Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Despite comprising thousands of pages of words, the Harry Potter books fail to delve into certain character arcs just as much as the movies. The focus of the story in both the books and their adaptations is, of course, Harry Potter on his quest to end the regime of Lord Voldemort .
Everyone wanted to see some of Ginny’s best scenes make it into the movies. However, even in the books, her character is somewhat relegated to the sidelines. For a long time, Harry never sees Ginny’s fiery side because she has a crush on him and is timid when she’s around him. Then her characterization becomes largely romantic when she and Harry get together.
Half-Blood Prince has a subplot where Tonks becomes depressed because Remus ended whatever relationship they had at the time, and is struggling with her transformation abilities. This is the point where it might have been good to delve even more into Tonks and Remus’ relationship and what they were before Half-Blood Prince, as a better explanation of why she is having such a hard time. Sirius’ death might have played into these circumstances.
Meanwhile, Cho is still grieving her boyfriend Cedric Diggory’s sudden and violent death. She clings to certain friendships because that is the only support she has when she can’t confide in her family about being a part of Dumbledore’s Army. Cho has a compelling story, but all she is to the narrative is Harry’s weepy first girlfriend, used to signal that he is growing up as the series goes on.
The Lestranges are another interesting set of villains that could shed light on the nature of evil in this setting. Like the Malfoys, they are an old, pure-blood family who all serve Voldemort. However, the story makes it clear that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy will prioritize their son. Rodolphus and his family are even scarier because they would likely give up each other for the cause, making them a potentially valuable exploration of Voldemort’s villainy.
The story wants its readers to like James when he is either a vaguely defined hero or a self-obsessed teenager. They are expected to believe that he had a compelling character arc — where events such as Snape almost being killed by one of Sirius’ pranks and Sirius running away from home may have had a profound effect on him — but it must be inferred from the information that is provided. It is yet another case where Harry Potter could have benefited from more flashbacks.