Tear Jerker / Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

WARNING: Spoilers are unmarked.

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From the Book

• Even though he brought it on himself, it's still sad to see how far Fudge has fallen after the depth of his errors came to light. Scrimgeour gives a token mention of keeping him around in an advisory capacity, but it's clear that Fudge is just being Kicked Upstairs and his reputation is irreparably ruined. Even the Muggle Prime Minister (who's never liked dealing with the Ministry of Magic) feels a bit sorry for Fudge, seeing the man trying to swallow back his sadness as best as he can.
• The Muggle Prime Minister's position is not an enviable one either. He has vague information of what really goes on at best while his country is getting steadily worse and worse (and he can't even tell his fellow Muggles because they wouldn't believe him), is patronized by those who know more, and is ridiculed/thought ineffective by those who don't, and at the end of the meeting with Scrimgeour, he desperately pleads with the two wizards to solve the problems with magic, like a kid asking their parents for something the kid is convinced their almighty parents can do... only to be told, no, it isn't that simple.
  Prime Minister: But for heaven's sake — you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out—well—anything!
  Fudge: (smiling sadly) The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister.
• Even though he reacts childishly, it's sad to see just how disappointed and angry Hagrid's feeling that Harry, Ron, and Hermione aren't taking his NEWT Care of Magical Creatures class. Even when he’s angry with the trio, he still invites them in for food but is hostile and grouchy the whole time, until finally he blubbers about Aragog’s failing health and how losing the trio as his students was just the cherry on top of the pain he’s been in. Even after they make amends, later in the book, Hagrid makes another comment that he’s still hurt by it all.
• Dumbledore's funeral.
  • Even worse is Harry's broken reaction, declaring to himself that no one else will die for him and breaking up with Ginny.
    • His assertion that the weeks they spent together felt like "something out of someone else's life". This book's status as a Breather Episode really highlighted all the things that should have been expected of a 16-year-old kid — negotiating his class schedule, playing sports, dipping his toes into the dating pool... but after Dumbledore died, Harry realized that as much as he ached to be normal — as far as wizards go, anyway — it wasn't in the cards for him. Not until Voldemort was dead. And the decision to break up with Ginny was followed shortly thereafter — or perhaps actually preceded — by his decision to leave Hogwarts, which he had often called his one true home.
  • Fawkes flying around Hogwarts lamenting his owner. After the funeral, he leaves Hogwarts, never to return.
• There's something sad about the fact that Merope named her son, Tom Marvolo Riddle, after two people in her life that didn't care a fig about her, simply because she had no one else. One was her father who abused her all her life for being bad at magic, the other was the father of her child who was brainwashed into loving her and ran for his life the second she dropped the spell, and they were all she had.
  • Merope's whole life was sad. She was abused by her father, bullied by her brother and possibly subjected to sexual abuse, which led to her being inept at magic and only gave her father more reasons to abuse her since he thought that she was a Squib. She longed for love and nourished a crush on Tom Riddle, but she knew that he would never show interest in her because she was poor and unattractive (and he didn't know that her family had been the wizard equivalent of nobility) unless she used magic. And while she was wrong to use a Love Potion to brainwash Tom into marrying her and then basically rape him, she wanted the real thing so badly that she dropped the spell and might have hoped that Riddle would have fallen in love with her too, only for him to naturally run away as far as possible, destroying all her hopes and leaving her too depressed to live long enough to raise her son, dying in childbirth.
• Dumbledore throughout all of the scene in the cave, especially if you have read Deathly Hallows. It's obvious even only from this book he is going through horrible and mind-breaking memories, but what exactly those memories are we can only begin to suspect when reading the last book...
• When Harry sees Dumbledore's body on the grass next to the Astronomy Tower. It was bad enough seeing that Snape actually killed Dumbledore, but the fight scene distracts you from that until Harry pushes through the crowd around Dumbledore's body. Then there's the bit with the fake locket.
  • It's particularly painful seeing Harry so furious at Snape that he tries to assault him with a Cruciatus Curse...which Snape nullifies while bitching out Harry.
• The scene when Slughorn finally gives Harry his memory. His sad declaration that he's not proud of what he did and the way he tremulously asks Harry not to think too badly of him after he sees it especially.
• During the scene when he and Harry go to recruit Slughorn to work at Hogwarts, Dumbledore tells Harry that he wouldn't need to worry about being attacked, because "You (Harry) are with me (Dumbledore)." At the end of the book, after Dumbledore takes all of the potion to get the fake Horcrux, Harry is helping Dumbledore get out of the cave, leading to this exchange:
  "It's going to be all right, sir," Harry said over and over again, more worried by Dumbledore's silence than he had been by his weakened voice. "We're nearly there.... I can Apparate us both back.... Don't worry...."''
  "I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you."
• Snape's "Don't call me coward!", especially when you realize how much he went through just to get to that moment. He'll be hated and reviled for the rest of his life (and possibly beyond that) for his act, and he knows it.
  • A bit of a Fridge Sadness when you realize that Snape didn't properly lose it with Harry until he uses Levicorpus, which is the same spell that James used to attack Snape all those years ago. Now Harry, who is near-identical to James, is using the same spell, bringing Snape back to the moment which, through Snape's own doing, set him on the path that would lead him to where he is now, the darkest moment of his life.
• Similar to the above, Snape looking at Dumbledore with hatred and revulsion seems like a betrayal, but it's more hate at having to do this at all, especially with the later heavy implication that Dumbledore is his Parental Substitute.
  • The awful moment when Dumbledore is begging Snape "Please" and you later realize Dumbledore was begging Snape to kill him to spare Draco from having to do it and Dumbledore from unnecessary suffering.
  • The way that Snape and Harry have the same words describing them when they have to harm Dumbledore in some way:
    Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing, Harry forced the goblet back toward Dumbledore's mouth and tipped it, so that Dumbledore drank the remainder of the potion inside.
    Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.
• Lupin and McGonagall's reactions to Dumbledore's death. Lupin's distraught "NO!", the only time Harry had ever seen him lose control of his emotions (which included seeing one of his best friends die right in front of him), and McGonagall, who is always so calm and collected, almost fainting.
  • And in general, everyone's reactions to it being Snape who killed Dumbledore, particularly the staff's (McGonagall didn't believe it until she heard it from Harry, Hagrid couldn't believe it though Harry told him explicitly several times, even tries to defend Snape and had to see Dumbledore's body to finally believe Slughorn's reaction...) are not immediate anger/outrage, but shock and disbelief. It is clear that whatever doubts about Snape they held in the beginning, they trusted Dumbledore so much to eventually trust and accept Snape as one of their own after all these years of working alongside him. To imagine how the pain of this betrayal must have hurt; after all, not only is Dumbledore dead but that he is killed "at the hands of one of our colleagues is a terrible stain upon Hogwarts's history. It is horrible." Especially as it was not betrayal at all and only Snape knows this now, but they don't find out until after his death, and the last encounter between him and his former teachers/colleagues/fellow Heads of Houses ends with their duel and driving him out of the castle.
    "Snape," repeated McGonagall faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered... but he trusted...always...Snape... I can't believe it..."
    "Snape!" ejaculated Slughorn, who looked the most shaken, pale, and sweating. "Snape! I taught him! I thought I knew him!"
  • Fridge Sadness: similar to the above, Snape wasn't just McGonagall's colleague, he was her student at one point. One can only imagine how horrible she felt after his death and acquittal, especially given how harshly she treated him in that last year (calling him a coward and being the one to drive him from the castle, and ultimately to his death); it was hardly undeserved, given the circumstances, but it's still got to weigh heavily on her.
  • Even more Fridge Sadness in this scene when considering the above line that Slughorn gives. By this point we know he was reluctant to give Harry and Dumbledore the memory out of guilt over having given young Voldemort information about Horcruxes, info which Voldemort used to aid him in committing all sorts of crimes, one of which being the murder of Harry's mother and his favourite student, Lily. Like McGonagall, Snape was also his student, and he evidently thought that despite how he was, even something this vile was beyond his doing. Adding to that is his reaction as described above and it gives the feeling he had this exact reaction to learning of Voldemort's many upon many Moral Event Horizon crossings, especially in regards to his ex-student committing murder against someone he holds dear.
• The end of Voldemort's job interview (as seen in a Pensieve memory). Whatever he became, Dumbledore's line still brings to light the simple fact that Tom Riddle could have been so much more, and the sorrow that Dumbledore feels over how much of a monster his student became.
  Voldemort: We have nothing more to say to each other.
  Dumbledore: No, nothing. [a great sadness fills his face] The time is long gone when I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes. But I wish I could, Tom... I wish I could...
• Sirius's name is cleared, but it's too late for him.
• Remus's describing himself as "too old, too poor, too dangerous" for Tonks. It's clear just how low the poor man's self-esteem is, and it also suggests that after Sirius's death, he doesn't want to get close to anyone again for fear of losing them. He's lost all of his closest friends, either because they died (like James and Sirius) or because they betrayed everyone (like Peter Pettigrew).
• Not a specific moment, but something about how Harry, for a limited time, came to feel a certain degree of affinity and awe about the Half-Blood Prince/Snape's potions handbook, given the mutual dislike as far as their face-to-face communication goes. Were it not for their mutual baggage, they could have had a very productive, even friendly, teacher-student relationship.
• In a moment that really sells just how lonely Luna is, her reaction to hearing that Harry won't be continuing the DA is to simply remark, "I liked the meetings. It was almost like having friends."
• A downplayed moment is that the day after Ron's run-in with Ginny, it's said that he's treating "a hurt and bewildered Hermione" very frostily as well. Only because he found out she had kissed Viktor Krum two years ago. One of her best friends suddenly starts treating her in a hostile way, and she has no idea why. Because of this, Harry finds himself unable to explain to her why Ron is suddenly treating her so harshly.
• It turns out Aragog finally passed from old age, and that Hagrid dragged his body (fighting off the spider's children in the process) so he could give his friend a proper funeral. Just seeing Hagrid so distressed over losing a creature he raised like a child is heartbreaking, especially since Aragog sincerely returned that affection. Hagrid is also forced to realize that even though Aragog did love him as a friend, his children only didn’t attack him on Aragog’s orders and with their father dead, Hagrid’s now on the menu.
  • We get to see a scan of Hagrid’s letter to the trio asking them to come to Aragog’s funeral. It’s absolutely splotchy from his tears and he starts it off with a concise "Aragog died last night" to show how hurt he is. And unbeknownst to him, none of the trio are eager to attend since Aragog nearly ate two of them, even with Hagrid being in terrible pain.
• Dumbledore's death is just one big Tear Jerker. He was one of the very first characters we ever met and has always been a source of wisdom, comfort, and gentle humor. From the end of Order of the Phoenix onwards, he became a Parental Substitute to Harry as well as opened up and became more human. Now, he's gone, and Voldemort's biggest opposition is out of the way.
• Sure it's a bit low priority compared to everything else mentioned above but the fact that Harry wasn't allowed to participate in what would be the last Quidditch match in the entire story, and not to mention the last one that Harry would've ever played if not for the unfortunate circumstances that prevented him from doing so, is still very sad. It doesn't help that in the last one he actually played in, he suffered a nasty injury and lost badly.
  • What's worse is JK Rowling said she was tired of writing Quidditch scenes and intended while writing for that match to be the last one featured in the series, which was fine by the actors and filmmakers, as filming them was tiring. Needless to say, a lot of readers felt otherwise and were very disappointed.
• Tom Riddle's fate. No matter how snobby or elitist he might have been, he didn't deserve to be raped and, essentially, kept as a sex slave by Merope Gaunt until she let him go. His decision to abandon her and their unborn child is perfectly understandable. This is especially horrifying and sad when you realize he could never explain to anyone what she really did to him, simply having to say he was "tricked" by her. Not only would it be impossible for him to explain it due it being magic, he lived in a time when male rape victims received even less understanding and compassion than they do today. From what we learned in Goblet of Fire, Riddle never married and wound up being murdered by his own son.

From the Film

• The opening scene, which is essentially a deleted scene from the aftermath of the battle from the previous instalment. Harry is being photographed like a celebrity, and he's so devastated over the loss of Sirius that he barely registers it. He simply carries a Thousand-Yard Stare as Dumbledore gently guides him through the crowd.
• A running theme throughout the film version is Dumbledore's regret that he couldn't dissuade Voldemort from turning evil. He still remembers when Tom Riddle was just a little boy and he's heartbroken such a bright student became what he did.

  (Harry and Dumbledore return from the Pensieve memory of young Tom Riddle)
  Harry: ...Did you know, sir? Then?
  Dumbledore: Did I know that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No. If I had... (trails off)

  • It comes back when Draco confronts Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower. An important part of Dumbledore's plan up until this point is that no harm comes to Draco whatsoever. He's outright pleading another one of his students to not go down the same path as Tom Riddle.
    Dumbledore: Draco, years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you...
• The addition made after Dumbledore's death, when first McGonagall, then Luna and Neville, and eventually everyone raises their wands lit by Lumos in silent honour of their fallen headmaster. Said wands disintegrate the Dark Mark.
  • The look of utter devastation on McGonagall's face... and the scene afterwards.
    McGonagall: You meant a great deal to him.
  • Speaking of said scene, the emotion and tearjerky-ness when McGonagall finding Harry in Dumbledore's office. She obviously is still hurting over the loss of her closest friend and tries to comfort one of Dumbledore's favourite pupils, only for Harry to simply try to pass her and leave the room. While one would feel this is a Jerkass moment for Harry, one does have to take into account that like McGonagall, he's hurting over the loss of Dumbledore as well, which leads to McGonagall giving the line above.
• Dear lord, the scene where Dumbledore leads Harry to get the Horcrux and Harry must feed him the potion, even after he cannot tolerate it, and he gets all frail and pale.
• When Malfoy is in the Room of Requirement, trying to get the Vanishing Cabinet to work, the finch appears to have died. On top of being shown his utterly disturbed expression, you can hear him crying and you can really feel how stressed and scared he is. Pushed even further when he's in the bathroom later, breaking down.
  • It's enhanced by the fact that, in the book, Draco is definitely sympathetic but still clearly not to be rooted for. The movies, however, humanize him and turn him from just another caricatured antagonist into a boy who made all the wrong choices and is lonely and afraid. One may be unable to help but see the similarities between Draco and Regulus Black, as both are forced down the path of darkness out of loyalty to their family.
  • Draco's reaction to Hogwarts getting destroyed.
• Slughorn's story about Francis, the magical fish that Lily gave him, and how, when he came downstairs and looked at it one day, it had vanished and so he knew that she was dead because a wizard's magic only stops when they do.
  • It's a double one because, up until now, the audience is led to believe that Slughorn only cared for his Slug Club members to cash in on their fame and get gifts from it. However, upon learning that Lily died, he was completely devastated, showing that he did care for their well-being.
• When Hermione is crying in the abandoned room and Harry tries to comfort her, only to have the lovebirds interrupt and be driven off by the real lovebirds. Specifically, the line "How does it feel...when you see Dean with Ginny?". Christ, you can hear how heartbroken she is.
  • Of course, it’s a bit different with Harry, as he isn’t angry at Ginny.
• The last scene in the movie. As the Golden Trio reflects on what has happened and what will come in the future, a noise echoes through the sky. It's Fawkes, singing his song to mourn his lost master and flying away from Hogwarts for good. Cue credits and audiences blubbering.
• If the events of Order of the Phoenix weren't enough, Lestrange singing "I killed Sirius Black" in the cornfield to taunt Harry and Co. will elicit both Berserker Tears and sad tears.
• Pay attention to Alan Rickman's performance when Snape kills Dumbledore. In the book, he shouts out "AVADA KEDAVRA!", but in the movie, his tone of voice (remember, he's being asked by Dumbledore to do this against his wishes) is more like "God forgive me..." It's one of regret and remorse.
  • It's a good thing none of the Death Eaters could directly see his face because you can tell Snape is in damn pain. Especially with the heavy implication that Dumbledore is his Parental Substitute.
  • Even beforehand, the way Draco's voice increasingly trembles with pain and fear, tearing up as he struggles to do his task:
    "I don't want your help! Don't you understand? I have to do this... I have to kill you... or [Voldemort]'s gonna kill me."
• The "Sectumsempra" scene in the bathroom is emotional, as it finally sees Harry going too far with his magic. He damn nearly kills Draco, and even though Draco makes some terrible choices, even Harry looks horrified at what he's done.
  • The staging of the next scene, with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione leaning against the wall and Harry sitting on the couch, is reminiscent of an intervention.
• In a deleted scene, we see the Hogwarts students sing in a hauntingly beautiful choir that takes place immediately before Dumbledore's death. We witness Snape overlooking the window, thinking about what he will have to do while shedding a single tear.

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