Duel between Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange

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Duel between Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange

Thisduel was fought betweenHogwarts studentsHermione Granger,Luna Lovegood,Ginny Weasley, and ex-student and matriarch of theWeasley familyMolly Weasley againstDeath Eater lieutenantBellatrix Lestrange, taking place in theGreat Hall ofHogwarts Castle after the hour-long halt during theBattle of Hogwarts. The duel was initially fought by all three of the formers until Molly interfered after the girls' opponent nearly killed one of the duelists involved, Molly's daughter, Ginny.^[1]

After Molly cast a well-aimedlethal spell at Bellatrix, she toppled lifeless to the ground, makingVoldemort scream in fury and point his wand at her.Harry Potter cast aShield Charm between the two of them, thus revealing himself and setting the stage for theduel that ended theSecond Wizarding War.^[1]

History[]

Background[]

After theBattle of Hogwarts recommenced, the arrival of theHogwarts Centaur herd,Grawp, and the shopkeepers and homeowners ofHogsmeade forced the battle to move inside the Castle, with duellers being forced into theGreat Hall by the charging forces.^[1]

The duel[]

Fifty yards away fromLord Voldemort, whoduelled againstMinerva McGonagall,Horace Slughorn andKingsley Shacklebolt,Bellatrix Lestrange started aduel againstHermione Granger,Ginevra Weasley andLuna Lovegood, all three girls combining their best efforts to defeat her. Despite not using her personal wand, Bellatrix still proved herself to be equal in power to the three of them. During theduel, Bellatrix shot aKilling Curse at Ginny. Bellatrix's curse narrowly missed Ginny, sparing her death by mere inches.

Molly Weasley witnessed this and, enraged at theDeath Eater, ran towards her, shouting "Not my daughter, you bitch!". Bellatrix, quickly turning her attention to Molly, cackled with mocking laughter. It was clear Bellatrix didn't see her as a serious opponent. Molly proceeded to attack her with fierceness and precision, having cleared Ginny, Hermione, and Luna out of the way.^[1]

Realising that Molly was indeed a worthy adversary, Bellatrix dropped her jeering manner and unleashed her full strength at Molly. A fierce duel ensued, with both witches' magical abilities being potent enough to cause the floor underneath them to become hot and cracked as each tried to finish off the other. At this point, a fewHogwarts students attempted to enter the battle to help Mrs Weasley, but were dismissed with a "No! Get back!Get back! She is mine!"^[1]

Bellatrix then started taunting Mrs Weasley overher son's death, proceeding to laugh at Molly's enraged response that the Death Eater "will never touch our children again!". This provided an opening for Molly to strike Bellatrix witha curse that hit her straight in the heart,killing her.^[1]

Aftermath[]

After her body toppled to the ground, an outragedVoldemort blasted away the three opposing duelists he was fighting and turned his wand on Molly. This promptedHarry Potter to cast aShield Charm between the two and in the process reveal himself. Voldemort and Harry circled each other and thefinal showdown between them ensued.

Voldemort, attempting to kill Harry, cast theKilling Curse, and Harry aDisarming Charm. TheElder Wand refusing, to harm its true master, rebounded Voldemort's curse. Bellatrix did not live to see the end of theSecond Wizarding War and her master's final defeat at Harry Potter's hands mere moments later.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

• In the filmHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, this duel has some noticeable differences:
  • In the film,Bellatrix casts a blue spell atGinny Weasley instead of a Killing Curse, who deflects it using aShield Charm. In the book she just avoids it.
  • In the film,Hermione andLuna are also not duelling Bellatrix alongside Ginny as depicted in the book, as Hermione is fightingNagini withRon on theGrand Staircase and Luna can be seen fighting Death Eaters behind Bellatrix.
  • In the film, the duel takes place atop one of the House tables, instead of on the stone floor, as specified in the book.
  • In the film, after Bellatrix's retaliation against Molly's attack, Molly proceeds to cast four unidentified spells in a row, but they are all blocked by Bellatrix. The unidentified spells are fired with green lights, seeming to be the Killing Curses; however, in the books, Killing Curses are not able to be blocked by a simple Shield Charm.
  • In the film, Bellatrix is brieflyimmobilised, breathing in deeply with an expression of shock, and after being hit by anotherspell by Molly Weasley, explodes. In the book she just falls over, dead.
  • In the film, neitherHarry norVoldemort witness the duel, as they are facing off on theGrand Staircase, theMarble Staircase and later on aset of catwalks byThe Quad battlements. But in the book, Voldemort screams about Bellatrix's loss.
  • In the film, Bellatrix is not the last standing Death Eater.
• InHarry Potter Limited Edition -Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey, there is an image shown indicating an alternate death to Bellatrix, where she is blasted into the wall behind her and lying amongst a pile of crutches.
• In thevideo game adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, this duel has some noticeable differences:
  • Bellatrix starts shooting randomly before she sees Ginny Weasley. In the book Molly arrives while Bellatrix is duelling Ginny, Hermione and Luna.
  • Molly uses the line "You will never touch my children again!" after Bellatrix is defeated, just like in the book; however, this does not occur in the film.
  • Bellatrix shoots down a corner of the roof of theGreat Hall. This doesn't happen in the book.
  • Molly and Bellatrix run all over the Great Hall shooting spells and curses, while taunting each other. In the book they only stand in one spot.
  • Bellatrix uses several taunts against Molly such as "You should get off your feet more" and "How is little Freddie, still not with us?". Molly says, "You'll regret the day you escaped from Azkaban!".
• InLEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Molly and Kingsley duel Bellatrix onThe Quad battlements, while severalDeath Eaters emerge from the shadows to defend her. Like all duels in the second game (apart from theOusting of Severus Snape) the duel is waged entirely with Bellatrix firingReverse Spells at her enemies, the target depending on the player's decision to use Molly or Kingsley. Much like in the film, Molly destroys Bellatrix by making her body quite literally explode.^[2]

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• Pottermore(Mentioned only)
• HarryPotter.com(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter Limited Edition -Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey(Image of an alternate outcome)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite(Mentioned only)

Notes and references[]