It's the end of an era...
Because I just fished re-reading Half-Blood prince and I'm really ready to get my hands on Deathly Hallows I'm writing out my predictions and theories and backing it up with other well thought out theories and information and hints that Jo has given us. I suggest you not read this if you want to stay 100% spoil free because JK has given some hints and facts and I will be mentioning them.
1. The Wedding - Ron mentions that even before Harry goes back to The Dursleys he'll be attending Bill and Fleur's wedding. I think this will probably be the most light hearted part of the book. Hopefully nothing disastrous will occur, but there is a war on so who can say. There is also the question of whether or not Percy will attend and redeem himself. I don't believe he will, but we'll have to wait and see. I think it's going to be very difficult for Harry and Ginny to be around each other and not be together. Will Ginny really stand by and let Harry, Ron and Hermione go off without her? Maybe, but I'm sure she'll have more fighting to do in the war. I think that this just might be the time when Ron and Hermione finally get together.
2. The Dursleys - I really think that this is going to be Harry's most interesting encounter with the Dursleys ever. We will be finding out more about Petunia and, I believe, what exactly was said between her and Dumbledore the night the Potters were killed. I think we will find out more about her and through her, possibly, more about James and Lily and that night. JK stated that someone will be using magic very late in life, under desperate circumstances, which rarely happens. I believe that this will be either Petunia or Dudley. But since she said VERY late in life then I think Petunia is more likely as she is older. EDIT: Ok well I just read that JK said Petunia will NOT be the one using magic, so my guess is Dudley. I think this also means that someone will attack the Dursleys and out of desperation she will be able to use magic. Petunia has always interested me in a way because I know there is way more to her and her connection to the wizarding world than she lets on.
3. Hogwarts, to open or not to open? I do believe that Hogwarts will in fact be open. However, I'm sure that there will be far less students and perhaps less teachers as well (Will Slughorn stay? Who will teach DADA - the most important subject at this time?) Perhaps a more unconventional form of education - no Quidditch, maybe even just a whole lot of DADA training. It's all up in the air now. I think Harry will at least be visiting Hogwarts.
4. RAB - I do believe that Regulus Black must be RAB. But why did he turn against Voldemort? Where is the locket? Is it still a Horcrux? I think this is extremely important because clearly even full blood wizards who were such faithful death eaters will learn that Voldemort is not that great leader they were tricked into believing and whats more - they will be willing to give their lives to fight against him. Here is a very good theory regarding Regulus and how he would have achieved discovering and stealing the Slytherin locket. I think they are really onto something with Kreacher. Especially because JK had to tell the movie writers (for the 5th movie) that they had better keep a character in unless they want to screw themselves over for the last movie. I'm been going over this and trying to make a list of which characters that could be. Kreacher was on that list. He also seems to be the only one that really makes sense. The other characters on that list included Kingsly and Tonks - but they had even more wizards in the Order in the beginning so why even consider leaving them out? The other was Percy, however Percy never said anything so that doesn't really make much sense to me. They have been leaving out house elves in past films but they put just enough of Kreacher in this movie to introduce him, so he seems a more likely candidate.
5. Which brings me to -- redemption. What other death eaters might turn against their Dark Lord? Malfoy for one, as much as I still hate the little prat I do pity him. What other choice does a wizard like this have? Born into a family of death eaters, forced by the Dark Lord to do things even he isn't prepared to do, such as kill. If Malfoy doesn't have it in him to kill, how can he be a true death eater? He has people he cares about and I don't think he really wants to side with Voldemort, perhaps he will find the courage to stand against him. Maybe even, crazy of all crazy theories, work with Harry. They'll never be friends I'm sure but they might form an alliance all the same. Narcissa probably is no longer really faithful to the Dark Lord, not after what he has done to her family. What other death eaters or magical creatures might turn against Voldemort and fight the good fight?
6. A debt to be payed. Wormtail still owes Harry his life and is bound to him by ancient magic. I believe that however he repays this debt will be extremely crucial to the defeat of Voldemort.
7. The Two Way Mirror - I really don't know what the significance of this magic object received by Harry from Sirius will be. Can it be that important when they left it out of the 5th movie? But I've always been curious about it and I don't really have a theory for it.
8. Dumbledore - He will never be gone as long as there are people at Hogwarts who are loyal to him. Mostly I have questions. I think Dumbledore probably did have a will and will leave something to Harry. I'm sure that Dumbledore had some type of back up plan in the event of his death and Harry will receive information that Dumbledore was withholding until that time - both for Harry and the Order. I also want to know if Harry will be able to have any useful conversations with the portrait of Dumbledore. We don't quite know how these portraits work. Are they imprints of a person's personality? Do they have all of that person's memory intact? Will Dumbledore be able to tell Harry what really happened when he died and whether or not Snape is good or bad? And what will happen to the Phoenix? Will Harry inherit it?
9. Snape - Good or Bad? I still say good and here is a perfect explanation as to why I believe that. There are two major questions in my mind however: 1. Even if Snape is good how the hell can he prove it now? Everyone really believes now that Snape is as evil as it gets and just about everyone who sides against the death eaters will want revenge against him for killing Dumbledore. 2. What DID he do to prove his loyalty to Dumbledore? I actually have a theory that Voldemort may have forced Snape to kill his father. This may have made Snape realize what a HUGE mistake he made. But I could be totally off. I just think that if Voldemort knew that Snape had a muggle father -- what better way for Snape to prove that he's a true death eater and be worthy of his mark? I also think that Snape will die in this book. All in all, I think that the life of Severus Snape was quite tragic. I do hope we find out more about his past.
10. The last Horcrux. Many believe that Harry - or his scar - is actually the last Horcrux. Interestingly enough, when re-reading HBP I noticed that Dumbledore does say that when Voldemort learned of the prophecy, he had not yet made the last one. Dumbledore believed it to be Nagini, But how could he have possibly made Nagini into a horcrux after he attacked Harry? He was far too weak. He could have done it after he was reborn but I doubt he would have wanted to wait so long, after all he wanted 7, 7 is a powerful magic number. What if in his desperation, thinking he was about to die, he made Harry into his last Horcrux. (but possibly, he didn't know if it would work) It would explain why Harry speaks Parseltongue and has had such a connection with Voldemort. And of course why he would be THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN REALLY KILL VOLDEMORT. And why he is marked as Voldemorts equal. Because a piece of Voldemorts soul resides within him. So I have a few theories concerning this one. 1. Harry could Kill Voldemort and in doing so, rip out that part of Voldemort's soul instead of ripping his own soul, thus destroying Voldemort forever and surviving himself. 2. Voldemort will take that part of his soul back, and when he does he will be mutated. It's like in Doctor Who when Rose touched the Dalek and it becomes part human and it feels. Voldemort will feel everything Harry has felt when that part of his soul was in him. He will suddenly know what it is to feel love. (A power the Dark Lord knows not). And maybe he will kill himself. This is actually a theory I just came up with, good old Doctor Who.
[[[Dumbledore was said to have a "gleam of triumph" in his eyes when told that Voldemort had restored his body using Harry's blood, at the end of Goblet of Fire (Ch. 36). Rowling has confirmed that this is "still enormously significant". ]]]
Could this be because Voldemort is becoming more human? Becoming dependant on another person? Having more of a real feeling person becoming part of himself...could Dumbledore have suspected that such a thing could change Voldemort? Maybe I'm way off..
[[[During a July 2007 interview broadcast on the BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Rowling announced that "scar" was no longer the last word in the book. Although long reported and confirmed by Rowling to be the final word of book 7, Rowling went on record as saying that "Scar is quite near the end, but it's not the last word." She refused to say what the last word was.[52]]]]
Could it be that Harry's scar will be gone?
11. Deaths. I already stated Snape. I have a strong feeling about that one. But obviously there will be more. I'm only hoping it wont be anyone we care about.
{{Asked which five of her characters she would like to invite to dinner, she chose Harry, Hermione and Ron, but then hesitated before choosing her last characters, saying "See... I know who's actually dead," unsure whether she was permitted to invite those who are 'dead'.[39]}}}
Could this mean the trio lives??
12. Events based on the cover. Obviously we can see that Harry, Hermione and Ron will be, at some point, flying over the english countryside on a dragon. How they get this dragon to cooperate and not eat them is as of yet unknown. Now that is on the back of the cover, however the front depicts Harry reaching up (notice he has something around his neck, it doesn't quite look like a locket). The Dark Lord is at his right and what I think is happening is that he is being controlled by Voldemort (imperius curse?) in the department of mysteries. Possibly retrieving something for him, maybe something only he can. Death eaters (or so it looks like, could by inferi) are standing in the shadows only watching.
from wikipedia
{{{The UK children's cover depicts Harry, Ron and Hermione apparently falling into a large treasure of silver and gold; the trio appears frightened in the picture. Some creature's (presumably a house-elf) hand grips Harry's right shoulder, and wields a silver sword with a ruby mounted on the hilt with its other hand. The sword matches the description of Godric Gryffindor's sword in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The cover spine features a circle inscribed in a triangle with a vertical line bisecting the pair. The meaning of the symbol is uncertain. The front flap depicts Harry's Patronus (a stag) while the back flap shows a snake in a crystal ball.
The UK adult cover shows Salazar Slytherin's locket as described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: golden with a large engraved serpentine S in green gems. }}}
My guess? Dragons are known to guard treasure. I think that the trio head to a place where a horcrux is guarded by a dragon and they somehow manage to befriend the dragon. Just a guess...
13. Mr. Weasley has Sirius' motorbike. A guess based on the fact that he had a flying car, maybe that's where he got the idea, or maybe he enchanted the motorbike in the first place. Either way, we will be seeing both of them again.
14. The locked door at the Dept. of Mysteries is where the final battle takes place. Just a guess.
15. [[Rowling revealed in a 1999 interview that one of Harry's classmates will become a Hogwarts teacher, though not Harry himself and 'not who you think'. When asked, Rowling also ruled out Ron. This implies that Hogwarts will re-open at some point.]] My guess is Neville but it's too bad, I wanted Harry to become a teacher. But even if he lives, he might need to move on from Hogwarts.
16. It is going to be important that Harry has Lily's eyes and we'll discover something very important about Lily. Could Lily have transfered something to Harry when she died? A talent, a spell, ..?
That's all I can really think of at the moment. But here's what I'd like to see.
- Harry inherit something from Dumbledore.
- Harry talk to Dumbledore's portrait.
- Harry have a great time at the wedding despite everything and wait until after it's over to really break up with Ginny.
- Hermione and Ron get together at the wedding.
- Harry having to go back to Hogwarts a few times in the book.
- Discovering more about what happened that night at Godric's Hallow.
- Various characters redeeming themselves
- More about the history of Snape, Lily, James and Dumbledore.
- Harry lives.
- Harry gets back together with Ginny.
- Some really shocking twist somewhere that no one sees coming but is completely brilliant.
"I will miss the train ride in, and the pranks pulled by the twins, though it's nowhere I have been, I'll keep on smiling from the times I had with them..." Oliver Boyd and the Remembrals
1. The Wedding - Ron mentions that even before Harry goes back to The Dursleys he'll be attending Bill and Fleur's wedding. I think this will probably be the most light hearted part of the book. Hopefully nothing disastrous will occur, but there is a war on so who can say. There is also the question of whether or not Percy will attend and redeem himself. I don't believe he will, but we'll have to wait and see. I think it's going to be very difficult for Harry and Ginny to be around each other and not be together. Will Ginny really stand by and let Harry, Ron and Hermione go off without her? Maybe, but I'm sure she'll have more fighting to do in the war. I think that this just might be the time when Ron and Hermione finally get together.
2. The Dursleys - I really think that this is going to be Harry's most interesting encounter with the Dursleys ever. We will be finding out more about Petunia and, I believe, what exactly was said between her and Dumbledore the night the Potters were killed. I think we will find out more about her and through her, possibly, more about James and Lily and that night. JK stated that someone will be using magic very late in life, under desperate circumstances, which rarely happens. I believe that this will be either Petunia or Dudley. But since she said VERY late in life then I think Petunia is more likely as she is older. EDIT: Ok well I just read that JK said Petunia will NOT be the one using magic, so my guess is Dudley. I think this also means that someone will attack the Dursleys and out of desperation she will be able to use magic. Petunia has always interested me in a way because I know there is way more to her and her connection to the wizarding world than she lets on.
3. Hogwarts, to open or not to open? I do believe that Hogwarts will in fact be open. However, I'm sure that there will be far less students and perhaps less teachers as well (Will Slughorn stay? Who will teach DADA - the most important subject at this time?) Perhaps a more unconventional form of education - no Quidditch, maybe even just a whole lot of DADA training. It's all up in the air now. I think Harry will at least be visiting Hogwarts.
4. RAB - I do believe that Regulus Black must be RAB. But why did he turn against Voldemort? Where is the locket? Is it still a Horcrux? I think this is extremely important because clearly even full blood wizards who were such faithful death eaters will learn that Voldemort is not that great leader they were tricked into believing and whats more - they will be willing to give their lives to fight against him. Here is a very good theory regarding Regulus and how he would have achieved discovering and stealing the Slytherin locket. I think they are really onto something with Kreacher. Especially because JK had to tell the movie writers (for the 5th movie) that they had better keep a character in unless they want to screw themselves over for the last movie. I'm been going over this and trying to make a list of which characters that could be. Kreacher was on that list. He also seems to be the only one that really makes sense. The other characters on that list included Kingsly and Tonks - but they had even more wizards in the Order in the beginning so why even consider leaving them out? The other was Percy, however Percy never said anything so that doesn't really make much sense to me. They have been leaving out house elves in past films but they put just enough of Kreacher in this movie to introduce him, so he seems a more likely candidate.
5. Which brings me to -- redemption. What other death eaters might turn against their Dark Lord? Malfoy for one, as much as I still hate the little prat I do pity him. What other choice does a wizard like this have? Born into a family of death eaters, forced by the Dark Lord to do things even he isn't prepared to do, such as kill. If Malfoy doesn't have it in him to kill, how can he be a true death eater? He has people he cares about and I don't think he really wants to side with Voldemort, perhaps he will find the courage to stand against him. Maybe even, crazy of all crazy theories, work with Harry. They'll never be friends I'm sure but they might form an alliance all the same. Narcissa probably is no longer really faithful to the Dark Lord, not after what he has done to her family. What other death eaters or magical creatures might turn against Voldemort and fight the good fight?
6. A debt to be payed. Wormtail still owes Harry his life and is bound to him by ancient magic. I believe that however he repays this debt will be extremely crucial to the defeat of Voldemort.
7. The Two Way Mirror - I really don't know what the significance of this magic object received by Harry from Sirius will be. Can it be that important when they left it out of the 5th movie? But I've always been curious about it and I don't really have a theory for it.
8. Dumbledore - He will never be gone as long as there are people at Hogwarts who are loyal to him. Mostly I have questions. I think Dumbledore probably did have a will and will leave something to Harry. I'm sure that Dumbledore had some type of back up plan in the event of his death and Harry will receive information that Dumbledore was withholding until that time - both for Harry and the Order. I also want to know if Harry will be able to have any useful conversations with the portrait of Dumbledore. We don't quite know how these portraits work. Are they imprints of a person's personality? Do they have all of that person's memory intact? Will Dumbledore be able to tell Harry what really happened when he died and whether or not Snape is good or bad? And what will happen to the Phoenix? Will Harry inherit it?
9. Snape - Good or Bad? I still say good and here is a perfect explanation as to why I believe that. There are two major questions in my mind however: 1. Even if Snape is good how the hell can he prove it now? Everyone really believes now that Snape is as evil as it gets and just about everyone who sides against the death eaters will want revenge against him for killing Dumbledore. 2. What DID he do to prove his loyalty to Dumbledore? I actually have a theory that Voldemort may have forced Snape to kill his father. This may have made Snape realize what a HUGE mistake he made. But I could be totally off. I just think that if Voldemort knew that Snape had a muggle father -- what better way for Snape to prove that he's a true death eater and be worthy of his mark? I also think that Snape will die in this book. All in all, I think that the life of Severus Snape was quite tragic. I do hope we find out more about his past.
10. The last Horcrux. Many believe that Harry - or his scar - is actually the last Horcrux. Interestingly enough, when re-reading HBP I noticed that Dumbledore does say that when Voldemort learned of the prophecy, he had not yet made the last one. Dumbledore believed it to be Nagini, But how could he have possibly made Nagini into a horcrux after he attacked Harry? He was far too weak. He could have done it after he was reborn but I doubt he would have wanted to wait so long, after all he wanted 7, 7 is a powerful magic number. What if in his desperation, thinking he was about to die, he made Harry into his last Horcrux. (but possibly, he didn't know if it would work) It would explain why Harry speaks Parseltongue and has had such a connection with Voldemort. And of course why he would be THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN REALLY KILL VOLDEMORT. And why he is marked as Voldemorts equal. Because a piece of Voldemorts soul resides within him. So I have a few theories concerning this one. 1. Harry could Kill Voldemort and in doing so, rip out that part of Voldemort's soul instead of ripping his own soul, thus destroying Voldemort forever and surviving himself. 2. Voldemort will take that part of his soul back, and when he does he will be mutated. It's like in Doctor Who when Rose touched the Dalek and it becomes part human and it feels. Voldemort will feel everything Harry has felt when that part of his soul was in him. He will suddenly know what it is to feel love. (A power the Dark Lord knows not). And maybe he will kill himself. This is actually a theory I just came up with, good old Doctor Who.
[[[Dumbledore was said to have a "gleam of triumph" in his eyes when told that Voldemort had restored his body using Harry's blood, at the end of Goblet of Fire (Ch. 36). Rowling has confirmed that this is "still enormously significant". ]]]
Could this be because Voldemort is becoming more human? Becoming dependant on another person? Having more of a real feeling person becoming part of himself...could Dumbledore have suspected that such a thing could change Voldemort? Maybe I'm way off..
[[[During a July 2007 interview broadcast on the BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Rowling announced that "scar" was no longer the last word in the book. Although long reported and confirmed by Rowling to be the final word of book 7, Rowling went on record as saying that "Scar is quite near the end, but it's not the last word." She refused to say what the last word was.[52]]]]
Could it be that Harry's scar will be gone?
11. Deaths. I already stated Snape. I have a strong feeling about that one. But obviously there will be more. I'm only hoping it wont be anyone we care about.
{{Asked which five of her characters she would like to invite to dinner, she chose Harry, Hermione and Ron, but then hesitated before choosing her last characters, saying "See... I know who's actually dead," unsure whether she was permitted to invite those who are 'dead'.[39]}}}
Could this mean the trio lives??
12. Events based on the cover. Obviously we can see that Harry, Hermione and Ron will be, at some point, flying over the english countryside on a dragon. How they get this dragon to cooperate and not eat them is as of yet unknown. Now that is on the back of the cover, however the front depicts Harry reaching up (notice he has something around his neck, it doesn't quite look like a locket). The Dark Lord is at his right and what I think is happening is that he is being controlled by Voldemort (imperius curse?) in the department of mysteries. Possibly retrieving something for him, maybe something only he can. Death eaters (or so it looks like, could by inferi) are standing in the shadows only watching.
from wikipedia
{{{The UK children's cover depicts Harry, Ron and Hermione apparently falling into a large treasure of silver and gold; the trio appears frightened in the picture. Some creature's (presumably a house-elf) hand grips Harry's right shoulder, and wields a silver sword with a ruby mounted on the hilt with its other hand. The sword matches the description of Godric Gryffindor's sword in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The cover spine features a circle inscribed in a triangle with a vertical line bisecting the pair. The meaning of the symbol is uncertain. The front flap depicts Harry's Patronus (a stag) while the back flap shows a snake in a crystal ball.
The UK adult cover shows Salazar Slytherin's locket as described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: golden with a large engraved serpentine S in green gems. }}}
My guess? Dragons are known to guard treasure. I think that the trio head to a place where a horcrux is guarded by a dragon and they somehow manage to befriend the dragon. Just a guess...
13. Mr. Weasley has Sirius' motorbike. A guess based on the fact that he had a flying car, maybe that's where he got the idea, or maybe he enchanted the motorbike in the first place. Either way, we will be seeing both of them again.
14. The locked door at the Dept. of Mysteries is where the final battle takes place. Just a guess.
15. [[Rowling revealed in a 1999 interview that one of Harry's classmates will become a Hogwarts teacher, though not Harry himself and 'not who you think'. When asked, Rowling also ruled out Ron. This implies that Hogwarts will re-open at some point.]] My guess is Neville but it's too bad, I wanted Harry to become a teacher. But even if he lives, he might need to move on from Hogwarts.
16. It is going to be important that Harry has Lily's eyes and we'll discover something very important about Lily. Could Lily have transfered something to Harry when she died? A talent, a spell, ..?
That's all I can really think of at the moment. But here's what I'd like to see.
- Harry inherit something from Dumbledore.
- Harry talk to Dumbledore's portrait.
- Harry have a great time at the wedding despite everything and wait until after it's over to really break up with Ginny.
- Hermione and Ron get together at the wedding.
- Harry having to go back to Hogwarts a few times in the book.
- Discovering more about what happened that night at Godric's Hallow.
- Various characters redeeming themselves
- More about the history of Snape, Lily, James and Dumbledore.
- Harry lives.
- Harry gets back together with Ginny.
- Some really shocking twist somewhere that no one sees coming but is completely brilliant.
"I will miss the train ride in, and the pranks pulled by the twins, though it's nowhere I have been, I'll keep on smiling from the times I had with them..." Oliver Boyd and the Remembrals