HBO's Harry Potter will be delving more into the character's backstory: Here's how

The first trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first season of the HBO series, dropped last week. The teaser trailer did not provide a glimpse into any of the magical moments, except for brief scenes of Hogwarts and its students. But the teaser noticeably opens with Harry in the non-magical world, i.e., him in Privet Drive.

The teaser instead opens with a rather dark note as we see the titular character suffer at the hands of his cruel uncle, aunt, and cousin, the Dursleys. Moreover, the teaser includes scenes that were described in the first book but were not shown in the movie. This teaser hints at a more detailed look into Harry's life in the HBO adaptation.

Harry suffered a great deal of abuse from the Dursleys in the book version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:

The Philosopher's Stone movie presented a barebones version of Harry's time with the Dursleys. Moreover, the versions of the Dudley, Vernon, and Petunia in the movies were very cartoonish to make it family-friendly. However, the first book presented a cruel family that passed on their cruel and bullying nature to their son, Dudley. The scene of Petunia cutting young Harry's hair is more sinister than it was described in the book.

Harry's time in the first four chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was especially difficult. In addition to being mean to the young boy, the Dursleys were cruel to Harry by locking him up in the cupboard underneath the stairs and not giving him food. They did not even inform Harry about his magical heritage or Hogwarts.

It wasn't until the fourth chapter, "The Keeper of the Keys", that Harry learned the truth. There, Harry confronts Petunia about them lying to him. To this, Harry's aunt responds:

"‘Knew!’ shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. ‘Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that – that school – and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was – a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!’"

We further learned that while young Petunia was jealous of Lilly, as an adult, her feelings were more complicated. It seems that she was hoping for some sort of reconciliation as an adult. But she was robbed of any reunion as Voldemort killed Lilly, and Harry was left at her doorstep by Dumbledore.

What is the first season about?

Announced back in 2023, the first season will be adapting the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Moreover, the title of the series is also the same as the book, and there won't be any version of the series called "Sorcerer's Stone". It will follow The Boy Who Lived's first year in Hogwarts as he and his friends thwart a sinister plan. The official logline of the HBO series reads:

"There is nothing special about Harry Potter - at least that's what his Aunt Petunia always says. On his 11th birthday, a letter of admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry opens up a hidden world for Harry: one of fun, friendship and magic. But with this new adventure comes great risk as Harry is forced to face a dangerous enemy from his past."

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HBO's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will premiere this Christmas, but its release strategy as of now remains uncertain.

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