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. ======Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows====== =====Publication Information===== * **Title:** //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows// * **Author:** [[J.K. Rowling]] * **Series Number:** 7 of 7 * **UK Release Date:** 21 July 2007 * **US Release Date:** 21 July 2007 * **Publisher:** [[Bloomsbury]] (UK), [[Scholastic]] (US) * **Illustrator:** Jason Cockcroft (UK Adult), Mary GrandPré (US) * **Chapters:** 36, plus an Epilogue * **Preceded by:** [[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]] =====Plot Summary===== The final novel in the series begins with [[Lord Voldemort]] taking [[Lucius Malfoy]]'s [[wand]] and the [[Order of the Phoenix]] preparing to move [[Harry Potter]] from [[Number 4, Privet Drive]] for the last time. The plan goes awry during the [[Battle of the Seven Potters]], resulting in the death of [[Mad-Eye Moody]] and the injury of [[George Weasley]]. [[Harry]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] take refuge at [[The Burrow]], where they receive items bequeathed to them by [[Albus Dumbledore]]: the [[Deluminator]] for [[Ron]], //[[The Tales of Beedle the Bard]]// for [[Hermione]], and the first [[Golden Snitch]] [[Harry]] ever caught. The [[sword of Godric Gryffindor]] was also left to [[Harry]], but the [[Ministry of Magic]] confiscates it. During the wedding of [[Bill Weasley]] and [[Fleur Delacour]], the [[Ministry of Magic]] falls to [[Voldemort]]'s control, and the trio is forced to flee. They go on the run, dedicated to the mission [[Dumbledore]] left them: to find and destroy [[Voldemort]]'s remaining [[Horcruxes]]. Their first success comes after infiltrating the [[Ministry]], now run by [[Pius Thicknesse]] under the control of [[Death Eaters]], and retrieving [[Salazar Slytherin's Locket]] from [[Dolores Umbridge]]. Unable to destroy the locket and worn down by its dark influence, the trio's friendship is strained, leading to [[Ron]]'s temporary departure. [[Harry]] and [[Hermione]] travel to [[Godric's Hollow]], hoping to find the [[sword of Gryffindor]] and information from the historian [[Bathilda Bagshot]]. They are instead ambushed by [[Voldemort]]'s snake, [[Nagini]], and narrowly escape, but [[Harry's wand]] is broken in the process. [[Ron]] returns, guided by the [[Deluminator]], and rescues [[Harry]] from a frozen pond where a mysterious silver [[doe]] [[Patronus]] had led him to the [[sword of Gryffindor]]. [[Ron]] then uses the [[sword]] to destroy the locket [[Horcrux]]. The trio learns about the [[Deathly Hallows]]—the [[Elder Wand]], the [[Resurrection Stone]], and the [[Invisibility Cloak]]—from [[Xenophilius Lovegood]]. They are soon captured by [[Snatchers]] and taken to [[Malfoy Manor]]. There, [[Hermione]] is tortured by [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], but they are saved by the [[house-elf]] [[Dobby]], who dies during the escape. With help from the [[goblin]] [[Griphook]], they break into the [[Lestrange]] vault at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]] and retrieve another [[Horcrux]]: [[Helga Hufflepuff's Cup]]. Their search for the final known [[Horcrux]], something belonging to [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], leads them back to [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. This triggers the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], where the [[Order of the Phoenix]], [[Dumbledore's Army]], and the staff and students of [[Hogwarts]] fight against [[Voldemort]] and his army of [[Death Eaters]]. During the battle, the Cup is destroyed by [[Hermione]] and [[Ron]] with a [[basilisk]] fang, and [[Vincent Crabbe]] unwittingly destroys the [[Diadem of Ravenclaw]] with [[Fiendfyre]]. [[Harry]] witnesses the murder of [[Severus Snape]] by [[Voldemort]] and collects his memories. In the [[Pensieve]], [[Harry]] learns the truth: [[Snape]]'s unwavering love for his mother, [[Lily Potter]], drove him to protect [[Harry]] all along, and [[Harry]] himself is an unintentional seventh [[Horcrux]] who must die at [[Voldemort]]'s hand. Accepting his fate, [[Harry]] goes to the [[Forbidden Forest]], using the [[Resurrection Stone]] found inside the [[Snitch]] to briefly reunite with the spirits of his parents, [[Sirius Black]], and [[Remus Lupin]]. [[Voldemort]] strikes him with the [[Killing Curse]]. [[Harry]] awakens in a limbo-like state resembling [[King's Cross Station]], where [[Dumbledore]]'s spirit explains that the [[Horcrux]] inside him was destroyed, and [[Harry]] can choose to go on or return. He returns to his body and, in the final confrontation, reveals that he is the true master of the [[Elder Wand]]. [[Voldemort]]'s [[Killing Curse]] rebounds, killing him for good. The [[Epilogue]], set nineteen years later, shows [[Harry]], [[Ron]], [[Hermione]], and [[Ginny Weasley]] at [[Platform Nine and Three-Quarters]], sending their own children off to [[Hogwarts]]. =====Major Themes and Motifs===== * **Death and Acceptance:** The novel is deeply concerned with mortality. The [[Deathly Hallows]] represent three different approaches to death (conquering, recalling, and accepting), with [[Harry]]'s ultimate victory coming from his willingness to accept his own death for the greater good. * **Love as a Powerful Magic:** This theme culminates in the story's climax. [[Lily Potter]]'s sacrificial love continues to protect [[Harry]], [[Severus Snape]]'s enduring love for [[Lily]] is revealed as his core motivation, and [[Harry]]'s own love for his friends fuels his journey and eventual sacrifice. * **The Corrupting Nature of Power:** The pursuit of power is shown to be destructive. [[Voldemort]]'s obsession with immortality through [[Horcruxes]] and his quest for the [[Elder Wand]] ultimately lead to his downfall. In contrast, [[Harry]]'s willingness to relinquish power—specifically the [[Elder Wand]]—proves his worthiness. * **Choice and Free Will:** [[Dumbledore]]'s final words to [[Harry]]—"//It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities//"—are proven true. Characters like [[Snape]], [[Ron]], and [[Draco Malfoy]] make pivotal choices that define their allegiances and morality. =====Development and Publication History===== [[J.K. Rowling]] announced the completion of the manuscript on 11 January 2007, having finished it in the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. The title was revealed on 21 December 2006 on [[J.K. Rowling]]'s website via a special hangman-style puzzle. Rowling stated that she had considered two other titles: //Harry Potter and the Elder Wand// and //Harry Potter and the Peverell Quest//. The publication was preceded by a massive marketing and security campaign by its publishers, [[Bloomsbury]] and [[Scholastic]], to prevent the book's plot from leaking before the official release date. =====Significance in the Series===== As the final installment, //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows// serves as the grand conclusion to the entire saga. It resolves the central conflict between [[Harry Potter]] and [[Lord Voldemort]] that spanned all seven books. The novel provides definitive answers to the series' most significant mysteries, including the true nature of the [[Deathly Hallows]], the history of the [[Horcruxes]], and the complex allegiance and backstory of [[Severus Snape]]. The story brings the character arcs of [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]] to a close, solidifying their transition from children to adults who shape the fate of the [[wizarding world]]. The Epilogue offers a sense of finality and peace, assuring readers that the world [[Harry]] fought to save has endured. =====Behind the Scenes===== * **Film Adaptations:** The novel was adapted into two feature films: **//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1//** (2010) and **//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2//** (2011). This decision was made to allow for a more faithful and complete adaptation of the dense and complex plot (film). * **Notable Film Changes:** Key changes from the book include the addition of a wordless dance scene between [[Harry]] and [[Hermione]] in their tent, the omission of the full backstory of the [[Dumbledore]] family, and a more cinematic, drawn-out final duel between [[Harry]] and [[Voldemort]] that takes place throughout the [[Hogwarts]] grounds rather than solely in the [[Great Hall]] (film). In the film, [[Harry]] snaps the [[Elder Wand]] in two rather than returning it to [[Dumbledore]]'s tomb. * **Sales Records:** Upon its release, //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows// shattered sales records, becoming the fastest-selling book in history. It sold an estimated 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of release in the United Kingdom and the United States alone.
