1997-1998 – The year of hunting Horcruxes, the Battle of Hogwarts, and the final defeat of Voldemort

Elphias Doge, who first met Albus Dumbledore sat Hogwarts when they were eleven years old, composed a sympathetic and loving obituary for the Daily Prophet. Harry reads the “Albus Dumbledore Remembered” in his room just before the Dursley family departs for their own safety on the morning of the Battle… Read More
Muggle Studies Professor Charity Burbage is kidnapped by Death Eaters and taken to Malfoy Manor early in the summer of 1997, soon after writing an article for the Daily Prophet in favor of Muggle-borns (DH1). Read More
The Muggle Studies teacher’s body has been rotating above the table around which Voldemort and the Death Eaters are having a meeting, when Voldemort magically awakens her. In vain, Burbage begs her fellow teacher, Severus Snape, for help. Voldemort angrily explains to the Death Eaters that Burbage had recently written… Read More
The Battle of the Seven Potters is an aerial battle over southern England fought on the evening of 27 July 1997 between members of the Order of the Phoenix led by Mad-Eye Moody and a group of Death Eaters led by Lord Voldemort. The Order of the Phoenix strives to… Read More
Moody is attacked by Voldemort in the skies over Surrey during the Battle of the Seven Potters. Mundungus Fletcher, who is riding with Moody, panics and Disapparates, leaving Mad-Eye vulnerable. Voldemort’s Killing Curse hits Moody and his body falls from his broom. Later that night, when the battle is over, members… Read More
The Battle of the Seven Potters ends with Harry and Hagrid crashing into the pond, within the magical protections surrounding Tonk’s house. Voldemort, who was in pursuit, cannot pass through the magical barrier. Harry is safe, at least for now. Read More
Dumbledore left Ron the Deluminator, Hermione his copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in original runes, and Harry the sword of Gryffindor and the first snitch Harry ever caught. Scrimgeour is clearly curious why Dumbledore left these particular items to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but he is forced to leave with his… Read More
Harry, staying at the Burrow, wakes up from a dream of Voldemort searching for Gregorovich and realizes that the Trace is removed. He does random magic (Accio Glasses) and is given a book from Ron who tells him: “This isn’t your average book. It’s pure gold: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Read More
Soon after the Ministry of Magic falls to Death Eaters (DH8), a commission is set up to keep tabs on Muggle-born witches and wizards. It’s purported mission is to learn about how Muggle-borns came to be magic-users. It requires witches and wizards to prove that they have at… Read More
The Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, is tortured and murdered. Pius Thicknesse, who was put under the Imperius Curse a week or two before, is installed as the new Minister. With the power of the Ministry behind them, Death Eaters openly attack Order of the Phoenix… Read More
Death Eaters take over the Ministry of Magic. Scrimgeour, according to reports, dies under torture, refusing to tell the whereabouts of Harry Potter (DH11). Read More
The home of Order of the Phoenix member Dedalus Diggle was burned down by Death Eaters immediately after the downfall of the Ministry of Magic. Fortunately, he wasn’t home (DH11). Read More
The trio Disapparate from the infiltrated wedding at the Burrow to Tottenham Court Road. To calm down and figure out their next move the trio duck into an all-night café. However, because Hermione said ‘Voldemort’, enacting the Taboo for the first time, two undercover Death Eaters, Rowle… Read More
With the fall of the Ministry to the Death Eaters on August 1, 1997 (DH9), the attitude of the bureaucracy changed immediately toward the persecution of Muggle-born witches and wizards. A leader in this effort was Dolores Umbridge, who headed up the Muggle-Born Registration Commission which was tasked with imprisoning Muggle-borns… Read More
One morning, while staying at the black ancestral home, Grimmauld Place, Harry woke up early and started to look around (DH10). He walked up to the top most landing where he saw two doors, one was labelled Sirius, which Harry entered first. This had been the first time that… Read More
Kreacher tells Harry Potter the tale of how he was told to go with the Dark Lord by his master Regulus Black, and how he failed his master by not destroying the locket. Read More
Dung informs them that the locket went to Umbridge, who wears it at the Ministry of Magic. Mundungus Fletcher is not happy about being abducted by Kreacher, and there is a brief struggle upon their arrival – with Mundungus getting disarmed by Hermione and tackled by Ron. Before Harry or his friends… Read More
Lupin, worried that his expected child with Tonks will be a werewolf and feeling guilty for starting a family despite his outcast status, comes to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and tries to convince Harry to let him join in on the quest. Harry gets angry at Lupin for abandoning his… Read More
While ostensibly working for Voldermort, Snape actually does everything he can to protect students without giving away his position of supporting Dumbledore. The Daily Prophet report reads, in part: Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of… Read More
Umbridge sits high above the accused Muggle-born witches and wizards, condemning them the Azkaban on the charge that they “stole magic.” Umbridge protects herself from the Dementors in the room by allowing her cat Patronus to pace back and forth in front of her. Read More
Harry, Ron, and Hermione use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Ministry Employees (DH12). They recover a Horcrux and make a narrow escape (DH13). Read More
Hermione frets about stealing the bread and eggs even though she left money to pay for the items in the chicken coop. Ron, with his mouth full of scrambled eggs on toast, tells her “‘Er—my—nee, ’oo worry ’oo much. ‘Elax!” (DH14)… Read More
After taking back the late Mad-Eye Moody’s magical eyeball from Dolores Umbridge’s office door at the Minister of Magic, Harry buried it under a tree in a forest where he, Hermione and Ron were camping (DH15). Read More
On the run after escaping the Ministry, Harry, Ron and Hermione set up camp at the edge of a small town. Harry then takes his Invisibility Cloak and goes into the town in search of food. However, he does not get very far before he encounters dementors and discovers that… Read More
During the fall of 1997, Neville, Ginny, and Luna are the leaders of the anti-Death Eater group of students at Hogwarts. At one point, probably during October, the three of them try to steal the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Headmaster’s office. They are caught, however, and given detention… Read More
Ron, affected by the Horcrux locket, accuses Harry of not knowing what he’s doing, loses his temper, and leaves (DH15). Read More
In disguise, Harry and Hermione visit Godric’s Hollow on Christmas Eve. First they see a statue of baby Harry with his parents (disguised to Muggles as a war memorial) and visit James’ and Lily’s graves, where they also see the Deathly Hallows symbol on Ignotus Peverell’s grave and the graves of… Read More
Harry and Hermione, in disguise as an elderly Muggle couple, encounter who they think is Bathilda Bagshot in Godric’s Hollow on Christmas Eve. They follow her to her house, where she is revealed to be Nagini. In the ensuing battle, Hermione’s quick thinking saves the day, but Harry’s wand is… Read More
On watch in the Forest of Dean, Harry sees a silvery doe and follows it to discover Gryffindor’s sword in a frozen lake; when he tries to get it, Ron appears, saves Harry’s life when the locket tries to strangle him it the water, and uses the sword to destroy… Read More
After rescuing Harry and the Sword of Gryffindor from the icy pool in the forest, Ron uses the Sword to destroy the locket horcrux. The horcrux doesn’t give up without a fight, however, and the visions Ron sees showing Hermione and Harry excluding him and being romantic nearly cause Ron… Read More
Mr. Lovegood explains the history of the Deathly Hallows, then tries to sell Harry to the Ministry. The trio just barely escapes. Harry thinks he has figured out the mystery of the Hallows. The Lovegoods’ tower-like home, which reminds Ron of a rook in chess, is near the village of Ottery… Read More
Delphi is born in Malfoy Manor a few months before the Battle of Hogwarts. Her mother, Bellatrix, and her father, Lord Voldemort, were both killed in that battle and Delphi was raised by Euphemia Rowle. Read More
Voldemort traces the Elder wand to Grindelwald, who he then visits in a lonely cell atop the tallest tower of Nurmengard. When Grindelwald defies Voldemort, the Dark Lord murders him with a Killing Curse (DH23). Read More
After receiving an emotional high from hearing familiar voices and support on Potterwatch, Harry accidentally lets slip Voldemort’s name, which is taboo to speak. It breaks all of their protective enchantments and brings a group of Snatchers, led by werewolf Fenrir Greyback, to the Trio’s location. An… Read More
In the cellar of Malfoy Manor, Wormtail attacked Harry Potter, who exclaimed “You’re going to kill me? You owe me!” Wormtail hesitated at this, and the magical silver hand, sensing the weakness, turned on Wormtail and strangled him: His own silver fingers were moving inexorably toward his own throat. The… Read More
Narcissa brings the captives into the drawing room so Draco can positively identify Harry. He does so reluctantly and half-heartedly, but before the Dark Lord is summoned Bellatrix tortures Hermione and Griphook for information about the Sword of Gryffindor. During the torture Harry and Ron are brought to the cellar where… Read More
The elf dies from a knife wound he suffers while rescuing Harry and his friends from Malfoy Mansion. Bellatrix had kept the short, silver knife underneath her robes before she threw it toward where Harry and his friends are vanishing (DH22). It hits Dobby in the chest. His last… Read More
After being killed by Bellatrix Lestrange’s knife (DH23), Dobby is laid to rest near Shell Cottage. Harry digs the grave by hand. As he does this, he is aware of the anger Voldemort is feeling, but Harry’s own grief is much stronger. The frustration and loss help Harry to… Read More
The overworked auror John Dawlish attempts to arrest Augusta Longbottom at her home as a means to intimidate Neville, who has been leading the resistance at Hogwarts. Dawlish assumes that dealing with an old woman living alone would be a simple matter but learns otherwise. Augusta is no… Read More
Harry, Ron, Hermione, & Griphook break into Gringotts, steal Hufflepuff’s Cup, lose Gryffindor’s sword, and escape on a dragon. Before leaving Shell Cottage, Hermione disguises herself as Bellatrix Lestrange with the use of Polyjuice Potion and disguises Ron by using spells to alter his facial features. Harry and Griphook are… Read More
The flight lasts many hours, from mid-morning until sundown, which would be between 8 and 9 pm, depending on where the lake was located. It isn’t a pleasant flight. On and on they flew, over countryside parceled out in patches of green and brown, over roads and rivers winding through… Read More
Voldemort, under the false impression that Snape was the master of the Elder Wand, orders Nagini to attack and kill the erstwhile Potions Master. Snape, bleeding profusely, has barely time to pass along to Harry silvery threads of memories showing his true allegiance and actions before dying. Read More
Hogwarts gears up for battle as Voldemort seeks out the Horcruxes and takes flight for the school; Ron and Hermione destroy Hufflepuff’s Cup as Harry seeks the diadem of Ravenclaw… Read More
During the Battle of Hogwarts, an explosion blasts a hole in the side of Hogwarts and kills Fred, who had just been reconnecting with Percy as they fought Death Eaters side-by-side. Fred had been surprised and delighted to hear Percy make a joke. Percy takes Fred’s death extremely hard, clinging… Read More
Two bodies falls from a balcony into the entrance hall; one of the bodies is quickly set upon by Greyback. Hermione sees this and her curse blasts Greyback from “the feebly stirring body of Lavender Brown.” (DH32). Read More
Vincent Crabbe casts the Fiendfyre spell in the Room of Requirement. The fire gets out of his control, killing him and destroying Ravenclaw’s diadem, a Horcrux. Crabbe learned how to cast Fiendfyre from Amycus Carrow during his seventh year, but he did not learn how to control or stop it. Everything… Read More
When the Room of Requirement is destroyed by the Fiendfyre spell cast by Crabbe, the Diadem of Ravenclaw is caught up in the inferno. Harry sees it tossed into the air as he speeds toward the door to escape and catches it. When he is outside of the room and… Read More
Harry faces Voldemort in the forest, unarmed and awaiting death. Harry is not a Horcrux, but he is harboring a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul. This piece is destroyed when Voldemort hurls the Killing Curse at Harry, thereby eliminating one more option for immortality for the Dark Lord. Read More
After emerging from the pensieve and realizing that he is a Horcrux and must be killed (DH33), Harry starts walking towards the forest. He is at once terrified and numb. He reflects on how precious life is. He has his Invisibility Cloak on as he passes by the Great… Read More
He pulls the sword out of the Sorting Hat, gives a mighty swing, and beheads the horcrux-snake (DH36). Read More
May 1-2, 1998 The climactic final showdown between the side of good and the side of evil. Hogwarts Castle was damaged in this battle and fifty people died defending it, including Fred Weasley, Tonks, Remus Lupin, and Colin Creevey. The Death Eaters enlisted… Read More
After Voldemort struck him down with the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest (DH33), Harry finds himself lying naked and without his glasses on a sort of floor surrounded by a bright white mist. Slowly his surroundings take on the shape of King’s Cross Station in London, and when… Read More