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Chapter Twenty-Four
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Choices, Redemption, and Morality
Grief and Coming of Age
Knowledge and Power
Mortality and Sacrifice
Friendship, Community, and Resistance
Summary
Analysis
Harry is shaken by his choice to not get the Elder Wand before Voldemort. Ron continually voices all of Harry's doubts, while Hermione supports Harry's choice and believes the Elder Wand is evil. Harry fears that he didn't understand what Dumbledore wanted and Ron continues to wonder if Dumbledore isn't actually dead. While they argue about this one afternoon, Fleur tells Harry that Griphook wants to speak with him. Griphook says he'll help Harry in return for the sword of Gryffindor. Griphook becomes angry when Ron says he can choose something else from the Lestranges' vault, and insists that the sword belongs to goblins—Gryffindor stole it. The trio excuse themselves to confer. Hermione admits it's possible that the sword was stolen, though Ron says that goblins just want to blame wizards. Ron suggests they double-cross Griphook and Hermione chastises him.
Discovering that Godric Gryffindor might have stolen the sword from goblins shows that pretty much all historical figures aren't entirely good or entirely bad: Harry has idolized Godric Gryffindor for years and has constructed his identity around being a brave Gryffindor, just like the House founder. Understanding this nuance, however, will help Harry learn to read between the lines and make decisions based on more than just what feels good to believe—though part of this is indeed choosing what to believe, and choosing to believe that Gryffindor was good can, in turn, help Harry feel more righteous and brave.
Themes
Harry suggests that they agree to give Griphook the sword, but be intentionally vague on when they'll hand it over. Hermione hates it, but they all agree and Griphook does too. They begin planning immediately and plan for weeks. Bill and Fleur don't ask questions. Harry soon realizes that he dislikes Griphook. Griphook seems bloodthirsty and is rude to Fleur. Harry apologizes to Fleur one evening, but she brushes this aside and says that things will be easier once Ollivander leaves later. Harry says that he'll be leaving soon too, which shocks Fleur. Dean and Luna burst in, interrupting the awkward moment.
That Griphook is an unpleasant person to be around impresses upon Harry the necessity of maintaining good relationships with everyone in his community in pursuit of a noble goal: they can't break into Gringotts without Griphook and, given how wizards have historically treated goblins, Harry also likely feels compelled to do better than his forebears.
Themes
Bill helps Ollivander down the stairs. He bids Luna goodbye and agrees to take Auntie Muriel's tiara, which Fleur borrowed for her wedding, back to Muriel. Fleur shows the tiara to Ollivander and Griphook sees that it's goblin-made. Bill insists that wizards paid for it as he leads Ollivander away. Bill returns not long after, and Luna pipes up that Xenophilius is making a crown modeled off of the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. She's interrupted when they hear a knock. Lupin announces himself and, when Bill lets him in, he shouts that Tonks just gave birth to a baby boy. He asks Harry to be the godfather to baby Teddy as Bill fetches wine. Except for Griphook, they all celebrate until Lupin leaves.
Asking Harry to be Teddy's godfather again shows how Harry's wider community can most effectively draw him in and make him official parts of their family. With this, Harry also continues to come of age as he switches his focus to Teddy's new life, rather than dwelling on what Dumbledore's life was like. In this way, Harry can pay what he learned from Dumbledore forward, while also further cementing himself in his community.
Themes
Bill asks Harry for a private word and says he knows Harry is planning something with Griphook, and if there's any treasure involved, Harry needs to be careful. Bill explains that some goblins believe that humans don't respect goblin ownership, and they think that when humans keep goblin-made objects for generations, they're stealing. They believe that the item should be returned to goblins after the purchaser dies. He says it's safer to break into Gringotts than double-cross a goblin. Harry thinks he's going to be just as reckless of a godfather as Sirius was.
It's telling that Harry does now conceptualize Sirius as a reckless godfather, given how much he idolized Sirius in earlier novels. This represents a major turning point for Harry, as it suggests that he's becoming more comfortable with looking critically at the adults in his life and evaluating how they succeed and how they fail to parent him as he moves forward into adulthood himself.
Themes
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