Voldemort's Last Stand

Voldemort's Last Stand
Part of the Battle of Hogwarts
Date	2 May, 1998
Location	Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
Commanders
Harry Potter
Lord Voldemort
Casualties
Lord Voldemort

Harry Potter: "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

Lord Voldemort: "Is it love again? Dumbledore's favourite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death […]? So what will stop you dying now when I strike? […] If it is not love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

Harry Potter: "I believe both."

— Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort face off in the Great Hall.

Voldemort's Last Stand, also known as Voldemort's End, was the conflict that marked the end of the Battle of Hogwarts and, by extension, of the Second Wizarding War. It took place at dawn, on 2 May, 1998, at the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle.

Lord Voldemort, the last of his Horcruxes destroyed and mortal once again, was confronted by Harry Potter as the second part of the Battle of Hogwarts progressed. The pair of them faced off in front of all the surviving fighters gathered in the Hall and, after a brief duel, Voldemort was defeated once and for all.

Background

Harry Potter sacrifices himself at the hands of Lord Voldemort.

In the middle of the battle, after Harry witnessed the death of Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shack, he took a flask of Snape's memories to Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve and viewed them. After seeing memories covering years of the professor's life, Harry realised that Snape was a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix, and he, Harry, was a Horcrux. He ventured out to the Forbidden Forest alone, knowing that saying "goodbye" to Ron and Hermione would be far too painful. As he was passing the dementors, he opened the Golden Snitch left to him to reveal the Resurrection Stone. Using the stone, he summoned the spirits of his parents, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. They gave him strength as he went to his death. In the remains of the Forbidden Forest Acromantula colony, he found Lord Voldemort and allowed himself to be hit with the Killing Curse, destroying the Horcrux that was Harry.

The Battle

The Death Eaters triumphantly carry Harry Potter's "dead body" to Hogwarts Castle.

"You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

— Lord Voldemort addresses the Hogwartians, Harry Potter's "dead body" at his feet.

After the hour-long armistice during the Battle of Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters took Harry Potter's believed "dead body" to the Castle to announce their victory. However, the arrival of the Hogwarts centaur herd, Grawp and the families and friends of the Hogwarts students that had stayed to fight as well as the shopkeeps and homeowners of Hogsmeade made the battle restart as the fighters ran into the Entrance Hall to avoid Grawp, who had started fighting with Voldemort's giants. Neville Longbottom beheaded Nagini, Voldemort's last Horcrux with Godric Gryffindor's Sword, thus rendering him mortal once again. Harry Potter discreetely took his Invisibility Cloak and joined the fight, that was moving to the Great Hall through the Entrance Hall, while concealed.

Fighting ensues in the Great Hall.

The Great Hall became crowded with fighters. Lord Voldemort stood in the centre of the battle, striking all within reach. At this point, most of the Death Eaters were defeated: Yaxley was brought to the floor by George Weasley and Lee Jordan; Antonin Dolohov fell with a scream at Filius Flitwick's hands; Walden Macnair was thrown across the room by Rubeus Hagrid; Fenrir Greyback was defeated by Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom; Aberforth Dumbledore Stunned Augustus Rookwood; Pius Thicknesse was floored by Percy and Arthur Weasley.

Voldemort started duelling with Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt all at once, cold hatred in his face. Molly Weasley started a duel with Bellatrix Lestrange, the last Death Eater standing. Hundreds of people lined the walls, watching the two duels in awe.

When Bellatrix was killed, Voldemort turned on Mrs. Weasley but Harry Potter cast a Shield Charm between the two, thus revealing himself and starting this confrontation.

The Duel

Harry Potter: "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me now, Riddle. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good."

Lord Voldemort: "One of us? You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

— Harry Potter to Lord Voldemort

Voldemort's reaction upon seeing Harry to be alive.

As soon as Harry revealed himself, demonstrations of shock or joy were immediately stifled, for fear. As Harry and Voldemort began to circle each other, silence fell abruptly.

Harry said one of them was to die in that duel, and Voldemort voiced his belief that Harry would be the one because, unlike what happened on many of their other confrontations, he would not be "crouching behind greater men and women". Harry, however, explained that he himself had a far more powerful weapon than Voldemort. Harry explained to him that Albus Dumbledore's death had been planned between the former Headmaster and Severus Snape, so that Snape, working for the Order of the Phoenix, gained Voldemort's trust, and that the Elder Wand's power would die with him. By chance, however, Draco Malfoy had Disarmed Dumbledore moments before his death, making him the true master of the Elder Wand. Voldemort dismissed this, by stating that he would finish off Malfoy after killing Harry, but then Harry added that he had Disarmed Draco during a skirmish at Malfoy Manor in March of that year, making him, Harry, the true master of the Elder Wand.

"Only I can live forever." -Lord Voldemort to Harry Potter

Just as the first rays of sun rose over the sill of the Great Hall windows, and both cast their spells in an almost simultaneous yell — Harry attempting to Disarm Voldemort, and Voldemort attempting to kill Harry. The two spells collided with a bang like a cannon blast. The Elder Wand, however, refused to harm its true master and flipped over, flying high toward its master. The rebounding Killing Curse hit Lord Voldemort, and his lifeless body hit the floor, the white hands empty, dead.

Aftermath

Harry Potter holding the Elder Wand after Disarming Voldemort.

After the death of Voldemort, Harry returned the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's tomb, kept the Cloak of Invisibility, and left the Resurrection Stone where he dropped it in the Forbidden Forest. After the war ended, Harry went on to become an Auror, married Ginny Weasley, and started a family. The wizarding world was free again, and the surviving Death Eaters were imprisoned, as well as those who had collaborated with them. The Ministry of Magic radically reformed under Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister for Magic.

Voldemort's body was removed from the Great Hall and placed in another room, while his soul was trapped in limbo in a stunned form, never to return nor move on.

Behind the scenes

• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the duel between Harry and Voldemort, as explained by David Yates, is extended and they fight at many different places at Hogwarts, with the final confrontation in the Entrance Courtyard. This is repeated into the video game.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Harry blocks Voldemort's Killing Curse several times during their fight on the Grand Staircase, despite the curse being unblockable. This can have something to do with the fact that the Elder Wand wasn't in Voldemort's power of use and that it was fighting Harry, it's true master.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, after Voldemort dies, he breaks and fades into several tiny LEGO bricks, which also happened in a different way in the film.
• In the battle, Harry Potter and Tom Riddle used the first spell they used one against another. Expelliarmus and Avada Kedavra respectively.
• Curiously, the colour of the spells Harry and Voldemort use against each other represent their house colours: Harry (red) for Gryffindor, Voldemort (green) for Slytherin. This is ironic as red normally used to represent evil while the green is the good.

Differences between the book and the film adaptation

In the film version of the duel, Harry reveals himself after he jumps from Hagrid's arms as Voldemort looks on with a surprised and bewildered look. Harry fires a Blasting Curse at Nagini, but due to her protection, it rebounds on several Death Eaters behind Voldemort. Next, Harry dashes through the Courtyard as Voldemort follows, firing explosions at him. Shocked, Voldemort turns and sees a fraction of his Death Eaters retreating. Bellatrix screams and yells at all the Death Eaters to return, even pin-pointing the fleeing Lucius Malfoy. He then turns and sees Harry dashing into the Entrance Hall as the battle recommences. Harry runs up the Grand Staircase; Voldemort stuns Neville, sending him flying into the Great Hall. Voldemort then grabs Nagini and Disapparates in pursuit.

Harry and Voldemort duelling on the Grand Staircase.

Harry runs through a dusty Seventh Floor corridor. When he hears a noise out of his line of sight, he turns and fires an explosion at it. He then runs and hides near the main staircase just as Voldemort Apparates with Nagini in tow. With a Basilisk fang in hand, Harry comes out of his hiding spot and fires a Stunning Spell at Voldemort, which he blocks. The Dark Lord then fires Killing Curses at Harry, which Harry blocks, due to the Elder Wand's unwillingness to kill Harry. After firing a barrage of Killing Curses, Voldemort Disapparates behind Harry, and Harry barely blocks a Killing Curse with his Disarming Charm; the two spells meet and clash. Voldemort advancing on Harry, with Nagini ready to attack. Harry throws the tendrils above into the ceiling causing a large explosion and the ceiling to collapse in front of Voldemort. Harry turns to see Nagini and is ready to stab her with the Basilisk fang when Voldemort releases a shock-wave of dark energy. Harry narrowly evades it by jumping off the staircase. Voldemort destroys the Basilisk fang with a Killing Curse and attempts to fire one at Harry. Harry begins to run as Voldemort apparates, following him.

Harry runs through the Catwalks by the Quad battlements and turns around, expecting Voldemort, but unexpectedly he turns around to see Voldemort firing a blue energy spell at Harry. Though he deflects it, it instead hits the bridge and Harry falls. As he attempts to run, a part of Voldemort's cloak grabs and strangles Harry. As it continues to wrap Harry, Voldemort lifts him up. He then throws Harry into a stone pillar and proceeded to punch Harry and kick him. As Harry attempts to regain his footing, Voldemort strangles him with his wand-free hand and throws him to the floor. He hardly punches him again. Harry tells Voldemort that the Elder Wand will always fail him. Voldemort pushes Harry back with a spell. Pushed to the edge, Voldemort advances, telling Harry he killed Snape. However, Harry informs that the Wand belonged to someone else, and says: "Come on, Tom. Let's finish this the way we started: together!" He grabs Voldemort around the neck and throws himself and Voldemort off the castle and into the ravine below.

As the two wizards scream, Voldemort apparates both of them away from the ravine. As they are flying through the air, Harry and Voldemort begin grappling each other and slam into the roof of the school. Eventually they crash-land into the Viaduct Courtyard; the impact forces their wands out of their hands

Voldemort disintegrates upon death in the film adaptation, as opposed to merely dying as in the book.

Injured, but still energised, they desperately reach for them. Once attained, Voldemort and Harry's Killing Curse and Disarming Charm respectively clash; neither are damaged. However, Voldemort unwillingly breaks free of the bond, feeling Nagini, his last Horcrux, destroyed. After a pause in the duel, their spells clash once more - although this time, Voldemort realises the Elder Wand is failing him. The connection between the two spells is moving closer to the tip of the Elder Wand; the Elder Wand releases green light from the fissures running along its length to Voldemort's hand, causing his entire arm to blacken and spread. The curse rebounds, and Harry Disarms Voldemort. The Elder Wand flies to Harry and "with the unerring skills of a Seeker", Harry catches it. Voldemort screams in horror and disintegrates into ashes. As the ashes are blown away, the sun rises.

Differences between the book and the video game adaptation

In the video game version of the duel, Harry reveals himself after he jumps from Hagrid's arms. Draco runs over to Harry and gives him his wand, Draco then runs over to Neville. Then Voldemort and Harry duel. Draco runs off with his family. After three extreme hits by Harry, Voldemort lifts himself up in black smoke and follows Harry. Harry runs through the Grand Staircase and the corridors while he and Voldemort are yelling at each other. Later they find themselves in the Catwalks by the Quad battlements, in which they duel again. In the end Voldemort fires a curse on the bridge Harry is standing on, causing him to fall. But before Harry falls, black smoke from Voldemort's robes grabs Harry. Voldemort then strangles Harry and asks him why he lives. Voldemort then tries to fire a curse at Harry's scar, but is pushed back. Harry then walks towards Voldemort, explaining the Elder Wand's mastery. Harry then throws himself and Voldemort off the tower and Voldemort Apparates them both to the Viaduct Courtyard. Voldemort drops the wand and crawls towards it. Harry says it is useless to Voldemort and they begin to duel. Voldemort is then overpowered by Harry and he begins to disappear (like Tom Riddle in the second film). Voldemort then completely disappears. (However if Voldemort overpowers Harry he is thrown back in the air, like Neville in the film, and Voldemort says "You are mine.").

• The scene shown in the game showing Draco giving Harry his wand was filmed for the film adaption, but was left out. The reason is unknown, but possibility is that the film had to have a certain length.
• The scene shown in the game showing Voldemort grabbing Harry by the face and asking "Why do you live?" to which Harry answers "Because I have something worth living for!" and Voldemort trying to curse Harry's scar was filmed for the film adaption, but was left out. The reason is unknown, but possibility is that the film had to have a certain length. This scene is, however, shown in the trailer for the movie.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7