10 Best Harry Potter Chapters
3. The Lightning Struck Tower
Book: The Half-Blood Prince
Chapter Synopsis: Trapped beneath his Invisibility Cloak, Harry witnesses Snape kill Dumbledore.
Dumbledore’s demise was the most impactful death in the series. Though such an event had never been beyond the realms of possibility, the loss of such an essential character was a massive shock, leaving a deep hole in the hearts of both Harry and readers around the world.
Since the first novel, Dumbledore’s presence had always meant comfort and security. Indeed, prior to The Order of the Phoenix and the revelation about the prophecy, Dumbledore seemed just as likely as Harry to be the one who finally defeated Lord Voldemort. In this sense, the loss of Dumbledore was the perfect way to end the penultimate novel, for it set the stage for Harry to face up to his destiny in The Deathly Hallows.
By having Snape be the one to kill Dumbledore, Rowling also left the reader with a huge question – was Dumbledore’s death preordained, or was Snape a genuine Death Eater? This question alone was more than enough to make Harry Potter fans beg for the final novel.