J.K. Rowling’sHarry Potterseries was a worldwide phenomenon, butthe books wasted some of their most interesting characters. TheHarry Potterbookslaunched to critical acclaim in 1997 and introduced the Golden Trio, alongside a host of other great characters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione proved compelling leads, with the three protagonists going through their own coming-of-age stories as they saved the Wizarding World. Naturally, this made them feel fleshed out and relatable. Unfortunately, not all ofHarry Potter’s characters came off so well.
While major players like Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape received a level of attention befitting their roles,a decent number of supporting characters could have played bigger parts inHarry Potterand its ending. Some of them were set up for grander storylines, which were then dropped or ignored, while others never got the time they deserved to begin with. TheHarry Pottermoviesplayed up certain roles while downplaying others. However, it remained evident that certain fan-favorites needed bigger parts in the source material.
10Bill Weasley
The Eldest Weasley Sibling
Despite being one of the coolest Weasley siblings,Bill Weasley was underused in theHarry Potterbooks. Bill was introduced inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,and he continued to appear as an Order of the Phoenix member in the later books. Prior to Voldemort’s second rise to power, he worked as a curse-breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and this job could have been expanded into some interesting storylines. With Bill working in Egypt, it wouldn’t have been easy to utilize his expertise in breaking into tombs — but this fascinating tidbit demanded more attention.
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Unfortunately, the earlyHarry Potterbooks barely used Bill Weasley at all, and even his tenure in the later installments was limited compared to what it could have been. Although Bill exhibited bravery and loyalty that made him a likable character,he was often portrayed through the lens of his relationship with Fleur Delacour. Even his injuries duringHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’s Battle of the Astronomy Tower came back to their romance, leaving a lot to be desired when it came to his individual characterization.
Nymphadora Tonks' Mother
Nymphadora Tonks' mother was worthy of more attention in theHarry Potterbooks, especially after the role she played in getting Harry to the Burrow inDeathly Hallows. Although Tonks was not one ofHarry Potter’s main characters, her mother’s backstory was intriguing enough to expand on. Tonks' mother was a free spirit like her daughter, and she was bold enough to marry Muggle-born Ted Tonks, even if it meant being disowned by her family.
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The Black family were notorious for many reasons, while the odd upstart managed to make a life for themselves away from a dark allegiance to Voldemort. Like Sirius, Andromeda Black was one of these upstarts, and her presence was scratched from the Black family tree as a result.Andromeda raised Lupin and Tonks' grandsonafter they died in the Battle of Hogwarts, so she really could have received a bit more exploration on the page.
8Regulus Black
Younger Brother To Sirius Black
The ever-fascinating Black family yielded Regulus, another Voldemort-defying wizard. Sirius Black’s younger brother,Regulus was adored and preferred by the familyfor upholding their traditions. The Blacks were pure-blood supremacists, and Regulus was “soft enough to believe them,” according to Sirius. However, when Regulus found out how far Voldemort went to achieve his goals, he turned against him. This heroic act cost Regulus his life.
Given that the identity of R.A.B. was such a big mystery after Harry found Regulus' fake Horcrux, Sirius' brother really should have had a bigger part in the story, even posthumously.
In turning from Voldemort, Regulus made a plan to destroy one of his Horcruxes and start chipping away at the Dark Lord’s immortality. The plan failed, but Regulus managed to steal the locket from the same cave Harry and Dumbledore visit inHalf-Blood Prince.Given that the identity of R.A.B. was such a big mystery after Harry found Regulus' fake Horcrux, Sirius' brother really should have had a bigger part in the story, even posthumously.His story is compelling enough that fans have tirelessly dreamcast Timothée Chalamet for the role, proving how much more Rowling could’ve gotten out of it.
7Draco Malfoy
The Redeemed Hero That Never Was
TheHarry Potterbooks seemed to be on the fence about Draco Malfoy, and they never made a satisfactory decision about the character.Harry Potter’sMalfoy familywere Wizarding World nobility with problematic beliefs. Draco’s prejudice against Muggles and Muggle-borns was portrayed as the result of his upbringing and his parents. Narcissa was the sister of Voldemort’s most loyal supporter and lover, Bellatrix Lestrange. Meanwhile, Lucius was a Death Eater approved by the Black family.
Draco Malfoy’s redemption finally came full circle in the 2016 playHarry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Like Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy went along with his family’s beliefs out of indoctrination but couldn’t deal with the reality of his service. When faced with killing Dumbledore, Draco had to confront how he wasn’t cut out to be a Death Eater. The books portrayed Draco’s failure to kill Dumbledore as a sniveling act of cowardice. However, in reality, this was a brave act that risked his life and that of his family.The books teased Draco’s redemptionbut never quite delivered on it, totally wasting his more nuanced moments inHalf-Blood PrinceandDeathly Hallows.
6Peter Pettigrew
The Most-Hated Marauder
Peter Pettigrew had huge significance in the narrative but was phased out at points where he had just started to seem important. Although Pettigrew was not one ofthe most powerfulHarry Pottercharacters, he was one of the most memorable.Peter Pettigrew is the most-hated Marauder, but the traitor, who spent years disguised as a rat, had some of the biggest potential in the story. The ex-Marauder spent much of his adult life posing as Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers, biding his time until he could reunite with Voldemort after betraying his closest friends.
Pettigrew stalled the sorting hat for a full five minutes before being sorted into Gryffindor, proving how morally conflicted and complex this character was.
Sadly,Pettigrew’s motivations and feelings about everything that happened in his past weren’t explored in enough depth. The books suggested he was afraid of Voldemort, but he waited years to bring the Dark Lord back to life. Pettigrew even stalled the sorting hat for a full five minutes before being sorted into Gryffindor, proving how morally conflicted and complex his character was. He needed a bigger role in the series' ending, whether it was a redemption arc or a huge act of loyalty to Voldemort. He also should have seen Sirius or Lupin again afterPrisoner of Azkaban.
5Charlie Weasley
The Dragon Tamer Weasley
Charlie Weasley was an adventurous soul, like Bill, who deserved more time on the page in theHarry Potterbooks.Of all the Weasleys, Charlie may have been the most foolhardy, and that is saying something. There was so much to love about the russet-haired dragon-tamer of a Weasley living his dreams in Romania. To a certain extent, it made the Weasleys more dynamic, fleshed-out, and realistic that they weren’t all overly present in the plot.
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However, Charlie clearly had a huge story to tell, and many book readers would have loved to hear more about him. Charlie was a Quidditch expert. He was also instrumental in theHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, although it wasn’t immediately obvious.Charlie helped out in the Triwizard Tournamentas one of the dragon tamers on-site. This extraordinary lifestyle could get its own spinoff, but it goes underused in the original source material.
4Remus Lupin
One Of Fantasy’s Greatest Werewolves
Remus Lupin was one of theHarry Potterseries' best characters, and it’s a shame the books didn’t allow readers to spend more time with him.Lupin was a fan-favoritebecause he was one of the fantasy genre’s best werewolves in a long line of portrayals. The werewolf is a literary and mythological institution, and Remus Lupin helped confirm that anyone, even a werewolf, could be a real hero. This message was important for anyone struggling against their nature in some way.
Remus Lupin helped confirm that anyone, even a werewolf, could be a real hero.
This lycanthropic Marauder wasHarry Potter’swerewolf avatar, with only Fenrir Greyback standing out to represent the mythical beast. He also had a tortured and difficult life, making his ultimate sacrifice in the Battle of Hogwarts all the more tragic.His time at Hogwarts with James and Sirius was criminally under-explored in the books, and he was given very little time with Tonks and their child. On the bright side,theHarry PotterTV show could launch a Marauders spinoffand expand on Lupin’s character.
3Neville Longbottom
Harry Potter’s Most Underrated Hero
Neville Longbottom wasHarry Potter’sleast-investigated hero, and Rowling could have done more with him.Neville had some of the best character developmentin the books, to be fair to the author. He was an amazing character, starting off as a seemingly pathetic ally to Harry and friends, there mostly for comedic value. Neville’s arc took a turn in the later books, however, with him coming into his own as a more heroic and admirable wizard.
Neville had a remarkably similar life to Harry, being orphaned by Voldemort and a potential candidate for the prophecy that shaped Harry’s future. His parents were horrifically tortured by Bellatrix, her husband, her brother-in-law, and Barty Crouch Jr. Rowling’s plot enjoyed the circularity of Neville finally avenging his parents by slaying Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor.Neville could have been built up from an earlier pointand helped the Golden Trio more, considering his later importance. The books also fail to utilize his connection to Harry and the prophecy as much as they should.
2Ginny Weasley
Harry’s Underused Love Interest
Ginny Weasley could have been inserted intoHarry Potter’sstoryline a lot more over the course of the seven books. Ginny played a huge role inHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but her perspective felt quite limited, something necessitated by the book’s ending twist. She only resurfaced as a more prominent character during the laterHarry Potterbooks, and even then, her role didn’t grow as much as it should have. Despite becoming Harry’s love interest,Ginny was often relegated to the sidelines. She didn’t even fight during the Battle of Hogwarts.
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Additionally,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsfumbledthe obvious Ginny story set up inHalf-Blood Prince. The series established that Ginny could be used against Harry, but it never delivered on this tease. Instead, it removed her from the majority of the final book, wasting the development of her character and relationship with Harry. Giving her more time to shine would have made her romance with him feel more important, and it would have given her arc a proper conclusion.
1Sirius Black
Harry Potter’s Most Tragic Marauder
A huge portion ofHarry Potterfans would love to hear more about Sirius Black. Sirius may beHarry Potter’smost tragic Marauder. Although James died to save his son, readers never got to know him the way they got to know Sirius.This character belonged to what felt like a mystical era of Hogwarts, enshrined in wonder, joy and mystery. WhileJ.K. Rowling never wrote the Marauder spinoff, there areMarauders fanfics that provide the prequel story many desire.
HBO’sHarry PotterTV show is expected to debut in 2026.
This subsection of theHarry Potterfandom proves how much more life there was in the character of Sirius Black before his untimely death. It was bad enough for Harry to lose his parents, let alone his godfather. While Sirius' death did serve a purpose in Harry’s arc, it would have been nice to see more of him before he perished. Ultimately, it would have made hisHarry Potterfate even more tragic. However, Sirius was gone too soon and after too few scenes unpacking his backstory.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
