Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re discussing Harry’s ‘death’ at the hands of Voldemort in the Deathly Hallows. More specifically, we’re going to be diving in and dissecting the nuances of HOW it happened, WHY it happened, and HOW Harry was able to come back to life.

To set the scene – we’re in the Forbidden Forest and Harry comes face-to-face with Voldemort once again. However, unlike previous confrontations – from his meeting with a fragmented Voldemort attached to Professor Quirrell, to their duel in the graveyard of Little Hangleton – this time Harry does not intend to defend himself or fight back. He’s come to die. Fans of the book will remember the chapter as the aptly named “The Forest Again” and movie lovers will certainly know this scene as the one right after Harry sees his dead loved ones through the magic of the Resurrection Stone – one of the three fabled Deathly Hallows.
Voldemort and his followers are waiting for Harry to turn himself over – a deal Voldemort has proposed in exchange for the safety of the other wizards who have been fighting alongside Harry in The Battle of Hogwarts.