Hedwig's Killer | The Harry Potter Compendium - Fandom

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Hedwig's killer

Biographical information

Blood status

Pure-blood or Half-blood (most likely)[1]

Title(s)

Death Eater

Physical information

Species

Human

Magical characteristics

Patronus

None[2]

Affiliation

Loyalty

• Lord Voldemort
  • Death Eaters

[Source]

"No! - HEDWIG!" —Harry Potter upon seeing Hedwig killed.[src]

Hedwig's killer was a Death Eater that fought in the Battle of the Seven Potters.[3]

Contents

• 1 Biography
• 2 Behind the scenes
• 3 Appearances
• 4 Notes and references

Biography[]

"No! No!" —Harry yelling.[src]

This Death Eater shot out a Killing Curse that killed Harry Potter's pet owl, Hedwig. It is likely the curse that killed Hedwig was intended for Rubeus Hagrid. He or she most likely took part in the Battle of Hogwarts. It is also likely that, after Lord Voldemort's defeat in 1998, this Death Eater was either killed or imprisoned in Azkaban for their crimes as a Death Eater.[3]

Behind the scenes[]

• Hedwig's killer is not explicitly identified, so he/she may have appeared in other books, films or video games, but the only known appearance is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
• A popular fan theory based on book canon suggests that Snape may have killed Hedwig. This theory is based on the idea that Snape was the only death eater who knew there would be several Harry Potters in the sky so as soon as they appeared he was looking for something that distinguished the real Harry Potter before his fellows could grasp the situation in order to eliminate the threat that other death eaters would recognise him. After the Potters were all immediately surrounded by death eaters Hagrid, while manoeuvring the bike accidentally tips it upside down which is followed nearly immediately with a killing curse sent right to Hedwig. The theory suggests that Snape realised that Hedwig was moving around and clearly alive in the cage giving away the real Harry Potter since all the other six hedwigs were clearly motionless stuffed owls compared to her. By killing her he would have ensured that she seemed just like them hiding the identity of the true Harry Potter before flying off to follow a different Harry he knew wasn't the real one.
• According to the films, Hedwig's killer might have been Selwyn, who was known to be pursuing Harry and Hagrid at the time since Hedwig's death in the film happened quite a while into the fight when there was only a couple death eaters following them, or it might have been Stanley Shunpike under the Imperius Curse.

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Notes and references[]

1. ↑ Due to the fact that Death Eaters despise and seek to eradicate "Mudbloods" and Muggles. However, Voldemort asked Muggle-borns like Lily J. Potter to join the Death Eaters in exceptionally rare cases.
2. ↑ J.K. Rowling and the Live Chat, Bloomsbury.com, July 30, 2007
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 4 (The Seven Potters)