Chapter Summaries

Albert urged Harry to trust the plan to defeat Voldemort rather than seek an early duel, and Dumbledore explained why Harry might survive. Harry learned that his life was bound to Voldemort’s and left relieved, though confused that they had kept the possibility from him.

• Harry asked Albert why they could not duel Voldemort early and avoid a full-scale war, but Albert argued that lasting peace required defeating the Death Eaters as well.
• Albert reminded Harry that he was facing death to protect his family and friends and end his conflict with Voldemort, while Dumbledore agreed with Albert’s reasoning.
• Albert told Harry that his child with Ginny was about to be born and urged him not to assume he would die.
• Harry asked whether he could survive, and Dumbledore explained that Voldemort’s use of Harry’s blood and the Horcrux tied their lives together.
• Harry felt relieved to learn he might live as long as Voldemort did, then asked why Dumbledore and Albert had kept that possibility from him.

Robards learned from Aberforth that the Auror Alliance would not help defeat Voldemort and that the gathered Aurors were largely on their own. As they prepared to defend Hogsmeade, a horde of Dementors appeared as the enemy’s vanguard.

• Robards asked Aberforth whether the Auror Alliance of the International Wizarding Federation would come to help.
• Aberforth explained that the Alliance was only a pretense to buy time and would wait until Voldemort was defeated before helping clean up.
• Aberforth warned that Voldemort would likely send his forces against Hogwarts, where his precious treasure was hidden, while the Aurors had to buy time for Harry Potter.
• A red signal Charm exploded over Hogsmeade, and the Aurors raised their wands as nearly a hundred Dementors surged toward the village.

Aberforth led the Aurors in Hogsmeade as they repelled the Dementors and raised a Protective Barrier against the Death Eaters’ failed three-pronged attack. After the Aurors subdued the Dark wizards trapped inside, Nelson Tobin and Aberforth killed them, while the larger battle remained unresolved.

• Aberforth and the Aurors summoned Patronuses, driving back the Dementors before they could enter Hogsmeade.
• Dark wizards launched fireballs and explosions to disrupt the Aurors, but the Aurors followed Aberforth’s orders and formed a Protective Barrier around Hogsmeade.
• The barrier trapped most of the attackers outside and erased Dark wizards who crashed into it, while the Aurors defeated the small group inside.
• Aberforth urged the Aurors to kill their captured enemies rather than leave them alive to fight again.
• Nelson Tobin appeared and killed the subdued Dark wizards, and Aberforth joined him.

Aberforth and Nelson Tobin prepared the Aurors to defend Hogsmeade while Voldemort’s forces bombarded the village. After the Protective Barrier fell and the Dark wizards charged through the ruins, Aberforth’s side sprung a trap and counterattacked.

• Nelson Tobin bound the dead Dark wizards and said he planned to become an Auror who hunted surviving Death Eaters.
• Aberforth urged the Aurors to attack the Dark wizards, while Nelson mocked them as unreliable and warned Voldemort might soon assault Hogwarts.
• Dark Magic battered Hogsmeade’s Protective Barrier until it broke, and Aberforth prepared to ambush the attackers.
• The Dark wizards bombarded Hogsmeade into ruins, then charged in with Dementors leading the way.
• Aberforth’s forces unleashed a concealed explosive trap and poured Dark Magic onto the exposed Dark wizards in the village ruins.

Aberforth and the Aurors used Albert’s plan to defeat another Death Eater assault on Hogsmeade, while Voldemort sent Walton Macnair to handle the threat. Macnair arrived to find the village protected by a formidable barrier and suspected the attack would be another trap.

• The Aurors drove off the Dementors with Patronuses and finished off the surviving Dark wizards, while Aberforth’s group helped secure the battlefield.
• Aberforth urged the Aurors to prepare for another wave, and they raised a defensive barrier around the village without their earlier reluctance.
• Alecto Carro reported the defeat to Voldemort, who punished her but ordered Walton Macnair to lead the next force against Hogsmeade.
• Yaxley suggested ignoring the village or attacking with overwhelming force, while Snape offered to go but Voldemort kept him behind to organize the assault on Hogwarts.
• Macnair arrived with his group, heard Alecto’s warning, and recognized the barrier and village as a likely trap.

After Alecto Carro’s forces were destroyed in Hogsmeade, Albert led the Aurors and Defence Association back to Hogwarts ahead of Voldemort’s arrival. Voldemort prepared to assault the castle and gave Severus a solitary task as he moved toward the Shrieking Shack to master the Deathstick.

• Alecto used the Imperius Curse to force Macnair to lead the remaining Death Eaters into another attack, where Robards and the Aurors killed him.
• Nelson Tobin ambushed Alecto and killed her, and the Death Eaters’ force was wiped out.
• Albert urged the Defence Association and Aurors to retreat to Hogwarts inside a suitcase before Voldemort arrived.
• Voldemort reached the ruined Hogsmeade, ordered Yaxley to begin a full assault on Hogwarts in ten minutes, and sent Severus on a solitary task.
• Voldemort headed for the Shrieking Shack, determined to master the Deathstick.

Voldemort killed Snape to claim mastery of the Deathstick, then turned toward the attack on Hogwarts as the castle’s defenses failed. Albert and the defenders prepared for the assault, while the Dark wizards sent Inferi ahead to trigger the school’s defenses.

• Voldemort confronted Snape on the way to the Shrieking Shack and concluded that Snape’s death was necessary for him to master the Deathstick.
• Snape attacked Voldemort and tried to Apparate, but Voldemort stopped him and killed him with Avada Kedavra.
• Voldemort destroyed Snape’s body with Fiendfyre and headed to the battle at Hogwarts.
• Professor Flitwick warned that the defenders could not hold out, and Slughorn drank Felix Felicis as Albert sent the Order of the Phoenix’s mark into the sky.
• The Protective Barrier collapsed under the Dark wizards’ bombardment, and the attackers sent Inferi into Hogwarts to trigger its defenses.

Albert led the Aurors in surprise attacks on the Death Eaters while Hogwarts’ defenders fought off the Inferi and prepared traps. Voldemort let Yaxley continue the probing assault, unaware that Albert had helped devise the plan.

• Albert told the Aurors to target the Dark wizards rather than the Inferi and led them in a surprise bombardment of the enemies near the Forbidden Forest.
• Albert moved the Aurors before the Death Eaters could retaliate, then led a second bombardment against the enemy’s rear ranks.
• Hogwarts’ defenders fought the Inferi at the main gate, while House-elves prepared to burn those trapped in trenches and students blew the smoke toward the Forbidden Forest.
• A Death Eater urged Voldemort to launch a full assault, but Yaxley asked for guidance and Voldemort ordered him to proceed at his own pace.
• Voldemort used the Inferi, werewolves, giants, and Acromantulas as bait while keeping several hundred Dark wizards behind him as his main force.

Yaxley’s orderly assault plan pleased Voldemort and the gathered Dark wizards, but Albert’s preparations let Hogwarts’s defenders blunt the attack. After the Dementors were driven back, the Weasley Twins and other broom-riding defenders began bringing down the giants.

• Yaxley persuaded Voldemort to send Inferi ahead and launch the main assault fifteen minutes after the other forces attacked, hoping to weaken Hogwarts’s defenses and protect the Ravenclaw’s Diadem.
• Voldemort approved the plan, and Yaxley signaled the attack by firing the Dark Mark into the sky.
• The Dementors surged toward Hogwarts, but the prepared defenders drove them back with Corporeal Patronuses.
• Giants attacked across the Stone Bridge but struggled against the statues, Inferi, and broom-riding defenders led by Fred and George.
• The Weasley Twins knocked a giant down and pierced its skull with spears, prompting other defenders to race for their own chance to become giant slayers.

The Defence Association defeated the giants on the Stone Bridge while preparing to regroup before the Dark wizards could attack Hogwarts. At the viaduct, Neville Longbottom steadied Dumbledore’s Army as they prepared to use Mandrakes against the approaching werewolves.

• Fred, George, and Lee Jordan brought down a giant, while Cedric checked that another giant he had knocked off the bridge was dead.
• The Dementors regrouped, but the wizards repelled them with Patronuses, and George passed along Albert’s instructions to join the others after defeating the giants.
• After the last giant fell, the fighters flew toward the castle, trusting the other teams to handle their enemies.
• Neville handed out Earplugs and explained that Dumbledore’s Army would use Mandrakes to stop the werewolves crossing the viaduct.
• Hannah Abbott had Mandrake pots placed along the wall, and Neville accepted that the plan might kill many werewolves to protect Hogwarts and its defenders.

Neville and his allies prepared to use Mandrakes to stop the werewolves charging across an overpass, creating an opening for Nelson Tobin to attack. The Mandrakes incapacitated the advancing werewolves, and Neville signaled the House-elves to destroy the bridge while Nelson prepared his bombardment.

• Nelson Tobin told Neville and the others that their mission was to block the overpass and give him a chance to eliminate the werewolves.
• Neville, Susan, and Hannah agreed to fight, and Neville organized the group to use Mandrakes after dealing with the Dementors.
• Neville decided to place the Mandrakes on the overpass before the werewolves arrived, and Red Sparks signaled that the enemy had charged onto it.
• The Mandrakes' cries knocked down the leading werewolves and caused those behind them to pile up on the bridge.
• Neville fired Green Sparks beneath the bridge to signal the hidden House-elves to destroy it and trap the werewolves, giving Nelson time to attack.

Nelson Tobin used Mandrakes to devastate the werewolves trapped by the collapsed viaduct as Voldemort’s forces attacked Hogwarts from another direction. Hagrid and Firenze led the Centaurs against the Acromantulas, helping stabilize the defenders’ line.

• Nelson Tobin threw a Mandrake into the werewolves’ retreating crowd after the viaduct collapsed, leaving many incapacitated by its cry.
• Neville and Nelson prepared to return, but Voldemort’s forces launched attacks on Hogwarts and infiltrated the castle amid the chaos.
• Hagrid told Firenze that the Centaurs’ task was to help defeat Aragog’s descendants so other defenders could face the Dark wizards.
• Firenze charged the Acromantulas with the Centaurs, whose arrows pinned spiders that had crossed the defensive line.
• Aberforth led dependable wizards in strengthening the defense after the Centaurs’ arrival restored the defenders’ confidence.

Aberforth struggled to hold back the Acromantulas with a mostly inexperienced unit while Hogwarts faced attacks elsewhere. After reinforcements arrived, he organized a cleanup force to exploit their advantage, leaving Hagrid shaken by the death of a student.

• Aberforth led terrified rookies against the Acromantulas and urged them to use the Spider Repelling Spell.
• The Centaurs arrived, boosting the defenders’ morale, and Hagrid joined the fight with Fang.
• Colin Creevey suggested sending fighters back to help defend Hogwarts, but Tonks warned that splitting the force would risk their position.
• Aberforth gathered reliable fighters into a cleanup force to reduce the Acromantulas’ numbers while the remaining defenders faced the danger.
• Hagrid stared dazedly at a student’s corpse, and Aberforth ordered him to keep fighting.

Aberforth, Mr. Tonks, and Dumbledore’s Army fought off the Acromantulas and Dementors, but inexperienced fighters suffered heavy losses. After winning, Aberforth refused to send his group to the castle battle, where they would likely become cannon fodder.

• Dumbledore’s Army regrouped and used Spider Repelling Spells to attack the Acromantulas while Mr. Tonks urged Hagrid to unite the remaining fighters.
• Aberforth warned the battlefield that Dementors were approaching, but only a handful of wizards managed to summon Patronuses.
• Tonks led a small team to help Aberforth hold back the Acromantulas as the Dementors’ influence broke the defenses of the weaker fighters.
• Aberforth’s group used repeated Spider Repelling Spells to kill the remaining Acromantulas and secure a bitter victory.
• Mr. Tonks asked Aberforth whether they should support the castle battle, but Aberforth refused because his group would likely be cannon fodder.

As Voldemort’s forces attacked Hogwarts, Albert waited with Harry in the Headmaster’s Office and prepared him to confront Voldemort after the Dark wizard searched for his hidden Horcrux. Elsewhere, resistance fighters ambushed invading Dark wizards, while Voldemort discovered that the rubbish heap concealing Ravenclaw’s Diadem had collapsed.

• Albert showed Harry Ravenclaw’s Diadem and told him to appear before Voldemort after Voldemort gave up searching for it.
• Voldemort launched a full-scale assault on Hogwarts, and Dark wizards stormed the castle under Yaxley’s orders.
• Fred and George’s squad used ambushes to defeat twenty-one Dark wizards before withdrawing as enemy forces began moving in groups.
• Resistance fighters across the castle repeatedly ambushed Dark wizards, who suspected Yaxley had misled them about the defenders inside.
• Voldemort entered the Room of Requirement without resistance and found that the rubbish heap hiding Ravenclaw’s Diadem had collapsed.

Voldemort believed Ravenclaw's Diadem was buried in the Room of Requirement's collapsed rubbish and stayed to protect it, giving Albert Anderson an opening to strike. The chapter ended with Albert leading the resistance into battle against the Death Eaters while Voldemort tried to force Hogwarts to surrender.

• Voldemort suspected Albert Anderson had lured him to the Room of Requirement with the Diadem, but feared leaving would let the resistance destroy it.
• Voldemort weighed the risks of abandoning his final Horcrux and decided he could not leave the rubbish undefended.
• Voldemort left the Room of Requirement and used a spell to demand that everyone surrender or face punishment.
• Albert realized Voldemort had fallen for the trap and led the resistance in a direct attack on the Death Eaters.

The Order of the Phoenix and its allies used ambushes to kill Death Eaters, while Bill and Fleur’s group tried to evade the growing enemy force. Yaxley organized three squads to attack the remaining resistance, but a trapped, poisoned corridor forced his group to detour.

• The Order of the Phoenix, the Defence Association, and Dumbledore’s Army used ambushes to kill Dark wizards, while Bill condemned those who spared unconscious enemies and killed them himself.
• Fleur warned Bill that another group was approaching, and Bill’s group ambushed and killed three Dark wizards.
• Bill studied the Marauder’s Map and led his group toward a five-man team while avoiding the larger force gathering nearby.
• Yaxley gathered Dark wizards and organized three fifteen-person squads to help werewolves, giants, and Acromantulas break through the resistance.
• Yaxley’s group encountered a pitch-black corridor filled with Poison Gas Bombs, and they took a detour after one wizard nearly drowned in a swamp.

Shanna coordinated the defenders from the kitchen as Yaxley’s forces adapted their attack, while Albert revised the battle plan to break the Dark wizards’ hold on Hogwarts. The chapter ended with Kingsley agreeing to stay behind and organize those who would delay the enemy.

• Hermione and Ron learned that their diversion had sent Yaxley’s group on a detour, but Shanna sent them to reinforce Hagrid’s team near the Forbidden Forest against three enemy squads.
• Shanna dispatched Hermione and Ron with Moody and warned them to hold the Dark wizards back until Aberforth and the Centaurs could defeat the giant spiders.
• Albert asked Shanna to gather defenders and block a Dark wizard force on the Third Floor as their early advantage began to fade and an Auror squad was wiped out.
• Albert proposed eliminating the Dark wizards on the fourth and fifth floors to create a breakthrough, leaving some defenders behind to hold off the enemy.
• Kingsley agreed to stay behind and organize the defenders who would delay the Dark wizards.

Albert led the Order’s teams through the building while claiming that mutual restraint kept the war from becoming a massacre, then separated from them and secretly used the Death Eaters’ tactics to kill his enemies. The chapter left him controlling an Imperiused Dark wizard who rejoined the others as they gathered under Yaxley’s backup plan.

• Albert explained that he avoided openly slaughtering Dark wizards because Voldemort might retaliate against their side, though he said their mission was to kill Voldemort.
• Lupin spotted five Dark wizards, and the group quickly defeated them before joining other teams and advancing through the building.
• Albert sent the others to the fifth floor and went alone to the fourth, where Sirius suspected his earlier explanation had been an excuse.
• Albert used the Imperius Curse to make several Dark wizards form a squad and attack their own side, accepting that his actions would cause many deaths to protect his family from future revenge.
• Albert cast Out of Body on a fallen Dark wizard, who got up and followed his colleagues as they prepared to regroup according to Yaxley’s plan.

Truman’s team withdrew through the castle and regrouped with Percy and Albert as the Defence Association suffered mounting casualties. Albert reached Sirius’s besieged team on the fifth floor, where Sirius warned that the worsening battle would force them to revise the plan.

• Penelope spotted approaching Dark wizards, and Truman’s team used smoke bombs and a decoy to escape and rendezvous with Percy’s team.
• Albert joined them and reported that Mark and Erin’s team had been wiped out, though they had taken Dark wizards down with them.
• Albert led the group toward the fifth floor, where Dark wizards were forming groups and using their numerical advantage to besiege the defenders.
• Albert found Sirius’s team surrounded by more than a dozen Dark wizards, with only Sirius, Lupin, and one other member left from their original five.
• Sirius told Albert that the others had gone to reinforce other areas and that the battle was more brutal than expected, so Albert’s plan would need revising.