What are the saddest moments in the Harry Potter series?

When you look at the series overall, Harry Potter tells the story of good triumphing over evil and heroes defeating villains. The story wouldn’t be a good one, however, if there weren’t a few heartbreaking moments spotted throughout. In the list below, I’ve ranked and discussed the five most emotional and utterly heartbreaking moments in the Harry Potter series.

Warning: If you’ve somehow never seen or read the Harry Potter books/movies, proceed with caution! This post contains huge spoilers for the series.

5. Sirius Black’s Death

After being falsely accused of betraying his closest friends, escaping Azkaban prison and proving his innocence, Sirius Black is denied the happy ending we all hoped he’d share with his godson. As James and Lily’s best friend, Sirius was the closest thing Harry had to family, which only made it more devastating when Sirius was abruptly murdered by his deranged cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.

4. The Death Of Dobby

Dobby the house elf didn’t exactly have a happy life. He was treated brutally by the Malfoy family (wasn’t everyone though?) and even when he was granted freedom, Dobby was never treated as an equal. At the end of his life, however, Dobby proved that he was just as brave as any wizard, sacrificing his own life to save his friend, Harry Potter.

3. Harry’s Sacrifice

If you don’t tear up watching Harry Potter accept his fate and sacrifice himself (in front of Hagrid!!) to defeat Voldemort, then I’m sorry to say that we can’t be friends. This incredibly epic and moving sequence is only made more painful when you think about how much time we’ve spent watching Harry grow into the man that enters that forest.

2. “Always.”

After years spent questioning if Snape was good, bad or somewhere in-between, this tragic moment revealed the emotional truth about Harry’s cruel Potions teacher. Snape was indeed working to defeat Lord Voldemort, and to make things even sadder, we learn that Snape did in fact care for Harry and had been protecting him out of love for his mother, Lily.

1. Dumbledore’s Farewell

While Dumbledore’s brutal and shocking death is certainly tissue-worthy (I’m crying just thinking about it!), the moments that follow it are far more emotional. With their beloved headmaster and friend dead, the teachers and students of Hogwarts come together to flood the sky with light, obliterating any sign of Lord Voldemort’s dark mark.

Is there a certain moment or sequence in the Harry Potter series that makes you cry? Be sure to let me know in the comments section below! Also, if you enjoyed this post, please enter your email and subscribe to The Blog That Must Not Be Named. I have huge plans for this blog and I wouldn’t want a fellow Potterhead to miss out!