Cue No. 34

Harry and the group get back on their feet slowly; upon seeing the Veil, Harry hears voices coming from it. The music reflects this by utilizing distorted humming noises from the choir. The voices are delicately orchestrated around, utilizing strings and single notes played by the harp and celesta in unison. The eerie texture is disturbed quickly by the arrival of the Death Eaters.

Muted horns and string sections playing with extended technique capitalize on the claustrophobia of the situation, playing the same motif over and over, getting louder each time. Unlike in the Hall of Prophecies, this time they are trapped. Once Harry gets his footing after the attack, he realizes that all of his friends are captured. Low notes play in the string section, and chords move around until the Order of the Phoenix theme plays in its most stressed form.

Throbbing trombones and harp begin with the basses rumbling quietly underneath. The horns almost hum the Death Eater theme as Lucius approaches Harry again. He is monologuing for the second time, now with the intent on getting the prophecy from Harry successfully. He offers an ultimatum of Harry handing over the prophecy or watching his friends die. The music becomes more orderly and metric the more Harry realizes that he must hand it over. Chords move around as the timpani gives a solid rhythm. The violas begin playing, using tremolo, a sort of reverse dies irae, a technique Williams would later use during the climactic scene between Han Solo and Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). The entire orchestra crescendos to a halt; there is a slight breeze behind Lucius. He turns around to see Sirius before getting punched in the face.

Action music takes over as the fight begins. The Order of the Phoenix theme is in full battle mode. A very quick moment of atonality appears over the shot of Lucius falling over and dropping the prophecy, serving as a callback to the tone row from the previous cue. It happens incredibly fast, sounding almost like a musical shattering itself. The Order theme returns as each member arrives and has their individual “hero” shots. This is the biggest and noblest statement of the theme heard in the score, serving as a musical payoff.

More action music follows the choreography of the battle, emphasizing the flurry of wand waving and spell throwing. Window to the Past plays, also in its most heroic form so far, as Harry and Sirius talk in the midst of the battle. The theme makes it almost all the way through a statement before the return of choreographed action music. During a long camera pan over the entire battle, Hedwig’s theme sounds out in the horns, accompanied by a choir and heavy strings. The rhythm returns to the texture when Mad-Eye Moody takes out a Death Eater. Window to the Past returns in rhythmic opposition to the triplets in the strings and woodwinds. The battle comes to its climax: the music halts suddenly when Sirius defeats Lucius, then cuts out completely when Bellatrix appears and casts the killing curse at Harry’s last remaining family member.

A solo waterphone creates a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and eerie darkness. It all happened so fast. Sirius gives a last look to Harry, and falls into the Veil. A solo english horn is the first instrument to break the silence. It is quickly joined by more woodwinds and horn. Window to the Past forms with more sections of the orchestra entering each measure. Harry’s sudden grief explodes from the orchestra. This section is lifted directly from John Williams’ unrecorded concert version of the theme. Choir is added to it in this statement to provide an extra sense of emotion and loss.

Harry chases Bellatrix into the main atrium of the Ministry, throws a Crucio spell at her, then pauses when he finally catches up to her. He’s unsure of what to do next, having gone after her in an emotional outburst. Suddenly, Harry hears the voice of Voldemort himself. The 3-note begins, the string section getting tighter and tighter underneath, and a slowly crescendoing choir prepares for the Dark Lord’s arrival. Voldemort materializes behind Harry, and before Harry can fully turn around and fight, his wand is thrown from his hand.