Harry Potter fans are facing some harsh realities on re-reading their favorite years later after their first release.
Despite the failures of the Fantastic Beasts series, Harry Potter fans are eager to see more screen installments. Whether this includes Newt Scamander and his friends or tells a whole new story established from J.K. Rowling’s books, they are far from done with tales of the wizarding world.
In the meantime, fans can satisfy their need by returning to the Harry Potter books, perhaps even for the first time since they finished Deathly Hallows when it was released in 2007. If they do, however, they should expect to find a new world between the pages, resulting from the changed perspective that time has created in them. From the problematic nature of elements like the enslavement of house-eves to the disappointing reminder that the movies can never quite add up, rereading Harry’s story is sure to come with several harsh realizations.
Harry, Ron, And Hermione Are So Young
Many long-time Harry Potter fans first read the books when they were about the same age as the characters. However, it can be a surprise for returning readers to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione from their adult perspectives.
It’s often easy for child audiences to accept the burdens placed on their favorite child heroes, but these dangerous events can be a little alarming for adults. Harry’s mistreatment, Hermione’s burdensome intelligence, and Ron’s constant fear of being overlooked are much more sympathetic to older readers.
The Adults In Harry Potter Are Terribly Irresponsible
Just like the children characters are far more tragic to newly adult audiences, the adults in Harry Potter, such as the parents and teachers, suddenly appear all the more clueless. They seem never to have any idea what their children are up to, and when they are needed, they brush the young characters away.
It’s no surprise that Harry and his friends rarely went to the adults for help. This might have felt normal when reading in the past, but as adults, it’s harder for readers to feel sympathy for these clueless characters.
House-Elves Are Extremely Problematic
From the time Dobby was introduced in Chamber of Secrets, he was easy to love. The movies cut out many of his subsequent appearances, but the books had much more to say about not only everyone’s favorite free elf but all house-elves of the wizarding world.
In Goblet of Fire, Harry, and co. meet dozens of house-elves in the kitchens, and they are first confronted with the information that most house-elves don’t want to be freed. While this was only charming detail when the book was released, years later, it seems to encourage some problematic topics.
The Harry Potter Movies Leave Out A Painful Amount
It is much easier to repeatedly binge the Harry Potter movies than reread the books, so even the most die-hard fans can start to forget just how much the movies leave out. This means that when they come back to the books, they can find themselves surprised again by some subtle details.
This is especially prevalent from Prisoner of Azkaban onward and becomes worse with each movie. In a sense, rereading the books can almost ruin the films since the reminder that the best or funniest book scenes in Harry Potter were cut just brings back all the disappointment.
Severus Snape Is Much Worse In The Books
Alan Rickman’s legendary portrayal of Severus Snape is not easy to forget. He fit the book description of the character to a tee, and even those who read Philosopher’s Stone before watching the film quickly adjusted their mental image to fit the actor.
However, Rickman’s Snape was much calmer and more pitiable than his book counterpart. This means that reading about Snape screaming and throwing a fit in rage like he does in the Prisoner of Azkaban book can feel jarring in comparison. He acts purely like a scorned child, which doesn’t fit with how audiences have come to know Snape.