The Harry Potter Encyclopedia

The Other Minister

Setting: Muggle Prime Minister's Office, London

Date: Summer 1996

Key Events:

• The Muggle Prime Minister meets with Cornelius Fudge
• Fudge explains recent disasters are caused by Voldemort and Death Eaters
• Bridge collapse, hurricane, and murders are all magical attacks
• Fudge has been sacked as Minister for Magic
• Rufus Scrimgeour is the new Minister
• The wizarding world is at war
• Giants are joining Voldemort's side
• Dementors have deserted Azkaban to serve Voldemort

Characters Introduced: Muggle Prime Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour

Significant Details: The war is affecting both magical and Muggle worlds. Fudge's denial led to his downfall. Scrimgeour is a tough, experienced Auror. The Ministry is in crisis mode.

Spinner's End

Setting: Spinner's End, Cokeworth

Date: Summer 1996

Key Events:

• Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange visit Snape's house
• Narcissa is desperate to save her son Draco
• Voldemort has given Draco a dangerous mission
• Snape reveals he's known about Draco's task all along
• Bellatrix questions Snape's loyalty to Voldemort
• Snape explains why he remained at Hogwarts after Voldemort's fall
• He claims to have been Dumbledore's spy, feeding false information
• Narcissa begs Snape to help Draco
• Snape makes an Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and complete his task if he fails
• Bellatrix is the Bonder for the vow

Significant Details: Draco has been given a mission by Voldemort. The Unbreakable Vow will kill Snape if he breaks it. Snape appears to be still working for Voldemort. His true loyalties remain mysterious.

Will and Won't

Setting: Privet Drive to Budleigh Babberton

Date: July 1996

Key Events:

• Harry reads about Death Eater attacks in the Daily Prophet
• Rufus Scrimgeour is taking aggressive action against suspects
• Dumbledore arrives at Privet Drive to collect Harry
• He admonishes the Dursleys for their treatment of Harry
• Dumbledore reveals Sirius left Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place to Harry
• They discuss Harry's inheritance and future
• Dumbledore's hand is blackened and dead-looking
• They Side-Along Apparate to Budleigh Babberton
• They find Horace Slughorn hiding in a Muggle house
• Slughorn has been on the run, faking Death Eater attacks
• Dumbledore convinces Slughorn to return to Hogwarts to teach Potions
• Harry's presence and Lily's memory help persuade Slughorn

Characters Introduced: Horace Slughorn

Significant Details: Dumbledore's hand is injured mysteriously. Slughorn knew Lily Potter and collects talented students. Snape will finally teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Slughorn is hiding something important.

Horace Slughorn

Setting: The Burrow

Date: July-August 1996

Key Events:

• Dumbledore takes Harry to The Burrow
• Harry will spend the rest of summer with the Weasleys
• Dumbledore arranges private lessons with Harry during term
• Ron and Hermione are there; Ron has grown taller
• Fleur Delacour is staying at The Burrow - she's engaged to Bill Weasley
• Mrs. Weasley and Ginny dislike Fleur's presence
• Hermione is uncomfortable around Fleur's beauty
• Harry's OWL results arrive: 7 OWLs including Outstanding in Defense
• Ron also did well enough to continue toward Auror training
• Harry and Ginny grow closer; Harry is attracted to her

Significant Details: Bill and Fleur are engaged. Harry has private lessons with Dumbledore scheduled. Harry's feelings for Ginny are developing. Ron is jealous of his brothers' achievements.

An Excess of Phlegm

Setting: The Burrow and Diagon Alley

Date: August 1996

Key Events:

• Shopping trip to Diagon Alley with heavy security
• Hagrid and other Order members provide escort
• Many shops have closed due to the war
• Ollivander's wand shop is empty and dark
• Fred and George's joke shop is thriving
• Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is packed with customers
• They sell Defense items as well as jokes
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit the shop
• Draco Malfoy is spotted in Knockturn Alley with his mother
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione follow under the Invisibility Cloak
• Draco enters Borgin and Burkes alone
• He threatens Borgin and examines Dark objects
• Draco appears to be buying something or arranging a service

Significant Details: Ollivander has disappeared (kidnapped by Voldemort). Diagon Alley is suffering economically. Draco is involved in something secret and dark. He threatens Borgin with Death Eater violence.

Draco's Detour

Setting: Hogwarts Express and Hogwarts

Date: September 1, 1996

Key Events:

• Journey to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express
• Slughorn invites select students to his compartment
• The "Slug Club" includes Harry, Ginny, Neville (because of his parents), Blaise Zabini
• Slughorn collects well-connected and talented students
• Harry uses his Invisibility Cloak to spy on Draco
• Draco brags to other Slytherins about having an important mission
• He hints he might not return to Hogwarts to complete it
• Draco discovers Harry under the cloak and Petrifies him
• Draco breaks Harry's nose and leaves him on the train
• Tonks finds Harry and escorts him to the castle
• Tonks seems depressed and her Patronus has changed

Characters Introduced: Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen

Significant Details: Slughorn's favoritism system is well-established. Draco is boastful about his mission from Voldemort. Tonks is suffering emotionally - her Patronus changed form (because of unrequited love for Lupin).

The Slug Club

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: September 1996

Key Events:

• Snape teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts (his lifelong ambition)
• Snape teaches Nonverbal Spells and dark creature defenses
• His teaching is actually effective, unlike his Potions classes
• Slughorn teaches Potions in the dungeons
• Harry doesn't have a Potions book; Slughorn loans him an old one
• The used textbook is annotated with improvements to potions
• It belonged to "The Half-Blood Prince"
• Following the Prince's notes, Harry brews perfect potions
• Harry wins Felix Felicis (liquid luck) for best potion
• Hermione is outraged that Harry is cheating
• The book also contains invented spells

Significant Details: The Half-Blood Prince is a brilliant potion-maker and spell inventor. Snape is actually a good teacher when he wants to be. Felix Felicis will be important later. Hermione suspects the Prince's notes might be Dark Magic.

Snape Victorious

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: September 1996

Key Events:

• First private lesson with Dumbledore
• Dumbledore explains they'll explore Voldemort's past
• Understanding Voldemort is key to defeating him
• Dumbledore shows Harry memories in the Pensieve
• First memory: Bob Ogden's visit to the Gaunt family
• The Gaunts are Voldemort's mother's family
• Marvolo Gaunt is obsessed with pure-blood status
• They live in squalor despite claims of nobility
• Morfin Gaunt is violent and speaks Parseltongue
• Merope Gaunt (Voldemort's mother) is abused by her father and brother
• Merope loves Tom Riddle Sr., a wealthy Muggle
• The Gaunts have a ring and locket from Slytherin

Significant Details: Voldemort is descended from Salazar Slytherin. His family was poor, violent, and obsessed with pure-blood supremacy. His mother loved a Muggle. The Gaunt ring and locket are Slytherin heirlooms.

The Half-Blood Prince

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: September-October 1996

Key Events:

• Harry continues excelling in Potions using the Prince's book
• Hermione resents Harry's success and questions the book's source
• Harry practices spells from the book
• He's becoming obsessed with discovering who the Prince was
• Quidditch trials begin; Ron tries out for Keeper
• Cormac McLaggen also tries out and is very good
• Hermione jinxes McLaggen to help Ron make the team
• Ron becomes Gryffindor Keeper
• Katie Bell, Demelza Robins, and Ginny are Chasers
• Harry is team Captain

Significant Details: The Half-Blood Prince's identity is a mystery. Hermione cheated to help Ron (showing her feelings). Harry is captain at sixteen. Ginny is a talented Chaser.

The House of Gaunt

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: October 1996

Key Events:

• Second lesson with Dumbledore
• Another memory: Merope has run away with Tom Riddle Sr.
• Marvolo and Morfin are imprisoned for attacking Ministry officials
• A year later, Tom Riddle Sr. abandons his pregnant wife
• He claims he was under a love potion
• Merope stops giving him the potion, hoping he loves her
• He immediately leaves her
• Merope gives birth at an orphanage and dies
• She names her son Tom Marvolo Riddle
• Baby Tom is left at the orphanage
• Dumbledore emphasizes Voldemort's conception under love potion affects him

Significant Details: Voldemort was conceived under a love potion (explaining his inability to love). His mother chose death over magic to save herself. Voldemort grew up in a Muggle orphanage, unwanted. His name honors both his Muggle father and Slytherin grandfather.

Hermione's Helping Hand

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: October 1996

Key Events:

• Harry observes Draco acting suspicious
• Draco skips meals and disappears for hours
• Harry becomes convinced Draco is a Death Eater
• He tries to convince Ron and Hermione
• Hermione is skeptical; Ron is uncertain
• Harry uses the Marauder's Map to track Draco
• Draco keeps vanishing from the map entirely
• First Quidditch match: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
• Ron is extremely nervous and performs poorly
• Slytherin students mock Ron with a cruel song
• Gryffindor barely wins because Harry catches the Snitch
• Ron is devastated by his poor performance

Significant Details: Draco is disappearing to somewhere not shown on the Marauder's Map (the Room of Requirement). Ron lacks confidence. Harry's suspicions about Draco are dismissed by others. The room can hide people from the map.

Silver and Opals

Setting: Hogwarts and Hogsmeade

Date: October 1996

Key Events:

• Hogsmeade visit under tight security
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione discuss Slughorn's party invitations
• Harry plans to invite Luna Lovegood
• Hermione invites Cormac McLaggen to make Ron jealous
• Katie Bell is Imperiused in the girls' bathroom
• She's given a cursed opal necklace to deliver to Dumbledore
• Katie touches the necklace and is severely cursed
• She's rushed to St. Mungo's in critical condition
• The necklace was from Borgin and Burkes
• Harry immediately suspects Draco Malfoy
• Katie was Imperiused in the girls' bathroom by Madam Rosmerta (also Imperiused)

Significant Details: Draco is attempting to murder Dumbledore using cursed objects. The Imperius Curse is being used freely. Katie is lucky to survive. Harry's suspicions about Draco are correct but unprovable.

The Secret Riddle

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: November 1996

Key Events:

• Third lesson with Dumbledore
• Memory shows Dumbledore visiting eleven-year-old Tom Riddle
• Tom is creepy, cold, and already showing dark tendencies
• He steals from other orphans and keeps trophies
• He can speak to snakes (Parseltongue)
• He enjoys hurting others and feels no remorse
• He's discovered his magical powers and uses them for revenge
• He already collects special objects
• Tom is thrilled to learn he's a wizard but not surprised
• He wants to go to Hogwarts immediately
• Dumbledore warns him to change his ways
• Tom is friendless by choice - he prefers to work alone

Significant Details: Voldemort was disturbed from childhood. He was a natural Legilimens. He liked to operate alone and collect trophies. Dumbledore suspected him from their first meeting. Tom was already cruel and manipulative at eleven.

Felix Felicis

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: December 1996

Key Events:

• Ron starts dating Lavender Brown
• Hermione is heartbroken and jealous
• Harry is caught in the middle of their fight
• Ron and Lavender are constantly together
• Hermione sends birds to attack Ron
• Harry's feelings for Ginny intensify
• Ginny is dating Dean Thomas
• Harry feels jealous and guilty (Ron is his best friend)
• Slughorn's Christmas party approaches
• Harry attends with Luna; Hermione brings McLaggen
• Draco is caught trying to crash the party
• Snape interrogates Draco privately

Significant Details: Ron and Hermione's feelings are obvious to everyone but each other. Harry loves Ginny but won't act on it. Draco is desperate and making mistakes. Snape knows about Draco's mission.

The Unbreakable Vow

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: December 1996 (Christmas holiday)

Key Events:

• Harry overhears Snape and Draco's conversation
• Snape offers to help Draco with his mission
• Draco rejects help and insists he can do it alone
• Christmas at the Burrow with the Weasleys
• Percy arrives with new Minister Rufus Scrimgeour
• Scrimgeour wants Harry to support the Ministry publicly
• Harry refuses to be the Ministry's mascot
• He criticizes the Ministry's incompetence
• Percy is furious; family tensions are high
• Rufus respects Harry's integrity despite disagreeing

Significant Details: Snape appears to be helping Draco despite Draco's pride. The Ministry wants to use Harry for propaganda. Harry refuses to compromise his principles. Percy has chosen the Ministry over his family.

A Very Frosty Christmas

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: January 1997

Key Events:

• Return to Hogwarts after Christmas
• Ron was poisoned during Christmas holiday (fake memory - actually happens later)
• Fourth lesson with Dumbledore
• Memories of Tom Riddle at Hogwarts
• Riddle was a model student publicly
• He was handsome, charming, and brilliant
• Teachers adored him (except Dumbledore)
• Riddle asked Headmaster Dippet to stay at Hogwarts over summer
• He claimed the orphanage was terrible
• Riddle secretly hated being Tom Riddle Jr.
• He began researching his heritage
• He discovered he was Slytherin's heir

Significant Details: Riddle was a perfect manipulator at Hogwarts. Only Dumbledore saw through his act. Riddle hated his Muggle name. He began his transformation into Voldemort while still at school.

A Sluggish Memory

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: January-February 1997

Key Events:

• Fifth lesson with Dumbledore
• Memory of Riddle asking Professor Slughorn about Horcruxes
• The memory has been tampered with - crucial information is missing
• Dumbledore tasks Harry with retrieving the real memory from Slughorn
• This is Harry's most important assignment
• Understanding Horcruxes is key to defeating Voldemort
• Harry tries repeatedly to get the memory from Slughorn
• Slughorn avoids Harry and deflects questions
• He's deeply ashamed of what he told Riddle
• Dumbledore explains a Horcrux contains a piece of soul
• Splitting your soul makes you immortal unless all pieces are destroyed

Significant Details: Horcruxes are the darkest magic. Voldemort has created Horcruxes. Slughorn gave Riddle information that led to Voldemort's immortality. The diary from Chamber of Secrets was a Horcrux.

Birthday Surprises

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: March 1997

Key Events:

• Ron's seventeenth birthday celebration
• Harry gives Ron a Quidditch book
• Hermione gives Ron an expensive present
• They drink mead in the dormitory
• The mead is poisoned - Ron collapses
• Harry rushes Ron to Slughorn's office
• Slughorn administers a bezoar, saving Ron's life
• The poison was meant for Dumbledore
• Slughorn received the mead as a gift months ago
• He was saving it to give to Dumbledore
• Ron is hospitalized; Hermione is devastated
• Lavender is jealous that Hermione cares so much
• Ron mumbles Hermione's name in his sleep
• Ron and Lavender break up

Significant Details: Draco's second assassination attempt nearly kills Ron. Harry saves Ron's life using Snape's bezoar lesson from first year. Ron's true feelings for Hermione are revealed. The attempts on Dumbledore are escalating.

Elf Tails

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: March 1997

Key Events:

• Harry investigates how cursed items entered Hogwarts
• He questions students and house-elves
• Dobby reveals Kreacher has been leaving the castle
• Harry discovers Kreacher and Dobby tailing Draco
• Kreacher admits he's been helping Draco at Narcissa's orders
• Draco has been using the Room of Requirement
• The room transforms into whatever you need
• Draco needed a place to hide something
• Harry realizes Draco is repairing something in the Room
• Apparition lessons begin for sixth years
• Ron gets Splinched during practice

Significant Details: Kreacher has been betraying Harry to help pure-blood supremacists. The Room of Requirement is where Draco has been working. Apparition is difficult and dangerous. Draco is repairing something large and complex.

Lord Voldemort's Request

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: March 1997

Key Events:

• Sixth lesson with Dumbledore
• Memory of Tom Riddle returning to Hogwarts to ask for a job
• Riddle is now much changed - pale, gaunt, with red eyes
• He calls himself Lord Voldemort
• He requests the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position
• Dumbledore refuses, knowing Riddle wants access to students
• Riddle curses the position - no teacher lasts more than a year
• During the visit, Riddle hid something at Hogwarts
• Dumbledore believes it's a Horcrux
• Memory shows Voldemort's physical transformation through dark magic

Significant Details: The Defense Against the Dark Arts position is cursed by Voldemort. He visited Hogwarts to hide a Horcrux. His transformation into a snake-like appearance was gradual. He wanted to recruit students to his cause.

The Unknowable Room

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: April 1997

Key Events:

• Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match
• If Gryffindor wins, they take the Cup
• Harry is banned from playing by Snape (serving detention)
• Ron plays brilliantly as Keeper without Harry watching
• Ginny catches the Snitch; Gryffindor wins the Cup
• In the celebration, Harry and Ginny kiss
• They begin dating despite Harry's worries about Ron
• Ron approves of the relationship
• Harry is happier than he's been in years
• Spring brings hope despite the war

Significant Details: Harry and Ginny finally get together. Ron gives his blessing. Ginny has waited years for Harry. Their relationship brings Harry joy but also worry (she could be targeted). Ron performs better without pressure.

After the Burial

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: May 1997

Key Events:

• Harry still needs Slughorn's true memory
• Time is running out - exams approach
• Harry decides to use Felix Felicis (liquid luck)
• Ron and Hermione think he's taken it for a Quidditch match
• Actually, Harry takes it to get Slughorn's memory
• Under the potion's influence, everything goes right
• Harry encounters Slughorn at Hagrid's hut
• They discuss Aragog's death
• Harry gets Slughorn emotional and slightly drunk
• He appeals to Slughorn's affection for Lily
• Slughorn finally gives Harry the true memory
• The memory shows Riddle asking about making multiple Horcruxes
• Slughorn told him how to make seven pieces

Significant Details: Felix Felicis works perfectly. Voldemort created multiple Horcruxes (seven pieces of soul). Slughorn's information enabled Voldemort's immortality scheme. Seven is the most powerful magical number.

Horcruxes

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: May 1997

Key Events:

• Harry brings Slughorn's memory to Dumbledore
• They watch it together in the Pensieve
• Dumbledore explains Voldemort's plan
• Voldemort created six Horcruxes (seven pieces total including his body)
• Two have been destroyed: the diary and the ring
• Four remain: the locket, the cup, the snake, and one unknown
• Dumbledore has located another Horcrux
• He invites Harry to come with him to retrieve it
• They will leave soon, possibly tonight
• Dumbledore trusts Harry completely
• Harry must follow Dumbledore's orders exactly

Significant Details: Six Horcruxes exist. Each must be destroyed to kill Voldemort. Dumbledore destroyed the ring but was cursed (his injured hand). The quest to find Horcruxes is dangerous. Harry is vital to the mission.

Sectumsempra

Setting: Hogwarts Castle

Date: May-June 1997

Key Events:

• Harry finds Draco crying in the bathroom
• They duel using spells
• Harry uses "Sectumsempra" from the Prince's book
• The spell slashes Draco horribly - he's bleeding to death
• Snape arrives and heals Draco with counter-curses
• Harry is horrified by what he's done
• Snape gives Harry detention and demands the Prince's book
• Harry hides the real book in the Room of Requirement
• He gives Snape a different Potions book
• Ginny helps Harry hide the book
• Harry feels guilty about using unknown dark magic

Significant Details: Sectumsempra is a dark curse for enemies. The Half-Blood Prince created dangerous spells. Harry nearly killed Draco. Snape knows counter-curses to dark magic (suspicious). The book is hidden in the Room of Requirement.

The Seer Overheard

Setting: Hogwarts Castle and Cave

Date: June 1997

Key Events:

• Dumbledore tells Harry about the prophecy's origin
• Trelawney made the prophecy in an interview at the Hog's Head
• Snape overheard part of it and told Voldemort
• This led to Voldemort targeting the Potters
• Snape regretted this and turned to Dumbledore
• Dumbledore and Harry prepare to leave
• Harry gives Ron and Hermione Felix Felicis to protect themselves
• He has a bad feeling about leaving the castle
• Dumbledore and Harry Apparate to a coastal cliff
• They find a cave entrance by the sea
• This is where Voldemort hid a Horcrux as a young man

Significant Details: Snape's eavesdropping caused Lily's death. His guilt led to his defection. Harry trusts Ron and Hermione with the Felix. The cave has terrible childhood memories for Voldemort - he hurt Muggle children there.

The Cave

Setting: Seaside Cave

Date: June 1997

Key Events:

• They enter the cave through blood magic (Dumbledore cuts himself)
• They cross an underground lake in a boat
• The lake is full of Inferi (reanimated corpses)
• On an island, they find a basin of green potion
• The potion must be drunk to retrieve the Horcrux
• Dumbledore drinks the potion; it tortures him
• The potion causes terrible visions and physical pain
• Harry forces Dumbledore to drink all of it
• Dumbledore begs Harry to stop but Harry continues
• They retrieve the locket from the basin
• Dumbledore needs water desperately
• Harry scoops water from the lake, awakening the Inferi
• They're attacked by hundreds of corpses
• Dumbledore creates a ring of fire to escape
• They Apparate back to Hogsmeade

Significant Details: Voldemort's protections are cruel and sadistic. Dumbledore is severely weakened. The potion may have permanent effects. The Horcrux is retrieved but at great cost.

The Lightning-Struck Tower

Setting: Hogsmeade and Hogwarts

Date: June 1997 (night)

Key Events:

• They see the Dark Mark over Hogwarts
• Death Eaters are in the castle
• Madam Rosmerta (Imperiused) warns them but it's a trap
• They fly on broomsticks to the Astronomy Tower
• Dumbledore Freezes Harry under the Invisibility Cloak
• Draco Malfoy arrives and Disarms Dumbledore
• Draco reveals he's been ordered to kill Dumbledore
• He used the Room of Requirement to repair a Vanishing Cabinet
• The Cabinet creates a passage from Borgin and Burkes
• Death Eaters entered through the Cabinet
• Draco can't kill Dumbledore - he's not a murderer
• Other Death Eaters arrive: Amycus, Alecto, Greyback
• Snape arrives and Draco begs for help
• Snape kills Dumbledore with Avada Kedavra
• Dumbledore falls from the tower

Significant Details: Draco's mission was to kill Dumbledore. He succeeded in bringing Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Snape fulfills the Unbreakable Vow. Dumbledore pleads "Severus, please" before death. Harry is frozen and helpless.

Flight of the Prince

Setting: Hogwarts Castle and grounds

Date: June 1997 (night)

Key Events:

• Harry is released from the curse when Dumbledore dies
• He chases Death Eaters through the castle
• Battle rages throughout Hogwarts
• Order members and DA students fight Death Eaters
• Bill Weasley is savaged by Fenrir Greyback
• Harry pursues Snape across the grounds
• He tries to curse Snape but fails
• Snape deflects every spell easily
• Harry calls Snape a coward for killing Dumbledore
• Snape reveals he is the Half-Blood Prince
• He orders Harry to stop using his spells
• Snape escapes with Draco and the Death Eaters
• Harry returns to find Dumbledore's body surrounded by mourners

Significant Details: Snape is the Half-Blood Prince. He created Sectumsempra and other spells. Bill is permanently scarred. The Death Eaters escape. Dumbledore is dead - the wizarding world's greatest protector is gone.

The Phoenix Lament

Setting: Hogwarts grounds and Hospital Wing

Date: June 1997

Key Events:

• The school mourns Dumbledore's death
• Fawkes sings a lament and leaves Hogwarts forever
• Bill's injuries are severe but he'll survive
• Fleur insists she still wants to marry Bill despite his scars
• Mrs. Weasley finally accepts Fleur into the family
• Harry opens the locket - it's a fake
• Inside is a note signed "R.A.B."
• R.A.B. stole the real Horcrux and planned to destroy it
• They risked everything to help destroy Voldemort
• Harry realizes their mission in the cave was for nothing
• Professor McGonagall becomes acting Headmistress

Significant Details: R.A.B. is Regulus Arcturus Black (Sirius's brother). He stole the real Horcrux years ago. The locket is fake. Dumbledore suffered and died for nothing. Harry must find the real Horcrux.

The White Tomb

Setting: Hogwarts grounds

Date: Late June 1997

Key Events:

• Dumbledore's funeral draws wizards from around the world
• He's buried in a white tomb on the grounds
• Harry sits with the Weasleys during the ceremony
• He decides not to return to Hogwarts next year
• He must hunt Horcruxes and finish Dumbledore's work
• Harry breaks up with Ginny to protect her
• Voldemort would target anyone Harry loves
• Ginny understands but is heartbroken
• Ron and Hermione vow to go with Harry on the Horcrux hunt
• They won't let him face Voldemort alone
• Harry accepts their help gratefully
• They must first attend Bill and Fleur's wedding
• Then the real quest begins

Significant Details: Harry chooses the mission over his own happiness. Ginny's safety is more important than their relationship. Ron and Hermione are fully committed to the fight. The trio will face Voldemort together. Harry has matured into a true leader.