10 Darkest Harry Potter Moments, Ranked

This article contains spoilers for the Harry Potter Books and movies.

Since its beginnings as a children’s book, the Harry Potter Franchise has some truly dark moments. It made sense for the book series to evolve, as it started with Harry Potter at age 11, but ran until the protagonist was 17. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s StoneBook One, was published in 1997, and the final book, Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallowswas published in 2007. The ten-year gap between the releases of the first and last books was roughly paralleled by the timeline of the Harry Potter History, which spans six years. The books became more mature than PotterAnd the movie reflects this.

Harry Potter Author JK Rowling darkened the series’ tone and themes in keeping with its aging audience. Just as Harry started his journey in the books at 11, Rowling’s demographic started reading the books at roughly 11 years old. As the characters and readers of the novels grew into young adults, the books became an AA series with a much wider appeal than they initially had. Logically, therefore, many of the darkest moments in the Harry Potter Movies are later in the series. But even earlier movies could scare and shock at some of their grittiest points.

10

James Potter bullying Severus Snape

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2

Harry Potter’s heroics will go down in history as some of literature and cinema’s greatest, which is what made the discovery of his father’s bullying antics so disturbing. in Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2, Harry looked at Snape’s thoughts thoughtfully, discovering James Potter as a bully. James bullied Snape, while Snape loved Lily, who, of course, married James.

The torture of Severus Snape at the hands of none other than the father of the hero of the series turned Harry Potter. Snape was meant to be the villain And suddenly, he was revealed, in the same scene, to be not only an undercover spy for Dumbledore all along, but a victim of the hero’s family. This subversion shook the story to its core, and confirmed that no character is safe from danger in the universe, or indeed from being knocked off their pedestal as a hero.

9

Tom Riddle torturing animals

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Voldemort’s perversity is hardly a surprise, being the pure-blooded supremacist villain of the series, but somehow, The chilling revelation of Tom’s childhood torturing habit was shocking. Voldemort’s choices later in life made sense in the grand scheme of his twisted beliefs, but his childhood decision to torture animals and children at the orphanage provided the series’ first real glimpse into his psychology. Tom Riddle is truly missing a marble or two. Perhaps whatever gene accounted for empathy was deficient, which made sense, given his mother’s actions.

But more importantly, Riddle could not assimilate the loss and failure of his parents from an early age, which was never justified by the orphanage. Growing up without a primary caregiver and emotional support allowed whatever impulses he may or may not have to spiral. Riddle’s psychological profile turned his childhood pain into bitternessSelf-sufficient and narcissistic, antisocial idealism. The ecstasy of his isolation was equal to the ecstasy of his revenge on the world. And yet, Harry Potter, when faced with similar circumstances, emerges humane, kind and generous. ;

8

Harry Potter using Sectumsmpra on Draco Malfoy

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter really went YA when Harry used Sectumsempra on the unpleasant Draco Malfoy. It was one of the most awesome duels of the franchise, which became one of the darkest moments when Harry had made a big mistake. Harry foolishly used a curse he didn’t understand, instantly shattering Draco in multiple places, leaving him incapacitated in a pool of his own blood.

Snape arrived in time to save Draco from an uncertain fate, saving his skin in the process, since he was bound by magic to protect Draco. This moment in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Movie obscures the line between heroes and villains. It opened the worldview of the series to the dark idea that anyone can fail and carry out cruelty.

7

Quirrell brings new meaning to “two-faced”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a movie where someone literally has eyes in the back of their head. The terrifying moment involved Professor Quirrell unveiling Voldemort secretly enshrined in his headFace peering satisfactorily from the back of his skull. Hidden behind Quirrell’s turban, Voldemort’s rather uncomfortable situation is, unfortunately, unforgettable.

The body horror shocker sets the tone Harry Potter And it established as a new fantasy series that takes no prisoners. original and funny, Harry Potter is proven capable of twists That genuinely surprised, and in some cases, disgusting. This brilliant Hogwarts highlight is certainly one of the darker points of Harry Potter.

6

Cedric Diggory’s Death

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Cedric Diggory may be the first character dead in Harry Potter Which felt relevant, despite the books and movies referring to the deaths of various minor characters. And the movie counted it – Digory’s death is treated with all the tragedy and dignity it deserves. The picture of Warner Bros. did not sugar-coat Cedric’s death, he was killed unceremoniously in a foreshadowing of the brutality to come.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Communicated the value of life right through Cedric’s father’s reaction to his son’s death. This was the most effective way the story could have chosen to impress upon the viewers the horror of loss and grief. Cedric’s death was a turning point of sorts in the seriesBecause it only got darker from there.

5

Bellatrix Lestrange torturing Hermione Granger

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 1

Bellatrix Lestrange tortured Hermione Granger In one of the most sick parts of the plot. Harry Potter has thoroughly grown through Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 1In almost every way conceivable. Both the characters and the franchise are facing darkness unimaginable in previous movies.

Although Hermione escaped Bellatrix’s clutches, it wasn’t before Bellatrix inflicted an unforgivable curse on her. The use of the Cruciatus Curse may be the darkest of the series, with Hermione refusing to give any information despite having a curse defined by unbearable pain. in this movie, Bellatrix also carved “Muddy blood” in Hermione’s armsFor good measure.

4

Fred Weasley’s death

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2

Possibly the third most harrowing death in the Harry Potter movies, Fred Weasley dying stood out as an unbelievably dark moment. Fred was such a funny characterIt seemed as though the series couldn’t possibly stoop so low as to kill him off. But this was precisely the point that makes the harsh reality of war stand out.

Fred’s death was unfair, but so were the deaths of every other character lost in the Battle of Hogwarts. This defining moment in Harry Potter Taking the story to an epic place, served up a battle worthy of the highest imagination. The last movie in the series was one of the darkest overallBut at least her editorial last scene demonstrated the calm after the storm.

3

Dolores Umbridge in general

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

It’s hard to narrow down Dolores Umbridge’s darkest moments to a top five, let alone one, like this Dolores Umbridge, in general, is one of the darkest elements of Harry Potter. Rowling was widely aware that Umbridge was by far the most despicable thing she had ever committed to paper, except, perhaps, the Dark Lord himself. But being a villain to rival Voldemort was no mean feat.

The movies made Umbridge’s evil obvious by contrasting it with her appearance. Umbridge took toxic positivity to a new level, seemingly taking sugar, spice and everything nice as her mood and goals. Smiling politely and dressed in hot pink as she made students cut their meat, Umbridge was a parody of professionalism And represented everything wrong with bureaucracy.

2

Nagini killing Severus Snape

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2

Although Severus Snape’s bravery was not discovered at the time of his death in Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2His death was brutal. With his dying breath, Snape encouraged Harry to take his thoughts, which Harry then watched thoughtfully. This revealed that Snape was a double agent, and in fact, his loyalty to Voldemort was the act all along. Snape was on Dumbledore’s side the whole timeDue to a lifelong love for Harry’s mother, Lily. This moment was extremely transformative for Harry PotterThe final nail in the coffin of black-and-white morality in the tale.

The moment also defined Severus as a hero second only to Harry, perhaps. how so Snape’s death is arguably the most tragic of the series, delivering what could be Harry Potter’s Biggest emotional soccer punch. It is ambiguous whether Snape could have helped the Potters more after his fatal mistake. But regardless of where he started, Snape gladly accepted his mistake as a terminal sentence, slowly paying his toll for his lonely double life until it ended with the same sacrifice his love had made – the ultimate, for Harry.

1

Severus Snape Killing Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Rooted Harry Potter’s Miraculous maelstrom of double-crossing and tragedy is, of course, the unthinkable death of Albus Dumbledore. Although it was Voldemort who pursued immortality, it was Dumbledore who seemed like he would never die. Smiling, laughing, and yet cold and calculating, the old man looked even older than he was. One of the most horrific deaths in cinema, Dumbledore falling from the tower after being struck by Snape’s killing curse is made even more tragic by the fact that Snape was a double agent, secretly Dumbledore’s friend.

Dumbledore was no more a perfect man than any other character in the series, making mistakes and weighty decisions that cost lives. In this way, he represented the most mature element of Rowling’s story, an open recognition of the mature realities of war and politics. The magic of Dumbledore, as a character, was that he made all these things redemptive, rather than ugly. Even in extreme difficulties, Albus always did what was as good as possibleEven when it was difficult for everyone to understand. The literal and metaphorical fall of this outwardly invincible hero may just be the darkest moment in Harry Potter.