My thoughts on J. K Rowling aside, I have mixed feelings about the upcoming Harry Potter reboot. It seems far too early to reboot the series, the original cast are barely in their 30’s. I can vividly remember the hype when Deathly Hallows part 2 came out and, like many fans, I watched the live stream of the premiere and listened to the cast speeches. It was that day that J. K told fans all over the world that ‘Hogwarts will always be there to welcome (us) home’, whether we returned to the series by rereading the books or re-watching the films. Her words that day carried me throughout my first few years of secondary school, as did her books.
Back in the autumn, I wrote a blog post entitled ‘Unpopular Harry Potter opinions’. At the time, I didn’t have any social media accounts to back up Train of Thought. The frustrations and judgements I articulated in the article regarding the series were entirely my own. I stand by them - I don’t think Snape was a good guy at all. I think Hermione and Ron genuinely work very well together as a couple, as do Harry and Ginny. I knew I was going to write a part 2, though not straight away.
The hype surrounding Hogwarts Legacy as well as the reboot announcement prompted me to ask on my new Train of Thought Instagram account what everyone else’s unpopular Harry Potter take was. The number of responses I received was a pleasant surprise - I didn’t think the question would prompt much interaction. Some of the takes were pretty tame, for instance, of course, it was unfair that Dumbledore awarded additional house points to Gryffindor at the end of the term solely because Harry had ‘saved the day’ yet again. I had a few Snape-related responses but I’m tired of people debating his intentions. In my opinion, he was just plain awful.
And so, here is the second part…
“Lupin was an overrated character.”
There was no explanation for this but at least three people sent it. I personally disagree - I found him an extremely complex character who, after becoming so used to living in a systematically oppressed society, constantly had his guard up. Whilst my circumstances are completely different I found that trait really relatable. If there’s a character in the series who is an INFJ then it’s definitely Lupin. He’s quite similar to Hermione in that, whilst they are both complicit in the trouble their peers get themselves in, they are the voice of reason in their friendship groups. Both have had to bare marginalisation, Lupin due to being a werewolf and Hermione due to being Muggle-born. These factors don’t ever seem to bother their respective friendship groups, however.
I think the commenter's review that he was ‘overrated’ stems from Lupin never reaching out to Harry in the years between his birth and his arrival at Hogwarts. Harry was let down, in retrospect, by every adult in the books in some way. Lupin, James and Sirius weren’t on the best of terms around the time of James’ death and the fact that Harry was staying with Lily’s family probably stopped Lupin from reaching out. I’m not saying this was right, though it serves as a better explanation than whatever Dumbledore has to offer.
“It made sense for Harry to snap the elder wand in half in the film’.
I actually agree with this. For those who have only ever watched the films they haven’t been given much explanation on wandlore. Harry’s interactions with Ollivander in the first film were informative but what film watchers are told doesn’t correspond with events in the later films.
That said, I wish they’d kept Harry using the Elder wand to mend his original wand before he snapped it.
“Harry is to blame for Sirius dying.”
I’m on the fence about this. It was extremely reckless of Harry to have ignored Hermione’s advice to stay put though I can understand how the irrational and young side of him must have felt. He would have saved himself a lot of trouble had he utilised the mirror.
That said, Sirius neglected to mention it to Harry when his godson was illicitly speaking to him through the Floo network. Plot convenience.
“I like the epilogue.”
So do I! Personally, I think it’s easy to infer that Harry, whilst permanently impacted by the war and his losses, has been able to put the trauma behind him. My one and only true bugbear is the name of Harry’s firstborn - I feel as though Harry should have named a child after Ron. Or at least let Ginny have some say. Naming a child after Snape is just…weird.
I think people’s dislike comes from every character marrying their ‘High School sweetheart’; it comes across as cliche and gives a series in which so many beloved characters die a fairytale ending. I argue that the characters went through an extremely traumatic experience, so much so that they could only really relate to each other.
“Sirius should have been expelled for leading Snape to the Shrieking Shack”.
I don’t disagree, though I don’t believe the books tell us what kind of punishment Sirius received for his actions, do they? Please correct me if I’m wrong. It’s heavily implied throughout the series that Sirius was growing up in an abusive environment. Dumbledore may have decided to brush it under the rug to spare him the repercussions he would face at home. Furthermore, expelling Sirius would bring about a lot of unwanted attention to the school; Dumbledore would receive complaints from parents and Lupin would be forced to leave.
Getting expelled from Hogwarts seems virtually impossible anyway. Hats off to Hagrid.
“The second Dumbledore was an overactor.”
He definitely was in the infamous Goblet of Fire scene.
I personally loved Richard Harris’ performance. He conveyed the grandfatherly energy that Dumbledore was known for earlier in the series. I’m not sure he could have pulled off the warrior energy Michael Gambon so seamlessly pulls off.
“Cho & Harry worked together as a couple.”
Four people sent this! I couldn’t disagree more. They were both awkward teenagers who had brief and quick infatuation with each other. Aside from their shared loss of Cedric, they had next to nothing in common. Ron and Lavender aren’t completely different, really.
I love how the progression of Harry’s puppy love for Cho is illustrated, he’s completely clueless as to what to say to her and what the somersaults in his stomach mean.
“Harry becoming an auror doesn’t make sense”.
It does and it doesn’t. I think it suits him well to want to make a career out of chasing dark magic but simultaneously, I think he’d want a break after his school years. Having so many brothers to compete with I feel like the profession suits Ron, who, unlike Harry, did crave glory and praise. He proved how capable he was fighting dark magic across the seven books, it’s disheartening to read Cursed Child and learn he went on to run the joke shop with George.
That said, I understand the concept of Ron stepping back and doing something more enjoyable whilst Hermione takes the reigns.
“Quidditch makes no sense”.
It’s OK, I don’t get it either.
“Ron is a better character than Hermione”.
I love them both equally - Ron definitely has better character development over the seven novels. Hermione certainly becomes more brave and confident as the series progresses but she starts off book smart and ends that way, too.
Ron’s constant battle with his insecurities (which the films did not portray well at all) and his desire to always do the best for people make him more interesting to read, on page. I also love reading the Weasley family dynamic across the novels.
“Harry and Luna would have made a good couple”.
The films certainly pointed in that direction. I honestly disagree - Luna was quirky and on several occasions in the novels, she made an already awkward Harry feel incredibly uncomfortable. Never deliberately though I believe Luna deserved someone who completely embraced how eccentric she was, whilst Harry, having been the ‘celebrity’ at school for his adolescence, deserved someone who made him feel ordinary.
That said, I wish Harry had met her earlier in the series. She would have been the perfect date for the Yule Ball. I always thought it was really charming how he invited her to Slughorn’s party.
“Molly was a manipulative, overbearing and passive-aggressive mother”.
The books are told from Harry’s perspective - he probably finds any kind of love overbearing at first. It takes time for him to become comfortable with Hermione hugging him and he sees her and tolerates her everyday.
I personally love Molly. Her unconditional love for everyone was refreshing to read; she never stopped loving and caring for Percy despite what he become embroiled in. The only occasion in the series where I thought she was out of order was when she deliberately sent Hermione a smaller Easter egg in Goblet of Fire.
Hope you've had a good week!
Forgive the lack of Snape and Draco in this post. I've had enough of both those topics to be honest.
Stay safe out there.
Best wishes,
Karisma xx