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 Seven Potters====== =====Introduction===== The **Battle of the Seven Potters**, also known as the **Flight from Privet Drive**, was an aerial battle that took place on the evening of 27 July, 1997. It was a critical operation devised by the [[Order of the Phoenix]] to move [[Harry Potter]] from the home of his relatives at [[Number Four, Privet Drive]] to the safety of [[The Burrow]] shortly before his seventeenth birthday. The plan involved using six decoys disguised as Harry through the use of [[Polyjuice Potion]] to mislead [[Lord Voldemort]] and his [[Death Eaters]]. The operation was ultimately compromised, leading to a fierce confrontation in the skies over southern England. While Harry was successfully transported, the battle resulted in the death of [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]] and the severe injury of [[George Weasley]]. =====Prelude===== As [[Harry Potter]]'s seventeenth birthday approached, the powerful protective [[enchantment]] cast by his mother, [[Lily Potter]], which had kept him safe at the Dursleys' home, was set to expire. Recognizing this vulnerability, [[Lord Voldemort]] and his [[Death Eaters]] planned to ambush Harry the moment he left [[Privet Drive]]. The [[Order of the Phoenix]], aware of the danger, formulated a plan to move Harry to a secure location before the protection failed. The initial plan to use the [[Floo Network]] was deemed too risky as the [[Ministry of Magic]] had fallen under [[Death Eater]] influence, making every fireplace connected to the network monitored. =====The Plan===== The strategy, masterminded by [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]], was based on deception and creating confusion. The core elements of the plan were as follows: * **The Decoys:** Six members of the Order would transform into identical copies of Harry using [[Polyjuice Potion]], for which they had obtained hairs from Harry. These decoys were [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], [[Fred Weasley]], [[George Weasley]], [[Fleur Delacour]], and [[Mundungus Fletcher]]. * **The Protectors:** Each of the seven "Potters" would be accompanied by a skilled protector. The pairs would leave [[Privet Drive]] simultaneously, heading in different directions towards various [[safe house|safe houses]]. * **Transportation:** The pairs would travel using either [[Broomstick|broomsticks]] or [[Thestral|Thestrals]]. The real Harry was paired with [[Rubeus Hagrid]] and would travel on the enchanted motorbike that once belonged to [[Sirius Black]]. * **The Rendezvous:** Upon reaching their designated [[safe house]], each pair would take a [[Portkey]] that would transport them to the final destination: [[The Burrow]], the home of the [[Weasley family]]. The pairs were assigned as follows: * [[Harry Potter]] (real) with [[Rubeus Hagrid]] * [[Hermione Granger]] (as Harry) with [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]] * [[Ron Weasley]] (as Harry) with [[Nymphadora Tonks]] * [[Fred Weasley]] (as Harry) with [[Arthur Weasley]] * [[George Weasley]] (as Harry) with [[Remus Lupin]] * [[Fleur Delacour]] (as Harry) with [[Bill Weasley]] * [[Mundungus Fletcher]] (as Harry) with [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]] =====The Battle===== Despite the Order's secrecy, the plan had been leaked to [[Lord Voldemort]] by [[Severus Snape]] (on [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s prior instructions). As soon as the seven Potters and their protectors took to the sky, they were ambushed by approximately thirty [[Death Eaters]]. * **Harry and Hagrid:** They were immediately targeted by [[Lord Voldemort]] himself, confirming that the [[Death Eaters]] knew the real Harry would be with the most formidable protector. During the chase, Harry's beloved owl, [[Hedwig]], was struck by a [[Killing Curse]] and fell from her cage. In the ensuing fight, Harry cast a [[Disarming Charm]] ([[Expelliarmus]]) at [[Stan Shunpike]], who was under the [[Imperius Curse]]. This act of mercy, a signature move of Harry's, definitively identified him to the nearby [[Death Eaters]]. When Voldemort, using [[Lucius Malfoy]]'s [[wand]], tried to kill Harry, Harry's own [[wand]] acted of its own accord, emitting golden flames that destroyed the borrowed wand in an echo of [[Priori Incantatem]]. Harry and Hagrid ultimately crash-landed in the garden of [[Ted Tonks|Ted]] and [[Andromeda Tonks]]'s home. * **George and Lupin:** This pair was attacked by several [[Death Eaters]], including [[Severus Snape]]. While aiming a curse at a [[Death Eater]]'s hand, Snape's spell ([[Sectumsempra]]) was accidentally deflected and struck George, severing his ear. Lupin managed to get the injured George to [[The Burrow]]. * **Mundungus and Moody:** Upon seeing [[Lord Voldemort]] approach them directly, the cowardly [[Mundungus Fletcher]] panicked and [[Disapparate|Disapparated]], leaving Moody undefended. Moody was hit squarely by Voldemort's [[Killing Curse]] and fell from his broom to his death. His body was never recovered by the Order. * **Ron and Tonks:** They were pursued by several [[Death Eaters]], including [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]. Tonks managed to fight them off, and the pair successfully reached the home of [[Auntie Muriel]], where they took their [[Portkey]] to [[The Burrow]]. * **Kingsley and Hermione:** They were pursued by at least five [[Death Eaters]], with Voldemort himself joining the chase for a time before breaking off to pursue the real Harry. Kingsley proved to be a powerful duellist and he and Hermione managed to escape. =====Aftermath===== The survivors of the battle gathered at [[The Burrow]]. They used security questions to confirm each other's identities, such as asking Lupin what creature had been in his office on the first day Harry met him. The Order suffered two major casualties: the permanent loss of [[George Weasley]]'s ear and the death of their leader, [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]]. Harry was overcome with guilt, believing the plan's failure and the casualties were his fault. The group debated how Voldemort had been able to identify the real Harry, with Lupin correctly deducing it was his use of [[Expelliarmus]], a spell associated with saving people rather than killing them. =====Participants===== * **Order of the Phoenix and Allies:** * [[Harry Potter]] (The primary target) * [[Rubeus Hagrid]] (Protector) * [[Hermione Granger]] (Decoy) * [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]] (Protector) * [[Ron Weasley]] (Decoy) * [[Nymphadora Tonks]] (Protector) * [[Fred Weasley]] (Decoy) * [[Arthur Weasley]] (Protector) * [[George Weasley]] (Decoy) * [[Remus Lupin]] (Protector) * [[Fleur Delacour]] (Decoy) * [[Bill Weasley]] (Protector) * [[Mundungus Fletcher]] (Decoy) * [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]] (Protector, casualty) * **Death Eaters and Allies:** * [[Lord Voldemort]] * [[Severus Snape]] (as a double agent) * [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] * [[Lucius Malfoy]] * [[Corban Yaxley]] * [[Antonin Dolohov]] * [[Stan Shunpike]] (under the [[Imperius Curse]]) * Numerous other unnamed [[Death Eaters]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * In the film adaptation, //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1// (film), the battle is depicted as a more direct and chaotic aerial dogfight. [[Hedwig]] is killed while actively defending Harry from a [[Killing Curse]] from Voldemort, rather than being struck while in her cage, giving her a more heroic death. * The information about the plan's true date of execution was leaked by [[Severus Snape]] under [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s orders. Dumbledore had instructed Snape to give Voldemort the real date while also providing a false trail suggesting Harry would be moved by [[Portkey]]. This was a calculated risk intended to keep Snape's position as a spy secure while hopefully ensuring Harry's ultimate survival, as revealed in "The Prince's Tale". Snape also suggested the idea of the seven Potters to [[Mundungus Fletcher]] via [[Confundus Charm]], ensuring the Order would adopt a plan that he could then "betray" to Voldemort. * [[J.K. Rowling]] stated that she killed [[Hedwig]] to represent the loss of Harry's childhood and innocence as he fully entered the adult wizarding world and its war.
