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Harry Potter

AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

also by j. k. rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Year One at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Year Two at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Year Three at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Year Four at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Year Five at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Year Six at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Year Seven at Hogwarts

H arry P otter

AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

J. K. Rowling

ILLUSTRATIONS BY M ary GrandPrй

ARTHUR A. LEVINE BOOKS

AN IMPRINT OF SCHOLASTIC Press.

HARRY POTTER & all related characters and elements are tm of and © WBEI.

Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J. K. Rowling.

an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920.

scholastic, the lantern logo, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

“The Libation Bearers” by Aeschylus, from THE ORESTEIA by Aeschylus,

“More Fruits of Solitude, ” reprinted from William Penn, Fruits of Solitude, Vol I.,

Part 3, the Harvard Classics (New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1909-14).

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to

Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007925449

ISBN-13: 978-0-545-02936-0

ISBN-10: 0-545-02936-8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 07 08 09 10 11

Printed in the U. S. A. 23

Reinforced library edition, July 2007

Mixed Sources

Cert no. SCS-COC-00648

We try to produce the most beautiful books possible, and we are also extremely concerned about the impact of our manufacturing process on the forests of the world and the environment as a whole. Accordingly, we made sure that all of the paper we used contains 30% post-consumer recycled fiber, and that over 65% has been certified as coming from forests

that are managed to insure the protection of the people and wildlife dependent upon them.

The

dedication

of this book Is split seven ways:

To Neil,

To Jessica,

To David,

To Kenzie,

To Di,

To Anne,

And to you,

If you have

stuck

with Harry

until the very

end.

C ontents

ONE

The Dark Lord Ascending · 1

TWO

In Memoriam · 13

THREE

The Dursleys Departing · 30

FOUR

The Seven Potters · 43

FIVE

Fallen Warrior · 63

SIX

The Ghoul in Pajamas · 86

SEVEN

The Will of Albus Dumbledore · 111

EIGHT

The Wedding · 137

NINE

A Place to Hide · 160

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TEN

Kreacher’s Tale · 176

ELEVEN

The Bribe · 201

TWELVE

Magic is Might · 223

THIRTEEN

The Muggle-born Registration Commission · 246

FOURTEEN

The Thief · 268

FIFTEEN

The Goblin’s Revenge · 284

SIXTEEN

Godric’s Hollow · 311

SEVENTEEN

Bathilda’s Secret · 330

EIGHTEEN

The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore · 350

NINETEEN

The Silver Doe · 363

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TWENTY

Xenophilius Lovegood · 388

TWENTY-ONE

The Tale of the Three Brothers · 405

TWENTY-TWO

The Deathly Hallows · 424

TWENTY-Three

Malfoy Manor · 446

TWENTY-FOUR

The Wandmaker · 477

TWENTY-FIVE

Shell Cottage · 502

TWENTY-SIX

Gringotts · 519

TWENTY-SEVEN

The Final Hiding Place · 544

TWENTY-EIGHT

The Missing Mirror · 554

TWENTY-NINE

The Lost Diadem · 571

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THIRTY

The Sacking of Severus Snape · 589

THIRTY-ONE

The Battle of Hogwarts · 608

THIRTY-TWO

The Elder Wand · 638

THIRTY-THREE

The Prince’s Tale · 659

THIRTY-FOUR

The Forest Again · 691

THIRTY-FIVE

King’s Cross · 705

THIRTY-SIX

The Flaw in the Plan · 724

EPILOGUE

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Oh, the torment bred in the race,

the grinding scream of death

and the stroke that hits the vein, the haemorrhage none can staunch, the grief, the curse no man can bear.

But there is a cure in the house and not outside it, no,

not from others but from them,

their bloody strife. We sing to you,

dark gods beneath the earth.

Now hear, you blissful powers underground — answer the call, send help.

Bless the children, give them triumph now.

Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers

Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still. For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent. In this divine glass they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure. This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.

William Penn, More Fruits of Solitude

Harry Potter

AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

C H A P T E R O N E

THE DARK LORD ASCENDING

he two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in

the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still,

wands directed at each other’s chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same direction.

“News? ” asked the taller of the two.

“The best, ” replied Severus Snape.

The lane was bordered on the left by wild, low-growing brambles, on the right by a high, neatly manicured hedge. The men’s long cloaks flapped around their ankles as they marched.

“Thought I might be late, ” said Yaxley, his blunt features slid- ing in and out of sight as the branches of overhanging trees broke the moonlight. “It was a little trickier than I expected. But I hope he will be satisfied. You sound confident that your reception will be good? ”

Snape nodded, but did not elaborate. They turned right, into a

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CHAPTER ONE

wide driveway that led off the lane. The high hedge curved with them, running off into the distance beyond the pair of impressive wrought-iron gates barring the men’s way. Neither of them broke step: In silence both raised their left arms in a kind of salute and passed straight through, as though the dark metal were smoke.

The yew hedges muffled the sound of the men’s footsteps. There was a rustle somewhere to their right: Yaxley drew his wand again, pointing it over his companion’s head, but the source of the noise proved to be nothing more than a pure-white peacock, strutting majestically along the top of the hedge.

“He always did himself well, Lucius. Peacocks. . . ” Yaxley thrust

his wand back under his cloak with a snort.

A handsome manor house grew out of the darkness at the end of the straight drive, lights glinting in the diamond-paned downstairs windows. Somewhere in the dark garden beyond the hedge a foun- tain was playing. Gravel crackled beneath their feet as Snape and Yaxley sped toward the front door, which swung inward at their approach, though nobody had visibly opened it.

The hallway was large, dimly lit, and sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet covering most of the stone floor. The eyes of the pale-faced portraits on the walls followed Snape and Yaxley as they strode past. The two men halted at a heavy wooden door leading into the next room, hesitated for the space of a heartbeat, then Snape turned the bronze handle.

The drawing room was full of silent people, sitting at a long and ornate table. The room’s usual furniture had been pushed carelessly up against the walls. Illumination came from a roaring fire beneath a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror. Snape and Yaxley lingered for a moment on the threshold. As their

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THE DARK LORD ASCENDING

eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light, they were drawn upward to the strangest feature of the scene: an apparently unconscious hu- man figure hanging upside down over the table, revolving slowly as if suspended by an invisible rope, and reflected in the mirror and in the bare, polished surface of the table below. None of the people seated underneath this singular sight was looking at it except for a pale young man sitting almost directly below it. He seemed unable to prevent himself from glancing upward every minute or so. “Yaxley. Snape, ” said a high, clear voice from the head of the table. “You are very nearly late. ”

The speaker was seated directly in front of the fireplace, so that it was difficult, at first, for the new arrivals to make out more than his silhouette. As they drew nearer, however, his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical. He was so pale that he seemed to emit a pearly glow.

“Severus, here, ” said Voldemort, indicating the seat on his im- mediate right. “Yaxley — beside Dolohov. ”

The two men took their allotted places. Most of the eyes around the table followed Snape, and it was to him that Voldemort spoke first.

“So? ”

“My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move Harry Pot- ter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall. ” The interest around the table sharpened palpably: Some stiffened, others fidgeted, all gazing at Snape and Voldemort.

“Saturday. . . at nightfall, ” repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fas- tened upon Snape’s black ones with such intensity that some of the watchers looked away, apparently fearful that they themselves would

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CHAPTER ONE

be scorched by the ferocity of the gaze. Snape, however, looked calmly back into Voldemort’s face and, after a moment or two, Vol- demort’s lipless mouth curved into something like a smile.

“Good. Very good. And this information comes —”

“— from the source we discussed, ” said Snape.

“My Lord. ”

Yaxley had leaned forward to look down the long table at Volde- mort and Snape. All faces turned to him.

“My Lord, I have heard differently. ”

Yaxley waited, but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on, “Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen. ”

Snape was smiling.

“My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time; he is known to be susceptible. ”

“I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain, ” said Yaxley.

“If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain, ” said Snape.

“I assure you, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in

the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry. ”

“The Order’s got one thing right, then, eh? ” said a squat man sit- ting a short distance from Yaxley; he gave a wheezy giggle that was echoed here and there along the table.

Voldemort did not laugh. His gaze had wandered upward to the body revolving slowly overhead, and he seemed to be lost in thought.

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THE DARK LORD ASCENDING

“My Lord, ” Yaxley went on, “Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy —”

Voldemort held up a large white hand, and Yaxley subsided at once, watching resentfully as Voldemort turned back to Snape. “Where are they going to hide the boy next? ”

“At the home of one of the Order, ” said Snape. “The place, accord- ing to the source, has been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could provide. I think that there is little chance of taking him once he is there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo enough of the enchantments to break through the rest. ”

“Well, Yaxley? ” Voldemort called down the table, the firelight

glinting strangely in his red eyes. “ Will the Ministry have fallen by

next Saturday? ”

Once again, all heads turned. Yaxley squared his shoulders. “My Lord, I have good news on that score. I have — with dif- ficulty, and after great effort — suceeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse. ”

Many of those sitting around Yaxley looked impressed; his neigh- bor, Dolohov, a man with a long, twisted face, clapped him on the back.

“It is a start, ” said Voldemort. “But Thicknesse is only one man. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed attempt on the Minister’s life will set me back a long way. ” “Yes — my Lord, that is true — but you know, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister himself, but also with the Heads

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CHAPTER ONE

of all the other Ministry departments. It will, I think, be easy now that we have such a high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down. ”

“As long as our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the rest, ” said Voldemort. “At any rate, it remains unlikely that the Ministry will be mine before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy at his destination, then it must be done while he travels. ”

“We are at an advantage there, my Lord, ” said Yaxley, who seemed determined to receive some portion of approval. “We now have several people planted within the Department of Magical Trans- port. If Potter Apparates or uses the Floo Network, we shall know immediately. ”

“He will not do either, ” said Snape. “The Order is eschewing any form of transport that is controlled or regulated by the Ministry; they mistrust everything to do with the place. ”

“All the better, ” said Voldemort. “He will have to move in the open. Easier to take, by far. ”

Again, Voldemort looked up at the slowly revolving body as he went on, “I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs. ”

The company around the table watched Voldemort apprehen- sively, each of them, by his or her expression, afraid that they might be blamed for Harry Potter’s continued existence. Voldemort, how- ever, seemed to be speaking more to himself than to any of them, still addressing the unconscious body above him.

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THE DARK LORD ASCENDING

“I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know bet- ter now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be. ”