Harry Potter: Books vs Series

Books vs Series · The unofficial guide to HBO's Harry Potter

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Ron Weasley

Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley in HBO's Harry Potter
Played byAlastair Stout
First seasonSeason 1, Philosopher’s Stone
Differences2

Photo: HBO

In the books

This is how J.K. Rowling describes Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:

“He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose.”— PS, ch. 6

In the series

Alastair Stout plays Ron Weasley in HBO’s series. Differences from the books so far:

015

Ron’s eye colour

Different

Books: the books never say, but J.K. Rowling has: “Ron’s eyes are blue” (interview with The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet, 16 July 2005 [source]). Series: Alastair Stout’s eyes are brown in his character poster.

Books: after chapter one, the story only shows what Harry sees, so Ron is never seen at home. Series: there is a scene of Ron receiving his Hogwarts letter at the Burrow.

Character poster

Poster © HBO. All the posters are in posters.

Official images

Images © HBO. More in official images.

Other characters

Harry Potter · Hermione Granger · Albus Dumbledore · Minerva McGonagall · Severus Snape · Rubeus Hagrid · Draco Malfoy · Vernon Dursley · Petunia Dursley · Dudley Dursley. See also the full cast.

Premiere

25 Decon HBO Max

Books vs Series

Difference 001 of 15

Snape’s skin colour

Books: Snape has “sallow skin” (PS, ch. 7).

Series: he is played by Paapa Essiedu, a Black British actor.

All 15 differences »

Posters

Harry character poster, HBO's Harry Potter
Harry

All posters »

Latest updates

9 November 2026
New difference: Ron’s eye colour. J.K. Rowling has said Ron’s eyes are blue; in his character poster they are brown. More »

9 November 2026
Character posters of Harry, Hermione and Ron, added to the posters page and their character pages. More »

8 November 2026
New: a page for each episode of season 1, with the chapters it is likely to cover, and an About page. More »

8 November 2026
New pages: characters, seasons, episodes, where to watch, posters, official images, creative team, FAQ and news. More »

All news »

Unofficial fan site. Not affiliated with HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery or J.K. Rowling. Images and videos © HBO / Warner Bros. Discovery.
Book references are to the UK editions: PS = Philosopher's Stone, CoS = Chamber of Secrets. · About this site · Page updated