The 10 Most Shocking Things To Happen In The Harry Potter Series

The Harry Potter series produced eight tense, thrilling and magical films that defined a generation. The franchise remains as relevant as ever, with fans revisiting the movies and books and finding new things to admire about the Boy Who Lived’s story.

The series got notoriously darker as it went on, tackling more mature subjects as Harry grew up. Indeed, Harry Potter featured several unexpected twists and shocking moments that left fans gasping for air in disbelief at what they were witnessing. Most of these developments came in the latter half of the series, confirming that Harry’s journey is full of perils along with constant loss and disappointment.

Bellatrix Killing Sirius

Sirius Black’s existence in the Harry Potter universe was short-lived and full of contradictions. He arrives in Prisoner of Azkaban as the apparent traitor who sold Lily and James Potter to Voldemort before being revealed as an innocent man framed by Peter Pettigrew. He grows closer to Harry throughout Goblet of Fire and especially in Order of the Phoenix, providing some much-needed comfort during the darkest period of Harry’s life.

And then he dies. Bellatrix’s murder of Sirius is one of the saga’s cruelest and most shocking moments. It cemented Harry’s place as the hero who loses everything in the fight against the ultimate evil. Fans couldn’t believe that Sirius was gone so soon, but his death confirmed that the second Wizarding War was just beginning, and things would get much worse.

Molly Killing Bellatrix

Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange are two of the best female characters in Harry Potter. They’re strong, capable, fearsome, and devoted to their respective causes. Molly is the franchise’s ultimate maternal figure, always there to lend a comforting hand and loving word. For her part, Bellatrix is one heck of a villain, deranged and every bit as intimidating as her Lord.

Most fans knew these two would play crucial roles in the final batter. However, hardly anyone expected them to fight each other. Alas, the unexpected happened, and more than one reader and viewer felt their stomach sink when Molly went toe to toe with Bellatrix. The battle between these two women is one of the high points of the saga, and when mama Weasley came out victorious, fans rejoiced.

Neville Slaying Nagini

Neville Longbottom was one of the shyest characters in the series. Insecure and constantly afraid, Neville grew considerably throughout his seven years at Hogwarts, eventually becoming a valiant fighter and member of the Order of the Phoenix.

Fans didn’t know what to expect of Neville during the final battle. Would he sacrifice himself taking down a mighty Death Eater, or would he come out alive? Neville proved his worth by wielding Gryddinfor’s sword, the series’ main deus-ex-machina, and using it to kill Nagini, Voldemort’s last surviving Horcrux and one of the evilest. Seeing Neville have his richly-deserved time in the spotlight was both shocking and inspiring and a suitable ending for one of the series’ most underrated characters.

Ginny Opening The Chamber Of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is less a children’s book about magic and more a tense thriller about a young boy solving a mystery. Harry finds himself going against an unseen force manipulating the events behind the opening of the titular Chamber of Secrets, who turns out to be Voldemort himself.

However, the real twist comes when fans learn the Dark Lord used Ginny Weasley to open the Chamber and unleash the Basilisk. It’s a brilliant twist that took everyone by surprise, especially considering how shy Ginny acted throughout the first two books.

Cedric Diggory’s Death

The Triwizard Tournament serves as the backdrop for most of the action in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Harry finds himself competing in the deathly match, forming a quasi-close bond with the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory. However, neither can anticipate the Tournament is also setting the stage for Voldemort’s return.

Fans let out shocked gasps and perhaps even tears when Peter Pettigrew kills Cedric during the third act. The event permanently scars Harry, who carries intense guilt throughout the rest of the saga. Cedric’s death also marks the point where Rowling moves away from the innocence of the saga’s first half and into the near-total darkness of the second half.

Pettigrew Being Scabbers

Peter Pettigrew’s deceit is arguably the greatest betrayal in the Harry Potter series. He not only ratted out the Potters to Voldemort but framed Sirius for their deaths. He then spent the next thirteen years living as Ron Weasley’s rat, Scabbers, waiting for Voldemort to return.

The reveal that Scabbers was Pettigrew was one of the most shocking in the series. There were multiple mentions of Ron’s harmless, useless rat during the first three books – including how Ron often slept with it – so learning that it was, in fact, a grown man and murderer was incredibly disturbing.

Fred Weasley’s Death

Fred and George Weasley appeared in all seven books of the series, often acting as comic relief thanks to their wild and reckless antics. Fans grew to appreciate them, rooting for their success once they dropped out of Hogwarts to begin their own business on Diagon Alley.

Many anticipated several heartbreaking deaths during the Battle of Hogwarts, especially after Deathly Hallows killed Hedwig and Dobby, but Fred’s death was particularly painful. George apparently never fully recovered from his twin’s death, adding an extra layer of pain to this tragedy.

Voldemort’s Anti-Climactic Death

Voldemort is the evilest character in Harry Potter, by far. As the series’ main antagonist, he’s directly responsible for most of the misfortunes of Harry and his friends. Rowling teased Voldemort’s final fight with Harry for seven books, building up to a seemingly epic confrontation that would defy all expectations.

The Battle of Hogwarts more than delivered, featuring plenty of cameos, highly emotional pay-offs, and multiple deaths of beloved characters that reduced fans to tears. However, Voldemort’s fight with Harry was disappointing, especially compared to everything before. To make matters worse, Voldemort’s actual death was rushed and slightly confusing, leaving fans in disbelief that the so-called greatest Dark Wizard of all time died in such a cheap way.

Harry’s Survival

As the series moved away from childhood and into adulthood, the themes became darker, and the stakes grew higher. At several points in the saga, it seemed as though everything would lead to one final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort, from which none would emerge alive.

As previously mentioned, the final fight did indeed arrive, but it was somewhat disappointing. Furthermore, Harry’s survival seemed like a cop-out, a way for Rowling to have her cake and eat it too. That’s not to say that fans were actively rooting for Harry’s death, but everything leading up to Deathly Hallows‘ final chapters seemed to set up Harry’s sacrifice, so seeing him alive and having a soap-opera-like ending felt out-of-the-blue.

Snape Being In Love With Lily

By far the most controversial character in the saga, many believe Severus Snape doesn’t deserve redemption. Others view him as the series’ most tragic character, a victim of circumstance who still tried his best to do the right thing. Snape’s actions and motives remained elusive throughout the story, eventually coming to light in the last pages of the last book.

Snape’s unrequited love for Lily Potter came as a shock to even the most devoted fans. There had been no hint of a previous connection between the two, so the reveal came as a surprise. Jo Rowling could’ve done a much better job at laying the foundation for the relationship, but if she had, then perhaps the reveal wouldn’t have been as shocking as it was.

About The Author

David Caballero
(810 Articles Published)

David is a twenty-eight-year-old Mexican writer and reader. Having studied Marketing in school, he spent three years working a nine-to-five desk job before deciding to pursue a writing career. He now works as a Senior Writer in ScreenRant and does some more freelancing job, talking about the entertainment business he so loves. Currently, he’s also writing his second novel while actively working to get his first one published.

More From David Caballero