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.

How many copies did the book sell in the United States within 24 hours, a Guinness World Record?

The US edition sold 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours, a Guinness record for the fastest-selling book; another 2.65 million went in the UK the same day.

Which two members of the escort party die when the Order moves Harry from Privet Drive?

Mad-Eye Moody is killed by Voldemort during the Seven Potters flight, and Hedwig dies in her cage from a Killing Curse; George Weasley loses an ear in the same attack.

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

They steal it but cannot destroy it, and its dark influence soon drives Ron away.

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

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

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 the Hallows of 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'; Xenophilius Lovegood explains them to the trio before Death Eaters arrive.

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 is locked in the Malfoy Manor cellar with Harry, Ron, Luna and Mr Ollivander?

Dean Thomas, captured by Snatchers while on the run from the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, shares the cellar with Harry, Ron, Luna and Ollivander and later fights in the Battle of Hogwarts.

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

Dobby is killed by Bellatrix's thrown knife as he Disapparates the prisoners to Shell Cottage, and Harry buries him by hand there; the film scene was shot at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire.

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.

Who smuggles the trio into Hogwarts through a secret passage before the final battle?

Aberforth Dumbledore, landlord of the Hog's Head, opens the passage behind Ariana's portrait that leads into the Room of Requirement; he spent years resenting his famous brother Albus.

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

In the film the death is given to Goyle instead, since Crabbe's actor had left the series.

Wrongly believing him to be the Elder Wand's master, Voldemort has whom killed by Nagini?

Severus Snape is killed by Nagini in the Shrieking Shack because Voldemort thinks Snape became the wand's master by killing Dumbledore; dying, Snape gives Harry memories revealing his love for Lily.

In what does Harry view Snape's memories?

Harry pours Snape's memories into the Pensieve in the headmaster's office; they reveal that Dumbledore arranged his own death and that Harry himself is a Horcrux.

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

Neville Longbottom is told to kill the snake if Ron and Hermione cannot; he later beheads Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor, pulled from the Sorting Hat.

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

Hagrid, bound and weeping, is made to carry Harry's body from the Forbidden Forest to the castle; Harry is only feigning death after choosing to return from a dreamlike King's Cross.

Who kills Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts?

Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix in a duel after a Killing Curse narrowly misses Ginny; Molly's 'Not my daughter!' cry is one of the book's most quoted lines.

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

Harry and Ginny have three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus and Lily Luna.

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

Rose and Hugo are Ron and Hermione's children; their cousin Albus Severus is the anxious one boarding the train.

What are the final three words of the novel?

The novel ends 'All was well.' Rowling said for years the planned last word was 'scar', in a line about only those he loved seeing it, before she added the final sentence.

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 the final book and which earlier one were 'almost two halves of the same novel'?

Rowling called Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows 'almost like two halves of the same novel', since the sixth book sets up the Horcrux hunt that the seventh completes.

How did Rowling reveal the book's title in December 2006?

On 21 December 2006 Rowling unveiled the title through a hangman puzzle on her website, jkrowling.com, reached by opening a Christmas-themed door on the site.

Rowling said the book's final chapter was drafted around what year, among her earliest work?

Rowling said she wrote the final chapter 'in something like 1990', among the earliest material for the series, and kept it locked away until she finished the seventh book.

Where did Rowling hold the all-night launch reading and signing for 1,700 ballot-picked fans?

Rowling read and signed through the night of 20–21 July 2007 at London's Natural History Museum for 1,700 fans chosen by ballot, then toured the US that October, including Carnegie Hall.

Which UK supermarket triggered a price war by announcing it would sell the book for just £5?

Asda announced it would sell the £17.99 book for £5, setting off a price war among supermarkets; booksellers complained it was being treated as a loss leader.

Which US retailer was sued by Scholastic after mailing a copy to a Maryland reader four days early?

Scholastic sued online retailer DeepDiscount.com and its distributor after about 1,200 copies, roughly one ten-thousandth of the US supply, shipped early, one reaching a Maryland reader four days before release.

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

Stephen Fry narrates the UK Bloomsbury audiobook, about 24 hours long; Jim Dale's US recording won a 2008 Grammy and set a record with 146 distinct character voices.

The 2008 spin-off The Tales of Beedle the Bard contains which story that explains the Hallows?

'The Tale of the Three Brothers', which Hermione reads aloud at the Lovegoods', is one of five stories in Beedle the Bard; Rowling handwrote seven copies and Amazon bought the one sold at Sotheby's.

Which stage play, billed as the eighth story, picks up where the epilogue leaves off?

It premiered at London's Palace Theatre in 2016 and follows Harry's son Albus Severus.

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 directed both parts, having already made Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, and went on to direct all three Fantastic Beasts films.

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?'

Part 1 ends at which point in the story?

Voldemort takes the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb in Chapter 24 of the book, and that is where Part 1 stops.

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

Alexandre Desplat scored both parts after Nicholas Hooper stepped away following Half-Blood Prince; Yates had hoped John Williams would return for the finale, but Williams was unavailable.

Which Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song do Harry and Hermione dance to in Deathly Hallows – Part 1?

'O Children' scores a dance that was not in the book and became one of the film's most discussed additions.

Which real English house inspired the exterior of Malfoy Manor in the films?

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, famous for having 'more glass than wall', was the model; production designer Stuart Craig had its huge windows blacked out digitally to make the manor feel ominous.

Which real-life route across the Thames was used for the Death Eater ambush on the flying motorbike?

The Dartford Crossing, where the A282 crosses the Thames east of London, was used for the chase in which Hagrid's motorbike, with Harry in the sidecar, weaves through traffic and the tunnel.

Costume designer Jany Temime was accused of copying Fleur's wedding dress from which fashion house?

Fleur's gown, with its phoenix motif, was said to resemble an Alexander McQueen design from his autumn 2008 collection; Temime said she wanted 'a witch wedding dress but not a Halloween dress'.

Which of the two Deathly Hallows movies was released in 3D?

Plans to convert Part 1 were scrapped weeks before release when the conversion couldn't be finished in time.

Roughly how much did Part 2 gross worldwide?

$1.3 billion made Part 2 the biggest Potter film and, briefly, the third-highest-grossing film ever.

Where was Part 2's world premiere held on 7 July 2011?

Part 1 had premiered in Leicester Square eight months earlier.

Why was the epilogue re-shot in December 2010?

The ageing make-up looked wrong: leaked images showed Radcliffe and Grint looking far older and Watson barely changed, so the scene was re-shot at Leavesden with subtler make-up.

Which station's facade stands in for King's Cross in the film's epilogue?

St Pancras supplies the opening shot of the epilogue, its facade standing in for the more famous station next door.

Which tagline ran on the US posters for Part 2?

'It All Ends 7.15' carried Part 2's US release date of 15 July 2011; 'Nowhere Is Safe', 'The End Begins' and 'Trust No One. The Hunt Begins' were Part 1 taglines.

What certificate did the BBFC give Part 2 for its cinema release?

The BBFC passed Part 2 as 12A for cinemas, like every Potter film from Goblet of Fire on; its midnight shows in about 3,800 US cinemas took a record $43.5 million.

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.