Harry Potter: 10 Changes From The Books That Ruined The Movies

10. Grindelwald And Dumbledore's Past

The announcement that The Deathly Hallows would be split in two was music to many Potter fans' ears. Although it wasn't the longest book in the series, the final entry contained such a fast-paced plot chock full of exposition that greatly expanded the wizarding world and its past, that a doubled run-time meant there was time to explain everything.

Oddly, some key elements were still totally overlooked. In the book, we learn about Gellert Grindelwald, a Dark Wizard almost as powerful as Voldemort, who had been friends with a young Dumbledore before an altercation led to the death of Albus' sister Ariana. Eventually defeated by the future-headmaster, but not before rallying an army behind him, Grindelwald's story gave reader's their first proper glimpse into the tortured past of Albus Dumbledore.

In the film, Grindelwald merely appears out of obligation, an obstacle between Voldemort and the Elder Wand, and of little significance to the plot. Ariana is likewise side-lined to allow more time for explosions. It's a real shame, although with Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them looking at the wizarding world of the early nineteen hundreds, we may still get a film properly exploring Dumbledore's past.