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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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Template:Current fiction Template:HPBooks Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. The book was released globally in 93[1] countries at a minute past midnight (00:01), British Summer Time, on 21 July 2007 (23:01 UTC 20 July). In the United States[2] and Canada,[3] it is to be released for sale within each separate time zone at 00:01 local time, a few hours after other English-speaking countries.

The book reached the top spot on both the Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble bestseller lists just a few hours after the date of publication was announced on 1 February 2007.[4] Retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders are reporting that more orders have been placed for this book than for any other in history,[5] and American publisher Scholastic announced an unprecedented initial print run of 12 million copies.[6]

Plot Synopsis

The final book begins with Voldemort and his Death Eaters at the home of Lucius Malfoy. They are beginning to plan out how to kill Harry Potter before he can be hidden again. After borrowing Lucius's wand, Voldemort kills his captive, Professor Charity Burbage, teacher of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts for teaching the subject and suggesting that the end of pureblooded wizards was a good thing.

Harry, meanwhile, is getting ready for his trip and reading an obituary of Albus Dumbledore; it is revealed that Dumbledore’s father hated nonwizards and had killed several Muggles, and had died in Azkaban for his crimes. Harry regrets not having asked Dumbledore more about his past, but this is soon forgotten as he is leaving his home that night. He convinces his aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley that they need to leave as well to avoid being captured by the Death Eaters, and eventually they leave escorted by a pair of wizards, though not before Dudley admits that he cares about Harry.

Soon thereafter the Order of the Phoenix arrive with a plan to sneak Harry away from his house without Voldemort capturing him. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, the Weasley twins, Fleur Delacour, and Mundungus Fletcher take a polyjuice potion to make themselves look like Harry and each depart with a different member of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry departs with Hagrid and, after being chased by Death Eaters and Voldemort, narrowly escape to the Burrow. There, the casualties are counted; Hedwig, Harry’s owl, was struck by a killing curse; George rehfehgfhfhghWeasley lost an ear, and Mad-Eye Moody was killed by Voldemort himself. Harry later has a vision regarding his escape; his wand had reacted with Voldemort’s borrowed wand, destroying it, and he has a vision of Voldemort questioning Ollivander, the wand maker, about why it happened.

A few days later the Minister of Magic arrives at the Weasley residence to give Harry, Ron, and Hermione what Dumbledore had willed to them: a Deluminator for Ron (known as a "putter-outer" in previous books), with the power to douse all the lights in a room; a book of children’s stories to Hermione; and Godric Gryffindor’s sword and the first snitch Harry had ever caught to Harry. The sword, however, was withheld because, the minister claimed, it was not Dumbledore's to give. The three try to discover the purpose of the objects being given to them, but are unable to figure it out before the wedding between Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley the next day.

Harry disguises himself for the wedding, but during the wedding they all receive a message; Voldemort has taken over the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine all flee the wedding, first fleeing to a Muggle café. Though they think themselves safe for the moment, two Death Eaters find them almost immediately and attack them. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine manage to defeat the Death Eaters, but thinking themselves in danger in public, flee to 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black’s home, where they hide themselves. The group realizes that Regulus Arcturus Black was the R.A.B. from the amulet Harry found with Dumbledore, and begin searching the house for the Horcrux. Eventually they realize that Mundungus Fletcher stole the amulet and send Harry’s house elf Kreacher to find Fletcher and bring back the amulet. Kreacher finds Fletcher, but he has already given the amulet away to Dolores Umbridge.

After a month of spying on the Ministry of Magic, the trio try to infiltrate it in order to retrieve the Horcrux from Dolores Umbridge. They ambush three wizards and use polyjuice potion to impersonate them. They discover the Ministry of Magic has changed considerably; Muggle-born wizards and witches are being rounded up openly and the Ministry itself is demonstrating its superiority over the muggles. The three discover Mad-Eye Moody’s eye has been taken by Umbridge, so they take it; they then knock out Umbridge and take the horcrux from her, freeing a number of muggle-born wizards and witches in the process and encouraging them to flee the country. However, in the process their hiding place is discovered and they are forced to flee to the countryside, moving from place to place, never staying anywhere too long.

After several months of moving around they overhear a conversation wherein it is revealed that Godric Griffindor’s sword is actually a fake, and someone did something with the real sword. Harry hears this and is heartened, and after questioning the portrait of Phineas Black, he discovers that the sword had last been used by Dumbledore to destroy another Horcrux, the Gaunt’s ring. However, Ron feels this is just another thing for them to do and, having been injured in their escape from the Ministry of Magic, he gets in an argument with Harry and leaves, leaving Harry and Hermoine together. The two are greatly saddened, but eventually realize they have to go to Godric’s Hollow on the off-chance Dumbledore left the sword there for them.

Arriving in Godric’s Hollow, the two first visit the memorial to Harry’s family, then the graveyard, where both Harry and Dumbledore’s families are buried. After laying a wreath on Harry’s parents’ grave, they encounter the old woman Bathilda Bagshot, an old family friend of Dumbledore’s who authored The History of Magic. Thinking she may have been entrusted with the sword, they follow her to her house, where they find a picture of the dark wizard Grindelwald, Bagshot’s relative and once, long ago, Dumbledore’s childhood friend. However, it is actually a trap; “Bagshot” is actually Nagini, Voldemort’s snake familiar, and Harry and Hermoine only narrowly escape from Voldemort, destroying Harry’s wand in the process.

On the run for a few more days, eventually a doe patronus appears on the edge of their camp and leads Harry to Godric Griffindor’s sword, hidden in a frozen forest pool. Harry strips down and dives down after the sword but the locket Horcrux responds poorly and tries to strangle Harry. Ron returns and saves Harry from drowning, pulling the sword out of the pool in the process. The two then destroy the Horcrux with the sword and return to camp. Hermoine is less than pleased with Ron and his return, but had discovered their next step: to speak to Xenophilius Lovegood and ask him about Grindelwald's mark, a symbol which has shown up time and again during their journey.

At Lovegood’s home, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are told an old wizard story about three brothers who bested death, and each had received a magical item for it – an unbeatable wand (called the Elder Wand), a stone which could bring back the dead (the Resurrection Stone), and an Invisibility Cloak that never failed with age. Harry believes that his own cloak is the Invisibility Cloak, and is very excited, but soon discovers that Lovegood has betrayed them to the Ministry; Luna, his daughter, has been taken captive and he believes that giving them Harry Potter would cause them to free her. The trio barely escape from the wizards sent to fetch them, but Harry is emboldened and believes that they need to collect all the Deathly Hallows, these artifacts given by Death, to defeat Voldemort.

A few weeks later, the three are still no closer to finding the Deathly Hallows or more Horcruxes. They finally manage to tune into a rogue wizard radio broadcast, run by people they know which gives news on what is really happening. However, Harry accidentally says Voldemort’s name and Voldemort’s followers, having jinxed the name, find Harry, Ron, and Hermoine and capture them, taking them to Lucius Malfoy’s home. There, Hermoine is tortured and interrogated by Bellatrix Lestrange to find how she acquired Godric Griffindor’s sword, believing it to have been stolen from her vault, while Harry and Ron are imprisoned in the basement with Dean Thomas, Griphook the goblin, Ollivander the wand maker, and Luna Lovegood. Harry asks the broken fragment of mirror he has for help and Dobby appears to help him, freeing them. Dobby saves Dean and Ollivander, but they have made too much noise and Wormtail is sent to check on the prisoners. Harry and Ron subdue him, and Wormtail resists strangling Harry. Ron takes away Wormtail’s wand and Wormtail’s artificial arm, made by Voldemort, strangles its owner to death for the mercy he’s shown. Ron and Harry, helpless to aid him, rush upstairs to save Hermoine with the help of Dobby. They escape as Voldemort is close to arriving, but Dobby is slain by Bellatrix Lestrange as they flee.

After burying Dobby, Harry and his friends begin planning anew. Harry questions Ollivander about the Elder Wand, and chooses not to try and prevent Voldemort from acquiring it from the tomb of its last owner, Dumbledore. Instead, he questions Griphook about how to break into Gringott’s, and in exchange offers him the goblin made sword of Godric Griffindor. After extensive planning, the group goes to Gringott’s to see if they can find one of the horcruxes in the Lestrange vault; Hermoine poses as Bellatrix Lestrange, Ron is disguised, and Griphook and Harry go in under the Invisibility Cloak. They manage to penetrate the traps and find the horcrux, Hufflepuff’s cup, but Griphook betrays their presence and flees with the sword. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine narrowly escape on the back of a captive dragon, but Voldemort discovers at long last that they are seeking out his horcruxes.

Harry has a vision shortly after the escape; he can see from Voldemort’s eyes and hear his thoughts. Voldemort lists off all the locations of the horcruxes, realizing now they are being sought after and destroyed. Voldemort inadvertantly reveals that the final horcrux, which Harry suspects to be a relic of the founder of Ravenclaw, is safe within Hogwarts. Harry realizes that if they want to get the Horcrux within Hogwarts, they need to do so immediately, before Voldemort finds his other horcruxes missing, and the trio immediately head to Hogsmeade to find a way to sneak into their old school.

At Hogsmeade, Harry and friends are cornered by Death Eaters and saved by Aberforth Dumbledore. Aberforth opens a secret passageway to Hogwarts, where Neville Longbottom greets them. After saving Draco Malfoy's life, Harry finds Ravenclaw's Diadem in the room of requirement and it is destroyed. Harry, Hermione and Ron go to the Shrieking Shack, where they see Voldemort kill Snape, believing this will transfer the Elder wand's power to him. As he dies, Snape gives up memories to Harry, which reveal that Snape was on Dumbledore's side, motivated by his lifelong love of Lily Potter. Snape was asked by Dumbledore to kill him if the situation demands it; the curse placed on the horcrux ring limited his life, regardless. Furthermore, Harry is the final horcrux and needs to die before Voldemort can be killed. Resigned to his fate, Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort, and is seemingly killed, but finds that the spell destroyed the part of Voldemort's soul he had inside himself. After Nagini is killed by Neville, Voldemort is killed by attempting to use the Elder Wand when his Death Curse against Harry is deflected back at him by the Elder Wand itself.

In the story's epilogue, taking place 19 years (presumably 2017) after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny Weasley have three children named James, Albus Severus, and Lily. Ron and Hermione have two children named Rose and Hugo. Draco has a child named Scorpius. They all meet at King's Cross, about to send their children to Hogwarts at the beginning of term. It is revealed that Harry's scar has not hurt since the Dark Lord's defeat, and there, the story ends.

Pre-release controversy

Anticipation

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.[7] To this end, Bloomsbury invested £10m in an attempt to keep the book's contents secure until the July 21 release date.[8] However, there was speculation that some shops would break the embargo and distribute copies of the book early, as the penalty imposed for previous installments — that the distributor would not be supplied with any further copies of the series — would no longer be a disincentive.[9]

Online leaks

In the week prior to its release, a number of texts purporting to be genuine leaks appeared in a number of 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.[10][11][12] One source reported that this leak came from the GameFAQs message boards,[13] and later appeared on websites and peer-to-peer networks, leading Scholastic to seek a subpoena in order to identify the source.[14] Scholastic described the content of the texts as "convincing" but refused to comment on their authenticity, noting only that several texts had conflicting content, with a similar reaction from the publishers.[15] This represents the most serious security breach in the Harry Potter series' history.[16] Rowling and her lawyer admitted that there were genuine online leaks, but they did not specify which ones they were or if the whole book was available. She requested on her site that fans ignore the online leaks and that readers do not spoil the plot for those waiting on the release on Friday night.[17] Reviews published in both The Baltimore Sun and The New York Times on July 18, 2007 corroborated many of the plot elements from this leak, and about one day prior to release, The New York Times subsequently, correctly, confirmed that the main circulating leak was real.

Early delivery

One reader in Maryland received a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 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 wouldn't discuss whether they would be penalized.[18] However, later the following day, Scholastic announced that approximately 1 ten-thousandth (0.01%) of the US supply had been shipped early, constituting around 1200 copies,[19] and that it would be launching legal action against DeepDiscount.com and its distributor, Levy Home Entertainment.[20] Scholastic has filed for damages in Chicago’s Circuit Court of Cook County, claiming[21] 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 Publisher's Weekly for $250 from an initial price of $18.[22]

Early critical reception

Mary Carole McCauley of the Baltimore Sun, who received early access to the book, praised Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as a "classic bildungsroman, a coming-of-age tale about the maturation of the title character". She notes that "...book seven lacks much of the charm and humor that distinguished Rowling's earliest books. Even the writing is more prosaic", but then observes that given the book's darker subject matter (death), "how could it be otherwise"? An editor's note prepended to the review claims that the paper acquired a hardcopy of the book "through legal and ordinary means".

On July 18, Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times, who bought the book from a retail outlet in New York City, also posted online a positive review of the book, writing, "The world of Harry Potter is a place where the mundane and the marvelous, the ordinary and the surreal coexist...and people’s lives are defined by love and loss and hope — the same way they are in our own mortal world."

Kakutani drew criticism from Harry Potter fans when she proceeded to write a review in the New York Times that revealed some details of the book's plot. At least one fan website called for a letter-writing campaign to the New York Times. [23] A representative for Bloomsbury, the UK publisher of the Potter books, had this to say:

As the originating publisher, we're really disappointed with what happened in the US. We're relying on the support of retailers and the media in the rest of the world to allow readers to find out for themselves. We are asking people to wait.

There's only 40 hours to go.

According to the Washington Post, a Bloomsbury spokeswoman also "likened the events in the United States to the Boston Tea Party, a 1773 protest by American colonists against Britain."[24]

JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, said:

I am staggered that some American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry's final destination by themselves, in their own time.

I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry's last adventure for fans.[25]

In response to complaints, New York Times books, culture and theatre editor Rick Lyman defended the decision to publish the review. He stated:

Our feeling is that once a book is offered up for sale at any public retail outlet, and we purchase a copy legally and openly, we are free to review it.

As for charges that we gave away the ending, that is simply not true. We took great care not to do so, nor to give away significant details about who lives and who dies.[26]

On July 20, the New York Times also stated that the main circulating leak avaliable on the internet was indeed authentic, after comparing the book Ms. Kakutani had purchased and based her review upon with the leak's photographs.

Also on July 20, the online newsmagazine Salon.com published a review of the book by contributor Laura Miller. There was no detail given on how she obtained her copy.[27]

Arthur Levine, US editor of the Harry Potter series, denies printing any review copies for the press.[28]

After Deathly Hallows

As of 2007, Rowling has been working on the Harry Potter stories for 17 years.

  • In a 2000 interview through Scholastic, Rowling stated that there isn't a university after Hogwarts and that she did not plan on further Harry Potter books:[29]
Q: Do you think that you will write about Harry after he graduates from Hogwarts? Isn't there a University of Wizardry?
A: No, there's no University for Wizards. At the moment I'm only planning to write seven Harry Potter books. I won't say "never," but I have no plans to write an eighth book.
  • When asked about writing other books similar to Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, she has said that she might consider doing this with proceeds donated to charity, as was the case with those two books. Another suggestion is an encyclopedia-style tome containing information that never made it into the series, also for charity.[30]
  • Rowling issued the following statement on her website about finishing the final book:

I always knew that Harry's story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be. Even while I'm mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I've finally written the ending I've been planning for so many years. I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric.

Some of you have expressed a (much more muted!) mixture of happiness and sadness at the prospect of the last book being published, and that has meant more than I can tell you. If it comes as any consolation, I think that there will be plenty to continue arguing and speculating about, even after Deathly Hallows comes out.

Editions

Bloomsbury (United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, etc.)
  • ISBN 0747591059 Hardcover
  • ISBN 1551929767 Hardcover (adult edition)
  • ISBN 0747591075 Hardcover (special edition)
Raincoast (Canada, etc.)
  • ISBN 1551929767 Hardcover
  • ISBN 1551929783 Hardcover (adult edition)
Scholastic (United States, etc.)
  • ISBN 0545010225 Hardcover
  • ISBN 0545029376 Deluxe Hardcover

References

  1. ^ "Rowling 'nerves' at Potter launch". BBC. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  2. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2007-02-01). "Publication Date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". J. K. Rowling Official Site. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  3. ^ "Official Raincoast Harry Potter page". Raincoast Books. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  4. ^ "'HPDH' reaches no. 1 on U.S. Amazon & BN lists". HPANA. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  5. ^ Blais, Jacqueline (2007-05-03). "After final 'Harry Potter' book, can anyone fill the void?". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-05-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Scholastic Announces Record-Breaking 12.1 Million First Printing In United States Of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows". Scholastic. 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  7. ^ "J.K.Rowling Official Site". J K Rowling. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
  8. ^ "10 million pounds to guard 7th Harry Potter book". Rediff. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  9. ^ "Potter embargo 'could be broken'". BBC News. 12 July 2008. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  10. ^ "Harry Potter Fans Transcribe Book from Photos". TorrentFreak. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  11. ^ "New Potter book leaked online". Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax newspapers. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  12. ^ "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaked to BitTorrent". TorrentFreak. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  13. ^ "Fans Break Potter Embargo, Does it Matter?". Newsweek. MSNBC. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2007-07-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Harry Potter finale allegedly leaked online". CanWest MediaWorks Publications. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  15. ^ "New Harry Potter Book May Have Made Its Way To Web". New York Times. 17 July 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Web abuzz over Potter leak claims". 17 July 2007.
  17. ^ Malvern, Jack (2007-07-19). "Harry Potter and the great web leak". Times. Retrieved 2007-07-19. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "The spell is broken". The Baltimore Sun. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  19. ^ "Publisher slams book on "Harry Potter" distributor". Newsday. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  20. ^ "Press release from Scholastic". PR Newswire (from Scholastic). July 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  21. ^ "Distributor mails final Potter book early". MSNBC Interactive. July 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  22. ^ "I Was an eBay Voldemort". National Review Online. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  23. ^ Annelli, Melissa (19 July), New York Times Posts Spoilers: Call For Letters {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  24. ^ "Rowling angered by early reviews of last Potter". Washington Post. July 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  25. ^ "Fans dismayed with early reviews of 'Deathly Hallows'". HPANA. July 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  26. ^ "Potter author condemns leak". World News Australia. July 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  27. ^ "Goodbye, Harry Potter". Salon.com. July 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  28. ^ "Editor Says 'Deathly Hallows' Is Unleakable". MTV Overdrive (video). July 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  29. ^ "Transcript of JKR's live interview on Scholastic.com". 2000-02-03.
  30. ^ "A new chapter for HP and JK". The Telegraph. 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2007-06-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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