Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | |
|---|---|
 ý | |
| Author | J. K. Rowling |
| Illustrators |  Jason Cockcroft, Mary GrandPré |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publishers | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, Scholastic Press, Raincoast Books |
| Released | July 21, 2007 |
| Book no. | Seven |
| Sales | 11 million+ first 24 hours[1] |
| Story timeline | July 1997 – May 19981 September 2017 and |
| Chapters | 36 chapters and an epilogue |
| Pages | 607 759 |
| Preceded by | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
 | This article documents a recently released work of fiction. It may contain detailed information on the characters, plot, and ending of the work of fiction it describes. |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series of novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The book was released on July 21, 2007, bringing to a close the series that started 10 years previously with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997. This last book chronicles the events directly following the previous book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), and leads to the long-awaited final struggle between Harry Potter and his allies, and the ever-more-powerful and influential Lord Voldemort and his servants, the Death Eaters. This is the only book in the series that does not include any critical praise or acclaim on the inside of the front cover, stating instead: "We now present the seventh and final installment in the epic tale of Harry Potter."
Deathly Hallows is published in the UK by Bloomsbury Publishing, in the USA by Scholastic Press, in Canada by Raincoast Books and in Australia and New Zealand by Allen & Unwin. It was released globally in 93 countries. The book broke sales records becoming the fastest-selling book ever, selling more than eleven million copies in the first twenty-four hours following its release. The previous record, nine million in its first day, had been held by Half-Blood Prince.[1]
Contents[hide] |
All the books in the Harry Potter series have dedications, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsepigraph. It contains two quotes relating to death and friendship. The first quotation is an English translation from Ancient Greek of a passage from The Libation Bearers, by the 5th century BC playwright Aeschylus.[2] The second quotation is from More Fruits of SolitudeWilliam Penn, the Quaker author and founder of the American Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[3] is the only one to include an (1682) by
Acting on information received from Severus Snape, Lord Voldemort and his followers plot to ambush Harry Potter when he leaves the Dursleys' home for the last time. Voldemort also seeks a new wand that can defeat Harry's. Shortly before Harry's protection expires on his seventeenth birthday, the Dursleys are sent to an undisclosed, but safe location, and Order of the PhoenixDeath Eaters. Harry narrowly escapes to The Burrow, but Hedwig and Mad-Eye Moody are killed. members arrive to escort Harry to a safe location. Six Harry-lookalike decoys are used, but the real Harry is identified en route and attacked by Voldemort and his
A few days later, Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour arrives to give Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger their bequests from Albus Dumbledore's will. Ron receives Dumbledore's Deluminator, and Hermione has been left a book of fairy tales. Harry inherits Godric Gryffindor's sword and the Snitch he caught in his first-ever Quidditch match, although Scrimgeour withholds the sword, claiming it never belonged to Dumbledore; later, the Snitch reveals a clue inscribed with Dumbledore's handwriting: "I open at the close." The Deluminator and the book of fairy tales also play a significant part in the plot.
During Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding reception, Kingsley Shacklebolt's PatronusMinistry has fallen and the Death Eaters are coming. Harry, Ron and Hermione escape by Disapparating to London, where they are inexplicably tracked down by Death Eaters, and then to the deserted Order of the Phoenix headquarters at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, the house Harry inherited from Sirius Black. While there, Harry learns that Sirius's late brother, Regulus Black, shares the same initials with "R.A.B", the person who removed the locket Horcrux from the hidden sea cave.[HP6] Hermione recalls seeing a locket amongst house elf Kreacher's possessions. Kreacher no longer has the locket, but he fetches Mundungus Fletcher, who admits he stole the locket and used it to bribe Dolores Umbridge. Convinced it is the Horcrux, the trio infiltrate the Ministry of Magic disguised by Polyjuice Potion. They secure the locket in Umbridge's office but their hiding place is compromised as they flee. appears with a warning that the
The trio go on the run. They are unable to open or destroy the locket and take turns wearing it to keep it safe. The three have learned that the sword confiscated by the Ministry is actually a replica; the real Gryffindor sword can destroy Horcruxes. Harry wants to search for it but Ron, fearing for his family's safety and frustrated that Harry has no real plan, leaves the group. Harry and Hermione go to Godric's Hollow to look for the sword. They are ambushed by Voldemort and Nagini. As they escape, Hermione accidentally breaks Harry's wand.
In the Forest of Dean, Harry sees a doe-shaped Patronus near their camp. It leads him to an icy pond containing Gryffindor's Sword. As Harry attempts to retrieve it, the locket Horcrux tightens around his neck, strangling him. Ron Weasley suddenly returns and rescues Harry, then destroys the locket with the sword. Reunited with Harry and Hermione, Ron warns them that Voldemort's name is now Tabooed - anyone uttering it reveals their location, and it was by this method that the Death Eaters tracked them to London.
The trio go to Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father, to ask about a symbol they saw him wearing and which appears in Hermione's book of fairy tales. Lovegood says it represents the Deathly Hallows, three legendary objects that conquer death: the Elder Wand; Resurrection Stone; and Invisibility Cloak. When pressed about Luna's absence, Lovegood admits that Death Eaters abducted her; he says he has alerted the Death Eater-controlled Ministry of the trio's whereabouts, but they escape.
Bounty hunters capture the trio at their camp after Harry inadvertently speaks Voldemort's name. They are imprisoned at Malfoy Manor, along with Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Ollivander the wandmaker, and Griphook the goblin. Finding Gryffindor's sword among the trio's possessions, Bellatrix Lestrange suspects they have broken into her vault at Gringotts Bank and tortures Hermione for information. Dobby apparates into the cellar to rescue the prisoners. Peter Pettigrew[HP3]Draco and takes their wands. Dobby reappears and they apparate to Bill and Fleur Weasley's home. During their escape, Bellatrix throws a knife and fatally wounds Dobby. enters to investigate the noise. He chokes Harry, who tells him he is owed a life debt. Pettrigrew loosens his grip, and his own silver hand strangles him to death in retribution. Harry and Ron rush upstairs to rescue Hermione. Harry disarms Bellatrix and
While at the cottage, Ollivander confirms the Elder Wand's existence and says that a wand can change its allegiance if the previous owner is defeated or disarmed. Bellatrix's behaviour convinces the trio that another Horcrux is hidden in the Lestrange vault. Aided by Griphook, they infiltrate Gringotts, gain entry into the vault and retrieve Helga Hufflepuff's Cup Horcrux; Griphook takes the sword and the trio barely escape by riding on the back of a dragon. Meanwhile, Voldemort, who has stolen the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb, now realises that his Horcruxes are being destroyed. His mind link with Harry unintentionally reveals that a Horcrux is hidden at Hogwarts, which Harry soon learns to be Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem.
In Hogsmeade, Aberforth Dumbledore helps the trio to sneak into Hogwarts. Harry alerts the staff to Voldemort's impending invasion. The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and former and current Hogwarts students arrive as Voldemort's allies attack; among the many casualties are: Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin, and Colin Creevey. As Harry searches for the diadem, Ron and Hermione enter the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve basilisk fangs. Hermione uses one to destroy the Cup Horcrux. Harry remembers seeing the Diadem in the Room of Requirement. While there, the trio are attacked by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle; Crabbe mishandles the powerful Fiendfyre spell, killing himself and destroying the diadem.
Harry glimpses Voldemort's mind again, and the trio go to the Shrieking Shack. They overhear Voldemort telling Snape that he believes the Elder Wand fails to work properly for him because Snape became its master when Snape killed the wand's former owner, Dumbledore.[HP6] Convinced that Snape's death will cause the wand's allegiance to pass to him, Voldemort orders Nagini to kill him, then leaves. As Snape lies dying, he gives Harry his memories; they reveal that Snape was loyal to Dumbledore, motivated by his lifelong love for Lily Potter, Harry's mother. Dumbledore, who was doomed to die after being cursed by Gaunt's ring Horcrux, had ordered Snape to kill him, if necessary, to spare Draco from fulfilling Voldemort's task. It was Snape who sent the doeHarry himself is a Horcrux; Voldemort cannot die while Harry lives. Patronus that led Harry to Gryffindor's sword. The memories also reveal that
Resigned to his fate, Harry goes alone to the Forbidden Forest where Voldemort awaits. Along the way, he deciphers the Snitch's clue, and it opens to reveal the Resurrection Stone. Harry summons the spirits of his parents, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, who provide comfort and accompany him to Voldemort's camp. He then willingly allows Voldemort to strike him with the Avada Kedavra curse. Awakening in an otherworldly place, Harry is uncertain whether he is alive or dead. Albus Dumbledore appears and explains that Voldemort's Horcrux was within Harry and has been destroyed by the killing curse. He says that just as Voldemort cannot die while his soul fragments remain, Harry cannot be killed while his blood resides in Voldemort's body. Harry, having "mastered death" by uniting the Deathly Hallows, is given the choice to "go on" or return to the living world.
Harry revives, although he pretends to be dead. Voldemort has him carried to Hogwarts as a trophy. As the fighting resumes, Harry covers himself with the Invisibility Cloak. Neville pulls Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat and beheads Nagini, destroying the final Horcrux. The Centaurs, giants, and Hogwarts' house elves now join the fight against the Death Eaters. Inside the castle, McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn duel Voldemort as Ginny, Hermione, and Luna are simultaneously fighting Bellatrix Lestrange. When a killing curse nearly hits Ginny, Molly Weasley pushes the girls aside and fiercely battles Bellatrix, fatally cursing her. Harry reveals himself and challenges Voldemort, knowing that Voldemort was never the Elder Wand's true master. When Draco Malfoy disarmed Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower, Draco unknowingly won the Elder Wand's allegiance; when Harry later captured Draco's own wand, he became the Elder Wand's new master. Voldemort casts a Killing Curse at Harry as Harry conjures a Disarming Spell, but the Elder Wand protects its master by rebounding Voldemort's curse, killing him.
Following the battle, Harry visits Dumbledore's portrait. He tells the late headmaster that he will keep the Invisibility Cloak, but to prevent the Deathly Hallows from being reunited again, the Resurrection Stone will be left where it was dropped in the Forbidden Forest, and the Elder Wand is to be returned to Dumbledore's tomb. If Harry dies undefeated, the Elder Wand's power will be extinguished with his death. Dumbledore nods his approval. Before placing the Elder Wand into the tomb, Harry uses it to repair his own broken wand.
Nineteen years later, Harry has married Ginny Weasley, and they have three children: James, Albus Severus, and Lily. Ron and Hermione are married and have two children, Rose and Hugo. The families meet at King's Cross station, where a nervous Albus is departing for his first year at Hogwarts. James is the eldest and already familiar with school while Lily will start in two years' time. Harry's nineteen-year-old godson, Teddy Lupin, is found kissing Victoire Weasley (Bill and Fleur's daughter) in a train compartment. Teddy is apparently very close to the Potters, with Harry remarking, "He already comes round for dinner about four times a week." Harry spots Draco Malfoy and his unnamed wife with their son, Scorpius; Malfoy acknowledges Harry with a curt nod, then turns away. Harry comforts Albus, who is worried he will be sorted into Slytherin, by telling him that his namesake, Severus Snape, was a Slytherin and the bravest man he ever met. He adds that the sorting hat takes one's own choice into account. Neville Longbottom is now the Hogwarts Herbology professor and is close friends with Harry. The book concludes with the words: "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."
In an interview[4] and online chat,[5][6][7] Rowling gave additional information on the futures of the main characters that she chose not to include in the epilogue of the book. She stated that Harry becomes an Auror at the Ministry of Magic, and is later appointed head of the department. He keeps Sirius's motorcycle, which Arthur Weasley repaired for him, but can no longer speak Parseltongue after the destruction of Voldemort's soul fragment inside him. Ginny Weasley plays for the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team for a time, then becomes the lead Quidditch correspondentDaily Prophet. for the
Ron works for a time with George at his store, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and later becomes an Auror. Hermione initially works for the Ministry of Magic in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, greatly improving life for house-elves and their ilk. She later moves to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and assists in eradicating oppressive, pro-pureblood laws. She also finds her parents in Australia and removes the memory modification charm she put on them.
Rowling also explained the fates of several secondary characters. George Weasley runs his successful joke shop, initially helped by Ron. George names his first child Fred, after his late twin brother. Luna Lovegood searches the world for odd and unique creatures. She eventually marries Rolf, a grandson of the famed naturalist, Newt Scamander.[7] Her father's publication, The Quibbler, has returned to its usual condition of "advanced lunacy" and is appreciated for its unintentional humour. Firenze is welcomed back into his herd, who acknowledge that his pro-human leanings were not shameful, but honourable. Dolores Umbridge is arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned for crimes against Muggle-borns.
There has been a transformation in the wider wizarding world. Kingsley Shacklebolt becomes the Minister for Magic, with Percy Weasley working under him as a high official. As one of the reforms introduced by Shacklebolt, Azkaban no longer uses Dementors. Consequently, the world is now a "much sunnier place". Harry, Ron and Hermione also change the work culture at the Ministry in their respective capacities. At Hogwarts, Slytherin House has become more diluted and is no longer the pureblood bastion it once was. Nevertheless, its dark reputation lingers. Voldemort's jinx on the Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) position is broken with his death, and there is a permanent DADA teacher. A portrait of Snape does not appear in the headmaster's office as he abandoned his post before dying. Harry intends to lobby for the addition of Snape's portrait, and reveals to all Snape's true allegiance.
Shortly before releasing the title, J. K. Rowling announced that she had considered three different titles for the book.[5][8] The final title, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was released to the public on December 21, 2006 via a special Christmas-themed hangman puzzle on Rowling's website, confirmed shortly afterwards by the book's publishers.[9] Asked during a live chat as to the other titles she had been considering, Rowling mentioned Harry Potter and the Elder Wand and Harry Potter and the Peverell Quest.[5]
| Scholastic's Seven Questions | |
| In the build-up to the book's release, American publisher Scholastic released seven questions that fans would find answered in the final book:[10] Question 1: Who Will Live? Who Will Die? Question 2: Is Snape Good or Evil? Question 3: Will Hogwarts Reopen? Question 4: Who Winds Up With Whom? Question 5: Where are the Horcruxes? Question 6: Will Voldemort Be Defeated? Question 7: What are the Deathly Hallows? |
The launch was celebrated by an all-night book signing and reading at the Natural History MuseumLondon, which Rowling attended along with 1700 guests chosen by ballot.[11] Rowling intends to tour the USA in October, where another event will be held at Carnegie Hall in New York with tickets allocated by sweepstake.[12] in
Scholastic Inc., the American publisher of the Harry Potter series, launched a multi-million dollar "THERE WILL SOON BE 7" marketing campaign with a 'Knight Bus' travelling to forty libraries across the United States, online fan discussions and competitions, collectible bookmarks, tattoos, and the staged release of seven Deathly Hallows questions most debated by fans.[13]
Scholastic also hosted "Harry Potter Place" — a magical and interactive street celebration at Scholastic headquarters in New York City, where the first U.S. signed edition of Deathly Hallows[14] The festivities included a 20 foot (6 metre)-high Whomping Willow, face-painting, wand-making, fire-eaters, magicians, jugglers and stilt-walkers. were unveiled on July 20.
Several bookstores set up small kiosks displaying free-to-take bookmarks. The bookmarks show reasons why Severus Snape should be considered a friend or a foe on opposite sides along with the Deathly Hallows logo at the bottom.[15]
J. K. Rowling arranged with her publishers for a poster bearing the face of the missing Madeleine McCann to be made available to book sellers when Deathly Hallows was launched on 21 July and said that she hoped that the posters would be displayed prominently in shops all over the world.[16]
Rowling completed the book while staying at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh in January 2007, and left a signed statement on a marble bust of Hermes in her room which read: "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11 January 2007".[17] In a statement on her website, she said, "I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric." She compared her mixed feelings to those expressed by Charles Dickens in the preface of the 1850 edition of David Copperfield, "a two-years' imaginative task." "To which," she added, "I can only sigh, try seventeen years, Charles..." She ended her message, "Deathly Hallows is my favourite, and that is the most wonderful way to finish the series."[18]
When asked before publication about the forthcoming book, Rowling stated that she could not change the ending even if she wanted to. "These books have been plotted for such a long time, and for six books now, that they're all leading a certain direction. So, I really can't."[19] She also commented that the final volume related closely to the previous book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, "almost as though they are two halves of the same novel."[20] She has said that the last chapter of the book was written "in something like 1990", as part of her earliest work on the series.[21]
Rowling made a public request that anyone with advance information about the content of the last book should keep it to themselves, in order to avoid spoiling the experience for other readers.[22]GB£10 million in an attempt to keep the book's contents secure until the July 21 release date.[23] Arthur Levine, U.S. editor of the Harry Potter series, denied distributing any copies of Deathly Hallows in advance for press review, but two U.S. papers published early reviews anyway.[24][25] To this end, Bloomsbury invested
In the week prior to its release, a number of texts purporting to be genuine leaks appeared in various forms. On July 16, a set of photographs representing all 759 pages of the U.S. edition was leaked to the Internet and was fully transcribed prior to the official release date.[26][27][28][29] The photographs later appeared on websites and peer-to-peer networks, leading Scholastic to seek a subpoena in order to identify one source.[30] This represented the most serious security breach in the Harry Potter series' history.[31] Rowling and her lawyer admitted that there were genuine online leaks.[32] Reviews published in both The Baltimore Sun and The New York Times on July 18, 2007The New York Times confirmed that the main circulating leak was real.[33] corroborated many of the plot elements from this leak, and about one day prior to release,
Scholastic announced that approximately one ten-thousandth (0.01%) of the U.S. supply had been shipped early — interpreted to mean about 1,200 copies.[34] One reader in Maryland received a copy of the book in the mail from DeepDiscount.com four days before it was launched, which evoked incredulous responses on the part of both Scholastic and DeepDiscount. Scholastic initially reported that they were satisfied it had been a "human error" and would not discuss possible penalties.[35] However, the following day Scholastic announced that it would be launching legal action against DeepDiscount.com and its distributor, Levy Home Entertainment.[36] Scholastic has filed for damages in Chicago's Circuit Court of Cook County, claiming[37] that DeepDiscount engaged in a "complete and flagrant violation of the agreements that they knew were part of the carefully constructed release of this eagerly awaited book." Some of the early release books soon appeared on eBay, in one case being sold to Publishers Weekly for US$250 from an initial price of US$18.[38]
ASDA,[39] plus several other UK supermarkets, had already taken pre-orders for the book at a heavily discounted price. ASDA then sparked a further price war two days before the book's launch by announcing they would sell it for just GB£5.00 a copy (about US$10). Other retail chains also offered the book at discounted prices.[40] In Malaysia, a similar price war brought about controversy regarding sales of the book.[41] The book's early Saturday morning release in IsraelSabbath.[42] was criticised for violating the
On 21 July 2007, all English language editions, except for the American and Canadian editions, were released at one minute past midnight (00:01) BST; the American and Canadian editions were released at one minute past midnight (00:01), local time.[43][44] It was released globally in 93 countries.[45] The book reached the top spot on both the Amazon.com and Barnes and Noblebest-seller lists just a few hours after the date of publication was announced on 1 February2007.[46] In July 2007 the U.K. newspaper the Daily Telegraph reported that it had been bought by more than 10% of the British population in the 5 days since its release.[47]
Retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders reported that more orders had been placed for this book than for any other in history,[48] with Amazon.com stating that advance orders of the book reached 2.2 million worldwide,[49] breaking the record set by the sixth book of 1.5 million.[50] Scholastic announced an unprecedented initial print run of 12 million copies.[13]
On the book's first day of sales, it sold 11 million copies in the UK and U.S., breaking the record of 9 million held by the sixth book.[51] In the U.S., 8.3 million hardcovers were sold during the first 24 hours, breaking the record of 6.9 million set by the sixth book.[52] In addition 400,000 copies were sold in Germany in the first 24 hours,[47] all 250,000 copies made available in Holland and Belgium,[47] 170,000 in India,[53] and just over 573,000 copies in Australia;[54] while in Canada over 800,000 copies were sold in the first two days.[55] Barnes & Noble, the largest U.S. book chain, reported all-time record sales of 1.8 million copies in the first two days including 560,000 in the first hour - a rate of more than 150 copies per second. The audiobook broke records as well, with 225,000 copies sold in the first two days, according to Random House Audio's Listening Library.[56] Borders reported record sales of 1.2 million copies on the first day, breaking the record of 850,000 set by the sixth book.[57]
During the run-up to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Bloomsbury's stock lost more than £151M in value. Investors were reacting to the end of the publisher's key product.[58] In the last financial year in which no Harry Potter book was released, Bloomsbury's profits dropped by 75%.
The Baltimore Sun's critic, Mary Carole McCauley's, praised the entire Harry Potter series as "a classic bildungsroman, or coming-of-age tale." She noted that "[b]ook seven... lacks much of the charm and humor that distinguished the earlier novels. Even the writing is more prosaic", but then observed that given the book's darker subject matter, "[h]ow could it be otherwise?"[59]
Reviewer Alice Fordham from The Times writes that "Rowling’s genius is not just her total realisation of a fantasy world, but the quieter skill of creating characters that bounce off the page, real and flawed and brave and lovable." Fordham concludes, "We have been a long way together, and neither [Rowling] nor Harry let us down in the end."[60]
By contrast, Jenny Sawyer of the Christian Science Monitor says that while "There is much to love about the Harry Potter series, from its brilliantly realized magical world to its multilayered narrative," however, "A story is about someone who changes. And, puberty aside, Harry doesn't change much. As envisioned by Rowling, he walks the path of good so unwaveringly that his final victory over Voldemort feels, not just inevitable, but hollow."[61]
Stephen King criticised the reactions of some reviewers to the books, including McCauley, for jumping too quickly to surface conclusions of the work.[62] He felt this was inevitable, because of the extreme secrecy before launch which did not allow reviewers time to read and consider the book, but meant that many early reviews lacked depth. Rather than finding the writing style disappointing he felt it had matured and improved. He acknowledged that the subject matter of the books had become more adult, and that Rowling had clearly been writing with the adult audience firmly in mind since the middle of the series. He compared the works in this respect to Huckleberry Finn and Alice in Wonderland which also achieved success and have become established classics, in part by appealing to the adult audience as well as children. Criticisms of the book included a tendency on Rowlings part to spend too much time on some elements, such as the extended period of camping out through the books, and a certain tendency to produce magical solutions out of nowhere in a sticky situation. This is perhaps inevitable, in a world of magic, but King also attributed some of this to Rowling having fun and introducing humour into her work.
Following a pre-release question from the Swedish publisher about the difficulty of translating the two words "Deathly Hallows" without having read the book, Rowling revealed an alternative title from which non-English editions could be translated: Harry Potter and the Relics of Death.[63][64] Translation of the book is underway in a range of languages.
