SPELL CAST

19 Nov

FIRST FEATURE
SPELL CAST
After six films and seven books, you should know by now that The Boy Who Lived is an orphan.
November 19, 2010
 
 

Harry Potter, the titular hero from the Harry Potter franchise, is a sympathetic kid gifted with great power, and one whose life is always in mortal danger from Lord Voldemort, the ultimate evil in the wizarding world.

But Harry knows he’s not alone.

Over the years, he’s racked up an extended family who will always be there for him and stand alongside him in times of trouble.

Each passing film gives us deeper insight into our favourite characters and also introduces new figures in the ever-growing Harry Potter universe.

Potter-head JOANNE SOH brings you up to speed on who’s who in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as we prepare for the journey’s end.

DOBBY & KREACHER

Kreacher (voiced by Simon McBurney), the cranky, foul-mouthed house elf – who served the Black household and was left to Harry upon the death of the latter’s godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix – detests Harry and his friends, but becomes an invaluable ally and helps Harry find a Horcrux.

Another house elf Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones) – whom Harry freed from the cruel Malfoy family in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets – continues to be Harry’s ever-devoted protector. Dobby comes to his rescue when Harry and company are captured by the Death Eaters, but makes a huge sacrifice in the process.

THE WEASLEYS

Never has a family whose association with Harry undergone so much tribulation.

We saw how their home got razed to the ground in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.

This time, the eldest Weasley kid Bill (Domhnall Gleeson) sees his wedding to Fleur Delacour (Clemence Poesy) – the French representative of Beauxbatons Academy Of Magic in the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire – interrupted by the Death Eaters.

Twins Fred and George (James and Oliver Phelps) also didn’t fare too well. Early into the film, George has his ear cursed off by Snape in battle. As for Fred, you’ll have to wait until Part 2 to find out his fate.

HARRY POTTER, RON WEASLEY AND HERMIONE GRANGER

The end is inching closer for the Chosen One.

Out of the comfort and safety of his beloved Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is now on the run from Voldemort and his lackeys as he seeks to destroy the Dark Lord’s secret to immortality – the Horcruxes.

His quest also leads him to the mysterious Deathly Hallows: An invincible Elder Wand, a Resurrecting Stone and an Invisibility Cloak.

Being Harry’s inseparable best pals, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) also find themselves in mortal danger and their friendship is put to the test.

XENOPHILIUS LOVEGOOD

He is the wacky publisher of The Quibbler, one of the very few pro-Harry news organisations, and father of Harry’s schoolmate Luna (Evanna Lynch).

Harry meets Mr Lovegood (Rhys Ifans) at Bill’s wedding and learns from him that the Deathly Hallows are more than just a wizarding child’s bedtime story.

RUFUS SCRIMGEOUR

The upper echelons in the Ministry Of Magic are definitely not faring too well in these dark times when evil roams freely.

The film kicks off with Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy), the new Minister of Magic who relays Dumbledore’s inheritance to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

However, he refuses to relinquish the Sword Of Gryffindor, citing it’s a vital historical artefact and a property of Hogwarts, thus it’s not Dumbledore’s to give.

BELLATRIX LESTRANGE

This bloodthirsty witch with the crazed eyes and wild hair calls herself the most loyal of all Voldemort’s servants.

Not only does she inadvertently reveal a vital clue to the location of another of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, she also tortures Hermione for information and fatally injures one of Harry’s key allies.

THE MALFOYS

The pompous and aristocratic Malfoys – father Lucius (Jason Isaacs), mother Narcissa (Helen McCrory) and son Draco (Tom Felton) – are now at the mercy of Voldemort, having deemed unfaithful as a result of Draco’s failed attempt to kill Dumbledore in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.

Fearing for Draco’s life, Lucius offers his mansion to serve as Voldemort’s headquarters and is also rendered powerless after being forced to give up his wand.

LORD VOLDEMORT

He Who Must Not Be Named (Ralph Fiennes) is no longer hiding in the shadows – he has even wrestled control of the Ministry Of Magic.

While his henchmen, the Death Eaters, search for his teen nemesis, Voldemort violently seeks to find a wand that won’t backfire on him when he next duels with Harry.

The wand in question is the hallowed Elder Wand, said to allow the owner to conquer death.

SEVERUS SNAPE

Snape (Alan Rickman), having killed Dumbledore, is now Voldemort’s right-hand man.

He is instrumental in the film’s opening attack on Harry, having snitched on how the members of the Order Of The Phoenix plan to move Harry from his uncle’s place in Privet Drive to the Weasleys’ home.

So did Dumbledore really put his trust in the wrong guy? Or is Snape a double agent who’s merely acting out Dumbledore’s plan?

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Though he was murdered in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) continues to be the somewhat cryptic mentor to Harry and his friends, having left behind several precious items in his will for the trio: The Deluminator for Ron, a copy of The Tales Of Beetle The Bard for Hermione and a Snitch and the Sword Of Gryffindor for Harry.

Harry also finds out more about Dumbledore’s family history posthumously and learns that the wise wizard may not be so infallible after all.

 

The NewPaper

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