As Hermione and the book Hogwarts: A History have informed us, muggle technology does not work on the grounds of Hogwarts School. But, let’s be real, while Harry and company do spend a lot of their time in school, the Harry Potter novels and films do see Harry visiting other parts of the magical as well as muggle world.
There were opportunities, in canon, for him to take advantage of his muggle upbringing and the “magic” of muggle technology to enhance his life as well as help him in his fight against Lord Voldemort. Here are just a few suggestions we would have had for “The Boy Who Lived”.
Call Hermione Over the Summer
Harry spends a large portion of the beginning of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets lamenting the fact that he has not heard from any of his so-called “friends” from school. He had imagined his life had changed for the better and yet the summer months were trying to prove otherwise. While we, as readers and viewers, eventually find out that his mail has been intercepted by Dobby the House Elf in an attempt to convince Harry not to return to Hogwarts, you still have to wonder why Harry didn’t just pick up the phone. Perhaps calling Ron was never an option but both Harry and Hermione grew up in muggle households and a conversation would definitely have been possible.
Headphones at 12 Grimmauld Place
A very grumpy Harry makes his appearance in book/movie five, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He tends to isolate himself in Sirius’ family home on a regular basis, despite the noise he can hear while the others clean the different floors or prepare to celebrate Christmas. A pair of headphones would definitely have come in handy for the PTSD suffering Harry (he may be moody in book five, but Harry definitely has legitimate reasons for his feelings). He might have been able to calm down sooner if he could just have shut out the world with some angsty British rock music.
Email Hermione Before Boarding the Knight Bus
In book three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry does in fact receive birthday presents from Ron, Hagrid, and Hermione. He certainly knows, this time around, that there are people out in the world that care about him. Maybe he should have tried to reach out to them when he blew up Aunt Marge. He may not have known that a “killer” was on the loose, but running away is never completely safe. A quick email to Hermione (who again, would understand muggle technology) from Dudley’s computer might have been a smart move.
Page The Order of the Phoenix Members
It’s a good thing Mrs. Figg was watching out for Harry on behalf of The Order of the Phoenix when a dementor showed up in Little Whinging but, again, Harry had not been given a lot of information in advance. He was in trouble and a little doubtful about Mrs. Figg’s assistance (and this was all before the Ministry of Magic started sending messages to Number 4 Privet Drive). Again, it may not have been as simple as a cell phone call in the 1990s but it would have been possible to page someone on their beeper. Trying to get in contact with The Order of the Phoenix and maybe asking if someone would call the Dursley’s house fun would have been incredibly helpful in immediately clearing a few things up while Harry waited to hear if he was going to be expelled or not.
AIM to Help Ron Find His Way Back
If you lived through 1997 you know that Instant Messaging was the best way to get in touch with your friends. While it may have been difficult for Ron to do anything, because he was not used to using muggle technology of any kind, it’s fun to imagine him hitting up an internet cafe and having a message (probably from Hermione) about where to find Harry and herself. Even if you don’t think Hermione’s beaded bag came with an ancient gray laptop, or that the woods was no place for internet service, odds are Hermione would have found an internet cafe of her own to send the message. Consider how much faster Ron would have been able to change his mind and return to the party.
GPS on Their Camping Trip
Hermione is amazing. As we all know neither Harry nor Ron would have survived in any situation for very long without her. She is the brains of the operation, particularly as she apparates the trio from place to place during their journey in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
How much easier might her life have been if she’d had a GPS with her? She wouldn’t have had to rely solely on places she knew about or had been in her previous life. She could have kept track of where they’d been and scoped out where they were going. It would have had to be a standalone GPS, which was introduced and gaining popularity in the early 90s, rather than a smartphone, but still. It’s hard to say if they would have found Horcruxes any faster, but there’s no doubting a GPS would have been helpful.
CD-Player on Their Camping Trip
The trio’s extended camping (particularly in the book version) in The Deathly Hallows was a very stressful journey for all involved. While Ron plays with an old radio, to Harry’s chagrin, perhaps a little more control over their lives and their music would have cut the stress levels ever so slightly for the three best friends.
If only they could have listened to their favorite bands or some calming movie soundtracks to help them sleep while they traveled the wilderness perhaps at least some stress levels could have been kept in check.
A Disposable Camera at the Quidditch World Cup
Sure, omnioculars are cool. It was amazing that Harry could watch some great Quidditch and then rewind to watch a great play in slow motion if he so desired, but for lasting memories, a simple muggle disposable camera might have been even more fun. Omnioculars are fun in the moment but it would have been nice to have some photos for posterity. It seems like a lost opportunity that only Colin Creevey ever had a camera in the series and that his wasn’t particularly portable.
Polaroid Camera For the Dementor Attack
A picture paints a thousand words, and Harry certainly could have used that when trying to proclaim his innocence in front of the Ministry of Magic. While Harry’s honesty and Mrs. Figg’s testimony certainly helped plead the case, some photographic evidence of a dementor attack certainly would not have hurt his defense. A quick picture of Dudley with a dementor descending over his face would have made the case a lot harder for Fudge and Umbridge to argue with. As some muggles like to say, “photo, or it didn’t happen.”
Laser Pointer During the Death Eater Attack
When Hagrid takes Harry (the real Harry out of the seven present when Harry leaves Little Whinging for the last time) up into the skies it doesn’t take long for Death Eaters to appear and attack the company as a whole. While Harry does do a decent job sending his classic, “Expeliarmus” at nearby foes, who’s to say that some laser pointer action might not have been more useful. Protego might not have worked against the muggle technology, and it certainly would have had the advantage of surprise on its side. If they worry about it blinding airline pilots, that’s pretty powerful up close.
