

This book marks the end of a long journey for anyone who has followed Harry, Ron, Hermione and the others through their school years at Hogwarts. With its message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love, the story of the Boy Who Lived continues to delight generations of new listeners. Having now become classics of our time, the Harry Potter audiobooks never fail to bring comfort and escapism to listeners of all ages. The final battle must begin - Harry must stand and face his enemy. The Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything Harry loves and to stop him Harry will have to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. The protective charm that has kept Harry safe until now is broken, but he cannot keep hiding. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.'"Īs he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid's motorbike and takes to the skies, leaving Privet Drive for the last time, Harry Potter knows that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are not far behind. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched.

It appears that Harry cannot kill his enemy without sacrificing himself in the process, but that sacrifice might also make Voldemort invincible."'Give me Harry Potter,' said Voldemort's voice, 'and none shall be harmed. The conflict reaches the limit of desperation when it becomes evident that Harry harbors one of the fragments of Voldemort’s soul in his own flesh. The remnants of Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix mount a heroic defense of Hogwarts in the attempt to win Harry enough time to finish his quest, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The castle housing Hogwarts Academy then becomes the last fortress holding out against Voldemort’s rise to power, subject to intensive siege and violent bombardment.

Uncertain as to whether to give priority to the remaining Horcruxes or the hallows, Harry continues to evade death, albeit narrowly, until he is forced to return to Hogwarts in order to complete his search. Voldemort is unable to give his complete attention to the quest to kill Harry because he is searching for one of the hallows: an undefeatable wand. The search for the Horcruxes is complicated when Harry learns of the existence of another set of magical objects – the “deathly hallows” – which might also be vital to the settlement of the final battle. Unable to return to Hogwarts, Harry is forced to go on the run with Ron and Hermione, hunting desperately for the “Horcruxes” that contain fragments of Voldemort’s soul and thus maintain his invulnerability. When the spell that has kept him safe until his seventeenth birthday expires, he and his helpers are immediately attacked by Voldemort, suffering casualties. Following another deeply troubled year at Hogwarts, described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at the end of which Dumbledore is killed by the ever-deceptive Severus Snape, Harry begins the final volume of the series in hiding.
