42 - Battle Preparations _ 48 - Death is but Crossing the World _ final.movHarry’s friends protect him from Pansy Parkinson’s threats. The Order of the Phoenix B theme begins the cue as they do so, showing the development from their beginnings as Dumbledore’s Army has come to fruition, and they are now very much part of the Order.
This is quickly broken up by Filch, who comes rushing in late to the Great Hall announcing all of the students are out of bed. His music from Sorcerer’s Stone, that was later reprised for Order of the Phoenix, has a small moment here, as levity is rare at this point in the film. He is quickly hushed by McGonagall, and her musical motif also is given a little phrase. When she announces that Slytherin house should be taken to the dungeons, applause erupts, and after two major chords swell, the pulsing begins to quicken.
Harry approaches McGonagall and says that he needs time, though he knows he does not have much. The violins play a fragment of the Deathly Hallows Part 1 opening prologue music in canon with one another until the music pauses, and Hedwig’s Theme plays nostalgically over McGonagall telling Harry that it’s good to see him.
Another crescendo leads to the establishing shot of the grand staircase. Even the portraits are preparing for battle. Orchestral battle preparation has begun, and themes weave in and out of this busy texture. Hermione and Ron’s theme has a heroic statement as they tell Harry they’ve got an idea and the trio splits up. Harry runs up the stairs, and Luna follows him urgently, accompanied by a big crescendo and a key change.
In the entrance hall, McGonagall is leading several people to the courtyard. The opening of "Fighting the Troll" is reprised here, a recall of the very first intruder into Hogwarts back in Harry’s first year. Snare drum and rhythmic strings keep the music going quietly underneath the remainder of the dialogue, and on the shot from behind, choir enters. This is alluding once again to the Deathly Hallows 1 opening, but also giving weight to what’s about to happen. The music holds as McGonagall casts a spell, and then, with a thunderous crash, the statues of Hogwarts begin to come to life. The music from the chess match reprises in this moment, both because it is battle music in its own right, but also because McGonagall brought the chess pieces to life in Sorcerer's Stone.
Hogwarts faculty, staff, and members of the Order begin casting protective shield charms to defend Hogwarts. During this sequence, the prologue music gets its full grand payoff moment, with choir and extra orchestration added, giving it a sense of finality and climactic grandeur. The camera pans across Hogwarts until it cuts to Harry running frantically in the other direction as everyone else, up the spiral staircase. Luna is following him still, trying to get his attention. This section contains strings pushing ahead with insistence, but quieter to make way for dialogue.
After Harry is convinced to go to Ravenclaw tower with Luna, they both look outside at the shield coming down around the castle. The Deathly Hallows 1 prologue music with choir returns, and an emotional quasi-climactic denouement to this sequence settles down into an empty hallway where Luna leaves Harry to find Helena Ravenclaw.
A reprisal of music from Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) opens this section of the score, accompanying Harry as he wanders down the halls near Ravenclaw tower. The 3-note motif enters appropriately, then the music goes through a series of holds and movements between dialogue. Minor chords move around ominously, and a magical flourish plays while Helena’s ghost glides through Harry and out the window. Harry insists that they speak, and a final shot on Helena shows her hesitation and frustration. Trumpet quietly crescendo until the scene cuts abruptly to a cliffside, just outside the Hogwarts grounds.
Upon the cliff, Voldemort and his army of death eaters stand looking down at the castle. A big 3-note motif plays over thick textured orchestral music with the Death Eater theme layered in as well. It then turns into Voldemort 1 as the shot reveals him, and then Voldemort 2 on the shot of Hogwarts. The music waits until Voldemort gives the order to begin the attack. A giant swooping shot over the Death Eaters casting their spells at the shield around Hogwarts is emphasized by an equally swooping musical gesture, with the 3-note motif included above.
Back in the castle, Helena and Harry witness the attack begin. Minor chords shiver back and forth, and a distant 3-Note motif plays at Helena’s mention of “a strange boy with a strange name.” She becomes sharp and rather violent as Harry mentions the atrocities Tom Riddle committed. Horns and Trumpets follow her. The moment calms down almost as quickly as it began, and a more distant 3-note plays as she glides towards another hallway.
Ascending strings alternate harmonies while Harry tries to convince her to disclose the location of the Diadem. She circles him, mentioning that he reminds her of Tom. Tremolo strings hesitatingly play, and the low strings become more ominous, still not knowing if she will tell Harry. The 3-note returns once more in the choir as Helena floats away, finally telling Harry where the Diadem is.
More opening material from the troll sequence from Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) plays as Harry urgently begins his quest to find the Room of Requirement. On the circular staircase, the troll music continues, then transitions into a huge Order of the Phoenix theme atop the buttresses of the castle. Lupin, Kingsley, and others are preparing for battle; the battle that the Order has been waiting for all these years.
The choir returns when Lupin sees the attack on the shield, then a quiet moment somewhere else on atop Hogwarts between Fred and George is shared. Their once triumphant musical material now paired down, like a deep breath before the end.
The camera slowly reveals Ron standing in front of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. The Chamber of Secrets 2 theme plays while he speaks Parseltongue to open the door. The key changes as it swings open.
We then swoop over the quidditch pitch as it burns. A distressed Quidditch fanfare burst out of the horn section over a frantic orchestra. The bridge behind Hogwarts is revealed at the climax of the phrase, and then the orchestra cuts out on the reveal of Neville. His theme plays quickly as he looks and sees an army of Snatchers and other lowlifes sprinting down the hill towards the bridge. The orchestra burst out in huge chords until the attackers in front get disintegrated by the shield charm, throwing the brass into dissonance.
The music halts with them, stopping and assessing the situation. Neville gets a moment of levity where his theme is played playfully, celebrating this half-unexpected victory.
Back in the chamber of secrets, a slow pulse begins in the low orchestra, and the Chamber of Secrets 1 theme is heard above it as Ron kneels down to grab a basilisk fang from the now 5-year-old snake skeleton. The theme keeps modulating up, gaining more tension. As Hermione and Ron look down at Hufflepuff’s cup, the 3-note motif returns, and an accelerando consumes the entire texture. With anticipation growing, the music that accompanies a horcrux in danger returns with choir as it has for the others, this one being somewhat poetic as the theme first appeared in the chamber of secrets before Harry destroyed the diary.
Hermione slashes the cup with the basilisk fang, and immediately the tempo picks up even more, and a flourish of orchestral color explodes. Water begins to roar up from the once-still sides of the chamber, and a big 3-note motif plays over aleatoric and bubbling woodwinds. The tam-tam roars as Ron and Hermione get completely soaked from the wave.
A distant 3-note motif is sung by choir while we see the effect that the destruction of the cup had on Voldemort, and, strangely, Harry.
Ron and Hermione, in their relief, find no better time than the present to celebrate their victory with their first kiss. The payoff to their love theme comes swiftly in the strings, and gets some color from choir, flute, harp, and celesta. This moment does not last long, though, as outside the castle, Voldemort hurls a spell in anger at the shield charm. A massive 3-note motif sounds out, then as we see different characters throughout the castle witnessing the destruction of the defenses, choir sings the Hallows 1 prologue music once again. Trills in the strings begin once we are back to Voldemort’s perspective. He hesitates as the Elder Wand fights back against him. The camera moves down the wand as it observes cracks in the wood. A mysterious Deathly Hallows theme plays, sure of itself, but withholding from the audience and Voldemort the reason for why this might be happening.
The music dies down quickly after the Elder Wand revelation, and Harry gets moving quickly towards the Room of Requirement. The musical pulse continues, before there is a cut back to the bridge. Minor chords stretch over the realization that the shield enchantments are gone. The Snatcher in charge takes a slow step forward, testing the ground, and a small clarinet solo plays Neville’s theme very hesitantly. There’s a timpani buildup, and then the orchestra explodes forward.
Different motifs drop in and out of the chase across the bridge, but the action is mostly comprised of musical gestures. Neville falls after the explosion, and the low strings hold, not knowing if he made it or not. A wand is quickly thrown onto the bridge from below. Neville climbs up, and his theme is warmly resolved in the strings.
A sweeping wide shot of Voldemort’s army running towards the castle is announced by a tam-tam with the orchestra pushing forward quickly. Brass play in canon as the battle begins. Several musical ideas come in and out of the action, and at the peak of the sonic violence comes a courtyard shot, where the orchestra gives way to the choir and the prologue motif. The Death Eater theme goes up against the Order of the Phoenix theme while the two forces attack each other atop the castle.
On the grand staircase, Harry runs to a mixed metered orchestra, thinner in texture, but moving forward still. Ginny and Neville arrive, and the three share a moment, Neville’s theme blasting heroically, before he runs off to find Luna. Harry and Ginny share a kiss before separating again, and the music swells into a romantic moment amidst the battle.
Down in the dungeon, Malfoy grabs Zabini and Goyle and escapes with them. His theme plays over a militaristic snare drum. Harry, meanwhile, is up in the castle halls, running away as they collapse over him. He finally reaches the wall at the end of the corridor, and waits for a door to appear.
Ron and Hermione, elsewhere in the castle, are walking while looking at the Marauder’s Map, trying to locate Harry. The orchestra waits until they see Harry disappear. An English horn solo moves around until Ron has the idea that Harry’s entered the room of requirement. A small Ron moment ends the section, and Hermione stands there taking a moment to appreciate him.
Malfoy’s theme continues its appearances as he follows Harry into the Room of Requirement. A quick crescendo ends this shot as he moves towards the door.
Inside the Room of Requirement, Harry stands among endless tall piles of lost or hidden items. A slow and subtle portion of the associated material from Order of the Phoenix (2020) plays under Harry’s observation, as it now holds nostalgia for him. But where to begin looking for the Diadem?
A quick cut from Harry standing outside transitions immediately to him walking with purpose. The music picks up as well, maintaining the Dumbledore’s Army homage, but continuing the urgency of the current situation. A Cornish pixie appears above him, observing his search. A quick nod to their music dances over the lower orchestration. The 3-note then sneaks into the cue. Harry feels something. He stops. He turns slowly. Two a capella choir chords ominously announce the presence of the Diadem, sitting in a small box atop many other items.
Before the chord can even finish, Malfoy, Zabini, and Goyle arrive, wands at the ready. The low end of the orchestra grows dissonant, anxious about this unexpected hiccup in Harry’s plan. Malfoy’s Theme gets a full statement as he and Harry speak for the first time since their sixth year at Hogwarts. This is also the same room where Malfoy repaired the vanishing cabinet, so it has great significance to him as well, and his theme is coming home in a way.
Before the conversation can end, Hermione runs up behind Harry and throws a spell at Malfoy. Her theme gets an action moment while the orchestra begins to climb in tempo and intensity. The diadem flies out of Harry’s hands and across the nearest pile of junk. Ron and Hermione’s theme gets a distorted battle statement as well while Ron runs after Malfoy and his cronies.
Snare drum plays assertively while strings provide a motor. Harry searches frantically for the diadem, Hermione helping as well. The pixies re-appear from behind a column, this time in larger numbers. The music from the Cornish pixie sequence in Chamber of Secrets (2002) now erupts more fully, causing a flurry of extra troubles that Harry did not need at the moment. The intensity rises more until he finds the diadem, announced by the 3-note motif.
After leaping off the pile of lost things, Harry and Hermione look for Ron, and a heroic horn call continues the action. It pauses, though, curious about Ron’s approaching screams and the extra light growing from beyond. Ron runs towards them, then the entire brass section busts out as Fiendfyre engulfs the room behind him. The chase begins.
The trio runs, and the action sequence that follows is built from gestures that accentuate the movement on screen, from spells to quick jabs to large flourishes of fire. Harry stops the fire with an aggressive spell that changes the musical texture quickly, and Ron falls backwards behind him. The musical texture changes almost immediately as Ron turns and sees that he fell on some broomsticks.
A reprisal of the intense music used early in the series for the Quidditch matches begins as the trio flies into the air and above the Fiendfyre. All throughout this time, Malfoy’s theme makes a couple appearances as he climbs the nearest pile, trying to escape the fire. His theme returns again as Harry locates Malfoy, and chooses to go back to rescue him and Zabini. Malfoy’s theme has a final moment as he’s rescued, then the final intense stretch of action music takes the group out the door and to their escape.
Despite making it out alive, there is no relief from the orchestra, as Malfoy runs away and the diadem remains un-destroyed. The horcrux in danger motif is sung when choir joins the orchestra, announcing the impending doom of another horcrux. Harry brings down the basilisk fang on the diadem, destroying it. The 3-note screams while Ron kicks the diadem into the Fiendfyre.
Voldemort, still atop the cliff overlooking the castle, is suddenly hurt. Another part of his soul is gone. A distant 3-note is sung over this moment, followed by a quick cut to Harry, who seems to be experiencing the same pain. Voldemort 2 is played as the Dark LordS turns to his death eaters. Suddenly, the music lashes out as he casts Avada Kedavra. The alto flute holds after the orchestral disruption, then continues with another 3-note.
A solo horn plays over Harry’s struggle, and the 3-note plays again, this time over a major harmony. Ron and Hermione wonder how to find Voldemort, since Nagini, the final horcrux, will be close by. The trio theme, in a somewhat tender but distressed moment, is gently sung in the strings. Harry then begins to try and look inside Voldemort’s mind.
After a crescendo, Voldemort’s location appears in Harry’s head. Lucius Malfoy is also with him. Low horns and male chorus sing the death eater theme during the conversation. A quick reverse cut is emphasized by a rip on the tam-tam, then muted horns and descending cellos. The strings open up into fourths and fifths as it becomes clear to Harry that Voldemort is down at the boathouse. The 3-note is played by the violins during this realization. The open intervals then crescendo, and the trio begins their journey through the battle.
The first minute and a half of this cue is sweeping long camera shots and battle music to accompany the action. The DH1 prologue music returns in the horns, and then the music turns more choreographic once the camera starts following the trio down the grand staircase, fighting their way to the courtyard. The key changes as they begin their run through trolls, spiders, and an encounter with Fenrir Greyback, who has just killed Lavender Brown. Hermione zaps him with a spell throwing him out the nearest window. With no time to grieve the loss of friends, they continue to run, escaping the troll, and making their way to the stone bridge in front of the castle.
More moving strings build to the wide shot of an entire army of dementors heading straight for them. The dementor music gets a quick reprise before a patronus is sent from behind the trio. Choir quickly interrupts, and the Fawkes B theme is heroically played by the horns at the reveal that Aberforth Dumbledore is the one who cast the spell. He has not given up yet. The horns continue, holding suspensions over the strings as the trio runs down the stairs and to the boathouse.
Much calmer and darker music accompanies the now mid-conversation taking place between Voldemort and Snape. The Call of the Prince is heard underneath the dialogue. When the discussion moves to the elder wand and how it does not function how Voldemort intended, the Deathly Hallows Theme begins. Distant voices take over the theme as it becomes more clear to Snape why Voldemort is discussing this with him. The wand is loyal to its master, whom Voldemort believes is Snape. The Deathly Hallows falling dies irae material is then combined with the Call of the Prince, sealing Snape’s fate and creating a tense build. The meter compresses, and a final build up of the Hallows Theme cuts away quickly, before a distant 3-Note Motif is sung under Voldemort’s line, “Only I Can Live Forever.”
The brass and percussion jab violently as an answer to Voldemort using a spell to slit Snape’s throat. Strings then tremolo with muted horns, crescendoing and decrescendoing under Nagini’s repeated attacks on Snape. Voldemort slowly walks away to a final 3-Note, and the trombones dissonantly crescendo as he disapparates.
A cappella choir sings solitary notes at a time while the trio slowly enters the boathouse, having heard everything from outside. Strings take over as Harry approaches Snape. What appear to be tears coming from Snape’s eyes are revealed to be memories. The Pensieve motif begins its delicate falling motion. Harry grabs a flask from Hermione to catch the memories, and a solo horn announces Snape’s last lines of dialogue.
Choir comes in as he looks at Harry’s eyes, and mentions that they are Lily’s. A small musical moment is played that recollects material heard in Slughorn’s house at the beginning of Half-Blood Prince (2021) where Lily was also mentioned, connecting the memories of Harry’s mother. Strings and choir sigh with two chords as Snape’s life ends. The Call of the Prince plays one last time, resolving over open intervals, questioning his allegiance once more.
Dissonance makes its presence known in the woodwinds as something in the air is not right. Voldemort’s voice begins to sound throughout Hogwarts and the grounds. Alternating minor chords move over the slow montage of different parts of the battle while Voldemort tells everyone that he will halt the fighting for an hour to let Harry come to the dark forest. Voldemort 1 plays over parts of this speech, and Harry looks up at the castle, now in flames, desperately wishing he had more time. The opening chords from the beginning of this film ebb and flow, as the finale is imminent. The violins make it up to an E-flat, which they hold, even after the rest of the strings finish their chord.
The held E-flat from the previous cue waits until the trio is in the now-empty courtyard. A solo horn plays one last Deathly Hallows Part 1 prologue motif, and the rest of the upper string section enters, playing descending chords over held lower strings. A solo flute leads to just the woodwinds playing chords, which are answered by the horns. Injury, death, sorrow, and grief all fill the Great Hall. A solo oboe with harp and choir accompanies Harry as he quietly walks through.
He eventually sees the Weasley family. The strings enter and hold. Fred and George’s music slowly plays, and then Harry realizes that Fred is the corpse that Ron begins to cry over. Choir ascends with horn re-entering. Before Harry can even process this loss, he turns to the bodies closest to him, and sees both Lupin and Tonks dead on the floor. The Order B theme laments the loss, and, unable to take in the horrors, he walks away, steadfast in the job he must do.