8 ‘Harry Potter’ Book-Only Characters That Could Make the HBO Show Worth Watching

15 years after the Harry Potter film series, the franchise is officially getting a second adaptation from HBO. Rather than the big screen, HBO is taking Harry Potter to the small screen with a TV series set to debut on Christmas 2026. 

Harry Potter (2026) has received some divisive reactions from the fan community. While many are excited about the remake, some feel it is unnecessary, given that the movies have already covered the entire book series fairly thoroughly. Still, Harry Potter has a few opportunities to tread new territory and could prove its worth if it includes these 8 book-only characters who we would love to see make their onscreen debut.

Augusta Longbottom

Augusta Longbottom is the witch grandmother of Neville Longbottom. In the books, Augusta is a formidable figure. Stern and proud, she raised her grandson on her own and was an avid supporter of Albus Dumbledore. Not only did she fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, but she also helped shape Neville into a fine wizard. However, the films cut much of her story, and she only has a non-speaking cameo in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011).

Now, Harry Potter has the chance to elevate her role to more than just a background one. I’m not just interested in her relationship with Neville, but also eager to see a book-accurate Augusta on-screen wearing her famous stuffed-vulture hat. She’d be a sight to behold in the series and would bring a sense of magic of her own with her eccentricity and style.

Charlie Weasley

The sprawling Weasley family famously had seven children in the books, which is why many fans were disappointed to find one was missing in the movies. The second-oldest Weasley child, Charlie Weasley, was cut from the movies due to time constraints, though he appears in a photograph in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). In the books, he’s easily the coolest Weasley child. Not only was he a model Hogwarts student, as a Prefect and captain of the Quidditch team, but he also went on to become a Dragonologist upon graduation.

He trained with dragons in Romania and still made it back in time to serve in the Order of the Phoenix. We’d love to see him working with dragons or showing off his Quidditch skills in a flashback to give him some much-needed appreciation in Harry Potter. The Weasley family just isn’t complete without him.

Frank and Alice Longbottom

In the books, Neville Longbottom’s parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, hold one of the most emotional scenes in the series. While the movies and books focus heavily on the sacrifice and bravery of Harry’s parents, James and Lily Potter, many often forget the heroic and tragic story of Neville’s parents. The Longbottoms were Aurors who defied Lord Voldemort.

Sadly, Death Eaters targeted the couple shortly after Lord Voldemort went into hiding. The Death Eaters tortured them so terribly that they both spiraled into madness, and spent the rest of their lives in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. If they had been in the movies, they would’ve appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). In the book, the lead trio runs into Neville while he’s visiting his parents, who don’t recognize him. The scene really hits readers with just how tragic Neville’s story is and how brutal the Death Eaters were.

Ludo Bagman

Ludo Bagman remains one of the most perplexing cuts from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), given his considerable role in the books. Bagman is a Quidditch pro and gambler, whose dirty gambling ways got him in hot water with a band of goblins. Despite being a rather unsavory figure, he plays a surprisingly likable role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book when he serves as a judge in the Triwizard Tournament and throws his support behind Harry Potter.

Bagman’s interest in Harry isn’t wholly pure, as he roots for the boy because he placed a bet on him winning the tournament. Still, his belief in Harry is refreshing, and he judges him fairly. I’d like to see him in Harry Potter, given his influence on the Triwizard Tournament and the fact that he’s just such an interesting, morally ambiguous character.

Regulus Black

Regulus Black earns several mentions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) & Part 2, but they don’t do justice to the heroism described in the books. Regulus is the younger brother of Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, though he’s deceased by the time the Harry Potter book series begins. Regulus was a Slytherin who later became a Death Eater. However, he defected when he recognized Lord Voldemort's true evil nature.

He is important because he’s one of the few people who gained knowledge of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. In fact, he discovered one Horcrux, obtaining Salazar Slytherin’s locket. Believing the locket to be the only Horcrux, he destroyed it, even though he knew he would die for it. He sacrificed himself to defeat Voldemort, and Harry Potter would do right by him if it were to dive into his legacy as one of Slytherin’s greatest heroes.

The Gaunts

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) omitted The House of Gaunt from its storyline, though the Gaunts are vital to understanding Voldemort's past. In the book, Albus Dumbledore gives Harry Potter a private lesson on the origins of Voldemort. They use the Pensieve to enter the memories of Bob Ogden of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who confronts the Gaunts. The Gaunts are a peculiar bunch who were so obsessed with their pure-blood status and their connection to Salazar Slytherin that they resorted to marrying cousins.

The inbreeding may be why the book describes Merope Gaunt as having eyes looking in opposite directions. Harry learns that Merope Gaunt fell in love with a Muggle, Tom Riddle, and used a love potion to trick him into a relationship with her. From this false relationship, Lord Voldemort was born. The Gaunts mark a darker part of the books, but one that would certainly be intriguing to explore in Harry Potter.

Winky the House Elf

In the books, Winky the House Elf served the Crouch family for many years and was particularly devoted to Barty Crouch Sr. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reveals that Crouch Sr. dismissed Winky after she took the fall for Barty Crouch Jr.’s casting of the Dark Mark. Barty Sr. also dismissed Winky in an effort to avoid associating himself with the Dark Mark.

Winky reacted in agony to Crouch’s cold dismissal and willingness to let her take the blame for the family’s dark secrets. After her dismissal, she fell into a deep depression and resorted to alcohol to cope. Her situation inspired Hermione Granger to start the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.). While the Harry Potter movies chose to cut Winky and S.P.E.W., HBO’s Harry Potter could finally explore one of Granger’s more character-defining subplots and one of the darker realities of the Wizarding World.