Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 24 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
…shortly afterward he had set to work, alone, digging the grave in the place that Bill had shown him at the end of the garden, between bushes. He dug with a kind of fury, relishing the manual work, glorying in the non-magic of it, for every drop of his sweat and every blister felt like a gift to the elf who had saved their lives. (24.7)
Harry's grief at Dobby's death reflects his guilt and pain at the idea that others make willing sacrifices for him. It hurts more than anything else to think about the fact that those he loves, like Mad-Eye and Dobby, are ready to give up their lives for him.
Quote 2
"… Of course, the manner of taking matters. Much depends on the wand itself. In general, however, where a wand has been won, its allegiance will change."
There was silence in the room, except for the distant rushing of the sea.
"You talk about wands like they've got feelings," said Harry, "like they can think for themselves."
"The wand chooses the wizard," said Ollivander. (24.115-117)
Interesting… so, not only humans make choices here, but so do their wands. This is a fascinating twist on this theme that will prove to be fundamental to the plot's resolution. It's another way in which Harry's approach to magic differs from Voldemort's; while the latter thinks that he can force anything he wants to happen, Harry realizes that some things (like the Elder Wand choosing him) happen out of their own free will.
Quote 3
His scar burned, but he was master of the pain; he felt it, yet was apart from it. He had learned control at last, learned to shut his mind to Voldemort, the very thing Dumbledore had wanted him to learn from Snape. Just as Voldemort had not been able to possess Harry while Harry was consumed with grief for Sirius, so his thoughts could not penetrate Harry now, while he mourned Dobby. Grief, it seemed, drove Voldemort out… though Dumbledore, of course, would have said that it was love… (24.8)
Is love really so different from grief, though? Harry's sorrow for the loss of those who have given themselves up for his sake is made a thousand times more bitter because of his love for them. Perhaps both of these things are what keep Harry closed off from Voldemort's mind.
Quote 4
"…I'm as hunted quite as much as any goblin or elf, Griphook! I'm a Mudblood!"
"Don't call yourself –." Ron muttered.
"Why shouldn't I?" said Hermione. "Mudblood, and proud of it!" (24.87)
Hermione shows her strength and her confidence in her own identity here – she's not ashamed of her Muggle background, and she knows that it makes no difference to her Wizarding abilities.
Quote 5
"The Dark Lord no longer seeks the Elder Wand only for your destruction, Mr. Potter. He is determined to possess it because he believes it will make him truly invulnerable."
"And will it?"
"The owner of the Elder Wand must always fear attack," said Ollivander, "but the idea of the Dark Lord in possession of the Deathstick is, I must admit… formidable."
Harry was suddenly reminded of how he had been unsure, when they first met, of how much he liked Ollivander. Even now, having been tortured and imprisoned by Voldemort, the idea of the Dark wizard in possession of this wand seemed to enthrall as much as it repulsed him. (24. 156-157)
Mr. Ollivander's moral ambiguity is caused by his fascination with the idea of so much power existing in one place. On a certain level, he's more interested in the concept of the most powerful living wizard possessing the most powerful wand, even if it's used for evil, in a kind of scientific way.
Quote 6
You gave Ron the Deluminator. You understood him… You gave him a way back…
And you understood Wormtail, too… You knew there was a bit of regret there, somewhere…
And if you knew them… What did you know about me, Dumbledore?
Am I meant to know, but not to seek? Did you know how hard I'd find that? Is that why you made it this difficult? So I'd have time to work that out? (24.44-47)
Harry's grief and frustration over Dobby's death erupts in this stream of mental questions, directed at Dumbledore. Why, he wonders, couldn't his old mentor simply have revealed more? Why has Harry been so left in the dark about his own destiny?
Quote 7
[Voldemort] walked on, around the edge of the lake, taking in the outlines of the beloved castle, his first kingdom, his birthright… (24.150)
Voldemort's insistence that Hogwarts is his "first kingdom, his birthright" demonstrates his warped attitude towards home; for him, it's a place that only he can truly inhabit.