Second Wizarding War

### Result

Order of the Phoenix/The Dominion/allies victory. Death of Voldemort and defeat of Death Eaters.

Commanders| * Rufus Scrimgeour †
* Albus Dumbledore †
* Harry Potter
* Minerva McGonagall
* Alastor Moody †
* Kingsley Shacklebolt
* Neville Longbottom
* Bane
* Kreacher
* Emberly Comet †
* Fenrir Greyback
* Pius Thicknesse (Imperiused)

Combatants| * Order of the Phoenix(around 20)
* The Dominion (20+)
* Ministry of Magic
* Hogsmeade residents
* Centaurs (50+)
* House-elves (100+)
* Thestrals (10+)
* Ghosts (4+)
* Buckbeak
* Grawp
* British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]] (under Pius Thicknesse (Imperiused, late war)
* Giant (2+)
* Dementors (100+)
* Acromantulas (100+)
* Werewolves (50+)
* Inferi (100+)
* Snatchers

Casualties| * 50-70 killed in action
* Cedric Diggory
* Broderick Bode
* Emmeline Vance
* Igor Karkaroff
* Florean Fortescue
* Samara Abbott
* Montgomery
* Albus Dumbledore
* Charity Burbage
* Alastor Moody
* Rufus Scrimgeour
* Mykew Gregorovitch
* Bathilda Bagshot
* Ted Tonks
* Dirk Cresswell
* Gornuk
* Gellert Grindelwald
* Dobby
* Gibbon
* Peter Pettigrew
* Vincent Crabbe
* Nagini
* Emberly Comet
* Lord Voldemort
* Igor Karkaroff

"*This isn’t like last time. The Order is better prepared, we’ve got a head start, we know what Voldemort’s up to —*"
— Remus Lupin regarding the upcoming Second Wizarding War in August 1995 to Molly Weasley

The **Second Wizarding War** referred to the conflicts stemming from the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort's second rise to power after his return in 1995. Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, waged a violent campaign across both the wizarding and Muggle communities, seeking to topple the Ministry of Magic and subjugate Muggle-borns, with the eventual goal of conquering the entire wizarding world, and the Muggle world along with it.

Harry Potter, prophesied as the *"Chosen One"* capable of bringing an end to Voldemort's power, took an active role in this war, alongside his peers in The Dominion and the members of the Order of the Phoenix. The Second War technically began on 24 June, 1995, though was not officially announced by the Ministry until nearly a year later on 17 June, 1996, a day after Nathara Prince-Slytherin's sixteenth birthday, and ended on 2 May, 1998, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, after the death of the Dark Lord.

## History

### Prelude (1970-1995)

#### First Wizarding War

Main article: First Wizarding War

"*Imagine that Voldemort’s powerful now. You don’t know who his supporters are, you don’t know who’s working for him and who isn’t; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You’re scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing ... the Ministry of Magic’s in disarray, they don’t know what to do, they’re trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere ... panic ... confusion ... that’s how it used to be.*"
— Sirius Black explaining the First Wizarding War to the trio

The First Wizarding War was fought for approximately eleven years, from 1970 to 1980. It included Lord Voldemort's rise to power, the induction of the Death Eaters, and the mass chaos that resulted in his reign of terror.

Several great wizards were murdered in this time; brothers Fabian and Gideon Prewett,the McKinnons, and James and Liliana Potter. Others, such as Jacob and Naomi Longbottom, were left permanently injured, both physically and/or mentally, to the extent that they could no longer perform magic.

On 31 October, 1980, Voldemort attacked the home of James and Liliana Potter in hopes of preventing the prophecy regarding his downfall from ever coming to fruition. However, his Killing Curse on their son, Harry, backfired due to the sacrifice Harry's mother made for him. Voldemort, having lost his physical body and magical powers, fled to a forest in Albania as a wisp of a shattered soul. The fragments of his soul stored in his Horcruxes (see below) prevented his actual death, which should have occurred when the Killing Curse backfired. Death Eaters were arrested by the Ministry of Magic; others such as Lucius Malfoy, Corban Yaxley, Walden Macnair, Amycus Carrow, Alecto Carrow, Avery, Crabbe, Nott, and Goyle claimed they had been enslaved by the Imperius Curse, which was a lie; Lucius being the only exception. The First Wizarding War ended and peace was temporarily restored to the wizarding world.

There was much speculation afterward concerning Voldemort's survival. Only Albus Dumbledore had any confirmation he was in Albania. However, some, including Rubeus Hagrid, believed he was still alive, as he "wasn't human enough to die." As Dumbledore strongly suspected that the worst was not over, Harry Potter was taken into the care of his adopted Muggle relatives, the Dursleys. Dumbledore placed a protective charm on their home which would break on either:

1. The day Harry came of age, or
2. The day Harry stopped calling 4 Privet Drive home (the day he left and never returned).<ref

#### Attempted theft of the Philosopher's Stone

"*KILL HIM! KILL HIM!*"
— Voldemort ordering Quirrell to murder Harry

Lord Voldemort waited for his followers to find him, but he was instead located by Quirinus Quirrell, who sneaked him into Hogwarts so they could steal the Philosopher's Stone. However, Harry Potter, who was in his first year, thwarted them both, killing Quirrell and forcing Voldemort back into hiding.

#### Second opening of the Chamber of Secrets

Before his first downfall, Voldemort had split his soul into six fragments which he embedded into Horcruxes. He did this out of his terror and paranoia of death. One such Horcrux was Adalbert Gaunt's diary, which Voldemort, through his servant Antonin Dolohov (who was ignorant of the diary's true form, not recognising it as a Horcrux, but thinking it was some obscure Dark object his master had created), tried to use to regain a physical form in 1992.

This time his unsuspecting victim was Ginny Weasley, who unwittingly allowed the diary to siphon life from her to the preserved memory of Adlabert Castor Gaunt. However, once again this plot was foiled by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, along with Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes. Unknowingly, Severus's daughter, Nathara Prince-Slytherin

Harry slayed the massive 60 foot serpent with Gryffindor's Sword that he acquired from the Sorting Hat. After slaying the serpent he unknowingly destroyed the Horcrux with a fang from Salazar Slytherin's basilisk. The basilisk venom destroyed the diary completely, putting it beyond the realm of magical repair. Harry was bitten by the basilisk in the process and was an inch from death. Fawkes' tears healed his wound and saved his life. This also led to Dumbledore having some proof of his belief that Voldemort had Horcruxes though not fully certain of how many.

#### Servant returns to the master

"*The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight... the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master.*"
— Professor Trelawney's second prediction

In 1994, Ron's pet grey rat, Scabbers, was revealed as Peter Pettigrew. Although thought to be dead (he was believed to be murdered by Sirius Black), he turned out to have been in hiding, due to the fact he was now a Death Eater and an accomplice. He had been hiding in his Animagus form of a grey rat named Wormtail since shortly after betraying the late Liliana and James Potter to their deaths on 31 October, 1980. He spent 12 years with the Weasley family, as their pet.

Pettigrew's disguise was discovered by the part-Kneazle Crookshanks, Sirius Black, who had escaped from Azkaban in the Animagus form of a black dog named Padfoot, and Remus Lupin. Though not from lack of trying, Harry Potter failed to successfully turn Peter Pettigrew over to the Ministry of Magic, and Pettigrew escaped to return to service to Voldemort, though he later regretted it, where he made two complicated dark potions, one of which was the Regeneration potion, to return Voldemort to a body.