The Harry Potter series has plenty of characters with amazing stories to share. It’s filled to the brim with the wonderful world of Harry Potter, and the characters and magic he runs into along the way. We learn about the life of Ron Weasley, and what it’s like to grow up in a poor but loving family in the wizarding world. We learn about Hermione Granger and the troubles she has to go through as a muggleborn. Truly, there is so much to see.
But, that doesn’t change the fact that there are many Harry Potter characters to see and talk about, some of which could have been included more in their stories, actions, and words through the course of the seven books, and therefore the eight movies. But who exactly are these members of the Harry Potter books that I think deserved more page time? Look no further than this list.
Luna Lovegood
Luna was easily one of my favorite side characters in the books. She was just so eccentric and out there that I loved every scene that she was in, no matter if it was something silly she said or she was actually helpful. But I really feel like she could have been brought in earlier than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
She’s the same year as Ginny, so only a year younger than the main trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. If J.K. Rowling had wanted to, she could have brought in Luna the same year as Ginny all the way back in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Who knew what she would have had to say regarding the basilisk. Or the dementors. Or the Triwizard Tournament. Or anything else that happened before the fifth book.
Neville Longbottom
My little baby, Neville Longbottom. While he was a main side character throughout the books, making his appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I feel like we could have gotten so much more backstory to him. We know what happened to his parent's thanks to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and how Bellatrix Lestrange tortured them, but other than that, he’s felt like more of a geeky kid for a long time.
Technically, Neville is considered the other boy in the prophecy that Voldemort was so scared about. But because Neville had pureblood, Voldemort did not want to waste it, so he chose the weaker threat in Harry, a half-blood. If things were different, however, we would have had a different boy who lived. And I believe we could have learned so much from him as a side character.
Charlie Weasley
The man works with dragons!
I mean, come on, that is one of the absolute coolest jobs (you know, besides the fire the dragon spits at you) that someone can have. It’s like the wizarding world’s version of the Targaryens. We always hear so much about the Weasleys, from the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, all the way up to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We know about the Burrow, the family, the hijinks of the two twins, so much, but we don’t hear that much about the eldest Weasley’s.
However, we’ve heard more about Bill (considering he married Fleur Delacour from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the last book) than Charlie. There could have been so many deep dives into who he is as a character, how he came into this line of work, how he actually works with the dragons. That would have been amazing to see!
Bellatrix Lestrange
Okay, I know she’s a villain and super crazy, but I’m a sucker for a backstory. When I found out they were giving the Joker his own movie, you bet your butt I was in the theater opening night when Joker was released, so why not have the same level of attention for Bellatrix? From the moment she was introduced in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we could see she was absolutely bonkers, but I want to know how she got there.
I know the Lestrange family was always particular about their pureblood status, but how did Bellatrix go from just being obsessed with being pure to actually becoming crazy? To torturing someone to the point of no return? Was it because of her love for Voldemort? Or something else? I would have loved to hear more about what Bellatrix went through because sometimes I feel a little bit more afraid of her than the main man himself, Voldemort.
Rita Skeeter
Yes, she’s a snake in the grass, but there’s something about that Rita Skeeter that gets to me, man. I loved her character as annoying as she was. She was exactly what you would expect a nosy journalist to be like in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, asking all the questions, wanting to see if she can find some sort of scoop, and skirting around the facts. Was that right? No, but it was of course entertaining.
I would have loved to see what her life was like and how she became this columnist at The Daily Prophet. Did there used to be a newspaper at Hogwarts and that’s where she learned to become this writer? Or did she do this all on her own? Did she even go to magic school? A quick chapter covering all that she was would have been so useful, but we sadly we're not given that.
Nymphadora Tonks
One of my absolute favorite side characters in the books and the movies, it is a damn sin that they did not go into Tonks more in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We know that she comes from the Black family on her mother’s side and is a half-blood and that she hates her name (hence why she goes by Tonks), but there is so much more to this witch than we know. I can feel it. She has the personality of a main character in her own book series.
While the books pay a bit more attention to Tonks and Lupin than the movies do, I still wanted to learn more about how Tonks and Remus really came together and evolved their relationship, how they learned to grow and work as one rather than separately. I wanted to know more about her powers and her abilities as a Metamorphmagus. I mean, the possibilities are endless. She is so cool.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
While he was only in the series for a short time as many of the entries on this list, his appearance was well-felt. Kingsley is this smooth-talking Auror (basically the wizarding world’s version of a law enforcer) who ends up defecting over to the Order of the Phoenix after convincing evidence of Voldemort's return after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Kingsley would go on to become the Minister of Magic prior to Hermione taking on the role, confirmed by J.K. Rowling.
But man, what about the stories this guy probably had! Aurors are known to have seen some scary stuff and he could have filled a whole entire book up with how many horrible wizards or witches he might have run into. And during the war years, what was it like to switch from the ministry over to technically the betrayers? The naysayers? It’s a hero’s tale and it’s disappointing that we never got to see more of him.
I’m sure there are plenty of other characters out there that you might feel particular about, but these are the ones I had to include. Maybe we’ll get our wish if a new book comes out after the craziness that was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but I doubt it.
What characters would you like to see more of?
