The moment in question occurs during Harry’s first journey on the Hogwarts Express, when two of his fellow first years join him in one of the train’s compartments. While we don’t yet know the full details of how HBO’s Harry Potter will adapt this scene, the trailer gives us enough of a glimpse to indicate that it’s a substantial rewrite.
It’s one thing for the show to make changes to scenes from the previous movie adaptations, but it’s quite another for it to alter the book series in significant ways. The first trailer for Harry Potter season 1 indicates that in the case of Harry’s first meeting with Ron and Hermione, it will be changing both.
Since the movie version of the meeting is closely aligned with the original book version, HBO’s new iteration isn’t similar to either. With its daring decision to change the scene, the show could either be giving Harry Potter a much-needed update for a whole new generation, or committing sacrilege against a timeless piece of storytelling, depending on your perspective.
HBO’s Harry Potter Has Completely Rewritten Harry’s First Meeting With Ron And Hermione
It goes without saying that HBO’s remakes of classic Harry Potter movie scenes will look different from their big-screen counterparts. For a start, the actors playing Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t look the same as their movie-star forebearers. However, one thing fans expect this new show to do is stick closely to the narrative of the original book series.
Yet, we can already see that HBO’s adaptation of one pivotal scene is going to be totally different from the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In both the book and the movie, Harry is introduced to Ron Weasley separately from Hermione Granger, before Hermione enters their train compartment later.
Ron asks Harry if he can see his scar without Hermione there. Hermione introduces herself matter-of-factly to both of them later in the journey while standing at the door of their compartment, and promptly leaves them alone, after reeling off the names of a few books in which she’s read about Harry.
By contrast, the trailer for the HBO series shows Harry, Ron and Hermione all sitting together in the train compartment, as Ron asks Harry, “Are you really Harry Potter?” Hermione waits expectantly in silence, with her wide-eyed excitement a complete departure from the pompous manner in which she greets Harry in the book and the movie.
Rather than showing Ron his scar, Harry just nods with a smile. Ron then responds with a hand gesture suggesting Harry has just blown his mind, over the part of his own forehead equivalent to where Harry has his scar. Throughout this exchange, Hermione says nothing, remaining a passive spectator in a way that feels very out of character.
Harry’s First Meeting With Ron And Hermione Has Always Been A Fan-Favorite Scene
As well as being one of the most important scenes in the whole Harry Potter series, Harry’s first meeting with Ron and Hermione is an absolute fan-favorite, both in the Sorcerer’s Stone movie and in the original book. It’s the scene that lays the foundations for the so-called “Golden Trio” of the franchise.
It also reveals to Harry just how well-known he is throughout the wizarding world, and sparks off the initial friction between Ron and Hermoine, which foreshadows their romantic ending. While HBO’s Harry Potter trailer includes scenes not in the Sorcerer’s Stone movie, the show’s departure from canon in this key scene is arguably even more significant.
Whether the rest of the series will diverge from the books and movies to the same extent remains to be seen. Nevertheless, this Harry Potter reboot appears to be a remake in the truest sense of the word.
- Release Date
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2026 – 2026
- Showrunner
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Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
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Mark Mylod
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Dominic McLaughlinHarry Potter
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Janet McTeer
Minerva McGonagall
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