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From hallowoodsquare:
The Lost Questions
VOLDEMORT & HORCRUXES
Regarding the night of 31 October 1981, what, if anything, happened to Harry during the next day -- the missing 24 hours?
I very much doubt that anything much happened. It's possible that Dumbledore initially had doubts as to Sirius's guilt and wanted to try and straighten things out, to see if it would be possible for Harry to live with his godfather. After the infamous showdown between Sirius and Pettigrew, DD was convinced that Sirius was guilty after all, and decided to send Harry to the Dursleys, instead. Meinwhile, Hagrid was probably holed up somewhere, taking care of Harry and waiting for word from DD.
Regarding the Horcruxes, what is the object of Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's that is a Horcrux? Where is it?
It's possible that the Ravenclaw Horcrux is, as people have suggested time and time again, a wand. Or at least, I think it's something that can be loosely classified as a wand. Possibly, a quill or pen of some sort; I think that fits much better with the image of Rowena Ravenclaw the intellectual than does a wand.
Gryffindor, I'm less sure on; possibly another weapon, because it's certainly not the sword. I'm not completely convinced that there is a Gryffindor Horcrux; as the founder and house conventionally opposed to Voldemort's own, I think this would have been the last of the founder's relics horcruxes Voldemort would have planned on making, and probably would have been intended for the death of either Harry or Dumbledore. It would have gained the symbology of him finally overcoming all opposition in the wizarding world.
If there is a Ravenclaw and/or Gryffindor horcrux, it's probably NOT at Hogwarts. There is no reason to believe that Voldemort would be stupid enough to leave a horcrux lying around right under Dumbledore's nose. The Diary only made it to Hogwarts years after Voldemort's first fall, and certainly not with Voldemort's approval.
Regarding the bond between Harry and Voldemort, what is the significance of their wands being brothers?
I think this is the reason why Ollivander's missing. Voldemort aims to get a new wand, that won't have any chance of interacting unfavorably with Harry's. He may even have specific materials he wishes to go into the new wand.
Regardless of whether Voldemort gets one, though, I think it would really behoove Harry to get a new wand, himself. The one he has, I believe, "chose" him because of his similarities to the young Tom Riddle, perhaps even because of the traits transfered to him in Voldemort's first fall. Harry has outgrown much of this similarity, and I think that his increasing difficulty in mastering new spells may have something to do with the fact that he's using a wand that is no longer a good fit for him.
Regarding Voldemort's plans and fate, how can Harry defeat Voldemort? How will the Power of Love factor?
*deadpan* Harry will wingardium leviosa a bean up Voldemort's nose and the Dark Lord will die of shock.
No, I kid. Personally, I'd really, really like it if Sirius took the Locketcrux through the veil with him. Harry shows up in the last, final battle (probably back in the veil room) worried that there's still a horcrux out there somewhere that he hasn't destroyed, but faces down Voldemort anyway, because at the very least destroying his body will slow him down for a bit. This determination to do what one can, even when one knows it won't be enough, is, I believe, very central to the Gryffindor virtue of bravery. So Harry "kills" the body (but not, I think, with AK; I don't believe he'll ever fully master any of the Unforgivables). Vapormort hangs in the air a moment, sneering about how he'll be back before Harry knows it, and then is sucked through the veil by the attraction of the locket on the other side.
Peter Pettigrew will probably also play a large part. I see him as a kind of twisted parallel to Snape. Maybe Harry will have Voldemort at wandpoint, and find himself unable to kill him, at which point Peter either performs the AK that Harry can't cast, or otherwise directly causes Voldemort's death, thus paralleling the scene on top of the tower in HBP.
How might the climax of the book be related to Christian themes?
I'm really not sure there'll be any overtly Christian themes in the climax. Moral themes, certainly, but if Harry pulls a Jesus/Aslan/Gandalf and dies and then comes back, I for one will be very nonplussed.
SNAPE, DUMBLEDORE AND THE MALFOYS
What was Dumbledore's reason for trusting Snape?
I think it was a rather large lapse of judgement. Dumbledore is rather prone to forgiving anyone who asks for it, and sometimes looking the other way, even if he's not asked to. He also has an unfortunate pattern of lapses of judgement in regard to dark-haired kids of at least three generations: he gave no support or guidance whatsoever to Tom Riddle, despite that he could clearly see the boy headed down the wrong path. Perhaps because of this, he was far too understanding and forgiving with Severus Snape. Then with Harry Potter, he protected the kid from information which Harry desperately needed to know.
What (if anything) was the meaning of Dumbledore saying "In Essence Divided"?
It may have been the moment when Dumbledore knew for absolutely sure that Voldemort had Horcruxes. Or it could have been nothing significant.
Will Fawkes aid Harry in DH? How?
I doubt we'll see much more of Fawkes. Maybe in the epilogue he'll show up again, but I think that from here on out, Harry has to do his own fighting.
HARRY'S QUEST
How, if at all, will the Houses of Hogwarts be united?
Draco Malfoy was really the golden boy of Slytherin House; Harry was the golden boy of Gryffindor house. If neither return to Hogwarts, their respective houses will be a little lost. Maybe not for long, but for long enough that the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs can kick some sense into them. I'd love to see Luna Lovegood rallying the four houses to her; she's got the perspective to see that it's unite or fall, and she doesn't care what other people think of her, so she wouldn't be afraid to stand up.
What, if anything, will open the locked door in the Department of Mysteries and what will be found there?
Why do all the Mysteries have to be solved? I don't believe that the locked door will be opened. It may be eluded to as something do to with the power of love, as it has been in the past, but I doubt we'll see it first hand. Maybe if the protagonist were a Ravenclaw, but "figure out how it works before you use it" is not really the Gryffindor mentality.
FORCES IN MOTION
How will JKR torture Umbridge a little more?
Personally, I think it would be in extremely poor taste to heap much more on poor Dolores. Not that I'm an Umbridge fan or anything, but really, enough is enough.
Though I would like to see her shunted into a dead-end job in the Ministry, Crouch Sr. style.
What is the significance of Harry having "Lily's eyes"?
There are several characters, most notably Snape, who still seem to be working under the impression that Harry=James. The fact that Harry has his mother's eyes is the most obvious outward difference between the two, and may be used to drive the fact home that Harry=/=James. Expecially if there turns out to be any truth to "Snape loved Lily."
CHARACTER SUBPLOTS & SHIPPING
What other romantic relationships do you predict?
I doubt there will be any lasting relationships that haven't already been established or at least hinted at. Ginny may get fed up with Harry's "Maybe if we aren't actively snogging Voldemort won't notice that I care about you" stance, and try and make him jealous enough to take her back. If this is the case, my money's on a short-lived Ginny/Neville fling. Although what I'd really like to see is a Ginny/Luna fling. A girl can dream, eh?
Will any characters become animagi or seers or show/develop other special abilities?
No. If anyone does suddenly develop OMG SPESHUL ABILITIES out of nowhere, I'll be leading an expedition to rescue JKR from the Suethors who are clearly holding her hostage.
Will any character evolve in an unexpected way, or do something important we haven't alluded to?
I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some more of Viktor Krum - leading to much jealousness of the Ron and then to much Ron/Hermione snogging.
And I would dearly love for Harry to have a chance to have an actual conversation with Nagini. No idea what would come out of it, but it would certainly be eye-opening.
WHAT OTHER MAJOR PREDICTIONS/THEORIES DO YOU HAVE THAT WERE NOT COVERED IN THE CONTEST?
I've got a couple :)
1) Kreacher and Dobby: I think these two may well be related. Possibly even father and son or uncle and nephew. There are even fewer households with house-elves than there are pure-blood families, and Dobby and Kreacher's respective families are very closely linked.
2)Flitwick: He's been all but confirmed to be part goblin, right? I think he'll be instrumental in getting the goblins' help in DH, much the same way that Hagrid and Madam Maxime tried to recruit the giants. Goblins are, however, much more intelligent than giants, and so recruiting them might actually work.
The Lost Questions
VOLDEMORT & HORCRUXES
Regarding the night of 31 October 1981, what, if anything, happened to Harry during the next day -- the missing 24 hours?
I very much doubt that anything much happened. It's possible that Dumbledore initially had doubts as to Sirius's guilt and wanted to try and straighten things out, to see if it would be possible for Harry to live with his godfather. After the infamous showdown between Sirius and Pettigrew, DD was convinced that Sirius was guilty after all, and decided to send Harry to the Dursleys, instead. Meinwhile, Hagrid was probably holed up somewhere, taking care of Harry and waiting for word from DD.
Regarding the Horcruxes, what is the object of Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's that is a Horcrux? Where is it?
It's possible that the Ravenclaw Horcrux is, as people have suggested time and time again, a wand. Or at least, I think it's something that can be loosely classified as a wand. Possibly, a quill or pen of some sort; I think that fits much better with the image of Rowena Ravenclaw the intellectual than does a wand.
Gryffindor, I'm less sure on; possibly another weapon, because it's certainly not the sword. I'm not completely convinced that there is a Gryffindor Horcrux; as the founder and house conventionally opposed to Voldemort's own, I think this would have been the last of the founder's relics horcruxes Voldemort would have planned on making, and probably would have been intended for the death of either Harry or Dumbledore. It would have gained the symbology of him finally overcoming all opposition in the wizarding world.
If there is a Ravenclaw and/or Gryffindor horcrux, it's probably NOT at Hogwarts. There is no reason to believe that Voldemort would be stupid enough to leave a horcrux lying around right under Dumbledore's nose. The Diary only made it to Hogwarts years after Voldemort's first fall, and certainly not with Voldemort's approval.
Regarding the bond between Harry and Voldemort, what is the significance of their wands being brothers?
I think this is the reason why Ollivander's missing. Voldemort aims to get a new wand, that won't have any chance of interacting unfavorably with Harry's. He may even have specific materials he wishes to go into the new wand.
Regardless of whether Voldemort gets one, though, I think it would really behoove Harry to get a new wand, himself. The one he has, I believe, "chose" him because of his similarities to the young Tom Riddle, perhaps even because of the traits transfered to him in Voldemort's first fall. Harry has outgrown much of this similarity, and I think that his increasing difficulty in mastering new spells may have something to do with the fact that he's using a wand that is no longer a good fit for him.
Regarding Voldemort's plans and fate, how can Harry defeat Voldemort? How will the Power of Love factor?
*deadpan* Harry will wingardium leviosa a bean up Voldemort's nose and the Dark Lord will die of shock.
No, I kid. Personally, I'd really, really like it if Sirius took the Locketcrux through the veil with him. Harry shows up in the last, final battle (probably back in the veil room) worried that there's still a horcrux out there somewhere that he hasn't destroyed, but faces down Voldemort anyway, because at the very least destroying his body will slow him down for a bit. This determination to do what one can, even when one knows it won't be enough, is, I believe, very central to the Gryffindor virtue of bravery. So Harry "kills" the body (but not, I think, with AK; I don't believe he'll ever fully master any of the Unforgivables). Vapormort hangs in the air a moment, sneering about how he'll be back before Harry knows it, and then is sucked through the veil by the attraction of the locket on the other side.
Peter Pettigrew will probably also play a large part. I see him as a kind of twisted parallel to Snape. Maybe Harry will have Voldemort at wandpoint, and find himself unable to kill him, at which point Peter either performs the AK that Harry can't cast, or otherwise directly causes Voldemort's death, thus paralleling the scene on top of the tower in HBP.
How might the climax of the book be related to Christian themes?
I'm really not sure there'll be any overtly Christian themes in the climax. Moral themes, certainly, but if Harry pulls a Jesus/Aslan/Gandalf and dies and then comes back, I for one will be very nonplussed.
SNAPE, DUMBLEDORE AND THE MALFOYS
What was Dumbledore's reason for trusting Snape?
I think it was a rather large lapse of judgement. Dumbledore is rather prone to forgiving anyone who asks for it, and sometimes looking the other way, even if he's not asked to. He also has an unfortunate pattern of lapses of judgement in regard to dark-haired kids of at least three generations: he gave no support or guidance whatsoever to Tom Riddle, despite that he could clearly see the boy headed down the wrong path. Perhaps because of this, he was far too understanding and forgiving with Severus Snape. Then with Harry Potter, he protected the kid from information which Harry desperately needed to know.
What (if anything) was the meaning of Dumbledore saying "In Essence Divided"?
It may have been the moment when Dumbledore knew for absolutely sure that Voldemort had Horcruxes. Or it could have been nothing significant.
Will Fawkes aid Harry in DH? How?
I doubt we'll see much more of Fawkes. Maybe in the epilogue he'll show up again, but I think that from here on out, Harry has to do his own fighting.
HARRY'S QUEST
How, if at all, will the Houses of Hogwarts be united?
Draco Malfoy was really the golden boy of Slytherin House; Harry was the golden boy of Gryffindor house. If neither return to Hogwarts, their respective houses will be a little lost. Maybe not for long, but for long enough that the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs can kick some sense into them. I'd love to see Luna Lovegood rallying the four houses to her; she's got the perspective to see that it's unite or fall, and she doesn't care what other people think of her, so she wouldn't be afraid to stand up.
What, if anything, will open the locked door in the Department of Mysteries and what will be found there?
Why do all the Mysteries have to be solved? I don't believe that the locked door will be opened. It may be eluded to as something do to with the power of love, as it has been in the past, but I doubt we'll see it first hand. Maybe if the protagonist were a Ravenclaw, but "figure out how it works before you use it" is not really the Gryffindor mentality.
FORCES IN MOTION
How will JKR torture Umbridge a little more?
Personally, I think it would be in extremely poor taste to heap much more on poor Dolores. Not that I'm an Umbridge fan or anything, but really, enough is enough.
Though I would like to see her shunted into a dead-end job in the Ministry, Crouch Sr. style.
What is the significance of Harry having "Lily's eyes"?
There are several characters, most notably Snape, who still seem to be working under the impression that Harry=James. The fact that Harry has his mother's eyes is the most obvious outward difference between the two, and may be used to drive the fact home that Harry=/=James. Expecially if there turns out to be any truth to "Snape loved Lily."
CHARACTER SUBPLOTS & SHIPPING
What other romantic relationships do you predict?
I doubt there will be any lasting relationships that haven't already been established or at least hinted at. Ginny may get fed up with Harry's "Maybe if we aren't actively snogging Voldemort won't notice that I care about you" stance, and try and make him jealous enough to take her back. If this is the case, my money's on a short-lived Ginny/Neville fling. Although what I'd really like to see is a Ginny/Luna fling. A girl can dream, eh?
Will any characters become animagi or seers or show/develop other special abilities?
No. If anyone does suddenly develop OMG SPESHUL ABILITIES out of nowhere, I'll be leading an expedition to rescue JKR from the Suethors who are clearly holding her hostage.
Will any character evolve in an unexpected way, or do something important we haven't alluded to?
I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some more of Viktor Krum - leading to much jealousness of the Ron and then to much Ron/Hermione snogging.
And I would dearly love for Harry to have a chance to have an actual conversation with Nagini. No idea what would come out of it, but it would certainly be eye-opening.
WHAT OTHER MAJOR PREDICTIONS/THEORIES DO YOU HAVE THAT WERE NOT COVERED IN THE CONTEST?
I've got a couple :)
1) Kreacher and Dobby: I think these two may well be related. Possibly even father and son or uncle and nephew. There are even fewer households with house-elves than there are pure-blood families, and Dobby and Kreacher's respective families are very closely linked.
2)Flitwick: He's been all but confirmed to be part goblin, right? I think he'll be instrumental in getting the goblins' help in DH, much the same way that Hagrid and Madam Maxime tried to recruit the giants. Goblins are, however, much more intelligent than giants, and so recruiting them might actually work.