Why A Missing Harry Potter Character Ruined Cho Chang In The Movies

Adapting a book series as massive as Harry Potter, the story of a boy wizard who ultimately saves the wizarding world originally written by British author J.K. Rowling, is a huge undertaking, especially when the books span thousands of pages and contain a seemingly endless number of characters. When Warner Bros. began adapting the series in 2001 with the first installment, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, they stuck as closely to the book as possible; however, as the books got longer and the movies stayed roughly the same length, some characters fell to the wayside.

From prankster poltergeists to Ministry of Magic officials to ghostly professors to descendants of Salazar Slytherin, there are plenty of Harry Potter characters that didn't make it into the films, but unfortunately, one Hogwarts student who proves crucial to the plot was left out of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Marietta Edgecombe, a cautious Ravenclaw student, only appears in the books, which is a shame; without her, fellow Ravenclaw Cho Chang (Katie Leung) is given a pretty awful character arc in the films. Here's how this missing Harry Potter character completely ruined Cho Chang in the movies.

During Order of the Phoenix, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his fellow fifth years find themselves frustrated and fed up when their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), refuses to teach them any defensive spells. Spurred by Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) return, Harry and his fellow students form a secret organization called "Dumbledore's Army," where they practice spells in secret, and in the books, Harry's best friend Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) comes up with a clever way to ensure everyone's discretion. Hermione asks everyone to sign an official club ledger, and unbeknownst to everyone, she jinxes the list so that if anyone tells Umbridge about Dumbledore's Army, they'll be immediately identified. However, Hermione's jinx is left out of the film.

Ultimately, Cho's friend Marietta, who is apprehensive about Dumbledore's Army right from the start, tells Umbridge, revealing herself as the mole; immediately, her face is disfigured with a series of pustules that spell out the word "sneak," thanks to Hermione. Though Harry and his friends escape punishment, Marietta has to live with her shame, and Harry is furious with Cho for bringing her friend to the meeting in the first place.

However, in the films, without Hermione's jinx and Marietta, Cho is blamed in Marietta's stead, quickly revealed as the tattletale and dismissed immediately. Cho isn't the most likable character throughout the books, but she certainly didn't deserve Marietta's fate, especially when it would have been simple enough to feature another character.

The Harry Potter films are available to rent or buy on most major platforms.