Graveyards

Graveyards in the wizarding world serve as the final resting places for the deceased, much like their Muggle counterparts. While many such locations exist, two specific graveyards are of paramount importance to the story of Harry Potter and the Second Wizarding War. The graveyard in Little Hangleton is the site of Lord Voldemort's terrifying rebirth, a pivotal event that marks the official return of the Dark Lord. The graveyard in Godric's Hollow is a place of profound historical and emotional significance, holding the graves of Harry Potter's parents, members of the Dumbledore family, and one of the three legendary Peverell brothers.

• Type: Church Graveyard
• Location: Little Hangleton, England
• Owner/Residents: The deceased Riddle family are the most notable residents.
• Key Features: Situated on a hillside near an old church, overlooking the village and the derelict Riddle House. It features a large yew tree and a prominent marble tombstone for the Riddle family.

The Little Hangleton graveyard is depicted as poorly kept and overgrown. It is located up a steep lane from the village, next to a small, ancient church. When Harry Potter is transported there, he observes it as a dark and creepy place, with many of its headstones weathered and illegible. The most prominent feature is the marble headstone belonging to Lord Voldemort's paternal family, which reads: TOM RIDDLE, THOMAS RIDDLE, and MARY RIDDLE. A grim, life-sized statue of an angel stands nearby, its face blank and partially obscured by ivy. This graveyard is the resting place of Voldemort's Muggle father and grandparents, whom he murdered as a teenager after discovering his paternal heritage. For this reason, he chose it as the location for the ritual that would restore him to a full body.

The graveyard serves as the climactic setting for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

• Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory are transported here when they touch the Triwizard Cup, which has been turned into a Portkey by Barty Crouch Jr. while disguised as Alastor Moody.
• Upon their arrival, Peter Pettigrew murders Cedric Diggory on Voldemort's orders using the Avada Kedavra curse.
• Pettigrew then performs a powerful act of Dark Magic to resurrect Voldemort. He uses a giant cauldron and three key ingredients: bone of the father, taken from Tom Riddle Sr.'s grave; flesh of the servant, which Pettigrew willingly sacrifices by cutting off his own hand; and blood of the enemy, which he forcibly takes from Harry Potter.
• Following his rebirth, Voldemort summons his Death Eaters by touching Pettigrew's Dark Mark.
• Voldemort duels Harry Potter amongst the tombstones. Their wands, sharing a core from the same phoenix, connect in a rare magical effect known as Priori Incantatem. This forces Voldemort's wand to disgorge echoes of its most recent victims, including Cedric Diggory, Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, and finally James and Lily Potter. These echoes protect Harry, allowing him to escape back to Hogwarts with Cedric's body.

• Type: Church Graveyard
• Location: Godric's Hollow, West Country, England
• Owner/Residents: Contains the graves of many famous wizarding families, including the Potters, the Dumbledores, and the Peverells.
• Key Features: Located behind the village's small church. Rows of graves are covered in snow during Harry's visit.

The graveyard in Godric's Hollow is ancient and home to the graves of many notable wizards and witches. When Harry Potter and Hermione Granger visit on Christmas Eve in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is peaceful and blanketed in deep snow. Unlike the threatening atmosphere of the Little Hangleton graveyard, this one evokes a sense of solemn history and personal loss for Harry. The graves are a mix of weathered, ancient tombstones and more modern, polished ones. Many bear names that are recognizable in wizarding history.

This graveyard is a site of major discovery and emotional resonance in the quest for the Horcruxes.

• Harry and Hermione visit the graveyard hoping to speak with Bathilda Bagshot and seeking clues about the Sword of Gryffindor and the Deathly Hallows.
• They discover the graves of Kendra Dumbledore and her daughter, Ariana Dumbledore. The epitaph on their headstone, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” deepens the mystery surrounding Albus Dumbledore's tragic family past.
• They find the white marble headstone of James and Lily Potter, inscribed with the words, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Seeing his parents' grave for the first time is a deeply moving moment for Harry.
• Most significantly, Hermione spots a weathered, ancient grave marked with a symbol they recognize from Xenophilius Lovegood's letter: the triangular eye of the Deathly Hallows. The name on the grave is Ignotus Peverell, confirming that the third Peverell brother—the original owner of the Cloak of Invisibility—was buried in Godric's Hollow and is an ancestor of Harry's.
• Their visit ends in a trap, as the historian Bathilda Bagshot is already dead and her corpse is being animated by Voldemort's snake, Nagini, leading to a violent confrontation where Harry's wand is broken.

1. In Little Hangleton:
   • Tom Riddle Sr. (1905 - 1943)
   • Thomas Riddle (1880 - 1943)
   • Mary Riddle (1883 - 1943)
2. In Godric's Hollow:
   • James Potter (27 March 1960 - 31 October 1981)
   • Lily Potter (30 January 1960 - 31 October 1981)
   • Kendra Dumbledore († 1899)
   • Ariana Dumbledore († 1899)
   • Ignotus Peverell

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Riddle family grave is marked by a large, menacing statue of a skeletal, hooded figure holding a scythe, a more elaborate design than the “angel” described in the book (film).
• The epitaph on James and Lily Potter's grave, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,” is a direct quotation from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:26. J.K. Rowling has stated that she chose this and the quote on the Dumbledores' grave to represent the central themes of faith in the books (J.K. Rowling interview).