Cue No. 41

As Luna describes the lost diadem to the group, both parts of her theme overlap in the strings, harp, vibraphone, and piano. It is a warm callback to the previous years at Hogwarts. The strings continue on, but freeze for a moment when Ginny enters. As she and Harry lock eyes, their music from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2021) takes us back to the last time we saw them together. It doesn't last long; there is a shift from major to minor as Ginny reveals that Snape knows Harry is nearby.

Long wide shots of the castle set up the geography of the series’ finale. Slow chord changes are accompanied by violin shivers, recalling the music from the ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2021) on the night Dumbledore was murdered. The Call of the Prince finally appears at the start of Snape's speech in the Great Hall. It gets its first full statement since Harry’s revelation of Snape’s identity. It is dark and slow, accompanied by strings and choir. Strings and then winds take over as a transition.

The music shifts to match the quiet tension Snape creates as he threatens the students to come forward with information about Harry. Broken triads arpeggiate over duplets, creating an uneasy feeling in the room. Vibraphone paired with harp and celesta play over low string pizzicatos colored with soft timpani. Suddenly, Harry himself separates from the crowd and confronts Snape. A noble statement of the Order of the Phoenix B theme is played by the horns. Then, as the Great Hall doors open, the main Order of the Phoenix theme sounds out, interrupting the darkness to reveal twelve members of the Order, ready to fight. 

Dissonant strings and choir conclude the theme as Harry, in front of the entire school, loudly accuses Snape of Dumbledore’s murder. Trombones and timpani descend quickly at the top of the phrase, Snape raises his wand, the students disperse, and McGonagall swoops in to protect Harry. There is a brief moment of silence.

McGonagall delivers the first blow in a duel against Snape. The music erupts in a flurry, and quickly builds to a loud conclusion as Snape backs away, suddenly apparating and breaking through the Great Hall window. He flies out into the night, and the horns blast the Call of the Prince in a declamatory fashion. 

Back inside, McGonagall swooshes her wand through the air and joyously lights the torches around the Great Hall, illuminating it once more. The music follows suit and celebrates with everyone. Their happiness is short-lived, however, as darkness creeps back in, and Harry begins to sense Voldemort’s presence. He is near Hogwarts. 

The orchestra splits into wide registers, with low strings playing at the bottom of their range, and high strings playing at the top of theirs. Violas are in the middle, playing quickly and quietly, to give urgency to the lack of movement. Alto flute and vibraphone play patterns of five, while a distant choir sings the 3-Note motif, signaling the Dark Lord’s approach under his words to the people of Hogwarts. The end has come.