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"The lightning-struck tower. Calamity. Disaster. Coming nearer all the time."
— Prediction of the battle[src]

The Battle of the Astronomy Tower,[2] also known as the Battle of the Lightning-Struck Tower, was the second major conflict of the Second Wizarding War. It took place in the topmost part of the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the mountainous region of Scotland, Great Britain shortly after midnight on 30 June 1997.[1][3]

Lord Voldemort secretly organised the attack by ordering sixteen-year-old Death Eater and Hogwarts student Draco Malfoy to assassinate Albus Dumbledore, the only wizard in the world whom Voldemort feared. Although his previous attempts at assassination had failed, Draco managed to sneak a number of Death Eaters into Hogwarts via a pair of Vanishing Cabinets in the Room of Requirement, and they encountered a number of Hogwarts teachers, students, Dumbledore's Army members, and Order of the Phoenix members, who had been standing guard at the school at the request of both Dumbledore and Harry Potter.

As the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters battled,[3] Severus Snape killed Dumbledore,[4] an act that was later discovered to have been secretly planned between Dumbledore and Snape, as Dumbledore would soon afterwards still have died after putting on Marvolo Gaunt's cursed ring, which was a Horcrux, and was afflicted with a deadly curse that would have eventually killed him anyway.[5]

History[]

Background information[]

Spinner's End[]

Narcissa Malfoy: "If you are there to protect him... Severus, will you swear it? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?"
Severus Snape: "The Unbreakable Vow?"
Bellatrix Lestrange: "Aren't you listening, Narcissa? Oh, he'll try, I'm sure... The usual empty words, the usual slithering out of action... oh, on the Dark Lord's orders, of course!"
Severus Snape: "Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow. Perhaps your sister will consent to be our Bonder."
— Snape's commitment to protect Draco[src]

As a result of Lucius Malfoy's failure to obtain the prophecy during The Battle of The Ministry of Magic in June of 1996, Lord Voldemort, furious at Lucius's failure and the fact that some of his top Death Eaters had been re-entombed in Azkaban, decided that Lucius's son, Draco Malfoy, should become a Death Eater, and that he should carry out the mission of killing Dumbledore, rather than Voldemort himself, due to Dumbledore having easily rivalled and surpassed the Dark Lord in power during their duel at the Ministry of Magic the year prior.[6]

Narcissa and Bellatrix speaking to Snape in his house

Narcissa pleading with Snape to protect her son at any cost

Narcissa Malfoy, however, strongly suspected that Voldemort had given Draco this task as a form of secret revenge against Lucius, as The Dark Lord foolishly believed that Dumbledore would kill Draco if he discovered any assassination attempts on his life. Voldemort also made it perfectly clear that if Draco failed in his mission, he and his entire family would face serious consequences. Narcissa then assumed that Voldemort literally intended for Draco to die in the performance of his duties, either by Dumbledore's hands or by Voldemort's hands.

Unbreakable vow

Snape and Narcissa making the Unbreakable Vow

Determined to save her son at any cost, Narcissa ventured to the house of Severus Snape in Spinner's End, Cokeworth, to ask him to help Draco and to complete the mission if the boy could not. Snape then ordered Bellatrix Lestrange, who had reluctantly accompanied her sister and did not fully trust Snape to be an ally of Voldemort, to bind him and Narcissa with an Unbreakable Vow, a magical promise resulting in instant death if broken. This also eased Bellatrix's suspicions over Snape.[7]

Plot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore[]

"But there were times, weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the Cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands... poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink..."
— Albus Dumbledore regarding Draco's failed assassination attempts[src]
Harry-potter-half-blood-movie-screencaps

Draco Malfoy standing in front of the broken Vanishing Cabinet

Draco then spent most of his sixth year at Hogwarts repairing a Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. He did this in order to secretly connect the vanishing cabinet with the one located in Borgin and Burkes, which is inside Knockturn Alley. If the two cabinets were connected then Death Eaters could secretly enter Hogwarts, despite the increased magical protection surrounding the school.[4]

During periods of extreme desperation, Draco invented more conventional ways to kill Dumbledore. He placed the Imperius Curse upon Madam Rosmerta, who in turn placed the Imperius Curse on Katie Bell, forcing her to deliver a cursed necklace to Dumbledore; however, Katie accidentally touched the necklace and suffered from the unknown dangerous curse instead,[8] until she was saved by Rubeus Hagrid.

Harry Potter saving a poisoned Ronald Weasley

Ron Weasley poisoned after drinking the mead

Draco also made Rosmerta sell Horace Slughorn a poisoned bottle of mead, anticipating that Professor Slughorn would give it to Dumbledore as a Christmas present, but Ron Weasley was accidentally poisoned instead, though Harry Potter saved him with a bezoar.[9] Harry had also grown highly suspicious about Draco, though Professor Snape and Minerva McGonagall did not believe him, due to lack of evidence[8] (or in Snape's case, to serve as his double agent role).

Horcrux cave[]

Albus Dumbledore: "If I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you will do as I tell you?"
Harry Potter: "I —"
Albus Dumbledore: "Harry?"
Harry Potter: "Yes, Sir."
Albus Dumbledore: "Very good. Then I wish you to go and fetch your Cloak and meet me in the Entrance Hall in five minutes' time."
— Albus makes a request of Harry[src]
Half-blood lessons

Harry Potter's private lessons with Dumbledore

Throughout the year, Harry had also been having private lessons with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's Office, regarding Lord Voldemort's past and his quest for immortality. They found out what a Horcrux was, and that Voldemort had made at least six, wanting to split his soul into seven parts.[10] Through Dumbledore's memories of Voldemort's childhood and early years of education at Hogwarts, Dumbledore determined that one of Voldemort's Horcruxes was placed in a cave near the Atlantic Ocean, where the Muggle orphanage that the Dark Lord had grown up in as a child had once taken the children for a daytime outing.[11]

Harry and Dumbledore in the cave

Harry and Dumbledore arrive at the cave on 30 June 1997

Before leaving the castle with Dumbledore, Harry met Sybill Trelawney, who told him that she had been unable to enter the Room of Requirement, and had heard someone expressing triumph inside it. Although thinking it strange, Harry said nothing about it to Dumbledore. He and Harry then set out to find and perhaps destroy the Horcrux. Once at the cave, Dumbledore had to drink the Emerald Potion, which greatly weakened him and caused him to experience terrible hallucinations about his family and Gellert Grindelwald, and he and Harry had to fight an army of Inferi.[11]They obtained the Horcrux, and Harry later found that it was actually a fake and someone else had taken the real Horcrux years before.[3]

Back at Hogwarts, while the majority of the staff and students were asleep during the late night hour, the Order of the Phoenix kept stern watch on the castle and the grounds as Draco Malfoy woke in his bed in the Slytherin Common Room, and then secretly went up to the seventh floor, to the Room of Requirement to let the Death Eaters into the school.[4]

The battle[]

Death Eaters entering Hogwarts[]

"There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building... wherever they had murdered [...] "
Harry Potter seeing the Dark Mark above Hogwarts[src]

Harry had forewarned Ron and Hermione after he met with Dumbledore earlier that during his and Dumbledore's absence, Death Eaters might try to penetrate and enter Hogwarts. Hence, he gave them what remained of the his bottle of Felix Felicis and instructed them to share it with Ginny, to boost their luck and protect them from harm. He also ordered them to rouse up any members of Dumbledore's Army to help the Order to patrol the corridor of the Room of Requirement, as well as Snape's office.

Harry suspected Snape of secretly aiding Malfoy in whatever task he was carrying out. Only Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood answered the call. While Ron, Ginny, and Neville kept guard outside the Room, Hermione and Luna were stationed outside Snape's office. Dumbledore had also deployed members of the Order of the Phoenix to patrol the school corridors and the grounds.[12]

Inside the Room of Requirement, Draco watched as an army of Death Eaters (Corban Yaxley, Amycus Carrow, Alecto Carrow, Thorfinn Rowle and Gibbon, as well as the werewolf Fenrir Greyback) all suddenly emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet; by his own admission, Draco did not invite Fenrir and was shocked that he showed up. When Draco saw that there were people watching the outside corridor, he used Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder to prevent Ron, Ginny, and Neville from seeing the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters refrained from harming the young heroes and quickly and quietly left the Room.[13]

Malfoy ensured his own visibility within the darkness powder with the Hand of Glory, which his mother Narcissa had given to him as a birthday present earlier that year. He quickly led the Death Eaters from the Room and up the entrance to the top of the Astronomy Tower. A Death Eater also placed a Cursed barrier at the Tower's only entrance/exit, in order to prevent anyone except a Death Eater from passing through.

Dark Mark over Hogwarts 2

The Dark Mark having been conjured over Hogwarts

At the same moment, Snape felt the Dark Mark tattoo on his arm ignite. This signalled that the Death Eaters had successfully entered the school. Snape then quickly left his office and told Hermione and Luna to go alert any Order members they encountered. He told Hermione and Luna that the Order needed to be told that something was wrong on the seventh floor, before leaving for that floor himself.

Meanwhile, Ron, Neville, and Ginny had all seen the Darkness Powder suddenly emanating from inside the Room of Requirement, but were completely unable to see anyone exit. Gibbon then fired the Dark Mark out of an open window, and placed it directly above the Astronomy Tower. However, mere moments afterwards, Dumbledore and Harry arrived in Hogsmeade, having returned from their mission. The Death Eaters then began ascending the stairway of the empty Tower.[4]

Dumbledore's death[]

Albus Dumbledore: "Severus... please..."
Severus Snape: "Avada Kedavra!"
— Dumbledore pleading for Snape to end his life[src]

When Dumbledore and Harry returned to Hogsmeade, they were immediately apprised by Madam Rosmerta to the sudden appearance of the Dark Mark above Hogwarts. Rosmerta allowed Dumbledore and Harry to borrow two broomsticks, which they used to fly to the top of the Astronomy Tower. When they reached the tower, the two heard heavy footsteps rising the stairway quickly, but Dumbledore then suddenly immobilised Harry with a nonverbal Full Body-Bind Curse, and then hid Harry under his Invisibility Cloak in a dark bunker underneath the platform.

Draco disarms dumbledore

Draco disarming a surprised and weakened Dumbledore

Simultaneously, Malfoy appeared and instantly disarmed Dumbledore, unknowingly gaining mastery of the legendary-powerful Elder Wand in the process, and admitted that he, Draco, was behind the cursing of Katie Bell, and that Voldemort had ordered him to kill Dumbledore or else Voldemort would murder him and his entire family as punishment.[4]

Dumbledore then revealed that he secretly knew all along of Draco's mission, along with the failed attempts on his life, having been constantly updated all year in secret by Professor Snape, although Draco claimed that Snape was a double agent and that he was one of Voldemort's highest-ranking servants. Dumbledore merely told Draco that it was natural that Snape would tell him that and claimed that he still allowed Draco to remain at Hogwarts to protect him from Voldemort, then proceeded to offer Draco the chance to change sides, and promised to hide Draco and his family where Voldemort would never find them.

Death Eaters on the Astronomy Tower

Greyback and the Carrows encouraging Draco and telling him to murder Dumbledore

Draco, full of great visible remorse, shame, and anger, could ultimately not bring himself to kill the Headmaster. He could not bring himself to do it even after the immediate arrival and encouragement of all the other Death Eaters, who were smuggled into the castle by Draco, and had blocked the stairway behind them with a barrier. His soul was not yet so damaged that he could bring himself to murder someone. Fenrir, Alecto, and Amycus all taunted Dumbledore's weakened state, however Dumbledore calmly and coldly dismissed them all. Dumbledore was shocked that Greyback was involved. However, Malfoy could simply not do it, and when Fenrir Greyback attempted to kill Dumbledore in his own way, he was slammed aside by a spell from Corban Yaxley. Snape suddenly arrived on the scene, having been allowed through the barrier as a Death Eater.[4] Dumbledore then suddenly pleaded with Snape,[4] in a way that did not reveal Snape's real allegiance.[5]

Snape killing Dumbledore

Snape killing Dumbledore with the Killing Curse

Snape then moved Draco out of the way and demanded that none of the Death Eaters interfere in what happened next. Snape and Dumbledore then locked eyes with each other for a silent moment, and Snape then cast the Killing Curse, which struck Dumbledore in the chest, instantly ending the life of one of the greatest and most powerful wizards of all time. The impact and force of the Killing Curse also caused Dumbledore's body to be blasted into the air, where his corpse then fell down from the Tower to the school courtyard below under the light of the Dark Mark.[4]

Snape then grabbed Draco by the scruff of his shirt collar and dragged him towards the exit while he ordered the rest of the Death Eaters to immediately flee the school, taking the lead as he quickly began descending the Tower stairway. Harry, who was forced to silently watch the entire spectacle from the Full Body-Bind Curse, was set free upon Dumbledore's death, and in an unspeakable enraged desire for revenge, he immediately set off to pursue Snape, hitting Yaxley with a Full Body-Bind Curse of his own in order to get a clear way down the stairs.[3]

Pursuit[]

Harry Potter: "Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, you coward —"
Severus Snape: "DON'T — CALL ME COWARD!"
— Harry fighting Snape when the Death Eaters escape Hogwarts[src]
Snape fleeing

Death Eaters fleeing Hogwarts after achieving their mission

Harry then ran down the staircase and into the corridors, with terror in his heart, as he knew he had to catch Snape and the Death Eaters escaped before he escaped. When he ran into the dimly lit corridor, it was full of dust and debris, as half the ceiling had fallen in, as the battle was violently raging, with several Hogwarts residents and the Order duelling the Death Eaters. Draco and Snape however, had passed through the violence somehow unscathed, due to the Order unaware of Snape's recent actions, instead believing that he and Draco were being pursued by the hostile Death Eaters; Snape ordered the remaining Death Eaters to escape.

Harry chased after them, but was then suddenly attacked by the savage Werewolf Fenrir Greyback, although Harry quickly paralysed him with the Full Body-Bind Curse, which allowed him to push him off. He ducked and ran from a firing Killing Curse, stepping in a pool of blood on the floor, next to two lying bodies. He then found Ginny duelling Amycus Carrow with difficulty, although her excellent agility allowed her to dodge his attempts with the Cruciatus Curse. Harry quickly slammed him against the wall with the Impediment Jinx, falling behind Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and Ron all fighting different Death Eaters, with Nymphadora Tonks specifically duelling Thorfinn Rowle, the latter of whom was recklessly firing destructive curses everywhere.

McGonagall then proceeded to fire various powerful blasts at the Carrow siblings, causing them both to flee. Harry then ran after them, catching his leg on an injured Neville Longbottom, before hexing Rowle, which also sent him fleeing. Harry then pursued through the commotion, hiding behind a Suit of armour to avoid a curse which thus exploded it, and cast various jinxes towards the Carrows, which missed and hit several portraits instead.

Pursuing further through the castle, Harry encountered several confused Hufflepuffs, such as Ernest Macmillan, but he simply sprinted past them. Harry sprinted down the Marble Staircase towards the main entrance, with blood smears on the flagstones and several terrified students huddled towards the wall, and the Gryffindor hourglass which had been shattered with a curse, with its rubies falling all over the floor like blood.[3]

Once Harry had entered the Hogwarts grounds, he continued to pursue the escaping Death Eaters. Harry witnessed Rubeus Hagrid had awoken from his hut and was trying himself to stop the Death Eaters from escaping. Harry was knocked over from behind with a spell and realised the Carrows were behind them, so he fired the Impediment Jinx at them, which successfully knocked them both over, allowing him to sprint after Snape. Rowle attempted to curse Hagrid several times, but Hagrid's Half-giant physiology allowed him to resist his curses. Finally being in good distance of Snape and Malfoy, he fired the Stunning Spell at Snape's back which he missed.[3]

Snape vs Harry

Harry and Snape duelling

Snape told Draco to run away, and he and Harry engaged in a vicious duel, although Snape managed to parry or block Harry's offensive spells using his superior prowess and Legilimency. Rowle subsequently ignited Hagrid's hut with the Fire-Making Spell, in an explosive fiery bang. Harry continued to try and assault Snape with various spells, but Snape effortlessly repelled all of them, with Harry even attacked from behind.

However Snape, ordered all the Death Eaters to flee before the Ministry of Magic arrived and to leave him untouched. Snape then revealed to Harry, that he himself was the "Half-Blood Prince" when Harry tried to cast his own spells against him. Harry insulted Snape as a coward, much to his intense fury, and Snape was then suddenly attacked by an enraged Buckbeak, in order to protect Harry. Snape and the other Death Eaters managed to get past the gates and disapparate away from Hogwarts.[3]

Aguamenti PM

Hagrid and Harry extinguishing Hagrid's burning hut

Harry and Hagrid then managed to extinguish his burning hut successfully. They extinguished the flames together by casting the Water-Making Spell. Harry then informed Hagrid of Dumbledore's death, much to Hagrid's disbelief and constant denials. However, his death was confirmed when Hagrid and Harry returned to the castle. Once at the castle they (along with many students and teachers) came across Dumbledore's dead body lying on the ground. Dumbledore's body was broken and his glasses were askew, something that Harry quickly rectified.[3]

Harry and Dumbledore

Harry kneeling next to the body of the recently deceased Albus Dumbledore

Harry picked up Slytherin's Locket, which had fallen from Dumbledore's pocket. Harry then examined the locket and discovered it was a fake. The real locket belonged to an individual called R.A.B. In the locket was a piece of paper with a note that read "To the Dark Lord — I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. — R.A.B."[14] Harry's eye burned with tears as Fang howled, regarding the utter tragedy that had just befallen.[3]

Aftermath[]

The funeral[]

See also: Funeral of Albus Dumbledore
Professor McGonagall: "I — I know that it was Dumbledore's wish to be laid to rest here, at Hogwarts-"
Harry Potter: "Then that's what'll happen, isn't it?"
— Hogwarts professors discussing the fate of Hogwarts and Dumbledore's funeral[src]
Ginny Weasley accompanying Harry Potter besides Dumbledore's dead body

An unhurt Ginny comforting Harry before escorting him to the Hospital Wing

Because of their use of the Felix Felicis, the members of Dumbledore's Army who fought in the battle were unharmed. Bill Weasley, however, was left mildly scarred by Fenrir Greyback's attack. Because the werewolf was not fully transformed when he brutalised Bill, his victim only retained mild-lycanthropic symptoms, such as a taste for very rare steaks. His fiancée Fleur Delacour reaffirmed her great love and desire to marry him nonetheless, earning the respect of her future in-laws and prompting Nymphadora Tonks to declare her own secret great love for Remus Lupin.

Dumbledore's loyal pet Phoenix Fawkes then sung his lament to the assembled mourners on the grounds, which touched all with its beauty.[13] Due to the sudden tragedy, all lessons and classes were suspended, and exams were postponed.[15]

The battle and Albus Dumbledore's death had a great impact on the entire Wizarding World. The only wizard Voldemort had ever feared and who was powerful and skilled enough to surpass him, besides Harry Potter, was now gone. Furthermore, the battle proved that there was now no safe place from the Death Eaters, as they had successfully and easily breached and entered the historic school, much less that they were allowed entrance by a student, and that a staff member allegedly betrayed their trust.

B6C30M1 funeral of Albus Dumbledore

The funeral of Albus Dumbledore

Hogwarts staff members were not even sure whether the school would remain open from that point on, and the decision was quickly made to lay Albus Dumbledore to rest on the grounds of Hogwarts, an honour no other headmaster or headmistress of the school ever had. Some parents, such as the father of Zacharias Smith, and the parents of the Patil twins Padma and Parvati arrived to get their children out of the castle almost instantly. Others, such as Seamus Finnigan's mother, stayed in Hogsmeade and waited until after Dumbledore's funeral to collect their children.[15]

Harry, who was beyond devastated by his mentor's death, decided to forgo his last year at Hogwarts in order to search for Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, per Dumbledore's instructions. Ron and Hermione committed themselves to helping him. He also broke up with Ginny Weasley, despite being with her was one of the happiest things to ever happen to him.[15]

Draco, who was responsible for bringing in Death Eaters to the school, was forced to flee. Harry felt some pity for him, knowing that Voldemort was threatening his family. His sudden departure also led Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle looking oddly lonely despite the two being hulking boys.[15] Regardless of his failure to actually kill the headmaster, Draco could not remain at the school as his actions were considered to be criminal, and this made him realise that he went deeper than he desired towards the Dark Arts, forever changing his personality and values.

Harry Potter DH using Dumbledore's Pensieve

Harry discovering that Dumbledore's death had been according to his own plan

Harry would later discover, however, that Dumbledore's death had been according to his own plan, as secretly devised between him and Severus Snape, who truly was loyal to the Order of the Phoenix out of lifelong love for Lily Potter, Harry's own mother. Dumbledore was already dying, long before Voldemort conspired to try to have him killed, and simply wanted Snape to give him a more merciful end than he would have received at the hands of Death Eaters, as well as to avoid making Draco Malfoy into a murderer and damaging his soul.[5]

Snape fulfilled his wish, and although the Order thought him to be a traitor and a coward, Snape was covertly and secretly assisting Harry and his friends and allies, eventually becoming the new Headmaster of Hogwarts after Voldemort seized control of the Ministry of Magic the following year to come. Snape worked fully undercover to secretly protect the students of Hogwarts, as well as deeply contributing to the defeat of Lord Voldemort.[5]

Media[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • According to David Heyman, most of the Battle of the Lightning-Struck Tower was left out of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince due to there being another battle at Hogwarts (the actual Battle of Hogwarts) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2; they were trying to avoid repetition.
  • Chapter 27 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in which most of the battle occurs, is titled "The Lightning-Struck Tower". Earlier in the novel, Professor Trelawney mentions having drawn the tarot card The Tower in a reading and how Headmaster Dumbledore was ignoring her warnings that this foreshadowed "calamity...coming near all the time". In Divination, this tarot card is usually taken to mean catastrophe and chaos, much like the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. However, it can also mean epiphany and the letting go of pretences (illusions or self-delusions) one has clung to, which Harry was forced to do following Dumbledore's death. The tarot card is usually depicted as a tower being struck by lightning and two figures falling from the tower—ironic as there are two casualties in the Battle: Albus Dumbledore and the Death Eater Gibbon.
  • When Harry Potter is running after Severus Snape, he notices the Gryffindor Hourglass is broken and its rubies are being spilled across the floor. This could be a symbolisation of Gryffindor losing its greatest member, where as in the Battle of Hogwarts the Slytherin hourglass is struck and emeralds are on the floor foreshadowing Lord Voldemort's death as Slytherin house's greatest member (or perhaps Severus Snape's death).
  • In the film and video game adaptations of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry does not cover himself with the invisibility cloak, but instead Dumbledore tells him to hide by the stairs. Also in the film, as Snape enters the Astronomy Tower, he tells Harry to be quiet.
  • The identity of the two Death Eaters who duelled Ron Weasley and Remus Lupin is not known, though one of them is most likely Travers as he was known to have escaped Azkaban shortly after, despite having already escaped the previous year.
  • In the book, a lot of people are duelling, while in the film, only Harry duels and he only duels Snape on the grounds. Also, in the video game, only Harry duels. In this adaptation, he, however, duels the Carrows in the Astronomy reading room and the fifth-floor hospital tower corridor, Greyback in the Clock Tower Courtyard and Bellatrix on the grounds.
  • In the book, as Harry and Snape are duelling, Snape is shouting at Harry. It is difficult to tell if this is taunting, instruction, or some combination of the two as he says things such as, "Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!"
Death Eaters enter Hogwarts Castle

Bellatrix's appearance in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Death eaters hogwarts

Bellatrix summoning the Dark Mark over Hogwarts in the film adaptation

  • Bellatrix Lestrange only appears in the film version of the battle and is not mentioned in the book. In the film, she praises Draco on successfully cornering Dumbledore but later shouts at him to kill Dumbledore. In the film Fenrir Greyback then says out loud that Draco hasn't got the stomach just like his father (which doesn't happen in the book) and he is prevented from attacking the Headmaster himself by Bellatrix in the film instead Yaxley as it is done by in the book. Bellatrix then casts the Dark Mark after Dumbledore's death instead of Gibbon doing so beforehand. Also in the film Bellatrix is in the great hall on one of the house tables (most likely Gryffindor's) kicking plates and cups. breaking them. She then casts her wand at the stained-glass window releasing a tremendous spell that shatters part of it and puts out the floating candles while a frightened Draco observes. She later burns Hagrid's hut and briefly tortures Harry instead of Thorfinn Rowle.
  • Although Thorfinn Rowle is present in the film, his role in the battle is handed over to Bellatrix.
  • Ernie Macmillan might have participated, since in the book he talked with Harry during the battle, but this is unconfirmed.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 According to Rufus Scrimgeour (and Hermione Granger) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 7 (The Will of Albus Dumbledore), the Ministry has the right to maintain possession of Dumbledore's bequests for thirty-one days only, in accordance with the Decree for Justifiable Confiscation. Dumbledore's bequests were delivered to Ron, Hermione and Harry on 31 July 1997: Harry Potter's seventeenth birthday. As it is referred in that chapter that the "thirty-one days are up", Dumbledore died exactly thirty-one days earlier, in the evening of 30 June, assuming that those thirty-one days started when Dumbledore died.
  2. Pottermore insider
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 27 (The Lightning-Struck Tower)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale)
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 15 (The Unbreakable Vow)
  7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 2 (Spinner's End)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 12 (Silver and Opals)
  9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 18 (Birthday Surprises)
  10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 23 (Horcruxes)
  11. 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 26 (The Cave)
  12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 25 (The Seer Overheard)
  13. 13.0 13.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 29 (The Phoenix Lament)
  14. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 30 (The White Tomb)
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