The American cover of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix pictures the mysterious circular room leading to the Department of Mysteries, where the climax of the book takes place. The cover of the American edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince pictures Dumbledore and Harry around Dumbledore’s pensieve, where we learn so much about the Voldemort and the mystery surrounding Harry (what we call here the Septology Mystery).
We finally now have images of the covers of the American and British versions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and if these covers are anything like previous Harry Potter book covers have been, these new covers potentially tell us a lot of what is going to happen in Book 7. (Click on the images on this page to see much larger versions.)
On the Children’s edition British cover, we see Ron, Harry and Hermione, apparently fighting a fierce battle together, surrounded by bright shiny objects. Ron, not Harry, is wielding a ruby-decorated sword. The Adult edition of the British cover shows Slytherin’s locket.
[Turns out, it’s not Ron holding the sword… See the comments… -DH]
Are the bright and shiny objects in the foreground of the British cover the items they are searching through to find the horcruxes? Is a horcrux or two perhaps pictured there among the treasures? Why is Ron wielding the sword, not Harry? Ron is obviously scared, Harry looks determined, and Hermione seems to be fleeing. And, there are wounds on both Hermione and Harry’s arms. Are they winning this battle, or losing?
And the picture of Slytherin’s locket. Is this the one Harry and Dumbledore found in cave? Or is the “real” one, whereabouts still unknown, although suspected presently stolen from 12 Grimauld Place by Mundungus?
The American cover is at once more understated than the British cover, and more ominous. The artwork for the full cover, which will comprise the front and back covers of the book, shows Harry and Voldemort, not locked in combat, but both seemingly reaching out for the same thing, which we cannot see. And they appear to be in an outdoor amphitheatre, with people in the background looking on. There are also curtains, and wooden ruins in the foreground.
What are Harry and Voldemort reaching for on the American cover? Are they both trying to accio something?
On first glance, Voldemort and Harry seem to be doing the same thing, reaching upwards. But, a second look shows Harry’s hand in a receptive position, while Voldemort’s hand is in the position of pushing something away. Is Harry possibly accio’ing something, something that could spell Voldemort’s doom, and Voldemort is trying to push it away and prevent Harry from getting it?
And what about the curtains and wooden ruins? Is this the stage of the amphitheatre they seem to be in? Did their battle start there, and destroy the stage? Or was it destroyed before they met there? And where could this amphitheatre possibly be, and why does Harry and Voldemort’s showdown apparently take place there? Is this the hallowed ground that the title refers to?
The inner flaps of the British cover contain these notes about the story:
Harry is waiting at Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing — if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him with?
Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him…
Interesting. The story starts again at Privet Drive, and the Order of the Phoenix is helping protect Harry against Voldemort and his supporters. Does this mean Voldemort knows about Harry’s search for the horcruxes and is trying to get to Harry before Harry can destroy them all?
The notes also mention Dumbledore as being in the past. Is this a clue that he is truly dead?
EXCITING UPDATE!
New Deluxe Edition cover art contains new clues!
On June 8, Scholastic editor Arthur Levine revealed the special edition cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the Today show on NBC TV.
Mr. Levine said this image is one of his favorite scenes in the book and he specifically asked that it be the image of the deluxe cover. The new image shows our heroes, Harry, Hermione and Ron, riding a flying dragon! Wow! Is this a tame dragon? Wonder where that came from!
There is a small town below them, which is situated on a river. From the river we can be sure that this is not Hogsmeade. Does that mean that this town is Godric’s Hollow?
Looking closely at the dragon, hold on a minute. It’s got a grey beard! We’ve always assumed that the recurring theme with Dumbledore related to fire associated him with the phoenix, but dragons breathe fire! Is it possible that this Dragon is related to Dumbledore, or could possibly be Dumbledore, himself?
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Wow, the covers of both books are amazing and packed full of detail! The U.K. cover has them bursting into/out of a treasue chamber of some kind. I can see armour as well as jewels and I think the fact that Ron brandishing a sword means that his friends will be fighting with him.
I noticed Harry is wearing what looks like a locket in the U.S. version, either the one from the cave ‘liberated’ by Sirius’ brother, but it could be Slytherin’s.
Not a wand in sight… interesting.
Excellent, Marjorie! I didn’t notice that. I think it’s a good bet that’s a locket (the locket?) around Harry’s neck!
Ron is not holding the sword. It is a house elf on Harry’s shoulder.
Omigosh! You’re absolutely right! There is a house-elf behind harry, holding onto his shoulder with his right hand and wielding the sword with his left!
There is a house-elf involved in the climax of the story? Which one? Since JK said there are no new characters in Deathly Hallows, is it Dobby? Winky? Or, even weirder, is it Kreacher? Harry’s still his master, after all…
i think the order of the phoenix is possibly coming to escort harry because if you will remember the spells and enchantments protecting harry until the age of 17 are now gone right? so that means that voldemort would be able to go there and find harry.
I agree that the American version is not as detailed as the UK version. I believe the house elf is dobby or more likely kreacher. And it is true the comment about Dumbledore is pass tense, but i believe that it is a reference to Dumbledore being done with guiding Harry to his ultimate destination, not a comment to him truly being dead…
Yes…book covers YAY!
So, we know by the inserts, that the book starts at Privet Drive with Harry going back one final time, and that he is once again being taken away by the Order. We know that the sword (presumably the Gryffindor sword) is used by one of the house elfs, and that Harry goes straight from The Burrow into looking for the Horcrux. Also, that Ron and Hermione do indeed seem to be with him for a ways, but perhaps not all the time? As Harry is alone yet again with Voldemort on one of the covers.
In the British Edition, right below Harry, there appears to be fawkes in the reflection of the armor, and there is another piece there with a dragon on it.
one thing i am wondering… is this possibly godric gryffindor’s sword that the house elf is holding?
just one more thing i notice… in other book covers you can always see harry’s scar… i dont see it on the american version.
Interesting! There is definitely a scar in the British picture, though…
I can’t believe all the things everyone has found, this is so incredible. I was just looking at the UK childrens cover, and on the helmet under harry, it looks like a griffin, which was known to protect treasure. I think that this is Dumbledores vault in gringotts, and i think that he was an heir to griffindor. I know griffindor’s symbol is a lion, but a griffin is an eagle and a lion, so maybe that is a clue, though i dont know what it could be. As for the chest plate, i dont know what that is because it looks like a snake with a beak. Maybe thats all armour from all four houses mixed together, but thats a long shot.
As for the US cover, i was thinking what if Harry and Voldemort went through the veil, and Harry is summoning his family, and all the people that love him, or that died at the mercy of voldemort, and the power of love is coming to help him finish off voldemort and kill him for good, his one main fear?
Obviously these are just guesses, but theyre worth a shot!
No, I don’t think it can be a Quidditch stadium. It looks more like a stage, with the curtains. But here’s an idea though. Could the curtains on the sides be the curtains to whatever is beyond the veil, which has been opened?
Sorry everybody, but if you see closely, the american version DOES NOT have a scar, what might look like it is a strand of hair on top of his nose, the scar should be above his right eye (our left side) as it is on the UK cover.
Rickie from Illinois…Yes, I do see see a face and then some. Look directly under the face, do you see another one? (looking out at us) there are a couple more partial faces concealed within his clothing and in Voldemort’s as well. Look in Voldemort’s sleeve. There are two faces there.
Anyone else see them? Pull the picture up full screen and look closely. The thing around Harry’s neck kind of looks like it is wearing armor (a helmet)or a Native American headress (can’t decide)
or…maybe I’m over analyzing again.
The Adult UK version it seans to me that the locket is placed on coal (burnt wood).
If you look at a close up of the british children’s cover, the house-elf is obviously Dobby. Just look at the pointy ears! also, Ron looks like he is so scared that he is fleeing. Harry looks determined, and it looks like fire reflected in his glasses. and you know the dragon: it looks like baby norbert and is clutching an egg.
“If you look for something hard enough, you may well find it” (Even if it’s not there).
As someone in Australia posted earlier, we’ll just have to wait and see what (if anything) the jacket artwork signifies.
Patty from Quincy,
Expeliarmus should affect the sword as �expel� is to drive or force out or away, and �armus� refers to arms (weapons) and a sword is definitely a weapon.
Herv� from Strasbourg,
The beast on the helmet cannot be a Griffin as they are supposed to have the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, I can�t find any feathers in the head or wings and those are definitely not the hid quarters of a lion, and the back has spikes, which are not found in either an eagle nor a lion.
Kyle from Kearney,
The object looks more like a vase than a cup and Hermione does not seem to be reaching for it, but for something elese.
Rickie from Illinois,
You are absolutely right, there is a face in the �amulet� hanging from Harry�s neck in the American cover.
thanks emilio i thought i was just blind because i have been looking and looking at it and i just can not see a scar on the cover of the american version. and also i see something on the bag around harry’s neck. i dont see a face but what looks like eyes maybe im just missing the face part.
The Dementors are ‘breeding’. It causes fog. Is that what we see from the forbidden forest with the Hogwart’s door open.. and hence the patronus inside the cover?
It might be Dobby’s ear… look at the house elf ears on the back of British, Kid’s OOP…they are simply different.
Tracy, I can see the face under the one on Harry’s pouch, But I do not see any on Voldermort’s sleeves.
Maybe this is just JK’s way of giving us something to do until the book comes out!
I was just reading HBP and a certain passage struck me in relation to the US cover art of DH:
“But he understood at last what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him. It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew – and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents – that there was all the difference in the world.” (HBP 512)
I think maybe this could hold some (hopefully good) foreshadowing as to what happens when Harry faces Voldemort in DH.
there are so many questions you account for in this book. The ones that the cover allude to are simultaneously high and low in the pecking order. One thing that immediately sprang to mind is that kreacher is like an instant messenger service for harry. All harry has to say is kreacher’s name and he is honour bound to serve him. You cannot apparate inside hogwarts unless you are a house elf. So if harry needed griffindors sword from hogwarts then the quickest way would be to send kreacher. I’d also wager that any anti apparition charm in situ in this treasure room would not negate the ability of house elfs because and i quote “they have their own brand of magic”.
The english cover also made me ask the question what did Lily and James do to leave harry with so much money? It is a lingering half question which i think may have some significance.
Ron and hermione are wearing flashy robes? Could they have eloped? Certainly fits with mr and mrs weasley’s marriage pattern which got a rowling-esque fleeting mention in previous book.
The arch coupled with the curtain in the american version definitely make compelling death room connections. Orange sky? Either dusk or dawn. End or beginning. Probably both.
The whomping willow and the full moon on the british cover are obviously connected to werewolves specifically lupin. Probably a faceoff involving lupin seeking retribution from pettigrew. Pettigrew really seems to be lupins battle. Harry will be present however because before pettigrew meets his no doubt grisly end he will need to share the secret of lily and james’ location so harry can find them. Thus fulfilling dumbledores prediction that harry will some day be happy that he had spared pettigrew’s life.
All in all i think that these covers are a veritable glut of information and teasers. To date i think it is probably the most revealing cover.
Roll on july!
The creature on the front of the armor looks like a snake with a beak, so I searched online and the closest I could find was on Wikipedia — a cockatrice. We hear Hermione mention one in GOF when she says that one got loose at a Tri-wizard tournament, but that is all we have heard. The short definition is “a legendary monster with a deadly glance, supposedly hatched by a serpent from the egg of a cock, and commonly represented with the head, legs, and wings of a cock and the body and tail of a serpent.”
The cockatrice is very similar to the basilisk and sometimes they are considered the same creature, but obviously Rowling thinks they are two separate creatures because she names them both. IF the creature is a cockatrice, then Ron’s foot could be covering the wing joint, leaving it unclear whether or not it has wings. Also very interesting… Wikipedia says “the weasel is the only animal that is immune to the glance of a cockatrice.” Could this be what Ron is seeing that has him so scared? I hope not, the cockatrice is said to turn anyone who looks at it into stone!
I still don’t know what would be so significant about a cockatrice though. There is a picture on Wikipedia.com of a cockatrice if you are interested.
Emilio, I agree with where the scar should be, but Mary Grandpre has never drawn it over the right eye. She has always placed it directly between his eyebrows or slightly above. She also usually shows Harry holding his wand with his left hand instead of his right and she shows Dumbledore’s right hand in perfect health on the cover of HBP. I can’t really see a scar there either, but I think that may have been on purpose. Maybe it isn’t and we are supposed to think it is just hidden, or maybe it is there, but with all the speculation going on about the scar, she decided to hide it to leave us free to speculate.
Hey guys, if you look closely in on the reflection in harry’s glasses, you can actually see another eye reflecting on the left lens. There also seems to be a jet of fire being reflected, so my guess would be its a dragon, with the whole gringotts angle, but then why does harry seem do interested and curious rather than scared like ron and hermione?
the curtain must be the set of curtain that was mentioned in the Order of The phoenix…the one in the ministry of magic where sirius black was killed…it must be the set of curtain separating this side and on the “other” side…where the dead are…lily potter, james potter and sirius black….thats just my conjecture
i also can the see the face quite clearly on harrys pouch in the US cover, its wearing glasses, and it looks like its the face of a man. was it drawn on purpose or do you think its just for the fun of it?
It could be that in the US version Harry is trying to grab something, if you look at the curtain it looks like a cup, could it be that he is summoning some cup that will aid him in some way?
If you look the left curtain is not in the shape of a cup and it hasn’t been damaged or something…
Lisa and Des, excellent points about the covers. I wonder though how much information the cover artists are being given. Rowling has been very careful to not allow too much to escape prior to the books’ release dates for the past three book at least. Normally an author fills in some sort of Art Brief, giving suggested scenes and appearance details to the cover artist for the characters to be depicted. With illustrated books I think the artist gets a proof copy of the manuscript, but in this case I’m not entirely sure how much JKR would be prepared to reveal to the artist. Usually authors don’t have to contend with hordes of fans waiting to pounce on each and every clue to dissect in grisly detail. She might not have told Grandpre about Dumbledore’s hand.
A cockatrice would fit well – the egg of a cock; clearly that is a violation of the natural order of things, and it certainly echoes the basilisk.
I’m wondering who owns the old Riddle house these days. At the start of GOF it is said to belong to a wealthy owner who keeps it for mysterious “tax reasons”. Is the ownership significant? Voldemort uses it as a hideout; does he actually own it? Could a horcrux be hidden there?
Pettigrew with his silver hand has lots of possibilities. Could he take out Greyback to save Lupin and/or Harry and repay his debt that way? I definitely want someone to take out Greyback – he is just purely vile.
i do not think that it is a serpent on the sheild/armour, because of the beak and the (what looks like) feathers, from this i think of ravenclaw’s symbol.
i also think that it dobby the house-elf who is behind harry not kreacher. dobby is a determined house-elf who is willing to do anything for harry!
Des, from Korea – Ron & Hermione eloping to marry is an interesting thought. Could we be facing a teenage tragedy – Ron & Hermione link up at last, marry and then Ron meet his maker sooner rather than later (I still can’t get over the look of absolute terror on Ron’s face on the cover the UK children’s edition)?
The speculation of the absence of the scar on Harry’s head for the US edition. IF (big if) Harry’s scar were to be a Horcrux it would have to be destroyed before Voldemort was truly mortal again. Perhaps, maybe the scene on the US cover is the final scene of battle, Harry no longer having the scar as what was encased in it having been destroyed. Long shot?
elizabeth good point about who owns the riddle house now, maybe its mollys cousin, the accountant?
remember how Dumbledore wore the ring that was the horcrux? well if Harry is wearing the necklace like dumbledore wore the ring…maybe it symbolizes something? orlando… maybe the scar was gone because harry’s protection with the dursleys was gone. maybe because the love has gone…that is what was protecting him…but what love could it be?
Good point about the Riddle House. If Dumbledore went to the Gaunt cottage he must have considered the Riddle house though as they are so close to each other… perhaps his portrait will give Harry Details as to whether or not it should be searched.
The most common reason to explain to anyone in the public why something which seems to be unproductive is being done is ‘for tax reasons’. I came to believe for a long time that Voldemort had purchased his family house and kept it.. perhaps as another trophy? It is a good deduction to bring in Molly’s cousin the accountant, but that requires coincidence and somehow I really think that JKR would stick with the family connection. It is quite easy for someone with enough money to set up the maintence and management of real estate without even their name being easily discovered. That also fits Voldemort’s penchant for secrecy…
The pouch around Harry’s neck can be the mirror that Sirius gave him in OOTP. Maybe the face that you are seeing is Sirius’ face.
I can also see the face on the thing around Harry’s neck, but I think the thing itself is the face and not a pouch.
Elizabeth, I have also wondered about who owns that house. For some reason I imagined it at first to be Lucius Malfoy, he wouldn’t live there, but he could be keeping it for Voldemort. Only problem is he wouldn’t keep Frank around, neither would Voldemort. Maybe Dumbledore? Aberforth? Could that be how Dumbledore found out about Frank Bryce’s death? It seems the muggle papers would just list it as old age or something, not anything Dumbledore would pay attention to. Unless he was looking for it…
As far as a horcrux being hidden there, I think it is possible. The muggles who have lived there all left because it felt spooky or scary, and Dumbledore says that magic always leaves traces. Why didn’t Dumbledore check though?
In the US version in the background I think you can see hooded figures probably death eaters so i would not say they are alone.
on the british cover, harry seems to be reaching for something, yet ron and hermione seem afraid…could harry be reching for the thing that ron and hermione are scared of? why would harry do that? what could it be?
I’m thinking that maybe in the UK cover they are not falling but maybe being blown away / pushed by a spell into the archway because of the direction of the coins and the way Hermione is drawn and reactions – fear/surprise. Perhaps they are in Gringotts and attempting to collect something belonging to Sirius or Dumbledore.
I think also that since there is a sword, helmet and chest armour all with the dragon and red stone on that one of them will need the items to fight and defeat someone, red/dragon maybe the phoenix theme? Is the house elf (Dobby) trying to hold back Harry to give him the sword perhaps? I can’t make out what’s on his glasses (reflection) but clearly an enemy attempting to stop him from proceeding/obtaining something, given the determination on Harry’s face though it’s very important.
On the US cover I’m thinking pouch rather than the locket because of the shape and size, maybe they have fallen through the veil, a couple of the figures look like they may be wearing hoods so followers of Voldemort perhaps? I quite like the idea of Voldemort getting his just desserts once he’s on the other side of the veil having to face all those that he has killed/died because of him.
Can’t wait to read it but it will be sad once it’s all over!
Luiz from Brazil, it can’t be Sirius’s mirror or face because Harry broke the mirror after he tried to contact Sirius in it unsuccessfully (after he had fallen through the curtain.)
I was just re-reading one of Dave’s other articles, the one about clues to Dumbledor’s possibly faked death when I came upon this passage written by Dave.
“In these examples from Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, different wizards are issuing the Expelliarmus spell with the results being described almost exactly the same way, the victim being voilenty blasted up and backwards.”
This made me think that perhaps the UK cover shows them being blasted backwards by the Expelliarmus spell and explains why they don’t have wands.
Des,korea-
Wow! Ron and hermione will elope, marry? What a great idea!But i do not agree. how can they elope in this ’emergency’ situation? I think the only reason they use flashy robes but harry doesnt is because Harry doesn’t have a robe, right? He do has a plan to go to bill’s wedding, but he doesn’t have any robe in his home.
And, another point. Look at the American cover clearly and zoom it! i think that’s not a scar. i agree with that, it just hair. And then in British cover, harry’s eyes is not green but black.
and the creatures behind harry and voldemort are the dark-eaters, i agree. But they’re more then twenty, i think… And the pouch? i can’t see any face there…
if you look at the bloomsbury edition, in the reflection of the purple cup, you�ll see something which seems to be a dog.
Ok just cause I used the term eloped does not mean they went anywhere. We don’t know how wizards get married. The fact is this could happen at any time anywhere.
And sorry HerGe but harry does have a rather nice set of robes that were bought before the triwizard tournament. They are green, which mrs weasley thought would go nice with his eyes.
The thing around harry’s neck is i think simply a locket. We already know that harry carries the fake horcrux around with him. This item would have even more significance to him once he has figured out who R.A.B. is, because he would feel either connected spiritually with him/her or feel that R.A.B owes the world dumbledores life.
The other factor which i didn’t think of as regards shenanigans behind the veil is that the dead have helped hary before. Priori Incantatem. The idea that previous victims would help harry is interesting but oddly contradictary to rowlings own statement about it being more interesting if harry goes alone.
And is anyone else wondering what james and lily did to secure so much gold during their brief carreers? They died really young and with (conjecture) their own home and yet had enough money aside to finance harry’s relativly expensive career at hogworts as well as owning an invisibility cloak, which seems to be a very rare/costly item.
Oh and my own personal theory is that regulus is a red herring. Amelia Bones has just as many of the eponymous initials as regulus and also has an interesting little note that i think is a real clue. something to the effect of “we think Voldemort may have personally killed her off” (Other minister)
Amelia has had many more seemingly unnecessary mentions than regulus has had however it is impossible to decipher with any degree of certainty. Did anyone guess that snape would be who he is?
In the sixth book Dumbledore cut his hand so that he and Harry could enter the cave.
In the british version the injuries on Harry’s and Hermione’s hand could be for a similar reason which could mean that Harry is searching for a horcrux.
Great comments! Concerning the UK edition, I think Rickie’s observation about the “expelliarmus” effect was astute. When I first saw the UK cover, for some crazy reason I got it into my head that it was the Room of Requirement instead of Gringotts. (Like Harry “requiring” the Potions book he left there or- a Horcrux that Riddle may have hidden there.) However, since there’s all those Galleons flying around, Gringotts is much more likely. One thought: Ron and Hermione are wearing fancy robes because they’ve just been fitted for them at Diagon Alley- while Harry, having just recently left Privet Drive, has entered Lily and James’s vault to withdraw some money to purchase new dress robes- and finds someone? something? is waiting for them…
As for the US edition, I agree with those who think Voldemort and Harry have gone through the Veil- and have an audience of the “deathly Hallows” to observe their final confrontation. The fact that Harry’s scar is not prominent, or is seemingly obscured as to leave us all guessing whether he still has it or not, is also significant.
The pouch thing can either be Slytherin’s locket or it could possibly be a time turner.