Mugglenet.com's Harry Potter Should Have Died - Emerson Spartz [61]
So Mr. Lovegood is just a big coward. As editor of The Quibbler magazine, he absolutely knows how evil Voldemort is. It’s pathetic that a journalist who believes in freedom of expression would fall apart in the middle of the war. Putting Harry on the cover of the magazine as “Undesirable Number One” was just propaganda for the Dark Side [DH, p. 419]. And what a fool he is to trust the Death Eaters anyway—killers don’t keep promises, so ultimately, he is being naïve and weak. Even though he is Obliviated by Hermione so he’ll forget what he’s done, he still should be court-martialed and convicted of war crimes, or at least charged with conspiring with the enemy.
No!
Mr. Lovegood’s only crime is loving his daughter too much. Who can blame a father for wanting to ensure the safety of his beautiful daughter Luna? Isn’t that what parents are for? He is a widower and Luna is his only child, and that’s a totally different situation from the Weasleys. Also, Mrs. Weasley has watched Harry and Hermione grow up and loves them like family—she has a very different relationship with them than Xenophilius does. Mr. Lovegood has criticized Voldemort in The Quibbler, so he surely feels guilty for making Luna a target. Her empty bedroom covered in cobwebs must be a constant reminder of his failure to protect her, and he sadly suffers as much as anyone in the book. Since he was already sort of mentally whacked-out to begin with, losing his daughter may have been the little push he needed to tip over the edge.
And since he believes that Harry was The Chosen One, Mr. Lovegood probably figures that Harry is going to survive no matter what happens. So looking at it from his point of view, why should his Luna have to be sacrificed and held for ransom when Harry’s magical protection is so much stronger? That may be selfish on his part, but surely Harry understands what a tough situation it is. When Mr. Lovegood blocks the door so the Trio can’t leave his house, he reminds Harry of Lily’s courage when she protected him as a baby. And without Lovegood’s help, Harry could never have figured out the Deathly Hallows and the Elder Wand, so something good came out of their encounter after all. Hermione is certainly ready to forgive the man right away, even if Ron is not. Since Harry helps Luna escape from Malfoy Manor later in DH, it all turns out for the best. No harm, no foul.
Verdict
Is Mr. Lovegood the lowest kind of traitor, or is he just a father haunted by a Wrackspurt of despair? Should he be dragged off to Azkaban, or should he stay in his eccentric home with his printing press and dirigible plums? Let’s recall that Mr. Lovegood is being blackmailed, just as Draco has been over the safety of his parents, and he is acting out of love. We can guess that Dumbledore would have shown him mercy, just as Hermione does. Verdict: Mr. Lovegood is never a real traitor (and he won’t remember what he’s done anyway due to Obliviation).
Whose death is the saddest?
Sirius Black
No character seems more energetic and alive than Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, so it’s incredible that he dies so suddenly. He is so brave, he makes all the other Gryffindors look like little Peter Pettigrews in comparison. After an exciting youth spent running around with the Marauders and rebelling against Lord Voldemort, Sirius is framed for the deaths of the Potter family, as well as twelve Muggles when Peter Pettigrew blows up a street and escapes. Sirius is sent to Azkaban prison, where he wastes away and blames himself for everything, only coping with the Dementors by assuming his Animagus form as a big, shaggy black dog.
But things start looking up for him after he escapes and enters Harry’s life. He is Harry’s friend and father figure, as well as his faithful dog Snuffles when running around in Animagus form.