Death

From Harry Potter Wiki

Death is the end of a living organism's life, technically defined in humans as either the permanent termination of heart function and respiration, or of brain activity.^[1]

Contents 1 Afterlife 2 Immortality and resurrection 3 Study and perception of death 4 See also 5 Notes and references

[edit] Afterlife

While death is understood in a purely physical sense, the nature of what lies beyond it is a mystery to wizards and witches and Muggles alike. When a wizard or witch dies, unlike a Muggle, he or she can choose to leave behind an imprint of their soul in the mortal world in the form of a ghost.^[2][3] Few opt to become ghosts, however, as it means they will never "go on" like most people do.^[2] Those who cross over to the other side cannot come back in any form resembling the physical body they had in life.^[4]

[edit] Immortality and resurrection

There is currently no known way to magically reunite a person's soul with their body once they have died.^[5] The Resurrection Stone can recall someone who has died from the beyond, but they will return only in a semi-corporeal form, "less substantial" than a living body but "much more" than a ghost.^[6]

However, while there exists no known method of reversing death once it has occurred, there are certain things a witch or wizard can do to postpone their death or prolong their life. The Elixir of Life, which is made from the Philosopher's Stone, will grant a person extended life for as long as they continue to consume it.^[7][8] However, because the only known Philosopher's Stone was destroyed in 1992, this method is no longer available.^[8]Unicorn blood can keep alive a person who is near death, but unicorns are such pure, defenceless creatures that a person who kills one and drinks its blood will have "but a half-life."^[9] A wizard or witch who rips their soul through an act of murder can place that torn fragment inside of an external object called a Horcrux.^[10] By binding a part of their soul to the earth, the Horcrux prevents the wizard or witch from dying, even if their body is injured or completely destroyed.^[10] However, there is a cost to using horcruxes - as we can see in the deterioration of Lord Voldemort's physical and mental conditions after repeatedly splitting his soul. There is a potion which enables the Horcrux-creator's body to be reconstructed in the latter scenario.

Corpses can also be reanimated through Dark magic.^[11][3] Known as Inferi, these creatures are not alive, and simply do whatever the wizard who controls them wants, like puppets.^[11][3]

[edit] Study and perception of death

There is a chamber in the Department of Mysteries where witches and wizards study the mysteries of death.^[2] In this chamber is the Veil, an ancient stone archway, which is a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead.^[4] People standing around the Veil may hear voices from the other side depending on their level of faith in an afterlife.^[4][12] A person whose body passes through the Veil will die.^[4][13]

Wizarding philosopher Bertrand de Pensées-Profondes also researched death. He wrote a highly-regarded work on the subject, A Study into the Possibility of Reversing the Actual and Metaphysical Effects of Natural Death, with Particular Regard to the Reintegration of Essence and Matter.^[5]

Thestrals are magical creatures visible only to people who have witnessed a death firsthand.^[14] However, the ability to see thestrals does not come immediately, but only after one has had time to fully understand death and its finality.^[15][16][17]

[edit] See also

• List of deaths

[edit] Notes and references