Explained: Did Harry Potter Really Die? - Potter and the Deathly Hallows Ending
At the climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter seems to give his life in order to kill Lord Voldemort. The show still leaves doubt, though, regarding whether Harry passed away in those seconds following Voldemort's Killing Curse. A major turning point in the story was the revelation Harry would have to die to eliminate the portion of Voldemort's soul living within him, which increased the drama. Harry makes it out alive and finally vanquishes Voldemort, although the show raises some unresolved issues concerning the mechanics of this procedure.
Harry discovers he is in a brilliant, immaculate version of King's Cross Station at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Albus Dumbledore and a bloodied child form of Voldemort are with him. Dumbledore tells Harry, quite vaguely, the circumstances. Harry asks whether these occurrences are genuine or merely in his thoughts before leaving. Dumbledore's ambiguous response leaves the viewers guessing whether Harry died or only underwent some sort of changed state of consciousness.
Harry Potter Sort Of Dead at the End of Deathly Hallows
The movie version of Deathly Hallows lets the audience's imagination fill most of the explanation. Still, there is some uncertainty about what happened to Harry following Voldemort's Killing Curse even in the books. Although Harry finally makes it, the evidence points to his being dead for a fleeting moment.
Immediately after the curse, Harry's surrounds provide the first clue he was dead. Though everyone experiences something different, Harry sees King's Cross Station. Dumbledore implies Harry had entered a Purgatory-like condition when he says he may choose to board a train and move "on." This suggests that he was neither totally gone but neither in the world of the living either; he was in a condition between life and death. Dumbledore's presence implies he might have been waiting for Harry, or maybe souls pay visit to purgatory to meet loved ones. The fact that Voldemort's fragment of soul (killed by him trying to kill Harry) points to even more evidence that all souls land in this realm upon death. Harry's situation is special and he was allowed to resume life because of a convergence of events.
Why Harry Was Able To 'Come Back' Following Voldemort's Death
Dumbledore presented Harry several options when he was in the King's Cross Purgatory: catch a train and carry "on" or return to the Battle of Hogwarts. Not many souls have this choice at hand. But Harry's circumstances are special since of his mother's sacrifice. Dumbledore notes in the Deathly Hallows book that Voldemort unintentionally included Lily's protection into his own body when he used Harry's blood to replicate Goblet of Fire. This deed guaranteed Lily's love for her son stayed in the world long after Harry passed away. Harry's soul was held connected to life by this power, much as Voldemort's Horcruxes kept him alive. Harry might choose to come back to life as long as Voldemort was living. Harry was still tempted, naturally, to join his departed loved ones.
Since fractured souls in the Harry Potter universe are doomed to languish in purgatory indefinitely—a fate worse than death—the piece of Voldemort's soul Harry observed at the King's Cross Purgatory was unable to return to life or move "on".
What Would Have Happened Should Harry Have Decided to Remain Dead?
Harry was tempted when Dumbledore told him he could stay dead. All of his suffering vanished in purgatory, and he knew his departed Loved ones would be waiting for him. He knew, though, he had obligations to go back and complete what he had started. Harry had come to see by now the Elder Wand was faithful to him and that confronting Voldemort would at last bring about the end of the Dark Lord.
Still, it's fascinating to consider what may have transpired had Harry decided to remain dead. Although the movies leave out this aspect, the books show Harry copying the power his mother had employed by giving his life to save his friends. This meant Harry's love shielded everyone else at the Battle of Hogwarts from danger. Voldemort could not harm anyone else either. During their last fight, Harry told Voldemort this and urged the evil to submit since he could no more cause damage: Harry remarked, circling and staring into each other's eyes, green into crimson, "You won't be killing anyone else tonight." "You never will be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you understand? Though you did not, I was willing to die to stop you from hurting these people." That is what I meant to do. I have done like my mother did. They are shielded from your reach. Have you not observed how none of the spells you call upon them bind? You cannot subject them to torture. You cannot make contact with them. Riddle, you learn nothing from your mistakes?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: An odyssey of love, sacrifice, and the triumph of good.
This protection would seem to have held even if Harry had stayed dead. Signifying the conclusion of the Second Wizarding War, Voldemort would have been useless to harm anyone. Harry, though, couldn't gamble with his friends' life. There is no assurance Voldemort would not have discovered a how to get over this defense. Harry Potter thus decided to guarantee Voldemort's total defeat by forgoing the peace and comfort of death. Still, he was a hero.
A gripping story of love, Sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil, the Harry Potter series is The story follows Harry Potter, an orphaned boy who discovers he is a wizard and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he learns about his connection to the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, and the prophecy that ties their destinies together. The series culminates in a climactic battle against Voldemort, where Harry's willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good ultimately triumphs over evil. The show looks at friendship, bravery, and the power of love, therefore inspiring readers and viewers.
