I'm relatively sure there were no deaths in the school before Myrtle Warren. 1943-1995 there were no deaths. Cedric died off-campus, but we'll count it since it was a teacher who killed him. The next time any Hogwarts student died was the Battle of Hogwarts and there we have Crabbe, who should really be considered an enemy combatant rather than a student to be protected, Lavender and Colin and an unidentifiable stack of fifty bodies Harry did not recognize, probably not students. Since the school was founded in 990 AD, I'd say they did pretty well.

 

First year: Sally-Anne Perks was murdered on the sly
Second year: Tom Riddle was murdered by another student slamming a basilisk fang into his horcrux
Third year: Harry's innocence died when he learned that friends can betray one another
Fourth year: Cedric died
Fifth year: Everyone died inside when Umbridge came on the stage
Sixth year: Dumbledore died, and that man was a student of life, for all his life
Seventh year: Education itself died, because Harry went on a seditious camping trip

 

The only appropriate response.

So anyway...

 

Stupidest trope in fiction, bar none.

 

I can think of a stupider one.

Yer in a dream Harry!

 

Fair, but they're basically the same.

 

Better twist.

You're dead harry. But the power of love will bring you bac-

Oh wait.

 

And just like that I think of a Draco and Harry friendship fic where the entire basis is that they keep outspending each other.

 

Harry buys Gryffindor team brand new Quidditch wear, Draco buys Slytherin Nimbus 2001s. Harry boasts of 'his' pet dragon Norbert, Draco persuades his father to obtain a baby Nundu for the mansion. Draco pays big dollars for his 'Support Cedric Diggory' campaign, Harry hires cheer teams to follow the other Champions around. Draco brags about the Quidditch team his family has held a stake in for generations, Harry buys the Chudley Cannons.

Bonus points if they both gradually ignore their school subjects more and more in pursuit of obtaining the money they need to keep up their pissing contest/friendship. Voldemort eventually returns, and the pair attempt to bribe him to go away. When he refuses, they give him the money anyway, killing him under an avalanche of gold ala Gringotts.

 

You do realize you have to write this into a proper story now, yes?