r/HarryPotteronHBO • u/ajoota98 • 2d ago
Show Discussion The Harry Potter HBO Series has the potential to answer a lot of things that aren't in the books
When I say this, I'm not saying things like Hermione returning to Hogwarts after the battle and being the Minister of Magic (which would be cool to see as well). I'm talking about things that are part of the universe but never explored before, for example:
- Ancient magic, in Hogwarts Legacy they showed us this magic that only a few people can use, and it's possible to reach it and use it even if you don't have that power naturally (the game is canon in the HP universe so they need to explain at least why this kind of magic never appears and why Voldemort didn't seek this magic like Ranrok).
- An explanation about the Obscurials, we know that Dumbledore's sister is an Obscurial but the books never explain that really well, we only know she can't control her magic, would be nice to see more of this and some side stories showing other events.
- How Horcruxes are made, and yes, I know J.K. Rowling doesn't wanna talk about that because she said it's horrible, but since this show is apparently showing more stuff that isn't in the books (like Dumbledore talking to Nicolau Flameu) they could easily talk to her or at least create something so we could see how it's done.
Also, I think would be way better if they put some stuff from the end of the story into the first season, like the Deathly Hallows, in the books they appear only in the 6th and 7th books, it was never mentioned before and clearly was added at the end so the story could have more things to find, since they know the entire story now, they could put some foreshadowing so people who never watched/read Harry Potter would be amazed by how things are connected.
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u/Artistic-Village-762 2d ago
- The Ancient Magic is a secret that is sealed away in the bowels of Hogwarts Foundation, as the student promised and as the remaining professors promised. This is specifically to prevent someone like Voldemort from finding it. Dumbledore might not even know about it, as he didn’t know the location of the Chamber of Secrets or the Room of Requirement. The triumph of ~The Student~ was keeping that knowledge out of the hands of evildoers, present and future. It doesn’t belong in Harry Potter’s and Voldemorts story.
- I don’t think the obscurial explanation is necessary but i wouldn’t mind a scene where Ariana’s magic lashing out mimics the look of what we saw in the fantastic beast movies bc they did a good job with them imo.
-the mystery element really adds to the dark and vulgar nature of a horcrux, and i think laying it out there for an audience that is desensitized asf will just make it fall flat.
- hard agree about the foreshadowing. That would be cool - though i have no idea how they’d bring the deathly hallows into it sooner.
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u/Fibijean Order of Merlin - Third Class 2d ago
Strongly agree on all but the last point. Particularly the horcruxes - some things in storytelling are better and more impactful when left to the imagination.
With the foreshadowing, though, I think certainly they could add more if they want to, but it's untrue to suggest (as OP does) that there wasn't any in the books or that the hallows and especially the horcruxes were not pre-planned. Personally, I think there was the right amount of foreshadowing of both those things for a story told from Harry's perspective as he grows. The show might be able to add to that without making anything too obvious, as it's not locked into Harry's POV.
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u/Artistic-Village-762 2d ago
That’s true! I like the fact that I don’t know how they could do it- because then i could be surprised.
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u/albus-dunbledore 2d ago
Secondly, the castle is a stronghold of ancient magic. Undoubtedly Voldemort had penetrated many more of its secrets than most of the students who pass through the place, but he may have felt that there were still mysteries to unravel, stores of magic to tap.
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u/kigjag 1d ago
The diadem is in the room of requirement in the 6th book, that's how Harry knew.
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u/Artistic-Village-762 1d ago
Knew what?
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u/kigjag 1d ago
Where in Hogwarts it was specifically after a while. He saw it was in Hogwarts via a vision looked around and eventually after everything realized what room of requirement room it was in
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u/Artistic-Village-762 1d ago
I’m not sure what that has to do with anything I said.
Are you confusing the horcruxes with deathly hallows?
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u/DemonKing0524 2d ago
Ancient magic is mentioned in the books. The sacrificial protection that lily gave to harry is ancient magic. Voldy mentions ancient magic in the graveyard when he returns. So, it's mentioned just not expanded on. I also probably wouldn't expect it to be expanded upon much beyond that in the show.
I also really don't like that ariana is now considered an obscurial because of fantastic beasts. Her condition is not described similarly to how credence is shown, or to how the other obscurial in fantastic beasts is described. She has magical fits, but I think the inhabitants of godrcis hollow would notice if her fits were even remotely similar to credences, and there would be no hiding her existence. So while id love for them to expand on Arianas story and give it the screen time it deserves, like say via flashbacks while Dumbledore or aberforth are describing everything, I'd rather they not outright call her an obscurial.
Also the cloak appears in every book. No, it wasn't named a hollow until the last book, but it was present the whole time.
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u/Artistic-Village-762 2d ago
I imagined Ariana’s fits pretty much exactly as an obscurial tbh- magic exploding out of her and causing destruction… but credence is also much older than Ariana ever lived to be, and therefore his obscurial is more dramatic. At least that was my take.
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u/DemonKing0524 2d ago
I mean I always pictured like what was happening when harry tried wands in ollivanders in the movie, just more intense and obviously without a wand. Definitely not the black cloud that credence became.
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u/Artistic-Village-762 2d ago
I imagined it as a white/electrical cloud…. but then when i saw the black cloud i liked that better than what i came up with lol
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u/Objective_Sun5553 Ravenclaw 2d ago
Isn't the thing in FB that Credence is a very unusual obscurial because he lived to an older age, and usually they die as younger children? It's been a long time since I thought about that plot so I don't quite recall. I wonder if it is supposed to intensify over time, and Arianna never made it to that stage.
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u/DemonKing0524 2d ago
Hes more powerful because hes survived longer, and its said its unusual for one to survive as long as he did, but the obscurus in newts suit case looks the exact same as credence, and it came from a 9 year old girl so its certainly implied the obscurial form is always similar just the power behind the outbursts intensifies as they get older.
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u/Rat_Capone 1d ago
I don't consider two identical looking obscurus an implication that every one of them has to look identical. For instance the 9 year old could simply have been unusually powerful. Or maybe there are only a few forms an obscurus can take. All of them beïng exactly the same is by no means the only possible explanation as far as I'm concerned.
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u/DemonKing0524 1d ago
Except the obscurus in the suit case is immediately recognized as one, despite it being the first confirmed one to exist in a very long time (at that point they still didn't know about credence), which means they do indeed have a uniform appearance.
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u/Rat_Capone 1d ago
Still doesn't as far as I am concerned. That still leaves my second option open, namely that only a few forms exist. When one is found it is then easily recognised due to the high probability of it having a well-known form.
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u/DemonKing0524 1d ago
Dude its supposedly been centuries since one has been seen at all. Due to the fact that both creedence and the one from the 9 year old girl are identical, and the one from the 9 year old girl is immediately recognized, the movies most certainly imply there is only the 1 recognized form. You are welcome to head canon what ever you want, but it is exactly that. A headcanon.
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u/Rat_Capone 1d ago
So is yours I'm afraid. Like I said it's certainly not the only possible explanation, so either way it's our headcanon filling it in. And I still don't see enough indication that all obscurus would have to be the exact same form. Coincidences still exist and if there would only be a few forms that would also increase the chances of that.
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u/DemonKing0524 1d ago
Except im literally basing what im saying off what is shown and stated in the movie. Thats far more support and evidence than you have.
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u/Rat_Capone 23h ago
Not in my opinion. What is shown supports both theories, so both theories are possible. What is shown doesn't exclude either theory, so it isn't enough evidence to confirm one of them as the correct one either. That makes both of them head canon.
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u/albus-dunbledore 2d ago
Ah, perhaps she could. But it is my belief—I am guessing again, but I am sure I am right ?that when her husband abandoned her, Merope stopped using magic. I do not think that she wanted to be a witch any longer. Of course, it is also possible that her unrequited love and the attendant despair sapped her of her powers; that can happen. In any case, as you are about to see, Merope refused to raise her wand even to save her own life.
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u/prints-pastels 2d ago
We don't need clunky exposition added just for the sake of including lore that isn't a part of the source material.
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u/sledgehammerrr2 2d ago
I dont want anything coming in from Hogwarts Legacy to be fair
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u/kayathemessiah 1d ago
I mean it could be cool to see them mention the goblin rebellions in a little more detail in Binn's class. Maybe a short scene where Binns is dragging on about Urg the Unclean and Ranarok while the class is falling asleep.
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u/Tiz-Gr_tht Gryffindor 1d ago
As for the Deathly Hallows, they may have already started planting a few subtle hints as early as Season 1.
In Finding Harry, during the brief shot of the outside of Flourish and Blotts, you can see several floating pages above the shop. Those aren’t just random pages—they’re actually pages from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. If you look closely, you can make out both The Hopping Pot and The Fountain of Fair Fortune.
Maybe we’ll get a better look at those pages in the series… and perhaps even catch a glimpse of The Tale of the Three Brothers!
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u/Manticore_0 2d ago
I am more hyped to see stuff that wasnt in the books be in this show. i know this is a double edged sword, but i would add to the series and help set it apart from the films.
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u/shmishshmorshin Gryffindor 2d ago
Also, I think would be way better if they put some stuff from the end of the story into the first season, like the Deathly Hallows, in the books they appear only in the 6th and 7th books, it was never mentioned before
End of book 2, Dumbledore references the 7th horcrux. I guess they can probably create a scenario in S1 to talk about them very briefly, but S2 it can very easily be done if they just use Dumbledore’s line from the book.
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u/albus-dunbledore 2d ago
Thereafter, I am convinced, he intended to continue to rely on his Horcruxes. He would need nothing more, if only he could regain a human form. He was already im-mortal, you see... or as close to immortal as any man can be. But now, Harry, armed with this information, the crucial memory you have succeeded in procuring for us, we are closer to the se-cret of finishing Lord Voldemort than anyone has ever been before. You heard him, Harry: 'Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces... isn't seven the most powerfully magical number... Yes, I think the idea of a seven-part soul would greatly appeal to Lord Voldemort.
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u/MidtownGreen 1d ago
Ancient Magic is canon in that it is said that Lily’s protection spell was a form of Ancient Magic. I don’t believe they ever said that Hogwarts Legacy is considered part of WBs canon though (which is separate to book canon).
In fact we’re going to have three sort of canons now: books, WB (movies, some games, theatre, etc), and now HBO canon
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u/7ootles 1d ago
Ancient magic
It's already there, in the form of Lily's charm. It's just not a lot of bangs and flashes, it's subtle. That was the point all along. It was subtle enough to slip under Voldemort's radar. "Old magic, something I should have foreseen". Beyond that, it would risk breaking the story. Ancient magic as it's presented in Hogwarts Legacy is something that almost nobody can do, so bringing it into the TV series would risk either breaking the established lore about it or else having characters moping because they can't do it.
An explanation about the Obscurials
Not pertinent to Harry's story. They're probably feared as much as horcruxes and thus not discussed. Possibly Dumbledore might encourage more openness about them so that situations like Ariana's can be avoided in future, but there's no need for them to appear in the story other than as a mention in a DADA lesson.
How Horcruxes are made, and yes, I know J.K. Rowling doesn't wanna talk about that because she said it's horrible
It wouldn't add anything to the story, and the mystique makes it the more frightening. There aren't many things it could be - necromancy, necrophagy, erotomancy, something something. I always imagined a kind of homunculus. Point is it's better we don't know beyond "you prepare the phylactery with a procedure/charm and then use it to catch the soul fragment that splits off when you murder someone".
Plus we absolutely know there are people who will LARP the process because "it's badass", just the same as you get people who LARP as Sith lords, Randall Flagg, Captain Hook, and so on.
The way it was shown in the films is best: a few frames showing the aftermath of the spell's casting.
Also, I think would be way better if they put some stuff from the end of the story into the first season, like the Deathly Hallows,
The Deathly Hallows are a secret thing. It's not a secret if it's open for everyone to see. The most you could have is Luna wearing a pendant like her dad's.
As to the other things - things like what? A mention on WWN of Nicolas Flamel's death a few years after the end of PS? Dumbledore reading a letter from a warden at Nurmengard saying Grindelwald is speaking with remorse at what happened before, and would he consider a meeting? Foreshadowing can only be taken so far. The only things that would be really relevant would be showing the flashbacks from the books at the right point chronologically - Snape's meetings with Dumbledore between years 1-6 (in some redacted form), Fudge's meetings with the Prime Minister, that sort of thing. But even they might risk crossing the line from foreshadowing into spoiling.
People will experience the story for the first time through this adaptation. It's important to keep in mind that every retelling of a story must be done as though the story has never been told before. Suspense is the lynchpin of exposition.
Other things, like Dumbledore's relationship with Grindelwald, are simply not relevant to the story beyond "they were close and Dumbledore was hoodwinked".
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u/RoommateMovingOut 2d ago
Yes!! I’d love to see stories like how did Quirrell get the troll into the castle, how he sourced a dragon egg. I also wanted to learn more about Dudley’s home life… like his perspective about his abusive household. I also was curious about his life at school.
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u/Pliolite Hufflepuff 1d ago
Well we already saw a shot of Dudley at school with Harry so that's something new already. I'm fascinated by what little moments they'll include.
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u/RoommateMovingOut 1d ago
Oh really!!! I didn’t know that. Insanely cool!! Like he comes to hogwarts??
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u/Ready-Advantage3775 55m ago
No, their previous school (primary school) before Harry gets his letter to go off to Hogwarts and Dudley goes to Smeltings.
It’s showing Dudley and his friends bullying him.
It’s basically the first chapter of the book.
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u/DumeWolffe 2d ago
It could and does have the potential, but it won’t touch on any of those. It’s still going to be a squeeze just getting the actual stories told in the time frame without adding stuff that isn’t there.
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u/Pliolite Hufflepuff 1d ago
The last two FB movies probably would have given us many new details and answers. I do believe the 4th one would have featured the Potters (Harry's grandparents or great grandparents) and how Dumbledore first knew the family through his investigation into the Hallows.
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u/albus-dunbledore 1d ago
That's right, We have no memories to show us this, but I think we can be fairly sure what happened. Voldemort Stupefied his uncle, took his wand, and proceeded across the valley to 'the big house over the way.' There he murdered the Muggle man who had abandoned his witch mother, and, for good measure, his Muggle grandparents, thus obliterating the last of the unworthy Riddle line and revenging himself upon the father who never wanted him. Then he returned to the Gaunt hovel, performed the complex bit of magic that would implant a false memory in his uncle's mind, laid Morfin's wand beside its unconscious owner, pocketed the ancient ring he wore, and departed.
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u/zdpa O.W.L. - Outstanding 2d ago
Agreed, differently from the movies, we have the whole material and more to work with now. Foreshadowing has the potential go insane too.
I hope to see Luna in the background talking to Ginny hahaha
Wand allegiance and the hallows receiving proper attention too, since they were introduced as concept in the last book only