Fans of the wizarding fans celebrate Harry Potter Day on May 2 in honor of the bespectacled wizard who defeated Voldemort. While many people think Harry Potter Day should go down on July 31, a.k.a. the titular wizard’s birthday, there is a very specific reason why it occurs on May 2.
Why Is May 2 and not July 31 Harry Potter Day?
Harry Potter Day occurs on May 2 because it’s the date Harry defeated Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts. In the fictional story penned by J.K. Rowling, Harry and his friends took on Voldemort and his Death Eaters on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the early hours of May 2, 1998. The battle is one of the most exciting moments in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — the seventh and final Harry Potter book series installment which will soon be adapted into a television series at Max.
The battle involved plenty of students and magical creatures colliding in a clash for the ages. Both sides suffered significant losses, noticeably Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Severus Snape from the ranks of the good guys. During the several stages of the battle, Harry and his friends destroyed all the Horcruxes, leaving You-Know-Who at his lowest.
How Did the Battle of Hogwarts End?
When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry with the Avada Kedavra spell, Harry reacted with an Expelliarmus charm that reversed Voldemort’s curse. With no more Hocruxes left to keep him alive, the Killing Curse hit the Dark Lord, wiping him out of existence once and for all. The final clash between Harry and Voldemort was the climax of the Second Wizarding War. In the aftermath, Harry scattered the Deathly Hallows as he hid the Elder Wand and threw the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest, but opted to keep the Cloak of Invisibility for himself.
