Death Clues

J.K. Rowling has hidden a lot of clues in the Harry Potter series that tell us who is going to die before they actually die! However, it takes a cunning eye to spot them… Thank you to all of our readers for their submissions.

All clues are followed by the chapter number they appear in.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone

When Hagrid, Harry, and Hermione run into the centaurs, Ronan makes the pronouncement, "Always the innocent are the first victims." Everyone thought Sirius was guilty, but he turned out to be innocent. (15)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

While Fred, George, and Ron helped Harry escape the Dursleys' via the Flying Ford Anglia, a discomforting, possibly foreshadowing, simile was made.

George handed the hairpin to Ron and a moment later, Hedwig had soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost." (3)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

James Potter (Prongs) was the first of the Marauders to die, followed by Sirius (Padfoot) in Order of the Phoenix. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs die in reverse order, which is confirmed by the end of the series. (10) – Submitted by Ryan


A lot of people say that Sirius's Animagus form of a big, black, shaggy dog is uncannily similar to the Grim, so his death was coming ever since we first meet him. (17)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Sirius tells Harry, Hermione, and Ron to call him "Snuffles." "To snuff" means "to die," foreshadowing Sirius's death. (27)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In the American edition, the first page shows the book title and an illustration. There is a picture of Sirius's Animagus form leaving number twelve, Grimmauld Place. It shows that Sirius would be leaving something; in this case, it was life. – Submitted by Elz P.


Sirius' house is number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The Grim is a sign that death is coming. (3) – Submitted by Kristin


Just as they enter number twelve, Grimmauld Place, it says the following:

The other's hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying man." (4)


When Fred and George were levitating dinner onto the table at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, they lost control of one of the knives. It dropped and embedded itself into the table right where Sirius's hand had been. This could be foreshadowing Sirius's death. (5)


On Harry's first night at Grimmauld Place, the entire house sits down to dinner. In total, 13 of them ate together. According to Trelawney in Prisoner of Azkaban, when 13 people dine together, the first one to rise is the first to die. No prizes for guessing who rises first here: "Sirius started to rise from his chair." (Note: This is arguable since Ginny is not sitting at the table at the time, but she may be counted as "being" in the room and eating with the others, so it can still be foreshadowing his death.) (5)


Sirius says the following:

It's only a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology.

Why? Because he's dead by then. (9) – Submitted by LizzyBeth


While arguing with the Weasley twins about visiting their father at St. Mungo's Hospital after the snake attack, Sirius says the following:

This is how it is – this is why you're not in the Order – you don't understand – there are things worth dying for!

This foreshadows his commitment to die for what he believes in. (22)


In St. Mungo's, when they are going to visit Mr. Weasley, "They climbed a flight of stairs and entered the 'Creature-Induced Injuries' corridor, where the second door on the right bore the words 'DANGEROUS, DAI LLEWELLYN WARD: SERIOUS BITES." If you put these words all on one sign they would read:
Creature-Induced Injuries
Dangerous
Dai Llewellyn Ward:
Serious Bites
When considering the first word of each line, it sounds a lot like "Kreacher dangerous, Die Sirius." (22)


Harry had an unpleasant constricted sensation in his chest; he did not want to say goodbye to Sirius. He had a bad feeling about this parting; he didn't know when they would next see each other.

The part about them never seeing each other again was true in the end. (24)


Kreacher says the following:

'Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries' he said gleefully. 'Kreacher and his Mistress are alone again!'

He meant this literally. (32) – Submitted by Jess


Harry goes up to the archway and the veil in the Department of Mysteries. He gets up to the archway and calls for Sirius, possibly foreshadowing Sirius's death by calling for him at the place of it. (35) – Submitted by Eli


During the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort, it says, "Dumbledore was stood in front of the golden gates." The golden gates could be associated with heaven or the afterlife, hinting at his death. (36) – Submitted by Breanna

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Narcissa Malfoy says the following:

I see that being Dumbledore's favorite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you." (6)


During Dumbledore's start-of-term speech, Harry, Hermione, and Ron talked about Dumbledore's hand, and Hermione says, "It looks as if it's dead." (8)


'Well, there's one good thing,' he said savagely. 'Snape'll be gone by the end of the year.'
'What do you mean?' asked Ron.
'That job's jinxed. No one's lasted more than a year... Quirrell actually died doing it... Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death...'

As it turns out, it was a death that got Snape out of the job for the next year, just not his own. (8) – Submitted by Amy


Dumbledore says the following:

I make mistakes just like the next man. In fact, being – forgive me – rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.

This could be in direct reference to Dumbledore's mistake of thinking he could destroy the Horcrux without any great repercussion to his well-being and foreshadows his death because of it. (10) – Submitted by Danielle


Professor Trelawney gives a major clue about Dumbledore's death when she explains how she is foreseeing calamity and disaster:

'If Dumbledore chooses to ignore the warnings the cards show-' Her bony hand closed suddenly around Harry's wrist. 'Again and again, no matter how I lay them out,' and she pulled a card dramatically from underneath her shawls. 'The lightning struck tower,' she whispered. 'Calamity. Disaster. Coming nearer all the time.'

It seems as if another one of Trelawney's predictions was right. (25) – Submitted by Chelsea


Dumbledore says the following to Harry:

If I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you will do as I tell you?

To Harry, he thinks this is referring to any time while they are in the cave, but in reality, Dumbledore is more likely hoping Harry will remember this if they encounter Death Eaters later that night. (25)


Dumbledore drank [the potion], and no sooner had he finished than he yelled, 'KILL ME!'
'This – this one will!' gasped Harry. 'Just drink this... It'll be over... all over!'" (26)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

When George lost his ear after Voldemort's attack, he lost something that was an important part of a pair to him. This could foreshadow the loss of his twin. (5) – Submitted by Stephie


As Professor Trelawney tells us in Book 6, whenever 13 people gather, the first to leave the group will be the first to die. 13 of the survivors of Voldemort's attack (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Ginny, Hagrid, Tonks, and Lupin) all drink firewhisky together. Lupin is both the first to finish his glass (he had "drained his glass in one") and the first to leave the gathering (to look for Mad-Eye's body). (5) – Submitted by Meg


Written on the Potters' gravestones is "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." This is not strictly a death clue, although it does foreshadow the topic and its importance at the end of Deathly Hallows. (16) – Submitted by Angela


The Weasley twins are not often referred to as individuals throughout the book; when the trio hear Potterwatch on the radio, they immediately recognize that it is Fred, not George, who is on the show. The fact that they are seen not as a pair for one of the few times in the series could give a clue that only one of them will survive the final battle. (22)


Harry thinks that he "seemed set on course to become just as reckless a godfather to Teddy Lupin as Sirius Black had been to him." This could foreshadow the deaths of Tonks and Lupin since this would put their son, Teddy, in the same situation, in regard to upbringing, as Harry found himself in. (25) – Submitted by Agnieszka