10 most heartbreaking Harry Potter deaths, ranked

8. Nymphadora Tonks

The death of Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena) is another devastating death in Harry Potter. Like a few characters on this list, Tonks is killed during the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And, again, like other characters, we actually don’t see Tonks’ death. We see the aftermath with her body next to Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), her husband, in the Great Hall during the pause in the battle when Voldemort asked his forces to retreat to bait Harry into surrendering, which he willingly does.

It’s especially heartbreaking knowing Tonks leaves behind a young son, Teddy. Tonks’ death is similar in many ways to the death of Lily Potter. No, Tonks wasn’t protecting her son directly, but she was engaged in ensuring a future where Teddy and others could live freely, outside of Voldemort’s control.

7. Severus Snape

Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) is one of the most puzzling Harry Potter characters. He’s awful to Harry and others. He’s a bully, but he’s also the bravest man Harry ever knew. No one could have been a double agent like Snape was for so long, and he played the part well even though he didn’t want to.

Ultimately, Snape meets a rather timely death and gives Harry the final piece of the puzzle. He’s killed by Voldemort during his quest for the Elder Wand. While Snape lives, the wand doesn’t work properly for Voldemort, but we know that’s not the reason why that actually happened.

After getting attacked by Nagini, Snape gives Harry his memories, which revealed what exactly happened, why Snape acted the way he did, why he killed Dumbledore, and why Harry must sacrifice himself.