LONDON -- Turns out I never did quite get over Dumbledore's death.
It's been 10 years since I first read the Harry Potterbooks, and now that I'm something vaguely resembling a full-grown adult man, I thought that the more tragic moments of J.K. Rowling's magical series would glance off me like curses off a well-produced shield charm.
SEE ALSO:37 hidden clues I only spotted when I reread 'Harry Potter' in my 20sI couldn't have been more wrong. The death scenes in the Harry Potterbooks -- of which there are many -- were still as crushingly sad on re-reading as they had been when I was a teenager.
In some vague attempt at catharsis, I've been through and dug out the last lines uttered by some of the main characters before they die (in the interest of fairness, I've stuck some of the villains in too).
Professor Quirrell
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter Seventeen, "The Man With Two Faces", p.317.
Not exactly a sad death -- Quirrell is trying to murder our hero at the time, after all -- but perhaps one to be pitied. Like Wormtail, Quirrell is something of a pathetic character (and, as is re-enforced by his last desperate words, the first example of how completely someone can fall under Voldemort's spell).
Lily Potter
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter Nine, "Grim Defeat", p.188.
Harry first learns his parents' last words in the Prisoner of Azkabanduring his series of Dementor encounters. The final, terrified protestations of Lily Potter reflect the powerful protection she's able to put on him before she dies; by standing in Voldemort's way and sacrificing herself, she shields Harry from the killing curse.
James Potter
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter Twelve, "The Patronus", p.255.
James' last words are pretty much what we'd expect from a true Gryffindor; without a second thought for his own safety, James throws himself in Voldemort's way in a last-ditch attempt to protect his family.
Cedric Diggory
Credit: warner bros./mashable compositeFrom:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter Thirty-Two, "Flesh, Blood and Bone", p.535.
Cedric Diggory's death at the end of The Goblet of Fireis often spoken about as a key turning point in Rowling's series; it's the first time we witness a good character dying in front of us; it's that coming-of-age, point-of-no-return moment when we suddenly realise, for want of a better term, that sh*t has definitely gotten real.
Although Cedric's last words might not seem particularly memorable, they doreflect just how young and innocent he actually his -- he may be much more experienced than Harry, but despite this he's still only a student in the middle of what he thinks is a school competition. His death acts as a stark demonstration of just how ruthless Voldemort and his followers can be.
Sirius Black
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter Thirty-Five, "Beyond the Veil", p.741.
Like with James Potter's final words, Sirius' sudden end reflects his character traits: brave, slightly arrogant, and desperate to fight for what he believes in.
Albus Dumbledore
Credit: warner bros./mashable compositeFrom:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter Twenty-Seven, "The Lightning-Struck Tower", p.495.
Nope: it never gets any less sad. On first reading Dumbledore's last words seem like a cry for help from someone he's foolishly placed his trust in, but in hindsight we know better: he's actually begging for Snape to give him a quick, easy end and fulfil the promise he's already made Dumbledore.
The knowledge that his own death was all part of Dumbledore's plan doesn't make it any less heart-breaking, though.
Mad-Eye Moody
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Chapter Four, "The Seven Potters", p.43.
He dies off-page, meaning the final words we hear from Moody -- "See you all in about an hour at The Burrow" -- have an added poignancy.
Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew)
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Chapter Twenty-Three, "Malfoy Manor", p.382.
Wormtail's final words are fairly innocuous, but the way he dies -- his split second of hesitation that allows Harry to get away from him -- hints at a shred of remorse for the way he's betrayed his childhood friends.
Gellert Grindelwald
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Chapter Twenty-Three, "Malfoy Manor", p.384.
Dumbledore's childhood friend -- and eventual nemesis -- may have been a dark wizard, but he wasn't afraid to face down Voldemort on his death bed. As Dumbledore later says, Grindelwald was meant to have felt remorse towards the end of his life; and indeed, with his last act, he chooses to protect Dumbledore's allies by lying about the Elder Wand.
Dobby
Credit: warner bros./mashable compositeFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Chapter Twenty-Three, "Malfoy Manor", p.387.
Yet another hopelessly sad moment, made even more tragic by Rowling's description of Dobby's eyes as "great, glassy orbs sprinkled with light from the stars they could not see."
Ever since Harry freed Dobby at the end of theChamber of Secrets(and possibly even before then), the elf has been devoted to him: this love is reflected in the elf's final utterance of Harry's name.
Fred Weasley
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Chapter Thirty-One, "The Battle of Hogwarts", p.519.
Fred Weasley dies laughing and joking as he fights alongside his formerly estranged brother, which seems to be a fitting -- if tragic -- end for his character.
Remus Lupin
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty, "The Sacking of Severus Snape", p.495.
Despite being a pretty major character, poor old Lupin doesn't even get an on-page death. His last words can be tracked back to the moment before he enters the Battle of Hogwarts; they seem fairly innocuous but, typically of Lupin's character, they involve him calmly mediating and resolving a dispute.
Nymphadora Tonks
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-One, "The Battle of Hogwarts", p.511.
Another fairly big character, another off-page death. Tonks' last words -- "Have you seen Remus?" -- are particularly poignant in light of how we next see her; lying side-by-side with her husband in the Great Hall.
Severus Snape
Credit: warner bros./mashable compositeFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-Two, "The Elder Wand", p.537.
In my opinion, this is the saddest one of the lot -- and it's even more memorable because we at first don't realise the devastating significance of Snape asking Harry to look at him. It's only after we read the next chapter -- and find out that Snape was always in love with Harry's mother -- that his final words make sense. Harry does, after all, have his mother's eyes.
Bellatrix Lestrange
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-Six, "The Flaw in the Plan", p.603.
Although most of the deaths in the Harry Potterbooks are largely devastating, this is one of the few satisfying ones. Just as Sirius made the mistake of taunting Bellatrix and letting his guard down, Bellatrix makes the exact same mistake with Molly Weasley -- and she pays the price.
Lord Voldemort
Credit: sam haysomFrom:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-Six, "The Flaw in the Plan", p.608.
Not exactly the most thrilling last words, but they arefitting. For all Voldemort's magical power, he only really understands murder. Despite failing to kill Harry on two occasions with the Avada Kedavra curse, Voldemort still tries his luck a third time; and on this occasion, it costs him his life.
BONUS: Hamster Potter
TopicsHarry PotterJK Rowling
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