History TearJerker / HarryPotter

[[caption-width-right:350:''You will lose everything.'']]

The life of someone like Literature/HarryPotter is bound to be [[TearJerker very sad at times]]. After all this time? ''Always.''

* 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 aunt'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.

* Rowling recently revealed two facts that make the deaths of the Potters even more tragic: [[spoiler: not only was Lily pregnant at the time, but she had convinced James to make Snape the godfather of that unborn child. So not only did Snape lose the love of his life but he lost even the chance to reconcile with her and be involved in the life of two children who would have called him [[HonoraryUncle "Uncle"]]. James really was the bigger man...]]

* Ron and Harry separated from their best friend (and in Ron's case, burgeoning love) for months. Not to mention that Hermionie is already established as the brains of the operation, leaving them even more scared and desperate.

* "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 that 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 [[spoiler: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.

[[TearJerker/HarryPotterNonCanon Click here]] to view to non-canon.

* Definitely a subjective example, but it's pretty sad to see Filch's reaction when he discovers that Mrs. Norris has been petrified, especially in the film, where he sounds so extremely... broken.
-->'''Filch''': M-mrs. Norris? (''to Harry'') You've... ''murdered'' my cat. [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds I'll kill you]]. '''''[[UnstoppableRage I'LL KILL YOU!]]'''''
* After Riddle is defeated, a very shaken Ginny comes to, sees Harry and the dead Basilisk - and immediately breaks down sobbing with guilt and confesses to Riddle manipulating her, all while convinced that she's going to be expelled. [[TheWoobie You just want to give the poor kid a hug.]]

* AlanRickman's death. Just...''his death''. The fact '''nobody''' saw it coming in a year that began with the death of ''Music/DavidBowie'' makes it tragic. Every actor who met Rickman was devastated and give their thoughts on his passing. Bless him.
** Emily Watson's Twitter post regarding it is '''worse'''...

* AlanRickman's death

* Before meeting Hagrid, Harry draws a birthday cake with candles out of the soot on the shack's stone floor. Dudley's watch beeps and Harry looks forlornly at the cake, says, "Make a wish, Harry," and blows out the "candles".

* Before meeting Hagrid, Harry draws a birthday cake with candles out of the soot on the shack's stone floor. Dudley's watch beeps and he looks forlornly at the cake, says, "Make a wish, Harry," and blows out the "candles".

* Remus Lupin's backstory.

* Ghosts are unable to move on from whatever they did in life. Moaning Myrtle is perpetually trapped in the mind of a suicidal teenager.

** Worse so in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' when [[spoiler:Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron 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.

-->'''[[spoiler:Dumbledore]]''': "After all this time?"
-->'''[[spoiler:Snape]]''': "Always."

-->''"After all this time?"''
-->''"Always."''