Harry Potter: Every Character Who Died In Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Summary

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
    is the darkest film in the series, with numerous casualties and moments of friendship and love that make the violence and loss more impactful.
  • The Battle of Hogwarts sees the deaths of many characters, including Snatchers on the bridge, giants, Death Eaters, and defenders of Hogwarts.
  • Voldemort’s top lieutenants, Bellatrix Lestrange and Nagini, are killed by Molly Weasley and Neville Longbottom, respectively, and Voldemort himself is finally defeated by Harry, bringing the series full-circle.

Out of all the Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has proven to be the darkest one as it saw several characters die in the Battle of Hogwarts as they fight to help Harry Potter defeat Voldemort. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 begins with Dobby’s burial and the grim opening sets the tone for the rest of the film. The clouds of war have gathered in the previous Harry Potter films and in Part 2, they break explosively.

The two-part finale of Harry Potter is the darkest, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has even more casualties than Part 1. What makes this film more tragic than those before it is that there are moments of friendship and love that make the violence and loss felt even more. Ron, Hermione, and Harry are reunited in friendship; Severus Snape is revealed as a hero, and the forces against Voldemort are undivided. As the Battle of Hogwarts commences, the death toll increases, with many characters unable to come back from the dead like Harry did.

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The courtyard sequence in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 sees the Golden Trio meet 6 obstacles, each of which reflects past adventures.

1 Gringotts Goblins And Wizards Are Killed By The Dragon & Voldemort

7 From The Dragon And 22 By Voldemort, Including Griphook

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One of the lesser-discussed deaths in the final Harry Potter movie is that of many of the goblins (and witches and wizards) who work at Gringotts, the magical bank. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 starts with a gripping set piece. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook (played by Warwick Davies, who replaced Verne Troyer) sneak into Gringotts to destroy a Horcrux. They release a dragon that has been tortured into guarding the vaults.

It’s an action-packed and explosive escape that sees 7 goblins and guards incinerated or knocked off cliffs by the beast. Afterward, Voldemort comes to the bank to see what has been stolen and murders 22 guards and goblins, including the duplicitous Griphook, in a rage. It is one of the first instances of Voldemort beginning to lose his grip after coming out of hiding.

2 Snatchers Who Are Incinerated Or Blown Up On The Bridge By Neville Longbottom

43 Deaths, Including Scabior

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Of all the characters in the Harry Potter franchise, few grow more than Neville Longbottom. While he starts the series as a forgetful and bashful young wizard, by the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, he is nothing short of a hero. Not only does he stand up to Voldemort and the Deah Eaters without fear, he is also single-handedly responsible for removing a significant number of them from the Battle of Hogwarts.

Along with Death Eaters, Voldemort has filled the ranks of his army with pureblood wizards and witches happy to take advantage of the new world order and kill anyone who opposes their Dark Lord. The Snatchers may not be Death Eaters, but they are the front line of a dark army. When a shell of magic descends on Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the professors’ show their power and strength when three Snatchers are incinerated by the protective wall. 40 more Snatchers, including Scabior, are then blown up on the bridge by Neville.

3 Giants Killed In A Variety Of Ways

3 Deaths Caused By Professors Sprout And McGonagall

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The giants were an aspect of the Wizarding World that seems fascinating though they remained relatively unexplored in both the Harry Potter books and movies (though J.K. Rowling’s novels do go into a few more details on how Voldemort managed to convince them to join him). As Voldemort’s army breaks into the Hogwarts grounds in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the battle is going poorly and the arrival of the giants makes it seem like the defenders have no chance.

While not referenced often, the giants are a race of magical creatures who have taken up with Voldemort with the promise that they can come out of hiding. At least three giants are slain during the Battle of Hogwarts, one is brought down by Professor Sprout’s trees, and the other two are killed by McGonagall’s animated statues. Despite this, the giants continue rampaging and are key to opening the way for Voldemort’s army.

4 Death Eaters Killed At Various Points During The Battle Of Hogwarts

14 Deaths, Including Fenrir Greyback

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Many Death Eaters must have presumed that the Battle of Hogwarts would be an easy win. They were facing an army composed of mostly children after all, and the forces of Voldemort included some of the most powerful (albeit evil) witches and wizards currently living. However, they quickly learned that Harry’s allies were just as dangerous, and were more than willing to kill despite not being servants of the Dark Lord.

The defenders of Hogwarts put up a valiant fight against the Death Eaters and their allies, like Fenrir Greyback, who eventually make their way through the protective shell and into the castle itself. The young witches and wizards and their adult allies fight bravely and manage to kill 14 Death Eaters, at least on screen.

Notably, Fenrir is killed by Hermione and Kingsley Shacklebolt freezes a Death Eater and sends them screaming back out the window they flew through. The heroes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 are not completely helpless, they’re powerful magic users and a formidable group that Voldemort can’t simply roll over.

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5 Wizards And Witches Killed By Death Eaters Throughout The Battle Of Hogwarts

34 Deaths, Including Lavender Brown

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The defenders of Hogwarts may have managed to kill several Death Eaters, and Voldemort’s forces may not have seen the victory they expected, but the battle did go as expected in one key way — many Hogwarts students and friends of Harry Potter tragically lost their lives. When Voldemort breaks the magical protection around Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the Death Eaters enter and the Battle of Hogwarts begins. Although the defenders fight well, they are outnumbered and half of them are children.

When he offers amnesty for the defenders, it actually sounds like a reasonable deal considering how many people have already died

By the end of the fighting, at least 34 defenders had been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. One of these casualties is Lavender Brown, who is mauled by Fenrir during the fight. These deaths show how powerful Voldemort is when he directs his forces in one direction. When he offers amnesty for the defenders, it actually sounds like a reasonable deal considering how many people have already died.

6 Gregory Goyle Is Killed By His Own Fiendfyre Curse

Goyle Isn’t Powerful Enough To Control The Magic

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During Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s quest for Ravenclaw’s Diadem, they find themselves in the Room of Requirement, pursued by Malfoy, Goyle, and Blaise Zabini. Goyle uses an incredibly dangerous Fiendfyre Curse and while climbing to escape, he falls backward into the fire he created and perishes.

For most of the Harry Potter franchise, Malfoy leads Goyle and Crabbe (who didn’t appear in the final Harry Potter movie). However, in Deathly Hallows – Part 2, he and his family have sunk low in the eyes of Voldemort. Goyle no longer has respect for Malfoy and his newfound confidence leads him to cast a spell that is far outside his abilities.

Notably, this is a death that doesn’t actually occur in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book. While one of Malfoy’s lackeys does perish from his own fiendfyre curse, it’s Crabbe and not Goyle. It’s not revealed what happened to Goyle after the Harry Potter novels, and he may have perished. If he survived, it’s likely he was sent to Azkaban with the rest of the Death Eaters.

7 Pius Thicknesse Is Killed By Voldemort

Voldemort’s Anger Gets The Better Of Him

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Voldemort wasted no time in solidifying his power over the Wizarding World, and a key part of his plans was installing his own puppet government. Rather than take up the position of Minister for Magic himself, Voldemort instead installed Pius Thicknesse. A lesser-known Harry Potter character, Pius still served an important part in the narrative of the Second Wizarding War, and also had one of the most violent deaths in the entire franchise.

Pius Thicknesse has a surprisingly brutal death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. When Ravenclaw’s Diadem is destroyed, Voldemort knows that he only has a few Horcruxes left. Pius tries to calm him, but Voldemort kills him in front of the other Death Eaters. In the novel, Thicknesse is under the Imperius Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses, and is nothing more than a puppet. The film does not make it clear if he is controlled, but some of his actions, like speaking to Voldemort, seem to be of his own volition. No one is safe from the Dark Lord when he is upset.

8 Severus Snape Is Betrayed By Voldemort

Nagini Kills Severus Snape

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There were few deaths during the Battle of Hogwarts as tragic as that of Severus Snape, and his death at the hands of Nagini is still considered by fans to be one of the most emotional moments in the entire film series. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Snape’s loyalties are finally revealed. Since Voldemort killed Lily Potter, his one love, Snape has been doing everything in his power to fight the Dark Lord.

Voldemort believes Snape has control of the Elder Wand, so he slashes him with a spell and allows Nagini to finish him off. Snape is the one ally that Voldemort seems to have the most trust in, and even he cannot escape Voldemort’s will. Voldemort kills Snape, still believing he was a trusted friend, but his memories show he was always Dumbledore’s.

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9 Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, And Nymphadora Tonks Are Found Dead

All Three Order Of The Phoenix Members Are Killed At Hogwarts

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Many fan-favorite characters lost their lives during the Battle of Hogwarts, and three that always stand out are Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks. During Harry’s walk to confront Voldemort, the dead defenders of Hogwarts are seen as their bodies are moved. Some of those bodies are familiar faces for Harry.

Lupin and Tonks are shown lying on a sheet next to each other, apparently having died fighting together. Their romance was one of the few bright spots in the bleak years of Voldemort making their death specifically tragic. Fred’s death is even more terrible and maybe one of the most distressing in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (although it is much different and not as impactful as Fred’s death in the book). These three deaths are more excuses for him to go to the forest and end the bloodshed.

10 Bellatrix Lestrange Is Killed By Molly Weasley

Molly Weasley Defends Her Daughter From Bellatrix Lestrange

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Not every death during the Battle of Hogwarts was tragic. Some were incredibly satisfying, such as when Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix LeStrange. Aside from Voldemort himself, Bellatrix is the most dangerous antagonist in the Harry Potter movies, responsible for killing several characters including Sirius Black. Conversely, Molly Weasley is one of the most beloved characters, and during the Battle of Hogwarts she showed that she was more than mild comic relief and a much-needed surrogate maternal figure for Harry Potter.

After Harry is ‘killed’ by Voldemort, the defenders of Hogwarts continue fighting. After Bellatrix Lestrange casts a spell at Ginny Weasley, Molly Weasley quickly stands in front of her, defending Ginny from any harm. It’s only a brief duel, but Molly ends up casting a curse that kills the evil witch and removes one of Voldemort’s top lieutenants. It is nearing the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 at this point of the story, and Voldemort has lost nearly all his powerful allies. For the first time, it’s the Hogwarts defenders who have the upper hand.

11 Nagini Is Decapitated By Neville Longbottom

Neville Uses The Sword Of Gryffindor On Nagini

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Neville is an inspiring figure, growing in confidence every year, and by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, he is one of the leaders of the students of Hogwarts. He stands up to the Death Eaters, sabotages the Carrows, explodes the bridge, and is instrumental in defeating Voldemort. While he also took out scores of Death Eaters, Neville also struck a personal blow to Voldemort by destroying the final Horcrux – Voldemort’s pet snake, Nagini.

As Nagini pounces on Ron and Hermione, Neville comes into the frame and cuts the snake’s head off with the Sword of Gryffindor. With that move, Voldemort loses his last Horcrux and Neville becomes one of the rare few people to have ever destroyed one. Every character is important in the fight against Voldemort, especially Neville. It’s also important to note that Nagini wasn’t only a Horcrux, but was once a witch herself, and was simply trapped in snake form. This makes Neville’s murder of her all the more impressive, as her human intellect meant she was far more dangerous than a regular snake.

12 Voldemort Is Killed By Harry Potter

Voldemort’s Death Brings The Series Full-Circle

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It is appropriate that the final death of the film is reserved for the man who started everything. It’s slightly changed from the books, but Voldemort and Harry have one last confrontation at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. As Voldemort’s spell rebounds, it hits the Dark Lord and kills him once and for all, erasing any evidence of him off the face of the earth. This is the culmination of the 8 Harry Potter movies; Voldemort’s dissolution into nothingness is an important visual to let the audience know that his evil is gone and Harry and his friends have won, without a shadow of a doubt.

Interestingly, Voldemort’s death happens very differently in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel. Following Harry striking the final blow, Voldemort’s body doesn’t disintegrate. He simply dies like any other mortal, and his body is interned in a chamber at Hogwarts away from the Great Hall before being disposed of. This was an important moment, as it showed that, for all his power, Voldemort was still human. While his body collapsing into dust made for a great moment in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, it did lose some of the thematic impact compared to the book version.

Were There More Deaths At The Battle Of Hogwarts In The Harry Potter Books?

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For the most part, the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 accurately reflects the novel in the number of deaths. While it doesn’t show every single Death Eater death or slayed Hogwarts defender described in the books, it does an adequate job at insinuating the high fatality count on both sides. The movies also included many of the deaths of named characters, including relatively minor ones like Lavender Brown.

However, there were a few moments in the books that the movie didn’t include which are worth noting. For example, Professor Camelia (a minor Hogwarts teacher whose subject was never fully clarified) was mentioned as one of the casualties, with her body being recovered by Professor Trelawney in a somewhat emotional moment. There were also some details about the deaths of named characters, such as that Lupin was killed by the Death Eater Antonin Dolohov in a duel.

The death not included in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 that stands out the most is that of Colin Creevey. Colin appeared in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie, and is the Muggle-born first year student who is a massive fan of Harry’s, and also one of the victims of the Basilisk. While Colin never appeared in any subsequent Harry Potter movies, he did crop up from time to time in the books.

Colin heroically returned to Hogwarts to take part in the final battle despite having the opportunity to return to his life of safety with his Muggle parents. He was a completely innocent character every time he appeared in Harry Potter, naive and mildly irritating yet an endearing presence. His death at the Battle of Hogwarts was a poignant moment, and one that helped ensure the tragedy and sense of personal loss truly hit home:


Then Neville nearly walked into him. He was one half of a pair that was carrying a body in from the grounds. Harry glanced down, and felt another dull blow to his stomach: Colin Creevey, though underage, must have sneaked back just as Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had done. He was tiny in death.

— Oliver Wood carrying Colin’s dead body into the Great Hall

Since Colin Creevey didn’t really appear in the Harry Potter movies after The Chamber of Secrets it’s understandable that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 didn’t include this moment. However, when it comes to the novel, Harry looking down to see the underage wizard’s body remains a jarring moment, and one that readers rarely forget.

Harry Potter Franchise Poster Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.

Created by J.K. Rowling First Film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Character(s) Harry Potter , Hermione Granger , Ron Weasley , Dumbledore , Minerva McGonagall , Rubeus Hagrid , Dobby the House Elf , Draco Malfoy , Sirius Black , Ginny Weasley , Voldemort