All spoilers for the six preceding films will remain unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
"I have to start finding these Horcruxes. They are our only chance to beat him. And the longer we stay here, the stronger he gets."
- "I just thought after all this time we would have actually achieved something! I thought you knew what you were doing! I thought Dumbledore would've told you something worthwhile! I thought you had a plan!"— Ron Weasley
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the first part of the two-part Grand Finale of the Harry Potter film saga, based on the eponymous book. The film was directed by David Yates and written by Steve Kloves.
This film covers Chapters 1 through 23 of the book. In the wake of the death of Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his Death Eaters seize power over Hogwarts and the British Ministry of Magic. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) go on the run to begin the mission Dumbledore left for them: gather Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes and destroy them so that Voldemort can be killed once and for all. Now out on their own, the trio's friendship and faith will be tested as they face unprecedented evil and hardship as the Wizarding World of Britain falls apart - and as they become aware of a trinity of magical objects, the Deathly Hallows, which could hold the key to victory… for either them, or Voldemort…
The film was released on November 19, 2010 and followed eight months later by the Grand Finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
"You're lying, Dolores, and one must not trope lies."
- Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: The scene where Hermione talks about visiting the Forest of Dean with her parents when she was little.Hermione: Maybe we should just stay here, Harry...grow old.
- Actionized Adaptation:
- The Battle of the Seven Potters has been expanded in the film, including a chase between Hagrid and a Death Eater, taking place over a Muggle freeway, with cars and other vehicles being overturned or thrown at Harry and Hagrid. The chase continues through a tunnel, where Hagrid is upside-down as he drives along the tunnel ceiling, with Harry hanging from the sidecar, having to run across the roofs of the oncoming vehicles.
- A chase scene is added where the trio attempt to flee from the Snatchers after being found.
- Adaptational Consent: Several characters who were coerced to help Voldemort in the book instead do so either voluntarily, or by means other than coercion. Most notably Pius Thicknesse, who was under the Imperius curse in the book, and Gellert Grindelwald, who spills all the information about the Elder Wand immediately, whereas in the book Grindelwald flat out tells Voldemort that he has no intention of helping him and tells him he can go ahead and kill him if he likes, to which Voldemort obliges.
- Adaptational Context Change: The interrupted kiss in the book is a minor
Tear Jerker, as Ron intentionally breaks it up in anger (because he feels Harry is leading Ginny on by kissing her when he's broken up with her already). In the film it's played for comedy, with George walking in on them (and actually trying to keep quiet). - Adaptational Late Appearance: Due to their omission from the previous films, Bill Weasley and Mundungus Fletcher introduce themselves to Harry when they arrive at Privet Drive. This is also the first time Aberforth Dumbledore is mentioned and Harry says he never knew Dumbledore had a brother. In the books, Harry knows about Aberforth as early as the middle of Goblet of Fire.
- Adaptational Modesty: The "Magic Is Might" throne has a foundation of muggles on the bottom. In the book, it's briefly described as a mount of naked bodies "with rather stupid, ugly faces"; the ones in the movie are fewer and fully dressed.
- Adaptational Skimpiness:
- Hermione's dress for the wedding was lilac in the book and presented as a sweet She Cleans Up Nicely moment. In the film it's a red dress and Ron is seen gazing lustfully at her.
- The images of Harry and Hermione conjured up by the Horcrux are actually naked, as opposed to the book.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- Unlike his counterpart in the books, who was definitely under the Imperius Curse, Pius Thicknesse is implied to have joined the Death Eaters and Voldemort of his free will. However, he seems very tense compared to the other Death Eaters in the room, so it could be inferred that he may have been coerced into cooperating against his will, while not actually being under the Imperius Curse.
- In the book, Grindelwald refuses to tell Voldemort what the Elder Wand's location is, and Dumbledore and Harry later speculate this was some sort of final penance before his death. In the movie, he happily tells Voldemort where it is.
- Adaptation Expansion: The audience is shown Hermione modifying her parents memories' in the film, while in the book Hermione only mentions having wiped her parents' memories. Where Hermione and her family live is never confirmed in the books, just that her parents are rich, moreso than the middle-class Dursley family. Hermione's home in this film is in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London. There is a deleted scene where Yaxley arrives at the Grangers' house, only to find it empty due to Hermione's parents' modified memories.
- Adapted Out: This is the first and only Harry Potter film where Minerva McGonagall, Argus Filch, and Dean Thomas don't appear, not appearing until the chapters that are associated with Part 2.
- Artifact of Doom: The locket; the locket caused Harry and Ron's tempers to flare and tried to tempt Ron into killing Harry when it was opened by preying on his fears and jealousy.
- Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Of all of the many hundreds of Ministry of Magic workers the trio could have used for polyjuice potion, Hermione becomes a petite brunette, Harry becomes an average height guy with black hair, and Ron is, wait for it, a tall ginger. The trio are implied to have scouted the Ministry before going in and picked which people they were going to impersonate, though arguably the sensible thing to do would've been to find people who looked nothing like them.
- Ax-Crazy: Continuing from the last two movies, Bellatrix Lestrange, who gets a full-on torture scene with her on the giving end.
- Back for the Dead: Previous decisions over the years to keep him Adapted Out of previous films sort of make Dobby this from their perspective.
- Badass Boast: Dobby gives an epic one.Dobby: Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf.
- Bad Boss: The Snatchers lose more than they gain by subordinating themselves to the Death Eaters, whose local authority — Bellatrix — confiscates the spoils of Harry's capture and attacks them by way of reward.
- Bait-and-Switch: We see the back of a man with a long hair and a flowing black cape marching towards the Burrow while ominous music starts to play. The man strongly resembles Snape, assumed at that point to be Voldemort's right hand. No, it's not him, it's the Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.
- Beard of Evil: Since the film has Pius Thicknesse join Voldemort on his own volition, he obviously needs to look the part.
- Big Blackout: After the wand battle between Voldy and Harry during the Battle of the Seven Potters, Voldy became severely angry when Harry destroyed Lucius' wand he was using and at least two electric wire towers fell in Voldy's rage leading to the power going out all around the area as seen when they showed Harry and Hagrid escaping on the motorcycyle.
- A Birthday, Not a Break: Hermione remembers that it's Harry' birthday after the Power Trio has just escaped a Death Eater attack at Bill and Fleur's wedding.
- Bling-Bling-BANG!: Voldemort contemptuously snaps off the ornate silver handle of Lucius Malfoy's wand when he "borrows" it to use against Harry Potter.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: When the Death Eaters search the Hogwarts train, Cormac McLaggen stands up and throws Draco Malfoy's "My father will hear about this." at them.
- Breather Episode: This film notably takes a break from frantically trying to cram as much plot as it can into the movies, instead focusing on long, atmospheric shots of the characters and scenery. It really emphasizes how the Power Trio are now on their own.
- Brick Joke: After Ron leaves, Hermione ties her scarf to a tree just before she and Harry disapparate. They apparate back into the same location and run into a gang of Snatchers. The leader is wearing Hermione's scarf. It is also the same Snatcher who smelled her perfume while walking through the woods.
- Broken Heel: While rushing to aid Harry in Godric's Hollow, Hermione trips over a pile of books on the floor (ironically for her).
- The Cameo: Frances de la Tour returns for a quick one as Madame Maxime at Bill and Fleur's wedding.
- Chekhov's Gun: When the Power Trio is attacked in the café, Ron uses the deluminator to put out the lights. This is the light in the deluminator that he later uses to find Harry and Hermione when he wanted to come back to them.
- Cliffhanger: At the end, Voldemort obtains the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Bellatrix's torture of Hermione is far more barbaric than in the book, where she tortures Hermione with the Cruciatus Curse. In the film, she uses her knife to engrave the word "Mudblood" into her arm. Also, in the book Hermione ended up with a scar on her throat where Bellatrix started cutting her. In the film, she has scars on both her throat and arm.
- Continuity Nod:
- When Harry and Hermione arrive in Godric's Hollow, Hermione says she still thinks they should have used polyjuice potion. (In the book, they do use polyjuice potion, but in the film it's cheaper and more moving for the graveyard scene, to use the actual actors.)
- In the movie continuity, Harry didn't meet Bill until this movie, which is why Bill properly introduces himself here. (In the book, they first met in the fourth book.)
- Crapsack World: The World Half Empty version is shown when the Golden Trio are wandering through Britain; with Scenery Porn of beautiful yet cold and empty fields and highways, the scorched remains of a caravan park where the Death Eaters have struck, and their dark contrails overhead.
- Dance of Despair: Harry and Hermione dance a slow waltz to deal with their best friend Ron's disappearance.
- Dance of Romance: Subverted. Harry gets Hermione to dance with him just to cheer her up, but it's strictly platonic. The scene does hint that it could be heading that way - as it occurs after Ron leaves them thinking Hermione chose Harry - but nothing comes of it.
- Danger — Thin Ice: Harry is nearly drowned by the horcrux in Slytherin's locket when he breaks open a hole in a frozen pond in the Forest of Dean and jumps in to retrieve the inconveniently placed Sword of Gryffindor.
- Death Glare: Right before the six others transform into Harry, Mad-Eye Moody does this to one of the Weasley twins when the former states that Polyjuice Potion tastes like Goblin piss.You've had experience with that, Mad-Eye? (receives death glare) Just trying to defuse the situation.
- Decomposite Character: In the books, Ron interrupts Harry and Ginny's kiss, because he disapproves of Harry giving Ginny false hopes and then going on a Horcrux hunt. In the film that role is given to George.
- Demoted to Extra:
- Details of the Dursleys talking to Harry before leaving Privet Drive are omitted, and the Dursleys are briefly seen but without any spoken lines to Harry. Dudley does not show warmth towards Harry, nor does Petunia seem to. However, it had been filmed and is included as a deleted scene in the Blu-ray combo pack release.
- Viktor Krum, Gabrielle Delacour, Apolline Delacour, Monsieur Delacour and possibly Charlie Weasley are all present at the wedding, as they are in the book, but their roles are reduced to extras in the film. Olympe Maxime also attends the wedding in the film, whereas she was not said to have attended in the book.
- Did They or Didn't They?: Harry and Hermione. Part 1 builds up as much Will They or Won't They? tension as possible between two characters who are in love with other people, such as sharing a dance together in the tent and Hermione fondly caressing Harry's hair while telling him "Don't ever let me give you a haircut again". Notably, Hermione is close to having a Heroic BSoD at one point after a litany of setbacks (including Ron leaving) and muses to Harry about simply staying on the run together: "Maybe we should just stay here, Harry. Grow old." Then Part 2, with its coy references to Harry talking in his sleep, seems to invite the audience to ponder what's likely to happen between them when left alone for weeks thinking they're going to die.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dobby dies in Harry's arms at the end of the film.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation:
- Harry lets Hedwig go free before leaving Privet Drive, and she returns while Harry and Hagrid are being pursued. She then blocks a Killing Curse that a Death Eater cast at Harry, which gives him away during the Battle of the Seven Potters. In the book, Hedwig remains in her cage the whole time, eventually being killed by a stray curse. The give-away in the book is when Harry uses a Disarming Charm on Stan Shunpike, who was Adapted Out of the film.
- Dobby's death scene is longer and more dramatic in the film than in the book. In the book, he dies very shortly after arriving at Shell Cottage, only having enough life in him to mutter Harry's name one last time. In the film, he is able to talk to Harry properly, telling him that he is happy to be with his friends, and managing a weak smile before he dies. Also, Bellatrix stabs him in the book, while in the film, she just throws the knife after him.
- Diegetic Switch: "O'Children" starts out playing crackling on the radio, then fades into clear background music when Harry and Hermione start dancing.
- Diner Brawl: A fight scene in a cafe between Harry, Hermione and Ron on one side and two Death Eaters on the other side.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Three major ones:
- The effects the locket Horcrux has on Ron closely resembles a depressive episode. He gradually isolates himself from Harry and Hermione, starts thinking in black and white terms, and becomes much more irritable and angry. Hermione pointing out that Ron wouldn't be acting this way if he wasn't wearing the locket all day also alludes to how high stress can induce depression.
- The scene where Hermione is brutally interrogated by Bellatrix Lestrange. It happens offscreen in the book, but you get to see plenty of it in the film adaptation, and it strongly resembles rape.
- The Nazi-esque posters and pamphlets being printed from the same film. Another Nazi-esque bit of symbolism is Bellatrix carved Hermione's arm with "Mudblood", which is reminiscent of the serial numbers tattooed onto the forearms of interns in concentration camps.
- Downer Ending: Although our heroes have escaped from Malfoy Manor, they are broken by the setback (especially poor Hermione, who was brutally interrogated by Bellatrix) and Dobby is dead. Also, to top it all off, Voldemort has found the Elder Wand, which apparently guarantees that Voldemort will triumph over Harry and his friends. Oh, and the Ministry of Magic is still under the control of the Death Eaters.
- Double Vision: The scene "The Seven Potters", when seven identical Potters are created, using Polyjuice Potion.
- Driving Up a Wall: During the "rescue Harry from Privet Drive" sequence, as Hagrid and Harry are being pursued by Death Eaters, Hagrid briefly drives his motorcycle onto the roof of a tunnel.
- Dying Candle: During the story of the Three Brothers, the eldest brother is killed in his sleep, as the nearby candle is snuffed out.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: Dobby is killed by Bellatrix with a knife while Disapparating to get the gang to safety.
- Early-Bird Cameo: When Pius Thicknesse is shown taking charge of the Ministry, both Mafalda and Runcorn can be seen among the employees with him and Umbridge - while Reg Cattermole can be seen in the crowd listening. This foreshadows the trio impersonating them later when they infiltrate the Ministry.
- Eat the Camera: Voldemort kills Charity Burbage, a professor at Hogwarts whom he considered repugnant for supporting Muggles. He tells his huge pet snake: "Nagini, dinner," and she slithers across the table, until the camera enters her mouth as she starts devouring Burbage's corpse.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Hermione gets one while she's cutting Harry's hair.
- Even Evil Has Standards: As Nagini is about to eat Charity Burbage's corpse, you can see a few Death Eaters are visibly terrified, although more vicious Death Eaters like Bellatrix and Dolohov seem fascinated instead.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: The trio's hair is shown growing longer as they spend more time on the run. Harry gets a haircut from Hermione midway through, but the other two are quite shaggy.
- Eyedscreen: The first film begins with this view of a pair of eyes telling the audience that these are dark times. The eyes are then revealed to belong to Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic.
- Fanservice: The nude kissing scene created by the Horcrux showing Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Hermione is this to male and female fans alike. Especially to the fans who like shipping the characters together even if those are just visions and not the characters themselves. There's also Harry in his underwear diving into a pool of water.
- Fascinating Eyebrow: Emma Watson finally managed control over her infamous overacting eyebrows to be able to just raise one to punctuate the joke of Ron trying to win Hermione over by "voting" for her idea to see Xenophilius Lovegood.
- Faux Affably Evil: Voldemort has shades of this, during the meeting at Malfoy Manor.
- Follow the White Rabbit: The doe Patronus.
- Foreshadowing: Harry thinks that there might be a Horcrux made in Godric's Hollow.
- During the "Tale of the Three Brothers" segment, the Elder Wand resembles Dumbledore's Wand.
- Glasses Curiosity: Six other characters have to turn into Harry and consequently also have to wear his glasses. Hermione puts on a pair of Harry's glasses before transforming. Once she sees how much they adjust her eyesight, she criticizes his.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Inverted and played straight with the discovery of Bathilda Bagshot's body in Deathly Hallows – Part 1. While you don't see her body, as it is being used by Nagini like a suit, the indication that Bagshot was brutally murdered is the rather large and gruesome pool of blood dripping from the ceiling of her house.
- Gotta Catch Them All: Part of the Trio's quest involves gathering the Hallows.
- Gotta Kill Them All: ...and the other part involves destroying all of Voldemort's Horcruxes...
- Green-Eyed Monster: The locket turns Ron into this by inflaming his insecurity about his relationship to Hermione, which sparks jealousy over her appearing to dote on Harry. Part of his motivation for abandoning them is seeing them coming back from the close call with the Snatchers and thinking they've been doing... something else.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: The snatchers fail to confiscate Ron's Deluminator and Harry's piece of mirror, despite the fact that one is a magical device and the other a potential weapon. Perhaps justified in that the wizarding world tends to focus on spells and wands, rather than the vast number of different weapons that Muggles use.
- Hammerspace: Hermione's bag. Justified by the 'Undetectable Extension Charm' she placed on it, mentioned in both book and film.
- Headphones Equal Isolation: The waitress at the diner is in the kitchen with her back turned and headphones playing music on, and doesn't hear the loud and destructive wand battle between the Trio and a pair of Death Eaters.
- Heaven Above: Death, as he appears in The Tale of Three Brothers, sports a pair of wings which he can use to bring his victims up into the afterlife.
- Hippie Parents: Xenophilius Lovegood has this aesthetic.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: What ultimately drives Ron to destroy the locket is the soul fragment presenting itself as Harry and Hermione mocking him and then making out, the very thing it was driving him to think was happening earlier on.
- Hotter and Sexier: Two scenes in the film — Ginny and Harry in the Burrow and the Horcrux's vision of Harry and Hermione — are more fanservice-y than the books described.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Scabior, the head Snatcher. After he captures Hermione, calls her "My lovely" and sniffs her hair. The actor Nick Moran told Entertainment Weekly that they cut out his line: "You're going to be my favourite."
- Insistent Terminology: When Dobby refers to Mundungus Fletcher as a thief, he insists that he is instead a "purveyor of rare and wondrous objects."
- Infodump: Scene Two, when Bill Weasley introduces himself, his injury from Grayback and his impending wedding, as well as Tonks and Lupin already being married. Partly justified, in the sheer number of subplots left to die in the previous movies. Particularly notable because none of those characters pop up again during that specific film.
- Ironic Echo: Harry taunts Umbridge with the very phrase she forced him to carve into his own hand during his detentions/tortures in Order of the Phoenix.You're lying, Dolores. And one mustn't tell lies.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Kreacher, after capturing Mundungus, pretty much used this trope to force him to reveal to whom he sold Slytherin's Locket, and then (although by accident rather than deliberately, due to the shock of the revelation of who he sold it to) scalded him.
- Lame Pun Reaction: Never mind the fact that his brother just had his ear cut off; Fred is disgusted beyond belief that, with the world of ear-related humour before him, George went with holey. This may also be a Stealth Pun on St George, patron saint of England.
- Lampshade Hanging: When they arrive in Godric's Hollow, Hermione says they should have used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves. They did do this in the book, but in the film it would clearly detract from the emotion of the scene to have different actors standing in for them.
- "Leave Your Quest" Test: Depressed after Ron walks out on them and Voldemort's forces are all-powerful, Hermione suggests that she and Harry just stay hidden by the river where they're camped out and grow old together. It's doubtful she's serious, but it's a telling moment for this normally driven character.
- Marveling at the MacGuffin: Having spent most of Part 1 searching for the Elder Wand, interrogating and killing his way through numerous side characters in the background, Voldemort breaks into Dumbledore's tomb to find the Wand in the finale. Silently glorying in his ownership of the legendary artefact, he hoists the Wand high in the air and sends a blast of magic crackling into the night... and then the film ends.
- Medium Blending: An animated segment for "The Tale of the Three Brothers", the legendary story of the Deathly Hallows. It's CGI that looks like the cut-out animation style Lotte Reiniger created for The Adventures of Prince Achmed.
- Mugged for Disguise: During their infiltration of the Ministry, they stunned three Ministry workers to become them. In the end, one of them came back.
- Musical Spoiler: Whenever the Slytherin locket is influencing someone's behavior, there is a characteristic, high-pitched noise. The noise appears when Harry talks to Bathilda Bagshot in her home, hinting early that she is in fact Nagini.
- Nightmarish Nursery: When Harry and Hermione are visiting Godric's Hollow, Harry finds himself alone with Bathilda Bagshot (actually Nagini impersonating her); before long, the snake reveals herself and tackles Harry through a wall into a nursery. The bright ceiling light and colourful toys make a jarring contrast to the nightmarish snake trying to constrict the life out of Harry.
- Non-Answer: During the Death Eater meeting where Voldemort and his followers are discussing where and how to dispose of Harry Potter, the Dark Lord asks Pius Thicknesse, a member of the Ministry of Magic who is collaborating with them, his opinion. Voldemort even lampshades it.Pius Thicknesse: One hears many things, my lord. Whether the truth is among them, is not clear.
Voldemort: Spoken like a true politician! I think you'll prove most useful to us. - Oblivious Janitor Cut: While the hero trio is attacked at the diner, the waiter/cook is in the kitchen, blithely listening to music on her headphones.
- Offhand Backhand: While escaping from the Ministry, Ron successfully disarms Yaxley without looking at him.
- Perma-Stubble
- Harry gets one while wandering around, away from civilization, for weeks at a time. At one point, we see Hermione cutting his hair (manually, with a pair of scissors), so he may also have shaving equipment that, because of his circumstances, he can't use daily. Or maybe Daniel Radcliffe didn't want to grow his facial hair out further, but the director wanted another visual indicator of Harry's "on the run" status.
- Lucius Malfoy from both Hallows films, his dishevelment symbolizing how far he's fallen from Voldemort's graces.
- Pet-sonal Security: In a tragic example that was added to the film but wasn't present in the books, Hedwig is released for her to fly off and avoid the Battle of Seven Potters, named because six other people took Polyjuice potion to transform into copies of Harry to confuse the Death Eaters. However, when Death Eaters close in on the real Harry, she comes back and attacks a Death Eater to interrupt his spell. Unfortunately, this exposes the real Harry, as when the Death eater casted a Killing Curse, Hedwig intercepted it.
- P.O.V. Cam: As Harry is dragged out of the frozen pond.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: In the book, Harry at the wedding and him and Hermione in Godric's Hollow use Polyjuice Potion to take on the appearance of other people, as they do in the Ministry in both the book and the film. In the film, however, they appear as themselves. This is more effective, particularly in the case of the latter scene, as the visit to his parents' grave is a very emotional scene for Harry, and it wouldn't quite be the same with a balding, middle-aged man in place of Daniel Radcliffe.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: As his polyjuice potion off of Mr. Runcorn wears off and with barely contained fury towards the object of his distemper, Harry invokes Dolores Umbridge's hypocrisy relating to her punishments at Hogwarts before nailing her in the face with a Stunning spell.Harry-as-Runcorn: You're lying, Dolores. And one mustn't tell lies.
- Properly Paranoid: Hermione modifying her parents' memories and sending them under assumed identities to Australia turned out to be a wise precaution: a deleted scene
from Part 1 shows that a Death Eater party led by Yaxley went to the Grangers' home searching for them. - Removed from the Picture: Hermione does this to herself when she wipes her parents' memories of her.
- Sacrificial Lion:
- Mad-Eye Moody and Hedwig are the first casualties of the film. Mad-Eye's death proves that not even the toughest of the heroes are safe, and like in the book, Hedwig's death represents the end of Harry's childhood for good.
- Dobby, though to a lesser extent than in the book. In the book, his death convinces Harry to focus on the Horcruxes over the Hallows. Meanwhile in the film, while his death is no less tragic, there's no mention of this epiphany taking place.
- Schrödinger's Cast: Peter Pettigrew's death is omitted. He doesn't return in Part 2, and it's never mentioned if he dies. Also a case of Karma Houdini.
- Shoot the Dog: At the start, before the crew are about to fly off, Harry lets Hedwig go. She comes back and attacks one of the Death Eaters chasing Harry during the Battle for Little Whinging, and ends up taking a Killing Curse.
- Sleep Cute: Ron and Hermione are asleep next to each other, with their hands lying so they appear to be reaching out for each other. Given a horrifying echo in Part II when Remus and Tonks' bodies are laid out in the exact same way.
- Sneaky Departure: Harry tries to make one from the Burrow until Ron talks some sense into him.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Somewhat subverted with Hedwig. Readers of the book would get a bit of a Hope Spot by watching Harry release her from her cage before parting rather than keeping her with him. As in the book she dies when a stray curse hits her while Harry holds her cage with him they would assume the movie decided to spare her life. But then she shows up minutes later in the middle of the fight with the Death Eaters to save Harry from a killing curse by taking it for him.
- Non-fatal variation. The waitress gets stunned in the fight in the café, along with the Death Eaters. In the film she misses the fight and is told to run off by Hermione upon returning to find the place in ruins.
- Gellert Grindelwald. Voldemort just teleports away as opposed to killing him in the book.
- Wormtail is stunned by Dobby when he comes down to the cellars (while saying "Ow" before fainting), instead of strangled by his own hand. He does not appear in Part 2, however, which has led to the belief that Voldemort may have killed him off-screen.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: In a deleted scene from Hallows, Part 1, Arthur Weasley echoes Ron's comment that Yaxley should try an umbrella if it's raining in his office.
- Take That!: Among the list of witches and wizards who have died to Voldemort's regime that is being read out on the radio, one of them is named "Ebony Way", in reference to the protagonist of the infamous Harry Potter fanfiction My Immortal.
- Tension-Defusing Joke: As the Order of the Phoenix prepare to transform into decoys of Harry before escorting him out of Privet Drive, a dangerous mission that could get them killed, Mad-Eye Moody warns that the Polyjuice Potion they're about to drink "tastes like goblin piss". Fred Weasley quips, "Have lots of experience with that, do you, Mad-Eye?", then responds to Mad-Eye's Death Glare with a casual, "Just trying to defuse the tension!"
- Toilet Humour: Mad-Eye's comment about Polyjuice Potion, in the Seven Harrys scene.Mad-Eye: For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning, it tastes like goblin piss.
- Took a Level in Badass: Ron takes a small but noticeable level between Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows – Part 1, possibly in response to some fans criticising how he was made into a bit too much of a comic relief in the previous six movies. In Hallows he becomes a more mature and reliable sidekick, and some of his greatest moments in the last two movies even have him acting more confident and determined than in the books. After destroying the locket in the book, Ron is understandably upset and is comforted by Harry, while in the film he's rather upbeat about it, and casually quips that there are now "only three to go!"
- Toy-Based Characterization: As he is about to leave Privet Drive forever, Harry revisits the toy soldiers that he played with in the first film, showing that, despite his sad childhood there, he feels strange to be leaving that part of his life behind.
- Villainous Breakdown: After being deprived of a wand, Lucius Malfoy is prone to snapping at lowly grunts that disrespect him and his hands seems to be glued to a glass of wine.
- Whip of Dominance: In the first part of the finale, Bellatrix Lestrange starts violently attacking a bunch of Snatchers with a whip conjured from her wand, just to punish them for not giving them the Golden Trio's wands as she ordered. For bonus points, Bellatrix is Dressed Like a Dominatrix with her tight black leather dress. Notably in the books, she simply punished them via a stunning spell, making it clear this adaptation gave her a whip just for the dominatrix/sadism aesthetic.
- Wrong Insult Offence: When the villainous Bellatrix says that the heroic Dobby nearly killed her by saving his friends:Dobby: Dobby never meant to kill. Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure.
- Zip Me Up: Ginny to Harry.