Over the thousands of pages of “Harry Potter” books and hours of
their movie adaptations, funeral bells rang almost constantly. Hell,
baby Harry’s first nickname is “The Boy Who Lived.” Where Harry goes,
death tends to follow.
Considering the extremely high death toll in “Harry Potter” and our
ongoing emotional investment in the series, it seems only appropriate
that we put our tears to good use and rank the deaths in order of
emotional devastation, from “cool with it” to “need a moment” to “day
ruined if you even bring it up.” Which Potterverse character’s death
made you the saddest?
Grab your tissues, read on and cry with us.
-
Ignotus Peverell
Warner Bros.
The cleverest of the Peverell brothers, we aren’t mourning this one
because he died of natural causes, at peace with the life he’d lived. He
(sniff) walked with Death as an equal. -
Nagini
Warner Bros.
No, we didn’t feel a single drop of remorse over the extermination of Voldemort’s final Horcrux.
-
Bellatrix LeStrange
Warner Bros.
“Not my daughter, you bitch!” Get it, Molly!
-
Peter Pettigrew
Warner Bros.
Traitor. He deserved to have his own hand choke him. #nomercy
-
Lord Voldemort
Warner Bros.
There was still a tiny bit of humanity left in Voldemort, and he was interconnected with Harry, after all. It’s a tiny bit sad.
-
Broderick Bode
Warner Bros.
That Devil’s Snare will get you.
-
Mrs. Crouch
Warner Bros.
Murdered by your own son? Way harsh.
-
Scabior
Getty Images
Neville Longbottom’s first big kill at the Battle of Hogwarts.
-
Marvolo Gaunt
Getty Images
Jerk.
-
Morfin Gaunt
Scholastic
Evil jerk.
-
Wilkes and Rosier
Warner Bros.
That’s what you get for hanging with the Dark Lord.
-
Gibbon
Warner Bros.
This guy took a Killing Curse meant for Lupin straight to the face. Serves him right.
-
Octavius Pepper
Warner Bros.
Another mostly-anonymous victim of the Death Eaters.
-
Bilius Weasley
Warner Bros.
I.E. the reason we have to hear about the Grim all the time. Is that what actually killed him? Who knows.
-
Anonymous Muggle and Albanian Peasant
CDC
These randos died so Voldemort could turn Slytherin’s locket and Ravenclaw’s Diadem into Horcruxes. We hardly knew ye.
-
Gregorovitch
A wand couldn’t save him.
-
Basilisk/Serpent of Slytherin
Warner Bros.
Perhaps not evil so much as misunderstood? Parseltongue is a dying language.
-
Armando Dippet
Warner Bros.
Bummer, but at least he gets to hang around (literally) as a portrait.
-
Prof. Cuthbert Binns
Warner Bros.
Who says death has to stop your career? Not this guy!
-
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington
Warner Bros.
Bad day: Getting beheaded. Worse day: Only getting beheaded partway. :/
-
Prof. Quirinus Quirrell
Warner Bros.
We don’t care how shy you are, never, ever agree to let the Dark Lord burn himself into the back of your head.
-
Mrs. Abbot
Warner Bros.
Hannah must be bummed.
-
Antioch Peverell
Warner Bros.
Jealousy will get you. Sometimes, right in the throat.
-
Emmeline Vance
Warner Bros.
Another Order of the Phoenix member gone too soon.
-
Tom Riddle Sr.
Warner Bros.
Not a nice boy, but that’s still a pretty crappy way to die.
-
Tom and Mary Riddle
Warner Bros.
That’s no way to treat your grandparents, VoldeTom.
-
Igor Karkaroff
Warner Bros.
The former Durmstrang headmaster was not a nice dude, and his attempt to
run from the Death Eaters, rather than fight against them, doesn’t earn
him any points. -
Rufus Scrimgeour
Warner Bros.
Yes, his intentions were noble, and he died facing the Dark Lord and
telling him he didn’t know where Harry was, but we’re not over his
attempts to get Harry to act as the Ministry’s spokesman. Not cool. -
Baby Montgomery
This five-year-old died after being attacked by Fenrir Greyback. Too soon!
-
Bertha Jorkins
Warner Bros.
Journalism is a risky business, especially when you run into Death Eaters.
-
Gellert Grindelwald
Warner Bros.
On one hand, he was Dumbledore’s BFF and, from what we hear, a very
charming youth. On the other hand, he was also an evil wizard. You
decide. -
Vincent Crabbe
Warner Bros.
He literally brought it upon himself.
-
Cadmus Peverell
Warner Bros.
Unable to truly reunite with his dead love even with the help of the Resurrection Stone, Cadmus hanged himself.
-
Cadmus Peverell’s fiancee
Warner Bros.
“Soon she turned sad and cold for she did not belong in the mortal world.” Bummer.
-
Gornuk
Warner Bros.
This little goblin died on the run from the Snatchers.
-
Dirk Cresswell
Warner Bros.
He died after being caught by the Snatchers, on the run for faking his family tree to try and prove magical ancestry.
-
Merope Gaunt
Scholastic
Voldemort’s mom was only trying to find happiness when she died in
childbirth. “I hope he looks like his papa?” Never mind the fact that
the wee baby turned out to be the Dark Lord, if you’re not touched by
those last words, we don’t know who you are. -
The Bloody Baron
Warner Bros.
Heartbroken, he committed suicide after killing the next on our list. At least the dude had love in his life, right?
-
Helena Ravenclaw/The Grey Lady
Warner Bros.
The Bloody Baron murdered her when she admitted that she wasn’t in love
with him. Hot tip: murder is not the best way to win a girl’s heart. -
Hagrid’s Flobberworms
Warner Bros.
Obesity is an epidemic.
-
Hepzibah Smith
Scholastic
She may have been totally disillusioned and materialistic, but it sucks that she was murdered for her relics.
-
Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel
Warner Bros.
They had this nice long life and they got to choose when they died, but we can’t help but mourn the Philosopher’s Stone mogul.
-
Ted Tonks
Warner Bros.
He gave Tonks the worst first name ever, but her poor dad didn’t deserve to get killed by the Snatchers.
-
Bathilda Bagshot
Warner Bros.
Even worse than the old woman’s death after being attacked by Nagini is
the fact that she was used as a skinsuit and possessed by the snake
after she died. Spooky, spooky horror show. -
Kendra Dumbledore
FX
She took care of her unpredictable daughter Ariana and kept her secret
until Ariana one day lost control of her magic, killing Kendra. -
Pandora Lovegood
Warner Bros.
An accidental death is always tragic, but we feel for little Luna, who witnessed this one.
-
Florean Fortescue
Warner Bros.
This is the one death that J.K. Rowling says she regrets writing into
the books. We liked Fortescue — after all, he’s the ice cream guy — but
he’s not the one we’re saddest about. Sad, but not the saddest. -
Gideon and Fabian Prewett
Warner Bros.
They died like heroes for being part of the Order of the Phoenix, but they still died.
-
Moaning Myrtle
Warner Bros.
She’s a brat, but she’s our toilet brat. Sure, poor bullied Myrtle can
hide in bubble baths and look at all the no-nos she wants now, but the
reality of it is that she was a tween killed by a snake monster when she
just wanted to have a nice cry in the bathroom. Tough break. -
Percival Dumbledore
He died after a life of imprisonment for attacking the Muggles who had
harassed his daughter, and couldn’t clear his name with Muggle
authorities without outing his daughter as a witch. -
Amelia Bones
Warner Bros.
After voting to clear Harry of his violation of the Magical Secrecy Act,
we always had a special place in our hearts for Madame Bones. -
Binky, Lavender’s pet rabbit
She was just a BABY.
-
Frank Bryce
Warner Bros.
The dude was just a gardener! Taking care of a house! He deserved a lovely retirement, not Voldemort’s Killing Curse.
-
Regulus Black
Warner Bros.
His family assumed for years that he was killed by Death Eaters for
leaving them, when in fact he drowned trying to destroy one of
Voldemort’s Horcruxes. We salute you, Regulus. -
Spider in Prof. Moody’s class
Warner Bros.
We didn’t know your name, little spider, but we do know that your death
totally freaked everyone in that Defense Against the Dark Arts class
out. And us, too. -
Muggles killed by Pettigrew on Voldemort Day
Warner Bros.
Sorry, guys.
-
Colin Creevey
Warner Bros.
He was Harry’s biggest fan!
-
Charity Burbage
Warner Bros.
The Muggle Studies teacher murdered for her goal of understanding the
non-magical world is hard to forget, and the terror of her last moments —
suspended over a table of Death Eaters — is creepy. We get that Snape
couldn’t blow his cover, but come on. -
Lavender Brown
Warner Bros.
Unexpected, and almost overlooked due to the mass casualties at the Battle of Hogwarts.
-
Ariana Dumbledore
Warner Bros.
Well-loved but misunderstood, Ariana died in the crossfire of a duel
between Albus Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Aberforth Dumbledore. No one
was ever sure whose spell killed her, and her death haunted all three. -
Barty Crouch Sr.
Warner Bros.
Murdering your own dad? He wasn’t a nice dude, but way harsh.
-
Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest
Warner Bros.
Creepy, creepy, creepy.
-
Alastor Moody
Warner Bros.
This one grates. He took a hit while trying to stop Mundungus Fletcher
from fleeing battle, and, ugh. The guy spent an entire year locked in a
trunk having his hair stolen, he deserved a better death and a longer
life. -
Aragog
Warner Bros.
Creepy, yes. Ultimately helpful, also yes. Plus, Hagrid loved him, so we love him.
-
Nymphadora Tonks
Warner Bros.
She wasn’t even supposed to be there, and poor baby Teddy was left an orphan after her death. Why, Tonks, why?!
-
Severus Snape
Warner Bros.
HOLY S–T. We only need one word to explain why we’re so torn up over this one: “Always.”
-
Remus Lupin
Warner Bros.
The very last of the Marauders, Lupin was the last of Harry’s parents’
friends left alive. Not to mention the whole “new wife, new baby, new
hope” thing. -
Fred Weasley
Warner Bros.
Talk about unexpected. He was finally reconciling with Percy, and was
hit mid-sentence. We never imagined that the twins would be separated by
anything, let alone death. -
Cedric Diggory
Warner Bros.
Kill the spare?! WHAT? Way harsh, Voldemort.
-
James Potter
Warner Bros.
Enough said.
-
Lily Potter
Warner Bros.
She died defending his CRIB. Bonus sadness points for when she comes
back before Harry goes into the forest and tells him he’s been so brave.
Sob. -
Albus Dumbledore
Warner Bros.
He was Harry’s mentor and was holding the wizarding world together with
both hands by the time he died, but we’re extra-touched because with his
dying wishes — he secretly asked Snape to kill him — he kept Draco
Malfoy’s hands clean of murder. -
Sirius Black
Warner Bros.
He had so much to live for! Harry, mostly. His name was eventually
cleared, and there was plenty of lost time to make up for. Plus, falling
through an archway to the afterlife is a really upsetting way to die. -
Harry Potter
Warner Bros.
It was only temporary, and it was just the Voldemort part of him, but damn that hurt.
-
Dobby
Warner Bros.
Loyal to the end, we can’t even read the earlier parts of the books
mentioning Dobby without misting up. Call it the “Where the Red Fern
Grows” effect if you want. All he wanted to do was help Harry, even when
all Harry wanted to do was YELL AND YELL. Here lies Dobby, a free —
where’s that tissue? -
Hedwig
Warner Bros.
She was with Harry from his introduction into the magical world, the
very first gift he ever got (sniff), and she died protecting him. Cue
the tears.
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