11 Harry Potter Universe Fates Worse Than Death

Failure to understand that there are things worse than death has always been your greatest weakness.

Gilderoy Lockhart Who Am I
Warner Bros.

The incredible tale of The Boy Who Lived has enchanted readers and viewers worldwide with stories of magical beasts, wizarding wars and, of course, Chocolate Frogs but the underlying theme throughout all of the Harry Potter material is that death is not the worst thing that can happen to someone.

Take Albus Dumbledore as a key example - he lived on for almost a century having been responsible for his sister's death. 100 years of regret, remorse and crippling guilt take their toll on a person and any penance Dumbledore needed for absolution is more than paid.

In truth, this example is comparable to Muggle life but it just goes to show that even with the power of magic at one's disposal, there are fates worse than death even when you can do just about anything. In fact, Dumbledore challenges Voldemort on his lack of understanding of that very thing:

"Your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness."

The books and films have given us a lot of examples to discuss and some are more affecting than others so please be warned that this list isn't for those of a nervous disposition or those who are particularly attached to the Potterverse.

11. Living Forever

Gilderoy Lockhart Who Am I
Warner Bros Pictures

Throughout the Harry Potter series, there are a few hints that magic can give a witch or a wizard an unnaturally long lifespan. Obviously, the best known pursuer of eternal life is Tom Riddle himself but his methodology is grim at best - splitting his soul several times to create Horcruxes meant Lord Voldemort could only die if every piece of his soul were to be destroyed.

Voldemort's Horcruxes might have been unpleasant to make and the darkest of dark magic but at least his body looked in fairly good condition (minus the nose). This was not the case for the Harry Potter series' other immortal being: Nicolas Flamel.

The Crimes of Grindelwald finally introduced audiences to the legendary alchemist and discoverer of the Philosopher's Stone but he wasn't quite what everyone was expecting. At a staggering 600 years old at the time of Grindelwald's revolution, Flamel was depicted as a frail old wizard whose bones could be broken with a handshake.

The mind remains active but the body continuing to deteriorate even with the immortality the Philosopher's Stone gives would eventually lead to complete degeneration to the point that even one's own weight would shatter the skeleton and leave a fully conscious mind in a useless husk of a body... forever.

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Probably the only person ever to see all the endings of the awful Shadow the Hedgehog video game. Professional proofreader, football fanatic, lion tamer and occasional liar.