Harry is taken away from the Dursleys and sets off on his quest for Voldemort’s Horcruxes after Bill and Fleur’s wedding. By this time, there have already been three deaths, one we care about. The locket horcrux was, as suspected, taken by Regulus Black, but is not destroyed but in the possession of Dolores Umbridge. H, R, & H sneak into the MoM and steal it, freeing a crowd of Muggleborns waiting to be hauled off the Azkaban in the process.
They discover the Horcrus is extremely hard to destroy. Ron eventually quarrels and storms off into the night. Harry and Hermione continue alone. They visit Godric’s Hollow, where Harry was born and where Dumbledore’s family lived. They are discovering disturbing truths about Dumbledore and his family, including that he was once friends with Grindelwald, the second most evil wizard either. They also recieve tantalizing hints about the Deathly Hallows, three magical objects which allow the user to be MAster of Death...
They are led to Godric Gryffindor’s sword by a mysterious doe patronus, and Ron rejoins them. They are captured by Death Eaters and taken to the Malfoy Estate, escape, and rob Gringotts for the cup Horcrux which is stored there. Harry realizes that the final Horcrux is at Hogwarts. They return with help from Dumbledore’s brother, the innkeeper at the Hog’s Head, and Neville leads them into the school. Neville has been leading the resistance movement at Hogwarts.
Harry has the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore’s army, and his old Quidditch team secure the school against Voldemort while he finds the final Horcrux, a diadem which belonged to Ravenclaw. Voldemort arrives. He demands Harry. Dumbledore kills Snape, who he believes has been a faithful servant. Snape’s dying act is to give Harry his memories, which reveal that Snape loved Lily Potter from childhood, that Dumbledore asked him to kill him (Dumbledore was dying already), and that Harry must face Voldemort - and die.
Harry goes to face Voldemort, has a near death experience, revives. Neville kills Nagini the snake. Harry faces Voldemort - and wins.
The epilogue is 19 years later, as he and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, are seeing their children off to Hogwarts...
Death toll that we care about: Mad-Eye Moody, Dobby, Fred Weasley (sob), Remus Lupin (sob) and Nymphadora Tonks, who are married and leave behind a son, Colin Creevey, Snape. Crabbe or Goyle, I forget. A bunch of random people like Scrimgeour and the Muggle Studies tacher.
Sweet. I will go out this week and buy the last book.
LOL! How fast do you read? My commie-librul sister is still incommunicado with the thing in hand...
Tonk dying, I didn’t see that coming. Fred too.Poor Mrs. Weasley, what did her clock say then? And why Dobby. His funeral where he was given clothing, and Luna closing his eyelids...
Snape. How he cried over that bit of letter that said,”Lots of Love, Lily”.Always knew that Snape was working on Dumbledore’s orders, but to find out how much he loved Lily Potter, since childhood,even after death, more tears.
Thanks for the thread, JenB.
“Neville kills Nagini the snake. “ Wow, just laughing at the New Orleans connection here. And Fred Weasley (Wesley) - wonder what her points of reference are.
I ordered two books - one for my son here at the house, and one for my daughter away at college. Both arrived today and I tore his open to read the last few pages. I was stunned when I read Ron's name!!!! Yeah!
I KNEW Snape was awesome and on the right side. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!
I cried when Dobby died, bless his little heart, and it was interesting how Harry's burying him affected the goblin. But it was Remus and Tonks that really did me in! I'm guessing that her mom raised Ted, but it didn't say in the Epilogue. Ted would have already 'graduated' Hogwarts by the time. It mentioned him, at the train station, 'snogging Victoire', their cousing, who I can only assume was the daughter of one of the other Weasley boys, but it didn't say which one.
But I gotta say, one of my FAVORITE lines was Molly's in going after Beatrix; "Not MY daughter, you BITCH! LOL!!
I need to re-read the battle scene. I was pushing to get through and totally missed Tonks and Lupin.
And, how did Neville get the sword?
I was surprised JKR omitted a final word
about Harry assuming guardianship of
Tonk’s and Remus’ newborn son. It was
obviously her intention to have Harry
do a repeat of the Godfather role played
by Sirius. Other people left in Limbo:
the Half-Blood Prince Snape.
Professor McGonigal,
Hagrid,
the Malfoy Family, Draco - maybe beause
of Dumbledore’s explicit request for his life,
but Lucius and his wife are accepted into
‘polite society’?
And WHO rebuilt the destroyed Hogwartz?
Some of the lengthy chapters wherein Harry
and Hermione fend their way across the
countryside minus Ron could have been
abbreviated. Too many pages spent
on Harry’s Dumbledore disillusionment.
Interesting additions: the pensive
childhood revelations re Snape and
Lily/Petunia and Dumbledore’s family.
No! Dumbledore dies in book Six! It is Nagini, the snake, that kills Snape on an order from Voldermort.