5 Most Heartbreaking Deaths in Harry Potter, Ranked by Reddit

Even though J. K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter book series was largely written with teenage readers in mind, that didn't stop the author from including some pretty gruesome and sad deaths in the story that made even adults cry while reading about them.

Here are five of the most heartbreaking deaths in Harry Potter, according to Reddit.

5. Cedric Diggory

Even though Cedric didn't have much time in the books to really become a beloved hero, his death was quite devastating for readers. Seeing this talented athlete and caring person die the most senseless death ever proved to us how horrible and heartless Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters really were. And the fact that Cedric was played by Robert Pattinson in the movie certainly added to the heartbreaking factor of his death.

4. Fred Weasley

Ron's older brother and one of the Weasley twins, Fred always looked like an adorable prankster, but things got deadly serious for him during the Battle of Hogwarts, when he heroically flew with his entire family to fight the Death Eaters. And although Fred's death by explosion might have been a bit anticlimactic, the fact that he died so young broke a lot of hearts.

3. Albus Dumbledore

When Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape, no one really believed that his demise would be final, but the miracle didn't happen, and Harry's mentor was revealed to be truly dead. And while the idea of seeing such a wise and caring man die is heartbreaking in itself, the fact that he was killed by his friend Snape made things even worse.

2. Severus Snape

Up until his death, everyone, including Harry, was sure that Snape was a Death Eater and a big bad guy, but when Voldemort killed him with his snake, Harry finally understood Snape's true motives. It was revealed that Snape had been a double agent all along and actually cared about Harry, which made his death so tragic.

1. Sirius Black

Sirius Black is undoubtedly one of the most tortured characters in the entire saga, as he not only lost everyone in his family except his godson, but was also imprisoned in Azkaban for allegedly killing them. And just when Sirius was finally reunited with Harry and things were starting to look up for him, he was mercilessly killed. Poor lad.

Source: Reddit.