Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Battle of the Astronomy Tower====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** Battle; Infiltration and Assassination * **Location:** [[Astronomy Tower]] and surrounding corridors, [[Hogwarts Castle]] * **Date:** 30 June, 1997 * **Belligerents:** [[Death Eater]]s vs. [[Order of the Phoenix]] & [[Dumbledore's Army]] * **Outcome:** Decisive [[Death Eater]] victory. * [[Albus Dumbledore]] assassinated. * [[Hogwarts Castle]] successfully infiltrated for the first time in the [[Second Wizarding War]]. * [[Severus Snape]]'s true allegiance seemingly confirmed as being with [[Lord Voldemort]]. =====Description and History===== The Battle of the Astronomy Tower was the culmination of a year-long mission assigned to [[Draco Malfoy]] by [[Lord Voldemort]]: to kill [[Hogwarts]] Headmaster [[Albus Dumbledore]]. Throughout his sixth year, [[Draco]] worked to repair a [[Vanishing Cabinet]] located in the [[Room of Requirement]], which was linked to a twin cabinet in [[Borgin and Burkes]]. This created a secret passage for [[Death Eater]]s to enter the supposedly impenetrable castle. On the evening of the battle, [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Harry Potter]] returned to [[Hogwarts]] after retrieving what they believed to be one of [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux]]es from the [[Crystal Cave]]. The journey and the act of drinking the [[Emerald Potion]] had left [[Dumbledore]] severely weakened. They arrived via [[Broomstick]]s in [[Hogsmeade]] and flew to the top of the [[Astronomy Tower]], the highest point of the castle. They were drawn there by the appearance of the [[Dark Mark]], which had been cast over the tower by the [[Death Eater]] [[Gibbon]] to lure [[Dumbledore]] into a trap. Aware of the impending danger and just moments before [[Draco Malfoy]]'s arrival, [[Dumbledore]] used a non-verbal [[Petrificus Totalus]] to immobilise [[Harry Potter]], who was hidden beneath his [[Invisibility Cloak]]. This was done to protect [[Harry]] and ensure he would not interfere. =====Role in the Story===== The battle marked a major turning point in the [[Second Wizarding War]], signifying the end of [[Hogwarts]] as a safe haven and resulting in the death of one of the wizarding world's most powerful figures. The conflict occurred in two primary locations: the confrontation on the tower itself and the fighting in the corridors below. - **The Confrontation on the Tower** * A pale and determined [[Draco Malfoy]] confronted the weakened [[Dumbledore]] and successfully disarmed him, an act that unknowingly made [[Draco]] the master of the [[Elder Wand]]. * [[Dumbledore]], despite his condition, remained calm and engaged [[Draco]] in conversation, attempting to persuade him to abandon his mission and accept the [[Order of the Phoenix]]'s protection. * [[Draco]] hesitated, and was soon joined by other [[Death Eater]]s who had ascended the tower: [[Amycus Carrow]], [[Alecto Carrow]], the [[werewolf]] [[Fenrir Greyback]], and [[Thorfinn Rowle]]. They goaded [[Draco]] to fulfill his task. * [[Severus Snape]] was the last to arrive on the scene. After a quiet plea from [[Dumbledore]]—//"Severus... please..."//—[[Snape]] cast the [[Killing Curse]], [[Avada Kedavra]], at the Headmaster. * [[Dumbledore]]'s body was thrown from the battlements, and the spell immobilising [[Harry]] was broken upon his death. - **The Battle in the Corridors** * While the events on the tower unfolded, a fierce battle erupted in the castle below. [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], [[Ginny Weasley]], [[Neville Longbottom]], and [[Luna Lovegood]] of [[Dumbledore's Army]] had been patrolling the corridors. They were joined by [[Order of the Phoenix]] members [[Nymphadora Tonks]], [[Remus Lupin]], and [[Bill Weasley]]. * They engaged the invading [[Death Eater]]s in a chaotic fight filled with jinxes and curses. During the skirmish, [[Bill Weasley]] was brutally savaged by [[Fenrir Greyback]], leaving him permanently scarred. * The [[Death Eater]] [[Gibbon]], who had cast the [[Dark Mark]], was killed by a stray [[Killing Curse]] cast by fellow [[Death Eater]] [[Thorfinn Rowle]]. - **The Escape and Aftermath** * Following [[Dumbledore]]'s murder, [[Snape]] led [[Draco]] and the other [[Death Eater]]s in their escape from the castle. * A grief-stricken [[Harry Potter]] pursued them, attempting to cast spells like the [[Cruciatus Curse]] on [[Snape]], but [[Snape]] effortlessly repelled all of his attacks. * During the pursuit, [[Snape]] mockingly corrected [[Harry]]'s spellcasting and revealed that he was the creator of the spells [[Harry]] had learned from the [[Advanced Potion-Making]] textbook, declaring, "**I am the Half-Blood Prince.**" * As they fled across the grounds, [[Thorfinn Rowle]] set [[Rubeus Hagrid]]'s hut on fire. The [[Death Eater]]s, with [[Snape]], successfully disapparated once they passed the [[Hogwarts]] boundary. * [[Harry]] returned to find students and staff gathered around [[Dumbledore]]'s body at the foot of the tower. The event concluded with [[Dumbledore's funeral]] days later and [[Harry]]'s decision to not return to [[Hogwarts]] for his seventh year, instead dedicating himself to destroying [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux]]es. =====Participants and Casualties===== - **Invading Force ([[Death Eater]]s)** * [[Draco Malfoy]] * [[Severus Snape]] * [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] * [[Amycus Carrow]] * [[Alecto Carrow]] * [[Fenrir Greyback]] * [[Thorfinn Rowle]] * [[Gibbon]] - **Defenders of [[Hogwarts]] ([[Order of the Phoenix]] & [[Dumbledore's Army]])** * [[Albus Dumbledore]] * [[Harry Potter]] (immobilised for the primary confrontation) * [[Minerva McGonagall]] * [[Remus Lupin]] * [[Nymphadora Tonks]] * [[Bill Weasley]] * [[Ron Weasley]] * [[Hermione Granger]] * [[Ginny Weasley]] * [[Neville Longbottom]] * [[Luna Lovegood]] - **Casualties and Significant Injuries** * **Killed:** [[Albus Dumbledore]] (killed by [[Severus Snape]]); [[Gibbon]] (killed by friendly fire). * **Injured:** [[Bill Weasley]] (mauled by [[Fenrir Greyback]], resulting in permanent scarring and lycanthropic contamination). =====Behind the Scenes===== In the film adaptation, //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the battle is portrayed differently. The fighting in the corridors between the D.A. and the [[Death Eater]]s is entirely omitted. Instead, [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] is shown to be a more central figure in the invasion, casting the [[Dark Mark]] herself, destroying the [[Great Hall]]'s windows, and leading the charge to set [[Hagrid]]'s hut ablaze. The film also adds an attack on [[The Burrow]] by [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and [[Fenrir Greyback]] during the Christmas holidays, which does not happen in the book at all and is a separate event from the Battle of the Astronomy Tower (film).
