History TearJerker / HarryPotter

** Just like the scene in ''Goblet of Fire'' where Dumbledore explains to Harry what happened to Frank and Alice, and Harry himself is ''so'' appalled that he thinks he was lucky to just have his parents dead, whereas Neville's parents still alive but can't even recognize their child, so damaged they were.
** When Moody (actually Barty Crouch, Jr. using Polyjuice Potion) taught the Unforgivable Curses, it must have been having a hell of a moment for Harry and Neville.
** It's actually both a TearJerker AND a MoralEventHorizon for Crouch, Jr. Think about it: HE is the one responsible for Alice and Frank's condition, along with Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. Now look at that scene again. He is basically torturing Neville for A) his own ends, just to get a chance to revive his lord, and B) because he KNOWS how Neville would react.

* Everything that happens to Andromeda Tonks, especially in ''Deathly Hallows''. First, her son-in-law Remus walks out on the family. He comes back, only for Andromeda's own husband Ted to die. She has her grandson Teddy, who is named after said husband, and it seems okay. But then there's the battle at Hogwarts. Remus leaves, and then so does Dora, and neither of them come back, leaving her with her grandson who has the same morphing abilities as her dead daughter. The woman barely appears in the book, but experiences as much loss as so many others.

* Percy's FaceHeelTurn is quite sad, and it hits a few notes which have become more relevant in later years. Percy was raised by poor but progressive Arthur Weasley, who fully accepted Muggle-Borns as equals, disliked the enslavement of house-elves, and admired Muggles to the point of holding down a job protecting them. In the earlier books, we can see Percy has inherited these traits; he dated a Muggle-born and dislikes the Malfoys as much as the rest of his family. However, by ''Goblet of Fire'', he becomes more involved with the Ministry and his attitude starts changing; [[MyMasterRightOrWrong he becomes blindly loyal to Ministry officials and disregards their shadier aspects]], and starts parroting bigoted language towards house-elves and other races (and it's not clear if he's just saying the words to impress his higher-ups or if he's actually starting to believe it himself). By ''Order of the Phoenix'', it's become very clear that Percy believes that the only way to get ahead in life is to be a bully and an ass-kisser. Thankfully, he is able to see sense by ''Deathly Hallows''.

** It is a FateWorseThanDeath the more you think about it. Someone who dies and refuses to move on will be trapped in the living world to the end of time, because there is no second chance if they decide to change their mind. Nearly Headless Nick muses to Harry after Sirius dies that it is a good thing the latter chooses not to linger and instead move on. Nick has had over five centuries to reflect that it's probably better to brave yourself for something new, rather than clinging to the same old thing forever.
** The Grey Lady AKA Helena Ravenclaw's story is a sad one when you take into account that she parted from her mother on bad terms. Considering that we don't see Rowena Ravenclaw's ghost anywhere, Helena will never be able to apologize to her, no matter how much she wants to.

* Pretty much everything in Lupin's backstory, from his dad being [[ItsAllMyFault wracked with guilt]] after insulting Greyback results in Remus getting bit to the family having to move around all the time due to the stigma of werewolves to Remus himself refusing to live with his dad as an adult because he doesn't want to put the stress on him.

* The end of the epilogue. It wasn't the end of the movie, no; it was the damn music: "Leaving Hogwarts." The very same cue that played at the very end of the first movie. It told us, really, everything ran full circle. It reminded us of the entire scope and tragedy of the whole series compered to the first book.
* "''The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.''" It was like that feeling after you've gone through a long ordeal and it's all over and after so much time trying to hold it together, you just need a shoulder to cry on. And it wasn't just because the story had ended; it was the feeling of closure for a character who really, ''really'' had to ''[[EarnYourHappyEnding earn]]'' [[EarnYourHappyEnding that happy ending]]. And it was the implication that Harry's horrible childhood and seven (some would argue seventeen)-year struggle with Voldemort had left no lasting damage. He didn't end up going off the deep end. He didn't suffer from waking up in occasional cold sweats with hell itself exploding out of his forehead. He didn't have any worry about whether a fragment of Voldemort's soul would come bursting out of him at any moment to endanger the ones he loved. He grew into a man, married the one he loved (a miracle in and of itself, considering her proximity to the violence), had three healthy, happy children as well as a host of nieces and nephews; achieved his career goal and then some[[note]]He wanted to be an auror. He ended up becoming head of the entire freaking office--'''at 27!'''[[/note]]. And they all lived HappilyEverAfter. That's essentially what the last sentence says, but in a more beautiful and poignant way.

* Percy's FaceHeelTurn is quite sad, and it hits a few AdultFear notes which have become more relevant in later years. Percy was raised by poor but progressive Arthur Weasley, who fully accepted Muggle-Borns as equals, disliked the enslavement of house-elves, and admired Muggles to the point of holding down a job protecting them. In the earlier books, we can see Percy has inherited these traits; he dated a Muggle-born and dislikes the Malfoys as much as the rest of his family. However, by ''Goblet of Fire'', he becomes more involved with the Ministry and his attitude starts changing; [[MyMasterRightOrWrong he becomes blindly loyal to Ministry officials and disregards their shadier aspects]], and starts parroting bigoted language towards house-elves and other races (and it's not clear if he's just saying the words to impress his higher-ups or if he's actually starting to believe it himself). By ''Order of the Phoenix'', it's become very clear that Percy believes that the only way to get ahead in life is to be a bully and an ass-kisser. Thankfully, he is able to see sense by ''Deathly Hallows''.

* ''Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban''
* ''Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''
* ''Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''
* ''Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince''
* ''Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''

* Harry's early childhood was not nice. Having to live with an aunt and uncle who were [[AbusiveParents abusive at worst]] and [[ParentalNeglect didn't give a damn about him at best]], enduring constant bullying from his cousin, his cousin's friends, and his uncle's {{Jerkass}} sister; all because his parents were murdered when he was barely a year old. It got to the point that when he stayed at the Burrow (i.e., a wizard house filled with all manner of fascinating magical stuff for the first time), the thing that came as the biggest shock was the fact that everyone he lived with liked him. It helps that most of the Wizarding World seem to view him less as a person than as a Tv character.

* Harry's early childhood was not nice. Having to live with an aunt and uncle who were [[AbusiveParents abusive at worst]] and [[ParentalNeglect didn't give a damn about him at best]], enduring constant bullying from his cousin, his cousin's friends, and his uncle's {{Jerkass}} sister; all because his parents were murdered when he was barely a year old. It got to the point that when he stayed at the Burrow (i.e., a wizard house filled with all manner of fascinating magical stuff for the first time), the thing that came as the biggest shock was the fact that everyone he lived with liked him.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/226621_516456245_harrypotter5pic87_h124755_l_6269.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You're a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose ''everything''."'']]

*** Anything with Neville and his parents, really.

* Harry's early childhood was not nice. Having to live with an aunt and uncle who were abusive at worst and didn't give a damn about him at best, enduring constant bullying from his cousin, his cousin's friends and his uncle's jerkass sister, all because his parents were murdered when he was barely a year old. It got to the point that when he stayed at the Burrow, i.e. a wizard house filled with all manner of fascinating magical stuff for the first time, the thing that came as the biggest shock was the fact that everyone he lived with liked him.

** Just like the scene in ''Goblet of Fire'' where Dumbledore explains to Harry what happened to Frank and Alice, and Harry himself is ''so'' appalled that he thinks he was lucky to just have his parents dead, whereas Neville's parents still live but can't even recognize their child, so damaged they were.]]
** When Moody taught the Unforgivable Curses, it must have been having a hell of a moment for Harry and Neville...
** It's actually both a TearJerker AND a MoralEventHorizon for Fake Moody. Think about it. HE is the one responsible for Alice & Frank's demise, along with the Lestranges. Now look at that scene again. He is basically torturing Neville for: A) His own ends, just to get a chance to revive his Lord, and B) Because he KNOWS how Neville would react.
** Worse so in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny actually see Neville with his parents at St. Mungo's. Neville's grandmother tells him to throw away the wrapper Alice has given her son, and he slips it into his pocket. Anything with Neville and his parents, really.
** It's made even worse by the fact that, in the middle of this fantasy series with all sorts of funny spell effects and whimsical [[NoodleIncident noodle incidents]], we get a very low-key, realistic depiction of a son visiting his mentally shattered parents.
* Everything that happens to Andromeda Tonks, especially in book seven. First, her son-in-law walks out on the family. He comes back, only for Andromeda's own husband to die. She has her grandson, who is named after said husband, and it seems okay. But then there's the battle at Hogwarts. Lupin leaves, and then so does Dora, and neither of them come back, leaving her with her grandson who has the same morphing abilities as her dead daughter. The woman barely appears in the book, but experiences as much loss as so many others.
** Also, Sirius had died nearly two years beforehand, and a comment Sirius makes in Book 5 implies that they were closest to each other among their family members.
** Not to mention the fact that she's the sister of Voldemort's right-hand woman. You see Harry's reaction to her when he doesn't initially realize who she is (or rather, who she isn't), and wonder if other strangers had given her that same reaction. And ''then'' you wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that she and her husband live in a secluded location, away from other wizards and witches.

** At least she still has Teddy to care for by the end, unlike many other survivors who are left with nothing but themselves. Judging by the epilogue, he grows up A-okay.
* Barty Crouch Jr.'s story. His past is still depressing. He was the WellDoneSonGuy, with a father [[WhenYouComingHomeDad who loved work]] a great deal more than his own son. He did whatever he could to impress his father, who never let Barty know that he was impressed at his top grades in the [=OWLs=] and the [=NEWTs=]. The only family member who loved him died to give him freedom, which he never obtained because he spent the next thirteen years under the control of his father via MindRape, which drove him mad. He sided with Voldemort because he was more like a father than his own to him.
* Percy's FaceHeelTurn is quite sad, and it hits a few AdultFear notes which have become more relevant in later years. Percy was raised by poor, but progressive Arthur Weasley, who fully accepted Muggle-Borns as equals, disliked the enslavement of house-elves and admired Muggles to the point of holding down a job protecting them. In the earlier books we can see Percy has inherited these traits; he dated a Muggle-Born and dislikes the Malfoys as much as the rest of his family. However, by book 4 he becomes more involved with the Ministry, and his attitude starts changing; he becomes blindly loyal to Ministry officials and disregards their shadier aspects, and starts parroting bigoted language towards house-elves and other races (and it's not clear if he's just saying the words to impress his higher-ups or if he's actually starting to believe it himself). By book 5, it's become very clear; Percy believes at this point that the only way to get ahead in life is to be a bully and an ass-kisser. Thankfully he was able to see sense by book 7.
* Ghosts are unable to move on from whatever they did in life. Moaning Myrtle is, and will always be, trapped in the mind of a suicidal teenager, ''forever.''
** It is a FateWorseThanDeath the more you think about it; someone who dies and refuses to move on will be trapped in the living world to the end of time, because there is no second chance if they decide to change their mind. Nearly Headless Nick muses to Harry after Sirius dies that it is a good thing the latter chooses not to linger and instead move on. Nick has had over five centuries to reflect that it's probably better to brave yourself for something new, rather than clinging to the same old thing forever.
** The Grey Lady's story is a sad one when you take into account that she parted from her mother on bad terms. Considering that we don't see Rowena Ravenclaw's ghost anywhere, Helena will never be able to apologize to her, no matter how much she wants to.

* Pretty much everything in Lupin's backstory. From his dad being wracked with guilt after his insulting Greyback results in Remus getting bit to the family having to move around all the time due to the stigma of werewolves to him refusing to live with his dad as an adult because he doesn't want to put the stress on him.

* Wrock (Wizard-rock) has a few songs about Harry walking to his death, but The Butterbeer Experience's Chapter 34 tops all. "I know what I must do. And I am prepared. But, please stay here, so I'm not scared. No time to explain. No time for goodbyes. Only time for tears as I look into your eyes. So, hold my hand. Touch my heart. Know that really soon, I'll be where you are. I'll face him strong. Just . . . stay by my side. I want you there, when I, when I die."

** On that note, RiddleTM has a song of the same name that is equally heartbreaking- it's softer, mellower than TBE's Chapter 34... " I hold the ring in my hand, I’ll be okay now I have the bitter truth at last.Help me through, strengthen my resolve Help me face Voldemort, With courage and without fear...."
** Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls's Chapter 34 song, Open at the Close, has a heart breaking chorus: "So I'll walk it alone and face this truth. Mum, I'm coming home, home to you. No goodbyes this time, and no kisses too. Ginny, please don't you cry. Know I'll always love you."

* Ministry of Magic's "Don't Leave", set around the time when Ron abandons Hermione and Harry in Book 7, is ''heart-wrenching'' as Harry begs Ron not to go because everything they're fighting for will come to naught if his best friend leaves. [[ForegoneConclusion And Ron still left...]]
* Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls 'End of an Era'. Really that entire song, but to be specific: "I will miss the train ride in, and the pranks pulled by the twins. And though it's nowhere I have been, I'll keep on smiling from the times we had with them."

* The end of the Epilogue. It wasn't the end of the movie, no, it was the damn ''song''. The very same song that played at the very end of the first movie. It told us, really, everything ran full circle. It reminded us of the entire scope and tragedy of the whole series compered to the first book.
* "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well." It was like that feeling after you've gone through a long ordeal and it's all over and after so much time trying to hold it together, you just need a shoulder to cry on. And it wasn't just because the story had ended - it was the feeling of closure for a character who really, ''really'' had to ''[[EarnYourHappyEnding earn]]'' [[EarnYourHappyEnding that happy ending.]] And it was the implication that his horrible childhood and seven (some would argue seventeen)-year struggle with Voldemort had left no lasting damage. He didn't end up going off the deep end. He didn't suffer from waking up in occasional cold sweats with hell itself exploding out of his forehead. He didn't have any worry about whether a fragment of Voldemort's soul would come bursting out of him at any moment to endanger the ones he loved. He grew into a man, married the one he loved----a miracle in and of itself considering her proximity to the violence---and had three healthy, happy children as well as a host of nieces and nephews, achieved his career goal - and then some [[note]]He wanted to be an auror. He ended up becoming head of the entire freaking office - '''at 27!'''[[/note]]. And they all lived HappilyEverAfter. That's essentially what the last sentence says, but more beautiful - more poignant.
* Alan Rickman was known to not only refuse to play certain scenes in certain ways because of information that Rowling had given him about Snape, but he also never revealed just what that information was. Respecting his wishes, she never said either until after his death.

* ''TearJerkerHarryPotterHogwartsMystery''

!!Philosopher's Stone
* Visit the [[TearJerker/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone page]].

!!Chamber of Secrets
* Visit the [[TearJerker/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets page]].

!!Prisoner of Azkaban
* Visit the [[Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban page]].

!!Goblet of Fire
* Visit the [[Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire page]].

!!Order of the Phoenix
* Visit the [[Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix page]].

!!Half-Blood Prince
* Visit the [[Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince page]].

!!Deathly Hallows
* Visit the [[Tearjerker/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows page]].