Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Theme of The Home

Home, sweet… wait, what home? One of Harry Potter's greatest struggles through all the years we've known him is his sense of not belonging – he's had many places that are kind of substitute homes, but never a place to really call his own. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we get a whirlwind revisitation of all the places Harry might call home, and finally end up at the only real place that's ever been a real home to him, Hogwarts. In this final volume, author J.K. Rowling asks us to consider what makes a home so homey, and why the idea of home deserves to be defended at all costs.

1. Harry comments that Hogwarts is the only home that both he and Voldemort ever knew. Why do you think Rowling chose to place the final battle at this "home"?
2. What do people's homes (such as the Burrow, or the Lovegood's goofy tower) say about the families that live there?
3. Harry experiences a bittersweet homecoming when he and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow. What do you think he gains from seeing the site of the life he might have led and the home he might have had?