Speaking of Harry Potter (as I do in my Spider-Man 3 review), Becky — having just finished re-reading books 1-6 — is blogging about her guesses for what will happen in book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She concludes, “I know there are other Harry Potter nerds out there. Got any brilliant suspicions of your own?” Well?
[UPDATE: Bumped to top (from 5/6, 12:18am) because Becky, anxious for more feedback, made me bump it… and if Becky ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! -ed.]
1. I think that Snape is still one of the good ones. I think that his act in the last book that appeared to be evil (trying to avoid spoilers) was actually good- that if another person had committed the same act (such as the one who was about to…) it would have been worse, so Snape did it for the greater good.
2. I think Harry is going to kill himself. Not only would this be a perfect ending to J.K. Rowling’s pattern of becoming darker and less child-oriented with every book, it could make sense. I think Harry might BE the last horcrux- therefore has to kill himself, again, for the greater good.
I don’t think Harry will kill himself but I do think there is some good in Snape. I used to work part time at a Borders Books and the first displays we got for the new book were these giant stands that said “Trust Snape?” and we also had stickers to give out one said “Snape is a nice guy” and the other said “Snape is not my friend”
As long as Draco Malfoy gets his ass beat in the 7th book by Ron I will be happy.
Also I highly recommend pre-ordering this book from Amazon. The discount is higher than you will get at the store and the shipping is free. Which isn’t bad considering it’s a 820 page hardcover that probably weighs a pound or two. I did this for Book 6 and it was at my doorstep at 8 AM. That it unless you want to go to one of the opening festivites at a bookstore.
I think Harry’s scar might be a horcrux. I still think it would make more sense if he had to die or sacrifice himself, but this could be a way of getting around a terrifying ending for the kids.
Also, J.K. stated on her website that those who are familiar with Christian ideas or allegory might be able to see what’s coming. Does that mean Harry will sacrifice himself?
Actually, what if Harry does become a ghost? The true meaning behind them is still missing, as well. What causes someone to become a ghost after death? I hope Harry (or Sirius or Dumbledore) becomes a ghosty thing like Obi-Wan or Yoda.
There has to be some significance to all of this phoenix stuff too. Dumbledore owned a phoenix, named an order after it, his patronus is a phoenix, and Harry is saved by it before–not to mention Phoenices(?)come back from the dead.
I didn’t think of that in Christian terms though, good catch there…I guess that whole resurrection thing is a big deal too.
I thought Rowling said that Dumbledore was definitely dead, but then said it was complicated. Sounds like he’ll return in some form, at least.
Harry is the last horcrux and the prophecy was about Neville Longbottom, not Harry. “One shall live while the other must die.” Neville was born the same time, under the same circumstances - everyone just assumes it’s Harry because Neville was almost a squib. But notice how throughout the series, he’s been stepping up to the plate - and his parents were great wizards. Therefore, Neville will live and kill Voldemort, and Harry will die in the process in order to eliminate the last Horcrux. Perhaps Neville will have to kill Harry in order to kill Voldemort - thereby fulfilling the prophecy AND ending He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
I’m just sad because I know she’s going to kill Harry and this means Harry and Ginny will never have a chance for love… *sigh* Either way, Ron and Hermione better stay alive and finally get together already.
Fascinating theory, 1L . . . I think there’s a part of it that is probably wrong, but also a very intriguing insight that I have never seen considered before.
Here’s the prophecy:
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…
I think the problem with saying Neville is the subject of the prophecy is that it does not appear the Dark Lord has marked him as his equal. Of course, we all assume that the scar and the wand connection and Voldemort’s obsession with Harry all mean that the Dark Lord has marked Harry as his equal — but I suppose this may not actually be the case. Still, there doesn’t seem to be any hint at all that Voldemort had done anything at all to mark Neville as his equal — has he?
On the other hand, I think you make a great observation: “either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives” — again, everyone has assumed that this refers to the Dark Lord and the one with the power to vanquish him . . . but what if it refers to the one that the Dark Lord will mark, and another whom the Dark Lord does NOT mark? What if the prophecy is saying that there will be TWO born to those who have thrice defied the Dark Lord, one of whom will be marked by the Dark Lord as his equal, and one of the two must die at the hand of the other because they cannot both live?
I’m not sure what the implications would be here but it’s a fascinating alternative. Assume Harry is marked by Voldemort, and either he must kill Neville or vice versa. It would be consistent with the suggestion that Neville kills Harry, and Harry, being a horcux, has the power to take Voldemort with him . . . Or perhaps, somehow, someway, Neville is a horcrux, and Harry has to kill him to make Voldemort mortal? Among other things, if Neville is unknowingly burdened with a twisted piece of Voldemort’s soul, that might explain why he is so otherwise-inept at magic — an internal unconscious conflict short0-crcuiting his natural abilities. (Kind of like how McCoy went a little nuts while carrying around Spock’s katra. But I digress.)
Cool stuff to think about . . . instead of studying for my last final . . . or writing my last paper . . . or preparing for the bar . . . or working . . . or (etc. etc. . . . )
Brian and 1L, cool stuff. I think part of HP’s legacy will be how well it’s lent itself to speculation and complexity. I’m sure it will all seem so simple after the 7th book, though.
John, just because Voldemort has tried to kill him a bunch of times, doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t a horcrux. All of the horcruxes have to be destroyed in order for Voldemort to die, and he might have judged that killing Harry was worth destroying just one of them. Alternatively, maybe Voldemort somehow doesn’t know that Harry’s a horcrux. There are all sorts of ways Rowling could, if she wanted to, twist the plot around to make this happen. I’m not saying she will, necessarily, but it’s not totally impossible. I mean, there’s no possible way Snape could kill Dumbledore, after all, how many times has he proven he’s on the right side! Plot twists happen. :)
Well, for what it’s worth, my opinion as a somewhat obsessed reader:
1) Dumbledore isn’t really dead. Note that the every other time a character’s hit with the killing curse, there’s just a green light, a wooshing noise, and they crumple. Dumbledore gets no wooshing noise and is lifted up off his feet and flung off the roof. This comes from Snape, who we already know is a master at nonverbal spells, and it comes immediately after Dumbledore gives his little speech to Draco about how they could make it seem like Draco had died to protect him. Combined with the Phoenix imagery, and the fact that Snape only gets crazed when Harry calls him a coward (and, even then, doesn’t try to kill him, just tries to prevent him from following the Death Eaters), I think at the least Dumbledore put Snape up to it, and probably that he’s still alive.
2) I’d also wondered about the mirror. Rowling’s planted things in earlier books only to be used in later ones before (for instance, the pocket knife to undo any knot and open any door), but the mirror being smashed at the end of book 5 makes that seem unlikely. It would have worked as a way to make Harry feel awful that he had a way to get into contact with Sirius which he had forgotten about, but not only does he not even think about that when he sees the mirror, he’s already got the fact that he forgot Snape was in the Order to cover that guilt ground.
3) The prophecy could have applied to Neville, up until the point when Voldemort marked Harry. From that point onward, the prophecy was no longer even potentially about Neville.
4) Sirius and Dumbledore are clearly not becoming ghosts. Nearly Headless Nick’s discussion about how ghosthood is basically a path taken by individual wizards and witches who are too afraid to face death mean that it just won’t happen for those two. I highly doubt it would happen for Harry either, but there’s just no way it’ll be the case for either Sirius or Dumbledore.
5) I agree with Becky that RAB is almost certainly Regulus.
6) I suspect we’ve already encountered the locket. When the gang was cleaning out one of the room’s in Sirius’ house, they came across a mysterious locket that no one could open. See above on Rowling’s tendency to plant things in earlier books to be used later.
I don’t know what’s going to happen-really can’t even guess. But I do believe that Harry will not be killed or kill himself. He needs to live on with a message so that this series can also go on to be a classic and be read for generations yet to come. As great a writer as Rowling is, I can’t imagine her killing off the goose that laid the golden egg, so to speak.
Yeah, but JKR is also on record saying that she identifies with authors who kill off their main characters so other writers can’t use the characters and put them in new stories after the original author’s death. It seemed like she didn’t want anyone changing who she had created the characters to be.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:24:24 am
1. I think that Snape is still one of the good ones. I think that his act in the last book that appeared to be evil (trying to avoid spoilers) was actually good- that if another person had committed the same act (such as the one who was about to…) it would have been worse, so Snape did it for the greater good.
2. I think Harry is going to kill himself. Not only would this be a perfect ending to J.K. Rowling’s pattern of becoming darker and less child-oriented with every book, it could make sense. I think Harry might BE the last horcrux- therefore has to kill himself, again, for the greater good.
May 6th, 2007 at 8:44:23 am
I don’t think Harry will kill himself but I do think there is some good in Snape. I used to work part time at a Borders Books and the first displays we got for the new book were these giant stands that said “Trust Snape?” and we also had stickers to give out one said “Snape is a nice guy” and the other said “Snape is not my friend”
As long as Draco Malfoy gets his ass beat in the 7th book by Ron I will be happy.
May 6th, 2007 at 8:47:48 am
Also I highly recommend pre-ordering this book from Amazon. The discount is higher than you will get at the store and the shipping is free. Which isn’t bad considering it’s a 820 page hardcover that probably weighs a pound or two. I did this for Book 6 and it was at my doorstep at 8 AM. That it unless you want to go to one of the opening festivites at a bookstore.
May 6th, 2007 at 11:39:34 am
I think Harry’s scar might be a horcrux. I still think it would make more sense if he had to die or sacrifice himself, but this could be a way of getting around a terrifying ending for the kids.
Also, J.K. stated on her website that those who are familiar with Christian ideas or allegory might be able to see what’s coming. Does that mean Harry will sacrifice himself?
May 6th, 2007 at 11:52:41 am
Nearly Headless Harry?
:)
May 6th, 2007 at 11:57:17 am
How can he be nearly headless?!
Actually, what if Harry does become a ghost? The true meaning behind them is still missing, as well. What causes someone to become a ghost after death? I hope Harry (or Sirius or Dumbledore) becomes a ghosty thing like Obi-Wan or Yoda.
May 6th, 2007 at 11:59:12 am
kcantnd, I think that xtian suggestion supports my idea that either Sirius or Dumbles will come back from the dead. Either that, or Harry will.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:03:40 pm
There has to be some significance to all of this phoenix stuff too. Dumbledore owned a phoenix, named an order after it, his patronus is a phoenix, and Harry is saved by it before–not to mention Phoenices(?)come back from the dead.
I didn’t think of that in Christian terms though, good catch there…I guess that whole resurrection thing is a big deal too.
I thought Rowling said that Dumbledore was definitely dead, but then said it was complicated. Sounds like he’ll return in some form, at least.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:22:20 pm
“I am Voldemort. Or rather Voldemort as he should have been. … I am Dumbledore the White. And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide.”
May 6th, 2007 at 12:29:50 pm
Harry is the last horcrux and the prophecy was about Neville Longbottom, not Harry. “One shall live while the other must die.” Neville was born the same time, under the same circumstances - everyone just assumes it’s Harry because Neville was almost a squib. But notice how throughout the series, he’s been stepping up to the plate - and his parents were great wizards. Therefore, Neville will live and kill Voldemort, and Harry will die in the process in order to eliminate the last Horcrux. Perhaps Neville will have to kill Harry in order to kill Voldemort - thereby fulfilling the prophecy AND ending He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
I’m just sad because I know she’s going to kill Harry and this means Harry and Ginny will never have a chance for love… *sigh* Either way, Ron and Hermione better stay alive and finally get together already.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:56:49 pm
Fascinating theory, 1L . . . I think there’s a part of it that is probably wrong, but also a very intriguing insight that I have never seen considered before.
Here’s the prophecy:
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…
I think the problem with saying Neville is the subject of the prophecy is that it does not appear the Dark Lord has marked him as his equal. Of course, we all assume that the scar and the wand connection and Voldemort’s obsession with Harry all mean that the Dark Lord has marked Harry as his equal — but I suppose this may not actually be the case. Still, there doesn’t seem to be any hint at all that Voldemort had done anything at all to mark Neville as his equal — has he?
On the other hand, I think you make a great observation: “either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives” — again, everyone has assumed that this refers to the Dark Lord and the one with the power to vanquish him . . . but what if it refers to the one that the Dark Lord will mark, and another whom the Dark Lord does NOT mark? What if the prophecy is saying that there will be TWO born to those who have thrice defied the Dark Lord, one of whom will be marked by the Dark Lord as his equal, and one of the two must die at the hand of the other because they cannot both live?
I’m not sure what the implications would be here but it’s a fascinating alternative. Assume Harry is marked by Voldemort, and either he must kill Neville or vice versa. It would be consistent with the suggestion that Neville kills Harry, and Harry, being a horcux, has the power to take Voldemort with him . . . Or perhaps, somehow, someway, Neville is a horcrux, and Harry has to kill him to make Voldemort mortal? Among other things, if Neville is unknowingly burdened with a twisted piece of Voldemort’s soul, that might explain why he is so otherwise-inept at magic — an internal unconscious conflict short0-crcuiting his natural abilities. (Kind of like how McCoy went a little nuts while carrying around Spock’s katra. But I digress.)
Cool stuff to think about . . . instead of studying for my last final . . . or writing my last paper . . . or preparing for the bar . . . or working . . . or (etc. etc. . . . )
May 6th, 2007 at 4:52:02 pm
Brian and 1L, cool stuff. I think part of HP’s legacy will be how well it’s lent itself to speculation and complexity. I’m sure it will all seem so simple after the 7th book, though.
May 6th, 2007 at 8:04:36 pm
Harry CAN”T be a horcux. How many times has he-who-must-not-be-named tried to kill him?
May 6th, 2007 at 8:35:29 pm
John, just because Voldemort has tried to kill him a bunch of times, doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t a horcrux. All of the horcruxes have to be destroyed in order for Voldemort to die, and he might have judged that killing Harry was worth destroying just one of them. Alternatively, maybe Voldemort somehow doesn’t know that Harry’s a horcrux. There are all sorts of ways Rowling could, if she wanted to, twist the plot around to make this happen. I’m not saying she will, necessarily, but it’s not totally impossible. I mean, there’s no possible way Snape could kill Dumbledore, after all, how many times has he proven he’s on the right side! Plot twists happen. :)
May 6th, 2007 at 9:20:56 pm
Becky could check this out:
http://remembrall_club.livejournal.com
May 7th, 2007 at 11:40:25 am
http://www.mugglenet.com/books/futurebooks/book7/index.shtml
Harry is wearing the locket in the American cover…you can see what the locket looks like on the UK adult version.
May 7th, 2007 at 12:21:16 pm
Well, for what it’s worth, my opinion as a somewhat obsessed reader:
1) Dumbledore isn’t really dead. Note that the every other time a character’s hit with the killing curse, there’s just a green light, a wooshing noise, and they crumple. Dumbledore gets no wooshing noise and is lifted up off his feet and flung off the roof. This comes from Snape, who we already know is a master at nonverbal spells, and it comes immediately after Dumbledore gives his little speech to Draco about how they could make it seem like Draco had died to protect him. Combined with the Phoenix imagery, and the fact that Snape only gets crazed when Harry calls him a coward (and, even then, doesn’t try to kill him, just tries to prevent him from following the Death Eaters), I think at the least Dumbledore put Snape up to it, and probably that he’s still alive.
2) I’d also wondered about the mirror. Rowling’s planted things in earlier books only to be used in later ones before (for instance, the pocket knife to undo any knot and open any door), but the mirror being smashed at the end of book 5 makes that seem unlikely. It would have worked as a way to make Harry feel awful that he had a way to get into contact with Sirius which he had forgotten about, but not only does he not even think about that when he sees the mirror, he’s already got the fact that he forgot Snape was in the Order to cover that guilt ground.
3) The prophecy could have applied to Neville, up until the point when Voldemort marked Harry. From that point onward, the prophecy was no longer even potentially about Neville.
4) Sirius and Dumbledore are clearly not becoming ghosts. Nearly Headless Nick’s discussion about how ghosthood is basically a path taken by individual wizards and witches who are too afraid to face death mean that it just won’t happen for those two. I highly doubt it would happen for Harry either, but there’s just no way it’ll be the case for either Sirius or Dumbledore.
5) I agree with Becky that RAB is almost certainly Regulus.
6) I suspect we’ve already encountered the locket. When the gang was cleaning out one of the room’s in Sirius’ house, they came across a mysterious locket that no one could open. See above on Rowling’s tendency to plant things in earlier books to be used later.
May 7th, 2007 at 12:40:19 pm
Mike,
Rowling herself has said that Dumbledore is in fact dead. She gave no calrification as to whether or not Sirius was dead for sure.
May 7th, 2007 at 12:53:26 pm
I thought I was a fan of these books until I read this thread… now I realize that I’m just a poser. :(
May 7th, 2007 at 3:00:49 pm
JKR has also said that Harry is NOT a Horcrux
May 7th, 2007 at 3:09:55 pm
I don’t know what’s going to happen-really can’t even guess. But I do believe that Harry will not be killed or kill himself. He needs to live on with a message so that this series can also go on to be a classic and be read for generations yet to come. As great a writer as Rowling is, I can’t imagine her killing off the goose that laid the golden egg, so to speak.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:23:19 pm
Yeah, but JKR is also on record saying that she identifies with authors who kill off their main characters so other writers can’t use the characters and put them in new stories after the original author’s death. It seemed like she didn’t want anyone changing who she had created the characters to be.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:31:07 pm
Let’s face it…. JKR LOVES toying with us!
May 7th, 2007 at 10:25:44 pm
JKR is a master of manipulation, pitting our clashing allegiances and hopes against each other! Oh the delicious despair of it all!
May 8th, 2007 at 8:14:38 pm
And you think it is mere coincidence that JKR and another KR - a certain Karl Rove - share initials ?
Hmmmm ?
I think not !
(grin)