Entertainment
The 'Harry Potter' Movie Changed The Battle Of Hogwarts A Lot
Raise your butterbeers, because the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts is upon us once more. Chances are you that have some plans to relive that fateful night, boxes of tissues on your lap and thunderbolt scar drawn on your forehead like you're 11 years old all over again. However, you may be debating how you want to experience Deathly Hollows; should it be re-read or re-watched? I guess that depends on what kind of fan you are, and how deeply you're offended by the changes made to the Battle of Hogwarts in Deathly Hollows — Part 2.
Of course, there's a sliding scale of egregiousness when it comes to these changes, and some have logistical reasoning behind them. Not everything is bound to make your blood curdle. However, if you're a book purist through and through, chances are you have some serious words on these moments, and the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts is the day to air these grievances. I mean, that, and cry over the death of Fred Weasley (honestly, it was rude).
Anyway, let's get a good discussion going, shall we? Here are a few book-to-movie changes about the Battle of Hogwarts that fans still go back and forth about.
1Harry's Great Hall Confrontation With Snape
It's cool that Harry gets a moment of chastising Snape after all the nonsense the professor put him through for over half a decade. I love that McGonnagall gets to duke it out more in the movies. Like, even though Harry's big reveal was never put to page in such a way, this change is perfectly fine — even though it doesn't particularly stir me as much of some of the other moments.
2The Hermione/Ron Kiss In The Chamber Of Secrets
I always feel like this is important to touch upon, even if it's a little pre-battle. In the OG Deathly Hollows book, Hermione is stirred to kiss Ron because he's emphatic about helping the House Elves escape. The prompt ties into all her efforts in House Elf activism, so it feels well-earned. Of course, the kiss had to be changed for the film, because that subplot never really made it to the screen. And while it's respectably dramatic and charming in it's own right, losing a bit of that backstory always rubbed me the wrong way.
3The Lack Of Teddy Lupin
Again, this has more to do with overarching things that weren't in the movie and ultimately lessen the impact. It's barely touched on that Tonks and Lupin are married (it's an honest-to-god throwaway comment), and then, when Harry's in the wood's he's like, "OMG Remus sorry about you and Tonks and your son and all." We hear nothing about Teddy in Deathly Hollows Part 1 and 2, we don't know he's Harry's godson or any of that noise. So if you're only a movie fan, you appraise the scene with, "Lupin had a son? Which one's Tonks again?"
4Neville Being "Mad" About Luna
This one doesn't particularly offend me; during the blackness that shrouds the Battle of Hogwarts, it's a lovely, light moment. And, hey, even if you don't ship it, it doesn't disrupt canon (Matthew Lewis has said that they evolved into a "summer fling" before going on to their respective partners) and refreshingly bucks the wizarding world dating trend of ending up with your adolescent sweetheart.
5Lavender Dying By Fenrir Greyback
Whether Lavender survived her attack in the book is still up for debate. Fenrir Greyback never really got around to chomping her, and she was "feebly stirring," which is darkly optimistic. The film, though, shows the girl completely dead-eyed and chomped on. It doesn't ruin anything; it just feels a bit unnecessary.
6Molly Weasley's Confrontation With Bellatrix
Here is where I might get a little nit-picky, so hold onto your sorting hats. In the book, Bellatrix was in the midst of battling Hermione, Luna, and Ginny all at once, which is a minor change, and, nevertheless, Molly is still enraged by Bellatrix targeting her daughter. They saved that iconic line, and yet... the delivery never did it for me. That is an ALL CAPS moment in the book, and it takes a away from the moment to not have Molly consumed by maternal fury.
7The Restructuring Of Harry's Fight With Voldemort
That whole thing where they Apparate around the school and get seriously physical... yeah, not how it went down. The book essentially has the two conversing over the course of a few pages in the Great Hall. I mean, I totally get why that wouldn't translate well in a movie. Some fans still find the Hogwarts-jumping thing a little hokey, though, and I respect that.
8Harry Breaking The Elder Wand
Why? Oh my God, Harry, why? In the book, he repairs his own wand like a sensible, smart boy, and considers worrying about the Elder wand later. Here, he's just being dramatic.
9Honorable Mention: Lily Potter's Eye Color
Millions of dollars spent on an eight-part story about people telling Harry he has his mother's eyes, and we couldn't get this kid colored contacts, omg.
Potterheads will forever debate the transitional differences between book and film and whether they hurt or helped. However, we can all agree that, on this little Harry Potter holiday, the magic of the story still has us spellbound.
