18 Fictional Years After Battle Of Hogwarts, J.K. Rowling Sorry For Killing This Character


If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, it may seem odd to mark the date of a fictional battle with somber remembrances for the fallen.

But so enduring is the connection between fans and J.K. Rowling‘s wizarding universe that they’re marking May 2 by bowing their heads in memory of the Battle of Hogwarts, and discussing the event with the hashtag #18YearsBattleOfHogwarts, the Guardian reported.

Of course, the book in which this battle took place — and where some of the series’ most beloved characters perished — was published in 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows featured the harrowing final showdown between the boy wizard and Lord Voldemort and ended the Second Wizarding War, Entertainment Weekly reported.

But because J.K. Rowling didn’t publish one book a year, the series’ timeline and the real world one (the former being much more important) didn’t quite match up. In the books, the battle took place on May 2, 1998.

Starting last year, J.K. Rowling decided to pick one of the characters she killed off in that battle, explain her decision, and apologize profusely to fans.

This year, she picked Remus Lupin and said sorry for the death on Twitter.

“Once again, it’s the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts so, as promised, I shall [apologize] for a death. This year: Remus Lupin. In the interests of total honesty I’d also like to confess that I didn’t decide to kill Lupin until I wrote Order of the Phoenix.”

Remus Lupin was much-loved in the books and his death was traumatizing for many readers. Since J.K. Rowling is apologizing for his passing almost a decade ago, it’s clear not everyone has gotten over their grief just yet.

One fan told J.K. Rowling on Twitter that Remus Lupin “is and always will be my favourite character in the Harry Potter universe,” which the author called “the best tribute he could have.”

Introduced in the Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin (played by David Thewlis in the movies) was a werewolf, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, and a close friend of Harry’s parents. He was one of the Marauders (who gave us the Marauder’s Map) at the wizard school, who roamed the halls with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew.

In later books, he married Nymphadora Tonks and played a big part in the Order of the Phoenix, a group of wizards who fought Voldemort’s Death Eaters, the Telegraph reported.

At the Battle of Hogwarts, he was killed by Death Eater Antonin Dolohov, while his wife was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange (promptly dispatched in spectacular fashion by Molly Weasley after she tried to kill her daughter, Ginny).

The saddest part of Lupin and Tonks’ deaths was that they left behind a son, Teddy, who became an orphan just like Harry.

J.K. Rowling said this sobering fact was one of the few events in the books that brought her to tears.

“The only time my editor ever saw me cry was over the fate of [his son] Teddy.”

But, as stories often go, J.K. Rowling saw no way out when it came to killing Remus Lupin, no matter how heartbreaking it was. She’d originally planned to kill Arthur Weasley, dad to Potter sidekick Ron, but he was ultimately spared. And someone had to go, J.K. Rowling explained in her apology.

“Arthur [Weasley] lived, so Lupin had to die. I’m sorry. I didn’t enjoy doing it,” she said.

This is the second character J.K. Rowling has apologized for killing. She first marked May 2 last year by offering her condolences for the death of Fred Weasley at the same battle.

“I thought I might [apologize] for one death per anniversary,” she wrote last year. “Fred was the worst for me, so I started with him.”

Since the series ended, J.K. Rowling has kept the magic going by sharing stories from behind the books, like explanations for certain authorial decisions. As E! News reported, one of these choices she’s explained is why Harry named his son after Severus Snape, even though he murdered Albus Dumbledore.

“Snape died for Harry out of love for Lily. Harry paid him tribute in forgiveness and gratitude. In honoring Snape, Harry hoped in his heart that he too would be forgiven. The deaths at the Battle of Hogwarts would haunt Harry forever. Harry chose to perpetuate the names of the two who had nobody in their families to do so.”

[Photo via YouTube]

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