For many people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Harry Potter franchise was their introduction to the world of fantasy stories. The books follow the titular protagonist, who learns that he is a wizard and is enrolled in a magic school called Hogwarts on his eleventh birthday. However, this journey leads to him getting tangled in a series of mysteries and dark plots that will launch the wizarding world into open war.

From 2001 to 2011, Warner Bros. released eight movies based on the books, which remains one of the highest-grossing film franchises. For the most part, the films are well-loved for their take on a magical world and characters, but there are several areas where they dropped the ball. Quite a few players feel wasted compared to their literary counterparts, to the point where one wonders why these characters remained in the Harry Potter movies if so little was to be done with them.

10 Firenze

Played by Ray Fearon

Deep in the Forbidden Forest live a herd of centaurs who mostly keep away from humans. However, one centaur, Firenze (Ray Fearon), has a more friendly disposition and even protects Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) from the evil Professor Quirrel (Ian Hart) after he kills a unicorn. Sadly, this is his only film appearance, unlike in the books, where he is hired by Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to teach Divination after Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) fires Professor Sybill Trelawney (Emma Thompson).

Firenze is a minor character in the franchise, but his absence in the films is even more apparent because he is the primary centaur character, which helps give more insight into their culture. Firenze's moments teaching Divination were especially powerful, as they helped to show how other species compensated for not having wand magic. Sadly, his absence past the first Harry Potter film makes the centaurs little more than savage horsemen.

9 Grawp

Played by Tony Maudsley

The half-brother of Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), Grawp (Tony Maudsley), is small compared to his fellow giants and was abandoned by his mother. Hagrid takes him back to Hogwarts and asks Harry and Hermione (Emma Watson) to help look after him if something happens. This seemingly simple favor proves difficult because of Grawp's great strength and childish attitude.

Whereas the books show him as a temper-throwing brute, the movies make Grawp a curious, gentle giant, removing a lot of potential from his character. In the books, it was shocking when Grawp revealed that he had learned simple English and missed Hagrid despite his earlier bouts of anger. Plus, while evil giants were present in the army of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the final film, Grawp wasn't there to face off against them.

8 Fleur Delacour

Played by Clémence Poésy

One of the top students at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy), goes to Hogwarts to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. She ends the tournament in last place but develops a friendship with Harry and Ron for their support. After graduating, she meets Ron's (Rupert Grint) oldest brother, Bill (Domhnall Gleeson), and the two eventually marry.

Fleur feels like a superfluous character because the movies cut out many of her best moments following Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The biggest loss is her omission from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where her love for Bill causes tension with his mother and sisters, who thought she only loved Bill for his looks. Fleur rebukes their claims and sticks by Bill after he is savaged by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno). The absence of this small but meaningful plot means that her film self is stuck as a pretty background character.

7 Nymphadora Tonks

Played by Natalia Tena

An Auror trained by Alistor "Mad-Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson), Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena) joins the second version of the Order of the Phoenix to fight the forces of Lord Voldemort after he returns to power. She becomes a vital member thanks to her status as a metamorphmagus, allowing her to change her physical appearance. In time, Tonks develops romantic feelings for the werewolf, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), and the two marry and have a son.

Despite her relationship with Lupin and familial connection to important characters like Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), Tonks feels like an inconsequential character in the movies. It's especially unfortunate because she's one of the few Hufflepuffs to have any presence in the story, so her lack of relevance means that the most forgotten but arguably best of the four Hogwarts Houses continues to suffer. It also makes her relationship with Lupin come out of nowhere, especially in the final two films, where audiences don't learn about her and Lupin's child until after they're killed.

6 Percy Weasley

Played by Chris Rankin

The third son of the Weasley family, Percy (Chris Rankin), is known for his overachieving and ambitious attitude. During Harry and Ron's time at Hogwarts, Percy becomes a prefect and Head Boy in his final year before taking a job at the Ministry of Magic upon graduation. Unfortunately, this path causes a rift between him and his family after he sides with the Ministry against Harry and Dumbledore's claims about Voldemort's return.

After graduating from Hogwarts in the movies, Percy becomes a background character with almost no lines, and the schism between his family is nonexistent. This abrupt change is a huge waste, as it denies the chance for the Weasley family to have more personal stakes in the building conflict. It also means movie watchers don't get to see the resolution to his story, where he makes amends with his family and stands with them in the Battle of Hogwarts.

5 Rubeus Hagrid

Played by Robbie Coltrane

In his youth, the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid attended Hogwarts until he was expelled after being framed by Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson) for the death of a girl named Myrtle (Shirley Henderson). Fortunately, Dumbledore gives him a job as groundskeeper at Hogwarts and develops a good rapport with many of the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid is later hired as a professor for Care of Magical Creatures.

Thanks to his big heart and fierce loyalty, Hagrid is one of the most beloved side characters in the series. Alas, beyond bending Vernon Dursley's (Richard Griffiths) rifle, the movies never let Hagrid have badass moments. Some of his absent best moments include his battle against Ministry officials under Umbridge, leaping off his flying motorcycle to tackle a Death Eater out of the sky during the Battle of the Seven Potters, and shaming the centaurs into joining the Battle of Hogwarts. Hagrid's usefulness to the eight movies' narrative diminishes with each entry, and he isn't given any chance to be more than a lovable but ineffective oaf.

4 Dobby

Played by Toby Jones

The house elf to the Malfoy family, Dobby (Toby Jones), overhears his master's plot to open the Chamber of Secrets and decides to do what he can to protect Harry Potter. Harry returns the favor by tricking Lucious Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) into giving Dobby a sock, thus freeing him from service. Dobby remains a devoted friend to Harry ever after until he tragically dies saving the boy and his friends from Bellatrix Lestrange.

While Dobby's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is sad, it doesn't hit nearly as hard as his death in the books, where he is a much more prominent character. Many of Dobby's moments of assistance, such as giving Harry gillyweed to breathe underwater and discovering the Room of Requirement, are instead given to Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis). While this change gives Neville more to do in the movies, it also means Dobby is completely absent from the story until it's time for him to die, and audiences don't get to see all the fun things he gets up to with his newfound freedom.

3 Ginny Weasley

Played by Bonnie Wright

The youngest Weasley child, Ginny (Bonnie Wright), enters Hogwarts during Harry's second year. Unfortunately, she is controlled by a sliver of Tom Riddle's soul, who forces her to open the Chamber of Secrets and unleash a Basilisk upon the school. After being rescued by Harry, she develops into a confident witch and skilled quidditch player, eventually entering a romance with the Boy Who Lived.

Ginny is one of the worst adaptions from page to book. While Wright is a capable actress and does her very best to inject some life into the character, she isn't given the right direction to bring out Ginny's inner fire and adventurous spirit. The absence of these crucial qualities makes Ginny feel like a secondary character with slightly more screentime, to say nothing of how her relationship with Harry doesn't feel genuine. The Harry Potter movies are terrible at romance, and Ginny and Harry's might be the worst.

2 Kreacher

Played by Timothy Bateson and Simon McBurney

The elderly house elf in service to the Black family, Kreacher (Timothy Bateson and Simon McBurney), inherits his late mistress' disdain for non-pureblood wizards. This attitude is only inflamed when his new master, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), welcomes the Order of the Phoenix to use his family home as a base of operations. House elf magic prevents Kreacher from refusing Sirius' orders, but he finds small ways to lash out where he can.

Kreacher is nothing more than an angry, curmudgeonly house elf in the movies, robbing audiences of a very tragic character. In the book, Harry inherits Kreacher following Sirius' death, and with Hermione's help, realizes that Kreacher's actions are because he was treated poorly by his previous masters. When Harry treats him with kindness, the elf changes, leading to one of the most epic moments in the climax, when Kreacher leads the house elves of Hogwarts against Voldemort's army.

1 Ron Weasley

Played by Rupert Grint

The youngest son of the Weasley family, Ron, joins Hogwarts the same year as Harry and becomes his best friend almost instantly. With fellow Gryffindor Hermione Granger, they form an unshakable trio who repeatedly face off against the forces of Voldemort as he attempts to regain his power. In time, Ron and Hermione develop romantic feelings for one another.

Ron is the most mishandled character in the films, thanks largely to many of his achievements and best lines being transferred to Hermione. The worst is that she becomes the source for anything related to wizard culture, which should be Ron's area of expertise since, unlike Hermione, he actually grew up in the wizarding world. The movies make Ron less like a brave, courageous soul and more of a comedic relief, which is a huge disservice to a character whose insecurities and loyalty defined a large portion of the Potter journey.

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