HBO Harry Potter the remake has a chance to expand on smaller elements of the books, and the TV show may finally flesh out a Wizarding World reveal from the opening of Half-Blood Prince. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince begins with a scene introducing the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister. After years of being told that magic must be kept secret from Muggles, the sixth chapter tells us that Muggle leaders do, in fact, know the Wizarding World.
This is a big revelation, but is not explored enough later Harry Potter books. After Cornelius Fudge introduces the Muggle Prime Minister to his successor, Rufus Scrimgeour, the relationship between these leaders is never mentioned again. It’s a shame the source material is glossed over and the films don’t do anything to fix it. However, HBO’s upcoming reboot will take the time to delve deeper and explore the complexities of this shared secret.
Harry Potter doesn’t explore enough the relationship between Muggle and wizard world leaders
Half-Blood Prince only touches on this briefly
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princethe opening chapter is a great development for the series, but is not treated as such. Written from the perspective of the Muggle Prime Minister, this chapter reveals that he has been in contact with Cornelius Fudge a few times – and that he is aware of magical threats to the Muggle population. In addition to introducing Scrimgeour, Fudge warns him about one such threat in “The Other Minister”. The Muggle leader discovers that Voldemort is back and is responsible for a series of tragedies, but he can’t do much other than stutter.
And in general, it seems that the Ministry of Magic has the upper hand in this relationshipas the Muggle Prime Minister cannot tell anyone about his unusual visits from Fudge or Scrimgeour; as the book notes, no one would believe him if he did. This explains why the Wizarding World’s biggest secret hasn’t been revealed, even though it’s a pretty simplistic way to handle the situation. It also raises questions about why the Muggle Prime Minister should know about magic, as there is little he can do about problems like Death Eaters and Voldemort.
The introduction of this government collaboration exists solely to introduce the new Minister for Magic in an interesting light, but Harry Potter I could do so much more with it.
The introduction of this government collaboration exists solely to introduce the new Minister for Magic in an interesting light, but Harry Potter I could do so much more with it. Although books do not deliver the potential of this Half-Blood Prince reveal, the HBO series could give it the attention it deserves.
HBO’s Harry Potter remake may finally reveal how the two governments work together
This may require changes to the books
Harry PotterThe TV remake could make the relationship between Britain’s Muggle government and the Ministry of Magic more interestingfully explaining why these entities should work together in the first place. This question is left unanswered in the books, which do not detail what this relationship does for either side. The Muggle Prime Minister may know about potential threats to his people, but there is nothing he can do about it. And he doesn’t seem to offer much to the Wizarding World, begging the question of why they would bother connecting with him.
If Harry Potter will include this connection, it is better to go to the end.
HBO’s reboot could delve even deeper into the relationship between the two governments, explaining how exactly they help each other. This may require changes to the books. It would be interesting to see the incidents resolved by both governments working together. The Muggle Prime Minister could even have resources or a team dedicated to magical mattersand the Ministry of Magic may have something similar. If Harry Potter will include this connection, it is better to go to the end. It would certainly make the Wizarding World feel more developed.
This book change would make the HBO adaptation feel more grounded in reality
Harry Potter should feel like it takes place in the real world
While the changes could harm adaptations of popular books, altering the dynamic between the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle government could be good for Harry Potter. After all, the series should take place in the real world – and it should be like this outside the confines of Hogwarts. Showing how the Ministry of Magic deals with problems impacting the Muggle world will make the story feel more grounded in reality. It will also help fill important gaps Half-Blood Princeopening reveal.
Some Viewers May Not Want HBO Harry Potter The TV show feels more realistic – the original story is praised for being a nostalgic source of escapism – but fleshing out these details would make the world feel more immersive. There is no denying that certain aspects of Harry Potter the books don’t go far enough, leaving gaps in the worldbuilding and story. With more time to explore these elements of the original story, the reboot could go beyond the books and films.