--- description: J.K. Rowling issued an annual apology for the death of another beloved "Harry Potter" character, this time, the house elf Dobby title: J.K. Rowling Apologizes For Another 'Harry Potter' Death image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5029453337947b88/69892f5497cdffe1736b51ce/gettyimages-950047366.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # J.K. Rowling Has Apologized to Fans For Killing Off a Beloved Character by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 2, 2018 9:49 AM CUT  J.K. Rowling poses at 'Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2' on Broadway Opening Night at The Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018 in New York City. Rowling has apologized for the death of another character, this time it's Dobby the house elf. J.K. Rowling poses at 'Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2' on Broadway Opening Night at The Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018 in New York City. Rowling has apologized for the death of another character, this time it's Dobby the house elf.Bruce Glikas—FilmMagic/Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 2, 2018 9:49 AM CUT J.K. Rowling has [apologized](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/991597524841529344 "undefined") for yet another _Harry Potter_ death, in what has become an annual tradition on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. The author offered fans an apology for condemning one of the series’ most memorable and endearing characters to an abrupt death in the pages of the much-loved saga. This year, Rowling is is sorry for, “for killing someone who didn’t die during the Battle of Hogwarts, but who laid down his life to save the people who’d win it.” “I refer, of course, to Dobby the house elf,” Rowling wrote on Twitter. Dobby the house elf [appears in five](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Dobby "undefined") of the series’ seven volumes, beginning in _Harry Potter and the_ _Chamber of_ _Secrets_, in which he warns Harry of a plan to reopen the titular secret vault beneath Hogwarts. He becomes a free elf in the book’s conclusion when Harry tricks Lucius Malfoy into releasing him from servitude, and proves a loyal companion over the rest of the series. But Dobby met his literary end in _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_, when he is slain by Bellatrix Lestrange while saving Harry and his comrades from the Death Eaters’ grasp. In past years, Rowling has apologized for the deaths of redeemed [villain-turned-antihero](http://time.com/4763122/harry-potter-j-k-rowling-apologizes-snape-death/ "undefined") Severus Snape, [Remus Lupin](http://time.com/4313899/harry-potter-jk-rowling-death-apology-remus/ "undefined"), and lovable fan favorite [Fred Weasley](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/594409493443805184 "undefined"). Read her message below: > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/991597524841529344) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5262527/jk-rowling-harry-potter-death-apology/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5262527/jk-rowling-harry-potter-death-apology/"},"headline":"J.K. 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