tell, but it's also confusing without so many of its plot points missing from the series. We completely miss Barty Crouch's eerie mindless stroll through the woods, which Harry had to deal with. We also miss Dumbledore's calm nature, which was absent in his movie demand of, "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire!" which has since become a legendary meme.
13 Ginny Putting Harry In His Place
Ginny Weasley is condemned as a Mary Sue by many fans, but she evolved from a besotted kid with a crush on Harry Potter to his formidable equal in the books. Not only was Ginny better at Quidditch, becoming a professional player, but she also put Harry in his place about being possessed when his buddies Ron and Hermione tiptoed around the subject. Ginny wasn't afraid to call him out on his idiocy, which was our fist clue that she'd be a great partner.
12 The Weasley Swamp
When Fred and George Weasley abandon Hogwarts during Dolores Umbridge's reign of terror, they do it with a literal bang, but in the book it's SO much worse. They leave behind a swamp of epic proportions that takes forever to be cleaned up. Known as the Portable Swamp, it becomes something of a Hogwarts legend.
11 Harry And Ron's Fake Tattoos
Ginny and Harry's dating isn't shown much in the books, but it is cute, and Ginny remarks that she's let it slip that Harry has a Hungarian Horntail tattoo when someone asks if he's gotten a hippogriff tattoo. She says it's more macho. When Ron inquires as to what tattoo she says that he's got, she replies, "A pygmy puff."
10 Everything About Tonks
Fans who've never read the books don't know how funny Nymphadora Tonks is, nor anything else about the young Auror who fought for Remus Lupin's love, changed her patronus out of her own emotional upheaval and had a baby Metamorphagus. Most of Tonks' scenes are either changed or completely eliminated from the films.
9 Snape Floating And Bumping His Head
Prisoner of Azkaban is the Harry Potter film that truly starts to deviate from its source material, and one of the best scenes we missed was professor Snape bumping his head while Sirius Black casually allowed it to happen as he transported his unconscious body. The fact that Harry was the person to spare Wormtail's life during this scene when both Moony and Padfoot (book nicknames for Remus and Sirius) wanted to off the traitor was also cut.
8 Harry And Ginny's Real First Kiss
Harry and Ginny's first real kiss is a much more subdued affair in the film. In the book, they smooch in front of the entire Gryffindor House after Ginny plays Harry's role of seeker and wins the game. It's fitting for the two, it demonstrates Ron's grudging approval of the relationship and it's described wonderfully after we hear about the "monster" in Harry's chest throughout the book who growls every time it gets jealous over Ginny with another boy.
7 All About Animagi And The Marauders
Fans who missed the books were confused about the story of Sirius Black in the third film, and rightly so. In the book, we learn all about Animagi and how James, Sirius and Peter all did this complicated magic in order to keep Remus company during his monthly transformations, but in the film it's never explained, leaving viewers to wonder why Sirius and Peter are Animagi in the first place. The connection between James Potter and his deer patronus aren't explained, either.
6 Hermione Blackmailing Rita Skeeter
As brilliant as Hermione is in the films, we miss many of her best moments from the books, including the time she blackmailed Rita Skeeter when she discovered that the reporter was an Animagus, which explained why she she kept getting secret information for her articles. The jaw-dropping fact that Hermione trapped her in a jar to make the threat was also left out.
5 Neville's Parents' Scene At St. Mungo's
One of the most touching scenes that we see in all of the books is of Neville Longbottom visiting his parents at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. When his mother gives him candy wrappers as gifts and Neville, who looks uncomfortable about his friends knowing why he's there, still tenderly pockets them it breaks our hearts.
4 The Screaming Portrait Of Sirius' Mother
Every time there's a noise at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix and the childhood home of Sirius Black, Black's mother's portrait shrieks at her uninvited company, insulting all who enter and demanding that they leave her home in the books. It gets so bad that the Order has to cover her up with curtains!
3 Hermione Besting Snape's Potions Test
Another one of Hermione's most clever moments cut from the films is the time she outsmarted Snape's potions test in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Instead of remaining behind with Ron, she continues with Harry, assisting him with more challenges and beginning the circle that comes full loop by Deathly Hallows.
Ron might be Harry's bestie but Hermione is always the most helpful person to have as his second.
2 Arthur And Lucius' Fistfight
One of the scenes we'd have loved to see in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the one where Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy literally have a fistfight while the kids get their school books. This extraordinary moment is replaced by a rather tense exchange in the films where Arthur definitely chooses the high road instead, which really does seem more in character for the wizard.
1 Neville Leading The D.A. During Deathly Hallows
Neville Longbottom has one a steady and impressive evolution throughout the series, much of which is just cut or understated from the films. Not only does he off Nagini much more dramatically and not kiss Luna, who is just his friend, but he also leads the entire Dumbledore's Army group while Harry is off finding Horcruxes, dealing with Death Eater teachers and torture on a daily basis, protecting other kids and generally being amazing. We'd love to see a movie that just shows Neville's year at Hogwarts, along with Ginny and the rest of the D.A.