10 most heartbreaking Harry Potter deaths, ranked

4. Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin is one of the many casualties from the Battle of Hogwarts. We don’t actually see Lupin die, but we see his body lying next to his wife in the Great Hall during the pause in the battle when Voldemort pulls his followers back from the castle to gather in the woods.

Lupin is another of Harry’s guardians, basically, and although they didn’t see eye to eye about Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s plans to destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes, Lupin and Harry share a bond. When Harry sees Lupin and Tonks, among the others, who were killed in the battle, Harry decides to take Voldemort’s offer and heads into the Forbidden Forest where Voldemort and his forces have gathered.

Lupin’s death, along with Tonks’ death as previously mentioned, is particularly heartbreaking knowing that they leave their son, Teddy, behind. It’s very similar to Harry losing his parents so young, and the cycle of violence continues to rob children of relationships with their parents.

3. Sirius Black

Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) is a fan-favorite from the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the revelation that Sirius did not, in fact, sell out Harry’s parents, Lily and James, or kill Peter Pettigrew and a block full of muggles.

Sirius’s death is one of the most heartbreaking moments in Harry Potter’s story because of what he means to Harry. From the end of the third book and movie, Sirius was a father figure and guardian for Harry. That’s all taken from him when Sirius is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) in the Department of Mysteries.

It makes it even worse that, in some ways, Sirius’s death is Harry’s fault. Harry was lured to the Department of Mysteries, which set the stage for the battle with the Death Eaters. Sirius and other members of the Order of the Phoenix joined the fray, and that’s ultimately where Sirius met his end.