Harry Potter: The Hall of Prophecy, Explained

With such a magical, expansive world, there are so many locations in the Harry Potter series that have a deep or interesting history that doesn’t get fully explored in the movies due to time constraints but might have been expanded on a little more in the books or in other ancillary material. The wizarding world is full of enchantments, so it makes sense that prophecy and future-telling would also be included in the various types of magic that are practiced within the series.

Prophecies become more significant in the latter half of the series, particularly in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when the Hall of Prophecy becomes an important location for the climax of the story. But what exactly is the Hall of Prophecy, what does it contain, and why is it so important to the overall plot of Harry Potter?

What is the Hall of Prophecy?

• The Hall of Prophecy is located inside the Ministry of Magic, on Level 9 in the Department of Mysteries.
• The Hall contained shelves that held the records of past prophecies.
• It was monitored by Unspeakables, which was the title for the wizards and witches that worked in the Department of Mysteries. They received this name because they were not allowed to discuss their work or anything about their department.
• The Hall’s existence was a rumor in wizarding circles for a very long time, but was never confirmed to exist until the Ministry itself revealed it in 1996.

The Hall of Prophecy is described as a giant chamber that was reminiscent of a cathedral, filled with rows upon rows of shelving. The shelves contained orbs that held prophecies from the past, as a sort of archival system. Each orb was labeled with the person who spoke the prophecy, the person who the prophecy was actually about, and the year the prophecy was made. The only people who could actually pick up the prophecies were those who were the subjects of that particular prophecy; anyone else who tried to take one would be struck instantly with madness.

What Role Does The Hall Play In Harry Potter’s Story?

Prophecies become important to Harry’s story as he is the subject of one himself. During the First Wizarding War, Sybil Trelawney (the Divination professor at Hogwarts) made a prophecy that stated a child would be born who had the power to defeat Voldemort:

Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…

There were two families that had babies who would fit that description: the Potters and the Longbottoms. When Voldemort learned of the prophecy, he decided to target Harry Potter, though he was famously not successful in killing him. However, Voldemort was never able to hear the full prophecy, and wanted to seek it out upon his return during the Second Wizarding War. He knew that the prophecy outlined how he would be defeated, and he wanted to learn exactly who he had to take out in order to prevent this from coming to fruition.

In The Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort gave Harry a false vision of his godfather Sirius Black being trapped and tortured in the Hall of Prophecy. He correctly predicted that this would prompt Harry to rush to his rescue, and Death Eaters ambushed him (along with 5 other members of Dumbledore’s Army that came with him) as soon as he picked up the orb containing his prophecy. To fight back, the D.A. members used Reductor Curses and destroyed the shelving, along with most of the prophecies that were stored on it. Harry’s own prophecy was destroyed in the skirmish, which meant that Voldemort’s plan had been thwarted once again.

MORE: 16 Editor-Approved Harry Potter Books That Aren’t The J.K. Rowling Series