My ranking of saddest deaths in the series

[ProfessorSnape]

This is my ranking of which deaths I found saddest in the series. Starting with most saddest to least saddest and I’ve divided it up into tiers because for example, Dumbledore, Sirius and Snape’s death were very similar in terms of sadness. If you haven’t already done so, please vote for which death you found saddest in this poll.  Let us know your ranking of saddest deaths too!

Tier 1: Very sad 

1. Albus Dumbledore

2. Sirius Black

3. Professor Snape

 

Tier 2: sad

4. Dobby

5. Cedric Diggory

 

Tier 3: a bit sad 

6. Fred Weasley

7. Remus Lupin

8. Tonks

 

Tier 4: More of an afterthought really 

9. Mad-eye Moody

10. Hedwig 

 

These are the questions which made me conclude how sad a death was. I know this is a weird way of thinking about it because you just let your emotions decide but I wanted to give this deeper thought. 
 

1. How big of a character were they?

2. The buildup towards their death- how much suspense, foreshadowing, etc...?

3. Their death scene itself- how dramatic was it? 

4. Aftermath of their death- how dramatic was it?

 

Instantly when I think of these questions, Dumbledore comes to mind: 

• A big character- especially in the 6th film where Harry and Dumbledore really bonded 
• Big drama immediately leading up to his death obviously at the Astronomy tower with Malfoy and then Snape coming with what looked like a massive betrayal. Plus even just looking at the film as a whole, it was very dark throughout.
• Dumbledore’s death- the way Snape said, “Avada Kedavra,” the way Dumbledore was knocked back off the tower and they used slow motion of his face, the cuts to Harry’s/Snape’s/Malfoy’s face, the dramatic soundtrack. 
• Aftermath- the way Harry chases Snape down and we are hit with another big surprise- Snape reveals he is the half blood prince. The soundtrack- Dumbledore’s farewell- was probably the best and saddest in the series. Seeing Harry walk up to his body amidst the other students and the way they all raise their wands.

 

Part of the reason why I made this thread was because I wanted to justify why I didn’t think Fred/Lupin/Tonks death were that sad (note: I’m not saying they weren't sad but just not that sad). Even though all 3 or at least definitely Lupin was a bigger character than Cedric and Dobby, I found his death less sad because it didn’t really fulfil questions 2, 3 and 4 in my list above. You just come into the Great hall, see his dead body and that’s it. I think for such a big character (his relationship with Harry was phenomenal in the 3rd film), he deserved a more emotional death scene. 
 

Sirius Black- I’ll probably make a thread about the 5th film but one thing I’ve really began to appreciate about the film is how they subtly built up Sirius’s death throughout the film. Every scene with Sirius in the film was meaningful whether it’s the way Harry hugs him at the start of the film to the way they zoom into the burnt Sirius’s picture on the family tree with that dramatic soundtrack and the way he said, “Nice one James” moments from his death. This might seem silly but the “Nice one James” kind of reminds me how if you’ve ever heard someone say that they had a dream with their mother (or whoever) calling them and then they die shortly afterwards. Sirius’s death scene itself was very dramatic with again, the way they slowed it down, the dramatic soundtrack and seeing how emotional Harry is. 
 

Snape- I’ve put him in number 3 position because I was primarily looking at the death scene itself. But after watching the series and looking back at the film/books, Snape’s death was the saddest as I’ve described in another thread because we get no closure with him but we do with Dumbledore and Sirius. 

[Dumbledore]

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In that case, I think you should join us.
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[ProfessorSnape]

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Well, you must be a Muggle... And, you've found our magical community!

In that case, I think you should join us.
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[Professor Patrick]

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[Craig Bowker]

Who is that hiding under the invisibility cloak? Harry... Is that you? No?
Well, you must be a Muggle... And, you've found our magical community!

In that case, I think you should join us.
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Once signed in you’ll be ‘sorted’ into your Hogwarts house; where you can start creating your own personalised ‘topics’ straight away, or you can also join existing conversations with fellow fans by replying to ‘threads’ and discussions that pique your interest.