The Harry Potter HBO series can retain the scrapped storyline of this supporting character: Here's what we know

NOTE: SoapCentral does NOT support Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling's views on Transgender people and the issues of gender in general.

HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series has a unique opportunity to do something that has never been done before. Retain a scrapped storyline that author J.K. Rowling initially planned for a character. The said character is none other than that of Dean Thomas, who is played by actor Alfred Enoch in the movies. Dean has been a background character ever since the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Neither the movies nor the books give us a lot about Dean. The only exception is a small hint at his backstory in the seventh book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in which Dean talks about his father in the fifteenth chapter. It wasn't until a decade later that Rowling revealed more about Dean Thomas through a Pottermore entry that was published on July 1, 2018.

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The Harry Potter scrapped storyline featuring Dean Thomas:

Not a lot was known about Dean Thomas before the July 2018 Pottermore entry. Therefore, it was surprising when Rowling revealed Dean was going to have a larger role in the books, which would've been set up in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Rowling revealed that originally, he would've been named Gary Thomas, but later changed the name to Dean.

Originally in the books, Gary/Dean was there with Neville, Harry, Hermione, and Ron when Harry and Ron tried to meet Draco for a duel at midnight. Draco wouldn't turn like he ultimately didn't in the book and the gang would've survived the encounter with the three-headed dog Fluffy. Rowling did release a sketch of that scene which is widely available on the internet.

This encounter would explain why Dean would choose to believe Harry in the fifth book when the rest of the world has chosen to believe the Ministry of Magic. This pivotal moment could probably be retained by the upcoming Potter series that will be adapting Pilosopher's Stone.

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Why should HBO's Harry Potter series retain this plot?

As stated before, everybody turns on Harry in the fifth book because of the Ministry of Magic's campaign against Harry and Dumbledore. However, Dean Thomas is one of the few who believes Harry. But it must be said that it is not expanded upon in the book either. So, it makes sense to adapt this scene and expand upon Dean in the HBO Harry Potter series to differentiate itself from the movies.

The series expanding upon Dean's character would further add to this tragic line from the fifteenth chapter of Deathly Hallows book:

“Not sure,” said Dean. “My dad left my mum when I was a kid. I’ve got no proof he was a wizard, though.”

While we had an inkling of Dean's backstory when we read back in 2007, it wasn't until 2018, that Rowling revealed more about Dean Thomas' family life. She revealed that Dean had several half-siblings. That's because Dean's Muggle mother married a muggle man and had children with them. The author also revealed that Dean's father was indeed a wizard.

During the first wizarding war, Death Eaters tried to recruit him on their side but refused. To protect his newborn son and wife, Dean's father decided to go on a run by leaving them. However, the Death Eaters managed to capture and kill him. It is unknown if Dean is aware of his father's death or not though. This is a storyline rife with potential for drama.

Thus, including the scrapped Philosopher's Stone plotline could add a new dimension to this supporting Harry Potter character.

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While we don't know much about the upcoming Harry Potter series, we do know that it is set to begin production this Summer.