Just Finished Reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
| July 17th, 2005I just now finished reading the new Harry Potter novel, which I enjoyed quite a lot.
Here are some scattered thoughts. Don’t read on unless you don’t mind spoilers.
Edited to add: No, really, there are serious, serious, spoilers here - some very key plot points revealed. Don’t click unless you’ve read the novel or don’t mind spoilers at all.
Professor Snape remains not only the best character in the series, but is one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of childrens’ literature.
I loved chapter two. Of course, it was clear that Snape had to be doing exactly that - telling both sides that he was their double-agent - but it was very entertaining to witness his tap-dance act. There’s also no indication at all that Snape had been let in on the secret by Voldemort; he was just bluffing to get the women to reveal Voldemort’s plan.
Even after Snape killed Dumbledore, I remain convinced that Snape is on Dumbledore’s side; Dumbledore, in his final words, was begging Snape to not sacrifice himself on foolish heroics, and to instead stay “in character” and kill Dumbledore. For that loyalty, Snape is going to be hated and hunted by all of his actual allies, but on the bright side he will now finally be trusted and applauded by his enemies.
But despite being on the side of light and good, Snape is still an evil bastard. In particular, he was (partly) responsible for James and Lily’s death, but still uses his dislike of long-dead James as an excuse to bully James’ son Harry. Although he seems motivated by hatred of bullying, his instincts are to be a bully himself. It speaks of a meanness of character, and a self-centeredness, that’s genuinely stunning.
(Ironic that Snape invented the ankle-dangling spell that James used to torment him. Odd that he seemed so helpless in the one scene we’ve seen of his teenagehood, since we now know for sure that he was brilliant and powerful as a teenager. Perhaps in other instances, instances that he wasn’t so ashamed of (and so didn’t hide in the pensieve), he did better striking back against James. I’d be sorry if that was the case, since I rather enjoy loathing James Potter, but maybe Snape wasn’t such an innocent victim.)
The books are shaping up into a tragic dance of mutual hatred between Snape and Harry, both of them so eager to find reasons to hate the other that their judgment is horribly impaired. Harry can’t see that Snape is his ally - perhaps his strongest, now that Dumbledore’s dead; and Snape, although he knows he should support Harry, is too wrapped up in hatred of James to resist acting unforgivably to Harry every chance he gets. As the adult, it’s always been up to Snape to shape the relationship between him and Harry; and he’s done everything he can to make Harry unable to view Snape with anything but hatred.
I’m sure that Snape will end up saving the day in some essential way in book seven, but I suspect he’ll get killed by Harry regardless.
Other thoughts:
1) No great surprise that Dumbledore died; vultures were flying over his head throughout the book. Occasional “Alas” poster Elkins, who knows quite a lot about thing Potter, pointed out something interesting, which is that in alchemy, the philosopher’s stone is made through a system of refinement in which the stages are black, then white, then red - a fact that has been referred to in passing in the novels. In book 5, Black died; in book six, White died (”Albus” means “white”). If so, then Hagrid (whose name means “red”) is going to die in the next novel.
2) Elkins also speculates that Snape was in love with Harry’s mother, and that accounts for his irrationality and bitterness regarding James and Harry. Seems quite plausible to me.
3) I often wondered if Harry might not be James’ biological son at all. He looks too damn much like James; I’ve often found that suspicious, perhaps the result of a spell Lily cast to hide Harry’s father’s true identity. Hell, maybe Snape is Harry’s biological father.
(However, unlike Sarah’s speculations in #1 and #2, which I’m pretty sure will be borne out in the seventh novel, I suspect that my theory will never be supported by the text.)
4) I loved Draco breaking Harry’s nose and humiliating him at the start of the novel. About damn time. Nothing against Harry, but an alleged bully character who constantly picks on powerful peers who effortlessly beat the crap out of him is a bit weird. (Although also a bit endearing as a character trait.)
5) When will the characters learn that everything Myrtle (the weeping ghost girl) says is important to the plot, and should be paid attention to? Well, presumably, never, since it seems unlikely that she’ll figure into the seventh novel.
6) I’m getting tired of Molly being foolish and wrong all the time.
7) Nice that the vanishing cabinet, which seemed like an oddly cruel throwaway element in the previous novel, turns out to be essential.
8) I enjoyed the biography of Tom Riddle.
9) There were complete versions of this novel available for free (albeit illegal) downloads, in .pdf, word, and txt versions, less than 24 hours after the novel was released. However, I suspect that J.K., Rowling will still somehow manage to make a profit. (In case you’re wondering, the version I read was a storebought hardcover book).
10) I wonder why Snape has such an issue with being called a coward?
Anyhow, feel free to use this thread to respond to any of my comments above, or to discuss anything else Harry Potter related.
July 17th, 2005 at 6:45 pm
Well, shit. You said spoilers and I clicked anyway! DAMNIT!
I should be done by tomorrow. THEN I can click at will.
This comment was written by Krupskaya.Report this comment to the moderators
July 17th, 2005 at 7:12 pm
I see you’ve added an extra spoiler warning. Hey, it’s my own fault; I didn’t have to click on it. :p
This comment was written by Krupskaya.Report this comment to the moderators
July 17th, 2005 at 7:49 pm
Personally, I can’t believe that McGonagle turns out to be Voldemort in disguise. That was a shocker.
This comment was written by Robert.Report this comment to the moderators
July 17th, 2005 at 8:04 pm
I completely agree with you about Snape bluffing when he was with Narcissa and Bellatrix and Snape being on Dumbledore’s side (the latter mostly because the idea of Dumbledore being so very wrong about someone else character is so very out of character, as would him pleading for his life.)
#5 - About the same time that Harry and Ron learn that Hermione is always at least partly right (except when she’s upset).
#7 - This is a big part of why the books continue to grow on me. I’m guessing that certain throwaway bits from the last two books will play a big part in Harry finding the Horcruxes. (Especially his inheiriting #12 Grimmauld Place, Kreacher and Mundugus stealing from him, and the intials RAB matching a member of a certain family tree).
#8 - Yes, but there was an awful lot of exposition for the second to last book.
#9 - HaHaHaHa. Yeah, I’d say so. If I’m remembering the numbers right, my bookstore did at least three times the amount of business we normally do on Friday* alone. Granted, a big chunk of our sales came from people who were waiting for the book flooding the cafe all night, but I wouldn’t be surprised to get back to work on Monday and discover that we had sold out of the several thousand copies we got in last week.
#10 - hmmmmm, I’m guessing it has somethig to do with either James Potter or having once been a Death Eater, and that it will be a plot point in book 7.
*this, of course, includes Saturday morning from 12-2 am.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 4:43 am
“Harry, I am your father! Join with me—” Oh, wait, never mind. That’s an interesting thought, though.
This comment was written by ginmar.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 8:39 am
10) I wonder why Snape has such an issue with being called a coward?
Jesus, Barry. In killing Dumbledore, Snape did the bravest thing anyone in the books has ever done, and no one will ever know it. “Don’t you call me a coward!” was a heartbreaking line.
He’s a complete bastard, but he’s still my hero.
This comment was written by Kip Manley.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
Eeek, somehow was not expecting a Harry Potter review on this website! Everywhere I went this weekend there he was, along with assorted adults extoling his virtues (not to mention dressing up - at 1.30pm in a newsagents in Aberdeen - really there are limites surely!). Have been studiously trying to avoid him today - and here he is!!
I just don’t get the ‘adults reading HP’ thing - it wouldn’t be so bad, I am a great believer in live and let live, tolerance, whatever floats your boat etc - if only friends would stop trying to ‘convert’ me - ain’t never gonna happen.
Anyway all you HP fans out there- glad you enjoyed it, I am really pleased that JK has done so well - but have mercy on those of us who just don’t want to read them.
This comment was written by Leslie.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
Eeek, somehow was not expecting a Harry Potter review on this website! Everywhere I went this weekend there he was, along with assorted adults extoling his virtues (not to mention dressing up - at 1.30pm in a newsagents in Aberdeen - really there are limites surely!). Have been studiously trying to avoid him today - and here he is!!
I just don’t get the ‘adults reading HP’ thing - it wouldn’t be so bad, I am a great believer in live and let live, tolerance, whatever floats your boat etc - if only friends would stop trying to ‘convert’ me - ain’t never gonna happen.
Anyway all you HP fans out there- glad you enjoyed it, I am really pleased that JK has done so well - but have mercy on those of us who just don’t want to read them.
This comment was written by Leslie.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 12:30 pm
Sorry about the double post, my laptop is being very weird just now (hmmm, hope it’s not related to my HP non-enthusiasm…).
The spelling mistake is just down to my lazy proofing.
Anyway keep up the good work on everything else.
This comment was written by Leslie.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 1:24 pm
Leslie,
The actual post that shows on the front page is like two inches tall - it’s easily skippable. Feel free to complain all you want about HP, but I think it’s a little rude to ask/suggest that the person running the site not to talk about a book he obviously enjoys just because you don’t.
Robert and ginmar,
I have a co-worker who says that when the third movie came out he kept going up to the people in line and telling them “Wolverine dies!”
(and psst, Robert, it’s McGonagal)
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 2:02 pm
Yeah, way to out my real first name to the fandom, Barry.
(No worries. I think by now it’s such a well-known secret that it’s, well, really not much of one anymore.)
I must say that I was horribly amused to see you posting about HP here.
Just a coupla points.
“Snape Loved Lily” is hardly my speculation. It’s a very popular fanspec that has been around since the very beginning of the series. On HPfGU, it often goes by the name of “The Good ‘Ship LOLLIPOPS.” (”Love Of Lily Left Ire, Polluting Our Poor Severus”)
To be perfectly honest, I really hate The Good Ship LOLLIPOPS. I would far prefer to see eros left out of the equation altogether, ’cause I prefer my Snape all Kantian and good shit like that.
But I do think it’s becoming an increasingly probable speculation as the series progresses.
Robert:
“Personally, I can’t believe that McGonagle turns out to be Voldemort
in disguise. That was a shocker.”
Minerva McGonagall Is Ever So Evil!
And agreed with Kip, on all counts re: Snape.
The end of Book Six was basically the end of Book Three revisited. It was a far more serious reprise of the endgame of Prisoner of Azkaban, in which Snape heroically re-enacts the most traumatic experience of his teenaged years by heading down to the Shrieking Shack in the middle of the night to protect his charges from Mass Murderer Black and his accomplice, the Werewolf Lupin–only to get attacked, vilified, mocked, reminded of his dreadful past, and made to look like a right ass in front of the Minister For Magic for all his pains.
His capslock explosion at the end of HBP was a revisitation of his nervous breakdown at the end of PoA. Except, well, you know. Magnified about a thousandfold.
Barry, why are you doing this to me? Dammit, man, I have left the fandom! Left it, I say!
This comment was written by Elkins.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 2:10 pm
As a point, there are a few very interesting posts on why it is very bad to read the end of this book as Snape doing a complicated triple-cross. I continue to be of two minds about whether he’s really good or bad: on the one side, I think that this very elaborate game is a bad trick to end the series on, and makes the books more about Snape than they need to be; on the other side, if Snape truly is bad, it makes for an incredibly simplistic moral universe. I hope JKR has a solution to this, but given her occasionally simplistic solutions (Cedric! I am still bitter about this), I am unsure.
For all that (including the plain predictability of most of the last few chapters), I think this book came close in caliber to the first 3, far better than 4 and 5. The plan to leave Hogwarts shocked me — it was the right move, but I was not at all expecting it.
This comment was written by wolfangel.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 2:11 pm
Oh, wait. I outed myself just last winter, didn’t I.
Right. I’d forgotten. Nevermind then.
This comment was written by Elkins.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 3:05 pm
Ack, whatever happened to my first two links? Trying again.
This comment was written by wolfangel.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 3:21 pm
JennyK
I was not and would never tell Ampersand what to write - just trying (but obviously not hard enough) to be funny about my unfortunate antipathy towards HP.
I was genuinely surprised to see the review having thought I would be safe at my favourite blog in my efforts to avoid HP today at - and couldn’t resist making a comment, but will in the future.
Anyway, Ampersand I hope you didn’t take my comment as a serious attempt to stop you writing about HP - put it down to my weird Scottish/Glaswegian sense of humour not travelling well. I’ll shut up now and resume my usual lurking behaviour.
This comment was written by Leslie.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 3:44 pm
Leslie,
I may have been too harsh on you, partly because what you said just resembled all the guys on dKos and Drums site constantly asking “can we focus on something important?” everytime a “woman’s issue” is brought up just a bit too much for my peace of mind. Not um, that I consider HP to be equal with the wage gap, ;) - just that I have developed a bit of a knee jerk reaction to people who feel the need to post on topics they find “unworthy” or “annoying” simply to say that they find such topics unworthy or annoying, without giving any arguments as to why others should see them that way.
Please don’t go back to lurking! I wasn’t trying to say that I don’t want to hear your opinions (including that you don’t like HP)! Just that I’d prefer a bit more than just that you don’t want to hear about it.
Elkins,
Great point about PoA and HPB, I hadn’t made that connection.
I also see a bit of a pattern in terms of light/dark books. While the series in general keeps getting darker, it also seems very cyclical to me (starting with PoA, anyway). Book 3 starts very dark, but ends on a light note, book 4 starts out very light, but ends on a dark note, book five was very dark all the way through, but despite Harry still being in mourning in book 6, it isn’t substantially darker than book 5 until the end.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
I had the same thought about Snape not really knowing what Voldemort had told Draco to do, until I realized that Bellatrix would most assuredly mention this to Voldemort and if Snape didn’t really know, he’d be outed. I don’t think Snape would take that chance. I’m going back and forth on him being evil/not. I do agree that it would be a let-down if he’s really been evil all this time, and a little simplistic, which I don’t think JKR is.
This comment was written by Erin.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 4:29 pm
I too believe that Snape is still working for Dumbldore, for the very simple reason of he has never been wrong. And I can’t start thinking he is now, it’s just too scary of a road to go down! I do wonder how, if ever, will Snape be able to explain to Harry though. And why the heck did Dumbledore freeze Harry under his cloak, prevent him from helping?
This comment was written by morri.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 4:47 pm
Leslie, no worries. I got that you were joking, and thought it was funny. I hope you won’t really decide never to post here again - now that would make me sad!
Erin:
Actually, I don’t think he would be “outed.” Yes, Voldemort would know that Snape uses intellectual manipulation to try and find out the secrets that other Death Eaters know - but I don’t think that’s an unusual way for Death Eaters to act. In fact, I suspect The Dark Lord rather enourages and expects that sort of intra-Death-Eater plotting.
This comment was written by Ampersand.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 5:10 pm
R.A.B. is Regulus Black, Sirius’ brother
This comment was written by Kevin.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 5:42 pm
Oh, and Leslie, it was probably also very much my still trying to recover from working until 3 am Friday night, then working another 8 hr shift on Saturday (most of which I spent trying to avoid being accidentaly spoiled by customers and coworkers), then spending most of Sunday finally reading the damn book that made me oblivious the fact that you were joking. Apologies again for taking you too seriously.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 5:45 pm
Presumably Narcissa told Draco that Snape would help, so even if Snape didn’t know what he agreed to at the time, he almost certainly found out shortly after.
If we’re looking for red-related people to die, well, there are a lot of Weasleys who have been very lucky so far, too.
Maybe next book there will be some version of ‘hey, women do stuff in books too’, but I doubt it. Yes, Hermione is important, but she pales in comparison to Ron, and the great leap forward in Ginny in OotP was not really continued in this book.
That book 7 would not be a Hogwarts book *floored* me; as, in fact, did Fawkes’s leaving. Both of these were the right moves — the only way the book could progress — but (unlike the death and the identity of the HBP) I never imagined them coming. I hope that Fawkes returns, somehow, in the final book.
This comment was written by wolfangel.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 5:46 pm
If R.A.B is black’s brother, then slytherin’s locket is likely in #12 grimmauld place which harry inherited.
This comment was written by montclair.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 6:05 pm
No one ever seems to come up with the theory that was so obvious to me that I was looking for it to be revealed in the denouement.
Not only did Snape not turn, but he accepted the Unbreakable Vow on Dumbledore’s orders. Dumbledore was not following a blind lead, and he did find the 1st horcrux — and activated it. The horcrux was the potion, not the locket, and the reason Dumbledore was weakened and truly frightened was because he was fighting Voldemort for his soul and wasn’t sure he’d be able to finish his task in time…which was to die. He called Snape in specifically for that purpose, and the hate and loathing in Snape’s expression wasn’t for Dumbledore…it was for Voldemort.
Perhaps the red herring of the locket was dealt with by the simple expedient that the barrier around it let through anyone who was a death eater or who had Voldemort’s soul, which is how RAB (probably Reg. Black) was able to swap lockets thinking he’d thwarted his former master in a betrayal.
So yeah, I think Snape will save Harry yet again, and probably sacrifice himself for him.
This comment was written by odanu.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 6:14 pm
oh yeah…and further…do you really think that Dumbledore would be wrong about the Horcrux being there…after all that talk of knowing Tom Riddle’s style and the strength of the magic and all? The Horcrux was definitely there, and Dumbledore knew exactly what it was all along. He’d gotten the information from RAB. :)
This comment was written by odanu.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 6:45 pm
The locket is no longer at 12 Grimmauld place, as Mundungus has stolen and (probably) sold it. It was there in book 5, when they mention ‘a heavy locket which none of them could open’.
This comment was written by wolfangel.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
Yup, yup, yup, about the locket. It’s very like JKR to add in throwaway bits like Mundugus and Kreacher stealing from Sirius and Harry and have it turn out to be really important information. I wonder if Regulus managed to find some of the other Horcruxes and that one of them is in Kreacher’s horde of Black family heirlooms.
Re: leaving Hogwarts. I think that they will come back for a while, or that something important will happen there, only because the connection between CoS and HBP suggest that Dumbledore’s remark in CoS that “I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.” means more than just Fawkes helping Harry in CoS.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 7:41 pm
Yes, which is why I keep hope alive that Fawkes will return in some way in book 7: the repetition of “Dumbledore is still around in spirit” suggests there’s something else going on. I am sure Hogwarts will be around a bit — if nothing else, for Harry to get a job as DADA teacher, as people are suggesting all over — but I am still amazed that she ripped the series out of itself (one book for each year at Hogwarts).
This comment was written by wolfangel.Report this comment to the moderators
July 18th, 2005 at 11:03 pm
(Does anyone else think Dumbledore set up a Horcrux of his own at some point?
(No?
(Right, then.)
This comment was written by Kip Manley.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 12:46 am
Kip
For an instant as I was reading the last chapter I had the same idea - and hope - and then I remembered that splitting up your soul is a very bad thing to do.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 5:39 am
After thinking about it, I believe that Snape is still working for Dumbledore so to speak and that killing Dumbledore was the only for Snape to get closer to Voldemort and possibly kill the Hocrux closest to him, the Snake?
This comment was written by Dave.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 6:48 am
hi .. i was disapointed by the latest Half blood prince book .. it wasnt excitin as the prev ones .. but then it answered lots of questions we all had in our minds.. Now that Dumbledore is dead harry potter is alone to defend the wizardin world from Lord Voldemort . Many ppl expected this would happen and it did. Now that the we also know that there are Horcuxes and stuff. This answers how the diary had a life on its own in the Chamber of Secrets book . I also have come across so many ppl saying that in the last chapterof the final book that JK Rowling has already penned long back harry potter wil not be there .. that is he wil die in the end .. Now i am havin a vague answer to about every thing that seemed to have happend till now .. I think Harry potter is the LAST HORCUXE that lord voldemort had accidently created and therefore harry potter dies makin voldemort mortal .. and then lord voldy dies .. I came to this conclusion based on so many things .. There is always a connection between voldemort and harry from the first book .. he always feels what the lord is upto .. and den the fact that harry dies ( which is still a rumour) in the last book.. Hope that JK is not too obvious abt the endin .. even i pray that wat ever i expected to happen shouldnt happen .. cos it spoils the fun of readin the book ..
i agree wid the fact that snape might be a good guy after all . Its pretty obvious that dumbledore wud hv anyway died wid all the death eaters surroundin him .. so think snape wen he killed dumbledore wil make him closer to lord voldemort and there by can help harry by acting as a spy .. lets see..
This comment was written by Sharath.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 7:26 am
Does anyone else think that it is strange that Dumbledore died right after giving Draco a long speech detailing the benefits of having the world believe that you are dead? After all, as it says in one of the other books, you can’t kill someone with avada… unless you really have the will to do it. And pleading for his life? No, more likely he was pleading for Snape to try the very difficult task of “almost” killing Dumbledore, who could then hunt down the remaining horcruxes alone and return later with a surprise for Voldemort. As for not returning to Hogwarts, it seems more likely that someone will come along and convince him to do it over the summer.
This comment was written by Ukiah.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 7:51 am
Does anybody else think that Harry is one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes?
It might explain why infant Harry didn’t die when Voldemort tried to kill him–Voldemort wasn’t trying to kill him–and why Voldemort wants to destroy Harry himself–it’s the only way to keep Harry alive until he can ensure that there’s no one left to get in his way. And Harry’s burning scar and insights into Voldemort’s thoughts during the first few books makes more sense, too. Somehow the “He transferred some of his power to Harry when he tried to kill him” argument never really worked for me.
It’d be a brilliant idea on Voldemort’s part. This way, he lives on no matter what. Unless Harry dies, too–by Neville’s hand, perhaps. Now that would be a plot twist.
odanu:
I’m not sure about the potion being the Horcrux. Wouldn’t RAB have consumed it, then, when he went for the locket the first time?
This comment was written by Hestia.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 7:52 am
Aw, crap. Looks like Sharath got to my theory first. Serves me right for not reading to the end of the comments.
Anyhow, I agree with Sharath.
This comment was written by Hestia.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 8:47 am
Hestia..
RAB was a death eater. I’ve already opined that the setup was that a death eater would be able to penetrate the surface and go for the red herring without realizing the import of the potion itself…a second layer of defense. And Dumbledore really understood magic. He stated several times that he was positive that the horcrux was there. I simply can’t fathom him being that wrong, unless we’ve been misled about his wizardly abilities for six books, in which case its very poor (and sloppy) writing, and frankly I don’t think JKR is sloppy, no matter what else she is.
This comment was written by odanu.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 9:36 am
odanu,
I can deal with Dumbledore being wrong about that more than I can deal with him being so very wrong about Snape.
It’s not as if he was completely wrong (the Horcrux was there - just not anymore) and it’s not like he’d necessarily have any idea that someone else already knew about it.
I do like your theory (mostly because it explains ow Dumbledore found out about this Horcrux and because it gives more evidence to the idea that Dumbledore knew he was going to die), I’m just not convinced - yet.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 10:28 am
Hestia,
While assuredly thought-provoking, the theory of Harry being a horcrux himself doesn’t follow suit with the theme of Harry’s greatest strength being his family’s love and THAT is why he is saved. Along the same lines, I think that it is interesting that no-one has yet written about how this theme will play out in the 7th book. I don’t think that the teenage love triangles happening in the 6th are completely superfluous. I think that they mesh nicely with this misunderstood power that Harry has and should return full circle in the last book. Without a doubt Ginny will prove to be an essential new character.
This comment was written by buckydabadger.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Just gonna through this out there, since I just finished the book too. Don’t they have paintings of all former headmasters is Dumbledore’s office? If so, wouldn’t a talking, moving, basically alive version of Dumbledore be in there? Hmmm. I’m no harry potter mega geek, so does anyone else know?
This comment was written by Sergio.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 11:55 am
If you are interested what Rowling has to say about if snape is evil or not, go to mugglenet.com to see the first part of what will probably be the most informative interview ever with the author (She did an exclusive interview with her 2 favorite big fan sites). It’s still debatable though, according to the people arguing about how she phrased it.
My only thought was that Snape attacked the messenger (Flitwick) getting him to help the order of pheonix during the last battle scene. Why would he do that if he’s good?
This comment was written by MAchick.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
buckydabadger - good points re: Harry being a Horcrux (and it’s a good think I have two more years to mull this over).
Sergio, I was wondering about that too. I’m assuming there are portraits of him somewhere, but how does it work exactly? Do they simply retain the personality of the person painted, or are they something more?
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 19th, 2005 at 1:28 pm
Great book, much better than the 5th anyway.
Snape is probably the person who knows Dumbledor(rip) best after harry. It is for tis reason that Snape kills Albus. He kills albus to save Malfoy. Wen in the cave albus tells harry that his life is more precious than his and I think that albus would apply this principle even to Malfoy and realising this Snape kills Albus.
Snape has a lot to play in the next book. Talking about the next book its gonna be sooooooooooo long considering Harry has to find the 4 pieces and kill Snape and Voldermort or die trying.
6th book has many similarities with THE LORD OF THE RINGS, even in TLOTR frodo has to go about destroying a ring into which the bad guy has put his soul which is similar to the Horcruxes. Probably the last Horcrux is Harrys scar or something.
This comment was written by Saketh.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 7:50 am
Did someone already write this?
This comment was written by Jessica.It seems to me that Dumbledore might himself be a phoenix and hence the flames and Fawks when his body turned to the white tomb. Surely, he’ll be back.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 8:37 am
Hestia,
This comment was written by bgdogg.Was very interested in the thought that Moriy might have left a horcrux in Harry; but wasn’t one of the attempts to kill Harry during the battle in the Ministry in the last book when Voldemort attempted to inhabit Harry’s body “ā but couldn’t because of the “extra Powers”Ā Harry possess? Ergo, Voldemort’s soul wouldn’t be able to exist within Harry for the same reasons (which were again alluded to by Dumbledore in this book as well) thoughts?
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 8:53 am
and i would just like to add that i disagree that love story is distracting– i actually wanted more business about them being just teenagers. that’s what makes the books so compelling for me– the character development. they are so real, so fleshed-out, so human. the more i learn about who they are, what they do– from the mistakes they make to the sweetest smallest gesture– the more gleeful i become while reading (that’s why book 5 is my favorite– all that “other” stuff). beyond the fantastic, the magic, and the adventures (which are, of course, utterly wonderful), i love the minutiae. the tiny details that make it as real as a book about bunch of kids in a regular school in any place, any time. it’s what makes it so easy for me to imagine myself as a student at hogwarts, as a gryffindor, observing friends in the common room. like watching people unfold on a reality tv series or just people watching at the park, the beautifully described elements of people being people is what makes me so very curious about harry potter’s world.
This comment was written by Jessica.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 9:03 am
Jessica,
I think you are on to something…
I do believe that Dumbledore did have a Phoenix as his Petronus. And it did seem that he was pretty deliberate in having Harry lead him down the path toward his demise.
I think he knew what he was doing. Look for Book Seven - The Return of Dumbledore the White!
This comment was written by Jimbo.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 10:10 am
also, as i ride the high that always seems to come with finishing the latest harry potter, i can’t stop thinking/ talking about it.
This comment was written by Jessica.my feelings, though perhaps disorganized at the moment, about snape as good/ evil all tie into the title of the book.
as we find out in the end that harry’s potions come from a book that belonged to snape, but as harry has gotten to know him, to the half blood prince, we realize that, in a way,
rowling felt that snape was important enough to name her book after.
stepping outside his mother’s maiden name or the idea of muggle v pure blood, half blood prince could perhaps suggest that snape is, in part, really a good person struggling to do the right thing.
half of him still looms in the darker side of things, but in this book, the princely, the honorable side of him triumphs. again, his actions (as a “prince” — a good guy) are so crucial that they entitle him to- well- the title.
remember, there is the side that torments harry in class but there is also the person that harry admired, that harry took after in a way. the guy who filled that text book full of interesting ideas and led harry to some very important information– saved ron, won him the potion.
snape is not a nice guy, not even a good guy, but he’s on the right side and he did exactly what dumbledor (his greatest ally) wanted (i also think the “please” was a ‘please do this snape’– in the way he had to remind harry in the cave that he had promised to do his bidding no matter what– even if he didn’t feel right about it)– as much as he loathed to do so. and as snape, he kept harry from commiting crimes, from being killed. i think, because he is lily’s son, snape has a love for harry somewhere.
anyways, i think in book 7, we are going to see many more similarities between snape and harry and that we are going to see just how brave snape really is.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 10:13 am
First of all, Regulus Black can’t be RAB because that’s too obvious. Everyone will be thinking that, so Rowling will make it someone else to surprise them. Whoever RAB is wouldn’t give his or her real name or initials (to Voldemort) for the obvious reasons, so RAB has to be a code or an acronym (e.g., really astonishingly bad, rabid angry bolshevik, etc.). Snape is clearly the hero (or Miltonian anti-hero) of the entire series and the most interesting, perhaps only interesting, character. I propose Snape is RAB.
This comment was written by Pierre.Jimbo has the right idea when he says “The Return of Dumbledore the White!” How could Dumbledore be anything but Gandalf-like? Didn’t anyone see the movies, with Ian McKellen as both Dumbledore and Gandalf?
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 10:28 am
Everyone is forgetting that Dumbledore said (more than once?) that he can/has/will make mistakes, and that his mistakes (being Dumbledore’s mistakes) would be greater than others with greater consequences - i.e. his mistake about Snape. I don’t think I’m making this one up…
Snape may still end up saving the day in the end, but not because he has always been loyal. He killed Dumbledore because he is a death eater. He entered into the unbreakable vow knowingly - LeStrange didn’t expect him to do it, neither did Narcissa Malfoy - he easily could have told them that Voldemort knew what he was doing, or some million other excuses. Maybe not so predictable that Narcissa would ask him to do it for Draco, but he easily could have gotten out of it with an angry retort. He is already thought of as Voldemort’s most trusted advisor - there is not much more of a need to gain more trust, although killing Dumbledore should rank pretty high up there…
Dumbledore also expected to tell Harry about how he injured his hand (somewhere along the lines, they assume something about the Slytherin ring burning his hand, but there is no explanation for the connection - edited out?) and other stories/explanations he never had time to tell Harry. If he knew he was going to die, he likely would have tol d Harry before then. (Or, of course, maybe he didn’t know WHEN it was going to happen…)
Maybe Dumbledore’s iron clad reason is another Trelawney prophecy that Snape will help lead to Voldemort’s downfall?
Also, Harry’s instincts about Snape have now been proven to always have been right. Why would JKR build Harry’s hatred of Snape over all 6 books just to show that Harry was wrong in the end? Again, if Snape helps out in the end, it will be a last minute redemption type scene. This would avoid the ’simplistic’ angle complained of above.
I can see the idea of Harry being the horcrux, and Harry killing himself when he realizes he can’t kill Voldemort in the end - all curses failing - with Voldemort laughing about it, then screaming as he sees what Harry is about to do…then they both disappear.
RAB? Who knows - but Harry will obviously need some help on this new “quest” from someone else who knows about the horcruxes. Regulus makes sense, with the whole locket at the Black house and all. That Nigellus (sp.) portrait also seems to be playing a bigger role. Mundangus will have at least one horcrux, maybe the locket, but won’t be helpful, other than to lead Harry to the next clue.
Anyway, I’m for Snape being plain old evil. That’s what Harry truly believes , and he should be validated for sticking to his guns. He is teh chosen one, after all. We’ll just have to wait a couple more years to find out.
This comment was written by D K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 10:28 am
Ian McKellan wasn’t Dumbledore…
This comment was written by Jessica.Richard Harris and Michael Gambon–
but he would have been really great…
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 10:43 am
I TOTALLY second Jessica’s sentiments, here. I think JK does an excellent job of not overdoing the love stories. She instead gently incorporates them so that they actually ADD to the plots, and to the believability of the characters, without overwhelming the plot. And this is really important to me. I mean, this is what keeps me coming back to these books over and over. Who out there has not secretly had a crush on one of your friends? And who has not been totally elated at the hint that a long-nurtured attraction might be returned? I love these characters because I can identify with them. Without that, what would be the point?
As for Snape being good or bad, I definitely (like many of you, it seems) still harbor the belief that he is good but misunderstood. And I believe that Dumbledore was asking for him to do what he had to do at the end. But that didn’t keep me from crying the whole time I was reading the final 20 pages of the book. I, personally, don’t think Dumbledore’s faking it. I don’t think he’ll magically return at the end somehow. Maybe his picture on the wall at Hogwarts (which they DO refer to) will give some more sound advice, but that’s not the same as having the man. And, to me, the fact that I had such a visceral reaction to the death of a fictional character is proof that JK is doing something right when she includes those little details that make these characters so real and so lovable.
This comment was written by alleecatLB.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 11:46 am
What I think Is, yes, Regullus had wanted a revenge for the death of his brother and had went after the 3rd discovered horcrux.
Also, Do you remember when Mundungus had been caught In hogsmeade stealing the stuff from Black’s house? Some people think he wanted money, I think he is a death eater for Voldemort and is planning to keep the 2 or 3 remaining horcruxes in safety.
Here is a list of the Horcruxes:
T.M. Riddle’s Diary (Destroyed)
This comment was written by Jeremy.Voldemorts Grandfather’s Ring (Destroyed)
Salazar Slytherin’s Locket (Replaced With Fake By Supposed Regullus Black)
Possibly the Scales that the “Girl” was holding and broke and hermione repaired.
Something from Godric Gryffindor (not the sword)
Something From Rowena Ravenclaw (Possibly the heir of ravenclaw has it)
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 12:49 pm
oh yeah…and further…do you really think that Dumbledore would be wrong about the Horcrux being there…after all that talk of knowing Tom Riddle’s style and the strength of the magic and all? The Horcrux was definitely there, and Dumbledore knew exactly what it was all along. He’d gotten the information from RAB. :)
…he does know tom riddle’s style…the note left by RAB lets us know that the locket WAS there, but was already removed by someone else. And why would Dumbledore mislead Harry and not tell him the Horcrux was the potion afterall? Everyone knows Harry wouldn’t let Dumbledore drink it then, but if Dumbledore dies, then Harry still believes that he must find the locket and that the Horcrux was not distroyed. He would still think there was one Horcrux out there and would therefore waste time looking for it.
This comment was written by steve.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 1:09 pm
while i like the idea, i don’t think the potion in the basin in the cave can be the horcrux.
This comment was written by Jessica.if RAM came before Dumbledore and Harry, than in order to remove and replace then locket, he would have first had to imbide the potion and it would be gone. but because it rematerialized, it seems to be just another magical block to keep people from reaching the locket.
unless it’s a deatheater thing… but then wouldn’t he know that it’s the potion not the locket?
hmmm…
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 2:02 pm
In response to Jeremy, why would the scales the have been a horcrux? I don’t think they are one. Also, you failed to mention hufflepuff’s cup. That is sure to be one, as is the snake. Also, I’m not sure about your theory on Regulus. How could he be mad about his brothers death if he had already dies 15 years earlier as was stated in book 5? I do agree that Mundungus is not as harmless as he seems. His thievery of items from #12 is sure to be of some importance.
This comment was written by Kristy.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 3:20 pm
questions:
1) why did dumbledore show Slug the ring on dumbledores hand when dumbledore took harry to Slugs house?
2)if snape is really a death eater and hate muggles and all then why does he live in a small house in a muggle village?
3)why did tom riddle go to work at ‘Borgin and Burkes’? just because he liked the dark arts? and another thought both owners of the shop have last names that end in B and while Burkes first name is known (and thus cant be RAB), Borgin’s first name is not and leaves him as a candidate. and remember that the witch that Tom stole the locket from, originally bought the locket from Borgin and Burkes. maybe they wanted it back?
4) why did the death eaters attack the ‘other ministers’ second in command (or who ever he was)?
5) why did dumbledore take harry on such a dangerous mission of which a fully qualified wizard would have been better suited? the boat that dumbledore and harry used to get across the lake (that could only hold one magical person) is not an answer because obviously RAB did it. thus if RAB did it, it either means he did it alone (thus no point of dumbledore to bring harry and dumbledore didnt really have to drink it) or that RAB found a way to bring someone else across the lake (unless RAB also brought an underage 16 year old).
7) where did all the inferi come from that are at the bottom of the lake?
8) who was the person tom killed to put part of his soul in the diary while he was still at Hogwarts? Mooning Myrtle?
9) wasn’t random that aragog died? I know that it helped get the information from Slug, but it still seemed all of the sudden.
pointing out:
1) the prophecy says that one cant live while the other does (or something like that) thus if harry must kill himself to kill the dark lord….well it doesn’t make sense.
Just thinking out loud
This comment was written by merchut.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 4:28 pm
I don’t know guys… I kind of think we’re giving Snape too much credit… Somethings not right…
This comment was written by Matt.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 5:42 pm
I do think that Snape’s forgivness is far too predictable, whether he is innocent or not I think there will be much more depth than expected, and if R.A.B (who I beleive is a character that surely will have been mentioned beforehand) managed to get hold of the locket who did he take with him (under 17 year old)?????perhaps the A stands for And??? Any thoughts?
This comment was written by Dave.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 6:36 pm
I don t know if this theory is wright but i would like to share it with you. Since the idea of Dumbledore pleading for life is kind of awkward, i think he was most likely asking Snape to kill him and don t ruin the aliby on the fight agains Voldemort. They both know Oclumency and Legerimancy (whatever reading other minds is). And that would be also the issue that Snape has about being called “coward” since it was probably really hard to kill Dumbledore without really wanting to. And, it would also make sense since Dumbledore would be totally trusting Snape as he always did.
This comment was written by ladye_Ec.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 6:39 pm
Okay, with two new teachers needed for next year, I’m betting Tonks is placed as the new Transfiguration teacher, and Shacklebolt is named the new DADA teacher - unless they can convince Mad Eye to do it…again, sort of .
This comment was written by Melissa.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 6:41 pm
Also, did anyone else notice that Snape’s mother would have been at Hogwarts the same time as Tom Riddle which coincides to the original opening of the Chamber of Secrets?
This comment was written by Melissa.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 6:56 pm
A great book with a very stark ending; Rowling has the courage to destroy the cozy world she’s so meticulously built up - before it’s literary qualities have disappeared. Note how the familiar themes like the ghosts, house-elves etc are “phased out” - they are there, but play no crucial part, having already been long introduced. The exception is Moaning Myrtle, but note that her interaction with Malfoy is accounted for very briefly. Yes, Hogwarts has revealed its secrets and played out its role. It’s been a great time, but now Harry has grown up!
But what I simply don’t get is why Fawkes capabilites are ignored in DumbledoreĆĀ“s death scene. He could obviously be summoned instantly - see the final fighting at the end of HP2 as well as HP5 - and protect his master (or Harry) in a critical moment.
I don’t see why Fawkes does not swoop down on Malfoy, who wastes his momentum igniting the bird (no harm done). Meanwhile, Dumbledore gets his wand again and makes short shrift of Malfoy.
Unless of course Dumbledore wanted to die, for some obtuse reason left unexplained until the last book.
This comment was written by Sponsianus.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 7:05 pm
This book, while not the most eventful in the series, did more to advance the plot and left more to ponder and conjecture about than any other. While I like the idea that Snape killed Dumbledore to keep his cover, since when did having a spy count for more than having the most powerful wizard in the world alive and on the good side? I still think Snape is on the Order’s side but i can’t back it up with any evidence. As far as Mundugus Fletcher stealing the locket from #12, what happened to it when he was sent to Azkaban, does the ministry have it? Does Kreacher? Or perhaps Bellatrix, Kreacher’s favorite family member. I do agree that #7 is going to be a very long book (i am predicting well over 1000 pages) having to attend a wedding, go to his parents’ house(surely to be eventful), having to locate and destroy 4 horcruxes, and have a final, hopefully mortal battle with Lord Voldemort who is now, with the death of Dumbledore, the uncontested, most powerful wizard in the world. Even if Harry manages to destroy the soul fragments and make Voldemort mortal, how will he ever manage to duel competitively with him? With all of this going on, I think that Neville will become an impact character. His role in the last 3 books has dramatically increased and his presence in the prophecy is undeniable. I also believe that Hagrid is going to die. So far in Harry’s life there have been 5 adults that have been very close to Harry: Lily, James, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Hagrid. 4 of whom are dead (just a thought). But after all, we’ll just have to wait until the next installment is released to quiet all theories and rumors (which JK will almost certainly prove all wrong).
This comment was written by Kbaug.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 8:30 pm
***Much speculation about HP7 follows***
Let’s look at this like writers…
JK is a master of using “cast off” elements of previous books as intregal plot elements in later books. As such, I feel that all of the pieces we need to understand the 7th book “Harry Potter and the Sixth Horcrux” are already in play.
I do believe that Regulus Black is RAB, but that we will have to take a ride similar to that where we watched Tom Riddle evolve in order to get there. I believe that Slytherin’s necklace was at Number 12, and that it was stolen by Mundungus. I also believe that Kreacher will have tucked away Hufflepuff’s cup, and that it will be disposed of quickly. If it’s there, all Harry has to do is ask his houseelf for it. He will have to fetch it - or he may smash it himself out of spite toward Harry.
There will be a chase as Harry sets off after Mundungus. As to the old theif being crafty or a Death Eater…I really doubt that. He would no doubt deal with the shady characters that are Voldemort’s followers, but he would have no convictions (except gold) one way or the other. That makes him nearly useless to both sides.
Nearly, that is. The fact is that he “aquires” things that are hard to find. He’s a petty theif and a fence, but he undoubtely has the necklace. He is in extreme danger and one can only guess that he will die somewhere around page 300 of the seventh book.
I beleive that Snape will show up at that point with some sort of story about Dumbledore telling him to carry out his orders no matter what they were - just like what he told Harry. He will insist that he was forced to kill Dumbledore in order to maitain his cover and to win the Dark Lord’s graces. He will show his good faith by giving Harry the location of the Ravenclaw artifact.
This could be anything, and to stretch the plot while we get exposition on Ron and Hermione’s relationship, as well as the final word on Snape, it will be very hard to reach. Remember that when Dumbledore went after the ring, he was injured quite badly. I think it will take a combination of Harry, Ron, and Hermione to reach the Ravenclaw item. They will find it and destroy it, with Hermione and Ron arguing all the while about whether Snape is on their side or if he has just led them all into a trap.
Now, as for that sixth horcrux…
Harry is going to see Nagini there, in the locked crypt after he destroys the Ravenclaw horcrux. Perhaps she was drawn by the spilt power of her master’s soul as it drains away, or perhaps she just arrived too late to protect the item. It doesn’t really matter.
I believe that Harry will talk to Nagini and that there will still be a surprise or two thrown in. It’s all a stall while Voldemort seals the place up and traps Harry - alone - for the final confrontation.
Harry gloats as Voldemort appears, empowered by the thought of having destroyed the Dark Lord’s only friend and the final horcrux. Voldemort is unfazed, though. He can’t love. The death of Nagini is nothing to him. Another weak follower has fallen.
Dumbledore was right when he said that living beings are bad places in which to store fragments of a soul. Anything that thinks and breaths - that has a soul of its own will corrupt and change the fragment of evil that has been placed there. It was said early on that part of Voldemort’s power was transfered to Harry when he tried to kill him. I suspect that it was more than that.
Voldemort used the killing curse on Harry’s mother, breaking off a piece of his soul. At that moment, he turned his wand upon Harry and found that Lilly’s love protected him. He could not hurt him. The curse was turned back upon him and he had only a second in which to preserve one last part of himself - the fragment of his soul that he had just ripped out.
He placed it into the object at which his wand was aimed.
Dumbledore knew that Nagini was not the final horcrus, but he did not tell Harry that. Imagine if he had told the boy that HARRY was the final horcrux and then died? How would Harry, a boy bent on revenge anyway, take this news?
No, better to keep that hidden until the right time.
Harry will discover that he is the final piece of the puzzle during the fight and will ultimately sacrifice himself in some way that leaves the both of them dead. With all seven pieces of his soul now destroyed, Voldemort will be vanquished.
And Ron and Hermione will name their first son Harry.
This comment was written by Crookshanks.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 8:48 pm
In response to # 10, I know someone said this already, but it was because he killed Dumbledore that he has an issue with being called a coward. He is now Voldemort’s favorite, if he wasn’t before, and still being good, which I believe he is, he is thrown deeper into the evil side, and the good side, which he is on, hates him. He feels horrible that he killed Dumbledore, the only one who ever truly trusted him, and was hsi friend. THAT is why he doesn’t want Harry to call him a coward. And why else is he still good???? Because as he was running away, he kept telling harry to shut his mouth and close his mind. He was still helping him. Harry is just too hellbent on hating Snape to see it.
Ah, thanks for letting me do that. . :-)
This comment was written by Em Read.Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 9:05 pm
Throughout the Harry Potter books the question of snape’s true alleigance was alwasy there. IN this book it seems to get alot more confusing. In the beggining when he is tlaking to Narcissa and Bella it seems as though he is tricking them into telling him the plan, meanig that he is on dumbledores side. But when Dumbledore is tlkaing to Draco, towards the end of the book. Draco tells him that snape has been working on his mothers orders and that he was really loyal to voldermort and not him. Dumbledore replied to this not saying that he knew it was tre but saying that snape was just saying that. We, the reader, saw him take an unbreakable vow. Thus, dumbledores ignorance seems to mean that snape was not being truthfull to him afterall.
This comment was written by Ranit.Any ideas?
Furthermore, Harry believes that the reason Dumbledore trusted Snape was because he apologized for lilly and james’ death. I dont think that can be the reall reason. Can Dumbledore really have been so foolish? I dont think so!
Any answers? PLease post em
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 9:26 pm
Crookshanks
This comment was written by Jon Huaguft.I believe that u are a genius if you are right , I must say that i agree with everything except for the fact that the hufflepuff cup will not be in 12 grimauld place because i am lost as to how the cup would have gotten there in the first place. The cup would not be a part of the black family heirloom
Report this comment to the moderators
July 20th, 2005 at 10:30 pm
I agree with a lot that has been said already, especially that RAB is Regulus Black. This is my theory: Regulus somehow gained information about the Horcrux, since he was a Death Eater. Since he had the Dark Mark, he was able to pass through the potion without drinking it (just as Snape passes through the barrier during the fight at the Astronomy Tower at the end of Book 6), therefore replacing Slytherin’s locket with the fake one. He stashes it in #12 Grimmauld Place, but is killed by Voldemort before he can tell anyone about it. However Mundungus or Kreacher could have stolen it, and Mundungus could have sold it.
I also believe that Voldemort didn’t make Nagini a Horcrux. Instead, 4 of the 7 Horcruxes are from each House of Hogwarts, 2 have been destroyed (the ring and the diary), and the part of the soul within Voldemort himself. Slytherin’s horcrux is the locket (in Grimmauld Place, or sold by Mundungus), Hufflepuff’s is the cup (which we don’t know the location of yet), Ravenclaw has a Horcrux that we don’t know of yet, and the Gryffindor Horcrux is Harry himself. James and Lily Potter’s house was in Godric’s Hollow, which is one possible connection to Godric Gryffindor. Supprting this is also the fact that Harry was able to pull Gryffindor’s sword out of the Sorting Hat in the 2nd book; Dumbledore then tells Harry that only a true Gryffindor would have been able to pull that out of a hat. Also, Harry could be related to Gryffindor, which Rowling hinted at in one of her interviews.
When Harry was being sorted in the 1st book, the Sorting Hat seriously considered placing him in Slytherin, possibly due to the fact that Harry had 1/7 of Voldemort’s soul within him.
I also agree that Snape is still a good guy. Dumbledore needed Snape to kill him for 2 reasons; firstly, if Snape killed Dumbledore, then he (Snape) would be seen as a much more loyal servant to Voldemort. With this, he may be able to gather more information as to the whereabouts of the 2 remaining Horcruxes (Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw). Secondly, Snape needed to kill Dumbledore in order to save himself ; if he had not done the killing, then Snape would have died due to his breaking of the unbreakable vow. Snape realized that Malfoy was not going to kill Dumbledore, and in the vow, Narcissa had specifcally stated that if Malfoy was unable to perform the task, that Snape would have to do it. (Snape had to make the unbreakable vow in the first place because if he hadn’t, Narcissa would have suspected that he wasn’t loyal to Voldemort).
And my boldest prediction yet: SNAPE IS NOT THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. When Harry looks at the date when the book was used, he sees that it was used about 50 years ago; this disappoints him, because his father was not yet at Hogwarts. However, Snape was the same year as James Potter; if James was not yet at Hogwarts, than neither was Snape. However, 50 years ago, Voldemort (Tom Riddle) was at Hogwarts, as we learned in Chamber of Secrets. However, I don’t know why Snape would pretend to be the HBP.
This comment was written by Jon Huaguft.Report this comment to the moderators
July 21st, 2005 at 2:43 am
At the very beginning when I noticed the HBP’s amazing talent at potions, I had a growing suspicion that it could have been Snape himself..however when the date was checked,and it appreaed it couldn’t have been James. I gave that thought up. I therefore still don’t understand how Snape claims himself to be the HBP.
This comment was written by T.F.F.Again..I agree with Kbaug when he writes:
“While I like the idea that Snape killed Dumbledore to keep his cover, since when did having a spy count for more than having the most powerful wizard in the world alive and on the good side? I still think Snape is on the Order’s side but i can’t back it up with any evidence.”
But I suppose that is how the story should move cause Dumbledores’ presence would never let Harry move along on his own. He would always be dependant on Dumbledore and perhaps the absense of Dumbledore will make Voldemort more careless..in the light of which he will be tempted to make mistakes. Given with all these possibilities…like Kbaug says..with the world’s most powerful wizard gone…which leaves Voldemort to replace the position…one would wonder how much chance Harry potter has against him in duelling.
Much has been said already ..and Harry being one of the Horcrux does make a lot of sense. The Slytherin’s Locket part does confuse me though. Someone here earlier mentioned that it was the same locket that was mentioned in Book 5, that all of them had failed to open. Had it been so..how come the ring, another horcrux, caused Dumbledore’s hand to shrivel while the locket caused no harm? Is it not likely for Voldemort’s horcruxes to be filled with all sorts of Dark magic.
I still feel it was too early to kill Dumbledore even for the sake of the pot and no matter whichever way Snape tends to justify himself…it won’t be worth it.
Well nyways…any of you got any idea when the 7th book may be published?
Report this comment to the moderators
July 21st, 2005 at 6:23 am
We all think that one of the missing horcruxes has something do to with Ravenclaw, right?! Well, Luna Lovegood is in Ravenclaw, isn’t she? I think, that she will possibly play some bigger role in the next book!
This comment was written by Fif.Any comments on this?
Report this comment to the moderators
July 21st, 2005 at 7:36 am
as to the folks who don’t understand how snape could be the half-blood prince since he was at school with james–as melissa says in #61 snapes mother was at hogwarts at the same time as tom riddle, 50 years ago (which is when the book was dated to). so the book belong to snapes mother first. which i have to say i wasn’t expecting at all. i kept thinking–who else was at hogwarts the same time as riddle besides hagrid…
This comment was written by fif.Report this comment to the moderators
July 21st, 2005 at 10:50 am
The whole death of Dumbledore confuses me. Why did he immobilize
Harry unless he had a orchestrated what was about to happen and
wanted to make sure Harry didn’t interfere with his plans? Why did
Snape “kill” him so quickly instead of pressing Malfoy to complete his
duty like the other Death Eaters? Why did Snape’s killing curse make
Dumbledore float up into the air and off the balcony? Think of Harry’s
flashback to his parents or Cedric or Riddle’s Dad or the spider. In all
other cases there is simply a flash of green light and then death. No
bodies flying around or anything. No, I think whatever Snape did to
Dumbledore, it wasn’t kill him. See how strongly Snape continued to
protect Harry after Dumbledore was “dead”? I don’t think that was
simply to save him for the Dark Lord. He is still executing the plan he
and Dumbledore worked out.
As to why Dumbledore trusted Snape, I do think it has something to
do with Lilly, but I don’t think it was simply that Snape “loved” her.
This is a lot to do for unrequited love. There is some other bond.
I think Dumbledore will be back. He will certainly talk to Harry
This comment was written by Tozz.through his portrait, but I think there will be a stronger return as
well. I agree with those who compare Dumbledore and a Phoenix.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 21st, 2005 at 3:56 pm
Melissa,
This comment was written by Kbaug.I believe that u r right in saying that Tonks will be the new transf. teacher but it would be a good fit if Lupin, her lover, would teach DADA once again and that they could get married in the wake of Bill and Fleur. Who else thinks that Harry will need Grawp to destroy one of the Horcruxes and Hagrid will be killed in the process? after all, JKR didn’t put Grawp into the story to be Hagrid’s summer project.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 21st, 2005 at 7:15 pm
All of these theories on Harry being the 6th Horcrux are great but if Voldemort had meant a Horcrux for James and Lily’s death he would have done it after he killed Harry (which we know he failed in doing and was immediatly cursed into mere nothingness). But even if Voldy managed to turn Harry into a Horcrux, how would harry kill him? He would have to die, come back, and then kill Voldemort. That can’t be right. Then Voldemort would live forever b/c Harry is the only one who can kill him. Maybe by making harry the Horcrux (highly unlikely) Voldemort ensured his own immortality. That’s why i don’t think Harry is a Horcrux b/c that would make the book suck which i know it won’t. JKR is a much better writer than that. (although that bit about harry being the peice of Griffindor was most interesting, Huaguft is most certainly a clever thinker).
This comment was written by Kbaug.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 1:24 am
You talked about the throwaway elements:
What about the mirror Sirius gave to Harry in #5? Wasn’t it disappointing that such a nice toy wasn’t used?
Does anybody think it will play a bigger role in book #7?
This comment was written by Scrabber.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 2:36 am
:D I really laughed out loud when I came across the word “voldy”. I couldnt help but imagine, had it been a real Wizarding world and the word voldy was said out liike that..how many people would have had a mild cardiac arrest by then.
This comment was written by T.F.F.Well I suppose, Fred and george are already on the track :D, the You-no-poo thing was hillarious!
errm well yeah i guess Harry being the 6th horcruz does hav a lot of contradicting points, yet him being a piece of Griffindor would undoubtedly be an interesting twist to it.
I kept thinking a lot ..with much annoyance I might add, why Dumbledore had to immobilise Harry? Harry was more than enough to handle a git like Malfoy,and then he could have handled Dumbledore his wand back and even a weak Dumbledore with his wand in his hand would be more than enough for the Death Eaters.. but I suppose unless he didnt want Harry to interfere in his plans..
However if Harry really is the 6th Horcrux the possible conclusion would most certainly be that both Harry and Voldemort would have to die at the same time.Which would suck again cause the poor boy never did have a chance to enjoy his life.I hope it doesnt end that way, its too unfair that his whole life(which again would be extremely short) was spent first haunted by Voldemort and then hunting Voldemort..but yeah extinguishing Voldemort forever would of course be a worthy task
Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 7:44 am
There could be magic to remove the pieces of soul from the horcruxes and return them to Voldy…
Or, Voldy’s own piece of soul is already destroyed by backfired curse on Harry, and he will die when remainder of horcruxes are destroyed…
Only reason he survived the death of Harry’s parents was because pieces of his soul were already safely stashed away…
OR - when curse backfired, he immediately put a piece of his soul in Harry to ensure his survival?
Lots of things JKR can do with this one.
This comment was written by D K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 9:25 am
If Harry is the last Horcrux, he would not have to kill himself to kill Voldemort. Dumbledore did not have to destroy the ring to destroy the Horcrux, so there is a way to remove the Horcrux without destroying the object. Even if he did have to destroy himself he could kill Voldemort’s body and then himself, and he wouldn’t have to kill himself first.
This comment was written by Pierre.Also, it isn’t at all clear who immobilized Harry. There could have been someone else in another invisibility cloak, or maybe Kreacher did it. Harry assumed Dumbledore didn’t protect himself because he had to immobilize Harry, but it could have just been the effects of the stuff he drank. It’s also possible that either Snape or Dumbledore were really other people who used the Polyjuice Potion.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 1:32 pm
Pierre
I like the idea about being able to remove the object w/out destroying it. That could be a possibiltity. But, Harry would have to kill himself first if that is not the case b/c Voldemort cannot be killed until all the Horcruxes are destroyed. Therefore, if Harry attacks Voldy first, there will still be the peice of soul residing in Voldemort himself.
This comment was written by Kbaug.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 2:46 pm
Kbaug
If Harry first destroys the bit of soul in Voldemort’s body, then Voldemort will still be alive, but only because part of his soul is in Harry. Harry could then destroy himself which would destroy that piece of soul. But that doesn’t really matter because we already know that a Horcrux can be removed without destroying the object.
About RAB, I expect that jkr was planning to make it be Regulus Black and make the locket they found at 12 Grimmauld Place in The Order of the Phoenix be Slytherin’s locket, and it was there because Regulus Black lived there. But now that people have figured everything out she is probably going to change it and maybe introduce a new character or make it be someone who’s initials aren’t really RAB.
This comment was written by Pierre.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 3:41 pm
One person that is being overlooked is Albus Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth Dumbledore (the barkeep at the Hogs Head Inn). He is in the Oop b/c he was in the pic that Mad Eye showed Harry in the 5th book. He has so far had only a small part in the books. Albus mentioned that he was arrested for using charms on a goat and also said that the abuse he got from the daily prophet wasn’t taken to heart b/c he probably couldn’t read. Aberforth was also the one who threw Snape from the door the night that Trelawney made the Prophecy, he was the one who stopped the information from getting to Voldemort. Look for him to large role in #7, after all, he shares Albus’s genes.
This comment was written by Kbaug.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2005 at 8:05 pm
There is no doubt in my mind that Dumledore let Snape kill him for a reason and that Snape followed through with it because he knew that’s what the headmaster wanted him to do under those circumstances. I also strongly believe that Albus D. will be back in the seventh and final book, rising like the Phoenix. Think what an advantage it gives him and the Order, Voldemort will think it’s all in the bag and it will be his undoing.
This comment was written by Parker.Report this comment to the moderators
July 23rd, 2005 at 4:27 pm
Okay, I think that Harry Potter is a Horcruxes. Because:
He belongs to Gryffindor. (Remember he said one of the pieces could be from Gryffindor.)
They sorting had said he would be good in slytherin. Because he was sensing Voldemort’s soul.
The scar sensing him/dreams.
Voldemort was weak after his first encounter with Harry because he lost part of his soul.
Voldemort’s orders was to not kill Harry.
This comment was written by Curtis.Report this comment to the moderators
July 23rd, 2005 at 10:53 pm
I don’t think Harry’s a horcrux ’cause it doesn’t completely jive with the Prophecy AND, Lord V. has aimed the killing curse at him twice. Once in GoF when their wands locked and in TOotP when Dumbledore blocked the curse with the head of a flying statue.
I like the idea of Dumbledore rising from the ashes like a Pheonix, but I don’t recall his Patronus charm ever being revealed as a Pheonix.
Dumbledore was the one who froze Harry for obvious reasons:
1.) Don’t interfere with a carefully laid plan.
2.) Learn that Malfoy isn’t all bad and finds himself doing Voldemort’s bidding because his parents’ lives are on the line. (i.e. Evils doesn’t mean PURE evil)
3.) Keep yourself driven by witnessing my death and finish the task I’ve given you.
Snape’s still good, I think. Someone mentioned earlier and I noticed when reading HBP, that Snape is still “teaching” Harry even as he flees; making him aware of his weaknesses (i.e. saying spells aloud).
This comment was written by RetroActive.His “I AM NOT A COWARD” comment is obvious. He’s working his tail off to prove his worth, and is still undercover. He’s the farthest thing from a coward based on all of the danger he’s endured. Also, by “killing” Dumbledore…he is released from the Unbreakable Vow.
Lastly, remember: Voldemort takes out his biggest foes personally. Which is why Harry lives. They are like his trophies he’s fond of.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 23rd, 2005 at 10:55 pm
I dunno why I keep spelling “phoenix” wrong.
This comment was written by RetroActive.Report this comment to the moderators
July 24th, 2005 at 2:10 am
I think it makes perfect sense with the prophecy that Harry is the last Horcrux. When he kills the body of voldemort, V will try to use Harry to come back to life.
The prophecy states that one will kill the other. Two souls and one body, but of course, we all now that Harry has many aspects of his life that are the same as Voldemortes were. It seems likely that the real message of the books may be about Harry’s personal struggle of choosing between good and bad. This has been alluded to in all of the other books, sometimes fairly brazenly too.
So, at this point in the book, to kill Voldemort all he has to do is kill the evil in himself (hatred, fear, predjudice - his exact feelings towards Snape).
Well that’s how I’d write it anyhow.
This comment was written by Speakafreaka.Report this comment to the moderators
July 24th, 2005 at 9:48 am
I am SO glad to see someone else who remains convinced that Snape’s a good guy.
This comment was written by LadyNekoK.I disagree with WHY Dumbledore was pleading–I don’t think it was for Snape’s life–but for Malfoy’s. Dumbledore just explained how he’d spent all term trying to save Malfoy and how convinced he was that Malfoy was not a killer–I think Dumbledore was desperate to save Malfoy.
In any case there’s no way Dumbledore would plead for his OWN life–so it had to be for someone else’s! I think Snape (being an expert DADA & potions guy) could tell Dumbledore was done for which was why he complied. I think Snape’s going to die saving Harry’s life in the next book–it will be the only thing that could redeem him in Harry’s eyes–which I think HAS to happen.
I love that you want Harry to be Snape’s kid! I’ve wondered that myself, but like you don’t expect it to fan out.
Snape really is a great character! I hate having lost Dumbledore, but better him than Snape!
Anyway, love your post on the book!
-K
Report this comment to the moderators
July 24th, 2005 at 10:17 am
Wow. O.O Now I’ve read ALL the other posts. I LOVE YOU GUYS! okay…I’m done with that.
Um….about Harry being a horcrux–interesting, but I don’t think it could work–after all wouldn’t the prophesy then be “one cannot die while the other survives?” lol! (I suppose you could argue that Harry cannont live while V. survives inside him, but…no.)
As far as the cave potion being the Horcrux…I don’t think so. As far as R.A.B. — I think it’s 3 people–3 underage wizards — almost has to be doesn’t it?
I agree that there was way to much exposition–I loved the scenes with Dumbledore and the pensieve–but it really is a cheap trick to fit in back plot and I think she could have done better.
As far as book seven being huge–if the kids aren’t going to be at hogwarts then we aren’t limited to seven books anymore are we? That was always the deal–7 years, 7 books. So if Hogwarts is closed or if we don’t have Harry in his 7th year…..
I would love to believe that Snape didn’t really kill Dumbledore as would suggested, quite predictably, I’m in that first stage of grief-denial. And I must admit the point about arvarda being rarely lethal and the fact that Rowling was not going on and on about how someone was going to die as she did for POA do lend some credibility to the Dumbledore in hiding theory. But really, I think Harry is to be the next Dumbledore (not the next headmaster–the next DUMBLEDORE), and well, that means Dumbledore had to die. Plus, I totally agree with whomever put is so eloquently–Dumbledore DID have vultures over his head from his first appearnce in the book.
Snape in love with Lilly–ABSOLUTELY! That much seemed pretty clear before.
Hey, does anyone know anything significant about Harry’s Grand-Parents? Previous generations seem to be becoming increasingly significant.
well nice to “meet” and chat with you all!
-K
This comment was written by LadyNekoK.Report this comment to the moderators
July 24th, 2005 at 4:29 pm
I’m right there w/ what Kip has said.
All right. All together now to the tune of Detachable Penis…
Redeemable Malfoy….
That is one thing that I was never sure about. I mean, Draco just had never really developed as a character. Sure, he did stuff & we were shown some nefarious doings in the past, but he hadn’t developed. I was afraid he would be a stick-figure bully throughout the whole series.
The one thing that I have been right about from the time “somebody dies” began in the series is that the “somebody” would not be Hagrid. As I’m sure Elkins can vouch for, I said it over & over. Before book 5, I said that Dumbledore would die long before Hagrid was killed. But deaths in book 7 I am much less sure about. I’ve gotta go w/ the alchemical black/white/red sequence & Hagrid is certainly red. I’m still not sure that he dies in this series, though. I would prefer that the “red” death come from the Weasley family (preferably one of the twins because of the absolute awfulness that comes w/ it), but names seem awfully important.
As I waited for my book to arrive (I just received it on Friday), I re-read OotP while in Chicago. I had not liked it at all on first reading. On re-reading, I liked it much, much better.
Redeemable Malfoy (doo do do do, doo do do do)
This comment was written by Jake Squid.Redeemable Draco….
Report this comment to the moderators
July 24th, 2005 at 9:52 pm
Harry Potter: Horcrux
SPOILER ALERT: Secrets of the newest book and speculation about the conclusion of the series are below. Read at you own risk. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.
This comment was written by Mostly Muppet Dot Com.I don’t want to put any spoilers out on the internet concerning Harry Pott…
Report this comment to the moderators
July 26th, 2005 at 5:19 am
The second chapter was unneccessary. Setting Snape up as really being bad (whether or not he actually is) spoilt the shock of his ‘killing’ Dumbledore. Personally I believe that he still working for the Order and the episode on the tower was all planned by him and Dumbledore so he could infiltate the Death Eaters and bring Voldemort out in the open. I’m sure the old headmster will be back to help Harry in the next book in some form or other. Snape is definately the best character in the whole series - I love the way he hates the increasingly annoying Potter and co!
This comment was written by Richard Kirman.Report this comment to the moderators
July 26th, 2005 at 12:58 pm
A quick note - Harry can’t be Snapes son because the books always go on about him looking like his dad and since Snape inherited his mothers skill at potions wouldn’t Harry aswell? He clearly hasn’t.
This comment was written by PipslikesFlips.Report this comment to the moderators
July 26th, 2005 at 5:04 pm
Wow, these are all really exciting theories. In that interview mentioned further above this post, JKR seems to imply that Snape really is evil. However, she’s quite ambiguous about it; she seems to bluff a lot and her answers are seldom clear, which is a strangely admirable quality of hers as an author! (As she mentions in the interview…)
I just wanted to say, that if Harry is one of the Horcruxes, it doesn’t mean that he will have to die, or harm himself in any way… If Harry is housing one and a seventh souls, then perhaps a Dementor could be involved in sucking one of those souls out of him? I suppose this would be very risky, and perhaps impossible considering they seem to be very evil and Hellbent on the destruction of people’s lives and their happiness, but still… My point is that you never can be too sure about these books! There are endless theories. I must say, I love Crookshanks’ theories, and the idea of Harry sacrificing himself, and Ron and Hermione’s first child being named in his memory. That would be so touching. Poor Harry, if he dies, but it is quite a fitting end for a ‘hero’: if he goes down fighting everyone will have so much more respect for him, not that I think it likely to happen. JK loves Harry more than any other character… I’m not sure if she has the stomach to kill him off! Then again, who know?
I hope that JKR doesn’t read the theories and then change something in the book! That would be ridiculous; Hopefully, if she hasn’t thought about anything said here so far, she will see it and add some of it to the story! She has said that she loves theories… I would like to point out though, that we are all going to be sorely disappointed if the ending is more simple than this… When I first finished the book, I imagined that the plot was very literal, but now I hope that I was wrong. Especially about Snape; naming the sixth book after him emphasises his importance, perhaps to an extent that we have not yet witnessed.
And I don’t think Snape is Harry’s father, because when he looked in the Mirror of Erised, he saw his straightforward, simply named ‘family,’ featuring James and Lily, and many other bearing their characteristics. Plus, I think it would shatter all of Harry’s memories and finally traumatise him to the point of insanity.
Anyway, thanks for sharing all your thoughts and theories on here! It has been a fascinating read.
This comment was written by Penniless Writer.Report this comment to the moderators
July 27th, 2005 at 10:40 am
I was expecting Dumbledore to buy the farm myself, but I’d finally been lulled into a false sense of security when I reached the final chapters. Talk about a shock! I literally cried. To discover that SNAPE of all people, was the Half-Blood Prince… I was shocked! It never crossed my mind, isn’t that strange ? Probably because the HBP seemed like an evil bastard, and I accepted the fact that Snape was “reformed”. My… I for one don’t believe he’s still acting for the Order. I think he’s been for Voldemort all that time and he did kill Dumbledore, just when he was dragging Draco back from the edge too!
He stole Draco’s chance to be redeemed. My guess is that he’ll tell him what to say to Voldemort (style: he was taunting Dumbledore and Snape took over because he was wasting time) because Snape didn’t have a choice. Having made the Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa (why?) he would’ve died if Draco hadn’t survived. So he took him with him and will probably say and do what he must to keep Voldemort from killing him. Poor Draco is stuck with the Death Eaters without any decent protection. I’m just sick about it.
It’ll be at least two years because we get to read the 7th and final book, and speculation will run rife the entire time. I’m interested to see who shares my view that Snape is doubly damned… Remember he “failed” to teach Harry Occlumency in Book 5… Pfft! Didn’t try very hard, I think.
I’m a little annoyed at the Harry/Ginny ship. Way too expected.
All in all, a very good book and a shocker.
This comment was written by Drake.Report this comment to the moderators
July 27th, 2005 at 12:53 pm
I just can’t see J.K. killing off Harry in the 7th book. This series of books started out as children’s books and as they gained in popularity they took a more adult direction. If that is the way she had intended this to go since before she wrote the first book then she should kill him off, but if it’s because she’s trying to reach the more adult audience I think it’s a mistake. I personally would hate it, I’ve gotten personally involved in these characters and I want Harry to have a good long life. He’s faced so much in his young life at some point I want him to know some kind of peace and happiness, we shall see.
This comment was written by Parker.Report this comment to the moderators
July 28th, 2005 at 1:56 am
I LOVE these theories! Now I have one of my own to add…
In several books, Petunia acts strangely in the presence of magic. Yes, her muggle family is scared of it and turns that fear into anger. But Petunia seems to have a slightly different reaction from the rest of her Muggle family.
Since her sister had powers, do you think it is possible that Petunia knows more than she has shown to us so far?
This comment was written by Jascia.Report this comment to the moderators
July 28th, 2005 at 2:17 am
I want to say I am all for Snape turning out to be on the good side.
This comment was written by V.I.P.E.R.Z.A.C.I.D.Firstly, I think the matter of what exactly was the reason that Dumbledore trusted snape is fairly easy to guess. I pondered about it for a long time before it hit me. It is probably the most obvious clue that JKR could have left us. JK said prior to the release that there were a lot of clues in HBP but I think that she could not help but leave a layer of speculation on top of these clues. Now I think that we all agree that Dumbledore was a very clever wizard and just a mere statement of repentance by snape would not have been enough to convince him of snape’s loyalty (everybody knows snape is one heck of an occlumens). So I think it is obvious that snape made an unbreakable vow with Dumbledore that he would do all in his power to vanquish voldemort (or something like that).
Secondly, let’s discuss snape’s position in the current plot. One thing is certain about snape, he is one of those guys that look out for their skin first and then think about others (a true slytherin won’t you say?). I would like you guys to think on that line when Dumbledore tells Harry about the thing that ‘tyrants are always afraid of the people they rule’. I mean snape is a very powerful wizard, probably most powerful after Voldemort, Dumbledore and James Potter (guessing from that famous chapter from OoTP). He knows right now voldemort’s focus is on Harry but if Harry goes he might one day turn to snape. After all both of them are power hungry wizards, riddle and snape. So snape’s best chance is that riddle is vanquished. I am convinced that snape knows about the horcruxes. Most of you guys have guessed rightly about the pleading that Dumbledore did right before snuffing it. The argument that Harry learns about from Hagrid reinforces this line of thinking. They argued and snape said that he didn’t want to do it anymore, (see where I am trying to point) and Dumbledore replied that he had agreed to do it. Snape is one very clever wizard. If you read spinner’s end very carefully there are more than few clues in that chapter. His argument or reasons if you want to call it with Bellatrix is very enlightening if you look at it in this way that his method of spying for riddle is exactly the way it is for Dumbledore. In fact the twitch of his hand while making the unbreakable vow is the biggest give away.
One stupid thing that JKR made Dumbledore do was that if Dumbledore was willing enough to give his life for a higher purpose then why the hell did he care about the Malfoys. What is ironic is that ‘he acted exactly as voldemort expects the fools who love to act’ (OoTP, chapter: ‘the lost prophecy’).
Report this comment to the moderators
July 28th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
I have loved reading all the comments. I just finished the book last night, cried most of the way through the last two chapters. I just have one question and a few comments. First, I saw a few people comment that McGonagall was Vold. in disguise, I don’t remember reading that at all.
This comment was written by Dayna.Second, I agree that Snape will prob. turn out to be good, but will die in the end helping Harry and thus redeem himself in Harry’s eyes. ( it is just so easy to hate him though!) Third, I don’t think that Harry is the Horcrux. It doesnt’ fit with the idea, in the first book, that he couldn’t be touched by something so evil because love is so pure and good. I do believe though that it is prob. in his home town of Godric (very interesting that it shares the name of Gryffindor’s founder), where it just so happens he is going. Anyway, LOVED the book and can’t wait for the next. Oh also, Lady K makes a good point about 7 years, 7 books, I can’t help but believe that the next book will not be her last. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking though.
Report this comment to the moderators
July 28th, 2005 at 1:37 pm
Hi, im new and i just started reading these comments…and damn, most of these are very clever and smart, i have to say that i agree with some like hagrid dyin and snape being good, but others like harry dying, or mcgonagall being v cant be true.
You know, one thing i was thinking about though, was that albus told harry that his love was the one power that V didnt have, from this i look at who harry has left to love, he has hagrid, ron, hermione, and now, ginny, and no matter how the ending in HBP ended with him goin away and thinking he has to do it alone, they will play a big role and his love for them will help hiim beat V.
Forgive me for this wierd comparison, but part of Harrys struggle reminds me of Star Wars, u see, Harry is..especially right now..full of hate and vengance, much like luke skywalker was, and luke had to overcome his hate and defeat the empire….now im not saying that it directly follows any of the star wars idea of a jedi, but still i think harry cant fully complete his goal, unless he accepts the love from his friends and new girl friend and draws his power from there instead of from hatred.
One more thing, i read somewhere, i think it was on answers.com, that the sorting hat also belonged to gryffindor, if so, maybe that could be a horcrux?
This comment was written by ynotpotter.Report this comment to the moderators
July 29th, 2005 at 7:25 am
Why does Dumbledore trust Snape?
We learned in HBP, Voldemort did not plan to kill Lilly, just James and Harry. Lilly chose to remain and sacrifice herself for Harry (a moment of HUGE import for the book - the old love magic, etc.), despite Voldemort giving her the opportunity to flee and survive.
We also learned Snape is the one who overheard the prophecy. Why did Voldemort initially spare Lilly? At Snape’s request. We’ll find that Snape was in love with Lilly, whom he convinced Voldemort to spare. When Voldemort killed her anyway, Snape’s dedication to Voldemort wasn’t quite the same…
Does Snape fell remorse over being responsibe (by relaying the prohecy) for killing James (as discussed in the hospital wing at the end of the book, where Lilly’s name is glaringly absent…check the book…)? No. But Lilly, well, that’s a different story, and Snape has been tormented by guilt for the death of Lilly,and chances are Snape could never forgive Voldemort for killing her, and that is why Dumbledore trusted Snape.
That is also why Snape hates Harry- b/c it is Harry’s birth /part in the prophecy that brought Voldemort to James and Lilly’s house, resulting in the loss of Snape’s love, Lilly.
Lot’s of hate there…
This comment was written by D K.Report this comment to the moderators
July 29th, 2005 at 9:13 am
OK, I missed this when it came out. Probably had my nose buried in a certain book . . .
Snape’s a good guy, he killed Dumbledore ’cause Dumbledore asked him to, for reasons listed above by other people and also because Dumbledore’s old (remember what he said in Book One to comfort Harry about Nicholas Flamel’s death) and Snape is young; Snape, therefore, would be losing more.
He hates being called a coward because he’s sensitive about what he sees as the coward’s way out–killing Dumbledore to save himself.
JK Rowling would have Snape be good after Harry hates him for seven books in order to make a point about hatred-poisoned judgement being wrong.
RAB might be “Half-Blood Prince” in another language, perhaps, or in other words. Prince=Royal, for example.
Yeah, I think the potion around the locket was the Horcrux. You know, I get so proud of all my ideas and theories and then I come here and most of them have been thought of by other people, too.
Also been wondering where the other Horcruxes are. My latest theory is that one is in Sirius Black’s motorcycle. JKR said we’d find out what happened to it.
This comment was written by Kyra.Report this comment to the moderators
July 29th, 2005 at 10:36 am
More questions to ponder:
Where were the house elves when Draco Malfoy and his Death Eater buddies were wreaking havoc? Weren’t they still supposed to be tailing the pale one? Seems like a clear case of duty shirking with impending consequences in order. (Book 7 - Chapter 1)
Did Hagrid have fire insurance, or will the rebuild be entirely out-of-pocket for the big guy? (7.2)
What if Madame P never was under the Imperius Curse, and she’s just a bad a_ _?
What role will the spider venom and unicorn hairs play in Book 7? (I’m thinking dipping a hair or two in the venom and secretly replacing Lord V’s dental floss. What a way to go!)
What if Rowling never writes Book 7, and reveals that “JK”, in reality, stands for “Just Kidding”?
Seacrest Out
This comment was written by GeeBeeDeeBeeDoo.Report this comment to the moderators
August 2nd, 2005 at 8:10 am
Don’t forget that just before Snape killed Dumbledore, there was a pause where they just stared at each other. I’m sure there was some thought reading and non-verbal spells going on between them. That pause was put there on purpose.
This comment was written by Maureen.Report this comment to the moderators
August 2nd, 2005 at 9:19 am
I think that maybe it was planned in the beginning between Dumbledore and Snape for Snape to kill him eventually because Dumbledore is usually never wrong and he trusted Snape. But then why wouldn’t anyone else in the Order know that?
This comment was written by Carrie.Report this comment to the moderators
August 2nd, 2005 at 9:28 am
I don’t think that Harry is a Horcrux because if he was then why would Voldemort try to kill him all this time?
This comment was written by Carrie.Report this comment to the moderators
August 6th, 2005 at 8:07 pm
I sort of suspected all the stuff you said. I have some questions for you though about some ideas that a friend told me about.
This comment was written by Johnathan.Firstly do you think it’s possible that Nagini is a horcrux?
Do you think it’s possible that Snape, sorry, Professor Snape (lol) is the chosen one? I know, you must think that my friend and I are crazy but lets look at the prophecy in parts. “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…” Snape was approaching the door at that moment right? It could have meant that the one is approaching on foot, not approaching by birth. Next, ” and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal…” Did’nt Voldemort mark Snape literally? Did’nt he mark him with the dark mark putting him in his little family? Next “but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…” this does not necessarily mean that he has powers that the Dark Lord does not know about. What was Snape really good at? What did Lupin and even Sirius commend him for? What was he supposedly so good at that he had Dumbledore teach Harry? Occlumency. He has power that the Dark Lord knows not. The Dark Lord knows not what is going on in his head. You said so yourself that you think he was on Dumbledore’s side the whole time. So that means that the Dark Lord knew not about what was going on in his head. As for born as the seventh month dies, well we don’t know when Snape was born. And as for born to those who thrice defied him…. thrice defied who? It did’nt say born to those who thrice defied the Dark Lord, it said him? It could mean Snape’s parent’s thrice defied him… in which case that’s a small number compared to myself and parents. But it could mean what we think and while Snape was in still in school they met Tom Riddle and did’nt like him and did’nt want their son hanging around with him. So please post this on your site because I want everyone to read this. And point it out to everyone because everyone probably just skips all the comments.
Report this comment to the moderators
August 6th, 2005 at 8:16 pm
I forgot to mention, do you think it’s possible R.A.B. could be Regulus Black, Sirius’ brother who became a death Eater but was killed by them?
This comment was written by Johnathan.Report this comment to the moderators
August 6th, 2005 at 9:52 pm
I have a proposition, after reading the Half-Blood Prince more than a few times and after hammering it out with a friend. True there might be 7 Horcruxes, (I hope that I spelt it right, I was never good at spelling) and that three horcruxes are destroyed, the ring, the diary and the locket, wherein lies my red-herring. I do believe that Harry and Dumbledore did go out and seek to destroy the horcrux that was in the hidden cave. And that it was successfully done, but its not the locket as most people assume. I believe that Albus Dumbledore himself is a horcrux.
Yes for all of those who feel that I have forgotten to type a sentence, you read that right, the late Professor Albus Dumbledore, former Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witch craft and Wizardry is probably one of the 7 horcruxes, or probably the surprise eighth. I shall now state why I came to this conclusion…
The rule of the horcrux is that it prevents a person from dying in the case of a mortal attack since the soul is not in the body. Dumbledore himself has mentioned that a living being could be a horcrux. There is no mention though if a person can be made a horcrux without that person’s consent. But let us assume that it is, then it would appeal to Voldemort beyond belief. The one man that he probably fears (if not reveres) as a horcrux. A man who knew how to keep himself alive for all these years. It probably never occurred to Voldemort that a person would be ready to give up his life so that Voldemort could be killed. That could have been the important missing link that no one could have known after destroying all the remaining horcruxes, R.A.B. or Potter or anyone, that there was one more.
It would have been impossible to explain all of this to Harry, but to Snape, a former death eater (by the way I am also a firm believer of the fact that Snape is a good man and that all he did was part of a large plan, I can put that theory in another entry some other time with an equally interesting red-herring in that as well about him and Potter) and man who was well versed in the Dark Arts would have understood this well. In fact I believe that, this was the reason that Snape’s timely intervention when Dumbledore returned from destroying Morfin’s ring was pivotal. Both of them somehow at that moment learned the truth and had to act from there on as a team.
If that was the case why did Dumbledore have to go all the way to that cave and drink that awful potion? Not for a dramatic effect, but to tell Harry that R.A.B. (whoever that may be) was the one to look for. For immersed as Voldemort would be, its quite possible that when R.A.B. gets to the penultimate horcrux, Voldemort would know that something was a miss and apparate to ’save his soul’. For it seems more than stupid to believe that Albus Dumbledore could just lie there would Malfoy holding a wand and intimidate him. If someone is going to tell me that Albus Dumbledore could use magic only with his wand and in no other circumstance, its almost like telling me that Michael Jordan could paly ball only because of the Nike’s he wore… there’s more to magic than that. Dumbledore wanted Harry to watch all that was happening for a reason, to prepare Harry for the future.
It’s a proposition and I am open to criticism and debate…
This comment was written by Thriyambak J. Kannan.Report this comment to the moderators
August 10th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
I have seen the theory of Harry being a Horcrux on soooo many websites & forums, & every time, think it’s way off base. Dumbledore says that he doesn’t think it would be anything else living besides Nagini because living things can think for themselves. Also, that would mean Harry would have to kill himself in order for Voldemort to be killed because all the horcruxes have to be destroyed before you go after Voldemort. So, someone else would have to kill Voldemort after Harry died. If that were going to happen, Jo would have made someone else the hero of the stories instead of Harry.
This comment was written by Anita.Report this comment to the moderators
August 11th, 2005 at 11:38 pm
I think that maybe it was planned in the beginning between Dumbledore and Snape for Snape to kill him eventually because Dumbledore is usually never wrong and he trusted Snape. But then why wouldn’t anyone else in the Order know that?
Only Snape could conceal that secret from V-Mo. Which is why Snape was willing to take the oath with Narcissa, and why he argued with Dumbledore. He didn’t really want to do it, but he did–he’s not a coward (which is why he’s very touchy about it).
Snape is, for my money, one of the most interesting characters in the series. He’s a bigoted ass with an outsized ego, yet he’s one of the good guys who would risk his life rather than assist the evil ones.
This comment was written by mythago.Report this comment to the moderators
August 12th, 2005 at 4:47 pm
Let us not forget that even though adults read Harry Potter, (I am 17 and read it), it is still a children’s book. For JK to kill the main character, a character kids look up to, would be terrible. The would be like Barney promotng suicide, it couldn’t happen. This will be the 7th year because Harry without Hogwarts is nothing really. All of his troubles happen there, it will continue to happen there.
This comment was written by Leslie Anne Revine.The Snape as Harry’s father thing, it just doesnt flow. It was hardly satisfying knowing that all these years Harry was right about the whole Snape being evil thing, it would just be an uneeded twist. I am sure that Snape is really part of the Order, but I have a feeling Percy will play a large role in aiding Voldemort, especially in this next book to come. He is too naive and caught up in the Ministry, if there were one sour apple that he respected I’d be willing to bet that he would help Voldemort.
One thing I don’t understand is why everyone just completely ignored the fact that Neville could be the chosen one in this novel. I know only Dumbledore and Harry know, but wouldn’t Dumbledore ask Neville to sit in or something? It just seemed so, odd. They totally disregarded the fact that Harry could just be a boy, and Neville is the only one that could kill Voldemort. Maybe Neville is the Gryffindor (sp) Horcrux? Possible, but not likely.
The next book is going to be almost empty without Malfoy screwing around with Harry, I am interested who the new villian will be.
Leave some comments.
Report this comment to the moderators
August 13th, 2005 at 8:16 am
hi there
This comment was written by J..just wanted to tell ya guys that in the interview on mugglenet.com which has already been referred to
JKR says that Harry is positively not!!! Gryffindor’s heir
Report this comment to the moderators
August 15th, 2005 at 6:40 am
Just finished the book last night. I think the last visit to the Dursley’s will be crucial to the plot development. I also agree that Nagini is the only living Horcrux of the 7 - Voldemort is a total control freak and wouldn’t want a piece of his precious immortality subject to the whims of another human. Good point about the house elves, too. Could they have been sleeping? Harry told them they could take a break from tailing Draco to get some sleep - and it would be just like Kreacher to spend a couple of days “sleeping” to avoid doing Harry’s bidding.
I also think Snape is doing the best he can to stay alive; I think he’s an opportunist, not altruistic. He likes the secret power of the Dark Arts but knows nobody as ambitious as he is can survive with Voldemort or Dumbledore around, so he’s been playing both sides against the middle to get them to destroy each other, leaving him in the catbird seat. Plus, if each side thinks he’s with them, it leaves him in control of the information flow and the situational power, which I think appeals to him.
I think Snape will not save Harry (although he might save Hermione or Ron), and I think both Snape and Harry will survive the final showdown with Voldemort to hate each other’s guts for the rest of their lives.
I also think Grawp (sp?) will mess up a rescue or a trap, leading to Hagrid’s death.
This comment was written by Lee.Report this comment to the moderators
August 15th, 2005 at 7:19 am
Is it possible that the potions book belonged to Snape’s mum. We know that voldemort meant to kill harry and james, we also know that he did not set out to kill lilly. Snape’s mum was at school with Tom Riddle, theories talk about snape possibly being in love with lilly. We don’t hear anything about lilly’s parents, could snape and lilly have the same mum? Rumours point to lilly’s potion skills being a big part of the next book???
This comment was written by Ginger.Report this comment to the moderators
August 18th, 2005 at 11:25 am
Why does everyone assume Reg. Black is RAB? Like someone said earlier, Borgin/Burkes is a possibility, but so is Lupin. I think he is the best candidate b/c who is to say he changed his name after he was bitten to protect his parents identity. (A man named “lupin” is a werewolf…it just seems to obvious…) My only reservation on this point is that his mid. initial is J. Another possibility—Remus Lupin, James A. Potter, Serious Black. Mere coincidence that the sequential initials are RAB? But in that case, at least Dumbledore should know about it.
I doubt the sorting hat actually belonged to Gryffindor, even though it says something about that in one of it’s songs. If it did, how come Dumbledore totally overlooked it as a possible heirloom?
I don’t really buy the “Harry-is-a-Horcrux” thing, but if he were, wouldn’t it be a perfect opportunity for Neville to resurface as a major character by defeating Harry?
I think Snape was upset at the coward accusation because he took an unbreakable oath to protect Harry. Take the situation in context: Harry called him a coward because he wouldn’t fight back, he merely blocked. I’d be pretty pissed, too.
oh, well. Rowling loves twists, and I know #7 will be filled with them. I just don’t see how Harry wouldn’t return to Hogwarts, b/c there are so many items that could be horcruxes.
sidenote: if I were him, i’d check the trophy room for references to an RAB…if they haven’y already
This comment was written by Orchid.Report this comment to the moderators
August 21st, 2005 at 6:45 pm
Man, I just finished the book - and so many comments already - I’ll finish reading through them soon. Here’s my thoughts
1) The potion being the horcrux makes sense. When Dumbledore destroyed the ring - his hand was destroyed - the part of the body that would be affected by the ring. When Dumbledore ingested the potion he was destroyed. Only - wasn’t there half a gobletful left that Harry didn’t pour down Dumbledore’s throat?
2) Continuing on Amp’s thoughts on Snape - the fact that Harry’s book was Snape’s fits perfectly as an extension of Snape’s character. The book reflects the better nature of Snape - as it allows Harry to save Ron’s life - and his evil side - the Sectum- something curse that nearly kills Malfoy. Another thing - had Snape not killed Dumbledore, Malfoy would surely have been killed by Voldemort and Snape would then have died as he made the unbreakable oath. Dumbledore knew he must die, but could not allow Malfoy to do it. Snape killing Dumbledore saves Malfoy by letting him live, and not letting him fall too far into darkness.
3) No Dumbledore didn’t have horcruxes as Dumbledore doesn’t fear death. Voldemort fears death more than anything and is thus willing to destroy his soul and live in torment to stave off death as long as possible. This was shown all the way back in book 1, where he drank unicorn blood to stay alive.
And a few other notes - I noticed for the first time when Snape killed Dumbledore that Ava Kadavrem is a cruel variation of Abba Cadabra. Very clever.
Also it’s the power of love that will allow Harry to defeat Voldemort. That is Harry’s greatest power - it’s not that he himself is powerful, but he inspires those around him to stand at his side in times of need. This became apparent to me in Book 4 when Harry manages to fight off Voldemort’s Ava Kadavrem curse when all of Voldemort’s previous victims stood blocked it.
Anyways that’s all from me.
This comment was written by Raznor.Report this comment to the moderators
August 21st, 2005 at 6:50 pm
Furthermore, I can’t wait to see what part Fenrir plays in book 7. He was built up too much to just have a small part in the end of book 6. And on this note - who should play Fenrir when the movie of HBP comes out? That could be a fascinating character to flesh out on the screen.
This comment was written by Raznor.Report this comment to the moderators
August 24th, 2005 at 9:03 am
Just wanted to thank everyone for their great theories, but they were too good, thought I alone was mad enough to speculate on so many possibilities. Alas, no, I’m unoriginal. Still, it’s fantastic that so many of you share my thoughts.
I’d like to think that JKRowling won’t invoke the cliched formula of raising the omniscient character of guidance back from defeat to aid our protagonist (Gandalf, the Lion from Narnia, etc), but nothing has yet confirmed that Dumbly is as dead as past headmasters. His portrait was only snoozing, a swirl of smoke arose from his “tomb”, and Rowling conveniently introduced the concept of being virtually dead just before his “demise”. In fact, the only supposed smoking gun was that Harry became unfrozen after Snape zaps Dumbly, yet the conclusion that the spell came from Dumbly was mere speculation on Harry’s part, not narrative fact. Besides, if all of Dumbly’s spells were broken, why would the Death Eaters need to retreat beyond Hogwarts’ perimeter to apparate, when it was Dumbly who personally set most of those security enchantments?
So if Dumbly is just, quoting from the Princess Bride, “mostly dead”, then how’d he do it? Since the use horcruxes carries an evil connotation, i doubt Rowling would explain it that way (though i’d be more fascinated if Dumbly killed someone). He’s probably just virtually dead, as he conveniently explained to Malfoy. Too bad, i think Fawkes would make a grand horcrux, since a phoenix never dies?
Lastly, i think we’re right on about Snape’s bond with Lily. How does Dumbly trust Snape completely? The answer must be love, the key element that Rowling is playing up in recent books. He loved Lily, naturally despises James and offspring Harry, and will avenge by working against her killer Voldy. Also, Dumbly mentions that a broken heart can weaken a wizard’s powers, wonder if that’s what happened to Snape in high school, when he was easily bullied by James and Sirius when all accounts are that he was pretty damn talented himself.
Ah, love, fickle love…
This comment was written by Zoom.Report this comment to the moderators
August 24th, 2005 at 10:02 am
Can someone please help me clear this up?
This comment was written by Leslie Anne Revine.The prophecy said something that could be interpreted as Harry OR Neville as “The Chosen One”, but it seemed as though in HBP the entire Neville possiblity was ignored. Was this ruled out completely or just poor judgement on Dumbledore’s part to not train Neville? Perhaps Neville did get seperate lessons? It just seems so strange that JK would release something like that and then next book have absolutely no follow up. Can someone clarify their idea on the prophecy and what it meant?
PLEASE RESPOND
Report this comment to the moderators
August 24th, 2005 at 6:41 pm
I think the Avada Kedavra curse works in a ‘last in, first out’ fashion.
I think Harry survived because Lily put Voldemort’s soul into him after Voldemort shred it when he killed Harry’s father (or somehow as she was being killed).
When Voldemort did the curse on Harry, Harry lived because the curse went after the Voldemorts in the room, and it went out of Harry, leaving that scar.
Therefore, the potion in book 6 being the Horcrux, Dumbledore needed Snape to do the Avada Kedavra on him to also clear him of Voldemort’s soul.
Remember the dialogue from Dumbledore saying that whoever won through to the potion Voldemort wouldn’t want to kill, would want to see how it happened? Voldemort would posess the person via the Horcrux. If Voldemort won the battle for posession, he would have stopped the inferi in the pond as he would know how they were activated. If Voldemort lost (as he did) the person would die of thirst or the ensuing attack (except for the Potter X factor).
So, in short, Dumbledore is alive and free to knock off the remaining Horcruxes without being suspected by anyone.
The locket of Slytherin’s by the bye, I don’t think is a Horcrux, just another one of those Slytherin items that only opens when a parselmouth chats it up. Probably has a picture of his mother in it.
Just a guess, of course.
This comment was written by Harry C.Report this comment to the moderators
August 25th, 2005 at 10:32 pm
Dumbledore is death there’s no “cheap” return of death
IT WAS A PLOT and Snapes hated to do it but he had to do it
Snapes hates and loves Harry , Why?? Snapes loved Lily desesperately and hopelessy in the past
Snapes by the same reason HATED James Potter and in the same way to Harry. But he can’t destroy Harry ’cause it will kill the last remains of the his lost love
Snape hates Lord Voldemore ’cause he kill the love of his life and hates himself too. (Remember that he was the guy that was hearing the profecy and did tell to Lord Voldemor)
Snapes is going to become the secret weapon of Dumbledore in the inner circle of Lord Voldemore he’s going to help Harry and he’ll will give his own life to preserve the Lily’s son.. and save his soul
Again the power of love
And that’s all simple and amazing
This comment was written by pablo harguindey.Report this comment to the moderators
August 29th, 2005 at 6:25 am
I really enjoy all the posted blogs here. Some are interesting and highly plausible. Some are downright preposterous, which is OK by any standards because this blog site asks for people’s opinion (or e-pinions)
Here’s my 2 cents and hopefully more.
1) Agreeably, I think Snape is ultimately a good member of the Order. Other members don’t know about it and do not trust him altogether because Dumbledore needed Snape like that. Snape needs to play a double agent in order to be accepted in the inner circle of Lord Voldemort. The only reason what Dumbledore trusted him, and so trusted right till the end was simply because, when was Snape a former death-eater he was already a double agent. That’s why Dumbledore took him in and absorbed Snape into Hogswart (of course, I may be wrong)
2) Indeed Dumbledore will not do a Gandalf or Aslan of Narnia. He died, ordered Snape to perform the Avada Kerdava curse on him. But he may be dead in human form but to him, death is but another beginning. He will feature in Harry’s further development but he had to die, for one simple reason. (see 3)
3) Harry is no Horcrux, anymore than Neville Longbottom is the chosen one. Harry is the choosen one because he was choosen by Voldemort. True, it could have been Neville, but unfortunately, the decision was made and “The One” choosen. Harry will have to be the one destroying Voldemort, if Dumbledore was still around Harry will never turn into Voldemort’s destroyer. So Dumbledore will have to die, for Harry to step into his role as the one. (I figure this out in Phoenix)
4) Many have blogged saying there’ll be more important role for Neville, I disagree. Neville Longbottom will have his day when he manages to capture or avenge his parents aggressors. Some feel Fenrir the head of Werewolves will also have a major role, I also disagree. He will feature more prominently in book 7 but merely as one character for Lupin to successfully conquer or seek revenge.
I believe I made my 2 cents worth. Any comments?
This comment was written by Quest.Report this comment to the moderators
September 3rd, 2005 at 9:26 pm
Ok. there is NO WAY Voldemort intentionally makes Harry a Horcrux. The “evidence” for this theory seems to be based on the last half of the prophecy. One small problem here and this little breakdown in logic should dispel the notion…
Voldemort does not know the entire prophecy. IF HE DID, WHY WOULD HE HAVE THE DEATH EATERS GO TO THE MOM TO STEAL IT? Why spend a year of your life trying to find out something you know? (Snape was thrown out after only hearing the first half)
Given that Voldemort does not know the last half of the prophecy (It is stated that ONLY Harry and Dumbledore know the entire thing), he would NOT make Harry a horcrux. He did not go to Godric’s Hollow with that intention (of making Harry a horcrux; he did intend to make one, but of an object). Given that he only heard the first part, he went with the intention that he was going to kill the person with the power to vanquish him… he did not know he would had powers he knew not of (LOVE) or that he would mark him as his equal. All he thought was that if he killed Harry, no one could defeat him.
Now, is it possible that Harry was ACCIDENTLY made the horcrux… sure, although I for one think JK has a little to much originality than to rehash an old plot device such as this… but I might be wrong. But if you really go back and read the books closely, there is nothing to support that Voldemort intentionally turned Harry into a Horcrux. Ignoring the prophecy, if he did do it, why would he try to kill him at the end of GoF and OotP? Why would he destroy a piece of his soul knowingly?
Personally, I agree that Snape killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore’s orders to keep Draco alive (because he is just that type of person) and because Dumbledore realizes that Harry is the most important aspect. Snape will die in book 7, but I think he does it to save Harry… Maybe during their duel Voldemort is about to win and Snape saves him, in which Bellatrix or more likely Voldemort, kills Snape. I also think Wormtail sacrifices himself to save Harry too, mainy because it was hinted at in the end of PoA. (The part about how when one wizard saves another’s life there is a primal debt, yada yada yada). I am hoping this is when Bellatrix gets killed (Wormtail making amends for getting James Killed). I also tend to agree with the theory that Harry is a decendant of Gryffendor… which is why I think that Voldemort gets killed with the sword… given that the wands can’t duel each other. Which brings up another question, I wonder if Olivander is dead, or if he is being forced to make a new wand… not sure, just wondering.
This comment was written by Michael.Report this comment to the moderators
September 4th, 2005 at 4:01 pm
Looking for others’ thoughts:
I just finished re-reading GOF. In the battle, the shadows of the spells come out in reverse order, but James comes out before Lilly. This would mean that she was killed before he was. Does anyone else remember though that somewhere it says that James died first? Would this just be a typo or something that may change with book 7?
This comment was written by Brandon.Report this comment to the moderators
September 7th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
Hwy Brandon you apparently have the hard back book. In the paperback book it says”Your father’s coming…” she said quietly.”Hold on for your father…it will be alright…hold on…” You need to read the paper back book. Apparently they had a miss type. It’s right in the paperback.
This comment was written by Coleen.Report this comment to the moderators
September 15th, 2005 at 8:07 am
I don’t know if anyone is reading this blog anymore, but Harry being one of the horcruxes, in my mind, is almost laughable. Even the fact of voldy accidently making Harry a horcrux does not seem right (though noone has ever, except Harry, lived when the killing curse was set on them. There is no telling the side effects of such a thing happening). Prof. Slug. told voldy that there was a spell to encase a part of ones’ soul in an object. It would be, I would think, a complicated process kind of like voldy getting his body back. Maybe not so many elements but certainly more than a single word incantation.
This comment was written by Glenn.Report this comment to the moderators
September 29th, 2005 at 3:51 pm
I don’t necessarily think it is that strange that Voldy might have made Harry a horcrux accidently. I think he may have gone to Godric’s Hollow with the intention of creating a horcrux with some other object after he killed Harry. He may have already performed the necessary Horcrux-allowing incantations
This comment was written by Amy.(splitting his soul into parts) ahead of time so that he was ready to make the Horcrux after the killing. But when Lily’s love saved Harry and his killing curse backfired, it may have resulted in putting the split piece of soul into Harry as a scar. This doesn’t mean Harry has to die, he just needs to figure out how to remove a horcrux from his head!
Another matter: did anyone else notice that when Harry asked Dobby and Kreacher to watch what Malfoy was up to, Dobby told Harry that if he messed up, he would throw himself off the highest tower? Dobby and Kreatcher only gave Harry one report, and though that report did allow Harry to figure our the Malfoy was using the RoR, did you get the impression that their duty was complete? If not, it would seem that Dobby did screw up pretty seriously, since Malfoy was sucessful in letting in the Death Eaters. Now, is it then just a coincidence that when Dumbledore and Harry fly in at night to where the Dark Mark is, JKR bothers to call it not “a tower” or even “the Astronomy Tower”, but as “the highest tower”? It doesn’t really matter for the story which tower it was. The story would have been the same if it were the Divination Tower. But it had to be the highest tower. Perhaps this is a clue??? I wonder if somehow Dobby “took the fall” for Dumbledore, thus allowing Dumbledore to fake his death (as he had just told Malfoy he could easily do). Any thoughts?
Report this comment to the moderators
October 27th, 2005 at 9:12 am
One thing I hardly see discussed is the fact that in book one, Snape is attempting to prevent Harry from falling of the broom during the Quiditch match. From that point it was obvious that someone who hates another so much would not go to that trouble to save them. I agree that Dumbldore would never plead for his life, and that the pleading was for Snape to carry out the act he had to.
This comment was written by AL.Report this comment to the moderators
October 29th, 2005 at 2:24 pm
Here’s a thought: maybe the Avada Kedavra is only just powerful enough to kill one complete being; to sever one whole soul from the body. If that is the case, AND Dumbledore drank the horcrux (I’m picturing Futurama here: “You drank the emperor!”), then Sev’s Avada Kedavra would have had one and one sixth souls to eradicate, and that would be too much for it, leaving about one-sixth of a soul (presumably Dumbledore’s, since Voldemort’s was in Dumbledore’s stomach and easiest to send to the Great Beyond, where no doubt Sirius and James are waiting to go at it with a pair of heavenly bludger bats) in Dumbledore’s body, which will leave him with just as much control over said body as Voldemort has (because Voldemort also has one-sixth of a soul), and doubtless if this turns out to be the case, he will show up when it is most convenient for the Order and least convenient for the Death Eaters.
Although the monkey wrench to this would be that Severus had to KILL Dumbledore to survive.
This comment was written by Kyra.Report this comment to the moderators
October 29th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Unlikely, considering that Snape made the Unbreakable Vow to carry out Draco’s duty, which was obviously to kill Dumbledore. Unless Dobby took Polyjuice Potion to become Dumbledore, and that was enough to satisfy the Vow.
I kinda wish Snape had thought outside the box a little, and drowned Dumbledore and then done the magical equivalent of CPR to bring him back, like they did on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But then, that would’ve required JK Rowling not thinking outside the box.
This comment was written by Kyra.Report this comment to the moderators
November 3rd, 2005 at 2:29 pm
And, of course, Harry has her eyes.
He has Lily’s emerald eyes, those eyes that loved Snape’s rival, never he. Those eyes that never saw him, never knew he longed to hold her close, to live at last in Lily’s eyes.
Imagine Snape a lover - how he longed for the day she’d turn and see him standing there. “Would Tom had let her stay!”Ā
He has her eyes, he has Lily’s emerald eyes, those eyes that saw Snape happy long ago. How can Snape now forget that once he dared to be in love, alive and whole in Lily’s eyes.
In Lily’s eyes….
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
November 3rd, 2005 at 3:28 pm
Hee hee.
(I got it. If Elkins reads this thread, she’ll get it. I’m not sure how many others will…)
This comment was written by Ampersand.Report this comment to the moderators
November 6th, 2005 at 6:11 pm
I agree with your theory of why Severus killed Ablus. I’ve been an advocate for Severus since book one. I keep thinking that there HAD to be a reason Snape hated Harry and when we discovered part of it in the third book I was sorry for him but the moment I read Snape’s Worst Memory in the fifth book my sorrow took another twist: hatred for the Mauraders (the League of Idiots and Asses as I call them lol.) I understood why he was so bitter and I wouldn’t be surprised if the only reason Snape went to the ‘Dark Side’ is BECAUSE of that teasing, I mean, if all the ‘Light Side’ has ever shown you is hatred and distaste why would you stay there if on the ‘Dark Side’ you have acceptance and friendships of a way. But deep inside he has morals, hence his turning to Albus. I think that Albus KNEW about the Unbreakable Vow and they made an agreement what Severus would do if it ever came to him having to kill Albus and Snape hated the idea. I think that when Albus was pleading with Severus he was pleading that the man kill him and continue with the orginal plan. I don’t ever EVER want to believe that Snape is evil. If he was he would have brought Harry to Voldemort a long time ago or he would have told Voldemort where Harry lived. Anyway, just wanted to get my say out. Lol. : P
This comment was written by Stef.Report this comment to the moderators
November 7th, 2005 at 10:35 am
i think that the message left in the locket by RAB is sirius’s brother and that is why he was killed not because he got scared and tried to leave the death eaters. i think that i hate snapt too much to believe that he killed dumbledor to stay under cover.
This comment was written by michael ladon miller.Report this comment to the moderators
November 7th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
i have tried to find regulus’s middle name to prove my point that he is RAB, but i cant find it anywhere on the internet and i have re-read all of the books that might possibly have information about him in it. i loved the book sso much and i cant wait for the next one to come out, i wish that we could get a release date. it took forever for hte half-blood prince to come out.i dont think that harry is a horcrux because voldemort wants to kill harry so bad that he will not let his death eaters kill harry. i dont hink that dum. is a hor. i think that he did fully die, but it would be wonderful if dumb. did return. i think that sirius might show up i #7 as the dog, he went through the arc as a man and he might come back as a dog.
This comment was written by Michael Ladon Miller.Report this comment to the moderators
November 8th, 2005 at 2:26 pm
We already know he returns. His mural was hanging in his office. McGonagal & Co. can talk to him any time they like. I presume Dumbledore is at liberty to share his theories about Voldermort, to say what he and Harry were up to, to say where he stashed the wine, etc. Or to refrain from saying. I just wonder if Harry could take the mural off the wall and walk and stick it in a backpack or something….
In the meantime, that grungy Hogsmeade bartender is Dumbledore’s brother (as seen in the original photo of the Order of the Phoenix group). He will portray himself as the reincarnated Dumbledore, scaring the Death Eaters and confusing Voldermort. (”Could love really be the path to eternal life after all…?”Ā)
Nah. Sirius is keeping up on all developments via the magic mirror he gave to Harry. Harry can’t reach Sirius, but Sirius can see and hear Harry on the odd occasions that Harry opens his trunk. At some cataclysmic moment in #7, Sirius will lead a charge of spirits from the underworld back through the arch through which he fell. (Or maybe they just send their patroni?) Either way, all of Voldermort’s prey will join in, including James & Lily. They will join with Nearly-Headless Nick and a newly-sober Peeves to route the Bloody Baron and his ilk. In the process, Nick’s head will be fully severed at last.
No need. Here’s what’s gonna happen:
1. Harry returns to Privet Drive for his last summer, but the Dursleys are so totally pissed with him that they turn the place into a virtual prison. Death Eaters attack, but facing a combination of debilitating magic and “Home Alone”Ā-style booby-traps designed for Harry’s benefit, they will be routed. But when it appears that Dudley is in peril, Petunia will fire off a magical blast or two, finally revealing the long-suppressed secret that Lily was not the only magical person in her family.
2. Hagrid and Mde Maxime get at least some giants to side with the good guys. Ditto the centaur. Ditto Lupin and the were-critters. Maybe Bill helps Lupin; maybe he rallies support among dragons. Ditto Hermione and the house-elves, who launch into noble acts of betrayal and self-mutilation.
3. Wormtail will eventually help Harry, or try to. But Voldermort will cause Wormtail’s silver hand to act independent of Wormtail’s will. At that point, Wormtail will splinch (partially Apperate) himself to get away from his hand; he will be rendered helpless, but he will render the silver hand helpless as well.
4. Indeed RAB is Sirius’ brother; indeed he took the locket back to 10 Grimald Pl.; indeed Kreature had the locket in his stash of goodies. But since then Mundungus raided 10 Grimald Pl. to pilfer stuff to sell, including that locket. So Harry will go to Askaban to rescue Mundungus, only to learn that the locket has been sold to Borgin and Burkes.
5. The only article of Griffendor’s, the sword, has become a horcrux. This will be a heartrending discovery for Harry. But Harry will then wield the sword in battle, and the Death Eaters will be loathe to take defensive measures that might harm the sword; this will place them at a disadvantage. Eventually the sword must be destroyed.
6. There’s a shoot-out at Weasley’s Wizarding Weezes. Combatants fumble their wands onto a floor strewn with gag wands. They end up grabbing random wands and gadgets, producing random goofy results. Eventually a bunch of muggle-lovers will demonstrate the muggle way of settling conflicts; they’ll use fists (and maybe marshal arts) against a bunch of dumbfounded Death-Eaters.
7. Does Ms. Malfoy betray Voldermort? Does Draco? Does Lucius, after he sees Voldermort attacking Draco? Do Crabbe and Goyle ever get to have independent personalities? Do Fred and George? (Warning: the traditional way to give them independent personalities is to kill one of them.)
8. But what of the Ministers of Magic? Percy? Dolores Umbridge? Victor Krum? Olivander? The Goblins and Gringotts and the (literal) underground railroad? The Sorting Hat? How does Ron fulfill his ambition to become Head Boy if he’s not at Hogwarts? And why is the Prophecy so oddly worded if all it means is “Harry and Voldermort duke it to the death”Ā?
9. Oh, yeah, and in the meantime Harry & Co. find and destroy all the horcruxes, have a showdown with Voldermorte, and find true love. Snape dies, as does Ginny, who, echoing the actions of Lily, sacrifices herself to save Harry. This is gonna be one fat book.
Ok, I’m kidding about the Ginny part.
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
November 8th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
My daughter finally past on the latest installment to me, I give them to her and she reads it along with her friends, then I get them.
Couldn’t agree with you more on Snape doing Dumbledore’s will and killing him.
I do wonder though does anyone find Harry just a tad dull? I mean Snape was brilliant in school coming up with spells and potions not in the book. Harry’s dad was bright to the point of being a pill. Dumbledore… all these exemplary folks and Harry has so little street smarts he keeps missing the simplest turns and signs. Any kid from the projects with a cell phone has more sense about what’s going on than Harry. Were it not for the cloak the kid couldn’t hang at all.
Why do you suppose Harry and company do not do a little more work on the fundamentals? Were I in a mortal situation I do believe I would work very hard at getting down on the knowledge that could deliver me. They seem so suburban in their motivation.
Malfoy has got to play a cool part now in the conclusion as his son took the lead role and he being sidelined in prison.
I hope the Red/Hagrid theory is wrong; he is loyal and doesn’t turn from the truth, a true friend. (I also like his bike.) Blessings.
This comment was written by Rock.Report this comment to the moderators
November 8th, 2005 at 6:41 pm
Yeah, Rock, Harry is dull. But then Harry is a Leader - that means that others will follow him & he is physically (magically) powerful. All that thinkin’ stuff is for the eggheads like Hermione. For all the fun that HP is, it doesn’t fall far from the classic stereotype tree, does it.
Thanks to nobody.really, I no longer have to read book 7. Hey, I’ve been pushing for the death of one of the twins for at least 2 books now. I thought the best section of your summary was section # 3. I am perversely hoping that you’re right about everything & that JKR - through her obsessive tracking down of everything written about HP online - finds your summary and decides she has to do a total re-write.
This comment was written by Jake Squid.Report this comment to the moderators
November 9th, 2005 at 6:22 am
I think the very young teenage fans of this book who read it on a very literal level are probably understanding it better than us adults with all the fun and complicated theories about the horcrux and the potion and snape and lily etc. I just don’t think Rowling is (a) as creative as you guys are and (b) ready to deviate from a script she obviously had in outline form when she started Book 1 (or (c) prepared to make unpopular plot decisions from the point of view of kids who are still going to be her main audience).
However, it sure would be fun if some of these theories ended up happening in Book 7. It is great that this thread has continued for so many months. Ampersan,d the recently commented function is the greatest thing about this blog for keeping the discussions going.
Regarding the last two comments about Harry being a pretty thick guy, I think Harry is made to mirror Snape (and Sirius also) to a certain extent where the emotions drive the person rather than the thinking. Harry relies on gut feelings. usually they end up being correct but maybe not in the way he thought. Intellectual he is not.
This comment was written by Anna in Cairo.Report this comment to the moderators
November 9th, 2005 at 10:14 am
We “adults” have pondered whether it would be more shocking to discover that Snape is a good guy or a bad guy. I now realize that this question hides an important factor: shocking to whom?
To me, it is unfathomable that Dumbledore could be mistaken about Snape. We will learn that Dumbledore reminded Snape that 1) the highest goal is to stop Voldermort, 2) Snape and Harry are the keys to achieving that goal, and 3) if Snape must kill Dumbledore in order to maintain his undercover status, so be it, even if it meant that Snape would expose himself to attack by his fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix. Snape protested that this was expecting too much from him, but Dumbledore would not hear otherwise.
For Dumbledore to be proven mistaken would undermine the love/forgiveness theme that underlies the books. It would also undermine the Father Figure role that fills so much fantasy literature (Gandalf, Obie Wan, etc.). So late in Book 7 it will be revealed that Snape was really a good guy. The characters will be shocked; the reader will not.
But precisely because it is unthinkable to the reader that Dumbledore could be so wrong, that alternative should be all the more attractive to the writer. Could appearances NOT be deceiving? Could Rowling really embrace the conclusion that Dumbledore was lovable but naive, that forgiveness must be tempered with a clear-eyed and cold-hearted calculus? Could Voldermort’s cynical world view be in some measure vindicated?
That would be the real shocker. It might kill the market for these books in the children’s section, but it might earn them an everlasting place on the sci fi/fantasy shelves, or even the philosophy section.
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
November 9th, 2005 at 9:38 pm
re: Snape
I was at a HP conference at UC Riverside a few weeks ago (yes, I know, I’m a dork) and someone in the audience had a really interesting observation.
There has been speculation that Snape is a vampire because he is often referred to as bat-like, etc. The audience member suggested that it is instead a reference to Aesop’s fables about bats - which would make a lot of sense considering JKR’s degree in English and her penchant for using creatures that appear in mythology and old fables.
The fables consist of the bat not being eaten by weasels because he was neither bird not beast, and, more appropriately, the bat being left with no friends or allies because he refused to join neither the birds nor the beasts the two went to war against each other. I’m not sure that Snape evilness/goodness will ever be resolved, but I’m pretty sure he’ll die friendless.
This comment was written by Jenny K.Report this comment to the moderators
November 12th, 2005 at 10:29 pm
What if Draco is the chosen one and Snape and Dumbledore were trying to protect him for that reason? Draco was born late (he was in potions with Harry when everyone else went for apparation). He is marked by Voldemort with the dark mark on his arm. I’m not sure how his parents defied Voldemort, but some nifty writing could explain it. Any thoughts?
This comment was written by Rick.Report this comment to the moderators
December 7th, 2005 at 11:43 pm
Well, there is some stuff that i had not realized until i read it here.
i dont know if one of like the 200 comments already left have mentioned this (i havent read all of them) but somehow i think there might be a connection between Dumbledore and his Phoenix
i mean the phoenix always dies but then is reborn right?
and at the end of the 6th one the phoenix flies away, maybe, i dont know, I think that Dumbledore has not died. i think that he was just , TOO, easy to kill. And in book 4 one of the testers did mention that Dumbledore was able to do things that he had never seen before with his wand. and that was just when he was like 16 or something.he is a really powerful wizard.
Maybe im being TOO optimistic but i dont think that he died and that he could have been so wrong about Snape.
Also i agree with many of u that Snape is , apart from Dumbledore, the most interesting character. I think that the guy who plays him in the movie is SUPERB he does it soooooooooooooo well. I totally hate the new Dumbledore.
I personally hate Harry Potter and all those people that admire and kiss his ass. URRRRRRRRR
and lastly
Where r u people getting all that stuff about McGonagall being Lord Voldemort in disguise???????????????? tell me please
This comment was written by Carlos Ramirez.Report this comment to the moderators
December 9th, 2005 at 2:39 am
I can’t recall who asked, but Regulus Black’s middle name is Alphard. Hence, R.A.B.
JennyK - it’s actually “McGonagall” with two Ls.
Are there really HP conferences?!? The things I miss. Why don’t they have those on the east coast? :D
This comment was written by littlem.Report this comment to the moderators
December 14th, 2005 at 5:04 pm
dd was the transfiguration teacher he is a animagus a pheonix in fact thats why he’s always busy with fire
This comment was written by qwerty.remeber the funeral? a big flame than harry saw a pheonix flying away
lily blood is now in moldywort and pp own harry a favor
harry scar was given to him by lily its lily soul /eyes she was at slughorn and was very good at charms
Report this comment to the moderators
December 18th, 2005 at 9:25 am
Rick: Yes, I have a theory: On JKRowling’s web page she debunks the rumor that Luna Lovegood is Snape’s daughter, specifically saying that Snape does not have a daughter. She does not say that Snape does not have a child, just that he doesn’t have a daughter. Perhaps Draco is Snape’s son. Snape has certainly defied Voldemort and perhaps Draco’s mother (whose name I’ve forgotten) has too–for example, by hiding her child’s parentage. It would explain why Snape was so insistent on protecting Draco, among other things.
This comment was written by Dianne.Report this comment to the moderators
December 20th, 2005 at 2:59 am
I haven’t read all the stuff on this blog, but my own theory is that Dumbledore was so absolutely sure of Snape not because of any higher motive like loyalty on Snape’s part but because Snape had already made an unbreakable vow to Dumbledore. Thus, in the murder scene, Snape is in a dilemma with two vows to fulfil. Snape will have informed Dumbledore about the second commitment and Dumbledore resolves the dilemma by releasing Snape - effectively signing his own death warrant, great and selfless Wizard that he is (sob).
What do you think?
This comment was written by Jon.Report this comment to the moderators
December 20th, 2005 at 1:34 pm
I agree that something about Lily Evans will be revealed in the final book. I also think it has something to do with Snape. Horace Slughorn goes on about how Harry has got his mother’s genes when it comes to potions. I think she and Snape may have shared the book in potions class. I think that Lily loved Snape but he rejected her as she was muggleborn and so full of spite she went out with James.
I also think that Snape has always been on the dark side and always will be. I think this as earlier in the sixth book, Dumbledore says that his mistakes are just as bad as he is good. This hints that Dumbledore has made a mistake, this was a huge mistake as it cost him his life.
This comment was written by Ginevra.Report this comment to the moderators
December 22nd, 2005 at 9:35 pm
I have greatly enjoyed reading your thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to respond to a few of my own:
1. Harry and Ginny are not over. There will be something big involving her in the next book. I believe the fact that she is the 7th child (of a 7th child?) and the only daughter - and “pureblood” - for several generations will somehow be significant. Slughorn notes that Riddle felt it would be better to divide your soul into 7 parts as it is a powerful magical number.
2. I think Harry is not meant to be a shining example of intellect. He is just supposed to be a kind of “every-guy” that can be easily related to. But even though his is not a beacon of brain power, he can still chose to be a good friend and a kind and caring person in spite of what others have done to him.
3. I hope JKR does not kill off Harry. Aren’t the stories told from Harry’s point of view, therefore implying he is remembering at some later date in his life? Anyway, if he dies it would be a sad and disappointing message to young readers that hope, selflessness and perserverence are pointless.
This comment was written by Dee Dee.Report this comment to the moderators
December 25th, 2005 at 1:36 am
Wow, people still post on this thread?
Anyway, Dumbledore seems to make a pretty big deal over the “love saving Harry” thing. What about a similar “saved by love” for Draco in the last book? Narcissa asked Snape to perform the Unbreakable Vow with her out of love for Draco, and it seems possible that Snape loves Draco as well, since he’s apparently protective of him at school. It would be an interesting way of tying Draco and Harry together.
I’m very curious about Lucius in the next book (can you tell I have much love for the Malfoys?) He’ll likely get out of Azkaban somehow, but will he side with Voldy or Draco, since Draco’s failure will not likely be accepted by Voldemort very well. And will Voldemort even bother to kill Lucius for Draco’s failure? I mean, he seems like a useful guy to have as a Death Eater. Narcissa, on the other hand . . . so dead.
This comment was written by batgirl.Report this comment to the moderators
December 25th, 2005 at 8:17 pm
I agree with qwerty. (was that name on purpose?)
Anyway, come to think of it, Dumbledore could be an animagas. Harry is always saved by dumbledore or the phoenix. The only part that doesnt make sense is the part where the phoenix and Dumbledore are both in the same scene unless Dumbledore to is a horcrux, (doubtful).
O and by the way, sont you think its weird how Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all friends? Think about it, a half-blood, a pure blood, and a mudblood? And they are all supposed to save the magical world against Voldemort? Interesting.
Let me know what you think…
This comment was written by ScArsChAnGe.Report this comment to the moderators
January 3rd, 2006 at 10:49 pm
I have read each and every one of these posts, and now I’m totally confused with what I think is going to happen, and what’s going on lol ^.^ I really don’t think Dumbledore will return from the dead, maybe something will happen with Dumbledore, that happened with Harry’s mom and dad in GoF. I’m still indifferent on whether Harry may be a Horcrux (sp) or not, at first the conclusion I came to was, that he was one, then I remembered the prophecy (lol) and how one can only live …. But then I thought about Neville possibly being “the Chosen One”, but I’m still not clear, because why would the books be about Harry, if in the end Neville, is “the Chosen One”, it just doesn’t make sense to me O.o - I think all of these theories are great, but I’m still confused myself. I really hope J.K makes book 7 a knockout. I am really looking forward to seeing what she has instore for us all.
This comment was written by Ashley.Report this comment to the moderators
January 17th, 2006 at 11:58 am
I don’t think that Harry will die in the end. JKr does say that there will be more deaths but I do not think that any of them will be Harry or his friends.
This comment was written by Michael Miller.I don’t think that the story is told from Harry’s memory, it never sounds like it is. Harry life continues as the books continue.
Harry will return to school on Dumbledore’s orders from the portrait. Dumbledore will continue his private lessons with Harry through his portrait. With Dumbledore’s help Harry will beat Voldemort.
Harry is the chosen one, Neville could have been the chosen one but lord voldemort chose Harry and marked him as his equal and killing the idea that it could be Neville.
I don’t think that Dumbledore is an animagus. And to answer a thought by qwerty about a phoenix flying out of the flame actually the phoenix flew into the flame.
Thank you littlem for telling me regulu’s blacks middle name, which is alphard hence R.A.b.
Carlos Ramirez you are a fool for liking snape and hating harry.
Thanks Nobody .really for your thoughts on the book and your opinions of my thoughts.
Report this comment to the moderators
January 20th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
i am tottly sorry i just re-read the book and a pheonix does fly out of the fire and not into it
sorry everyone my mistake
This comment was written by Michael Miller.Report this comment to the moderators
January 30th, 2006 at 11:13 am
I don’t know about you guys but I think that Snape might actually be good after all(but i still dislike him.)
This comment was written by Michael Miller.If you can remember correctly Dumbledore got mad at Snape and Hagrid overheard them.
That might have been when Dumbledore told Snape about his plan. I personally hate Snape and I wish that Harry will kill him in the end.
Report this comment to the moderators
January 30th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
For what it’s worth, Rowling is auctioning off a newly-detailed copy of the Black family tree for charity. You can see a fragment here.
Are reported at the Leaky Cauldron:
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
January 30th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
SO HERE IS MY THEORY, HARRY POTTER IS THE 7TH HORCRUX CREATED FROM THE KILLING OF HIS OWN MOTHER AND MUST DESTROY HIMSELF IN ORDER TO DESTROY THE LAST PEICE OF VOLDEMORT’S SOUL, IT ALL MAKES SENSE, WHY HE NEEDED HARRY’S BLOOD IN 4 TO COME BACK, WHY THE SORTING HAT TRIED TO PUT HIM IN SLYTHERIN, WHY HE’S A PARSELMOUTH……
This comment was written by Nomi DeMilo.Report this comment to the moderators
January 31st, 2006 at 12:24 pm
In the 4th book voldemort only needed the blood from an enemy to regenerate himself so i dont agree with nomi about harry being a horcrux. He wanted the protection that Harry had to be stronger.
This comment was written by Michael Miller.Report this comment to the moderators
February 10th, 2006 at 8:31 am
It was Dumbledore that had the choice to bring Voldemort to Hogwarts in the first place. Clearly, he made a poor choice. Hence, I’m having a difficult time believing the theories that are justified by “Dumbledore is never wrong”.
I got the vibe that Harry was a horcrux while reading, but it’s tough to justify. Voldemort attempts to kill Harry in GoF, and he tries again in OotP. Why would Voldemort try to destroy his own soul? A horcrux in Harry would be a “Get Out of Prophecy Free” card.
One could argue that Voldemort simply doesn’t know that Harry is a horcrux. I find it hard to believe that you could accidentally make one. If that were the case, wouldn’t there be dead dark wizards reviving right and left?
Regarding Dumbledore’s death, a picture of Dumbledore appears in the Headmaster’s Office. I am not certain how this is stated in the books, so maybe someone can help. Does it say that they’re pictures of former headmasters or deceased headmasters? If it’s just former headmasters, then the picture isn’t proof that Dumbledore is really dead. If it’s deceased headmasters, then I find the “Dumbledore is a Phoenix” theories are less believable.
I think either Snape, Draco, or both will help the side of good, but that’s just personal belief.
This comment was written by J. Matt.Report this comment to the moderators
February 16th, 2006 at 11:03 am
This is random I know, but I think it would be such a shame if Draco turned good in book seven. It just wouldn’t seem right. I know he cried his heart out to Moaning Myrtle, so there is a softer side to him, but I’m really against the idea of his redemption! Why build such a FAB, spiteful, hateful character if only to make him turn good in the last book? We know he hated Harry and co in book s one to five, and part of six, but when he lowered his wand, it made me worry! However, I might just be being silly. What do other people think?
This comment was written by Rachel.Report this comment to the moderators
February 17th, 2006 at 10:33 am
i also hope that Draco does not turn good but when Dumbledore was trying to convince him to go to the good side he was thinking awfully hard about it. And it also does not look since he was crying to myrtle and opening up to her. Draco might turn good but in the meantime i still have my hopes and dreams.
This comment was written by Michael Miller.Report this comment to the moderators
February 17th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
I’ve finally figured out where the last horcrux is: it’s in THIS DISCUSSION, which just won’t die!
So nobody wants to extend any compassion to poor Draco? Sure, he’s clearly a product of his prejudiced upbringing, an upbringing that he was in no way responsible for. But then, he has committed the unforgivable crime: he has come to symbolize people we envy. And once we envy another person’s privilege, that person goes beyond compassion, beyond redemption. That person is no longer human, because the definition of human is … well, it’s me, plus anyone sufficiently like me. But the person who has what I want but cannot have, that person is beyond the pale.
Damn right Draco will flip - maybe not quite to the good side, but definitely against Voldy. And the fact that he will do so without the loving embrace and support of the Phoenix gang will make his flipping all the more noble. And you guys will feel all the crappier when he does. So nyh.
Meanwhile that paragon of motherly virtue, Molly Weasley, will cave. Don’t know how, don’t know where, but I know she’ll cave in some desperate day. She’ll do something that keeps her loved ones away of danger, even though it undermines some larger Order of the Phoenix mission. Bet she does it for Percy, just to heighten the poignancy.
Even Alabaster got a black hand; nobody gets out of this world unsullied.
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
February 20th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
I think Dumbledore trusts snape so much because he made him take the unbreakable oath to protect harry. Notice how snape wouldn’t even cause Harry the slightest scratch, not even to disarm him. Also, dumbledores hand it messed up, the same way that peter petigrews hand is. Could be related?
This comment was written by Burger.Report this comment to the moderators
March 1st, 2006 at 11:37 am
I hope that Harry does not die in the end; it will suck if he does, and it will end the story on a bad note. I like a surprise ending, but I am in love with the story to much for it to end like that in a bad way. I don’t think that Harry is the Horcrux cause after you kill someone you make it. Voldemort was striped of his body and did not have the time to make a Horcrux, even an accidental horcrux at that. Therefore I think that Harry is not the Horcrux but there is still the fact that JK has said there will be more deaths and there has to be a final battle. Nobody Really has his own opinion and I respect that but you don’t have to be so pissy that we don’t like the piece of crap Draco. Due to his prejudice upbringing he will not change and that is how he will feel because it is his beliefs.
This comment was written by Michael Miller.Report this comment to the moderators
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:33 am
RAB is Snape!
I think that RAB stands for a code or an oath that Snape has used with LV that is known only between the two of them. Snape being LV’s most trusted, and the closest to LV per Narcissa, is why Narcissa went to Snape instead of another DE to beg for Draco’s life and have Snape try to pursuade LV to reconsider. Snape is closer to him and is his second in command. RAB is Snapes idenity when he sends messages to Voldemort.
I think that the switch of the lockets were made not in the cave but when Snape blasted Dumbledores body away from the DE on the tower. He had to get DD’s body out of there and I believe that DD let Snape know that he had the horcrux on him and to get it before the DE found it.
The RAB note is letting Voldemort know that he knows all about the horcruxes (which I believe Snape does and will somehow help Harry find them) even though Voldemort thinks he is the only one who knows. The RAB note is left for revenge. Getting back at LV for doing something to RAB that he would want revenge for.
I believe DD when he told Harry that he had no idea that LV would choose James, Lily and Harry to go after to kill. I think the reason that LV targeted James and Harry is because James was a direct link to Slytherin. Even though DD tells us that LV is the last heir of Slytherin he is correct because LV made it so. He targeted James and Harry to wipe out any other heirs to make himself the last remaining one. To get the glory and be the “Lord” so no one else could be a direct link. That is why he told Lily to step aside. He didn’t need to kill her, she was no threat, but he needed to kill the males so he could carry on the Slytherin line.
Snape loved Lily and he owed James for saving his life. He never wanted Harry dead but had no idea that LV would mark the prophecy using the Potters. That is why Neville was never chosen. He was not a direct link to Slytherin.
So Snape has a motive for revenge against LV. I don’t see a motive for Regulus Black to want to have revenge on LV. What did LV do to Regulus that he would want revenge? I think that LV’s idea of having the pure bloods attending Hogwarts and having pure-bloods in the wizarding world appealed to most of the Royal Blood Families. However they had no idea that the way LV wanted to make things pure was by actually killing people off. That is why alot of pure-blood families didn’t want to have anything to do with LV after they saw what he was willing to do to get a pure race.
That’s why Regulus backed out and tried to make a run for it. However you don’t just decide not to be a DE and leave, so they hunted him down and killed him.
Snape has to be RAB. Somehow the last horcrux LV will think he has left will be the locket horcrux. In the end Harry will show it to LV and LV will read the note and realize that he was betrayed by RAB- Snape his most trusted, most loyal and that is when Harry will kill him.
RAB is an acronym that stands for something. Something like Royal, Alliance, Blood - Blood, Alliance, Reigns or something like that.
What do you think?
This comment was written by TRIWIZARD.Report this comment to the moderators
March 3rd, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Hm. I’m not getting it.
Ok, say Snape is RAB, and Dumbledore retrieved the real horcrux locket from the cave. Then, cornered by Death Eaters, Dumbledore gives Snape some kind of signal to indicate that Dumbledore has something in his pocket that must be kept out of the hands of the Death Eaters. Lacking any other alternative, Snape blasts Dumbledore off the tower. Then Snape races to the base of the tower to rummage through Dumbledore’s pockets while Draco and the Death Eaters stand around watching. Snape takes the real horcrux locket and leaving a fake one with a message that only Voldemort would understand. And he’s doing this … why?
I’m still mulling over people’s (Michael’s?) hypotheses about Snape’s hidden motives. So maybe Narcissa turned to Snape not exclusively out of desperation, and maybe Snape made the Unbreakable Vow not exclusively to save face in front of Bellatrix, but rather because Snape is really Draco’s dad? Two problems. 1) Hard to believe that Draco would bear such a stark resemblance to Lucius under those circumstances - but hey, it’s magic, right? 2) I don’t know if you can get away with adultery in children’s literature. Wholesome violence is fine, but sex?
Alternate hypothesis: Perhaps Dumbledore was so confident of Snape not because of his deep understanding of human motivation, but simply because he had one of those Unbreakable Vows from Snape. And maybe Snape simply broke the vow. Ron said that people who break them die, but that’s not saying much; doesn’t everyone die eventually (Voldemort aside)? Or Dumbledore relinquished the Vow? Can he even do that?
(To be sure, this Unbreakable Vow creates something of a plot problem. Everybody but Dumbledore suspected Snape of harboring loyalty to Voldemort; why didn’t they simply demand that Snape make an Unbreakable Vow of loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix as proof that he had reformed? Or maybe Unbreakable Vows are a type of dark magic that good guys aren’t supposed to do?)
I’m betting against these theories. But you guys are keeping me thinking….
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
April 6th, 2006 at 10:54 am
what up peeps this is the one and only MAD MIKE in da place. So i liked some the thoughts and stuff. But after reading all this i am 100% confused there are some good theories and there are some that are 110% bull shit if i must say so. All this has my head in a tailspin and i dont know what to look for now, but i am about to read over the entire series now that i have read all this crap and see if i can find some type of a pattern and work out the mystery. PEACE OUT.
This comment was written by MAD MIKE.Report this comment to the moderators
April 27th, 2006 at 2:33 am
personally i believe that petunia is also related to magic but that rather than being a fully fledged witch like her sister she is instead a squib
a non-magic person like the hogwart’s caretaker argus filch
the reason i have for this is petunia’s absolute terror of azkaban
she despite all her pretences that there is no magic and all that was terrified at the mention of the wizard prison in THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX!!
she know about it!! how how how???
and even told her starait-laced husband vernon dursley about it!!!!!!!!!
and also her promise to dumbledore which she honoured for more than fifteen yesrs if harry indeed leaves after his seventeenth birthday..she made some pact with him and despite all her petty treatment of harry and her cruelty and neglect she gave harry room and board in her house despite the fact that she hated her sister lilly who is also harry’s mother.
whatever she did to hurt harry ultimately she trusted dumbledore’s word and did what he instructed her to do
why did she obey him???
she could have thrown him out at any given time and harry would have been terribly vulnerable but she didn’t although harry ran away by his own will in THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN and ALWAYS her punishment when harry misbehaved was “go to your room” and NEVER “go away from our house”
why why why did she respect dumbledore’s word?????????????
her loathing of harry performing magic is eerily similar to filch’s loathing of the students who can perform magic
once when dudley ran away to her when harry jokingly pretended to jinx him,even though she knew it an empty threat was to hurl something at harry which he had to duck to thankfully escape!!
her anger and hyper sarcasm at describing lilly and her entrance to hogwarts
petunia is normally described as one who doesn’t show her emoitions..she hates mess or chaos just like her scrupulously scrubbed tables and kitchen
but when she talked about how lilly received her acceptance letter petunia was very angry and her rage was pretty evident by her choice of words
this was a rare outburst from her!!
she called her a witch!!!a witch!!!!
was she being angry cos lilly was a witch and thought that was a shame
or bacause she was not and thus had no magical power and was jealous!!
because it was evident that her Parents were incredibly thrilled with lilly going to hogwarts and coming home for the holidays with her pockets filled with frogspawn
were they angry,ashamed,sad that petunia did not qualify to attend hogwarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and also i think that her own son yes dudley dursley is also a squib
i know it sound preposterous but please hear me out!!
dudley in his descriptions almost sounds like the evil,nasty exaggerated version of neville longbottom
while neville is clumsy,bumbling and kind dudley is cruel,calculating and a big bully
but physically they almost sound alike
and neville himself says in THE PILOSOPHER’S STONE while aboard the hogwart’s express that his entire family was convinced that he was a squib until he bounced down a street when his great uncle algie or aunt accidently let him go !!!
and how proud his entire family was when the letter arrived from hogwarts.
but i think the most revealing stunning piece of evidence that dudley is a squib and not just a plain muggle happens in THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX!!!!
dudley’s traumatising experience of the dementor attacks in the playground when harry conjured a patronus and then with mrs figg’s help took him home since he was so affected by it
this may sound like nothing BUT his startling description later to his mom and dad was !!!!!
because although dudely didn’t see the dementors he most definitely felt their presence and his desciption was almost identical to their neighbour arrabella figg-the cat lady who is also a squib
when she testifies at the wizengamot later in support of harry her description was very very similar
she too said that since she was a squib she also couldnn’t see it but felt it and how she felt that she will never ever be happy again!!
and her description was the one that probably swayed the jury in harry’s favour
and also please remember that normal muggles(non magical people )cannot see or feel the dementor attackes!!!!!
in the first chapter of THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE the old minister for magic explain to his british counterpart that , that the weather changes and the down and out feeling of depression of the general population was due to widespread dementor atackes
but they couldn’t feel anything more than see a lot of mist and feel low …unlike the graphic description of dudely’s dementor experience!!!!
but i think my boldest and biggest revelation is that personally i think that lilly is voldemort’s own daugher!!!!!!!!!!!!
my main reason for this is regarding voldemort’s eye colour
or the lack of info the author provides about his eye colour before his trasformations as he slowly kills more and more while creating horcruxes
he is always described physically in graphic visual detail as young tom marvolo riddle and then as lord voldemort
about his black hair and pale complexion and how handsome and tall he was
but while his eye’s having that red slit like look is constantly harped upon it’s original colour in never mentuoned NEVER
why why why
while lilly and harry potter’s similar eye colour is always mentioned
infact the first thing anyone ever mentions to harry is that how very much he looks like his father james potter but that he has his mother’s bright green eyes
so much so that before someone even mentions about his eyes he tells that
( to professor horace slughorn)
and yet up to now this connection has never been explained at length by the author
and yet in the very first book THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE when harry gazes absolutely faschinated at the mirror of erised he sees people who resemble him..his relatives
eg - someone with knees that resembles his and the most importnat clue people with green eyes
so there is a generation connection to the green eyes and yet there is no tie-up of that up to now
and we know this is one of harry’s unique signature traits as unique as the lightening bolt shaped scar!!!
and lilly has played no main role in the book except that we know that like james she sacrificed her own life to protect her child when voldermort kept giving her rare and never before opportunities to run and save herself esp for one who belonged to the order of the phoenix!!!!the arch rivals of the death eaters!!!
voldemort did not want to kill her and only did so because she would not allow him to cross her path and murder her baby son
why was she sooo incredibly determined to save her child and did her absolute utmost to protect without saving her own life
her choice was fight rather than flight and she did not flee!!!!
lilly knew that voldemort came for harry and not for anything else
she new that he was going to kill james fighting him so that he could get to harry
and the rest including dumbledore knew how dangerous life was for the potters since he knew of the prophesy
that is why when dumbledore heard of it he offered to be the secret keeper for the potters himslef probably a rare priviledge
he knew the grave danger they were in
and yet he never offered that same security to neville and his parents who were just as valuable to the order and he had heard the prophesy and by then probably knew about neville’s birth statistics as well
so where was their secret keeper…they had none cos they were of no significance to voldemort although the prophesy contained info that related to both harry and neville!!!!!
the moment voldemort heard the half baked prophesy courtesy of snape he knew of only one child and that was harry potter
his very own heir!!!!
and neville’s parents were tortured to insanity after the murder of the potter’s by barty crouch and that gang!!so this proves not only voldemort but a 19 year old boy had had access to the longbottoms!!
which means if lilly is indeed volemort’s child then so was petunia
but he probably disregarded her because she has no magical talent which proved right cos later only lilly got the letter from hogwarts
but they are blood sisters despite how very diferent they are in looks and personality
that is why harry was provided with powerful magical protection while he lived in privet drive
and this is also probably why voldemort couldn’t penetrate the ancient spells protecting him
it is because his own blood dwells there..esp petunia’s as she is the living direct descendent of voldemort and his blood runs in her’s and this is why dumbledore appreciated that whatever her horrible treatment, she gave him room and board
and lilly’s blood,petunia’s bllod and harry’s blood would bring full circle the spell and make it complete and all powerful!!
this would also be why voldemort esp selected harry’s blood to regenerate him!!!!
he took bone from the father,flesh from the servant and though he says blood of the enemy i think he wanted his blood cos it has ties for him too !!
and in addition to the powerful protection he says that the reason he chose it inspite of the difficuty in obtaining it was because it has the blood given by his own kith and kin-lilly
could it have an additional bonus for him too…after all voldermort would like to use his own blood to get his body back rather than some tom dick and jerry’s and harry was his closest living relative!!!
and so although voldemort wanted to visit privet drive he couldn’t because his own people were protecting him from him
and he would dislike petunia greatly cos he loathed his own father when he found out he was just a muggle and went so much as to distance himself from his name and cretaed a new identity for himslef
and petunia being a squib would be just as much loathed
and it is quite obvious that as i mentioned earlier snape knows about this and thus also knows that harry is indeed the only person who will ultimately destroy him though unlike harry and dumbledore his knowledge of the prophesy is half -baked at best!!!!
and normally snape is so frighteningly practical that he probably lays no claim in those sybil trelewney kind of stuff something he made ice cold evident when he gave his first deadly lecture in intro for potions in THE PHOLOSOPHER’S STONE.
but the moment he heard the little bit about the prophesy he took it very seriously and went directly to voledemort bcause he really belived it to be true and that this time he was in geat danger
and he would have been convincing enough for the moment he heard it voldemort set out immediately to kill harry without even re-reconsidering it and despite the bad consequences inclding the aveda kedavra backfiring he still is determined to murder him!!!!!
he doesn’t give up!!!
and also because in THE HALD BLOOD PRINCE at the end when the death eatets are running to the gates to apparate and harry is in hot pursuit one of the brother-sister team of death eaters perform the unbearable unforgiveable curse the cruciatus curse on him
harry is in unbearable pain but snape quickly repells him and says
“POTTER BELONGS TO THE DARD LORD”
and all the death eaters immediately follow his stern warning and leave harry alone when wandless and totally outnumbered except for a howling hagrid and a trapped fang and a dead dumbledore they could have easily killed him
EASILY!!!!!
WHY DIDN’T THEY ???
i think that snape meant that literally that potter belongs to voldemort…that potter is part of voldemort …his grandson..his rightful heir!!!!
as the prophesy says when harry is born in the seventh month he will be his equal cos he is the heir of voldemort
and thus an equal in terms of blood and therefore talents
and after all parseltongue was a gift that voldemort got from his ancestors
he never learned it…no one at the orphanage taught him
he inherited as part and parcel of his birth just like morfin,merope and slytherin
and i think dumbledore’s lecture in THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS is partucularly significant about the choices that one makes that ultimately shapes you rather than just bowing to fate
this would indicate that while his own destiny was slytherin ..being ultimately the heir of slytherin his choice was gryffindoor..a symbol of courage and bravery and thus it became his heritage and destiny
and though the sorting hat did indeed seriously consider putting him to slytherin because that was pretty obvious mercifully because he had some of gryffindoor’s brain enabling to think he oversaw that..saw his magnificnt bravery and put him in gryffindoor!!!!!
and him pulling the sword of gryrffindoor ultimately would prove dumbledore’s lecture and would prove that he is indeed a gryffindoor through and through by choice and action!!!!!!and convince harry that he is not slytherin’s heir but still dumbledore’s lecture sounds strange……..he never ever gave a direct answer!!!!!!only an explanation!!!
and i think in the last book at his coming of age petunia will tell harry something very revealing about lilly
it remains to be seen whether she will swallow her own so called sane human being pride and tell of her own past too even though she and vernon dursley in book one says that when they agreed to take charge of harry they made a pact to beat the magic out of him or something to that effect!!!!
after all voldemort’s love of pure bloods will make sure that the mother of his children was indeed a witch!!!!!!!!!
and thus lilly is a pure blood witch as well and thus more disgrace and ultimately loathing for petunia since she has no magical talent to speak of
and this will prove why snape fell in love with lilly because she was pure-blood
because initilly he loathed that she even spoke out in his defense while all the other students laughted and mocked him dangling upside down when james and sirius was torturing him because she (a mudblood according to snape) pitied him
that is why he disclosed to Voldemort about the prophesy
snape knew that lilly was indeed voldemort’s daughter( Remember in THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE Snape says to the brother and sister death eaters when they perform the cruciatus curse”potter blongs to the dark lord!!!!!!!!!!!!”)
so i think that snape was 100% convinced and certain that voldemort wouldn’t kill lilly potter and only just destroy james…his arch rival and the winner of lilly’s heart and and the father of her child.
i think it would have appealed to snape that not only was lilly the daughter of voldemort,but she also pitied and was very kind to him and tried to defend him when he was tortured and bullied by james and sirius but that she was also brilliant in potions..his best subject!!!!
so it was probably a shock to him when voldemort killed lilly to protect himself
i am sure the reason was he didn’t like the idea of dying for no reason ..after all he considered his own mother merope weak when she died in giving birth to him when she could have used some magic to survive but didn’t in his opinion
but since by the time he came to murder the potters his soul was already divided to 6 parts and therefore had little soul and love in his heart and so killed his own daughter to protect himslef ….as according to dumbledore the only person he loved in life was himself and besides we know he fears death…that was his plan ..to eacape death and become immortal
so snape’s plan of making voldemort kill only james and probably harry backfired completely(he underestimated voldemort’s scale of evil)and as a result the woman he loved most in his life and probably the only woman who was kind to him died in the hands of voldemort..her own father.
dumbledore probably knew this and that is why he knew snape was really on the good side because voldemort killed lilly because snape told him
and this could also be the reason why snape has the most deepest loathing for harry with all his heart and soul.
yes we know part of the reason is because he is the son of james potter…one of his former bullies
but it also could be because lilly died to protect harry
and so harry is a lasting physical reminder of lilly’s death and how he played such an important part in the gruesome crime
and this was why dumbledore couldn’t express his views of snape’s remorse to harry over lilly’s death
he knows it but can’t tell harry ..only that he trusts professor severus snape completely!
and no i do not think that harry potter is indeed the 6th or 7 th horcrux
beause in THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE dumbledore’s comments about harry’s soul being wholesome and pure and untouched by evil and protected by love…
thus causing voldemort excruciating pain when he tried to possess harry by inhabiting his soul in THE ORDER OF THE PHEONIX’s ministry of magic so much so that in the end without even dumbledore’s help harry was able to thwart him by thinking of sirius and flooding his soul with love.
so harry cannot be a place where a bit of voldemort’s soul lives!!!
but i found this incredibly interesting and i am sure that you will also appreciate this
at the ministry of magic in THE ORDER OF THE PHEONIX at the vaulted mysterious room wher harry,neville,ginny and luna could hear the voices of the dead behind the curtan,when the order of the phoenisx team and the death eaters were battling neville and harry’s dramatic experience in grappling with the small dusty glass orb contaning professor trelawney’s prophesy!!!
it was not anybody else but neville longbottom and harry potter…the very two people whe according to it who were the most worthy candidates until voldemort came and marked harry as his equeal
or he made a grave mistake and neville is the one
we don’t know but it was these two who rolled down the steps each trying to catch it and in the end it smahed to pieces and neither could hear it
mysterious!!!!!!!!!!
i also think that he has a big part and as it says “he has powers the dark lord knows not”
could it be that dumbledore and the rest didn’t know as well since they all think that nevile is just a clumsy bumbling idiot with his only talent in herbology… though enough to get an outstanding in the owl’s!!!!!!
i also wonder what is behind the curtan or rather who or what ???
will all the dead who were murdered come and help harry
voldemort used some he killed as inferi to his advantage but what about the rest
can they be the opposite of inferi and help harry like they did in THE GOBLET OF FIRE
and remeber as i said earlier it was only harry,neville,luna and ginny who were enthralled by it while hermione was afraid of it!!!!!she realized this place contained a real and tangible power and she is right most of the time!!!
as for the seventh book this is what i think will happen personally taking some wild guesses which hopefully are at least a little bit true…………..
a possible romantic tie-up for harry with fleur delacour’s younger sister gabrielle
she acording to fleur has harboured a crush since harry rescued her during the second task in THE GOBLET OF FIRE and since she also has to be equally stunning like fleur is and should be about thirteen
since gabrielle is one of the bridesmaid’s she will try her very veela best to catch harry when she comes for the wedding from France
i am sure the two maids ginny and gabrielle will compete for him although ginny promised to leave him alone to hunt voldemort
and since he is a free single man now harry might sway a bit while assaulted with her veela beauty and we all know the kind of effect fleur had on harry and ginny already hates flueur and this might make ginny very jealous and might compel her to do something rash to prove her genuine love for harry
she is very impulsive ,spontaneous,very strong and high strung
i hope she doesn’t get killed or equally worse voldemort doesn’t find out about that and ultimately uses this to snare harry to a trap!
after all dumbledore said that the always locked room at the ministry is filled with a terrible power and we now know that this terrible power is love
and as professor slughorn himslef says as he shows the amortentia portion and tells the horrfying effects of obsessive love and dumbledore himself points out that power as at once wonderful and terrible and says that harry has a vast amount of it!!!
and harry’s amortentia indeed had the combined smell which included the flowery perfume ginny wore at the burrow and also how the author JK Rowling compared harry’s love as a scaly monstrous inner beast and how he wanted to rip dean thomas limb to limb just because he saw ginny kissing her official boyfriend in the dark passage!
so without a doubt ginny is the person alive that harry most loves and so when he goes in to the room to save ginny-his one and only love in it insted finds himslef caught by voldemortand and trapped !
and there he will do the battle unto death and ultimately the very same power of love will save him because love saved him once before at the same ministry of magic from voldemort’s grip when he surely was dying from possesion when harry remembered his beloved godfather and his paternal love for him!!!
so hopefully ginny’s love for harry will revive him back to life!!!!!!!!1
rab could indeed be sirius’s brother
and i think mundungus sold it and that it will be found in egypt if indeed the author has as stated in a news atricle that the the next book has an egypt title and all we know about egypt is that bill weasley worked as a curse breaker there in a gringott bank’s branch and that the weasleys with ron’s photo of a “dying” scabbers holidayed there!
and gringotts is all about gold and cash and precious stones and vaulable priceless articles(the philosopher’s stone)
so something has to be there..something vaulable and important
and if the bank in diagon alley is reported to have dragons and security was so stringent that dumbldore before bringing the stone to hogwarts trusted their safeguarding skills i can only imagine the spells and charms and creatures guarding this one
probably the gold locket or the hufflepuff cup
or else
harry goes to check what else is stolen from him at the grimmauld place after the wedding since he will have to leave the dursley’s permanently once he is a man and thus has no other place to go
when he does the inventory he will will find the locket possibly hidden in kreacher’s raggedy nest and hopefully destroy the locket and thus the horcrux!!!!!!!!!!!!
i just hope that it does not have a shocking and ultimately revealing picture of voldemort with some one or just some one since normally people put a pic inside a locket…normally this is why people wear lockets…to store a precious pic or something like a lock of hair etc.
This comment was written by Chandula.Report this comment to the moderators
April 28th, 2006 at 12:41 am
or my other idea is that snape is in love with narcissa malfoy- draco’s mother and he could be draco’s father
snape always adored draco..always..he supported him,gloated over him and took his side while humiliating and taunting harry esp during potion lecons down in the dungeons!
and since draco’s mom has the same white blonde hair/pale white skin look we don’t know that his dad is indeed lucius
i mean he didn’t have to inherit the look from lucuis, narcissa was enough blonde for draco to be too
and although a lot is written about snape and draco there is no instance of snape and lucuis together ..
none of the two of them together as far as i know
and snape made the vow to protect him and though he was loyal to dumbledore he was absolutely trying to protect draco as well by giving hints and tips
so draco may also be right in his belief that snape is on the dark side because he was helping draco without dumbledore’s knowledge
and according to hagrid snape kept refusing dumbledore’s orders saying he was expecting too much of him and so on
but the momemnt he sees narcissa’s tear filled big blue eyes pleading with him he agrees instantly on the spot and with an unbrakable vow no less that he knows would either kill himself or dumbledore
he would have eventually done it after dumbledore pestured him but it was narciss’a request that made him change his mind and accept this most dangerous task!!!!!!!!!!!
and narcissa knows about snape’s love for draco even if he wasn’t his kid because he loved or still loves her
that is why despite her sister’s deep deep disgust and hatred and loathing and distrust in snape she with great danger to herself went to snape’s house even though bellatrix kept urging her not to go
she trusted her own son’s life with snape and he didn’t disappoint her
it was like she expected him to help her and already had a patten of where he helped her before
she almost exploiited snape’s standing with voldemort putting snape in grave danger while complimenting him using her charms and saying that he was the most trusted servant of the dark lord and blah blah blah
she made him perfrom the unbrakable vow no doubt with her sister as witness
she went cos she knew that snape will do this for her inspite of the personal risk
if this is true then there could be no truth to the fact that snape loved lilly
she was a muggle as far as he knew..pure and simple
and he called her a mudblood- a filthy word in the wizarding world
but narcissa was pure blood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!that would have appealed to him
one can’t live while the other survives and harry being ahorcrux makes perfect sense if indeed harry is a horcrux
it will be like the perfect anti climax
harry will kill voldemort in the normal climax in a deadly duel and everyone will rejoice and be joyous that harry truimphant had slayed the dark lord
and as according to the prophesy harry had survived and voldemort is dead!!!!
but if the horcrux theory it true harry will realize that his scar is the horcrux when it suddenly starts to hurt again and all and and he will slowly realize that voldemort is not complelely vanquisehd
he will again go on a crusade to search for the last horcrux and will come to understand/realize that HE IS THE ONE LAST HORCRUX and when he “slayed” him he had only destroyed five horcruxes and not 6 although dumbledore emphasized that before he destroys the last bif of soul that survived in his body he must FIRST DESTROY ALL SIX HORCRUXES BECAUSES EVEN IF ONE SURVIVES VOLDEMORT CANNOT DIE!!!
and as the prophesy says
one can’t live while the other survives
harry will finally realize its core meaning!!!!
that it means that he can’t live while the other in him survives
cos although he survived so did voldemort through him
and will kill himself in the end!!!!!
and regarding that number twelve grimmauld place contain more than one horcrux(slytherin’s locket)sounds preposterous
only dumbledore ,harry and possibly horace sluhhorn knew of voldemort’s intention of creating more than one horcrux
rab if ideed he is regulas will have only one because he truly believed there was only one since that was the norm
only the locket…not hufflepuff’s cup!!and thought that when he destroys that the dark lord will once again be mortal
and what is the connection between snape’s genius in potions evident by the potions text book THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE and lilly’s outsatnding talent in potions as well according to professor slughorn
and since both were the same age and also in slughorn’s potions class if like harry and malfoy as gryffingdoor and slytherin now have the same class probably so were they as gryffingdoor and slytherin
and hopefully slughorn as their common potions teacher will be able to shed some light on their bond!
and the “severus please….” in THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE probabbly meant not save dumbledore
but i think what he meant here was to save himself and thus honour the unbreakable vow so that he is now free and is able to show his ‘loyalty’ to the dark side and gain their trust and banish the last dredges of the suspicion esp in the eyes of people like bellatrix!!and really be voldemort’s most trusted advisor…
This comment was written by Chandula.Report this comment to the moderators
April 29th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I have spent several HOURS now, reading this blog (WOW is it long!)…
Some of you have made valid arguments, but some are utterly preposterous! I can’t resist putting my two cents in. I’ve re-read the all the books in sequence three times now and have come to the following conclusions…
1. The green potion that Dumbledore drank in the cave was killing him. I agree with the idea that it, and not the locket, might be the real horcrux. I also think that Dumbledore told Snape early on about finding the cave and the horcrux and knew the consequences for retrieving it. Dumbledore was no idiot. He knew all about the Unbreakable Vow Snape made to spare Draco’s life. Dumbledore may have forced Snape to do things he was revolted to do (kill Dumbledore) because he knew the attempt to destroy the horcrux was going to cost him his life anyway. Notice how he made Harry promise the same thing? “Promise me that you’ll go on with the plan even if I beg you to stop.” And Harry did exactly as he was told, to his revulsion.
Dumbledore is not afraid of death, he said so in the first book… it is Voldy who fears death so much that he’s willing to destroy his own soul to gain immortality.
- by the way, some have speculated that Dumbledore may have made a horcrux to ensure he could come back to life… I KNOW for a fact that this is wrong. Dumbledore has clearly impressed upon Harry the fact that they are truly EVIL things. Dumbledore is not an evil man whatsoever (and neither is Harry or Lily evil).
2. Dumbledore is not coming back to life (although there is some significance in his ties to all things Phoenix). Part of Harry’s road to adulthood is learning to believe in himself and DO for himself. The picture in the Head’s office may offer more information or advice, but Harry, and Harry alone, is ultimately responsible for defeating Voldy. Harry had to grow up, very quickly and harshly, after Sirius’s death. This is true, all the more so, after Dumbledore’s death. He’s now a man.
3. JKR has hinted in a few interviews that Snape and the idea of redemption is extremely important in book 7. My guess is that Harry has to forgive him for being so nasty and accept that he’s really been a good guy despite his shortcomings. When Harry lets go of his hatred for Snape, he will have learned to love a little bit more, thus making him even more powerful than Voldy and able to defeat him.
4. The theme underlying the entirety of the 6th book is LOVE. Everyone seems to be finding strength through their ability to love. Ron finds that he’s in love with Hermione, even if he’s never admitted it. Harry has found a soulmate in Ginny (I really hope that continues); Tonks and Lupin; Bill and Fleur; even Hagrid has discovered the love of family in Grawp. Harry has to take all this in and realize that what Dumbledore had always told him was true. Love will conquer all.
5. I suspect that Dumbledore’s little breakdown at the end of OOtP was significant in showing us how much he really cares for Harry, like a son. He cries at the thought of how much Harry has had to deal with and what Harry must still endure. And I found some similarities in the way Lily died for Harry and the way Dumbledore sacrificed himself to save Harry. The book clearly states that the brief moment it took Dumbledore to silently cast the freezing charm on Harry cost Dumbledore the chance to block Draco’s “Expelliarmus” and defend himself. I don’t know if it would work exactly the same as Lily’s sacrifice, but I almost certain it has significance nonetheless. There is significance in the fact that we are still to meet his brother Aberforth.
6. “Neither can live while the other survives” - JKR has indicated that this was very carefully worded. It doesn’t mean they both die. Voldy is surviving through the existence of the horcruxes. Harry must, for his own sanity, hunt down and destroy Voldy and the horcruxes. Thus, Harry can’t live his life while Voldy survives, just as Voldy cannot live (happily) knowing that Harry continues to survive.
7. It is Voldy’s ignorance and hatred that will pave the way to his own destruction. Things like trying to kill baby Harry and inadvertently marking him as an equal, like ripping his soul in seven pieces because he’s never understood the value of a whole and unblemished soul (like Harry and Dumbledore, and friends).
Every time someone Harry cares about gets hurt or killed, it makes Harry stronger and more determined to rid the world of Voldy and his evilness. There is also some importance in the fact that, even though he’s tried, Harry cannot perform an Unforgivable Curse. It’s all to do with that “outstanding moral fiber”.
8. why do so many hate of you out there dislike Molly Weasley??? She’s the closest thing Harry’s got to a mother. She may even end up becoming his mother-in-law someday. Quit picking on her! He really needs her and (most of) the Weasleys in his life.
9. There is significance in Dumbledore’s last visit to Privet Drive. He implores Petunia to allow Harry to return once more before his 17th birthday to give him the last little bit of Lily’s protection. Makes me think something might happen there in July? JKR has also hinted that, although magical abilities usually show themselves in childhood, SOMEONE will surprise us with some “magicalness” late in life. Wouldn’t it be interesting if it were Aunt Petunia? Harry was starting to view her a little differently in OOtP.
10. Whereas I’m inclined to believe Harry’s SCAR might be an accidental sixth horcrux (”You could be Great, you know, and Slytherin could help you on your way to Greatness… it’s all here in your head.”) I highly doubt that JKR is going to have her hero commit suicide. Many have said it, I’ll just repeat it… these are still books written for a young audience. Marvolo’s ring was not destroyed in removing the piece of Voldy’s soul; nor do I believe Harry would need to destroy his own soul to get rid of Voldy.
Please let me know if I’m way off base on any of this.
This comment was written by GinnyW.Report this comment to the moderators
May 12th, 2006 at 5:16 am
RAB in the new book is Sirius’s brother look it up when he mentions his brothers name!!!!
This comment was written by Gem.Report this comment to the moderators
May 14th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
great theories, I have a couple of my own, I truly believe that Snape is a good guy…too much work in in developing him to make a simple flat bad guy, as much as he pretended to hate Harry, he always seemed to be the one bailing him out and saving his life, like at the end of book six, so easy for him to have at least hurt Harry instead risking his life to keep teaching him right to the end….other theories I have heard is that Snape is not Snape but is really James in Snape’s body…weird…well JK said we would be really stunned by the ending of book 7…that would really stun me
This comment was written by Isabelle.Report this comment to the moderators
June 5th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Chambula you have the most interesting theories that I have read so far.
I have a few of my own that have not been previously mentioned. I am glad to see that some are still posting. I just re-read the HBP, to get myself ready for the next book(in my hopes that JKR will carry on the trend of a summer book).
Some of you are very imaginative. There are theories of twists and turns. I think that the answers are going to be a surprise, but I think the good vs. evil mantra is consistent and simple.
I doubtlessly believe that Snape and Dumbledore have some history that proves Snape is also Dumbledore’s Man. They also agreed ahead of time to certain actions-for the protection of the good and the innocent.
The reason that Dumbledore pleads with Snape , is simply because he wants to protect Draco’s innocense. Dumbledore and Snape agreed to this in the beginning. He does not want Draco to have the burden and consequence of performing an unforgivable curse.
This is also why Snape kept preventing Harry’s attempts as they were chasing to the edge of the school grounds. Harry was attempting unforgivable curses-Snape was sparing him the burden of these spells.
In all the books, the innocense of the students has been one of the most highly protected virtues.
I have a question. I may be remembering incorrectly, but hasn’t Harry’s scar stopped hurting since the end of the Goblet of Fire? Was it the horcrux in him-accessed through Harry’s blood, that Voldemort needed to come back? Just wondering.
Another. Are we sure that Sirius is dead? What is this place that he fell into? Maybe it is possible to find a way back.
Comment. Maybe “Dumbledore’s Army” will actually defeat Voldemort in the end. Harry usually works better having his allies and friend around him.
I don’t think that Lily, loving anyone but her husband james, fits the trend of morality that JKR emphasizes in all her books.
Lastly, I definitely do not think that Snape or Dumbledore know where the missing horcruxes are. I don’ t think Snape is RAB and I don’ t think that anyone in the Order is RAB. I don’t think the liquid is the horcrux or if it is I don’t think Dumbledore knew. There is a simple reason. Any vital information would be shared with Harry by Dumbledore. DD would not send Harry on a wild goosechase. He would have disclosed all pertinent information with Harry, because the ultimate quest is to destroy Voldemort. If any of these theories were true, then DD would be hindering the mission he has sent Harry to do. I have no doubt that DD has disclosed everything he knows about the horcruxes, to Harry because he wants Harry, and the Order, to be successful.
This comment was written by PamIam.Report this comment to the moderators
June 14th, 2006 at 11:42 am
a lot of these posts are very good…and i thought of something the other night…cant voldemort not die because he drank the unicorn blood. didnt jk rowling write the end of the last book when she wrote the first book?…so wouldnt the answer be there? just a couple of thoughts…
This comment was written by hpgirl.Report this comment to the moderators
June 18th, 2006 at 12:55 am
These theories are all fascinating and this has kept me entranced for a couple of hours just reading them all and pondering! I have just re-read HBP, and loved it even more the 2nd time. I have a couple of comments…
This comment was written by Trish.Snape loves Lily theory - Could Snape really have been in love with Lily? When she gets James to temporarily stop harassing him on the grounds of Hogwarts, Snape in turn calls her a “filthy mud-blood”, does he not?
Harry as the last horcrux - I certainly hope not, but it is possible. Or perhaps Voldy did make an accidental horcrux when James and Lily were killed, but maybe that was how Nagini became one? She could have been a faithful pet, like the phoenix with DD, and was in the vicinity at the time?
Slytherin’s locket - I believe it was found by Reg. Black and Kreature (that’s how he got across in the boat to fetch it and then got back again), kept at #12 for years, discarded by Sirius and the kids during cleaning, found by Mundungus and then finally sold to DD’s brother at the pub in that scene in HBP.
Book 7 - Minor characters I think will play important rolls include Gwarp, Percy, Slughorn, and DD’s brother.
Report this comment to the moderators
June 20th, 2006 at 9:02 am
I am surprised/excited that people are still posting on this site. I agree with many of the theories on this website, and I also think that many may be quite off the mark. I can also say, without hesitation, that even those that may seem like the most plausible theories will turn out to be wrong, because after reading the series for a second time it is even more evident that Rowling is a genius. And good at throwing us a total curve ball…
Here is my two cents:
1. Harry as a horcrux. It is obvious that Harry’s scar plays a HUGE role. The question is whether Harry will survive or not. Rowling is open about her religious views, and I will not be shocked if Harry is a sort of martyr in the next book. It will be very depressing if Harry dies, of course, but there will definitely be a close call.
2. Related to what I just wrote, in an interview Rowling said that the question we all need to be asking is “WHY DIDN’T DUMBLEDORE KILL VOLDEMORT IN THE MINISTRY?” By telling us this, she is giving us a clue. I personally think that Dumbledore knows, to a certain extent that Harry is/may be a horcrux. Dumbledore most certainly is able to kill Voldy, there is no question about that. I think that he does not because of Harry. If he kills Voldemort, the horcrux that has been (inadvertantly?) placed in Harry will be used immediately, and Dumbledore doesn’t want that to happen.
3. The is polyjuice potion in HBP, and we still don’t know to whom it belongs. There are any number of possibilities. Someone is not who they say they are. Is it McGonagall, as some have been suggesting? I am not so sure about this, but the idea does have a little support at the end of the final book. Harry does NOT tell her what he and Dumbledore have been doing, and I think that is significant in some way… Either way, somebody will surprise us.
4. Why does Dumbledore trust Snape so completely? I believe that there is a concrete reason. When Harry finds out that it was Snape who overheard the prophecy, he freaks out, runs to Dumbledore, and demands to know why. There is a brief scene where Rowling suggests that Dumbledore looks as though he is about to tell Harry something, but doesn’t. Perhaps Dumbledore makes Snape take the unbreakable vow to protect Harry. Perhaps he knows that Snape, by loving Lily, can’t help but love Harry to a certain extent. But there is a concrete reason that Dumbledore trusts.
5. Dumbledore is dead. He is not coming back. That doesn’t mean we wont see more of him, either in the portrait, or his pensieve. But he is dead. And Snape was supposed to him. Rowling did not put the pause there for no reason… Snape had to kill him to protect Malfoy and Harry. Dumbledore knew that Harry would try to protect him, which is why he froze Harry. He knew what was coming. Snape will be HUGELY important in the final book, as will Harry’s struggle with trusting Snape.
6. Voldemort wasn’t supposed to kill Lily. We know thise for sure. Why? Why does he care? Because he promised Snape, who I believe may have been present at the Potter’s house.
7. Voldy bring four people with him when he applies for the job at Hogwarts. Why? He kills them, placing four of the Horcruxes at Hogwarts. That is how Rowling will get the characters back at Hogwarts.
This comment was written by I am a loser who is obsessed with Harry Potter, but I\ām okay with that.Report this comment to the moderators
August 2nd, 2006 at 6:07 am
First of all I have to admit this is an excellent blogspot, with great articles and opinions. But to place doubts on everibodys mind…..Should or should not Harry die in the last chapter?
PS- remember that americans asked JKRowling no to kill the poor boy!!
This comment was written by Iceman.Report this comment to the moderators
December 27th, 2006 at 8:51 pm
ok i think that i figured it out harry is not a horcrux, dumbledore says that u have to perform a spell to make a horcrux…….well if voldemort got killed trying to kill harry then he did not complete the murder and definately did not get to cast tha spell so that harry is not a horcrux and as i have said b4 dumbledore will talk to harry thru his portrait
This comment was written by M@D MIKE.Report this comment to the moderators
February 19th, 2007 at 11:50 am
[...] From Alas, A Blog we get this informed speculation: Occasional "Alas" poster Elkins, who knows quite a lot about thing Potter, pointed out something interesting, which is that in alchemy, the philosopher’s stone is made through a system of refinement in which the stages are black, then white, then red - a fact that has been referred to in passing in the novels. In book 5, Black died; in book six, White died ("Albus" means "white"). If so, then Hagrid (whose name means "red") is going to die in the next novel. [...]
This comment was written by The Gryffindor Gazette - Predictions for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.Report this comment to the moderators
February 21st, 2007 at 9:18 am
All right; if others aren’t ashamed to acknowledge their continuing obsession, I’ll come clean, too. Permit me to post my revised predictions for Book 7.
A. It will be called “HP and the Deathly Hollows.” Notwithstanding this title, Hewlett-Packard products will play only a minor role in the plot. By all that is good and right and true, the book should be released on 07/07/07. By all that is bad and petty and lucrative, Warner Bros. decided to release the next HP movie around that time, so commercial concerns dictate the book release date had to change. Purgatory will provide CEO Barry Meyer ample time to ponder the wisdom of this decision.
B. Harry returns to Privet Drive for his last summer, but the Dursleys are so totally pissed with him that they turn the place into a virtual prison. Death Eaters attack, but facing a combination of debilitating magic and “Home Alone”-style booby-traps designed for Harryās benefit, they will be routed. But when it appears that Dudley is in peril, Petunia will fire off a magical blast or two, finally revealing the long-suppressed secret that Lily was not the only magical person in her family. [But allegedly Rowling has nixed the idea that Petunia is magical.]
C. Harry sneaks into the headmasterās office and steals the mural of Dumbledore, thereby gaining a means for communicating with him. At some point the mural will be destroyed, leaving Harry (and the rest of the world) guideless.
D. Hagrid and Mde Maxime get at least some giants to side with the good guys. Ditto the centaur. Ditto Lupin and the were-critters. Maybe Bill helps Lupin; maybe he rallies support among dragons. Ditto Hermione (and Dobbie) and the house-elves, who launch into noble acts of betrayal and self-mutilation. And the merpeople donāt need any persuading, although I canāt see what good they can do anyone. (Remember Aquamanās role in the Justice League of America?)
E. Tonks will permit herself to be bitten by a werewolf, thereby eliminating Lupin’s objection to marrying her. Then it will be revealed that Lupin is gay. Just kidding.
F. Dumbledore has hidden Ollivander to keep him out of Voldemortās clutches, and to supply wands to the legions of house-elves that currently lack them.
G. Snape is a good guy. Snape broke w/ Voldemort when Voldemort killed the secret love of his life, Lily. Harryās connection to both Snapeās love, and to Snapeās rival James, has always left Snape conflicted. (Snape is/was also fond of Dumbledore. Dumbledore had to remind Snape that 1) the highest goal is to stop Voldermort, 2) Snape and Harry are the keys to achieving that goal, and 3) if Snape must kill Dumbledore in order to maintain his undercover status, so be it, even if it meant that Snape would expose himself to attack by his fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix. Snape protested that this was expecting too much from him, but Dumbledore would not hear otherwise.)
H. Wormtail will eventually help Harry, or try to. But Voldemort will cause Wormtailās silver hand to act independent of Wormtailās will. At that point, Wormtail will splinch (partially Apperate) himself to get away from his hand; he will be rendered helpless, but he will render the silver hand helpless as well.
I. Minister of Magic Scrimgeour will appear occasionally with the reincarnated Dumbledore. This will scare the Death Eaters, confuse Voldermort (”Could love really be the path to eternal life after all…?”) and give heart to the Order of the Phoenix. It will turn out merely to be Dumbledoreās brother, that grungy Hogsmeade bartender who used to be a member of the Order, but who split with the group. In the interest of truth, Harry will disclose the fraud to Rita Skeeter even though he knows that it will dismay his friends and embolden his enemies.
J. Indeed RAB is Siriusā brother; indeed he took the locket back to 10 Grimald Pl.; indeed Kreature had the locket in his stash of goodies. But since then Mundungus raided 10 Grimald Pl. to pilfer stuff to sell, including that locket. So Harry will go to Azkaban to rescue Mundungus, only to learn that the locket has been sold to Borgin & Burkes.
K. The Sword of Gryffendor is a horcrux; Voldemort covertly enchanted it during his job interview with Dumbledore. This will be a heartrending discovery for Harry. But Harry will then wield the sword in battle, and the Death Eaters will be loathe to take defensive measures that might harm the sword; this will place them at a disadvantage. Eventually the sword must be destroyed.
L. Is Harry a horcrux? He was. But parts of a soul seek to reunite. Consequently, when Harryās blood was poured into the cauldron that restored Voldemortās body, the part of Voldyās soul in Harry passed back to Voldy. This accounts for Dumbledoreās look of triumph upon hearing this news; thereās one less Horcrux to worry about, and Voldyās death wonāt require destroying Harry.
M. Thereās a shoot-out at Weasleyās Wizarding Weezes. Combatants fumble their wands onto a floor strewn with gag wands. They end up grabbing random wands and gadgets, producing random goofy results. Eventually a bunch of muggle-lovers will demonstrate the muggle way of settling conflicts; theyāll use fists (and maybe marshal arts) against a bunch of dumbfounded Death-Eaters.
N. Molly Weasley betrays the Order of the Phoenix, taking some action (or inaction) that she thinks will keep her family members away from battle. But she fails to anticipate that the ensuring battle will involve Percy. Defying Scrimgiorās orders, Percy joins the fray against the Death-Eaters and is killed. Molly is devastated. All this foreshadows Narcissaās defiance of Voldemort (below) in an effort to save Draco.
O. Sirius is keeping up on all developments via the magic mirror he gave to Harry. Harry canāt reach Sirius, but Sirius can see and hear Harry on the odd occasions that Harry opens his trunk. The climactic scene of #7 will again occur at the Ministry, when Voldemort is trying to access a locked room said to contain the greatest power known to wizardom; he little realizes it is love. Anyway, Sirius will lead a charge of spirits from the underworld back through the arch through which he fell. (Or maybe they just send their patroni?) Either way, all of Voldemortās prey will join in, including James & Lily. They will join with Nearly-Headless Nick and a newly-sober Peeves to route the Bloody Baron and his ilk. In the process, Nickās head will be fully severed at last.
P. Draco is embraced by the Death Eaters as the hero who disarmed Dumbledore. Narcissa is dumbfounded and relieved, but Voldemortās abusive treatment of the Malfoys has irretrievably damaged their loyalties. Voldemort can detect this about Narcissa, but years of Snapeās tutelage in occluemency permits Draco the conceal his feelings.
Q. Draco is “the Chosen One.” Lucius and Narcissa have defied Voldemort many times: Lucius parted with the diary. Lucius failed to come immediately when summonsed. Lucius failed to get the prophesy. Narcissa went to discuss Malfoyās secret assignment with Snape. And desperate to prove himself to Voldemort, Lucius (broken free from Askaban) will ignore the instruction not to fight when Harry wields the Sword of Gryffindor, resulting in the destruction of the horcrux.
R. The Vault of Love at the Ministry of Magic cannot be opened without someone sacrificing his or her life. Voldemort orders Lucius to do it. When Lucius balks, Voldemort threatens to kill Draco. When Lucius balks again, Voldemort aims the Aveda Kadavra at Draco, but Narcissa leaps in the way, sacrificing herself āā as Voldemort knew she would. This sacrifice is sufficient to open the vault. But it is also sufficient to fill Draco with the Potter-like power of love āā and a motive to bring down Voldemort. Draco enters the vault, gasps with delight, and calls Voldemort to follow. Once inside, Draco will slam the door and embrace Voldemort with his newly-toxic touch. The rest is dĆ©nouement.
S. Ron inherits Percyā Head Boy badge, prompting Ron to reflect on how petty his old dreams were. He offers it to Hermione, who simply adds it to her collection.
T. The final book with grant independent personalities to Crabbe and Goyle, and to Fred and George, perhaps by killing off one of each pair. The final book will also feature appearances by Dolores Umbridge, Victor Krum, Prof. Lockhart, the Sorting Hat, the phoenix, goblins, Gringotts and the underground railroad.
U. Oh yeah, and in the meantime Harry & Co. will attend a wedding, find and destroy all the horcruxes, have a showdown with Voldemort, and find true love. Ginny, echoing the actions of Lily, sacrifices herself to save Harry. Ok, Iām kidding about the Ginny part, too. But it’s gotta be one fat book.
This comment was written by nobody.really.Report this comment to the moderators
March 30th, 2007 at 3:58 am
[...] From Alas, A Blog we get this informed speculation: Occasional “Alas” poster Elkins, who knows quite a lot about thing Potter, pointed out something interesting, which is that in alchemy, the philosopher’s stone is made through a system of refinement in which the stages are black, then white, then red - a fact that has been referred to in passing in the novels. In book 5, Black died; in book six, White died (”Albus” means “white”). If so, then Hagrid (whose name means “red”) is going to die in the next novel. [...]
This comment was written by Baseball Crank: POP CULTURE: Horcrux of the Matter - Predictions For Harry Potter #7.Report this comment to the moderators
July 22nd, 2007 at 5:40 pm
well turns out R.A.B. is sirius’s brother and harry did have to die but yet he didnt really die lol voldemort killed the part of himself in harry and dumbledore was planning on taking over the world!!!!!!!DAMN
This comment was written by M@D M!K3.Report this comment to the moderators