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The Death Eaters all halted, gazing at him. Some were panting as hard as he was. One was bleeding badly; Dolohov, freed of the Body-Bind Curse, was leering, his wand pointing straight at Harry's face.

"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, pulling off his mask, "now hand me the prophecy like a good boy."

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I feel it probably means something like 'this is the end' or 'your struggling ended'. But I'm really unsure about it. What's it supposed to mean here?

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  • It means that Mafoy is declaring that Potter's efforts thus far have come to and end, and he is the loser in whatever contest has taken place. Jun 15, 2020 at 12:19

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This is a metaphor. Not very common but quite understandable.

Literally "Your race is run" means that the race has ended and so you can't improve your position any more. It suggests that you have been beaten in the race.

Metaphorically it means that Harry has lost the battle with the Death Eaters.

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First time I write here...

You can find this sentence "I guess my race is run" in the song "I fought the law". I think it's a song from the 50's or 60's that has been covered several times. My favourite version, from The Clash!

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