Battle of Hogwarts

"Hogwarts is threatened! Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!"

- Minerva McGonagall to the Suits of Armour

The Battle of Hogwarts was the final battle of the Second Wizarding War. It took place on May 2, 1998, within the castle and on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Lord Voldemort learned that Harry Potter was in the castle to locate and destroy one of his final Horcruxes, he ordered every Death Eater and creature that had pledged loyalty to him to attack the school. Dumbledore's Army communicated the need to fight to the Order of the Phoenix and their other allies, leading to a large-scale battle. Lord Voldemort personally led his forces in battle while Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minerva McGonagall led the defenders of Hogwarts. The battle ended with a decisive victory for the Order and the D.A., with many Death Eaters and Voldemort himself dead. It was the most devastating battle of the war, with casualties including Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange, but also unfortunately Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Severus Snape, Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey and at least fifty more who fought for Harry. It is also assumed to be the final conflict in which the Elder Wand took part.

Horcruxes
At the climax of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower the previous year, Albus Dumbledore was killed by then-Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Severus Snape. Dumbledore, however, had left Harry Potter with a final task: to find, and destroy the remaining Horcruxes that Voldemort created at different points in his life. Over several months, two Horcruxes had been found: Salazar Slytherin's locket which had been destroyed by Ron Weasley in December of 1997 and the cup of Helga Hufflepuff which they had stolen from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank the day before the battle. Two other Horcruxes had also been destroyed already: Voldemort's old diary that he had during his school years at Hogwarts was destroyed in 1993 by Harry Potter, and the ring of Cadmus Peverell by Dumbledore sometime between July 1 and July 16, 1996. After learning that his Horcruxes were being systematically hunted down and destroyed, Voldemort ordered a massive attack on Hogwarts Castle in an attempt to stop Harry Potter from destroying one of the remaining Horcruxes (Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem), which was hidden in the Room of Requirement.

Hogwarts
On the First of August, 1997, the current Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, and the Head of the Auror Office were captured by Voldemort and interrogated for the whereabouts of Harry Potter. However, in one last brave act for Harry, Rufus Scrimgeour told Voldemort nothing, and was subsequently killed. This placed the Ministry of Magic under the control of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry also fell under Voldemort's influence, and he appointed Severus Snape as new headmaster (ironically, Snape had killed the previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, just a few months before). The Carrow siblings were also appointed as teachers.

Many school subjects were revisioned at Voldemort's will; Defence Against the Dark Arts was more or less taught as a Dark Arts class, and Muggle Studies became a compulsory class for indoctrinating hatred against Muggles and Muggle-borns. As a result of this, a band of students began to fight back very early on in the 1997–1998 school year, led by seventh year Neville Longbottom and sixth years Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. This group stood as the successor to the original Dumbledore's Army, founded by Harry, Ron, and Hermione in 1995.

Hogsmeade
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger Apparated into the main street of the village of Hogsmeade while wearing Harry's Invisibility Cloak and were immediately detected by a group of Death Eaters due to the fact that they had triggered a Cauterwauling Charm. They all tried to Apparate but they had been trapped because they had been bound by an anti-apparation charm. The Death Eaters tried to reveal their whereabouts by Summoning the Invisibility Cloak. The cloak however refused to be moved due to the fact that it was the Cloak of Legend from The Tale of the Three Brothers.

The Death Eaters then sent Dementors to locate Harry so he had to produce a Patronus to send them away. Aberforth Dumbledore then hid them in the Hog's Head while he told the Death Eaters that he had produced the Patronus and had set off the Cauterwauling Charm by letting his cat out. Aberforth led Harry, Ron and Hermione to a secret passage from his pub to the Room of Requirement where members of Dumbledore's Army had been hiding all year. Neville Longbottom came out of the passage and took them to Hogwarts.



Arrival at Hogwarts
When Neville arrived at the Room of Requirement with Harry, Hermione and Ron, all the members of Dumbledore's Army who were hiding from the Carrows and Severus Snape thought they had come back to fight the Death Eaters and Voldemort so they sent messages to many other former Hogwarts students, including many original members of Dumbledore's Army. Harry however informed them that they had come to search Hogwarts for Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem and that Voldemort was on the way to try and stop them.

Uprising
The trio split up once they had entered Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione traveled down into the Chamber of Secrets to obtain Basilisk venom filled fangs in order to destroy Helga Hufflepuff's Cup and any future Horcruxes that are found, while Harry went with Luna Lovegood to the Ravenclaw Common Room to have a look at a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her diadem. Alecto Carrow, the Muggle Studies teacher and Death Eater, appeared while the two were searching the room, but Luna Lovegood managed to Stun her.

Minerva McGonagall arrived and summoned the other Heads of Houses. She then engaged in a fierce duel with Snape and moments later Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout showed up, the three succeeded in driving Snape away. The students and staff gathered in the Great Hall as the rest of the Death Eaters arrived at the gates, accompanied by Lord Voldemort himself. Hogwarts was fortified for the coming attack. Order of the Phoenix members arrived, also summoned by Neville Longbottom. Students old enough to fight stayed and younger students were evacuated by Poppy Pomfrey and Argus Filch. Flitwick, McGonagall and Sprout took groups of students to the tallest towers while Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt took others onto the Grounds. Fred and George Weasley defended the secret passages of Hogwarts.



First Part of Battle
Voldemort magically amplified his voice so it was heard throughout Hogwarts and Hogsmeade to demand those inside the castle hand Harry Potter over to him or his army of Death Eaters and dark creatures would attack. When Pansy Parkinson suggested that they take the deal, practically every student, excluding the Slytherin students, in the hall threatened to curse her, and she was instructed to leave by McGonagall. Those not willing to fight or not of age (17 years or older) were sent out of the school through the Hog's Head, particularly the students of Slytherin (who were sent out first).

The Death Eaters stormed Hogwarts with the aid of the Acromantulas, Giants, Aurors and Ministry officials. It was in this part of the battle that Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were killed by Death Eaters. Hogwarts defenders were able to fend off the Death Eaters using an array of tactics, including mandrakes and magical plants, bewitched suits of armour, and wand duels.

Room of Requirement
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger found Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Hidden Things transformation of the Room of Requirement. But before they could remove or destroy it, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle arrived. Crabbe tried to kill Ron and Hermione with Killing Curses and accidentally destroyed the diadem with Fiendfyre, also killing himself in the process. Harry rescued Malfoy, and Ron and Hermione rescued Goyle, by flying out on broomsticks.

Sacrifice
Using his connection with Voldemort's mind, Harry Potter uncovered Voldemort's whereabouts in the Shrieking Shack. It was there that Harry Potter witnessed Voldemort order Nagini to murder Severus Snape, believing that unless Snape was killed by him, he would not gain mastery over the Elder Wand. Snape's dying act was to pass on several of his memories to Harry. At this point, Voldemort ordered an hour-long ceasefire, with the request that Harry Potter be turned over to his custody. If they did not turn him over, Voldemort declared he would personally enter the battle.

"If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste... I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour... I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you... I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

- Voldemort orders the one-hour ceasefire and retreat

After viewing Snape's memories which revealed that Harry himself was, in fact, a Horcrux and that he needed to be killed for Lord Voldemort to die, Harry went into the Forbidden Forest to sacrifice himself. Before doing so, he used the Resurrection Stone to bring back his parents, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin for emotional support. Due to Voldemort's use of Harry's blood in the process of creating himself a new body in 1995 in the graveyard of Little Hangleton, Harry survived the Killing Curse from Voldemort, although he was briefly knocked unconscious.

In those unconscious moments, Harry spoke to the spirit of Albus Dumbledore, who explained that the bit of Voldemort's soul inside of Harry was gone, and he could choose to go back to the world of the living or go on into the world of the dead. Harry accepted the choice to return, and feigned death while Voldemort's forces cheered in assumed victory.

Fall of the Dark Lord
"Fight, fight for my master, the defender of the house-elves! Fight for brave Regulus! Fight!"

- Kreacher leading the house-elves during the Battle of Hogwarts

After waking, Harry discovered that Voldemort had also been unconscious during those brief moments. Voldemort suffered an additional betrayal when Narcissa Malfoy confirmed that Harry was dead, only wanting to get close enough to him to ask if her son, Draco Malfoy, was still alive. Upon learning of Draco's survival, Narcissa lied to the Dark Lord, saying that Harry Potter was in fact dead. After Rubeus Hagrid carried Harry's "corpse" back to Hogwarts, guided by the Death Eaters walking in a victory march, Voldemort announced Harry's 'death' to the defenders of Hogwarts. The defenders came out of the castle and upon seeing Harry dead screamed and shouted at the Death Eaters in anger. Voldemort asked Neville Longbottom to join the Death Eaters since he was of pure blood, but Neville refused. The Dark Lord placed a Full Body-Bind Curse on Neville, freezing him to the spot. He then placed the Sorting Hat atop his head and set it aflame.

The Centaurs and Grawp then attacked the Death Eaters, giving Harry time to disappear under his Invisibility Cloak in the confusion. Neville broke free of Voldemort's curse and pulled Godric Gryffindor's Sword from the Sorting Hat. In one stroke, Neville used the blade to behead Nagini, thus destroying the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes and rendering him mortal. Voldemort, alongside his now weakened army, forced his way into Hogwarts.

Additional Hogwarts allies arrived at this time: Legions of knife-wielding house-elves led by Kreacher; the returning Slytherins, the residents of Hogsmeade and the friends and families of every remaining student, all led by Charlie Weasley and Professor Slughorn. A flock of Thestrals led by Buckbeak, and the Centaurs also threw themselves into the battle.

In the midst of all the chaos, Harry, hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, was buffeted into the Great Hall. Outnumbered and surrounded by people and creatures from both sides, the Death Eaters were cut down or run off by the forces of Hogwarts until only Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort remained.

Whilst the Dark Lord simultaneously duelled Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn and became furious at his inability to defeat them, Bellatrix also duelled three opponents; Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley. Equal in power to all three, Bellatrix duelled fiercely, before sending a Killing Curse that missed Ginny by a scant inch. Furious at Lestrange's attempted murder of her daughter, Molly Weasley forced the three girls to step aside and duelled Bellatrix herself; refusing all aid. Bellatrix's refusal to take her opponent seriously ultimately proved her undoing; whilst laughing at Molly, she was hit over the heart by a well aimed curse, killing her. Voldemort was furious at the loss of his best and last lieutenant, and after blasting his three opponents aside, directed his wand at Molly. Fortunately, Harry cast a Shield Charm between Molly Weasley and Voldemort before the latter could raise his wand. Harry then revealed himself to the survivors, giving them hope again.

The cheering crowd retreated to the walls of the hall and watched then as the two great nemeses, Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, bantered and circled each other. Harry revealed to Voldemort that Snape had always been a spy for Dumbledore, ever since Voldemort threatened Lily Potter's life. Harry also revealed that Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. It had been Draco Malfoy that was the rightful master, and that Harry had defeated Malfoy weeks ago, thereby gaining the allegiance of the Elder Wand.

Harry dared Voldemort to feel remorse, at which Voldemort was shocked. Moments later, Voldemort cast a Killing Curse with the Elder Wand at Harry, who simultaneously cast his own Expelliarmus spell using Draco Malfoy's wand. However, because the Elder Wand rightfully belonged to Harry, the Killing Curse rebounded at Voldemort and ended his life once and for all. The Second Wizarding War had ended with a decisive victory for the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army.

"We did it! We bashed them, wee Potter's the one. And Voldy's gone moldy so now let's have fun!"

- Peeves the Poltergeist sings a victory song after the battle is over.

Casualties
"Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Colin Creevey, and fifty others who had died fighting him."

- After the battle.

There were many casualties in this epic battle. The first person known to die in the battle was Vincent Crabbe, who tried to use the Fiendfyre curse on Harry Potter, only to have it backfire and kill him. Fred Weasley was killed in an explosion caused by an unknown spell that was possibly cast by Augustus Rookwood. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were also killed by Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange, respectively. Colin Creevey was found dead during a lull in the fighting by Neville Longbottom and Oliver Wood, though it is unknown how he died or who killed him. Severus Snape was killed by Nagini on Voldemort's orders.

When the battle erupted into its final stage, more people died on both sides. Neville Longbottom beheaded Nagini with Godric Gryffindor's Sword. Bellatrix Lestrange died at the hands of Molly Weasley after Bellatrix nearly killed Ginny. The final duel saw Harry battle with Lord Voldemort and kill him. There were at least fifty lives mentioned to have been lost on the side of the defenders of Hogwarts that night.

List of known deaths

 * It is likely there were other deaths not mentioned in the book. All Death Eaters were defeated; whether they were all killed is unknown, but those who survived most likely went to Azkaban.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Notes and references
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