Death Chamber

Death Chamber
Location information
Location	Level 9, Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic
Affiliation	Death Unspeakables

The Death Chamber is a room in the Department of Mysteries devoted to the study of death. It is located on the ninth level of the Ministry of Magic in London, England.

Description

The Death Chamber is a large, square, dimly lit room that resembles Courtroom Ten of the Wizengamot. The chamber has stone piers leading down to a pit in the centre, where there is a dais, upon which stands the Veil – an ancient stone archway with a tattered black curtain that separates the worlds of the living and the dead. Some people, such as Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood, will hear voices from behind the Veil, while others will hear nothing. It may be the case that those who have witnessed someone die before their eyes will hear the voices.

History

Death Eaters fighting in the Death Chamber.

In 1996, part of a battle of the Second Wizarding War was fought in the Death Chamber after Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood arrived in the Department of Mysteries in search of Sirius Black. The six Dumbledore's Army members passed through the chamber upon their arrival; Harry and Luna felt drawn to the Veil, but the others urged them away. The students were ambushed by Death Eaters in the Hall of Prophecy, and ended up fleeing through multiple chambers in the Department.

They were eventually cornered in the Death Chamber, but several Order of the Phoenix members came to their rescue, and began fighting the Death Eaters. One of the pairs duelling there was Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black; Bellatrix knocked her own cousin through the Veil with a curse at one point, killing him.

Behind the scenes

• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Veil is described as an old stone archway with a black, tattered curtain hanging from it, while in the film adaptation, the arch contains a semi-transparent veil of what appears to be some kind of smoke.
• In the film adaptation, the Battle of the Department of Mysteries takes place entirely within the Death Chamber and the Hall of Prophecies, whereas in the novel, the D.A. members were pursued into at least two other chambers as well.
• It is possible that this room is or was used for execution, if ever approved.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (appears in flashback)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (appears in flashback((s)