Harry Potter Fans Still Aren’t Sure How This Character Actually Died

The Battle of Hogwarts had some heavy casualties, but some fans question how the heroes took down so many Death Eaters without casting any “Unforgivable Curses.” Many deaths and outcomes are explained with specific spells or circumstances, but one in particular has perplexed fans for years: the death of Bellatrix Lestrange. The infamous witch was finally killed in a duel with Molly Weasley near the end of the series, though it’s not exactly clear how. Just this week, user u/lumito88 raised the question on the Harry Potter subreddit, and fans shared their best theories and interpretations of what happened here. There’s not exactly a consensus, but there are a few clues you can add up to create a satisfactory explanation.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the climactic Battle of Hogwarts ended in the Great Hall. In the end, Bellatrix was the last Death Eater standing aside from Voldemort, and she was holding her own against Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley all at once. Bellatrix cast the killing curse, “Avada Kedavra” at Ginny, which is when Molly Weasley stepped in. After uttering the iconic line “Not my daughter, you b—,” Molly took over the duel.

Neither the book nor the movie tell us exactly which spells are bouncing back and forth in the volley between these two witches. We see flashes of light as well as shield charms on the screen, but the book makes it very clear that Molly cast a curse that killed Bellatrix — as opposed to deflecting a curse back at her.

“Molly’s curse soared beneath Bellatrix’s outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart. Bellatrix’s gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge, for the tiniest space of time she knew exactly what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed.”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

We still don’t know what curse Molly used to kill Bellatrix, though many other small details have been explained in interviews and featurettes over the years. Fans have a lot of theories, and few of them believe that Molly used the “unforgivable” killing curse. Some are prepared to forgive the Weasley matriarch for this magical crime, but most agree that it would be a step too far.

With that in mind, fan theories typically point out that Molly’s spell hit Bellatrix directly in the heart. This seems to be pointed out very intentionally, and it means that many types of spells could have been fatal. Some imagine it as an electric shock, while others speculate that it wounded her. Many even propose specific incantations from the series — the full body-bind curse, “Petrificus Totalus” is a popular theory. It’s meant to paralyze the entire body, but perhaps a direct hit to the heart with anger behind it could stop the heart from beating long enough to kill.

[RELATED: This Harry Potter “Unpopular Opinion” Would Change the Movies for the Better]

That last idea seems to be supported by the movie. In the film version, the killing blow looks very different. First, Molly seems to paralyze Bellatrix, who freezes with her hands up and a shocked expression on her face. Then, Molly casts another spell which Bellatrix can’t block because she’s frozen. It seems to shred the Death Eater’s body into black chunks that disappear as they fall.

Theories aside, many commenters took this chance to dunk on Bellatrix with joke explanations. Some joked that “Not my daughter, you b—” is a powerful incantation in its own right, and others called this “the f— around and find out” spell, for example. It’s clear that this unanswered question leaves a lot of room for speculation, but it doesn’t necessarily need a satisfying answer, either.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 is streaming now on Max. The book is available in print, digital and audiobook formats. A new adaptation of the series premieres next year on HBO and Max.