I’m a (enter Donald Trump voice) huge Harry Potter fan. It was the first series I read in its entirety, and the first full set of movies on our shelf that belonged to me. I could probably tell you anything you wanted to know about the series, both book and movie, at the drop of a hat.

Since I’m such a nerd for the Harry Potter universe, when I went back to re-watch all of the movies after re-reading all of the books a few months ago, around ten years after I’d read the series the first time, I noticed a few disappointing things the movies completely wrecked. Here is my list of the things I was the most upset about the movies leaving out. And yes, the book is always better.

1. Peeves

I decided to start with my least favorite cut from the movies. My blood pretty much boils every time I think about the fact that Peeves makes zero appearances in the movie. In the books, Peeves is this incredibly written natural comedy relief, taking the role of the Hogwarts ghost who loves to mess with all of the residents inside, including the teachers. Between making up terrible songs, unshackling chandeliers, and assisting the Wealseys in their incredible escape from Hogwarts and dictator Umbridge, he is story gold and I will never forgive directors for cutting him out of the story.

2. Hermione's vicious side

The movies make the large mistake of capturing only one of Hermione Granger’s many facets: her intelligence. While this is certainly a large part of her character, she also has this great, downright mean side to her. The best example of this is Rita Skeeter. During the time when Skeeter is writing terribly false, headline-grabbing articles about Harry, Hermione discovers that she’s an unregistered animagus who turns into a beetle. Hermione threatens to reveal her secret, and then for good measure, locks her in beetle form in a jar. For an entire summer.

3. Percy Weasley

Percy makes an appearance in the movies as a prefect, but there was so much more to him in the books. He was incredibly narcissistic, talked continuously about being Head Boy, was arguably Molly’s favorite, and was dating Penelope Clearwater. He also in Order of the Phoenix/Half Blood Prince takes the side of the Ministry against Harry and Dumbledore, and cuts himself off from his family entirely; he is even silently present at Harry’s trial. He does make a miraculous return in the seventh book, however, reconciling with his family, and is one of the Weasleys who watches Fred die.

4. Harry being banned from Quidditch

A huge part of the stories, which is actually pretty well covered in the movies, is the fact that Quidditch is a big deal to Harry, both because it is something he is good at and can be known for outside of being famous, and because it connects him to his father. Which is why it baffles my mind that the fifth movie decides to cut the fact that Umbridge bans him and the Weasley twins from playing the entire year. It would have given the movies more villain fuel for Umbridge, and gave Harry another chip on his shoulder, it’s a win win.

Side note, Ron became keeper in Order of the Phoenix, which is the origin of the hilarious Weasley Is Our King, and Ginny substituted as seeker. These things matter okay.

5. Why Sirius was reckless in OOTP

This one bothers me so very much. In the books, we get a much more thorough analysis of Sirius. In the movies, he’s the cool godfather, but in the books he is that in addition to someone recovering from abuse. In Order of the Phoenix, he is forced to stay in the house where he was abused and neglected by his pureblood loving family, and is haunted by the house itself and the foul, screeching portrait of his mother. Due to his wanted status, he is unable to leave the house and assist in the efforts against Voldemort, which drives him slightly nuts, explaining why he follows Harry to the Hogwarts Express. His time in this novel is tormented and heartbreaking, and the movies ignored that side of him.

6. SPEW

Oh, SPEW. SPEW is the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare, formed by Hermione who then forces Harry and Ron into joining. The reason this is important is because outrage over the treatment of elves is something Hermione is passionate about throughout all seven novels, and it reveals this part of her character that is controlling, passionate, and concerned of issues outside of academia, which is overshadowed by her intelligence that ignores all flaws in the movies. Also, SPEW is the actual basis for Hermione and Ron’s first kiss: Ron mentions trying to get all of the elves out of the castle during the Battle of Hogwarts, and Hermione is so taken aback she kisses him. Much better than that weird Chamber of Secrets water fest.

7. Morope

Morope is Voldemort’s mother, and her story of falling in love with a Muggle and using a love potion to be with him, but then losing him anyway, is ridiculously tragic. She is abused and kept in filth by her father and brother, and rebels against everything they are to have her perfect Muggle, who abandons her. Still, her heartbreak and tragic upbringing deserved a place in the movies, and I could probably come up with a list of scenes that made the cut that her story could have easily replaced. On the same note, there is so much Voldemort background that would have made him way scarier. For example, the cave where he hides the locket? When he was in the orphanage, he brought kids up there, and they came back traumatized.

8. Ron and Hermione as prefects

So this is actually a pretty big part of the strain on Harry’s relationships going into the later books. Ron gets chosen as a prefect over Harry, and Harry is both confused by the choice and angry he would doubt Ron’s candidacy in the first place, creating an inner conflict. Also, it avoids some pretty great scenes of Hermione attempting to discipline the twins, and it lets Ron’s inner frustrations over never feeling good enough take center stage. Lastly, that’s why Hermione isn’t on the carriage when Harry sees thestrals for the first time, and the fact that movie Hermione doesn’t know what they are is so far-fetched it hurts.