HBO's Harry Potter series seems to set up important details by introducing these two characters

On Monday, June 9, 2025, HBO's Harry Potter series cast nine new characters after casting the Golden Trio just twelve days ago on May 27, 2025. Of those two characters, Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy stood out. That is because both of these characters were not introduced until the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The inclusion of Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy suggests that the HBO series will provide small hints at the Wizarding World's class and political structure. While their inclusion in the first season of the HBO series might be a slight deviation from the book that introduced the Wizarding World, i.e., Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it does set up the two characters who will play important roles in future seasons.

Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge's roles in the first Harry Potter season might be small

While Draco does make passing references to his father in Philosopher's Stone, Lucius does not physically appear in the first Harry Potter book. The same can be said for the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, too. But their inclusion in the season suggests that the series will hint at the rampant corruption in the British Ministry, as Lucius can use his limitless wealth to influence it.

But both these characters can be in the background this season. We may catch a glimpse of Bertie Carvel's Fudge in the form of photographs in The Daily Prophet, the Wizarding World newspaper. Something similar can be done for Johnny Flynn's Lucius Malfoy as well. Maybe we meet Lucius for the first time at Platform 9 3⁄4 as he accompanies Draco, who will start attending Hogwarts.

The Malfoys are one of the richest families in the Wizarding World, along with the Potter family. By the time Harry goes to Hogwarts, he seems to be the only one descended from his father's wealthy family. The Malfoy family, on the other hand, is a part of the upper elite of the Wizarding World, and possibly even holds the power to influence the laws passed by the British Ministry of Magic.

The fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, hints that Fudge believes that Voldemort hasn't returned because of Lucius. Maybe the HBO series might expand upon Lucius' hold over the British Ministry of Magic, something which is left unexplained in the movies or the books. Therefore, the HBO series has a chance to explore the Wizarding World in a way never done before.

What do we know about the HBO series?

The HBO series was officially announced in April 2023 by Warner Bros. Discovery. In the same announcement, it was confirmed that all seven books will be adapted for one season on the prestigious network television. The CEO and chairman of HBO & Max (now HBO Max) Content, Casey Bloys, released this statement at that time:

“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content.

“Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”

Now, we do know that season 1, which is set to begin production soon this year, is adapting the first book, Philosopher's Stone. Apart from that, we don't know much about the upcoming season as of now because it hasn't begun filming yet.

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