Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh installment in the record-breaking Harry Potter series and the highly-anticipated conclusion of the boy wizard’s story. Since the publication of the first Harry Potter novel in 1997, the series has sold over 500 million copies, and Harry Potter has become the best-selling fantasy series of all time. Released 10 years after the initial publication of the first Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows takes place during (what would be) Harry’s seventh year at Hogwarts. Instead of following the traditional arc of the previous Harry Potter novels, Harry and his friends choose not to return to Hogwarts and focus on trying to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. The novel focuses on many of the same themes as the previous novels, including love, sacrifice, family, good versus evil, friendship, prejudice, and hope. The final novel in the Harry Potter series was broken up into two films, which were released in 2010 and 2011 and earned critical acclaim. The version of the novel used for this guide is the hardback Arthur A. Levine imprint of Scholastic Press.

Plot Summary

After years of battling against the evil Lord Voldemort, 17-year-old Harry Potter is finally an adult wizard, and he and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger must set out on a dangerous mission to stop Voldemort once and for all. Harry and his friends must destroy Voldemort’s Horcuxes, which enable him to live on even after he is killed. To succeed on their mission, they must leave behind their friends and families to face old and new challenges and end the Dark wizard’s evil reign.

Harry and his friends know they must find and destroy four Horcruxes: a locket that once belonged to Voldemort’s ancestor Salazar Slytherin, a cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, a diadem that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, and Voldemort’s pet snake, Nagini. However, finding the Horcuxes proves to be more challenging than expected. With a wide world of possible hiding places, a relentless army of Death Eaters pursuing them, and time running out, Harry and his friends are pushed to their breaking point and must learn to rely on one another and their friends in the wizarding community to reach their goal.

Along the way, Harry uncovers dark secrets about this childhood mentor, Albus Dumbledore. Harry learns that Dumbledore, who dedicated his life to stopping Dark wizards and guiding others, dabbled in Dark magic in his youth. Harry feels the weight of his responsibility to destroy the Horcruxes but resents Dumbledore for his secrecy and unclear instructions. Harry begins to wonder if the Dumbledore he knew was the real Dumbledore, and as he finds himself struggling to figure out how to eliminate the Horcruxes, Harry realizes that he cannot rely on adults like Dumbledore to help him or protect him anymore. He struggles to overcome his fear, grief, and confusion.

Throughout the story, Harry and his friends learn about the Deathly Hallows: three legendary objects that grant their possessor power over death. Harry realizes that Voldemort is after the Elder Wand, a hallow that would make Voldemort impossible to defeat. Harry realizes that they are running out of time to defeat Voldemort before he becomes unstoppable, and the search for Horcruxes intensifies.

To find the Horcruxes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione must infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, break into Gringotts, and sneak into Hogwarts while keeping their mission secret. They are helped by their fellow Hogwarts students as well as new and old friends in the wizarding world, and as the final battle against Lord Voldemort and his followers breaks out at Hogwarts, the terrible truth about Harry’s mysterious bond with Voldemort comes to light. Harry learns that years ago, a piece of Voldemort’s soul latched onto Harry, making him a Horcrux that must also be destroyed. Harry allows Voldemort to kill him so this piece of Voldemort’s soul can be destroyed and bring Harry’s friends one step closer to killing the evil wizard. Miraculously, Harry comes back to life because of his mother’s sacrifice to protect him when he was a baby. He faces down Voldemort, and the evil wizard accidentally kills himself when his killing curse rebounds on him. With all of the Horcruxes destroyed, Voldemort is gone forever. The Battle of Hogwarts results in a tremendous loss of life, including the deaths of Lupin, Tonks, and Fred,

Years later, Harry is married to Ginny Weasley, and they have three children. Harry takes his children to board the Hogwarts Express, and his son Albus is nervous about leaving for wizarding school. Harry assures him everything will be alright, and as the train pulls away, Harry realizes that his scar hasn’t bothered him since his final showdown with Lord Voldemort. Peace has been restored to the wizarding world, and Harry has a life with his children that he never got to have with his own parents.