Tear Jerker / Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

---

In General

• It's obvious that the Player and their brother Jacob had a really close relationship. They can be shown to speak of him quite fondly and one of their worst memories/fears is that Jacob is really dead after all.
  • When the player character is taking flying lessons, they'll sometimes wonder out loud if their brother ever rode the same broom that they are using. In Care of Magical Creatures, when catching up with Charlie, they'll also mention that they'd hoped they would be able to play the Levitation Game with Jacob when they were older.
  • When searching Jacob's room (prior to finding him), the Player often wonders if he's okay or safe.
• There's something quite sad about Jacob's age. He should be in his late 20s by the time the player is in Year 7, but being trapped in the portrait all the time meant that he's biologically around the same as his younger sibling, give or take a few years. The last time Jacob had seen his younger sibling was when they were only 8 or 9 years old, and when he finally meets them again, they're in their teens.
• The fact that you can befriend Tonks, Cedric, and Fred is sad because you yourself know what will happen to them in the future. MC grows close to them all, learning how to conjure a Patronus from Tonks and acting as a kind of mentor to the sweet, impressionable, and (for now in the case of the latter two) innocent Cedric and the twins.
• An exclusive romance with Merula can be seen as this. Unlike the other romances which can work in canon due to the Player having relatively good relationships with them throughout the years, Merula's friendship with the player is rather unstable. After the Year 5 finale and much of Year 6, Merula acts antagonistic with the Player, undoing much of their friendship, declaring she doesn't need them. By the time they mend their friendship at the end of Year 6, Merula apparently joining 'R' throws yet another wrench in their relationship by the time Year 7 rolls around. Dialogue in the main story seems to imply that Merula and the Player might have been on a 'break' since the end of Year 5.
  Merula: (During Valentine's Day) Don't break my heart, all right?
  Also, Merula: (At the end of Year 5) (Player), don't you remember what I told you in the Great Hall, when we first transported back? [...] I told you I don't need you, (Player).

Story

Year 3

• In your third year, Penny will ask for your help in gathering ingredients for a Forgetfulness Potion. As the side-mission goes on, she starts going to more extreme lengths to get what she needs, telling you to jinx a prefect guarding the Potions supply room, and casting the spell herself if you refuse. Once the potion is brewed, she reveals that she had a Muggle friend named Scarlet, who was killed the previous summer by a werewolf while Penny was too scared to use her magic to protect her. Penny is shown to be deeply traumatized by this event, an encounter with a Boggart revealing that werewolves have become her greatest fear, and wants to take the potion to try and forget her own shame and guilt. Before taking the potion, however, she begins to waver on whether or not it is the right thing to do, leaving you to decide which choice she should make.
• If the player has a high enough attribute when asked why their boggart is Voldemort, they'll say that it's because they're horrified he would murder James and Lily Potter in cold blood. The usually stern, unfriendly Madam Pince will overhear and wistfully recount how she would watch the two of them study in the library, clearly saddened by the memory and even awarding the player house points for remembering them.
  • Something similar happens if you choose the response about Jacob, where the player worries Jacob really DID join Voldemort, showing the bullying from people like Merula is getting to them. Madam Pince overhears and expresses her sympathy, awarding you some House Points but saying it’s because you show you can be respectful in the library, even if you weren’t quiet.

Year 5

• When learning the Cheering Charm in Year 5, your character may wonder if the spell would have made the first few months after Jacob's disappearance easier.
• When your player meets Amos Diggory in the Hagrid's Birthday Party sidequest, Diggory will constantly be talking up how proud he is of his amazing son, Cedric, which can be quite the gut punch to the player being well aware the latter is Doomed by Canon and his father's grief was a massive tear-jerking moment from the main series.
• During the Polyjuice Potion sidequest, Dumbledore will mention that some Slytherin students have been attempting to send letters to Azkaban. These students are most likely Merula, Barnaby, Felix and other children of Death Eaters, trying to contact their parents.
• During Year 5, Penny becomes increasingly stressed and worried about her sister being stuck in a painting, leading to her grades tanking and her friendships becoming strained, which concerns even Merula. It gets so bad that she tries to brew an advanced potion just to calm herself down, which could potentially seriously sicken her (though the player can talk her out of it with a high enough friendship level). As Penny has been nothing but cheerful and selfless for the game, it's distressing to see her being so consumed.
  • Beatrice herself, being trapped in the painting right after arriving at Hogwarts and being so eager to join the player character in adventures, and suffering from Sanity Slippage the longer she is trapped. At the beginning, she tells the player "Take care of Penny for me" and then gradually becoming more incoherent. "Is...you? Have you...Penny? Tell her...her." You can fill in the blanks yourself.
• It's sad to see the group infighting at one point during fifth year, but it's especially sad to see the conflict between the player character and Rowan, who have been best friends for so long. It seems that their friendship is still on the rocks some chapters later. When MC tries to convince Rowan to come to the Celestial Ball, Rowan reacts angrily and says that they don't wish to be treated like a pet project.
  • The Celestial Ball is actually a Year 4 event, meaning the cracks in MC and Rowan's friendship have been there for a long time. The confrontation in the library just happened to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
  • Barnaby begging the group to stop fighting because it makes him feel like he is back home. Rowan apologises, but you can choose to twist the knife by telling Rowan how much they needed your help.
  • In the group of 11 people, 10 of them spoke up during the argument. The only person who didn't is Penny, the normally most pleasant and sociable person. Is she too depressed due to Beatrice to even try and stop her friends from fighting?
• Merula has been the inspiration for this more often lately. At one point during the Christmas side quest, she teaches your character a spell to conjure snowflakes. She says it's the only spell she was ever taught at home that doesn't involve hurting someone. She also speaks fondly of her mom teaching it to her. Bits of her dialogue during classes may also indicate she was close to and misses her mom (ex.: she brags that her mom once kept a unicorn as a pet).
• During year 5, your character finds out they are a Legillimens. Part of the story quest involves them practicing on Barnaby, thus learning that he has Abusive Parents.
  • While Filch is unpleasant, it's revealed in the Legillimens quest that he has many memories where people call him Squib.
• What happened with Jacob's friends: Duncan Ashe and Olivia Green. While Olivia's fate is unknown, she is only described as 'gone' by the Grey Lady. Meanwhile, Duncan was killed while trying to make an Erumpent Potion for 'R'. Now he is resentful of Jacob for being a 'coward', he came back as a ghost and now haunts the Prefect's bathroom.
  • Duncan mentions that he had always wanted to become a Curse-breaker when he grew up, but now he'll never get to. Even when the Player regales him the tales of their Curse-breaking adventures, he only grows more bitter about what he never got to experience.
    • In a twist, when he asks about how the Player's curse-breaking adventures are going in their sixth year, he is genuinely taken aback by how horrible the year has been to them and thinks that maybe it was a good idea he never became a curse-breaker.
  • Duncan often laments how no one really comes to visit him just to talk with him but only when they want something from him. He gets lonely/bored listening to people talk in the bathrooms. The Player can apologise and promise him that they would come visit him more in future visits and he seemed touched, even if he doesn't believe the Player would actually visit.
  • The fate of Jacob's friends puts the Player's adventures into perspective. Jacob basically had his own little crew, just like the Player did, and might've gone through the same motions. But his tale ended with tragedy, with the possible death of his two friends and getting trapped in a Cursed Vault for almost a decade.
• Rakepick's betrayal is this for everyone involved.
  • Ben becoming almost catatonic for a while, before hardening from the experience.
    Ben: She left your brother, she left Sickleworth... And she left us in that vault. She left us to DIE. [...] No one will take advantage of me or hurt my friends ever again.
    • This whole section, Ben is dragging the Player around in their hunt for Sickleworth without explaining anything to them. It's obvious the Player is exhausted, stressed, and troubled by their own feelings, but Ben doesn't seem to care at all. The Player calls out Ben for being strangely obsessed with Sickleworth for no discernable reason and tries to get him to open up about his feelings on what happened in the Cursed Vault, only for him to turn it on the Player. The Player's slip of the tongue when Sickleworth disappears yet again just seals the deal.
    Player: Why does my brother — I mean, the Niffler — keep disappearing on us?!
    Ben: And you think I'm the one obsessed, (Player Name)?
    Player: (Visibly distraught) I suppose we should find him. Sickleworth, I mean, not my...
    • The whole conversation is Harsher in Hindsight when it's revealed that one of the Player's worst memories is of Rakepick calling out their own obsession, which seems to be one of their fears.
  • Bill who looked up to Rakepick as a mentor. She got him into the curse-breaking career, and his graduation was shadowed by the betrayal. The player character found him brooding in Rakepick's old classroom.
  Bill: Will you look at this place? As if Rakepick's off having lunch and will be back to teach class in an hour.
  • Just how broken Merula is from Rakepick's attack, especially considering she was so loyal to her, and Rakepick completely just used and destroyed that trust. She wanted to grow up to be just like Rakepick... who ended up using the Cruciatus Curse on her. After the ordeal, she was transported by Portkey back to the Great Hall along with others, but she was so weak she collapsed on the floor with a small crowd gathered around her. Her first complete sentence?
  Merula: I want my Mum...
  • Even at the Three Broomsticks where Charlie threw a party for Bill's graduation, attended by all your friends, Merula is spotted staring at the fireplace alone.
  Merula: I'm only here because I have nowhere else to be right now.
  • Even Beatrice, who only learned about the betrayal after she was freed from her portrait prison.
  Penny: It's just that Bea doesn't feel entirely safe just yet.
  [...]
  Beatrice: How can any of us feel safe at a place where professors can be the bad guys?
  • However, everyone supporting each other through this is very heartwarming.
• The player during the last few chapters of Year 5 can be seen as this. While trying to stall Bill, he tries to get them to open up about how they're feeling, especially after having their brother disappear on them yet again. Every time he brings it up, the Player can jump around the question and totally avoid answering, telling him that they just didn't want to talk about it. It's clear that they're suffering from what happened, but are putting on a brave face for Bill, who is graduating.
• When Penny is taking Beatrice outside to the Courtyard for some fresh air, she's relieved that Beatrice is finally free and is showing her around. She then mentions that she's so glad Beatrice is back and that she couldn't imagine being separated from her sister that long...only to realise that she said it right in front of the Player, who had lost their sibling for years, found him again, only for him to disappear once again. She quickly cuts herself off and apologises for her insensitivity.

Year 6

• Penny and Beatrice fighting. In year 6 Chapter 4, they both make you stay through their increasingly heated argument where Both Sides Have a Point. They make you choose a side and would be hurt if you sided with either.

  Penny: (if you side with Beatrice) What? But [player name], I thought you'd see my side...

  Beatrice: (if you side with Penny) I can't believe I used to admire you.

  • Either way, it keeps getting worse until...
    Beatrice: I wish you weren't my sister! I wish you'd just disappear! (storms off)
    • Even worse, the Player was directly in earshot. Too soon considering that their brother had straight up abandoned them again even after all that searching. Penny tries to apologize on Beatrice's behalf, but the Player seems really stricken over this. It can seem even worse because the Player tried to sidestep the situation, sensing that this is a personal feud they shouldn't get involved in, but Penny dragged them into it, likely hoping they could probably solve it like 'usual', but it ended up just hurting them. She even apologises for this.
  • In their previous conversation, Penny compares her situation to the Player's. Penny was just trying to level with the Player and get them to understand, but their situation was pretty different. The Player lost Jacob for almost a literal decade, not sure whether or not he was dead or alive, found him again, only for him to abandon them again; it all just seems so insensitive, though Penny probably didn't mean it that way.
  Penny: I thought you especially would understand...you know what it's like to be close with a sibling who suddenly...isn't there.
  Player: Yes, I do understand how that feels.
  Penny: Except that Beatrice is actually physically here! Yet she still feels gone.
• Merula yelling at the Player saying that she didn't need them, which hits hard if the Player happened to romance her. It becomes even weirdly hurtful that she started to crush on Jacob, the Player's brother at that.
  • Later, the Player confronts Merula about her apparent crush on Jacob and they sound absolutely heartbroken.
    Player: It was a tad awkward, but I thought we'd really connected. I thought you...liked me. Did our trip to Madam Puddifoot's and the night under the stars not mean anything to you?
• In Chapter 6, Penny was shocked to find Beatrice in detention and was so devastated and betrayed to learn Beatrice blackmailed you into taking her on a dangerous adventure and ran into a dark wizard who attacked you.
  • Penny, the happy-go-lucky happy person, turns on the Player and gets mad at them for allowing Beatrice to come with them. The Player apologises and said they had initially wanted to go alone, but Penny protests that they could have insisted on going alone. Penny is obviously worked up about the issue, but if Beatrice hadn't been there, the Player might've not been able to make it back to the castle at all, as they would have been too injured to even walk properly.
• Sometime during all this hubbub, the Player is called into Dumbledore's office to talk about their activities. Mostly about how he sees them walking the same path their brother did, one filled with obsession and madness. He tries to tell them to relax and take it easy, to enjoy being a student for once and hang out with their friends. For once, the Player does listen and goes to hang out with their friends for a change of pace. In the conversation, it seems really clear that Player does miss hanging out with them. However, the peace doesn't last long as Rowan, under an Imperio Curse, tries to kill the Player. He/She is managed to be subdued by Ben, not before Barnaby takes a hit for them, putting an end to their moment of peace. It's depressing to see the one time they tried to be normal, they were immediately reminded that they couldn't relax and they needed to find the last vault to stop all this. There's really no choice but to be obsessive.
• The last happy memory with Rowan is just this if you know what's coming ahead or if you are rewatching the memory in the scrapbook. It's really a simple interaction, with Rowan and the Player hanging out and reaffirming their friendship to each other. Rowan really did love the Player, saying how they missed their smile and tickling them with the tickling charm to make them laugh.
  • In the interaction, there's a theme of how time seemed to stop, due to the clock at the station being broken. Just for a moment, the world was just those two, with all the time in the world. The statement that Rowan makes just feels like the worst punch in the heart ever considering what happens.
    Rowan: Can't we stay frozen in time a little longer...?
    • The Player was still busy with their mission at the time, but upon looking back at this statement just makes it a whole lot worse. What we wouldn't do to stay...just a little while longer in that moment? No matter how much you or the Player wish for it, the memory will always end and nothing lasts forever. Except...despite it all, you will always be Rowan's Best Friend.
  • If you don't have a high enough friendship with Rowan or choose to exclude them, you can totally miss out on this interaction, meaning the Player won't have a final memory with them. Choices matter.
• In Chapter 14, Bill reaches out to the Player after finding out that an assassin is after them and he wants to do what he can to help, but before he can properly say so, they are interrupted by Percy, Fred, and George - who all have "important" problems. Both Bill and Charlie try to brush off their brothers, but the Player can insist that they hear and help their younger brothers out. If the Player has enough empathy, they can deliver an absolutely gut-punching line, considering that their own brother, Jacob, had straight up abandoned and locked them out of the loop.

  Player: It's alright, Bill. Let's hear your brothers out.

  Bill: Why? I'm sure your, er...'problem' is more dire.

  Player: Because you're brothers. Siblings should listen to and help one another, no matter what the problem.

• The Player becomes terrified when they receive another note from R, claiming the same thing they did last year, that they were going to kill one of their friends. After shouldering the burden themselves for a while, they contemplate running away from Hogwarts to protect their friends. This meant they would have abandoned everything, their whole livelihood - friends, family - all thrown away.
  • Right after Merula and Ben just barely manage to convince the Player to stay at Hogwarts, Charlie spits out his frustrations for being such a Doom Magnet. The Player is shocked and hurt by the words and Ben gets so frustrated with Charlie, he curses his mouth shut with Langlock to get him to stop bashing the Player for things out of their control. The thing is, Charlie isn't wrong for feeling that way, but in no way is it the Player's fault for any of this happening. Honestly, if the Player didn't want to run away before, they would've definitely felt like running away now.
  Charlie: (Angrily) Right now? Have we ever been safe with all the danger (Player) brings.
  Player: (Shocked) Charlie?
  Charlie: I'm sorry, (Player), I know this isn't like me, but I haven't felt like myself, not since the vault. I've had a stiff upper lip about it since you convinced me to stay at Hogwarts and you have a lot on your mind...But now, with this escapee at large, my little brothers are in danger and it's...too much to handle.
  Player: (Devastated) I understand, Charlie...
  Charlie: It's just...I've lost some of my faith in people because of what Rakepick did to us in that vault. I don't want to lose my brothers to her or 'R' because they got dragged into your fight.
  • In hindsight, if they had ran, Rowan might have not died and Hogwarts might've been safe, but the Player would have likely been captured by R and 'made their leader', whatever horrific implications that may have meant. This would have likely devastated Jacob and their friends all the same.
• Rowan's goal is to become the youngest professor at Hogwarts. It was already known that Rowan had not achieved his/her dream as they were not a professor by 1993, meaning they had either failed or...died. And guess what devastating tragedy happened... In Chapter 18, Rakepick ambushes Ben, MC, and Merula. She easily defeats MC and Merula and starts dueling with Ben. She then uses the Killing Curse, but Rowan performs a Heroic Sacrifice, takes it for Ben, and dies. MC falls to their knees next to them in shock, then buries their face in their hands and starts to cry.

  • Try not to think about how they actually got Rowan's corpse back to Hogwarts...

  • This was a shock to most players and especially wounding as Rowan has been the player's best friend since the first minutes of the game. Rowan will never live out their dream of being the youngest professor at Hogwarts, and in their friendship tab, the game tells you that Rowan might be gone, but friendship lives forever, and Rowan is replaced by an NPC in classes.
  • Penny and a few background characters crying at the eulogy Dumbledore gives. If you did not take Penny to the buried vault, Penny would also be the one to tell Rowan what 'R' is up to and blame herself for it. She also says she could burst into tears again any moment.
  • And despite being an emotional wreck herself, Penny, as well as Tonks, both recognise that Rowan is MC's best friend and they're probably taking it worst.
    Tonks: I'm not sure I could eat, but I wouldn't mind a Butterbeer.
  • Followed by everyone else agreeing with her.
  • If you happen to be in Slytherin, Snape saying please in order to get everyone to calm down. Snape even offers his classroom to be open, in case anyone wants to 'talk'.
    • The Player stares off blankly at the Slytherin couches. Merula questions what they're staring at and the Player answers that they are staring at where Rowan used to sit.
    • Barnaby is so stricken by the news he can't seem to quite comprehend how to get through the day. He is waiting for someone to tell him what to do and is bothered by the fact that he will never see Rowan studying in the Common Room again.
    • Merula comments that she never gave Rowan enough credit for what and who she was. And she won't ever get to.
    • Even Ismelda seems upset, getting annoyed that the professors just want them to act 'normally'.
• Later, during the establishment of the Circle of Khanna, Penny started sobbing again.

  Penny: I thought I was done crying.

  • And then again when she found Beatrice with Ismelda, Merula, and MC.
    Penny: What I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry. I should've been more understanding, Bea. You can yell at me, accuse me of smothering you, or even hate me if you want. But, for now, at least, please let me stay by your side. Please don't push me away. (bursts into tears) I lost Rowan. I can't lose you too.
• After spending the entirety of Chapter 19 mourning Rowan’s loss with your schoolmates, classes resume as normal in Chapter 20....but not completely normally.
  • What are you studying for your next Care for Magical Creatures lesson? Thestrals. Which can only be seen by those who’ve witnessed death. And MC spends much of the class with Rowan on their mind (and all future classes with Thestrals). The player also has a unique facial expression that's only seen in this particular (and future) Thestral classes. Their faces look like a forced, pained, but disturbed smile. You can probably guess why.
  Player: It's hard not to think of Rowan when I look at a Thestral.
  • One of the other classes taught is 'Dreamless Sleep Potion' by Snape, who obviously chose this lesson because the students, especially the player, was having a rough time falling asleep. Snape was unusually patient and kind to everyone in the class and tried to get the Player to focus so they could brew the potion right. Liz reaches out to the Player, sticking to their side and trying to cheer them up. In the class, the player hopes that Snape hasn't noticed that they've been crying and hoped that by brewing this that they can finally sleep without nightmares. Even in further repeated sessions of this class, while Rowan is not mentioned frequently, the player seems to still take the potion every so often, mentioning nightmares, and that they are starting to understand what Snape meant not to depend on the potion.
    Player: I fear I'll need this Dreamless Sleep Potion tonight.
    • In future sessions of the Laughing Potion, the player may mention that they and Rowan used to giggle into the cauldron together.
  • In Charms Class, the player now sits alone, an empty space next to them where Rowan used to be. And this stays that way for the most part. In that particular lesson, they start making puns to themselves, saying that it's their job to do so now that Rowan isn't there anymore.
    Player: "I can't seem to concentrate. I'll chalk it up to missing Rowan."
    • Sometimes in future Charms class, the Player may remark that they found one of Rowan's bookmarks in their textbook.
    • Levi will sometimes mention that he used to copy his notes off Rowan and that he isn't sure what to do now that he's/she's gone.
  • Madame Hooch teaches everyone how to do Spellcasting on a Broom because she wants to make sure the students can still properly defend themselves to prevent more tragedy.
  • Professor Binns, a teacher known for not remembering his students' names, still remembered Rowan's name and honored her in class. Most of the time, History of Magic class is just everyone goofing off, but everyone is too depressed to even do anything and stated that it felt wrong that Rowan wasn't teaching the class anymore. Ben tries his best to fill Rowan's shoes, but can't seem to do it right. Instead of goofing off, this time the Player is too depressed to even pay attention.
    • Sometimes when Nearly Headless Nick is teaching the class in History of Magic, the player may ask him if he might have seen Rowan around as a ghost, even in later years.
  • Bill, who is tutoring Defense of the Dark Arts after school, looked to have been crying though is trying his best to be the older role model to the younger grieving students. The spell he teaches? Cave Inimicum is a spell that conceals the presence of the caster, no doubt trying to give another out in case anyone else gets attacked.
• While mourning for Rowan at the Three Broomsticks, there's numerous heartbreaking dialogue said by all.
  • Talbott mentions that he didn't know Rowan very well, but now he wishes he did.
  • Penny suddenly remembers Rowan's beloved pet cat Fuzzclaw. It's heartbreaking to think that he might never see his owner again.
  • It's entirely possible for the Player not to have that one final moment with Rowan if they decided not to take Rowan with them to the train station, which meant that the Player wouldn't even be able to remember the last time they hung out with Rowan before their death. And this decision would haunt them for the rest of their life.
• Alanza being Innocently Insensitive about everything happening in Hogwarts, in particular to Rowan's death. She didn't mean of course, but honestly, it's on Dumbledore for being an incompetent Headmaster and not even letting the exchange student know about what just happened!! Double points for sicking an exchange student on the person who is most likely affected by the death than anyone else. The player can even try to decline, but Dumbledore won't take no for an answer.
  • Upon meeting the Player the first time, she asks this question, which seems still a little too soon:
  Alanza: Tell me everything about you! Do you have siblings or pets or favorite songs?
  • The Player takes Alanza to potions class. The Player takes their regular seat, but Alanza takes the seat next to them...Rowan's seat. A seatmate looks on in disapproval, Barnaby and Liz seem really nervous, Merula is absolutely furious, and even Snape looks a little miffed. Alanza asks what's wrong, leaving the hurting Player to mumble along that it's not taken.
    Alanza: Everyone's staring. Did I do something I shouldn't have?
    Player: That seat's actually—
    Alanza: Oh, is it already taken?
    Player: It's just...That's my...was my best friend's...No. It's not taken. Not anymore.
    • This means that this entire time, no one had sat in Rowan's seat during Potions class, leaving the space empty next to the Player.
  • Alanza wanting to join the Circle of Khanna, thinking it's a fun, popular club to join, not realizing it's an organization formed to avenge the murder of one of their close friends.
  • When Alanza finally finds out about Rowan's death, she is mortified and is immediately remorseful, apologising for what she might've done.
  Alanza: Sinto muito pela sua perda.^note I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine...
  • Alanza seems determined to cheer everyone up, but Rowan's death might seem a little too fresh in people's minds and can still seem kinda insensitive. Thankfully, the most she does is offer an ear to the Player and help them relax and help the Player plan a party when the last Cursed Vault and Rakepick are done and dealt with.
• Sometime after Rowan's death, Dumbledore calls the Player into their office to talk about their feelings. The dialogue implies that the Player hasn't really been taking care of their health recently, and he tries to request that the Player take time to rest and grieve, but the Player can deny this and say that there's nothing more important than bringing Rakepick to justice.
• In chapter 26, Jacob and their younger sibling find Beatrice floating, unconscious, in the lake. Naturally, Penny freaks out when she finds out.
  • When Snape uses Legilimency on Beatrice to figure out what is wrong, he finds her mind so messed up he can't tell nightmares from reality. And when Beatrice asks Snape how to deal with repressed trauma:
  Snape: Good question, Miss Haywood... when you find out, let me know.
  • Snape becomes concerned for the Player's mental state, concerned that it may have been too soon to find another dead body so soon after witnessing Rowan's death.
• When learning the Flutterby Bush for the first time, the Player has this rather heartbreaking dialogue to say while taking care of the bush. Considering that happened right before the Player enters the Black Lake for the first time and after Rowan's death and finding out they're the dreaded chosen one for 'R', it just puts it all into perspective.
  Player: It's nice to care for something, but I do wish someone would care for me instead.
  • And this one as well:
  Player: I wish I could look at myself in the mirror and know exactly what I needed, too.
• In the final Sunken Vault, the player is trapped in a maddening loop of their worst memories playing over and over. In their delusion, their worst memories include: Merula taunting them about losing their brother and that he was dead, Rakepick taunting and betraying them, claiming they were just as obsessive about the Cursed Vaults, and experiencing Rowan's death over and over again. Throughout the entire activity, they are seen begging for it to stop.

Year 7

• In Year 7, just to hammer it home again, the friendship tab will still show Rowan in Year 6. It hurts even more knowing that every time you check the friendship tab, you will always be greeted by Rowan's greyed-out smiling face.
  Rowan may be gone, but friendship is forever.
• There's something bittersweet about the Player disbanding the Circle of Khanna. It's clear that the Player wants to depend on their friends, especially considering new developments (Merula apparently joining 'R'), but realises that they're ready to move on, to put this heartbreak and horribleness behind them and focus on their respective futures. Honestly, the group had accomplished their goal of bringing Rakepick to justice and they think 'R' is done and dealt with even though they've only grown in power since then. The Player doesn't have the heart to tell them so and decides to take on the burden themselves, alone.
• When Merula offers some tips to the Player about how to do Wandless Magic, they suggest to them to think of them to help them focus. Their options are Jacob, their dear older brother, Hogwarts, their second home, and Rowan.
  Player: My friendship with Rowan helps me focus.
  Merula: I'm sure Khanna will be pleased to hear that.
  • It hits harder when you realize that the Player has admitted in the past that Rowan was one of the main driving reasons why they studied and worked hard. Rowan has always helped them focus, even after death.
• Talbott feeling happy coming to St. Mungo's because it's where his mother used to work, but he is still obviously affected by her (and his father's) murder.
• The Player getting dreaded and horrifying news that their precious older brother, Jacob, has shown up to the hospital severely injured with serious burns. More so that no matter how much Burn Paste they slather on him, he's still getting worse. The Player is seen sobbing in the following scenes when interacting with him and panicking in subsequent instances. Knowing how close they were to losing him the first time around and Rowan's death still relatively fresh in their minds, it's no wonder the Player is so distraught.
  • The Player trying to talk to him in hopes of helping him work through his fever:
  Player: Jacob? Jacob, can you hear me? Jacob, can you see me? It's (Player).
• Before the trial, Jacob (and the Player) accidentally drank the truth serum from Umbridge, which may cause him to reveal too much information. Corey manages to create a Doxy problem to help the two siblings get away to wait out the serum. No matter if the Player drank the truth serum or not, the Player and Jacob take some time to bond as siblings, something which has been long overdue. But one of Jacob's lines is this:

  Jacob: I wish I was around to see you grow up.

• Merula betraying the Player once again. Up to this point, you could have sided with Merula each time the option came up, and getting blindsided by her betrayal really hurts. It's clear that Merula doesn't want to hurt them, but her hand is clearly being forced by her aunt.
  • It becomes twice as painful if the Player is dating Merula, asking her if what they had was real or if it was just fake. It's clear that both sides are heartbroken over this betrayal.
  Player: Then...can you at least tell me if what we had was real? Or did you humour me with dates to get me to trust you?
  Merula: That's not-... We...We weren't supposed to happen, but I-...
• Olivia Green's memories. After Duncan's death (a person whom she had a crush on), she tried to confront Rakepick about it, but was attacked and her memories were forcefully altered. Recovering them all was devastating for her, realizing that she had lived her life with false memories.
• When the Player finds out that 'R' was planning to use mind control to get rid of corrupt Ministry Officials, the Player shows caution to the plan, but Jacob, who had spent time bonding with Peregrine, doesn't seem to think the plan is so bad at all. If the Player chooses to claim that Peregrine is being manipulative, their disagreement causes an argument to break out, ending with Jacob declaring he almost wished they weren't related. For the Player, who can be played as someone who has Big Brother Worship, this is just heartbreaking to hear.
  Jacob: Sorry to waste your time. Next time I'll just ignore your messages. You know sometimes, you drive me barmy. Almost makes me wish we weren't related. I have to go. Goodbye. (he apparates away)
  Player: He wishes we weren't related sometimes? I thought we were supposed to stick together. He said he would...
• As the year draws to a close, anyone who's left school — particularly those who enjoyed their school days — will recognise the bittersweet, slow close of that phase of their lives. Once the NEWTS are over, the final few lessons have a feeling of futility, and the staff who seemed so wrapped up in you and your adventures are turning their attention to next year's pupils. This is not helped by the fact that the next batch of first years includes The Chosen One. It can be a shock to realise your school will go on without you, and no matter how good a student you were or how much you accomplished, the best you can hope for is your name on the Prefect/Head Boy or Girl board, a mention in a few school legends, and a fond (or not-so-fond) place in your teachers' memories. Of course, if the game preceded the series, Harry and co. probably WOULD have heard of you, but that's not the case. Plus, the clock is ticking for several members of your friend circle and former teachers: Cedric, Tonks, Fred, Snape, and Dumbledore are all on borrowed time and will be dead in less than a decade, while we know Olivia and Professor Kettleburn will not be teaching for much longer.

Beyond

• Your partner, Ruby Honeysuckle, is an enthusiastic and lovable presence as you begin your adult career. Assigned as her working partner, you help her navigate life in a new country and her nostalgia for her former school. In chapter 10, she protects you from an angry Graphorn...admittedly while the two of you are at a highly suspect rendezvous with a contact in the Forbidden Forest, which Ruby set up while ignoring your more grounded (and safer) leads in the case. While her recklessness and manic dedication to her job put you there, her courage and selflessness have her protecting you. She's lucky to survive, as the nurses at St Mungo's tell her, and she's warned to stay put and heal. She ignores the advice and goes back to work, accepting a "boring" security detail as a compromise with Flump. Her luck runs out, and her selflessness and bravery once again see her rescue many innocent bystanders when the "safe" charity auction she is attending is attacked...but she doesn't survive the incident.

Sidequests

• In the Patronus sidequest, the Player is attacked by a Dementor and almost has their happy memories sucked out. Their worst memory? The day they found out that Jacob was missing and heard their mother sobbing over the news. Take the fact that they were probably only 8 or 9 when they found out.
  • The reason why the Player was unable to summon their patronus is because they felt responsible for every bad thing around them. They feel responsible for the Dementor showing up and hurting Penny and they felt obligated to stop it. In fact, they feel like every single bad thing that happens in Hogwarts is because of them.
  • The one thing holding Merula back from summoning her Patronus is the myth that only the pure of heart can summon a Patronus, but since her parents are Death Eaters, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to summon one and that she was just like her parents.
• Talbott's backstory is quite sad, especially when coupled with the fact that he's a mostly friendless loner. He stands out as the only one of your friends to have lost loved ones during the war (as far as we know) and is probably the only orphan in the group.
  • During the sidequest where you can officially befriend Talbott, you discover that Talbott has been growing depressed, and his class attendance has been suffering. Later you can help him search for a clasp with a swan feather on it, revealed to be a feather from his mother's Animagus form, which he lost and desperately wants back. During the searches, he reveals touching memories of his parents, revealing how badly he misses them. The reason for his depression and truancy is that the anniversary of his parents' death is approaching, so it's a hard time for him.
• The player has the ability to have another crush than the person they invited to the Celestial Ball. If the player did not invite Ismelda, Ben, or Rowan to the Celestial Ball, their date to the Ball will confront them about the apparent non-crush in a heartbreaking 'breakup' scene.
• Ismelda in the Crushed side quest. It's touching to see her so vulnerable, and a bit of a Tear Jerker to see her bullied relentlessly thanks to Emily Tyler, who touches off an entire crowd reaction in the courtyard.
  • Ismelda resorted to a love potion because she believes she will never be loved.
  Ismelda: This Love Potion is the only way we'll ever be together.
  Penny: That's not true!
  Ismelda: Easy for you to say, just look at you! You're popular and pretty! This might be the only option I have...
  • Also in the quest where you use your Animagus ability to steal potion ingredients with Merula, and she thinks you are stealing her only friend.
• During the "Scaredy Cats" sidequest your character's pet cat drinks some calming draught that had spilled on the floor and falls into a very deep sleep. Although the cat eventually recovers, your character is obviously terrified that they've just poisoned their pet.
• In the Year 6 Head Boy/Girl sidequest, MC's Dead Person Conversation with Rowan is both incredibly tearjerking and heartwarming.
  Rowan: [MC], you will always be my best friend... You will always be the one I could be my weird self with... I wish I had more 'always' things ahead of me, but all I have left are 'nevers'. I can never be the youngest professor at Hogwarts. I can never be Head Boy/Head Girl... I can never go home to the tree farm... Never read my favourite book... Never jump in puddles to hear the splash...
  • Eventually, the Player may accept that Rowan's soul would have moved on, and what they saw and heard was not a ghost, but a figment of their imagination borne from grief and weariness or they can instead believe that Rowan really did visit them, to give them one last push to move on.
• The 7th Chapter of the Quidditch sidequest reveals that Orion is the way he is because he grew up homeless and orphaned. He spent his whole life without any structure, so the freeform existence that makes him come across as a wizard-hippie is literally the only way he knows how to survive.
• During the "Search For the Mirror of Erised" sidequest, some of the visions seen in the mirror, as well as people's reactions to them, are quite sad.
  • Professor Sprout, who took the Mirror in the first place, used it as a form of grief counseling.
  • Talbot sees his parents alive and with him again.
  • Tulip sees herself working for the Ministry and is happy about it. The revelation pushes her close to an existential crisis.
  • Barnaby sees himself as the Care of Magical Creatures professor. It makes him happy, but he also realizes that he is too unintelligent to earn the job in real life.
  • Merula "saw herself with someone she thought she'd never see again" and is conflicted about her emotions. It's possible she saw her mother.
  • If the player character looks into the Mirror, they see themselves with Jacob and Rowan. There are three interpretations depending on the point in the storyline: desire to be reunited with Jacob and let him meet your first and best friend; the reunion already happened and you want to repeat it; or nostalgia.
• In the "Gathering of Old Friends" sidequest, it's revealed that the werewolf who was wandering off in Godric's Hollow is actually Penny's long-lost childhood friend, Scarlett. It turns out that Scarlett barely survived the attack on that fateful night, due to the curse immediately taking effect. As a Muggle obsessed with werewolves, from the moment her injuries healed themselves, she knew she was doomed to turn against her will into a dangerous beast every full moon for the rest of her life. So she decided to spend many years alone living with her Lycanthropy by restraining herself during the full moon, letting Penny and her own parents believe she died out of fear of their reaction (which is understandable, considering that werewolves have an awful reputation).
  • Worst still, before a restrained Werewolf Scarlett changes back to her original form, Penny goes into a rant about how she sees werewolves as mindless monsters that don't deserve sympathy. The irony is not wasted here and now she knows it, which is part of the reasons why she ran away after such a shocking turn of events.
  • Speaking of "Werewolf Hatred" rant, it's pretty similar to the one said by Remus Lupin's father in a fit of anger and frustration towards the Ministry when they decided to release Fenrir despite the obvious signs he is an evil werewolf, (and we all know how it ended).

---