How Harry Potter survived Lord Voldemort's Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows  can be confusing for even hardcore fans of the books and films. Here's why The Boy Who Lived survived theAvada Kedavra spell — twice.

Harry Potter had experience with the Unforgivable Curse, especially a connection to Voldemort's Killing Curse. His first encounter with theAvada Kedavraincantation gave him a reputation that would carry on through his time at Hogwarts. However, it was Harry's later brush with death in the Forbidden Forest during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that confused readers and watchers of the series — unsurprisingly, since the explanation involves a complex exchange of spells and Voldemort ultimately being the architect of his own downfall.

Even though the Harry Potter movies were full of magic, conflict, and mystery, there was a lot of heart at the center of the story, so it makes sense that something like family and everlasting love would be the driving force behind Harry's survival and Voldemort's subsequent defeat. Here's a breakdown of why Harry survived that night in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry Potter's History With The Killing Curse

Harry Potter became the target of the Killing Curse multiple times throughout the series. On Halloween night in 1981, Lord Voldemort ventured to Godric's Hollow with the intent of killing Harry. James Potter was killed trying to save his wife and child. Lily Potter then shielded her infant son when Voldemort unleashed the Killing Curse, causing it to bounce back and disintegrate his physical body. Harry survived but was left with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and a nickname: "The Boy Who Lived."

Voldemort used the wordsAvada Kedavraat least three more times on his sworn enemy. The Dark Lord killed Cedric Diggory using the deadly spell during the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry watched in horror as a bright green light flashed before his eyes as his friend's lifeless body hit the ground. After taking Harry's blood, Voldemort ordered him to a duel. Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse before turning to the Killing Curse. His opponent found a distraction during the duel and was able to use the Portkey to get back to Hogwarts with Cedric's body.

Voldemort used the curse again in the Forbidden Forest, and then again during the final duel that defeated Voldemort once and for all. Harry's encounter with the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest has resulted in a lot of confusion, but there are essentially two main reasons in Harry Potter canon that explain why he didn't die at Voldemort's hands as an adult.

Harry Potter Was The Master Of The Elder Wand

One reason that Harry lived after being hit by the Killing Curse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is his mastery of the Elder Wand. There was a belief that obtaining the Deathly Hallows would grant the finder some sort of immortality. The Deathly Hallows were directly connected to the legend fromThe Tales of Beedle the Bard.In the tale, the Peverell brothers tricked Death, who in return offered them "gifts" intended to corrupt them and lead to their deaths. The rewards included the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak.

Harry notably possessed all three items that comprised the Deathly Hallows when Voldemort tried to kill him the night of the Battle of Hogwarts. He received the Cloak of Invisibility from his father, James, and obtained the Resurrection Stone from Dumbledore after it was hidden in a snitch. While it's unclear whether there's any truth to the "Master of Death" being immortal, the Elder Wand will resist causing harm to its master — who, via a roundabout series of events, was Harry. Draco was the previous owner of the Elder Wand, but Harry successfully disarmed him, making Harry the new master even while the Elder Wand was technically in Voldemort's possession. Harry's mastery of the Elder Wand explains why Voldemort failed to kill him during the Battle of Hogwarts, but there's also another explanation for why Harry survived the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry's Protection Against Lord Voldemort

When Lily sacrificed herself to save Harry in Godric's Hollow, he was protected by magic's strongest defense: love. Dumbledore explained to Harry at a young age how Lily's love lived on and served as a protection against evil. However, there's more to Lily's protection than that. Harry remained protected when he moved in with the Dursleys because, as sisters, Lily and Petunia shared the same blood. Dumbledore knew this, which was why he chose the family to take care of Harry after becoming an orphan, and insisted on Harry returning to the Dursley family every summer despite their ill treatment of him.

Lily's protection still encompassed Harry when he started at Hogwarts. Voldemort was unable to touch Harry, and if he tried, he would be a victim of serious pain - as proven in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The love protection spell lifted when Harry turned seventeen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is why he had to be hurried away from the Dursleys' house in the dead of night. However, Lily's protective charm was unwittingly extended by Voldemort himself, who ended up spelling his own doom.

Lily's Protection In Voldemort's Blood Saved Harry

When Lord Voldemort rebuilt his physical body in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he used Harry's blood. That ingredient would go on to aid in the Dark Lord's downfall. At first it seemed that the love protection was canceled out when Voldemort used Harry's blood since Voldemort was able to touch Harry without experiencing pain as he had inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone — but that wasn't the case. The protection, first created by Lily, actually lived on through Voldemort when he received a new body. As Dumbledore explained, "His body keeps her sacrifice alive, and while that enchantment survives, so do you."

When Voldemort hit Harry with the Killing Curse in the forest, it destroyed the Horcrux that resided in Harry, but left Harry himself alive. Since Voldemort was still alive, Lily's love spell was still in effect. Harry was sent to limbo, where he encountered Dumbledore. He was given a choice to die and finally rest, or return home, and he chose the latter. Nagini remained as the last of Voldemort's seven Horcruxes until Neville destroyed her with the Gryffindor's Sword. With no Horcruxes remaining as Voldemort's primary defenses, this left the Dark Lord vulnerable.

Harry returned from limbo and faced off against Voldemort one last time. Just as his mother did for him at Godric's Hollow, Harry sacrificed himself for his friends and loved ones by standing in front of his foe unarmed. This put a new protection spell around those at Hogwarts. Harry then revealed the truth about being the master of the Elder Wand. Since the Elder Wand wouldn't cast a Killing Curse on its owner, the spell rebounded, killing Voldemort in the process. The outcome of this climactic Harry Potter event wouldn't have been possible without Lily Potter and her love for her son.

How Harry Potter Came Back To Life in Deathly Hallows

Of all the Harry Pottercharacters killed off int he Deathly Hallows, only Harry himself successfully returned to life after being hit with a killing curse (for a second time). The main reason for this is fairly obvious: Harry was the master of all three of the titular Deathly Hallows. However, how exactly does the Resurrection Stone bring Harry completely back to life when inThe Tale of the Three Brothersit doesn't seem to work that way?

Really, it all comes down to Harry's mastery of the Hallows, making him the "Master of Death." It seems as though possessing all three Deathly Hallows gives Harry the power to choose whether or not to die (as evidenced by his conversation with Dumbledore in limbo). Interestingly, Dumbledore's Deathly Hallowsrole in explaining this to Harry potentially adds another layer to the "Master of Death" idea — as Dumbledore, too, once owned all three Hallows, and seemingly chose the manner of his own death by asking Snape to be the one to kill him.

Harry's apparent return from the dead is not only the result of his possession of the Resurrection Stone (and the other Hallows) but also of his choices. Harry chooses to sacrifice himself, chooses to face Voldemort unarmed, and chooses to allow himself to be killed just as he chooses to return to life. Voldemort's choices regarding the Deathly Hallows ultimately lead to his death, whereas Harry's choices regarding the Hallows are what enable him to return to life and survive the killing curse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows .

Next: How Voldemort's Daughter Fits Into Harry Potter Canon

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About The Author

Kara Hedash (1755 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world's most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara's not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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