The Harry Potter series might start out with an 11-year-old protagonist, but it’s not very lighthearted. The story opens with an orphaned baby whose parents have just been murdered, so it’s made clear from the outset that the narrative will deal with heavy themes. Because of this, all of the main characters, including the trio and their friends, deal with some major heartbreaks and setbacks, along with some moments of joy and connection.
Harry himself is often on a rollercoaster of highs and lows where he will go from winning Quidditch matches one day to facing off against dementors, or Voldemort himself, the next. Each character goes through some highs and lows.
Sirius Black: When He Briefly Thought He’d Be A Free Man (Being Stuck In Grimmauld Place)
Sirius has one of the more tragic stories, which is saying a lot given what happens to many of the characters, but his moment of believing he will be freed from Azkaban and known as innocent is a shining beacon of hope. This is in contrast to when he is never actually cleared and ends up stuck inside the childhood home he hated.
Sirius, like all of the other Marauders, seems fated to tragedy to some degree. He’s sent to Azkaban as a young adult for a crime he didn’t commit, and he dies only a couple of years after escaping. This is also a real tragedy for Harry, who is left once again without one of the parental figures he cared about.
Ginny Weasley: Making The Quidditch Team (Being Left Behind By The Trio)
Ginny Weasley is a character who deserved more development than she got, but her happiest moments seem to be when she’s on the Quidditch pitch. This is contrasted by her understandable sadness at not being able to go with Harry to hunt for Horcruxes.
Overall, her good and bad moments illustrated that Ginny just didn’t get enough scenes. She became mostly just a love interest to Harry, and kissing him goodbye at the Burrow felt a little reductive for a character who was smart, talented, and confident.
Hagrid: Getting Baby Norbert (Being Expelled From Hogwarts)
Hagrid’s real joys in life were acquiring and caring for dangerous magical creatures, and nothing was more exciting for him than getting his own baby dragon. However, while losing Norbert was upsetting, his lowest point was when he was expelled from Hogwarts for opening the Chamber of Secrets, which he didn’t do.
These moments illustrate that Hagrid is also a rather tragic character in the narrative who never gets his fair due. He is cut off from the ability to use magic at the age of 13, and because of this, his only option to remain close to the wizarding world is to remain at Hogwarts. However, he at least finds joy in his role as a gamekeeper and eventually professor.
Neville Longbottom: Receiving The Mimbulus Mimbletonia (Seeing His Parents In St. Mungo's)
Neville has one of the most beloved narrative arcs in the series because he goes from being a bullied and insecure young student to a confident and capable young adult. However, one of his happiest moments is still a quiet one where he’s able to enjoy his love of Herbology. This is contrasted with while the fate of his parents is revealed, and viewers saw just how difficult Neville’s life was, too.
Overall, Neville is one of the most complex characters, but fans are only able to learn about him on a peripheral level. It is refreshing that he’s able to grow into himself and help take down Voldemort, but at the end of the day, he still remains true to what makes him happiest and becomes a professor.
Luna Lovegood: Making Friends in Dumbledore’s Army (Being Kept Prisoner)
Luna is another person who isn’t always appreciated by her peers. She’s an outcast who is seen as weird, so making friends with those in Dumbledore’s Army means the world to her. Her saddest moment is when she’s held captive at Malfoy Manor, but luckily, she is saved.
Luna is one of the most beloved characters because of her vulnerability and because she stays so true to herself. She has faced difficulties in her life, such as losing her mother at a young age, but she still has a good heart and tries to do the right thing.
Severus Snape: His Friendship With Lily (When Lily Was Killed)
Severus Snape is just one of many main characters who had a rough and rather abusive childhood, so his friendship with Lily really became his solace and peace. In contrast, her death was the saddest thing that happened to him.
However, it’s hard to feel too much sympathy for Snape because his happiest and saddest moments are linked, but the outcome could have been so different. Snape made choices to join a group that hated people like Lily Potter. He pushed her away and then joined people who wanted people like her dead. When, instead, he likely would have always had her in his life if he hadn’t turned to the dark arts and bigotry.
Dumbledore: After Harry Defeats Quirrell (His Sister’s Death)
It’s rather difficult to pin down Dumbeldore’s happiest moment because he masks and doesn’t reveal his true feelings to Harry. However, he does seem often happy to a large extent when Harry figures things out for himself and wins against Voldemort, such as when he does so with the Sorcerer's Stone. In contrast, his backstory with Grindelwald and his sister’s death are the saddest parts of his story.
While not explicitly connected, these two moments do resonate with one another. While Dumbledore does try to fix his mistakes of associating with Grindelwald, he can never completely get over his hubris and his tendency to manipulate. He still carries over the ideology of “for the greater good” in how he acts with Harry.
Ron Weasley: Leading The Quidditch Team To Victory (Fred’s Death)
Ron Weasley has triumphant moments, but some of them, like his first kiss with Hermione, aren’t purely happy because other stressful things are going on. So, one of his most purely happy moments is when he helps the Gryffindor team secure the win as Keeper and gets the attention he craves. His saddest moment, however, is much grimmer as he loses his own brother.
Ron’s emotional journey is often ignored in analysis because Harry is more present as the protagonist, and Hermione is better at identifying her emotions. However, Ron is a highly emotional person whose needs aren’t often met and who isn't always equipped to handle the difficult things he goes through. It’s rather a shame that the books don’t explore more how both he, and the rest of his family, handled Fred’s death.
Hermione Granger: Saving Lives Using The Time Turner (Erasing Her Parent’s Memories)
Hermione is another character whose happiest moment is hard to pinpoint, but one of her best is when she is able to use her abilities and insight to save both Sirius and Buckbeak. In contrast, it’s rather heartbreaking to see her have to erase her parents’ memories in order to help Harry on his quest.
Both of these moments show that Hermione is one of the most steadfast and loyal characters in the story. She’s always willing to use her considerable talents, intelligence, and diligence to help others and do what needs to be done. At times, this leads to triumph and joy, and, other times, it can be difficult to be responsible and reliable in this way.
Harry Potter: Learning He Was A Wizard (So Many Deaths)
Harry’s introduction as the protagonist shows a child who has lived a very difficult life, so when he is given an escape into a world where things are magical, and he’s special, it’s no wonder he’s thrilled. In contrast, his saddest moments all have to do with losing so many people he cares about, especially parents and mentors like Lily, James, Sirius, and Lupin.
It’s tragic that despite entering into a new world that gives him an escape from the terror of the Dursleys, Harry never really gets to know much peace or calm. He’s tasked with dealing with Voldemort and eventually saving the wizarding world. Along the way, his path becomes pretty lonely.