‘Harry Potter‘ introduced us to numerous spells, charms, and potions. Even though the world of Harry Potter seems magical, there is definitely a science behind it. Harry’s survival in ‘The Deathly Hallows’ is purely deus ex machina or plot armor. Since the return of the Dark Lord, his sole intention was to eliminate Harry Potter because of the prophecy. The prophecy by Sybill Trewaleney stated that a male born at the end of July would be the end of Voldemort. So it was either Neville Longbottom or Harry Potter, but both of them played their roles to kill the Dark Lord.
The Killing Curse or Avada Kaderva is one of the three Unforgivable Curses that causes instant death. The other two are the Cruciatus Curse, which causes unbearable pain, and the Imperius Curse, which allows the user to control the actions of the victim. No wizard is known to have survived the Killing Curse, which makes Harry special hence earning the nickname of ‘The Boy who Lived’. Although the curse can be prevented with Sacrificial Protection powered by love, once the damage is done there is no going back.
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How Did Harry Survive Voldemort’s Killing Curse?
This was not the first time, Harry faced the Killing Curse and survived it. The first time happened at Godric’s Hollow when the Dark Lord attacked the Potter residence intending to kill Harry Potter. In order to save baby Harry, James and Lily Potter sacrificed themselves fighting the Dark Lord. Unfortunately, this war ended up backfiring The Dark Lord when his curse rebounded on him. This backfire was caused when Lily’s counter ‘curse’ known as Sacrificial Protection saved Harry. This type of love and sacrifice is a blood curse, and will forever protect the life of the individual who has been cursed. The kind of protection The Dark Lord was unaware of.
The second time, Harry was the victim of The Killing Curse during the battle in the ‘Deathly Hallows’. Did Harry get lucky or is there a logic behind his survival? To know this we need to revisit Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Voldemort used Harry’s blood. At first, it seemed that the love protection was canceled out when Voldemort used Harry’s blood since he could touch him without experiencing pain. However, Lily’s protection simply took on a new form when he created a body from Harry’s blood.
Back to ‘Deathly Hallows‘, The Dark Lord again uses ‘Avada Kedavra’ on Harry. But as Dumbledore explained, Lily’s love curse remains active while Voldemort is still in existence since that is what she initially was protecting Harry from. When Voldemort used The Killing Curse on Harry, he was actually using it on one of the last remaining Horcruxes buried within Harry. Basically, the blood is withdrawn from Harry in Goblet of Fire indeed saved him in Deathly Hallows.
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How Harry Potter Came Back To Life In ‘Deathly Hallows’?
It is impossible to return alive after being struck by The Killing Curse, how can the protagonist of the story be killed off? This is because Harry is the master of all three of the titular Deathly Hallows. He possessed the Invisibility clock from his father, James Potter, a Resscurtion stone from Professor Dumbledore, and Elderly Ward by disarming Darco Malfoy. Hence, making him the master of death. According to The Tale of the Three Brothers, the Resurrection Stone brings back death from life.
It seems as though possessing all three Deathly Hallows gives Harry the power to choose whether or not to die. Harry chooses to sacrifice himself, chooses to face Voldemort unarmed, and chooses to allow himself to be killed just as he chooses to return to life. Voldemort’s choices regarding the Deathly Hallows ultimately lead to his death, whereas Harry’s choices regarding the Hallows are what enable him to return to life and survive the killing curse in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. It is said that Harry greeted death as an old friend, whereas Voldemort lived in the fear of death.
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