As time has passed, it has become more clear that J.K. Rowling had very specific visions in mind for some of her characters, but others were meant to be mere story fodder. Some characters fell by the wayside, others were pushed to the background or killed off far too quickly, and some seemed to just completely disappear.

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While main characters like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are undoubtedly excellent, there are many other characters in the Harry Potter series whose potentials were completely wasted. If someone else were to pick up these characters and make something new with them, fans would probably be incredibly excited to see their potential finally being recognized.

10 Sirius Black Came And Went From Harry’s Life

sirius black

As a concept, Sirius Black is one of the most compelling characters in the entire Harry Potter series. The best friend of James Potter, he was accused of killing his best friend, his wife, and their other best friend, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was subsequently locked up in Azkaban Prison.

The trauma of this entire experience caused Sirius to go completely mad, so that he was basically still a twenty-one-year-old when he got out of Azkaban, but he was off the wall at the same time. He is a compelling figure in Harry’s life, and is killed practically as soon as he starts to be meaningfully developed.

9 Regulus Black Was Barely A Presence At All

Regulus Black's Locket in Harry Potter

Sirius’ younger brother, Regulus Arcturus Black (or R.A.B., as fans remember from the locket), gets even less screen time than his brother does. While Sirius was locked up in Azkaban, Regulus continued to fight. He had originally been a Death Eater, but he eventually figured out what Voldemort was up to — and discovered the creation of his Horcruxes.

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It was Regulus who swapped out the locket, and he left a note for Voldemort reading, amongst other things, “I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.” It’s unfortunate that a character this interesting is never used in any actual stories.

8 Peter Pettigrew Became Little More Than An Assistant

peter pettigrew

When James and Sirius were younger, they were not only best friends to each other, but to two others, as well — Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. While Remus remained a loyal friend, the same could not be said for Peter. He betrayed the Potters, and it was he who was ultimately responsible for their death at Voldemort’s hands.

It is also Peter who is nearly responsible for Harry’s death later on, having brought him to Voldemort. Despite the fact that he plays a main role in Harry’s life as a villain, he’s basically reduced to a wormy stooge who follows other characters around to support them.

7 Remus Lupin Was Never Fully Realized

Remus Lupin wearing a tattered suit in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

After James was killed, Sirius was incarcerated, and Peter had disappeared (presumably also killed), the only one of the Marauders left was Remus Lupin. Not only was he completely alone, but he was also dealing with a separate tragic problem: Remus is a werewolf, in a world where this condition is strongly stigmatized.

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Lycanthropy also ages him quickly and destroys his body, so he’s not well physically, either. Remus Lupin is a great character who seems to be going in many different directions before he, like so many others, becomes a victim of J.K. Rowling’s writing and ultimately becomes yet another completely wasted character.

6 Nymphadora Tonks Became Little More Than A Wife

Nymphadora Tonks stands in the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter.

The wife of Remus Lupin, Nypmphadora Tonks was always more than his strangely shoehorned-in love interest. She was a Metamorphmagus, which meant she could change her appearance just by force of will — without a spell or a potion or anything.

Tonks had a fiery personality and a story all her own, but she was quickly diminished and forced into the background. The love story she and Remus get pushed into is strange and ends up serving neither of them, and Tonks is completely wasted just as her husband was.

5 Andromeda Tonks Needed More Of Her Story Told

a portrait of Bellatrix, Narcissa, And Andromeda Black

Nymphadora Tonks did not spring fully formed from the Earth. Like so many other characters in the Harry Potter series, Tonks has a rich lineage. Her father, Ted Tonks, was Muggle-born, while her mother, Andromeda Tonks, was born a member of the Black family. She was one of three sisters, the others being Narcissa (Malfoy) and Bellatrix (Lestrange).

While her two sisters are more convinced of pureblood purity, especially Bellatrix, this appears to be of no concern to Andromeda. She and her daughter are incredibly different from their relatives, though they are not explored in any meaningful depth.

4 Draco Malfoy Was Reduced To A Bully And Nothing More

Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter

The complicated family tree that is the Black family ties in Narcissa’s family, as well. In this way, Sirius and Regulus Black are related to Draco Malfoy, as are Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks. Draco Malfoy is Harry Potter’s foil in the books, but he is, tragically, most often reduced to being Harry’s antagonist.

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While Draco is also being abused and spends most of his sixth year at Hogwarts wasting away, the books, the movies, and most of the fans see him as a monster, when he is just as Harry is — a child and a victim who is responding in a different way, by lashing out. He was fumbled as a character, and not even his ending could save him.

3 Luna Lovegood Deserved More Space As A Character

Luna Lovegood Featured

The cast of characters around Harry ultimately ends up quite diminished by the end of the series in favor of giving more time to Harry himself, as well as Ron and Hermione. Along with Draco, other student characters around Harry, such as Luna Lovegood, are pushed into the background.

Luna is one of the most interesting characters in the entire series, and many fans thought that she and Harry may have ended up together in the end. However, as so many characters did in these books, Luna faded away, and became one more loose end to tie up.

2 Charlie Weasley Was The Best Of The Weasley Siblings, But Almost Never Showed Up

The Whole Weasley Family Harry Potter

Arguably the most interesting of the Weasley siblings, Charlie gets the absolute least amount of page time in the entire series. After him is probably Bill, the second most interesting of all the Weasley siblings. Charlie used to be the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team when he was at Hogwarts, as well as being a Prefect.

After that, he chose to study dragons and become a dragonologist. This coolest of the Weasley siblings flits in and out of the story to provide exposition when necessary and set dressing as needed. He also fights with the second Order of the Phoenix but is given no time there, either.

1 Neville Longbottom Could Have Been The Hero Of The Story

Neville Longbottom In Class

When the prophecy was made that referenced Harry Potter eventually confronting Lord Voldemort, it was realized that the prophecy could have been about one of two children. The other child was Neville Longbottom. Neville seems like he might just be comic relief at first, but readers come to realize he is a complex character going through his own growth just as Harry is.

Unfortunately, this is hardly ever explored, and the movies cut even more of Neville’s story just to make space for more of Harry. When it comes to wasted Harry Potter characters, Neville should be near the top of anyone’s list.

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