Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Story Plot

Following Dumbledore's death, Voldemort consolidates his support and power, including covert control of the Ministry of Magic, while Harry is about to turn seventeen, losing the protection of his home. The Order of the Phoenix move Harry to a new location before his birthday, but are attacked upon departure. In the ensuing battle, Mad-Eye is killed and George Weasley wounded; Voldemort himself arrives to kill Harry, but Harry's wand fends him off of its own accord. At the Burrow, Harry, Ron and Hermione make preparations to abandon Hogwarts and hunt down Voldemort's four remaining Horcruxes, but have few clues to work with on their identities and locations. One is a locket once owned by Hogwarts' co-founder Salazar Slytherin which was stolen by the mysterious "R.A.B.", one is possibly a cup originally belonging to co-founder Helga Hufflepuff, a third might be connected to co-founder Rowena Ravenclaw, and the fourth might be Nagini, Voldemort's snake familiar. They also receive apparently meaningless bequests from among Dumbledore's possessions—a Golden Snitch for Harry, a Deluminator for Ron, and a book of fairy tales for Hermione. Before leaving, they attend Ron's brother Bill's wedding, but during the reception the Ministry of Magic finally falls to Voldemort and the wedding is attacked. They flee to 12 Grimmauld Place in London, the family home of Sirius Black that Harry had inherited a year before. They identify R.A.B. as Sirius' brother Regulus Black, and learn from the house-elf Kreacher that Slytherin's locket was stolen from the house and then seized by Dolores Umbridge of the Ministry of Magic. They infiltrate the Ministry of Magic using Polyjuice Potion and take back the locket, but have no way to destroy it. With the Ministry now after them, the trio goes on the run across the countryside. Under the object's evil influence and the strain of constant vigilance, they argue and Ron leaves. Harry and Hermione continue the quest, discovering more about Dumbledore's past, including the death of Dumbledore's younger sister and his connection to the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. They travel to Godric's Hollow, Harry's birthplace and the place where his parents died, and meet the elderly magical historian Bathilda Bagshot, but she turns out to be Nagini in disguise, awaiting their arrival. The snake attacks Harry and again they barely escape, but Harry's wand is destroyed. Their luck finally appears to turn in the Forest of Dean. A mysterious silver doe Patronus appears and guides Harry to an icy pond containing the Sword of Hogwarts co-founder Godric Gryffindor, one of the few objects able to destroy Horcruxes. During Harry's attempt to recover the sword, the Horcrux attempts to kill him. He is saved by Ron, who was guided back by the Deluminator, and they realise Dumbledore's gifts may be meaningful. Ron obtains the sword, and uses it to destroy the locket. Hermione identifies in Dumbledore's book a strange symbol also worn at the wedding by Xenophilius Lovegood. They visit him and are told the symbol represents the mythical Deathly Hallows, three objects from an old fairy tale titled The Tale of the Three Brothers: the Elder Wand, an unbeatable wand; the Resurrection Stone, able to summon the dead; and an infallible Invisibility Cloak. Harry realises that Voldemort is seeking (and later successfully obtains) the Elder Wand, won by Dumbledore after Grindelwald's defeat, believing it will allow him to overpower the connection between his own wand and Harry's. Harry also recognises the Resurrection Stone as that found by Dumbledore which later become the second Horcrux, and believes it to be hidden inside the Snitch Dumbledore left for him, but can't open it. The description of the third Hallow also matches that of his own inherited Invisibility Cloak.