99 Fun Facts About Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

On what date was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows published?

21 July 2007 was release day, and Bloomsbury spent £10 million trying to keep the contents secret until then.

Which American publisher ordered a record first printing of 12 million copies of Deathly Hallows?

Scholastic printed 12 million copies for the US launch, and 8.3 million of them sold in the first 24 hours, beating the one-day record set by the previous Potter book.

Which two allies of Harry die during the flight from Privet Drive in Deathly Hallows?

Mad-Eye Moody is killed by Voldemort during the Seven Potters flight and Hedwig is struck by a Killing Curse; George Weasley loses an ear in the same ambush.

Which Ministry official is wearing the locket Horcrux when the trio infiltrate the Ministry of Magic?

Dolores Umbridge took the locket as a bribe from a petty thief and passes it off as a family heirloom to bolster her pure-blood credentials; the trio steal it from her in disguise.

What guides Harry to the frozen pond where the Sword of Gryffindor lies?

A silver doe Patronus leads Harry through the Forest of Dean to the frozen pond; the locket Horcrux tightens around his neck when he dives for the sword, and he nearly drowns.

Who destroys the locket Horcrux?

Ron destroys the locket with the Sword of Gryffindor after returning to pull Harry from the frozen pond; Harry opens it in Parseltongue so Ron can stab it.

Which three objects make up the Deathly Hallows?

The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility are explained to the trio by Xenophilius Lovegood, who is stalling: Death Eaters hold his daughter Luna, and he means to trade Harry for her.

What are the bounty hunters who capture the trio and take them to Malfoy Manor called?

Snatchers, with Fenrir Greyback among them, seize the trio after Harry breaks the Taboo by saying Voldemort's name, and haul them to Malfoy Manor.

Which Gryffindor classmate of Harry is held in the Malfoy Manor cellar with Luna Lovegood and Mr Ollivander?

Dean Thomas had been on the run since the Ministry began rounding up Muggle-borns, because he never knew his father and could not show he had wizard blood; he returns to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Which house-elf dies rescuing the prisoners from Malfoy Manor?

Dobby is fatally wounded by Bellatrix's thrown knife as he Disapparates the prisoners to Shell Cottage; the scene was filmed at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire, where a fan-made grave for him was allowed to stay after a 2022 review.

Which goblin, imprisoned with the trio at Malfoy Manor in Deathly Hallows, later helps them break into Gringotts?

Griphook's price for helping with the Gringotts break-in is the Sword of Gryffindor, and he does not wait to be paid: inside the vault he snatches the sword and abandons the trio.

Who shelters the trio in Hogsmeade and opens a secret passage into the castle before the Battle of Hogwarts?

Aberforth Dumbledore, barman of the Hog's Head, rescues the trio from Death Eaters and urges them to give up their quest, then sends them through the passage behind his sister Ariana's portrait.

Which Horcrux do the trio find in the Room of Requirement?

Ravenclaw's diadem, hidden by Voldemort in the Room of Hidden Things, is destroyed moments later when Fiendfyre cast by one of Draco's friends consumes the room.

In the Deathly Hallows novel, which of Draco's friends dies after casting Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement?

Crabbe dies in the novel, but the film gives the death to Goyle, because Crabbe's actor, Jamie Waylett, did not return for the final two films.

Which of his own followers does Voldemort order Nagini to kill during the Battle of Hogwarts?

Severus Snape is bitten on Voldemort's orders, and as he dies he gives Harry the memories that reveal his lifelong love for Lily Potter and his years as a double agent.

In Deathly Hallows, what does Harry use to view the memories a dying man gives him?

The Pensieve in the headmaster's office shows Harry that Dumbledore arranged his own death and that Harry himself is a Horcrux who must die.

Whom does Harry instruct to kill Nagini as he walks off to surrender himself?

Neville Longbottom is told to kill the snake if Harry's friends cannot; he later kills Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor, which he pulls from the Sorting Hat.

Who carries the apparently dead Harry back to Hogwarts on Voldemort's orders?

Hagrid is forced to carry Harry's body from the Forbidden Forest to the castle; Harry is only feigning death, having chosen to return from a dreamlike King's Cross.

Who kills Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts?

Molly Weasley takes on Bellatrix to protect her daughter, screaming 'You will never touch our children again!'; Bellatrix, too arrogant to take her seriously, loses the duel.

In Deathly Hallows' final duel, why does the Elder Wand refuse to kill Harry?

He is its true master: the wand passed to Draco when he disarmed Dumbledore, then to Harry when he disarmed Draco at Malfoy Manor.

The Deathly Hallows epilogue is set how many years after the Battle of Hogwarts?

19 years on, Harry and Ginny see their children off on the Hogwarts Express, and Harry reassures his nervous son Albus that the Sorting Hat will take his own choice into account.

In the Deathly Hallows epilogue, what are the names of Ron and Hermione's daughter and son?

Rose and Hugo are the couple's children; on the platform Ron points out Draco Malfoy's son Scorpius and tells Rose to make sure she beats him in every test.

What are the final words of the Deathly Hallows novel?

'All was well' closes the novel; Rowling said she had planned to end on the word 'scar', in a line about only those he loved being able to see it.

In which Edinburgh hotel did J. K. Rowling finish writing the book in January 2007?

Rowling finished the book in Room 552 of the Balmoral Hotel on 11 January 2007 and signed a marble bust of Hermes there to mark the occasion.

Rowling said Deathly Hallows and which earlier Potter book felt 'almost as though they are two halves of the same novel'?

Half-Blood Prince: in March 2004, while still writing it, Rowling said so much of what happens in book six relates to book seven that the two felt like halves of one novel.

How did Rowling reveal the title Deathly Hallows to fans in December 2006?

A hangman puzzle on her website, dressed up for Christmas, made fans guess the letters of the title one by one; her publisher confirmed the name the same day.

Which part of Deathly Hallows did Rowling write around 1990?

The final chapter came first: Rowling said she wrote it 'in something like 1990', years before the first book was published, so she had long known how the series would end.

Where did Rowling launch Deathly Hallows with an all-night reading and signing for 1,700 ballot-picked fans?

Natural History Museum, London: after a midnight reading on 21 July 2007, Rowling signed about 250 copies an hour until 6.30 in the morning.

Which UK supermarket, then owned by Walmart, set off a price war by selling Deathly Hallows for just £5?

Asda sold the £17.99 book for £5 after accusing its publisher of 'blatant profiteering'; the publisher threatened to cancel Asda's 500,000-copy order until the chain apologised.

Which gift from Dumbledore's will guides Ron back to his friends after he abandons the Horcrux hunt in Deathly Hallows?

The Deluminator, Dumbledore's bequest to Ron, shows him the way back to his friends, and he arrives just in time to pull Harry out of a frozen pool.

Who narrates the UK audiobook of Deathly Hallows, which runs about 24 hours?

Stephen Fry read all seven books for British listeners, but Americans never hear him: the US edition is voiced by Jim Dale, who won a 2008 Grammy for this one.

Which Beedle the Bard story, read aloud by Hermione, tells how the Deathly Hallows came to be?

'The Tale of the Three Brothers' is one of five stories in the collection; Rowling handwrote seven copies, and the one auctioned at Sotheby's in 2007 raised £1.95 million for a children's charity.

In Cursed Child, billed as the eighth Potter story, what do Albus and Scorpius steal from the Ministry of Magic?

A Time-Turner, taken from Hermione's office while the boys are disguised with Polyjuice Potion, carries them back to the Triwizard Tournament to try to save Cedric Diggory.

Which was the first foreign-language translation of the book to appear, in September 2007?

The Ukrainian edition from publisher A-Ba-Ba-Ha-La-Ma-Ha, released in late September 2007, was the first translation; French and Swedish editions rendered the title as 'Relics of Death'.

Who directed both Deathly Hallows films?

David Yates was a British television director when he was hired for the fifth film; the producers thought he could handle the darker, more political later books, and he stayed to the end.

Which executive producer first suggested splitting the book into two films?

Heyman initially hated the idea until Wigram asked, 'No, David. How are we going to do it?'

Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ends at which point in the story?

Voldemort takes the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb in the film's closing moments, which leaves the Gringotts raid and the whole Battle of Hogwarts for Part 2.

Which composer scored both Deathly Hallows films after Nicholas Hooper did not return?

Alexandre Desplat scored both parts; the producers asked John Williams, composer of the first three films, to come back for the finale, but his schedule would not allow it.

Which two characters dance to Nick Cave's 'O Children' in a tent in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Harry and Hermione dance to lift each other's spirits while the quest is going badly; the scene is not in the book, and the film's music supervisor found the song during his own break-up.

Which Elizabethan house, famous for its enormous windows, was the exterior of Malfoy Manor in the Deathly Hallows films?

Hardwick Hall, 'more glass than wall' in the old rhyme, was filmed from a helicopter; designer Stuart Craig showed its great windows shuttered and blind to give the manor an ominous presence.

Which real Thames road link hosted the flying-motorbike ambush in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

The Dartford Crossing east of London supplied the toll road and tunnel the motorbike races through; as it takes to the air, the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is visible behind it.

Costume designer Jany Temime was accused of copying Fleur's wedding dress from a 2008 peacock gown by which British fashion house?

Alexander McQueen showed a strikingly similar dress in autumn 2008; his carried peacocks, while Temime said hers used phoenixes because, like love, the bird is eternal.

Which of the two Deathly Hallows films was shown in 3D in cinemas?

Only the second one reached cinemas in 3D: Warner Bros. scrapped Part 1's conversion six weeks before release, saying it could not be finished to a high enough standard in time.

Besides Avatar, which film outgrossed Deathly Hallows – Part 2 as of 2011?

Titanic and Avatar, both James Cameron films, were the only ones ahead of Part 2's $1.3 billion worldwide; it held third place for less than a year, until The Avengers passed it in 2012.

Where did thousands of fans gather for the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 world premiere in July 2011?

Trafalgar Square, London, hosted the red carpet while Leicester Square, the usual premiere venue, was being renovated; the carpet led on to Leicester Square, where the film itself was shown.

Why was the epilogue of Deathly Hallows – Part 2 re-shot in December 2010?

The ageing make-up looked wrong: producer David Heyman said Rupert Grint 'looked like he was about 75', so the scene, first shot at the real King's Cross, was redone at Leavesden with new make-up.

Which station's facade stands in for King's Cross in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows – Part 2?

St Pancras, the Gothic station next door, supplies the epilogue's opening shot; the platform scene that follows was re-shot on a studio set at Leavesden.

Which tagline ran beside the date 7.15 on the first US poster for Deathly Hallows – Part 2?

It All Ends was paired with the US release date, 15 July 2011, on a poster of Harry and Voldemort that left no room for the film's title.

What certificate did the BBFC give Deathly Hallows – Part 2 for its UK cinema release?

12A was the rating because, in the BBFC's words, the film 'contains moderate threat, injury detail and language'.

Which potion turns six of Harry's friends into his exact doubles for the escape from Privet Drive?

Polyjuice Potion gave pursuers seven identical Harrys to chase, leaving on broomsticks, Thestrals and a flying motorbike. The trick worked only briefly, because the real one soon gave himself away.

Which Dursley surprises Harry with thanks for a past rescue as the family leaves Privet Drive?

Dudley had been saved from Dementors two summers earlier and finally said so, adding that Harry was no waste of space. Harry suspected him of leaving a peace-offering cup of tea outside the bedroom door.

To which country does Hermione send her parents after altering their memories in Deathly Hallows?

Australia became home to a couple who no longer knew they had a daughter. Hermione made them believe that moving there had always been their dream, which kept them out of the war.

Which bequest from Albus Dumbledore to Harry can remember the first person who ever touched it?

A Golden Snitch has a flesh memory, and Harry caught this one in his mouth during his first match at Hogwarts. It stayed sealed in his hand but showed a hidden inscription when pressed to his lips.

In which village, the burial place of Harry's parents, does the snake Nagini ambush Harry and Hermione?

Godric's Hollow was also the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor, which won Hermione over to the visit. Its war memorial changes for wizards into a statue of Harry as a baby with his parents.

Which writer cashes in on Albus Dumbledore's death with a biography excerpted in the Daily Prophet?

Rita Skeeter called it The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore and hinted that he had dabbled in Dark magic. For all its spin, the book left Harry wondering how well he had really known the headmaster.

What half-blind creature, kept chained as a guard, carries Harry and his friends out of Gringotts bank?

A dragon guarded the deepest vaults and had learned to expect pain whenever it heard a clanking noise. Once freed, it burst up through the bank with three passengers on its back.

Which spell, known as Harry's signature move, does he cast against Voldemort's final Killing Curse?

Expelliarmus merely disarms, yet it ended the war when Voldemort's own curse rebounded on him. Months earlier the same habit had picked the real Harry out from his decoys.

In the Deathly Hallows epilogue, which house does Harry's son Albus dread being sorted into?

Slytherin worried Albus so much that Harry told him a secret on the platform. The Sorting Hat takes a student's own choice into account, just as it once did for his father.

What forms the core of Harry's original wand, which is snapped by a rebounding spell in Deathly Hallows?

Phoenix feather from Dumbledore's bird Fawkes sat inside it, and the same bird supplied the feather in Voldemort's wand. Harry kept the broken halves in a pouch around his neck.

Which house, left to Harry by his godfather Sirius, becomes the trio's first hideout in Deathly Hallows?

Grimmauld Place had been the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The trio lost it when a Death Eater clung to Hermione as she Disapparated and was carried inside its protection.

Which Weasley brother has an ear severed by a Dark curse while acting as a decoy Harry?

George was carried in bleeding by his protector, and the wound could never be healed because Dark magic had caused it. He was making ear puns almost as soon as he came round.

Whom has Harry married by the time of the Deathly Hallows epilogue, with three children between them?

Ginny Weasley and Harry had two sons and a daughter, each named for people who had shaped his life. Their middle child was the one starting school that morning.

Which language must Harry speak to make the locket Horcrux open before it can be destroyed?

Parseltongue, the snake language, did the job with a single hissed word. Harry had opened the Chamber of Secrets the same way years earlier.

What small item does Hermione enchant to carry a tent, books and clothes in Deathly Hallows?

A beaded bag held it all, and it was already packed and on her arm when Death Eaters broke up the wedding. That foresight let the three friends vanish with everything they needed.

Who lies to Voldemort that Harry is dead in the forest, in exchange for news of her own son?

Narcissa Malfoy felt a heartbeat, whispered a question about Draco, and then pronounced the boy dead. Walking into the castle with the victors was her only way to reach her son.

Which Dark wizard, defeated by Albus Dumbledore in the 1940s, does Voldemort kill in a tower prison cell?

Grindelwald told Voldemort that killing him would bring the prize no nearer. He died in Nurmengard, the tower where he had been locked up for half a century.

Which Minister for Magic reads Dumbledore's will to Harry and is murdered as the Ministry falls?

Rufus Scrimgeour had run the Auror Office before taking the top job. He and Harry never got on, yet he was rumoured to have died under torture without giving away where the boy was.

In the Deathly Hallows novel, which Death Eater is strangled by his own silver hand at Malfoy Manor?

Peter Pettigrew wavered for a moment when Harry reminded him of a life debt, and the hand Voldemort had given him turned on its owner. The film version left his death out.

What name do Nymphadora Tonks and her husband give their newborn son, in honour of her murdered father?

Teddy was a Metamorphmagus like his mother, able to change his looks at will, and Harry became his godfather. The war left the boy an orphan.

Which magazine's editor tries to hand Harry to the Death Eaters to free his kidnapped daughter?

The Quibbler had loudly backed Harry, so the editor's daughter Luna was taken as punishment for his stories. He kept his visitors talking with a legend about three powerful objects while he waited for the Death Eaters.

Which brother of Harry's godfather Sirius is revealed in Deathly Hallows as R.A.B., who stole a Horcrux?

Regulus had been a Death Eater who turned against Voldemort, and he died in the cave after ordering the family house-elf to get away with the real locket. His full name was on his bedroom door all along.

Which Order of the Phoenix member does Kreacher capture so the trio can trace a stolen locket?

Mundungus Fletcher had stolen it from the house, and the elf hauled him in and stood over him with a cooking pot. He was also the one who fled in mid-air during the escape from Privet Drive.

Which elderly author of A History of Magic is dead when Harry meets her, her body hiding Nagini?

Bathilda Bagshot was the great-aunt of a notorious Dark wizard and a chief source for a tell-all book about Dumbledore. A huge snake poured from her neck once Harry was alone with her.

Which sister of Albus Dumbledore, kept hidden at home after a childhood attack, died in a family duel?

Ariana was six when Muggle boys saw her doing magic and hurt her, and her father went to prison for taking revenge on them. Nobody ever knew whose curse killed her.

Which former Hogwarts Quidditch commentator runs Potterwatch, the secret radio show that backs Harry?

Lee Jordan turned pirate broadcaster, and his was the only wireless programme still telling the truth while the others toed the Ministry line.

Which of Voldemort's Horcruxes do Harry and his friends steal from a vault deep inside Gringotts bank?

A founder's cup, once Helga Hufflepuff's, sat among treasure that scorched and multiplied at a touch. Harry hooked it with the tip of a sword as hot copies piled up around the thieves.

Which Death Eater brother and sister take charge of punishing students at Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows?

The Carrows, Amycus and Alecto, also took over two classes, turning Defence Against the Dark Arts into plain Dark Arts. Other teachers avoided sending anyone to them for punishment.

Which wedding guest in the Deathly Hallows novel links a triangular medallion to his grandfather's killer?

Viktor Krum explained that the Dark wizard who used the sign had terrorised Europe and killed his grandfather. The man wearing it saw only the emblem of a quest for three legendary objects.

Besides capturing light from lamps, what does the Deluminator do for its owner in Deathly Hallows?

The device guides him to his friends once it picks up a conversation in which they speak his name. Its inventor, Albus Dumbledore, had first used it to darken a whole street at the very start of the series.

What name is given to the jinx in Deathly Hallows that betrays anyone who says Voldemort's name aloud?

The Taboo turned courage into a trap, because only people who defied Voldemort ever dared to speak his name. Saying it brought Death Eaters and bounty hunters to the spot at once.

Which former Hogwarts headmaster's portrait does Hermione pack away so he cannot spy on the trio?

Phineas Nigellus had a second frame in the headmaster's office, so he could have reported everything he saw. Kept in the dark, he still let slip useful news from the school when questioned.

Which Hogwarts teacher of Muggle Studies does Voldemort murder at Malfoy Manor as Deathly Hallows opens?

Charity Burbage had published an article arguing that blood purity should no longer matter. Voldemort killed her in front of his gathered followers, one of them a fellow teacher she begged for help.

In the Deathly Hallows novel, on which London street do the trio land after fleeing the wedding?

Tottenham Court Road offered a shabby all-night café, but two Death Eaters dressed as workmen walked in within minutes. Speaking Voldemort's name had given the hiding place away.

Which old wizarding family, ancestors of both Harry and Voldemort, first owned the Deathly Hallows?

The Peverells nearly made the cover, since Rowling considered calling the book Harry Potter and the Peverell Quest. Their symbol marks an old gravestone in the village where Harry's parents are buried.

Why can the Sword of Gryffindor, which Harry once used in the Chamber of Secrets, destroy Horcruxes?

It absorbed basilisk venom when Harry killed the giant serpent with it years earlier. The same venom, on a fang, had already destroyed a Horcrux in the form of a diary.

Which former teacher offers to join the quest, only for Harry to accuse him of deserting his pregnant wife?

Remus Lupin believed that life as a werewolf made him an unfit husband and father. Harry called him a coward to his face, and the two parted in anger.

What is the name of Draco Malfoy's young son, seen at the station in the Deathly Hallows epilogue?

Scorpius was seen off by his parents on the same platform as Harry's children. His father greeted Harry with nothing warmer than a curt nod.

Which London publisher released Deathly Hallows in Britain, as it had every earlier Harry Potter novel?

Bloomsbury spent a reported £10 million on security to keep the plot secret until release day. It also issued a separate adult edition with a different cover on the same date.

In Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which actress plays a disguised Hermione during the break-in at Gringotts bank?

Helena Bonham Carter normally played the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, whose form Hermione borrows to reach the vault. For one sequence she played the heroine instead of the villain.

Which screenwriter wrote both Deathly Hallows films and all but one of the earlier Harry Potter films?

Steve Kloves sat out only Order of the Phoenix, which Michael Goldenberg wrote, and came back for the final three films. His earlier work included The Fabulous Baker Boys, which he also directed.

Which ancient Greek playwright's The Libation Bearers supplies an epigraph that opens Deathly Hallows?

Aeschylus shares the opening page with the Quaker leader William Penn. Rowling said she had known since Chamber of Secrets came out that she wanted that pagan and Christian pair.

Which illustrator painted the original US jacket of Deathly Hallows, having done all six earlier books?

Mary GrandPré also drew the chapter illustrations for the American editions. She spent the day of the book's release signing copies at a bookshop in Manhattan.

Which narrator of the American audiobook of Deathly Hallows won a Grammy for the recording?

Jim Dale took the 2008 Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. He recorded 146 distinct character voices for the book, which runs to about 21 hours.

At which New York venue did J. K. Rowling, on tour for Deathly Hallows, reveal that Dumbledore was gay?

Carnegie Hall hosted the reading three months after the book came out, with tickets handed out by sweepstake. A fan had asked whether the headmaster had ever been in love.

Which alternative title did Rowling give a Swedish publisher who struggled to translate 'Deathly Hallows'?

Relics of Death was her answer when the publisher asked how to render the two words without having read the book. The French, Spanish and Dutch editions went on to use the same title.

Which limestone landmark in the Yorkshire Dales do Harry and Hermione visit in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Malham Cove is a huge curved cliff with a broad limestone pavement lying above it. It was carved by a waterfall of glacial meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age.

Which Welsh actor plays Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's eccentric father, in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

Rhys Ifans had found international fame a decade earlier as Spike, the slovenly housemate in Notting Hill. He later played Mycroft Holmes in the American detective series Elementary.

Which Scottish actress plays Helena Ravenclaw, the ghost of her house, in Deathly Hallows – Part 2?

Kelly Macdonald took over the part from Nina Young, who had played the ghost earlier in the series. She made her film debut in Trainspotting and later voiced Merida in Pixar's Brave.

Which spell does Harry cast on a Death Eater who threatens Professor McGonagall in Deathly Hallows?

The Cruciatus Curse had failed Harry two years earlier, when he cast it only half-heartedly. This time it lifted his target into the air and threw him through a bookcase.