A Summary Of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Last week Jan asked where she could find out what happened in the latest Harry Potter book without having to read the whole book herself, so when Emily finished reading it I asked her to provide a brief outline of the book for the blog. Maybe I should have put more emphasis on 'brief', but it was a very long book so it is not easy to sum it up in a few words. Thanks Emily.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Okay, well before I spill beans on the final book in the Harry Potter series, I seriously suggest that you read it because it is a brilliant read!
The protective charm that keeps Harry safe from Voldemort in the Dursley’s home is broken the moment that Harry turns 17, so the Order arrange for Harry to be escorted back to the Burrow (new Order headquarters) by Mad-eye Moody, Mundungus Fletcher, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Lupin, Fleur, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Snape tips Voldemort off about this, and although Harry manages to arrive at the burrow, Mad-eye and Hedwig are killed, whilst George gets one of his ears charmed off!
Whilst at the Burrow, Fleur and Bill get married. Also, the minister for magic (Rufus Scrimgeour) visits the trio, and gives them items that were left to him in Dumbledore’s will: Ron gets the Deluminator (the thing that Dumbledore used to click all of the lights out in the first book), Hermione gets an old book written in Runes called The Tales of The Beedle of Bard (a wizard’s version of Easopp’s Fables), and Harry is left the first Snitch that he ever caught, and also the sword of Godric Gryffindor.
The wedding reception is interrupted when a message is sent from Kingsley Shacklebolt, saying that the Ministry has fallen, and Death Eaters begin to arrive. Harry, Ron and Hermione flee and go on their quest to find the remaining Horcruxes (items that contain parts of Voldemort’s soul) so that they can destroy them like Dumbledore told them to. They are not allowed to tell anyone else where they are going or what they are doing. After the wedding, the entire Weasley family are being watched by the ministry.
Harry, Ron and Hermione go back to Grimmauld Place, where they discover that the signature in the fake locket from the lake (R.A.B.) stood for Regulus Arcturus Black- Sirius’ brother and ex-death eater. The real locket was the one that was spotted in Grimmauld in the previous book, but after speaking to Kreacher, it was discovered that Mundungus Fletcher had stolen the locket and sold it...to professor Umbridge who still works for the ministry! They use polyjuice potion to break into the ministry, where they steal the locket from Umbridge. However, they still don’t have the means to break the horcrux.
They have to flee Grimmauld place and go on the run again; Ron falls out with Harry and Hermione and abandons their mission after an argument. Harry and Hermione decide to go to Godric’s Hollow (where Harry grew up) after finding out that Dumbledore grew up there too. They hope that Dumbledore hid the sword there, but they find that it was a trap and only narrowly escape Voldemort- Hermione accidently snapping Harry’s wand in the process.
They flee once more and overhear some Muggleborns and ex-Gringotts goblins that are on the run, talking. They say that Gryffindor’s sword is locked in the safe of Bellatrix Lestrange in Gringotts- however, this sword is a fake- unbeknown to Bellatrix or Voldemort, and the real sword is lost. Later, a patronus of a silver doe captures Harry’s attention and he follows it to a frozen pool- in the pool is the sword of Gryffindor. He knows that the only way to get to the sword is to jump in and retrieve it so he does, but the locket horcrux around his neck begins to strangle him as he dives for the sword. Ron (who has returned) saves Harry and retrieves the sword. Hermione however, isn’t quite as pleased as Harry to see their ginger headed friend. Ron tells them that saying the name “Voldemort” works as a tracker for the death eaters so that they can find members of the Order more easily (they’re the only ones that dare to say his name) and that was why they kept finding Harry so quickly.
They go to visit Luna’s dad, Xenophilius, to ask him about a symbol that keeps cropping up in Hermione’s book. Whilst trying to stall them, he tells them that the symbol represents the Deathly Hallows- three legendary objects that belong to the master of Death- the Elder wand, the Resurrection stone and the Invisibility cloak- Harry is certain that his invisibility cloak is one of the hallows. Luna’s dad betrays them to the ministry, in the hope of them releasing Luna who is being held captive by some Death Eaters, as punishment because of the things that he kept writing in the Quibbler.
The trio escape, but are caught by snatchers- Greyback the werewolf and friends-(people working for Voldemort by rounding up Muggleborns that are on the run and selling them) when Harry accidently calls Voldemort by his name. Hermione makes Harry’s face swell up to hide his identity but they eventually suss that it is Harry- they are captured along with Griphook the goblin and Dean Thomas- they are taken to the Malfoy’s house where it is confirmed by Lucius and Draco that it is Harry. Greyback also gives them the sword of Gryffindor which he stole from Harry. Bellatrix is horrified that they have broken into her fault and tortures Hermione for information. Then she makes Griphook the goblin identify whether it is the true sword made of goblin metal- and he lies on Harry’s behalf and says that it is a fake. Whilst Hermione is being interrogated, the others are put in a dark room with Luna and Mr. Ollivander- Harry gets out his broken piece of Sirius’ mirror, looks into it and asks for help. Dobby appears- although caught by Pettigrew who then tries to repay his life’s debt to Harry, but is killed by his silver hand in retribution-and helps to get them all safely to Bill and Fleur’s cottage- with the sword in tow. Harry also manages to get hold of Bellatrix’ and Draco’s wands before escaping.
They decide to break into Bellatrix’ Gringott’s vault, because of her reaction to the sword. They make a deal with Griphook- he will help them to break into Gringott’s as long as Griphook is able to keep the sword afterwards. Harry also speaks to Mr. Ollivander, who had been tortured by Voldemort. Voldemort wanted to know about the Elder Wand (without knowing that it was one of the Deathly Hallows- he doesn’t have any knowledge about the Deathly Hallows). Hermione poses as Bellatrix Lestrange with polyjuice potion and they break into the vault at Gringott’s, finding the Hufflepuff Cup that is a horcrux. When their disguise is blown, they release a dragon from Gringotts and fly on its back to safety. Voldemort now realizes that Harry is going after the Horcruxes. Through Harry’s connection with Voldemort, he finds that one of the Horcruxes is hidden at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth (who is the barman at the Hog’s Head!!!) help Harry, Ron and Hermione to enter Hogwarts. Harry tells McGonnagal of Voldemort’s presumed arrival to Hogwarts and she prepares everyone for the Battle of Hogwarts! Harry realizes that the horcrux is disguised as Ravenclaw’s Diadem (crown thing) and that it is in the Room of Requirement. He retrieves it, whilst saving Draco and Goyle, whilst Crabbe is killed. Meanwhile, the rest of the Weasley family, parents, Hogsmeade shopkeepers and the Order arrive at Hogwarts in order to help in the battle. The under 18’s are evacuated to safety, whilst the rest stay to help. They fight the Death Eaters and other creatures on the side of Voldemort, like the giants and the acromantula. The first deaths, I’m afraid to say, include Fred Weasley, Tonks, Lupin and Colin Creevey (who sneaked into battle, even though he was under age). Harry finds other two, who went into the Chamber of Secrets and rescued some Basilisk fangs, so that they could kill the Horcruxes.
Harry has another vision and takes the others to the shrieking shack in the invisibility cloak. He finds Snape and Voldemort. Voldemort, who is possessor of the Elder wand, realizes that it has not been working for him because it is not he whom it belongs to at that time. After all, Snape was the one that killed Dumbledore, the previous owner of the Elder wand, and so Voldemort kills Snape so that he can be the possessor of the wand, on which he depends to kill The Boy Who Lived. Before dying, Snape gives his thoughts to Harry, who takes them straight to the pensieve in Dumbledore’s office.
Harry finds from the memories that Snape had always loved Harry’s mother Lily, even as a child, and that through his love of Lily, he made a promise to Dumbledore to look after Harry. The memories showed that he had always been faithful to Dumbledore, and that before Snape killed Dumbledore (on Dumbledore’s orders I might add!), Dumbledore was already dying, after putting on the horcrux ring that was cursed. Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him, rather than Malfoy, in order not to break Draco’s soul, and that Snape had sent the patronus of the Doe to help Harry. The memories also held the message to Harry, that Harry himself is a horcrux- the night that his parents died, Voldemort, without knowing, managed to insert a fragment of his soul into Harry, which is what causes his connection with Voldemort and his ability to speak Parseltongue. In short, Voldemort cannot die whilst Harry lives.
Harry knows what he must do- he walks alone to the Forbidden Forest, where Voldemort awaits. Harry manages to open the snitch that Dumbledore gave him, and inside it is the Resurrection stone. He summons the spirits of his loved ones- Lily and James (his parents), Sirius (his god-father) and Lupin (he was killed in the battle at Hogwarts, I’m afraid). They escort him to the place, until he drops the stone, as it was unneeded. He lets Voldemort strike him with the Avada Kedavra curse, and he awakens in the station of King’s Cross, surprisingly.
Here, Harry meets Dumbledore, who tells him everything. He tells Harry that Voldemort can’t die with the fragment of his soul living in Harry, and Harry cannot be killed whilst Voldemort has Harry’s blood inside him (Voldemort took Harry’s blood in book 4, in order to return). Dumbledore also tells Harry that the fragment of soul inside Harry died, when Voldemort cast the Avada Kedavra curse. Harry then has the choice to “go on” or to return to end the battle. He returns, in front of the Death Eaters and Voldemort, though keeping still as he is supposed to be dead. Voldemort sends Narcissa Malfoy over to check that Harry is dead. She sees that he is alive and asks him whether Draco is alive in the castle- he answers yes, and she lies to Voldemort and says that he is dead- the only way of her getting to check that her son is okay, is if they are permitted to go to the castle- she no longer cares if Voldemort wins. Voldemort makes Hagrid, who was taken captive in the forbidden forest, carry Harry back to the castle. Hagrid doesn’t know that Harry is alive.
Harry is taken to the castle and presented as a trophy- whilst reinforcements enter the castle, Harry covers himself with the invisibility cloak. Neville meanwhile, pulls the Gryffindor sword out of the Sorting Hat and kills Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, which is the last remaining horcrux. Battle continued, and Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange!!! (I was delighted at this detail!) Harry gives Voldemort the chance to repent, before telling him that the true owner of the Elder wand is in fact Draco Malfoy, because Draco disarmed Dumbledore, passing on allegiance to Draco. Then, having taken the wand from Draco, Harry became the true owner of the Elder wand. Voldemort, despite this, cast the killing curse once more on Harry, and the wand protects its master (Harry), and rebounds upon Voldemort, killing him.
In the epilogue, Ginny and Harry have three children- James, Lily, and Albus Severus. Hermione and Ron have two children- Rose and Hugo. The son of Tonks and Lupin – Teddy Lupin seems to be going out with the daughter of Bill and Fleur- Victoire Weasley.
It really is an awesome book! I left many more details out- mainly about the Deathly Hallows, which play a more prominent role in the book than I have mentioned. Just ask if there are any questions though!
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