74 pages • 2 hours read
J. K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 21-26Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary
Harry, Ron, and Hermione have no idea what the Deathly Hallows are, so Mr. Lovegood explains that the Hallows come from “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” and Hermione reads the story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The story tells of three brothers who outsmart Death one night on a road and how they each earn a prize for their cleverness. The first brother asks for “a wand more powerful than any in existence” (407), and Death creates a wand of elder wood for him. The second brother asks for “the power to recall others from Death” (407), so Death takes a stone from the river and gives it the power to bring people back from the dead. The third brother simply asks for “something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death” (408), so Death gives him his Invisibility Cloak. The first brother boasts about his invincible wand and is murdered by a thief who steals the wand for himself. The second brother tries to use his stone to bring back the girl he loves, but she is miserable in the world of the living, and he kills himself to join her. However, the third brother lived to a ripe old age because Death could never find him, and when he was an old man, he “took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son” (409), then willingly went with Death. At the end of the story, Mr. Lovegood explains that the three items from the story—the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility—make up the Deathly Hallows, and if a person can wield all three, they will become “master of Death” (410). Mr. Lovegood believes that these three items are real, and he argues that “the bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history” because “the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner” (412). Harry confronts Mr. Lovegood, asking again where Luna is, and he finally confesses that “they took [his] Luna” (419) for writing pro-Harry Potter articles. Mr. Lovegood has alerted the Death Eaters that Harry is at his house, and as they speak, they are on their way. Harry, Ron, and Hermione narrowly escape by Disapparating before the Death Eaters can find them.
Chapter 22 Summary
Once Harry, Ron, and Hermione make it to safety, they argue about the possibility that the Deathly Hallows might be real, and Harry suggests the possibility that the Resurrection Stone from the story might have been inside the Horcrux ring that Dumbledore destroyed. He also believes that his Invisibility Cloak is the cloak from the story and that the Resurrection Stone is hidden inside the Snitch. Suddenly, Harry realizes that “You-Know-Who’s after the Elder Wand” (431). Ron and Hermione urge Harry not to get caught up in the Deathly Hallows and to instead focus on finding and destroying the remaining three Horcruxes. One night, Ron manages to tune into Potterwatch, a secret underground radio show run by members of the Order and former Hogwarts students. Announcements are made about recent deaths, including the death of Tonks’ father and Bathilda Bagshot, who was killed “several months ago” (439) in Godric’s Hollow. Kingsley, Lupin, and Fred are interviewed, and “Hearing familiar, friendly voices [is] an extraordinary tonic” (444) for Harry. In a moment of excitement, Harry accidentally says Voldemort’s name, and moments later, their protective enchantments are broken, and someone orders them to “come out of [the tent] with [their] hands up” (445).
Chapter 23 Summary
Hermione quickly transfigures Harry’s face to make him harder to recognize. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are dragged from the tent. The Death Eaters find Gryffindor’s sword and suspect they might have captured Harry Potter in disguise. They bring Harry, Ron, and Hermione to Malfoy Manor. Desperate to please Voldemort, the Malfoys ask Draco to identify the disfigured Harry, but Draco claims that he “can’t be sure” (458). Bellatrix Lestrange arrives to summon Voldemort. Suddenly, she spies the sword of Gryffindor and panics. She says that “Snape sent it to [her] vault in Gringotts” (462), and she decides to interrogate Hermione. Ron and Harry are dragged down into a cellar, where they find that Luna, Mr. Ollivander, Dean, and a goblin named Griphook are also being held prisoner. Upstairs, Hermione is tortured by Bellatrix, who demands to know “how [they] [got] into [her] vault” (467) to steal the sword. Suddenly, Dobby the house-elf Apparates into the cellar and announces that he has come to rescue Harry and his friends. Harry asks Dobby to take Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander to Bill and Fleur’s house. Harry and Ron escape the cellar and return upstairs to rescue Hermione. Harry has a vision that Voldemort has found Grindelwald in prison, and Grindelwald tells Voldemort that “the wand will never, ever be [his]” (472). Voldemort kills Grindelwald. Back at Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix summons Voldemort, and Harry and Ron attempt to rescue Hermione. Dobby returns and drops a chandelier on the Death Eaters, and Hermione grabs the sword of Gryffindor. As Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dobby, and Griphook try to Disapparate to Bill and Fleur’s home, Bellatrix throws a knife that kills Dobby.
Chapter 24 Summary
Overwhelmed by the loss of Dobby, Harry decides to give his friend a proper burial. He digs Dobby’s grave by hand, and they all thank Dobby for helping them escape. Inside Bill and Fleur’s house, Harry asks to speak to Griphook and Ollivander. Griphook calls Harry “a very odd wizard” (486) for burying a house-elf and for rescuing a goblin like him from Malfoy Manor. Harry asks for Griphook’s help, explaining that he “need[s] to break into a Gringotts vault” (487). Harry remembers how Bellatrix panicked when she thought her vault had been breached, and he thinks there might be another Horcrux in there. Griphook says that he will consider helping them. Harry then speaks to Mr. Ollivander, showing him two wands he stole at Malfoy Manor. Ollivander identifies them as the wands of Bellatrix Lestrange and Draco Malfoy, but he adds that “where a wand has been won, its allegiance will change” (493), and Harry may now be the owner of Draco’s wand. Ollivander confesses that Voldemort tortured him, looking for information about the Elder Wand. Ollivander believes that Voldemort seeks the legendary wand “as the only way to conquer [Harry]” (496). He also admits that he told Voldemort about the possibility of Gregorovitch having the Elder Wand. Harry remembers that Dumbledore would have won the wand after he defeated Gregorovitch in their legendary duel. He has a vision of Voldemort raiding the tomb of Dumbledore and stealing the wand that was buried with him, and “as he [takes] it, a shower of sparks [fly] from its tip [...] ready to serve a new master at last” (501).
Chapter 25 Summary
Griphook asks to speak to Harry, Ron, and Hermione privately. He agrees to help them break into Gringotts in exchange for the sword of Gryffindor. Griphook insists that “the sword is the price of [his] hire” (506), and Harry, Ron, and Hermione discuss the matter privately. They all agree that they can’t hand the sword over to Griphook when it’s the only Horcrux-destroying item they have. Harry decides that they will “tell [Griphook] he can have the sword after he’s helped [them] get into that vault,” but they “avoid telling him exactly when he can have it” (508). They agree to Griphook’s conditions, and over the next few weeks, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook concoct a plan to break into Gringotts. One night, Lupin visits and delightfully announces that Tonks has had a baby boy. They all drink and celebrate. That night, Bill pulls Harry aside and says that he knows Harry is planning something with Griphook and warns, “It would be less dangerous to break into Gringotts than to renege on a promise to a goblin” (517).
Chapter 26 Summary
The plan to break into Gringotts unfolds: Hermione will take Polyjuice Potion and pretend to be Bellatrix Lestrange, Ron will accompany her with a transfigured appearance, and Harry and Griphook will follow under the Invisibility Cloak. On their way into Gringotts, they run into a Death Eater named Travers, who is suspicious of Hermione’s Bellatrix disguise. Harry realizes that “a watchful Death Eater [is] the very last thing they [need]” (528), and he knows that it will be more difficult to communicate with Ron and Hermione from beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Inside Gringotts, Hermione is asked to present her wand as proof of identification, and Griphook whispers that “they must have been warned there might be an imposter!” (530). Harry uses the Imperius Curse on the goblin clerk, and Hermione is admitted with no further questions. They ride a cart to the Lestrange vault, but on the way, they run into The Thief’s Downfall, which washes away “all enchantments, all magical concealment” (534). Griphook says that “they know there are imposters in Gringotts, [and] they have set off defenses against [them]” (534). They encounter a dragon guarding the vaults, and Griphook shows them how to safely get around it. They open the Lestrange vault and search for Hufflepuff’s cup, which they believe is the next Horcrux. They find the cup, but suddenly, Griphook steals the sword of Gryffindor, and Harry realizes that “the goblin had never expected them to keep their word” (540). With Griphook turning against them and more guards descending on them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape by freeing the dragon and riding it out of Gringotts.
Chapters 21-26 Analysis
The introduction of the Deathly Hallows comes in the form of a well-known wizarding children’s story. Just as Ron’s Deluminator helped him to get back to his friends, The Tales of Beetle the Bard contains an important story and symbol that Dumbledore wanted to make sure they would discover. Dumbledore knew that the Ministry would scrutinize any written communication with Harry, Ron, or Hermione, so he is forced to use a coded system to try to warn them about the Deathly Hallows and what it might mean for Voldemort’s rise to power. As the truth of the Elder Wand comes to light, Harry can finally piece together the significance of the visions he has been having and how Voldemort intends to take power.
At Malfoy Manor, Harry and his friends get a good look at the desperation and disarray that Voldemort’s followers have fallen victim to. The Malfoys, once highly favored by Voldemort, are unkempt and fearful, eager to please Voldemort. Bellatrix, ever the faithful servant, is terrified by the thought of someone breaking into her Gringotts vault and stealing the one thing her beloved master asked her to keep safe. The arguments between the Snatchers, the Malfoys, and Bellatrix demonstrate that there is just enough dissent among the ranks to give Harry and his friends a chance to win this fight. Still, the loss of Dobby is particularly devastating, and Harry is left reeling in the aftermath of yet another innocent life being lost in the battle against Voldemort.
Harry thinks back to the words “For the Greater Good” as he considers lying to Griphook and manipulating him to get what he wants. Although Harry knows he can’t give up the sword of Gryffindor, he doesn’t want to become another manipulative, arrogant wizard who takes advantage of the goblins. Harry’s moral dilemma gives him pause, and although he was initially disgusted by Dumbledore’s statements about wizards exerting their superiority, he starts to understand how a desperate person might fall into such beliefs. Harry believes that his mission is more important than honesty with Griphook, and he can’t help but feel that this decision is “For the Greater Good” of the world.
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