J.K. Rowling apologized on Monday — the 18th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts — for the death of one of Harry Potter fans’ favorite characters: Remus Lupin. Losing Lupin was a bitter blow for us Potter fans, so JKR’s apology was much appreciated, though the wound is still raw.

Once again, it's the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts so, as promised, I shall apologise for a death. This year: Remus Lupin. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2016

In the interests of total honesty I'd also like to confess that I didn't decide to kill Lupin until I wrote Order if the Phoenix. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2016

Arthur lived, so Lupin had to die. I'm sorry. I didn't enjoy doing it. The only time my editor ever saw me cry was over the fate of Teddy. 😢 — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2016

That made us think of all the sad deaths in the Harry Potter series (there were many), so we decided to put together a quick ranking of some of the more notable ones. Here they are, in ascending order.

DISCLAIMER: I only ranking the deaths that occur as the plot of the Harry Potter series unfolds. If we ranked every death we’ve ever heard about in the Harry Potter universe, we’d be here forever.

12. Lavender Brown

True, it’s unconfirmed whether she actually died or not, but all signs suggest that she was killed by Fenrir Greyback.

11. Alastor Moody

The thing that hurts the most about Alastor Mad-Eye Moody’s death is that it could have been prevented.

10. Cedric Diggory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNvOoNvXJIg

Diggory was Voldemort’s first death upon his return to power, and he was swatted aside with painful ease.

9. Lupin

Lupin’s death was tough to take. He was always a voice of reason for Harry, and his status as a werewolf meant was a constant point of insecurity and shame for him. He deserved a happier ending.

8. Fred Weasley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42t8PbqfCJs

The twins were, in many ways, the lifeblood of the Weasley family. That one of them had to die was a cruel twist of fate for one of the series’ most popular characters.

7. Hedwig

The Dursley’s insistence on keeping Hedwig locked in her cage meant she didn’t have the best of lives, but she was always a source of joy for Harry.

6. Tonks

Losing Lupin was tough enough, but to lose his wife, Tonks, as well? They left behind a child, too. Why, JKR? Why did you do this to us?!

5. Lily Potter

Technically Lily died before the timeline of the series began, but we see her dying in a flashback at the hand of Voldemort while protecting her son.

4. Sirius Black

JUST when you thought Harry Potter could finally build a life with one of his family members still alive, his godfather dies. Awful.

3. Dumbledore

Please, don’t do this. Don’t make me talk about Dumbledore’s death again.

2. Dobby

All the little house elf wanted to do was protect Harry Potter. And that’s what he died doing.

“Such a beautiful place to be with friends,” he said as he began to slowly drift away. “Dobby is happy to be with his friend, Harry Potter.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy_kJu-UV28

1. Snape

Snape divides opinion among Harry Potter fans. Some think he was a cruel, abusive bully, while others think he was a selfless, brave hero. In the end, Snape was all of those things. His insecurities and hyporacies were the product of him being bullied by James Potter throughout his formative years, and his merciless death was the ultimate sign of his loyalty to protect the child of his unrequited love, Lily Potter.