With more than 600 million books sold and a growing slate of films, Harry Potter has established itself as one of the most popular franchises in entertainment history. J.K. Rowling's magical Wizarding World is filled with wonder, lovable characters, one-of-a-kind creatures, and a whole host of spells, charms, hexes, and curses.

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While much of Harry Potter, especially the earlier books, is lighthearted, there's a great deal of darkness hidden beneath the surface. Harry Potter, best known in the Wizarding World as "the boy who lived," is the only known survivor of the killing curse. The Wizarding World remained torn in two for a long time, but the hero held up his end of the bargain by defeating Voldemort once and for all.

Updated on June 5, 2023 by Ajay Aravind: The Harry Potter franchise remains as popular today as it did over twenty years ago. A testament to this fact is the monumental success of Hogwarts Legacy, an action RPG set in the Wizarding World. Although Harry Potter was originally written for young children, the subject matter in later novels skews heavily toward the morbid. As such, we've revamped this list containing the darkest storylines in Harry Potter.

It’s important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. CBR supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love, and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find CBR’s continuing coverage on Rowling here. (https://www.cbr.com/tag/jk-rowling/)

15 The Consumption Of The Unicorn

Voldemort feasting on a unicorn in Harry Potter

Although The Philosopher's Stone is much lighter in tone than its successors, even the first Harry Potter installment contains a few dark storylines. One of the most horrifying scenes occurs when Hagrid chaperones Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Draco to the Forbidden Forest for detention.

Harry watches as an ominous "cloaked figure" drinks the blood of dead or dying unicorn, prompting a terrified scream from Draco Malfoy. This moment seems less frightening in the light of day, but fans later discover that the mysterious individual had been Professor Quirrell under Voldemort's control. Body possession aside, unicorns had been described as innocent beings, so watching someone devour this creature is unquestionably morbid.

14 Dudley's Encounter With A Dementor

Dudley and Dementor in Harry Potter

Dementors are naturally terrifying entities. Not only do they instill fear in the hearts of anyone in the vicinity, but they also feed on human joy, leaving behind a husk of misery and doubt. Voldemort scares everyone because he's both overpowered and unscrupulous, but even he doesn't randomly decide to suck the soul out of a living human being.

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When a pair of Dementors makes their way to Harry's London neighborhood, Dudley ends up in the crossfire. Fans had no sympathy for Harry's spoiled brat of a cousin at this point, but nobody deserves an end as horrifying as the Dementor's Kiss. On a positive note, Harry's decision to save Dudley establishes an enduring framework for their future friendship.

13 Voldemort Murders His Father And Grandparents

Tom Riddle looking serious in the Chamber of Secrets

Several events in the Harry Potter books were not carried over by the movie adaptation. This includes snippets of Voldemort's violent youth, particularly when he decides to murder his father and both his paternal grandparents. Tom Riddle Snr is a shameless man, given how easily he abandons a woman after impregnating her.

Although he's supposedly under Merope's magical influence, Riddle Snr's behavior reeks of arrogance and apathy. That said, the act of killing one's parents carries great weight in the Harry Potter universe. Even Harry chooses to forgive his aunt and uncle after they mistreat him, but Voldemort would rather murder people than accept their flaws.

12 Cedric's Murder Shocks The Wizarding World

Harry Potter crying over Cedric Diggory's body in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Characters start dropping like flies in The Goblet of Fire and beyond. While the deaths of Frank Bryce and Barty Crouch Snr are lamentable, nothing shook the fandom as much as Cedric's untimely demise. When both Harry and Cedric reach the Triwizard Cup at the same time, they agree to take the win together.

Unfortunately, the cup turns out to be a portkey, transporting the two boys to a creepy graveyard. Cedric doesn't even get the opportunity to say a single word before he's mowed down by the Killing Curse. Harry's entire life changes following Cedric's death, setting the stage for gloomier things to follow.

11 Dolores Umbridge Persecutes Muggle-Borns

Dolores Umbridge sits and stirs her tea in her office.

After Voldemort's return, the Ministry of Magic does everything it can to deny it. To keep an eye on wizards, Dolores Umbridge joins Hogwarts' teaching staff as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. At Hogwarts, she refuses to prepare students to defend themselves against the dark arts, while torturing and humiliating them.

As punishment, Umbridge forces students to use her quill, which uses students' blood as ink by cutting any written words into their hands. After Hogwarts, Umbridge rejoins the Ministry where she goes after Muggle-Born witches, and wizards, persecuting them for stealing magic from "real wizards" and sending them to Azkaban. Thankfully, Umbridge outstayed her welcome.

10 Harry Uses Sectumsempra On Draco

Harry Potter and Snape standing in the Hogwarts bathroom after Harry casts Sectumsempra.

Draco Malfoy and Harry have been rivals since Harry's first day at Hogwarts. Harry comes across a Potions book that belonged to the titular Half-Blood Prince, which helps him excel in class and learn new spells. One of those spells is Sectumsempra, which lacerates the target and causes severe hemorrhaging.

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After suspecting Draco of cursing Katie Bell with a necklace, Harry follows him to the bathroom, where he uses Sectumsempra on a crying Draco. While Harry didn't know what the spell was supposed to do, it's one of the worst things he's done. It marks a turning point for Harry's character, showing a dark and desperate side audiences had yet to see.

9 Hermione Erases Her Parents' Memories

Hermione Granger Obliviates her parents in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

It's well-known that Hermione Granger comes from a Muggle family and is the only known witch in her entire lineage. When Voldemort returns in the Goblet of Fire, the line between the Wizarding World and the Muggle world becomes a bit blurred. During the second Wizarding War, Voldemort and his Death Eaters begin posing a threat not just to wizards and witches, but to Muggles.

Fighting alongside Harry, Hermione puts her life on the line to protect the Wizarding World. As many wizards and muggles lost their lives, Hermione erases herself from her parents' memories to keep them safe. Luckily, she manages to reverse the effects of the memory charm after Voldemort's defeat.

8 Petunia Despises Her Sister and Nephew

Petunia Dursley looks defensive in Harry Potter

While the movies don't truly explore Petunia and Lily's relationship outside of Petunia's disdain for the wizard community, a deleted scene and the book offer more insight into Petunia's true feelings. Jealous she doesn't receive a letter to Hogwarts, Petunia writes to Dumbledore herself, begging for a spot.

Though Lily tells Petunia that she'll do everything she can to get her a place in Hogwarts, Petunia just isn't a witch. With this, she becomes jealous of Lily, a feeling that eventually grows into spite. Following Lily's death, discussing anything related to magic only proves to be more painful, which is why Petunia takes her hatred out on Harry and only speaks ill of her late sister.

7 *The Rise Of The Inferi

Inferi in Harry Potter

There are dozens of scary magical creatures in Harry Potter, but none of them are a fraction as nightmarish as the Inferi. The Half-Blood Prince describes these zombie-like entities as "corpses, dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard's bidding."

Voldemort protects the cave Horcrux using numerous magical barriers, one of them being a watery platoon of Inferi waiting to pounce on anyone approaching his precious soul fragment. The rise and subsequent attack of the Inferi seem like something out of a horror movie, as rotting skeletons attempt to drown Harry in the subterranean lake. Thankfully, Dumbledore's firestorm spell quells this dark storyline before it gets any worse.

6 Harry Force-Feeds Dumbledore Poison

Harry Forcing Dumbledore To Drink Poison to find the Horcrux

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore tracks down one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Salazar Slytherin's locket. The locket is hidden beneath the Emerald Potion, which can't be touched. As a result, Dumbledore has to drink all of it in order to access the Horcrux.

Since the Emerald Potion is magically toxic, Dumbledore brings Harry with him to make sure he drinks all of it. Throughout the series, audiences see Dumbledore as a point of support for Harry, but the Headmaster's composure soon begins to collapse, leaving him to rely on Harry's support. This event weighs greatly on Harry, but he gives Dumbledore his word and forces him to drink every last drop.

5 The Unfortunate Fate Of Neville's Parents

Frank and Alice Longbottom in a magical photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix

Along with Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom is marked by a prophecy as one of two wizards who might one day defeat Voldemort. As Harry and Voldemort are both Half-Bloods, Voldemort attempts to kill Harry instead of Neville, but Lily's sacrifice destroys the Dark Lord's corporeal body. Wanting answers for Voldemort's disappearance, Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters go after Neville's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom.

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The two talented Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix are tortured by Bellatrix with the Cruciatus Curse, one of three Unforgivable Curses. Crucio results in Neville's parents being admitted to a hospital for the remainder of their lives, as well as not being able to recognize Neville's face.

4 Hermione Is Bullied & Discriminated Against

Bellatrix tortures Hermione with "mudblood" on her arm

Coming from a Muggle family, Hermione finds herself the victim of bullying from certain witches and wizards who believe magic should be kept solely in pureblood families. One of her worst bullies Draco Malfoy is vocal about this since meeting her in The Philosopher's Stone.

Slytherins are especially known for advocating to protect their ancestry, and Draco's place in Slytherin only encourages him to inflict these views on Hermione. The term "Mudblood" is essentially a racial slur in the Wizarding World and refers to witches and wizards born into a Muggle family. Not only does Draco continuously call her a Mudblood, but Bellatrix Lestrange even carves the word into Hermione's arm in Deathly Hallows Part 1.

3 Snape's Complicated Love For Lily Potter

Severus Snape cries as he holds Lily Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

In an incredible plot twist, it's revealed that Severus Snape had been acting as a double agent for Dumbledore. Snape switches sides to help Dumbledore after discovering Voldemort's plan to kill Lily, James, and Harry Potter. Lily was Snape's very first friend, as the two met as children before attending Hogwarts.

Sorted into Slytherin, Snape is pressured by his housemates to believe Mudbloods are lesser wizards, and angrily calls Lily that term one day. Although that moment ends their friendship, Snape never stops loving Lily, remaining faithful to her until his last breath by protecting Harry. His Doe Patronus proves that Snape had always been a good guy.

2 Voldemort Orders Draco To Kill Dumbledore

Draco Malfoy cries while attempting to kill Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Throughout The Half-Blood Prince, Draco attempts to kill Dumbledore with cursed objects, failing each time and nearly killing students in the process. For the first time, audiences see Draco start to crack under the pressure of satisfying Voldemort's unreasonable orders and deadlines.

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Despite helping Death Eaters invade Hogwarts and confronting Dumbledore with his wand, Draco can't bring himself to cast the Killing Curse. In order to protect Draco's soul from being torn apart, Snape chooses to kill Dumbledore instead. Fans can only imagine the emotional toll this act would have taken on Draco.

1 Harry's Perennial Longing For Family

Harry Potter watches Sirius Black die

Harry Potter's parents were killed by Voldemort when he was just 13 months old, leaving him to spend his childhood under the "care" of his maternal aunt's family. The Dursleys naturally treated Harry like vermin, forcing him to live in a broom cupboard.

Despite Hogwarts providing him with his first loving home, Harry still longed for a family that wanted him. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry meets his godfather Sirius, who becomes a source of great joy. Harry starts to feel that he finally had a family when Sirius is killed by Bellatrix. That said, the Weasleys will always open their arms to Harry, so it's not all bad.

NEXT: The 20 Saddest Harry Potter Deaths