10 things we want to see in season one of HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ show

The first chapter of “Harry Potter” begins not from Harry’s perspective, but from his obnoxious Uncle Vernon’s. The first chapter follows a typical day in the life of Vernon — except this day isn’t typical at all, as it’s the day that Lord Voldemort was defeated by his baby nephew, Harry Potter, though he doesn’t know it yet.

This first chapter sets the tone for the book series, as it explains how the wizarding world (sort of) blends in with the Muggle world, establishes how bigoted the Dursleys are toward their magical relatives, and shows just how famous Harry is in the wizarding world.

In comparison, the movie begins with Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall rolling up to the Dursleys’ house and dropping Harry off.

Speaking of that scene …

A not-insignificant chunk of the “Sorcerer’s Stone” book is spent explaining what Harry’s day-to-day life in the Muggle world is like, including the unexplainable things that happen to Harry, like his hair growing out after a particularly bad haircut or how he somehow jumps up onto the ceiling of his school to avoid bullies.

Also, hilariously, when Harry starts receiving letters addressed to the Cupboard Under the Stairs, the Dursleys, fearing that someone is aware of their abuse, let Harry move into the second bedroom, which had once been occupied by Dudley’s toys.

There’s also supposed to be a very awkward month between Hagrid’s first meeting with Harry and taking him to Diagon Alley, and then the Dursleys dropping him off at King’s Cross, which would add some comedy to the proceedings.

In the film (and the book), Harry gets dropped off by Hagrid, the kind half-giant groundskeeper at Hogwarts, who scoops him up from his parents’ house and brings him to the Dursleys via a giant, flying motorcycle.

In the movie, Dumbledore asks if there’s been any trouble, and Hagrid just replies that Harry fell asleep over Bristol.

However, in the book, Hagrid mentions that he borrowed the bike from “young Sirius Black.” This is a small detail, but one that will pay off in two seasons from now, since, of course, Sirius is Harry’s godfather, which we don’t learn until “Prisoner of Azkaban.”

Seeding Sirius’ name early on in the TV show is a fun Easter egg for devotees and a little thing to chew on for newbies.

In the movie, Harry meets Draco for the first time at Hogwarts, right before the sorting ceremony, and he coolly tells Draco he can tell who the “wrong sort” of people are for himself, after Draco tries to befriend the famous Harry Potter.

In the book, this takes place in Diagon Alley, when the two are shopping for robes. They have a brief conversation, during which neither introduces themselves, but Draco insults Hagrid.

They meet once more on the Hogwarts Express, which is when Draco learns who the boy he spoke to at Madam Malkin’s was — and they have the same “wrong sort of people” conversation.

Harry’s first meeting with Draco is important for a few reasons.

One: It makes the reader and Harry nervous that everyone at Hogwarts is a major snob, so it’s a huge relief when Harry meets Ron.

Two: It’s effective exposition, showing us that there are hierarchies within the wizarding world based on blood status.

Three: It helps Harry and the reader understand just how much Harry doesn’t know about this world he’s entering — crucially, this is when he learns about Quidditch.

Since the movies are pressed for time with all the plot they have to get through, the friendships Harry forms outside Ron and Hermione take a back seat.

But in the books, Harry is relatively popular — at least, in the first book. He’s good friends with the other Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, and is protective of Neville Longbottom. He also has strong bonds with the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

We hope that the TV show is able to expand upon the other students at Hogwarts outside the core trio.

This might be a little bit of a cheat, since Peeves has already been cast (Peter Serafinowicz will play him in the series), but the omission of Peeves from the entire film series, not just the first movie, is probably one of “Potter” fans’ most disliked choices.

This devious poltergeist takes pride in messing with students, professors, and ghosts alike, but when it comes time to protect the residents of Hogwarts from truly evil forces, Peeves is up to the task.

Also, as the series gets darker, it’s always nice to have some comic relief from Peeves.

Hagrid acquiring a dragon egg, raising Norbert, and then having to give him away, is a memorable, but truncated plot in the film adaptation, and we don’t get to see what happens to the dragon — Hagrid tells the gang that Dumbledore arranged for him to be sent to a dragon colony in Romania.

In the book, it’s a way bigger deal. First, it’s very illegal for Hagrid to have this egg in the first place, so the stakes are high. Harry, Ron, and Hermione come up with a plan to smuggle Norbert out of the castle at midnight via the Astronomy Tower, where Charlie will pick him up, using the Invisibility Cloak; however, Ron misses all the fun when Norbert bites him and his hand gets infected.

It’s one of the more tense chapters in the book, especially when they’re busted by Draco, McGonagall, and Filch, the grimy old caretaker. It leads to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, who snuck out to warn them, losing 50 points apiece for Gryffindor, leading the rest of the house to ostracize them.

Harry meets Firenze in the Forbidden Forest while he’s completing detention for the Norbert debacle. He rescues him from what we learn later is Professor Quirrell and Lord Voldemort, while they’re drinking unicorn blood.

In the movie, Harry only meets Firenze, who leaves Harry with a warning that evil things lurk in the forest.

In the book, Firenze lets Harry ride him, which enrages another centaur, Bane. Yet another centaur, Ronan, has to calm him down.

The centaurs have a small but key role in the story, and also show that the wizarding world doesn’t have the strongest record with non-humans, which becomes a bigger deal in “Order of the Phoenix.“

It’s also interesting to learn about a community living in the Forbidden Forest, expanding the universe.

This is a small but bittersweet detail that’s left out of the movie adaptation. In both versions of the story, Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised (yes, desire spelled backward) by mistake while he’s running away from Filch.

In the movie, Harry looks into it and sees his parents standing proudly behind him. It’s heartbreaking, but the book version is even sadder.

In the book, Harry doesn’t just see his parents — he sees his entire extended family going back generations, most of whom he’s unfamiliar with, as his Aunt Petunia is ashamed of her sister and brother-in-law and kept Harry from learning about his family.

We don’t really learn much about the Potters (or the Evanses) in the books or the films, but the TV series is the perfect time to expand what little we know about them.

At the film’s climax, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to take matters into their own hands to protect the Sorcerer’s (or Philosopher’s) Stone. To do so, they need to pass a set of challenges, each designed by a different professor.

In the film, we see the trio go up against Hagrid’s (his three-headed dog, Fluffy), Professor Sprout’s (the Devil’s Snare plant), Professor Flitwick’s (the room filled with flying keys), Professor McGonagall’s (Wizard Chess), and, finally, Dumbledore’s (the Mirror of Erised).

In the book, there are two more challenges, though one is more significant than the other.

First, the lesser one: Professor Quirrell’s, which Harry and Hermione encounter after Wizard Chess. This one’s easy — Quirrell put a troll in the dungeon, and he already incapacitated it, so they don’t have to do anything, though it does give us a hint about who’s really behind the plot to steal the stone.

The other one is Professor Snape’s, who has devised a logic puzzle with a set of potions: One will send you through, one will let you go back, two are wine, and three are poison.

Hermione figures it out and sends Harry through, while she goes back to help Ron.

It’s a shame this got cut, since both Harry and Ron got their time to shine in the movie with a challenge each, whereas this one is Hermione’s specialty. Instead, her moment in the film is with the Devil’s Snare, but in the book, that’s more of a team effort.

So, we hope to see Hermione get her big moment. She’s the brightest witch of her age, after all.