At 21-years-old, I could not see the appeal with Harry Potter. I had heard of the movies, the books and had even visited Harry Potter World in Orlando twice. Even after visiting the magical replica of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, my question still remained: What could possibly be so interesting about the "boy who lived?" I found my answer when, nearly a decade after the last book was released and five years after the last movie was released, I began my Harry Potter journey. I started and finished all seven books in two weeks and could not manage to put them down unless I had something I actually needed to be doing. By the end of the series, I had extinguished all of my tears and felt like I had lost a close friend. Here are the moments that made me cry like a little baby:
1. When Cedric Diggory died by the hands of Lord Voldemort in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."
Even though he was Harry's nemesis in both the Triwizard Tournament and when it came to Cho Chang, Diggory was a nice guy with good intentions. He asked Harry to bring his body back to his family, and when his father saw him, I'm sure we all lost it.
2. When Harry saw his parents in the Mirror of Erised in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
This marks the first time Harry has seen his parents since he was a baby, which he probably doesn't remember. The Mirror of Erised shows you what you want most. For Ron, it was him leading his team to the Quidditch Cup. For Harry, it was simply to see his mother and father.
3. When Aragog died in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
Of course, we didn't love the spiders–they were actually terrifying. But sweet Hagrid had a soft spot for terrifying creatures of all kinds and this love extended even to Aragog. When he died, Hagrid was a mess and, well, so were we.
4. When Ron, Hermoine, Luna, Ginny and Neville proclaimed their allegiance to Harry and Dumbledore's Army in the Ministry of Magic after Harry saw the vision of his godfather, Sirius Black, being in danger in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
Neville and Luna had been labeled as outcasts since the beginning of their Hogwarts journey. This solidified the group's allegiance to one another, as well as their ability to do magic, which others would have testified against before. This also backs up Harry's statement to Voldemort when he says, "You will never know love or friendship." Harry had it all along in this group, and that's what made him so different from Voldemort.
5. When Harry Potter gave Dobby a sock, allowing him to become a free elf in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."
No, Harry didn't actually hand him the sock. Harry stuck a sock into Tom Riddle's diary, which Lucius Malfoy gave to Dobby. When Dobby opens the book, he sees his ticket to freedom all thanks to Harry Potter. Now, watching and reading this the first time, I was not emotional. But just wait, it's going to be hard to see this scene again.
6. When Remus Lupin dies in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
I loved Lupin from the very beginning when we met him as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." He ended up being one of the casualties during the Battle of Hogwarts, alongside his wife Tonks.
7. When Colin Creevey died after sneaking in to help with the Battle of Hogwarts in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Colin Creevey came into Hogwarts as an avid Harry Potter fan. As the Battle of Hogwarts drug on, Colin snuck into the Room of Requirement and died at the hands of the Death Eaters. He may have been annoying, but he was dedicated to Harry and Dumbledore's Army.
8. When Mad-Eye Moody died as the Order of the Phoenix were trying to escort Harry Potter safely in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Mad-Eye turned out to be one of my very favorite characters. Moody was very protective over Harry, and this turned out to be his downfall. In the Battle of the Seven Potters, when the Order of the Phoenix was trying to get Harry to safety, Moody was partnered with Mundungus Fletcher, who wanted no part in the plan. When Fletcher apparated, the Killing Curse hit Moody.
9. When Harry and Hermoine visit Godric's Hollow where Harry's parents are buried in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
After Ron's disappearance, Harry and Hermoine made a trip to Godric's Hollow in the pursuit of one of Voldemort's horcruxes. They made a stop to visit Harry's parents for the first time, which was emotionally exhausting even for me.
10. When Sirius Black died from the Killing Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
This was, arguably, one of the most devastating moments in the whole series. Harry had just found out that his godfather was a good guy, and was looking forward to spending his time outside of Hogwarts with Sirius. When they returned to Hogwarts the next school year, don't pretend you weren't upset when Harry wasn't receiving any mail from his godfather.
11. When Harry realizes his fate and goes through all of his favorite things about Hogwarts in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
When Harry finds out that he must die in order to kill Voldemort, he walks around and through Hogwarts under his invisibility cloak. He looks to Hagrid's Hut, around at all of the friends he had made and finally finds Ron and Hermoine. He realized that he was at home at Hogwarts. "But he was home. He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, had all found home here." Are you crying yet?
12. When Hedwig dies in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Oh, Hedwig. As Hagrid said, you lived "a great old life."
13. When Albus Dumbledore dies by the hands of Severus Snape in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
I had a hard time believing this. Dumbledore had always been the great protector of Harry and of Hogwarts. While his death wasn't the last time we saw him, it was still incredibly sad when Harry would return to the headmaster's office to see that he was no longer there.
14. When Fred Weasley dies during the Battle of Hogwarts in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
We were so used to seeing the Weasley duo together that we couldn't even tell them apart, and neither could their parents. Everyone had just made up with Percy and it seemed that all was well in the Weasley family. I had to take a break after this one.
15. And then when everyone realizes Harry isn't really dead, and George turns around to tell his twin brother the news.
George was so used to having his twin brother there to share every moment together. The tears are flowing.
15. When Severus Snape dies in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
"After all this time?" "Always."
16. When Harry's parents and godfather come alongside him as he dies in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Harry used the Resurrection Stone to allow his family to join him in his greatest moment of fear. I think we all had a weepy moment when Lily, Harry's mother said: "You've been so brave."
17. When Dobby dies.
To be honest, I can't even think about Dobby's death without crying. The once-annoying house elf had turned into one of the most beloved characters in all of Harry Potter. Even though at the end of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" Harry told Dobby not to try and save his life again, Dobby went against his wishes and died in the process. "Here Lies Dobby: A Free Elf."
