10 Deaths from Harry Potter explained

We all loved the magical journey of Harry Potter and most of us got immersed in it by the end of the final movie. The tale of the wizarding world comes with a lot of aspects of life. It tells us about the thirst for power, love, friends, and family, and about long-kept secrets. In this beautifully crafted universe, we see a lot of deaths and their impact on the entire story. Some of these broke our hearts, some made us feel satisfied, and some just felt downright unfair. So, here is the list of 10 deaths, along with their explanation from the world of Harry Potter.

1) James and Lily Potter

James and Lily Potter, residing in a magical village named Godric’s Hollow, were murdered by the most powerful dark wizard the world has ever seen, Lord Voldemort. Threatened by the prophecy made by Sybil Trelawney, Voldemort wanted to make sure the boy who would gain powers matching his own should not exist. Although the Potters went into hiding after realizing that they were in mortal peril, they were betrayed by someone close to them, and on a Halloween night, they were attacked and killed by Lord Voldemort himself.

James and Lily Potter

James and Lily, both being esteemed members of The Order of the Phoenix, have always been on the radar of Death Eaters. Though the primary target was one-year-old Harry, there was absolutely no chance that his parents would’ve given him up for slaughter. James, after realizing the danger, went up against Voldemort without even a wand, and Lily died because she wouldn’t stand aside and let the dark lord curse Harry. Being an orphan made Harry realize the value of a complete family and never give in to his dark side, which was embedded in him due to Voldemort’s curse.

2) Sirius Black

Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, was killed by his own cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. When Harry was lured to the Department of Mysteries by Lord Voldemort, Sirius came to his rescue. A battle started instantly between the Death Eaters, led by Lucious Malfoy, and the members of The Order. Sirius, although a very good wizard, was caught in the chest with a killing curse sent to him by Bellatrix, and he vanished behind a veil forever.

Sirius Black

The death of Sirius was very significant for Harry’s character development. The joy of finding someone close after spending years with the abusive Dursleys was already dampened by Sirius’s escape. But later, his death was devastating for Harry. Enraged, Harry chased down Bellatrix and tried to put a Crucitas curse on her just to make her suffer. Although it was not a very smart move from Sirius’s side, he couldn’t bear the idea of losing his godson, who happens to be the son of his best friend, James. Also, it is obvious that the snide remarks from Severus Snape made him a little too desperate for some action, as being a wanted man by the ministry didn’t quite allow him to go out and help The Order.

3) Peter Pettigrew

The traitor who sold out the Potters. Peter Pettigrew was strangled by his own arm, which was magically presented to him by Lord Voldemort as he cut it off with a knife to resurrect his former master. In the cellar of Malfoy Manor, where Harry, along with Ron, Luna, and Olivander, were held prisoners, a fight broke out. Peter had his magical arm around Harry’s throat, but his moment of hesitation made the hand recognize his change of heart, and it finished its job by strangling Peter instead.

Peter Pettigrew

We all wanted the traitor to receive a severe punishment. But, at the moment of his death, even Peter showed compassion. Harry saved him once from being killed by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. It was probably the gratitude or probably the guilt that his action made this boy an orphan that generated a brief moment of doubt in Peter’s mind. If Peter lived till the end, he would’ve been one of the most hated characters of the entire series. Well, he is not exactly loved, but it is safe to say that he had the potential. Anyway, Harry, being Harry, wanted to free Peter from the death grip, which shows how much control he had over his hatred.

4) Bellatrix Lestrange

Now, this death was not at all emphasized. Bellatrix Lestrange, the devoted follower of Lord Voldemort, was extremely powerful and dangerous. Her skills were unmatched. But she died in the hands of a very down-to-earth Molly Weasley. During the Battle of Hogwarts, a final fight broke out between the Death Eaters and the resistance. Bellatrix almost killed Ginny with a killing curse, and that’s when Molly Weasley chose to lose her cool and put her down with one single curse.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Lily Potter went for it first, Narcissa Malfoy reinforced it, and finally, Molly Weasley established that no amount of danger is intimidating enough for a mother who is protecting her child. We have seen instances of Molly getting angry, mostly due to Fred and George, but this was different. Molly Weasley was never regarded as a powerful witch; throughout the series, we see her worrying about her family and the Order members and keeping them well-fed. No one would’ve imagined that she’d be the one to get rid of Bellatrix. But she did it anyway, losing one of her children was enough for her and she went all in to save her only daughter.

5) Cedric Diggory

Cedric Diggory was, again, a victim of Lord Voldemort. After Harry and Cedric picked up the Tri-Wizard Champion’s trophy together, they were taken to a graveyard, as the cup was a portkey. A disfigured Voldemort was being carried by Peter Pettigrew and he used the infamous Avada Kedavra on poor Cedric. The Head Boy of Hogwarts didn’t even get to enjoy a moment of his victory that would’ve made both his school and father so proud.

Cedric Diggory

Although Voldemort has killed many, this murder was the first that Harry experienced right in front of his eyes. Cedric’s death was the reason Harry was able to see the Threstals and, for a brief while, Cho Chang. It is undeniable that Cedric, although from a different house, always showed kindness towards Harry. In his third year, when Harry fell off his broom during a quidditch match against Cedric’s Hufflepuff, Cedric wanted a rematch so that the results were fair. During the Triwizard Championship, Cedric surely hushed up a few fellow Hufflepuffs about the ‘Potter stinks’ badge disturbed by Malfoy. The most beautiful but sad part is that Harry kept his last wish and risked his life to bring Cedric’s body back to his parents.

6) Dobby

Dobby, like Sirius, was also killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. Dobby was sent by Aberforth to rescue Harry and his friends from Malfoy Manor. He stopped Bellatrix, who had a knife to Hermoine’s throat, from making Harry and Ron surrender. But just when he was about to apparate along with the trio, Bellatrix hurls her knife towards them. Dobby managed to get them and himself out of the mess, but the knife found him. Outside Bill and Fleur’s shell cottage, Dobby drew his last breath, leaving Harry grief-stricken.

Dobby

Dobby almost got Harry killed in his second year. Well, actually, he was trying to injure him enough not to be able to attend school. But Harry, being an extraordinarily kind wizard, never held it against him. In fact, he tricked his abusive master, Lucious Malfoy, to free him. Dobby, although a free elf, never fell short when it came to saving or serving Harry Potter. His death broke Harry so much that he dug his grave without using any magic and engraved the tombstone with ‘Here lies Dobby. A free elf.’.

7) Severus Snape

The death that broke our hearts. Well, there was no coming back for Severus after all the hate he got until the last. Voldemort paused the Battle of Hogwarts for an hour, giving Harry one last chance to give himself up. Harry, Ron and Hermoine went to the Shrieking Shack to find out Snape and Voldemort in a conversation about the elder wand. Voldemort figured that the wand was not bending to his will as the person to murder its actual owner, Albus Dumbledore, was none other than his most accomplished follower, Snape. So, without a hint of mercy or gratefulness, he directs Nagini to kill Snape.

Severus Snape

This death revealed to Harry and us a story we never expected. Snape never worked for Voldemort. His sole intention was to protect Harry all along, as The Chosen One goes through his most hated teacher’s memory and finally figures out the truth. Hatred turned into deep respect. We don’t see a moment of rekindling between Snape and Harry, but Harry is not the one who will deny an act of immense bravery. He named his youngest son Albus Severus Potter. This death made him realize the value of love and loyalty that stayed hidden underneath the mask of hatred.

8) Albus Dumbledore

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, the last hope against Lord Voldemort and the founder of the Order of Phoenix, was murdered by Severus Snape. On the Astronomy tower of Hogwarts, Harry, and Dumbledore had arrived after their failed attempt to get their hands on one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Weakened by the potion Dumbledore drank in the cave, he asked Harry to get Severus Snape for him. But the latter immobilizes Harry right before Draco Malfoy disarms Dumbledore. Dumbledore gets surrounded by other Death Eaters along with Snape. When Draco failed to perform the task, Snape stepped in and killed Dumbledore, making him fall from the Astronomy tower.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore, had his death preplanned. He convinced Snape to spare his soul at the right time as he was already dying due to a curse, he exposed himself to by touching the ring of Marvolo Gaunt. Snape resisted at the beginning, but after realizing his duty, he agreed. This death was crucial, as it took Snape right into the inner circle of Lord Voldemort. It is like sacrificing the queen just to make sure the knight makes its way through.

9) Alastor Moody

Alastor Moody died at the hands of Lord Voldemort. While sneaking an underage Harry from his uncle’s home to a safe place, Moody was ambushed by Voldemort and killed instantly. Owing to Mundungus Fletcher’s panic, the killing curse hit Moody straight in the face and he fell down from the broom. The most accomplished auror was murdered as Lord Voldemort expected him to be the one escorting the real Harry Potter. But he was mistaken.

Alastor Moody

We don’t get to see much of Moody. Initially, it was an imposter named Barty Crouch Jr., who took the Defense Against Dark Arts classes in Harry’s fourth year. But we do get to hear a lot about his captures when Voldemort was still in power. The fall of Moody marked the beginning of a vicious battle, as after Dumbledore, he was the one who had some chance of standing up to the Dark Lord. But his sudden death was shocking and depressing. We all loved the weather-beaten retired auror whose secret to success was ‘Constant Vigilance’.

10) Lord Voldemort

The Dark Lord fell before. But came back stronger only to survive three more years. The sole reason Voldemort died was ‘Priori Incantatem’, a connection between two wands having core from the same magical creature. At the end of the great battle, when Voldemort is left with just one life, and Harry holding all the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort’s Avada Kedavra meets with Harry’s Expelliarmus, and although the latter is just for disarming, the killing curse backfires, leaving Tom Marvolo Riddle dead on the floor.

Lord Voldemort

Lord Voldemort relied too much upon the dark side of magic for survival. Using Horcruxes, was his way of existing forever, for which he had to split his soul and put it in some magical object. But, as studied by Albus Dumbledore, his obsession with collecting prizes gave him away. It was easy for Dumbledore to figure out that Voldemort wouldn’t put his soul into something ordinary, which narrowed the options for him. And unknowingly Voldemort also killed the piece of his soul that was residing in Harry all these years. Lust for power usually never ends well.