It’s that time of year again.
The one where J.K. Rowling breaks the hearts of Harry Potter fans with an apology for the death of a beloved character.
Every year on May 2, otherwise known as the Battle of Hogwarts, the author issues an apology for one of the many, many deaths that hit fans hard.
Last year, she said sorry for killing Professor Severus Snape, whose exact allegiance kept fans guessing until the very end of the series.
In 2016, she apologised for killing off Remus Lupin, while she said sorry for Fred Weasley the year before.
This year, however, she apologised for the saddest one of all – and one of the ones we’re still not totally over.
And they didn’t even make it to the Battle of Hogwarts.
The author wrote:
“It’s that anniversary again.
“This year, I apologise for killing someone who didn’t die during the
#BattleofHogwarts, but who laid down his life to save the people who’d win it.“I refer, of course, to Dobby the house elf.”
It's that anniversary again. This year, I apologise for killing someone who didn't die during the #BattleofHogwarts, but who laid down his life to save the people who'd win it. I refer, of course, to Dobby the house elf.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2018
Dobby was one of the most beloved characters of the series, appearing in five of the seven magical books.
He first appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where he tries to warn Harry about a plan to reopen the vaults beneath the school.
While Dobby became a free elf by the end of the book, after Harry tricked Lucious Malfoy into releasing him, he proved himself to be a loyal ally to The Boy Who Lived throughout the series.
Which is why we were bawling when he met his literary end in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when he is killed trying to save Harry and Co. from Bellatrix Estrange and the rest of the Death Easters.
