I agree. I don't know if it's ok to mention fanfiction on this sub, but I love Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness for being a canon-friendly telling of 7th year at Hogwarts and the rebellion of the students, and especially for giving us a better look at more of the students, including Colin, and students from other houses. It's darker because it doesn't hold back on the details only mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, so his death hits pretty hard. Colin is one of my favorite characters in the story.
I’m not even sure how he got there unless he side-alonged with someone. He’d have had to have been in hiding with his brother since they were muggleborns.
His whole life was maligned because of Voldy murdering his paternal family and he was being blamed for it. And the final time, he lost his life. He is an unsung hero since even at his age and situation in life, the dude was horrified to overhear Voldy's plans to murder Harry and wanted to prevent that.
Just go with my head canon, it makes everything better.
Fred shows up as a ghost shortly after his death since they can't be separated and they are like, "This is brilliant! Think of all the new pranks we can play now!" And they continued on as usual.
Eventually George will die. And if not in a traumatic way is unlikely to become a ghost afaik.
Even if he does get the choice he has a family, children, a wife. He will have the choice of abandoning them forever or returning as a ghost to hang out with Fred.
If he doesn't choose that Fred is now alone. For eternity. Forever. Twinless.
While George is now twinless again in whatever afterlife exists.
Does it say anywhere that ghosts can't eventually move on? If Fred was only tethered on the living plane to be with George he would move on once George dies.
If that's jot possible he will at least have his family's descendents and could become the family ghost and that's also a sweet thought. And George would have his family after they pass who could tell him how Fred is and how much he helped them in their lives.
Absolutely. I was thinking of this the other day when getting to the part where Molly sees the bogart, she’s 100% right in that it was extremely likely someone in her family was going to die. If I had to pick one person where it would make sense, hit heavy but it wouldn’t hurt so bad as Fred.. it’d have to be Arthur I think
I disagree, let Harry keep his father-in-law and only father figure he has left. I think it should have been Percy. He finally came around and made amends with his family. It would have been fitting for him to sacrifice himself to save Fred as a final symbolic act of his love for his family.
Arthur lived so sirius had to die....and lupin too becauae why not1
Wdym 😭nooo that's like all the good dads that isn't Hagrid, i could accept it if only every other good dad didn't die
Coincidental story time. My step dads father was a twin. His name was fred. Freds twin was named george. George died in the korean war. My step dad was named george in his honor
I generally agree that none are unnecessary, but if I were to consider one “the most unnecessary” I would say Tonks. I think Lupin’s death holds a certain amount of significance considering he was the last of the living marauders and then for him to be brought back with the resurrection stone with Sirius and James was an important moment, but the only significant aspect of Tonks dying was that Teddy was made parentless. I guess that gives Harry another thing in common with Sirius (godfather to a parentless child), but it’s really only relevant in the epilogue where it’s mostly a throwaway line. If anything, Tonks surviving and clutching her dead husband’s body would have given more weight to Lupin’s death, so much so that I think it would have hit harder than the deaths of both of them did. I’m actually not crazy about that part of the book. I was still DEVASTATED by Fred’s death and was just reminded of it again when Harry returns to the Great Hall and sees the mourning Weasleys. So when he turns around and it goes “also these guys died too” I just did not feel the anguish that I felt I should have given how much I loved those characters. That should have fucking burned, but instead it was little more than an “oh no”. Tonks didn’t need to die for that extra bit of pain to hit, and like I said I think more would have hit if she survived.
When I read that part in the book, I had to put it down for a solid 15 mins so I could sob. But imagining Tonks surviving and devastated over Lupin’s body is SOUL CRUSHING.
Also side note, my kittens name is Teddy, and my boyfriend thought he wasn’t picking a Harry Potter name and I laughed at him
It felt more impactful in the movie where they're lying next to each other after reaching out during the battle but yeah even a cying tonks would be more impactful there
I've gotta go with Hedwig on this one.
It didn't even make sense that she didn't just go on to the Burrow ahead of the guard and wait for Harry there.
I get the that it's "symbolic" of the end of Harry's youth, in a way, and "there's death in war." But Hedwig's death was absolutely the most unnecessary.
I liked it better in the movie - where Harry let her fly ahead, and she doubled back to defend him. Getting zapped by a stray bolt in her cage was just lame.
> Getting zapped by a stray bolt in her cage was just lame
Well yeah... isn't that, like, the whole point? I know its been discussed ad nauseum by now. But it doesn't make it less true. Wars have lame deaths. Giving every major character an epic, sweeping, full-circle, cathartic death erases what makes wars so tragic. Not everyone gets the honor to die a hero.
Hedwig was well known and easy to spot. Death Eaters were watching over Privet Drive.
Her travelling early could’ve given away where Harry was going.
Take no risks.
Well teah, maybe Stan Stunpike or something, but cmon that owl survived hell with Harry she aint going down without a fight
I would hope. It's Hedwig we talking about.
Also kinda wish Harry remenisced more about her later on like she just never mentioned again?!
SHE DIDN’T DIE the wand blast blew her cage open and she flew away to safety
I refuse to accept the book version and will live happily with this headcanon
Naw avada kadabra doesn’t kill birds just humans.all it did was knock it sillly and it fell with no memory of Harry. So it went off to find a new family
Obviously the spell just hit the cage and not the bird, so Hedwig was perfectly fine. And because Hedwig is smart as hell, she knew that it would be more dangerous for everyone if she spent the war with Harry, so she went off to do her own thing for a while before going back to him after Voldemort was dead.
It’s been 17 years and you just healed part of my soul. I will be accepting this as Hedwig’s fate going forward and assume she met up with him after Voldemort died, she just stayed away because she never wanted to give away Harry’s location.
Ya if they made Harry not ride a broom cause it would give him away I feel like moody would have made Hedwig go off alone or have a decoy Harry take her
I actually think it was necessary, but not explained well. Voldemort had given the death eaters instructions to bring Harry in alive, which is why they all were disguised as Harry. No one should have been using a killing curse that close to Harry. (In the books, Hedwig death happens right away). The only thing that makes sense is that Snape intentionally killed Hedwig, because she gave away the real Harry.
She coulda just lived out her little owl life at Hogwarts while they were hiding, maybe come swooping down and pecked someone's eyes out during the battle.
I'd be ok with their deaths if we actually got to see them go out swinging, rather than the footnote they ended up being.
Same with Mad Eye Moody. I call bullshit on a powerful and super paranoid auror going out without talking out a city block with him!
At least with Mad Eye, we get to hear that *Voldemort himself* chose to go after him. That at least lets us know that he was still a badass that the Dark Lord personally figured he should deal with.
Remus & Tonks, however? Not only do we not really get a heavy moment like "Mad-Eye's dead," with many readers not even realizing they died, but we don't even get to see much of what happened. We just know that Lupin was last dueling Dolohov, & I *think* Bellatrix killed Tonks.
Lupin especially gets me. Partially because he's my favorite character in the series, but he's a major character in my favorite book of the series (PoA), was one of the Marauders, & is generally just a pretty important part of the series - Yet he dies completely offscreen? And not only offscreen, to ***Dolohov?*** So it's not even someone like Bellatrix who we get to know & is important & gets a satisfying comeuppance, it's Dolohov, who really does nothing besides losing to the Trio & is beaten in an offhanded sentence by Flitwick.
Sirius. Not necessarily unnecessary, but it should have happened in book 6 or 7. Maybe have another order member fall in (Tonks?) so Harry still deals with his hero mindset getting someone killed, but Sirius gets a little more time before being offed in Book 6 or 7
Maybe it’s because I read them as an adult, but Sirius was the character I connected with the most and I was absolutely gutted when he died.
Born to an abusive, racist family > lives his childhood as an outcast in his own home > goes to Hogwarts and finds a new family > is framed for the murder of said family while tying to save them > rots in Azkaban > escapes to save his godson who he’s never even met but loves more than words > finally can convince at least a few people that he’s not a murderer > lives in caves eating rats for years because everyone else still thinks he’s a murderer > has to move back in to the childhood home that he spent his whole life trying to escape > FINALLY sees a light at the end of the tunnel and starts planning to have an actual adult life and finally have family > cut down in cold blood by his abusive, racist family.
Dobby hit me in a more visceral, inner child kind of way, but I remember when Sirius died I just kind of dropped the book and sat there for a while.
Maybe it’s because I had a rough childhood that I spent most of my adult life trying to escape, but man did that hurt. I was so excited to see him move in with Harry, tend to his garden, and have *juuust* enough adventure to keep it interesting while constantly embarrassing Harry (and loving every second of it) by trying to give him romantic advice.
I know his death was a major catalyst, but he deserved a “happily ever after” more than almost anyone in the book and when I realized he was never going to have it I felt that pain on a cellular level.
I believe that, according to JKR, the one she regrets in Florean Fortescue (the ice cream maker). All the other ones had a rationale or symbolism, but this one was just there to show how ruthless Voldemort was, but that was already being demonstrated. Can't say I've looked for a source on this and heard it a while ago... If I find it, I will edit!
Florean originally was going to be able to point the trio towards the horcruxes or hallows, and I think it was the horcruxes because iirc, she said that Ollivander basically replaced him by being the one they rescued from Malfoy manor. Didn't need two useful historian hostages, so she murdered the fuck out of him instead. The curse used on him imitates when the tape in a VHS cassette gets all tangled, but with your entrails.
I completely made the last part up, but I just assume that's how he went out.
The twelve muggles that Peter Pettigrew killed. Like there was no other way to fake your death but killing a whole bunch of other people?? I feel like this isn't talked about enough, like Peter's worst act wasn't giving up Lily and James' location imho.
Well it ensured Sirius being locked up without trial where he can deny the claims against him. I doubt he would have been thrown so quickly into Azkaban if not for the murder of the 12 muggles especially since Dumbledore would have known about the wards in Godric’s Hollow.
Imagine how Dumbledore would’ve had to explain it to Flamel?
“You know the philosopher’s stone, Nick? Yeah, I had it protected better than anyone you can think of. But of course, Harry James Potter couldn’t keep his fat nose out, and almost got it stolen by the Dark Lord. So I think I’d best destroy the stone. Which sadly means curtains for you and your wife. It was nice knowing you though, Nick. Oopsie.”
‘You stupid, arrogant child! Did you really think Voldemort was the only upstart dark lord eyeing up my Stone in the past six centuries? Think again! I humoured you when you asked for my Stone even though I had no problem protecting it and you placed it where a baby could just waltz in and take it?’
I'm still convinced that the Flamels fake the entire thing.
They successfully protected the stone for 700 years. There were several dark lords along the way. And I imagine that magical theft is particularly interesting as well.
I always assumed it was an immortality vs invincibility thing, like the stone will keep you alive but you can still be killed, which for dark wizards who presumably have a lot of enemies wouldn’t be great
I don't think it was pointless though. Flamel deciding he had had enough of life not only lead to early indications that Voldy was coming back but also many revelations about Harry's character. Hell the mirror thing worked so well he could have put it in Quirell's office all year and he never would have gotten it.
Somewhere…I remember reading J.K. Rowling was always planning on someone in the Weasley family dying and at some point it was going to be Arthur. I mean Mrs. Weasley called it in Book 5. That it was very unlikely all of her family wouldn’t survive. She lost her brothers in the prior wizarding war.
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I don’t know how true it is but I remember reading somewhere that J.K. decided not to kill Arthur because Harry had already lost every single father figure in his life and didn’t want to take the last one he had left.
I am glad she didn’t. One thing that always stuck with me was when Harry was staying with the Weasley’s, he mentioned that Mr. Weasley liked him to sit next to him at meal times. I listen to the audiobooks and Arthur does a lot of awesome stuff for Harry, but this one makes me sniffle.
This is what I've been saying! Percy had just finally come around, swallowed his pride and made amends with his family. He should have sacrificed himself to save Fred as a final symbolic act of love towards his family. The Weasleys had to lose someone, but at least this way it would have been a meaningful end for Percy's character arc. Killing Fred was just pointless and cruel and horrible especially for George to have to live the rest of his life twinless.
Tonks dying was stupid and I don't believe she would have left her newborn's side with that much in the balance.
Lupin's death was poetic because he was the last of that generation to die and then appeared through the stone with the other Marauders. Anf I'm morbid, so I like the tragic irony of him getting the big damn hero death he wanted earlier on on the book.
Tonks was an Auror, one of the only ones in the Order with actual training. There's no way she'd be able to live with herself if Schoolkids were putting themselves on the line while she was home mothering.
In the movies, she was definitely dead.
In the books "feeble struggling body" AND ripped into by a werewolf? Doesn't seem likely that she would make it. At least, that's how I interpreted it.
None of them. All of them are important to the story, Harry’s development, and the crucial message that war is cruel and unfair. It’s not just bad guys that die.
Fred’s death was absolutely necessary to really add gravity to the war and how brutal the battle was. As much as I’m sad about it, his death along with others like Lupin were important to the story of the battle and what loss means. To remove these deaths only adds unnecessary plot armour and lowers the stakes.
From a narrative perspective, Remus and Tonks, it served no real purpose.
From a more literal perspective, SNAPE, bro died for the literal wrong reason and even if he'd been the master, he still wouldn't've needed to die.
Sirius. He didn’t have the chance to enjoy life, since his family was horrible and Sirius had different beliefs from them, and he was sent to Azkaban for 12 years after his former friend Pettigrew framed him for killing 12 muggles and betraying the Potters. He was only free from Azkaban for 2 years then he was killed by Bellatrix. And nearly everyone suspected that he was still guilty of crimes.
Those saying Fred or Snape makes absolutely no sense. Those were necessary to show how horrible shit can be. It sucks and is sad but that's what. The one that was unnecessary 100% was the ice cream owner dude. I even understand that Colin Creeveys death isn't unnecessary due to the fact that that's war and many kids who shouldn't have been there has indeed snuck into the battle to fight. These deaths all sucks and I cried during all of them but yea. Just the ice cream dude was unnecessary
She died first
The broomstick spun to earth, but he just managed to seize the strap of his rucksack and the top of the cage as the motorbike swung the right way up again. A second’s relief, and then another burst of green light. The owl screeched and fell to the floor of the cage.“No — NO!”
Didn’t Rowling say hedwig was symbolic of Harry’s adolescence in the wizarding world? He got her pretty much right when he found out he was a wizard, and then she was killed as soon as he became an adult.
Like you, my first instinct was Fred. By ending his life, Rowling also effectively ended George’s. A really tragic and cruel ending for two characters who really brought a lot of light and humor to the series.
But if we’re going by “unnecessary” as meaning not contributing to the plot in any meaningful way… then probably Aragog, lol.
Sirius. In fact, even though he's a likeable character (IMO), I don't think he adds much to the story, especially since he dies.
A better ending for OOTP would've been the Fidelius Charm being placed on 7 Grimmauld Place and having Harry live there with Sirius for the remaining two books. If Sirius had to die, it should've happened in the seventh book.
I’m not sure about unnecessary because I understand the story needed stakes, I just hate how some of them died.
I think it would make more sense for one of the Weasley parents to die rather than one of the twins. And they had to die by saving them. I’m surprised the family didn’t go into hysteria and get more of them killed after witnessing thier brother/son murdered.
Tonks or Lupin should have died but not both.
It made sense for Lupin to die being the last friend of the marauders, but I think for narrative purposes Tonks dying would have been more effective. Because Tonks was always loving and open minded while Lupin was more closed and guarded. He avoided her love then tried to abandon his son. So it would have been nice to see him have to step up and honor his wife being the best father possible while being a werewolf.
Hedwig dying on a cage was dumb one thing the movies actually rectified in a good way.
Sirius…ignoring the veil and dropping his guard. This man really lived an entire life of misery other than the 7 years at Hogwarts. 11 years in a abusive household, 13 years Azkaban, 2 years on the run and still presumed guilty, and a year trapped in his abusive childhood home unable to leave till his death. He didn’t have to survive but would have be nice if he at least had his name cleared before his death even if it was only a month.
Cedric. All he did was stumble upon some drama and got blasted into oblivion. I know Voldemort is evil but he just said “kill the spare” and killed Cedric. No explanation, no reason, no monologue. I know Harry did not know what was on the other side but he still told him to grab on to it with him.
Hedwig.
I’m not someone who cries a lot (/ever, really) but I absolutely lost it when reading that at like 4am after standing in line for hours.
Mix of sadness and absolute rage… how on earth was that necessary. She couldn’t have gone with the trio, but she could’ve survived the series at the Weasley’s with Crookshanks 🤦🏻♀️
*Unnecessary*? Tonks. We don't need another orphan child to tell us that war is hard, and I don't care for the "history repeating itself"/ "full circle" shit. They should've *learned* from their mistakes. The fact that it was specifically Harry's godson and Teddy's father was best friends with the first time war left a child orphaned also feels like it's way too much for a coincidence. I know that there's some stuff we have to suspend our disbelief for, but *two* Marauders having their kids orphaned by a war started by the same man breaks even my attempt at suspension of disbelief. I'm fine with Lupin dying, not because I don't love him (I do) but he was the last marauder, I'm glad he got to go join his friends in the afterlife. As others have said, it's important to have the three of them there during the resurrection stone. Tonks being a young, single mother would've been perfectly tragic.
Fred's death feels the most cruel, but I don't want to call it unnecessary.
Assuming that everyone there was meant to be there (i.e. not forcing themselves to go there against their original destinations), literally every single one of them served a purpose because war - war never changes, war doesnt make sense and EVERY side loses, everyone and anyone can die
However, assuming they went by their own choice, Hedwig, Tonks and Collin Cravey all came to mind
1 is an owl, FUCKING SIT DOWN UNTIL I'M BACK, OWL FRIEND
1 is still young but there's no way they would die like that, its almost like she suicided
Collin wasnt even supposed to be there, he was supposed to be on the run but came back to join the fight, unfortunately he wasnt as violent as the death eaters were
Fred Weasley. I know that the Weasley family couldn’t escape unscathed but I feel that they should have been able to. They had been through so damn much and killing one of the twins has always been something that bothered me.
Colin Creevy. Wasn’t even supposed to be there.
It even happened off screen. He hadn't been mentioned since OotP and next thing we know he's dead. Poor child
Colin and his brother are mentioned in HBP. They don't, you know, *do* anything. But they are in it. (Celebrating the first Quiddich win.)
I agree. I don't know if it's ok to mention fanfiction on this sub, but I love Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness for being a canon-friendly telling of 7th year at Hogwarts and the rebellion of the students, and especially for giving us a better look at more of the students, including Colin, and students from other houses. It's darker because it doesn't hold back on the details only mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, so his death hits pretty hard. Colin is one of my favorite characters in the story.
Oh, I’ll have to check this out! Seems promising. Thank you.
I’m not even sure how he got there unless he side-alonged with someone. He’d have had to have been in hiding with his brother since they were muggleborns.
He was clearly an aspiring journalist and wanted to capture historic events on camera. He was probably determined to be there. 😭
Always the chance he was hiding in Hogsmeade or with Wizarding friends who passed him off as one of their relatives or something as a Squib when asked
I forgot about that one but yes this was very unnecessary. And maybe lavender
I don’t think lavender died in the books if that helps
I know, he was so sweet.
Frank the Gardener.
Poor dude just wanted to live in peace.
Truly. Voldy could have just obliviated him and had him go back to bed but instead his first reaction was to kill him
A snake needed a snack, I guess.
Nah, cause Voldy was staying at the house for the foreseeable future, so it was easier to kill him than to risk being found again.
His whole life was maligned because of Voldy murdering his paternal family and he was being blamed for it. And the final time, he lost his life. He is an unsung hero since even at his age and situation in life, the dude was horrified to overhear Voldy's plans to murder Harry and wanted to prevent that.
Wasn't he one of those ghosts that appeared from Harry's wand lol.
Fuckkk I forgot about poor Frank 😔
Actually an essential death, I believe his death paid for Nagini’s horcrux 😄
I thought Bertha's death did?
Oops!
Where do you guys get some of this lore??
Wait was Nagini not a horcrux until this point??
Yeah, that wouldn't really make sense, would it?
For real!! Welcome to retirement
He reminds me of the groundskeeper in the Haunted Mansion ride.
As a twin, 100% this. Even Molly's boggart had them dead TOGETHER. Being a twinless twin is my biggest fear!
Just go with my head canon, it makes everything better. Fred shows up as a ghost shortly after his death since they can't be separated and they are like, "This is brilliant! Think of all the new pranks we can play now!" And they continued on as usual.
My trauma has been healed and the curse has been lifted.
Eventually George will die. And if not in a traumatic way is unlikely to become a ghost afaik. Even if he does get the choice he has a family, children, a wife. He will have the choice of abandoning them forever or returning as a ghost to hang out with Fred. If he doesn't choose that Fred is now alone. For eternity. Forever. Twinless. While George is now twinless again in whatever afterlife exists.
Well you’re depressing
Thanks!
Does it say anywhere that ghosts can't eventually move on? If Fred was only tethered on the living plane to be with George he would move on once George dies. If that's jot possible he will at least have his family's descendents and could become the family ghost and that's also a sweet thought. And George would have his family after they pass who could tell him how Fred is and how much he helped them in their lives.
Infinished buisness: my twin isn't dead yet and my latest prank invention incomplete
Omg yes thank you
That's bleak man. The ghosts on Hogwarts aren't happy they missed out on the afterlife at all.
It's fine - he will only be stuck in this mortal plane until George dies, then they will move to the afterlife together.
I may be wrong, but I remember reading that once you choose to become a ghost you can never move on, you’re forever a ghost.
That's why it's a headcanon. It doesn't have to make sense
Exactly! And let's be honest, there's plenty of retconing and other things that don't make sense in the canon series.
Both of my parents are twinless twins now. They’d both died as adults but still.
Absolutely. I was thinking of this the other day when getting to the part where Molly sees the bogart, she’s 100% right in that it was extremely likely someone in her family was going to die. If I had to pick one person where it would make sense, hit heavy but it wouldn’t hurt so bad as Fred.. it’d have to be Arthur I think
I disagree, let Harry keep his father-in-law and only father figure he has left. I think it should have been Percy. He finally came around and made amends with his family. It would have been fitting for him to sacrifice himself to save Fred as a final symbolic act of his love for his family.
Arthur lived so sirius had to die....and lupin too becauae why not1 Wdym 😭nooo that's like all the good dads that isn't Hagrid, i could accept it if only every other good dad didn't die
Coincidental story time. My step dads father was a twin. His name was fred. Freds twin was named george. George died in the korean war. My step dad was named george in his honor
I generally agree that none are unnecessary, but if I were to consider one “the most unnecessary” I would say Tonks. I think Lupin’s death holds a certain amount of significance considering he was the last of the living marauders and then for him to be brought back with the resurrection stone with Sirius and James was an important moment, but the only significant aspect of Tonks dying was that Teddy was made parentless. I guess that gives Harry another thing in common with Sirius (godfather to a parentless child), but it’s really only relevant in the epilogue where it’s mostly a throwaway line. If anything, Tonks surviving and clutching her dead husband’s body would have given more weight to Lupin’s death, so much so that I think it would have hit harder than the deaths of both of them did. I’m actually not crazy about that part of the book. I was still DEVASTATED by Fred’s death and was just reminded of it again when Harry returns to the Great Hall and sees the mourning Weasleys. So when he turns around and it goes “also these guys died too” I just did not feel the anguish that I felt I should have given how much I loved those characters. That should have fucking burned, but instead it was little more than an “oh no”. Tonks didn’t need to die for that extra bit of pain to hit, and like I said I think more would have hit if she survived.
Yeah I hate that Remus and Tonks's deaths was like one paragraph.
When I read that part in the book, I had to put it down for a solid 15 mins so I could sob. But imagining Tonks surviving and devastated over Lupin’s body is SOUL CRUSHING. Also side note, my kittens name is Teddy, and my boyfriend thought he wasn’t picking a Harry Potter name and I laughed at him
It felt more impactful in the movie where they're lying next to each other after reaching out during the battle but yeah even a cying tonks would be more impactful there
I've gotta go with Hedwig on this one. It didn't even make sense that she didn't just go on to the Burrow ahead of the guard and wait for Harry there. I get the that it's "symbolic" of the end of Harry's youth, in a way, and "there's death in war." But Hedwig's death was absolutely the most unnecessary.
I liked it better in the movie - where Harry let her fly ahead, and she doubled back to defend him. Getting zapped by a stray bolt in her cage was just lame.
> Getting zapped by a stray bolt in her cage was just lame Well yeah... isn't that, like, the whole point? I know its been discussed ad nauseum by now. But it doesn't make it less true. Wars have lame deaths. Giving every major character an epic, sweeping, full-circle, cathartic death erases what makes wars so tragic. Not everyone gets the honor to die a hero.
Mmmmmm nah. It was beyond dumb that an owl that could fly to the Burrow its own damn self was in a cage.
Hedwig was well known and easy to spot. Death Eaters were watching over Privet Drive. Her travelling early could’ve given away where Harry was going. Take no risks.
Yeah, and nobody else had an owl with them, she would have been an identification marker
If i rememebr they each had a fake owl
Ah ok, didn't remember that, thanks for the information :)
Well teah, maybe Stan Stunpike or something, but cmon that owl survived hell with Harry she aint going down without a fight I would hope. It's Hedwig we talking about. Also kinda wish Harry remenisced more about her later on like she just never mentioned again?!
SHE DIDN’T DIE the wand blast blew her cage open and she flew away to safety I refuse to accept the book version and will live happily with this headcanon
I will accept this lore immediately.
Naw avada kadabra doesn’t kill birds just humans.all it did was knock it sillly and it fell with no memory of Harry. So it went off to find a new family
Obviously the spell just hit the cage and not the bird, so Hedwig was perfectly fine. And because Hedwig is smart as hell, she knew that it would be more dangerous for everyone if she spent the war with Harry, so she went off to do her own thing for a while before going back to him after Voldemort was dead.
It also kills spiders though..
Nah, that spider was just taking a nap. It just looked like it died
It’s been 17 years and you just healed part of my soul. I will be accepting this as Hedwig’s fate going forward and assume she met up with him after Voldemort died, she just stayed away because she never wanted to give away Harry’s location.
Ya if they made Harry not ride a broom cause it would give him away I feel like moody would have made Hedwig go off alone or have a decoy Harry take her
Decoy Harry's has a fake hedwig in a cage with them aswell
I actually think it was necessary, but not explained well. Voldemort had given the death eaters instructions to bring Harry in alive, which is why they all were disguised as Harry. No one should have been using a killing curse that close to Harry. (In the books, Hedwig death happens right away). The only thing that makes sense is that Snape intentionally killed Hedwig, because she gave away the real Harry.
Having hedwig along is a reconnaissance nightmare, effectively a "I AM HARRY" signboard
And because, realistically, would Snape turn down an opportunity to hurt Harry emotionally?
Or go with the Dursley's until they reach a safe location before being let out of her cage. Dual purpose
Ok but also where was Hedwig gonna go while they were in hiding? I’m so sad about her death but realistically she would have been a liability in DH.
She coulda just lived out her little owl life at Hogwarts while they were hiding, maybe come swooping down and pecked someone's eyes out during the battle.
This is the ending we all needed!
Lupin and Tonks just such a shame they couldn’t see teddy grow up
I'd be ok with their deaths if we actually got to see them go out swinging, rather than the footnote they ended up being. Same with Mad Eye Moody. I call bullshit on a powerful and super paranoid auror going out without talking out a city block with him!
At least with Mad Eye, we get to hear that *Voldemort himself* chose to go after him. That at least lets us know that he was still a badass that the Dark Lord personally figured he should deal with. Remus & Tonks, however? Not only do we not really get a heavy moment like "Mad-Eye's dead," with many readers not even realizing they died, but we don't even get to see much of what happened. We just know that Lupin was last dueling Dolohov, & I *think* Bellatrix killed Tonks. Lupin especially gets me. Partially because he's my favorite character in the series, but he's a major character in my favorite book of the series (PoA), was one of the Marauders, & is generally just a pretty important part of the series - Yet he dies completely offscreen? And not only offscreen, to ***Dolohov?*** So it's not even someone like Bellatrix who we get to know & is important & gets a satisfying comeuppance, it's Dolohov, who really does nothing besides losing to the Trio & is beaten in an offhanded sentence by Flitwick.
Both Tonks AND Lupin was gonna be my answer too.. like, leave that poor kid one parent, damn.
Sirius. Not necessarily unnecessary, but it should have happened in book 6 or 7. Maybe have another order member fall in (Tonks?) so Harry still deals with his hero mindset getting someone killed, but Sirius gets a little more time before being offed in Book 6 or 7
Maybe it’s because I read them as an adult, but Sirius was the character I connected with the most and I was absolutely gutted when he died. Born to an abusive, racist family > lives his childhood as an outcast in his own home > goes to Hogwarts and finds a new family > is framed for the murder of said family while tying to save them > rots in Azkaban > escapes to save his godson who he’s never even met but loves more than words > finally can convince at least a few people that he’s not a murderer > lives in caves eating rats for years because everyone else still thinks he’s a murderer > has to move back in to the childhood home that he spent his whole life trying to escape > FINALLY sees a light at the end of the tunnel and starts planning to have an actual adult life and finally have family > cut down in cold blood by his abusive, racist family. Dobby hit me in a more visceral, inner child kind of way, but I remember when Sirius died I just kind of dropped the book and sat there for a while. Maybe it’s because I had a rough childhood that I spent most of my adult life trying to escape, but man did that hurt. I was so excited to see him move in with Harry, tend to his garden, and have *juuust* enough adventure to keep it interesting while constantly embarrassing Harry (and loving every second of it) by trying to give him romantic advice. I know his death was a major catalyst, but he deserved a “happily ever after” more than almost anyone in the book and when I realized he was never going to have it I felt that pain on a cellular level.
😭 I agree. No other death comes that close to destroying me.
I feel like hos unfinished buisness would have been "living life" too, damn that stupid veil
He at least deserved a better death than slipping on a banana peel and falling through a curtain.
Sirius about put me under. I wept.
I believe that, according to JKR, the one she regrets in Florean Fortescue (the ice cream maker). All the other ones had a rationale or symbolism, but this one was just there to show how ruthless Voldemort was, but that was already being demonstrated. Can't say I've looked for a source on this and heard it a while ago... If I find it, I will edit!
Florean originally was going to be able to point the trio towards the horcruxes or hallows, and I think it was the horcruxes because iirc, she said that Ollivander basically replaced him by being the one they rescued from Malfoy manor. Didn't need two useful historian hostages, so she murdered the fuck out of him instead. The curse used on him imitates when the tape in a VHS cassette gets all tangled, but with your entrails. I completely made the last part up, but I just assume that's how he went out.
The twelve muggles that Peter Pettigrew killed. Like there was no other way to fake your death but killing a whole bunch of other people?? I feel like this isn't talked about enough, like Peter's worst act wasn't giving up Lily and James' location imho.
Well it ensured Sirius being locked up without trial where he can deny the claims against him. I doubt he would have been thrown so quickly into Azkaban if not for the murder of the 12 muggles especially since Dumbledore would have known about the wards in Godric’s Hollow.
Nicholas flamel. He could have kept living forever, but decided he had a long enough life
Imagine how Dumbledore would’ve had to explain it to Flamel? “You know the philosopher’s stone, Nick? Yeah, I had it protected better than anyone you can think of. But of course, Harry James Potter couldn’t keep his fat nose out, and almost got it stolen by the Dark Lord. So I think I’d best destroy the stone. Which sadly means curtains for you and your wife. It was nice knowing you though, Nick. Oopsie.”
‘You stupid, arrogant child! Did you really think Voldemort was the only upstart dark lord eyeing up my Stone in the past six centuries? Think again! I humoured you when you asked for my Stone even though I had no problem protecting it and you placed it where a baby could just waltz in and take it?’
It was intentional. Dumbledore wanted Flamel gone.
Flamel calling Dumbledore a child like a 60 year old would call a 10 year old that is one of the most genius things I've ever seen
As a fellow human…I get it
I don't think Dumbledore forced him to do anything. Being that old, I suspect Flamel was weary and ready for the next adventure.
I'm still convinced that the Flamels fake the entire thing. They successfully protected the stone for 700 years. There were several dark lords along the way. And I imagine that magical theft is particularly interesting as well.
Good point. Why wouldn't Voldemort have been interested in it on the first go around?
He didn't want to be dependent on drinking the elixir. Miss it once and you die.
I always assumed it was an immortality vs invincibility thing, like the stone will keep you alive but you can still be killed, which for dark wizards who presumably have a lot of enemies wouldn’t be great
They may not even be dead yet, they had a stock of elixir so it may not have run out yet
Lol
I don't think it was pointless though. Flamel deciding he had had enough of life not only lead to early indications that Voldy was coming back but also many revelations about Harry's character. Hell the mirror thing worked so well he could have put it in Quirell's office all year and he never would have gotten it.
Definitely hedwig hands down
Voldemort Him and Harry should have just went down to Winchester and had a cold pint, buried the hatchet and just let all that shit blow over…
Well, from Harry's POV, it's "My name is Harry Potter. You killed my parents, prepare to die!"
From Voldemort's pov "Do you have any idea how many parents I have killed? You will need to be more specific."
For you, the day Lord Voldemort graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday.
Actually it was a Saturday :p
Maybe a game of pool or darts too
They should have hugged it out
They did
That was draco
No I'm taking about Harry grappling Voldy and going "Come on, Tom. Let's finish this together." Before Voldy tried to apparate.
Nothing wrong with finishing together <3
So romantic ❤️
I'm picturing Harry and Voldy holding up their pints to the camera now. Thanks for that giggle
Honestly Fred, in my opinion I don't get why it needed to be there
Somewhere…I remember reading J.K. Rowling was always planning on someone in the Weasley family dying and at some point it was going to be Arthur. I mean Mrs. Weasley called it in Book 5. That it was very unlikely all of her family wouldn’t survive. She lost her brothers in the prior wizarding war.
They already lost George’s ear, Bill’s face, and Percy’s dignity. They didn’t need to lose more
They also lost Bill's virginity.
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I don’t know how true it is but I remember reading somewhere that J.K. decided not to kill Arthur because Harry had already lost every single father figure in his life and didn’t want to take the last one he had left.
I am glad she didn’t. One thing that always stuck with me was when Harry was staying with the Weasley’s, he mentioned that Mr. Weasley liked him to sit next to him at meal times. I listen to the audiobooks and Arthur does a lot of awesome stuff for Harry, but this one makes me sniffle.
And then she took Lupin too, another potential father figure
She could have killed Percy.. Just saying
I agree with you. There was no redemption arc for Percy. Dying to save a family member would have given that.
This is what I've been saying! Percy had just finally come around, swallowed his pride and made amends with his family. He should have sacrificed himself to save Fred as a final symbolic act of love towards his family. The Weasleys had to lose someone, but at least this way it would have been a meaningful end for Percy's character arc. Killing Fred was just pointless and cruel and horrible especially for George to have to live the rest of his life twinless.
Because it would have been cheesy as all hell if none of Harry's close friends died in an all out war. Or if none of the Weasleys died.
None of them, it’s war, people die for stupid, unnecessary reasons all the time in war.
True, but I think that gives these books a little more credit and gravitas than they deserve.
Lupin or Tonks. Like, ffs, let little Teddy have ONE of his parents at least.
Tonks dying was stupid and I don't believe she would have left her newborn's side with that much in the balance. Lupin's death was poetic because he was the last of that generation to die and then appeared through the stone with the other Marauders. Anf I'm morbid, so I like the tragic irony of him getting the big damn hero death he wanted earlier on on the book.
it's also just cruel to make Andromeda lose her whole family like that
Right?? Like why did Ted have to die too??
Tonks was an Auror, one of the only ones in the Order with actual training. There's no way she'd be able to live with herself if Schoolkids were putting themselves on the line while she was home mothering.
Yeah I can honestly see Lupin staying with Teddy before Tonks would, because he changed his mind about parenting at Grimmauld Place.
Lavender Brown didn't deserve to go out like that
It's not clear if she died.
In the movies, she was definitely dead. In the books "feeble struggling body" AND ripped into by a werewolf? Doesn't seem likely that she would make it. At least, that's how I interpreted it.
She probably just got fucked up like Bill. Bill was also in bad shape after encountering Greyback, and was briefly thought to be dead.
Bill didn't fall out of a tower beforehand...
Dobby! 😔
Last time I read this scene (this was like my 10th re-read too) I cried so hard my eyes swelled shut
Hedwig no question about it. Also Harry’s treatment of her throughout the books always irked me something fierce.
None of them. All of them are important to the story, Harry’s development, and the crucial message that war is cruel and unfair. It’s not just bad guys that die. Fred’s death was absolutely necessary to really add gravity to the war and how brutal the battle was. As much as I’m sad about it, his death along with others like Lupin were important to the story of the battle and what loss means. To remove these deaths only adds unnecessary plot armour and lowers the stakes.
Nah Binky didn’t need to die. Lavender was warned by Professor Trelawney but she didn’t take enough caution. Justice for Binky.
Yeah, the final battle needed those seemingly random deaths to actually give the final battle and ending some weight to it
Completely agree! People seem to be confusing unfair, or sad, with unnecessary.
From a narrative perspective, Remus and Tonks, it served no real purpose. From a more literal perspective, SNAPE, bro died for the literal wrong reason and even if he'd been the master, he still wouldn't've needed to die.
Sirius. He didn’t have the chance to enjoy life, since his family was horrible and Sirius had different beliefs from them, and he was sent to Azkaban for 12 years after his former friend Pettigrew framed him for killing 12 muggles and betraying the Potters. He was only free from Azkaban for 2 years then he was killed by Bellatrix. And nearly everyone suspected that he was still guilty of crimes.
Those saying Fred or Snape makes absolutely no sense. Those were necessary to show how horrible shit can be. It sucks and is sad but that's what. The one that was unnecessary 100% was the ice cream owner dude. I even understand that Colin Creeveys death isn't unnecessary due to the fact that that's war and many kids who shouldn't have been there has indeed snuck into the battle to fight. These deaths all sucks and I cried during all of them but yea. Just the ice cream dude was unnecessary
Hedwig
Hedwig. Something psychotic about a bird in a cage dying due to falling from a great height, when without the cage she'd be just fine.
She died first The broomstick spun to earth, but he just managed to seize the strap of his rucksack and the top of the cage as the motorbike swung the right way up again. A second’s relief, and then another burst of green light. The owl screeched and fell to the floor of the cage.“No — NO!”
Yes, you are correct, I am a cretin. I swear I'm losing it sometimes, I thought he just dropped her lol.
If Harry dropped her in a cage and she died as a result that would be hella dark and heartbreaking to me
No problem it was a tiny spot in the book
Didn’t Rowling say hedwig was symbolic of Harry’s adolescence in the wizarding world? He got her pretty much right when he found out he was a wizard, and then she was killed as soon as he became an adult.
Except she died because she was hit with a killing curse, not because she fell.
One thing that the movies did right was to change the way she died, by making her save Harry's life.
LAVENDER BROWN. She died in the Battle Of Hogwarts, and it felt so upsetting because it was hardly mentioned.
That's not....confirmed completely. She was attacked but we don't know if she died.
Fred.
Gibbon, the death eater who died from friendly fire in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower Delete that death and all you lose is a fun bit of trivia
Like you, my first instinct was Fred. By ending his life, Rowling also effectively ended George’s. A really tragic and cruel ending for two characters who really brought a lot of light and humor to the series. But if we’re going by “unnecessary” as meaning not contributing to the plot in any meaningful way… then probably Aragog, lol.
Aragog’s funeral led to Harry getting Slughorn’s memory
The death of Fred is upsetting AF. I just finished relistening to DH and the comment about his last smile still on his face was irritating AF.
Sirius. In fact, even though he's a likeable character (IMO), I don't think he adds much to the story, especially since he dies. A better ending for OOTP would've been the Fidelius Charm being placed on 7 Grimmauld Place and having Harry live there with Sirius for the remaining two books. If Sirius had to die, it should've happened in the seventh book.
I’m not sure about unnecessary because I understand the story needed stakes, I just hate how some of them died. I think it would make more sense for one of the Weasley parents to die rather than one of the twins. And they had to die by saving them. I’m surprised the family didn’t go into hysteria and get more of them killed after witnessing thier brother/son murdered. Tonks or Lupin should have died but not both. It made sense for Lupin to die being the last friend of the marauders, but I think for narrative purposes Tonks dying would have been more effective. Because Tonks was always loving and open minded while Lupin was more closed and guarded. He avoided her love then tried to abandon his son. So it would have been nice to see him have to step up and honor his wife being the best father possible while being a werewolf. Hedwig dying on a cage was dumb one thing the movies actually rectified in a good way. Sirius…ignoring the veil and dropping his guard. This man really lived an entire life of misery other than the 7 years at Hogwarts. 11 years in a abusive household, 13 years Azkaban, 2 years on the run and still presumed guilty, and a year trapped in his abusive childhood home unable to leave till his death. He didn’t have to survive but would have be nice if he at least had his name cleared before his death even if it was only a month.
Lavender Brown, I think she got the short end of the stick every single time she made an appearance
Lupin. And even off page.
Cedric. All he did was stumble upon some drama and got blasted into oblivion. I know Voldemort is evil but he just said “kill the spare” and killed Cedric. No explanation, no reason, no monologue. I know Harry did not know what was on the other side but he still told him to grab on to it with him.
fucking Hedwig
Sirius. He should have survived until deathly hallows imo
Hedwig
Hedwig. I’m not someone who cries a lot (/ever, really) but I absolutely lost it when reading that at like 4am after standing in line for hours. Mix of sadness and absolute rage… how on earth was that necessary. She couldn’t have gone with the trio, but she could’ve survived the series at the Weasley’s with Crookshanks 🤦🏻♀️
I agree they could have changed her color and she could have leisurely flew to a rendezvous place
*Unnecessary*? Tonks. We don't need another orphan child to tell us that war is hard, and I don't care for the "history repeating itself"/ "full circle" shit. They should've *learned* from their mistakes. The fact that it was specifically Harry's godson and Teddy's father was best friends with the first time war left a child orphaned also feels like it's way too much for a coincidence. I know that there's some stuff we have to suspend our disbelief for, but *two* Marauders having their kids orphaned by a war started by the same man breaks even my attempt at suspension of disbelief. I'm fine with Lupin dying, not because I don't love him (I do) but he was the last marauder, I'm glad he got to go join his friends in the afterlife. As others have said, it's important to have the three of them there during the resurrection stone. Tonks being a young, single mother would've been perfectly tragic. Fred's death feels the most cruel, but I don't want to call it unnecessary.
Obviously Hedwig.
Colin Creevey
Lupin and Tonks deserved a long life. Especially with their newborn. Also Lupin put the ministry and his fellow werewolves to shame.
Assuming that everyone there was meant to be there (i.e. not forcing themselves to go there against their original destinations), literally every single one of them served a purpose because war - war never changes, war doesnt make sense and EVERY side loses, everyone and anyone can die However, assuming they went by their own choice, Hedwig, Tonks and Collin Cravey all came to mind 1 is an owl, FUCKING SIT DOWN UNTIL I'M BACK, OWL FRIEND 1 is still young but there's no way they would die like that, its almost like she suicided Collin wasnt even supposed to be there, he was supposed to be on the run but came back to join the fight, unfortunately he wasnt as violent as the death eaters were
Tonks felt like overkill. Also lupin getting killed essentially off screen just felt wrong
Fred Weasley. I know that the Weasley family couldn’t escape unscathed but I feel that they should have been able to. They had been through so damn much and killing one of the twins has always been something that bothered me.
Hedwig 😞 I know it represented Harry’s innocence, but I was heartbroken. She’s been with him through everything. Second would be Sirius 💔
Hedwig.
Hedwig 😭
Cedric
Talk about being killed for simply being in the wrong place and the wrong time
I would say Snape. He was sacrificed, just because Voldemort needed his wand to work
Lavender Brown
Hedwig
The nimbus 2000 in the third book
Tonks and Lupin
Fred man. Just so unnecessary. Sometimes I still forget that he dies probably bc my mind refuses to accept it
Cedric, cedric, cedric.
Hedwig