The Beginning of the End

From Harry's first year at Hogwarts to his war with Voldemort

Harry Potter has always been the hero of the series, but that didn't mean that he got to call the shots. Since his birth, Harry Potter has always had two men dictating his every move: Lord Voldemort, the murderer of his parents, and Albus Dumbledore, the wise old man who always protected him.

In his first year, Harry embraces his newfound magical heritage, making new friends, becoming the star seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, helping to raise a dragon and learning a little magic on the side. But Harry's biggest adventure is when he encounters Lord Voldemort through the guise of Professor Quirrell and prevents Voldemort from gaining immortality by destroying the Sorcerer's Stone.

In the subsequent five years, Harry's role in the fight against Voldemort thickens, though he is completely unaware of it. From saving his best friend Ron's sister from being possessed by Voldemort in Chamber of Secrets, to rescuing his godfather Sirius Black from the clutches of Voldemort's key follower Peter Pettigrew in Prisoner of Azkaban and witnessing the resurrection of Voldemort in a corporal form in Goblet of Fire, Harry's life becomes increasingly intertwined with Voldemort — yet Dumbledore still keeps Harry from the truth. It is only in Order of the Phoenix, when Harry's ignorance leads him into yet another dangerous encounter with Voldemort, which costs him the life of his beloved godfather.

In Half-Blood Prince, Harry starts to fight Voldemort alongside Dumbledore, as they discover Voldemort's horcruxes, a technique of splitting one's soul by murdering someone and then storing that piece of it in a vessel. After having successfully destroyed one horcrux each, Harry and Dumbledore return to Hogwarts where Voldemort's Death Eaters ambush them and Dumbledore is murdered.

Now, in Deathly Hallows, Harry has the chance to take control of his own destiny. This time, Harry and his friends are on their own to finish Dumbledore's mission, scouring Britain for Voldemort's horcruxes and destroying them one by one. Then Harry alone will have to face Voldemort and see if he can kill the man who has always escaped death.

-Nidhi Saraiya

Lit and Film: Reading Between the Lines

For fans of the Harry Potter books, the greatest thrill in seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part I may lie in comparing their visions of the text to what is on the silver screen. Although there aren't many dramatic, plot-twisting changes, Director David Yates provides plenty of additions and omissions to make the movie adaptation a work in its own right.

In the opening scene, Yates begins the film with the introduction of Rufus Scrimgeour as the new Minister of Magic, rather than the book's first scene at Malfoy Manor. Producers of the film confirm that the first moments of the movie is Scrimgeour's speech on the potential for times to "grow darker still" for Ministry employees.

More drastic, however, is the change in events during the Battle of Seven Potters. As Harry and disguised Order of the Phoenix members attempt to safely remove Harry from 4 Privet Dr., they are ambushed by Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. Rather than have Hedwig in her cage, she is allowed to fly beside Harry. And because of this added detail, the Death Eaters realize that the real Harry is the one accompanied by the snowy owl, while in the book, Death Eaters discover the real Harry through his signature use of the expelliarmus spell. Hedwig is still killed, but instead of falling to her death in her cage, she dies as she shields Harry from a spell.

Another significant change is Peter Pettigrew's survival in the Malfoy Manor. While in the novel Pettigrew is told to kill Harry, he hesitates when reminded of his "life debt." Pettigrew's silver hand, a "gift" from Voldemort, senses the deception, which causes Pettigrew to strangle himself. In the movie, however, Pettigrew does not die, but is merely stunned by Dobby the house elf. Writers allegedly believed the self-murder to be too graphic, and leave the potential for further exploration of Pettigrew's death in part II.

Additional changes are mostly of minor details, visual enhancements, new character developments and additional scenes for dramatic effect. With these changes, Yates leaves much room for missing pieces to fall into place with Part II of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. With these alterations, it is up to the audience to decide their effectiveness.

-Liv Ren

Seven Murders, Seven Pieces: The Horcruxes

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, Harry, Ron and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and go on a quest for seven horcruxes. Horcuxes are dark magical objects in which a wizard leaves part of his soul. In order to create a Horcrux, one must commit murder. Horcruxes were first introduced in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and continue to be the predominate theme in subsequent titles.