Harry Potter: Year 7 Speculation *SPOILERS FOR NON-READERS*

[KingVoyeur]

Ok, now that Rowling has started on Year 7 (notice I didn't say the last book, maybe she'll go past Hogwarts, or maybe write prequels about the creation of Hogwarts), it's time for Speculation Spectacular! Will Harry beat Voldemort, will Ron and Herminoe get together, is Dumbledore REALLY dead, will Harry return to Hogwarts (gotta say can't really be year 7 if he doesn't!)? Let your imagination go crazy, you filthy Mud-Bloods!

[DarkJedi]

I have questions over the Horcrux situations too.....read that thread when you get a chance. I guess that ties into defeating Voldie so I have my doubts on it at this point....though I guess of course it's going to happen.


I've read from alot of fans how cliche it would be for Ron and Hermione to get together but you know what, I'd like it. It would fit with Molly and Arthur and the James and Lilly hooking up 7th year. I have to admit though, the love relationships angle doesn't interest me as tying up the battle matches that are upcoming.

Remus vs Fenrir on bringing justice?

Snape(I think he's playing both sides.....even after HBP. I think, if given the opportunity, he'd kill Voldie in a heart beat.)

I bet Voldie, while fighting Harry, lets down his guard and Snape is there to choose sides in the final battle.

Marriages are rumored to be told by Rowling in the next one too.

You may have noticed but there has been really no mentioned of other loved ones from the Hogwarts staff. They are never mentioned. I bet this ties into loyalties that we thought we knew about.

Back to the battles though:

-Bill vs Fenrir?
-Remus vs Fenrir?
-Remus vs Wormtail?
-Wormtail, Snape and Harry(the first two having debts to be paid) vs Voldie?
-Ron vs Draco?(Ron has to have someone to fight...)
-Neville vs Bellatrix(just revengeeeee)

Plenty of brainstorm sessions needed in regards to the 7th book.

[KingVoyeur]

I'm fine with the Horcruxes for now, just so long as it doesn't turn into your typical fantasy storyline of find-the-dispersed-mystical-objects-to-defeat-evil that's pretty standard in books and videogames.

[DarkJedi]

Yes....but how are they going to destroy the horcruxes?

Harry couldn't even pull off a Crucio curse against Bellatrix minutes after she killed Sirius.

I don't see him doing a AK curse against the horcrux....if they find all of them. Even then, would a AK curse work?

Lots and lots of questions in regards to the 7th book.

If this is going to be the last book...at least in this storyline, it's gonna be mighty long if all the answers are going to be given.

[KingVoyeur]

Maybe Rowling will do a 300-page 8th book as a denouement, you know like how the last 30 min of Return of the King was all about wrapping things up for the whole series.

[Daltons Chin Dimple]

I'm thinking Harry will have spent the entire summer practicing silent spell casting and will complete at least the first term of year 7 at the school, and with a kick a*se Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher (Kingsley Shacklebolt ?) so he will be better equipped and more believable going up against Voldemort and capapble of giving Snape a kicking (however, I too think Snape is not as he seems).

Then, over the Xmas holidays something will happen, probably to Ron and / or Hermione that means Harry decides it is time to go off and face his destiny.

There will be a lot, lot, lot of deaths in the 7th book.

[neglet]

Yes....but how are they going to destroy the horcruxes?

Harry couldn't even pull off a Crucio curse against Bellatrix minutes after she killed Sirius.

I don't see him doing a AK curse against the horcrux....if they find all of them. Even then, would a AK curse work?

I think it's difficult but not that difficult--and it doesn't require the AK curse. Remember, we know two of the horcruxes have been destroyed for sure (the diary by Harry with the basilisk's tooth; Marvolo's ring by Dumbledore, although he injured his hand in the process). It is also possible that a third horcrux (the Slytherin locket) has been destroyed, as the note from "RAB" in the counterfeit locket said the writer intended to destroy it immediately.

That would mean there remain three horcruxes to be located and destroyed before Harry can face Voldemort in person, destroy the 7th part of his soul, and make sure he is really, truly dead this time.

Harry is very motivated now. He will study and research over the summer while protected at the Dursleys'. Then he will return to Hogwarts (JKR has said it is not Year 7 without returning to Hogwarts, so we know it will happen), and use the support of staff, friends, and the Order to find and destroy the last three horcruxes.

Now, he may not do any real classes while at Hogwarts, but remember it is one of the safest places for him, with many magical protections, even if Dumbledore is no longer there. There is an extensive library. And Harry and his friends can now apparate as need be. It makes sense for Harry to make Hogwarts his base of operations in his final quest to destroy Voldemort. We may even see many of the staff vacancies filled by members of the order. It will be an interesting situation.

I hope she writes quickly!

[Rowanberry]

For destroying the Horcruxes, Harry certainly will need help from a more experienced wizard/witch, probably one of the Aurors; Moody perhaps?

[Daltons Chin Dimple]

Hmmmmm, or maybe :

As the war between the Ministry and Voldermort gathers pace, impacting even the Muggle world, members of the Order find a rare moment of peace and happiness as they gather for the wedding of Fleur Delacour to Bill Weasley. However, when the wedding celebrations are attacked by Death Eaters led by Voldermort himself, the personal cost to Harry is terrifyingly high leading him to conclude that he has to fulfill his prophecy and confront Voldermort once and for all.

[DarkJedi]

The thing is, Dalton, that I thought Harry pretty much already concluded that he has to fulfill his destiny and destroy Voldemort once he set on that dark winding road with Dumbledore.

But I'd have to agree that the wedding between Fleur and Bill seems to be a mighty good spot for a attack between Voldemorts bunch and the Phoenix bunch(when their guard is down.).

I'm also wondering about the Dursleys....not that I care much about them...Still, when the protection is over....the minute he turns 17, I wonder if they all will be in danger immediately by a bunch of Death Eaters waiting outside.

[ladymurasaki]

I thought that perhaps Harry himself was some sort of horcrux.

[neglet]

I thought that perhaps Harry himself was some sort of horcrux.
I think not. Dumbledore seemed to make it very clear at the end of Book 5 that Voldemort couldn't possess Harry's body for very long because of Harry's capacity for love. I think if Harry was one of the horcruxes, actually possessing part of Voldemort's soul, the Dark Lord would have been able to inhabit him as long as he wanted. In addition, although we don't know exactly what magic is involved in creating a horcrux, we do know it involves murder. Although Harry's parents were murdered in front of him, we don't see any further spells or ceremonies that might indicate a horcrux was being created at the same time--and we are "shown" that scene in the flashback to the original Voldemort attack, and in the "priori incantatem" at the end of GoF. (The latter is key, I think; we see nothing but the Avada Kedavra spells coming out of the wand.)

Nevertheless, there is some magical/physical tie between the two, owing to Voldemort's original curse (which I believe Dumbledore said "transferred some of his powers" to Harry) and the ceremony reconstituting Voldemort's body, which used Harry's blood, thus bestowing some protection against Harry's physical touch on Voldemort.

Of course, I could be wrong ... if Harry was a horcrux, he would have to destroy himself to triumph over Voldemort, and we certainly know JKR is capable of writing that kind of sacrifice.

[KingVoyeur]

I originally posted this over on the Horcrux thread, but I'll reiterate here:

That would be very twisted of Rowling, but I think that Voldemort's first attack on Harry was real. Besides, until he was reborn in GoF, wasn't Voldemort unable to even touch Harry? How could his soul survive?

[Vaya]

Yeah, I don't buy the "Harry is a Horcrux" theory, because I think its pretty clear that Voldemort intended to kill him before he could rise up and challenge him (see kids, this is what happens when you don't get the full prophecy and you go out half cocked, remember, always get the full info on the child who will rise up and destroy you)

And the scar is Voldemort's mark on Harry, because that's what the prophecy said was going to happen.


So no, I don't think Harry is a Horcrux.

Harry couldn't even pull off a Crucio curse against Bellatrix minutes after she killed Sirius.

Because its an EVIL spell, used for EVIL purposes, and only EVIL people can pull it off.

Bellatrix even says "You have to really mean it" ie, you have to hate someone enough to torture them with it.

The reason Harry couldn't use the Unforgivable Curse was because he's NOT EVIL and even after all that, doesn't hate Bellatrix enough.

Sorry about all the caps but I felt the message was anvilicious enough to warrent their use.



I was watching 2, 3, and 4 last night, and thought about the last book, and these are the finer plot points I think will come up...

1) Harry's ability to love. This is a hugely anvilicious point that comes up, not only in HBP but throughout the entire series. His friends always help him in some way. Voldemort doesn't have friends, he has followers, people who are with him not out of loyalty to him in particular, but because of fear or greed. In CoS and HBP there is shown to be many similarities between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter. Both are orphans, growing up in complete ignorance of their abilities in less than happy circumstances. Dumbledore gives us the other anvil of "Its our choices that make up who we are". Both Harry and Tom had had incidents where their powers surfaced, but while Harry was simply perplexed by these occurances, Tom soon found he could use his powers to exert control over his fellow orphans. And this is where they begin to separate. When Harry gets to school, he finds friends and treats them as equals, rather than trying to be better than they are, whereas Tom soon gains followers whom he controls, he is top dog in his pack.

But I am digressing, the point is that Tom/Voldemort doesn't have any actual friends or family.

Harry has often bemoaned the fact that he also doesn't have any family, but in fact he does: Hermione, Ron, Ginny, all of the weasley's in fact, Neville, Luna, Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin, etc, etc. He has people who love him and people he loves around him.

So how will this play out? I do think Harry will face Voldemort alone, because its his big destiny cakes, and possibly Voldemort will beat him down at first with a "you're just as alone as I am orphan boy" and possibly briefly cripple him with crushing loneliness (because just killing him wouldn't fit his Evil OVerlord idiom...seriously Voldemort needs to read this list (http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html)) while he goes and enacts his maguffin of ultimate powerness (see below for theories) and Harry remembers that he does in fact have a family and then comes back and kicks Voldemort's badly in need of therapy butt.

To put it simply, Voldemort is fighting for Voldemort and no one else. Harry is fighting for everything and everyone he loves.


2)Weasley's are the direct decendents of Godric Gryffandor.

No particular reason, I just think it'll be funny.

But also, Voldemort seems obsessed with four houses and may wnat to seek out the heir of Gryffandor for some nefarious plot reason. He wants to rule over all the houses, hence his search for all the treasures and horcruxing them.

So who is the heir of Gryffandor? WEll, if we go by age (ie who is the oldest) its probably one of Ron's uncles (I think Mr. Weasly is the youngest of that generation) however, if we go by mystical somethingorother, and remember that in seven generations all the Weasley's have been boys, but then the seventh child of a seventh child (I think this is accurate, corruct me if I have my geneology messed up) is a girl.

Added to that she is the Hero's True Love (accept and move on H/Hr shippers, Rowling has spoken) , I'd say there is a good chance that in the back pages of mystical loopholing, the true heir of Gryffandor is a girl, Hello Ginny.

And if we look at the Hero's True Love list (http://www.thalia.org/truelove.html) we find the entry...

"If the Hero tells me he wants to break up with me or quit his dangerous job for my protection, it's already too late; a kidnapping is already in the planning, and I will take all reasonable precautions against it."

So, my conclusion is that Ginny will turn out to be the heir of Gryffandor and kidnapped in some nefarious plot.

3) Hogwarts. Before changing his business cards to "Lord Voldemort: Evil Overlord at Large" Tom Riddle applied for the job of Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, and then cursed the job when he failed to meet the positions psychological requirements (ironic that no one else seems to either). This is because he wants to influence the next generation and make them his followers. Is this still his goal? Probably. Hogwarts represents the future of wizarding, in england (which is of course the center of the universe), adn will be a major prize for him to capture the next gen. Therefore, I think part of his nefarious plot will be taking the school.

4) Olivander has been kidnapped. Why? Obviously this has something to do with the big connection sparklies at the end of GoF, Voldemort wants to know wtf that was all about. Does he possibly want to know more? Hrmmmm....



Deathwatch?

Voldemort obviously, Snape (Either Voldemort will kill him for upstaging him, or I think he's going to end his own life, just a hunch), LeStrange are certain.

Possibly: McGonnagal, Lupin (though doubtful but that silver hand of Wormtail is going to become important), Wormtail.



Thoughts?

[neglet]

I hope Lupin isn't on the deathwatch, he's one of my favorite characters and I'd hate to see him snatched away from Tonks just as she's convinced him he can have some good things in life.

Otherwise, interesting thoughts, especially about Ginny being the 7th child of a 7th child ... it's possible, although we don't know if that kind of folklore has that much power in JKR's universe. Still, interesting.

Oh, and welcome back, Vaya! Glad you found us again!

[Vaya]

I hope Lupin isn't on the deathwatch, he's one of my favorite characters and I'd hate to see him snatched away from Tonks just as she's convinced him he can have some good things in life.

Otherwise, interesting thoughts, especially about Ginny being the 7th child of a 7th child ... it's possible, although we don't know if that kind of folklore has that much power in JKR's universe. Still, interesting.

Oh, and welcome back, Vaya! Glad you found us again!

Glad to be back, I was going to put up a new avatar but found scary Harry Potter fanart during my search, so I think I will wait on that.


I don't particularly want Lupin to die either, it would be very sad, but Rowling has shown she's not afraid to do something like that...which I can respect in an author.

As for the number seven, its often put up as a lucky number, though in actual folk lore, three (and nine) are the perfect circle numbers of Celtic and Nordic Lore. I am not sure where the seven thing comes from actually.

[viper2260]

I thought that was pretty clear as far back as CoS, anyway...

I have two words for you guys and gals: "memory charms"

Four more words(just speculation on my part):"Voldemort's Mother Is Alive"

What evidence is there that she died? The memory of the orphanage workers who attended her when she gave birth? Remember Maropy(sp?) was a witch, and as was mentioned in CoS memory charms are fairly easy to cast(even Lockhart could do memory charms). I'm guessing that after she gave birth Voldemort's mother knew she didn't have the emotional or financial strength to raise a child herself s she cast a memory charm on the orphanage workers to have then "remember" she died after giving birth.
Voldemort has never known a mother's love, and as Dumbledore told Harry Love is his most powerful weapon. What is during his search for the horcruxes Harry discovers Voldemort's mother?
Harry won't kill Voldemort, but Harry finding Voldemort's mother and having her use her love of her son will "destroy" Voldemort and Tom Riddle will spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.
This also fits with what Dumbledore told Voldemort in OotP that there are things "worse than death" imagine, Voldemort suddenly finding the capacity to love or be loved and having to live the rest of his life in prison knowing the horrors he unleased on others.
That will be how Harry destroys Voldemort.

I also think there will be a great werewolf showdown between Lupin and Grayback with Lupin killing Grayback but at the cost of his own life(too badly wounded) and Lupin dying would also tie into the idea that Harry is no longer "protected" as he realized at the end of HBP.

[viper2260]

McGonagle is now Headmistress, meaning she will have to give up her teaching position in Book 7.
McGonagle is/was the transfiguration teacher.
So they have 2 staff positions to fill.
DADA and Transfiguration.
Dumbledore taught transfiguration before becoming headmaster.

Wild and rampant speculation on my part I'll admit, but if he is alive, what better way to watch Harry than to teach his old subject?
I'd be willing to bet that whoever is the transfiguration teacher in Year 7 will be Dumbledore in disguise(polyjuice potion or some tricky transfiguring or he's a meta-morphmagis)

[neglet]

If Dumbldore is alive--that's a big, big "if." JKR doesn't usually allow her characters to cheat death. IMO, IF Dumbledore reappears in Book 7, it will only be as a portrait in the headmaster's (now headmistress's?) office.

[viper2260]

If Dumbldore is alive--that's a big, big "if." JKR doesn't usually allow her characters to cheat death. IMO, IF Dumbledore reappears in Book 7, it will only be as a portrait in the headmaster's (now headmistress's?) office.
Here's one of the real world things that makes me think Dumbledore is alive.
After OotP there was rampant speculation online that Sirius was alive and would come back in book 6, within weeks of OotP's publication JKR said publicly that Sirius was dead and would remain so.
It has been almost a year since HBP was published and speculation is again rampant regarding Dumbledore's death, yet JKR has remained silent on the issue.
This leads me to believe that(unless JKR says something otherwise)Dumbledore is still alive.
Just my opinion though.

[Vaya]

Here's one of the real world things that makes me think Dumbledore is alive.
After OotP there was rampant speculation online that Sirius was alive and would come back in book 6, within weeks of OotP's publication JKR said publicly that Sirius was dead and would remain so.
It has been almost a year since HBP was published and speculation is again rampant regarding Dumbledore's death, yet JKR has remained silent on the issue.
This leads me to believe that(unless JKR says something otherwise)Dumbledore is still alive.
Just my opinion though.


Maybe because she feels its too obvious to comment on.

Sorry, but have you people not seen Star WArs? ObiWan? Yoda? Any of this ringing bells?

[kawaiidragonfoe821]

She insisted that she was only going to write 7 & that at the end of the 7th book, there would be an Epilogue that explained where they all went & what they did after.

[DarkJedi]

I think she said that very thing, too. I bet it's going to be much like Tolkien's very large index aspect of the LOTR series. I don't know if it will be as massive a index as that one but I'm sure there will be a timeline present to show what happens to the characters as well a epilogue chapter dedicated to what happens afterwards.

[Zippy2005]

Okay, I'm probably in the vast minority in believing that Harry Potter dies at the end of the 7th book, but I have valid reasons for believing so.

It goes way back to the first book, during Harry's detention in the Forbidden Forest, after he encounters Lord Voldemort for the first time. The centaurs Firenze, Bane, and Ronan get into an argument when they see Harry Potter on Firenze's back, and they start yelling about what is written in the planets, what is written about Harry and Voldemorts future.

When Harry starts rehashing the nights events with Ron and Hermione, he says, "Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so...Bane was furious...he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen...They must show that Voldemort's coming back...Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me...I suppose that's written in the stars as well." (pg. 260, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, paperback)

It was never clear what exactly was written in the stars, they all assumed it was about the sorcerers stone because they were ignorant of the full circumstances that surrounded Harry (i.e. the Horcruxes, the prophecy, etc.). Perhaps what was written in the planets was the outcome of the series.

Also, it's known that Voldemort and Harry can't coexist, that one of them has to die by the others hand, but it never says anything about both of them dying trying to kill eachother.

It's just a theory, and I hope I am wrong because it would seem a cop out in a way if the star of 7 books all of a sudden dies. But from an authors point of view, it ties everything in neatly, with no open ends that may have to be revisited after the series is wrapped.

As for Dumbledore, a long time ago, in an interview, J.K. Rowling said she does not believe in bringing people back from the dead, because it is a childrens book, and if Harry Potter can do it so can the children. She meant Harry Potters parents when answering the question, but I believe when she kills off a character, they are completely dead, because if she brought them back, it would kind of defeat the purpose of killing them. Remember too, that the Pensive is still at Hogwarts. Harry might find need of that later on, as well as the picture of Dumbledore.

Anyway, as far as Snape killing Dumbledore, I believe Snape only killed him because Dumbledore asked him to. There are clues throughout HBP that indicate Dumbledore knew about the Unbreakable Vow between Malfoy and Snape. Perhaps it was the only way to keep Snape safe and remain undercover without compromising his position as a spy. Perhaps another Unbreakable Vow preexisted, or was created after the afore said Unbreakable Vow between Dumbledore and Snape that involved the killing of Dumbledore.

At the moment when he is killed, all Dumbledore says is please. Harry could have mistaken that for pleading, maybe it was, but pleading for what, death or life, we do not know. Dumbledore was never known for not knowing what he was doing, on the contrary, he knew more than anyone in every situation they encountered.

These are my theories, they may be wrong, I don't know. Please don't yell at me, but tell me if something is missing, or I am mistaken about a fact.

[Zippy2005]

Quick question. Does anyone have any idea who R.A.B is? The one who took the locket Horcrux? I don't know why but I think it was a woman. Of course, I have no clue, so I could be wrong. 50/50 chance. ;)

[DarkJedi]

I believe the most popular theory is that R.A.B is Regulus A. Black right now from most fans. I'm not sure if Rowling will go against this theory since it's such a widely believed rumor from the fans because of a "heavy locket" being found in 12 Grimwauld Place. It would also coincide with the backstory of Regulus backing out of being a death eater so quickly. He joined, then backed out and fled...then being murdered for that. Still, Rowling may go another direction...

As for your theories on what happened in the forbidden forest, Zippy, they are well thought-out on your part. You wrote that Bane was angry for saving Harry because of the stars and what was to come...We know he was definitely mad about him riding Firenze "like a mule" but I think you may be right on some points here. It's clear that the centaurs were well aware of Voldemort's return to power happening sooner or later and a second war between wizards approaching. Perhaps, Bane and the others were angry at Firenze for even getting them involved in this situation because had Voldemort/Quirrel got Harry Potter then, so many circumstances would have turned different. If Voldemort/Quirrel got Harry then, Voldemort wouldn't have returned with Harry's blood at the very least as what happened at the end of GOF with Wormtail's help.

Circumstances of Voldemort's return would have been drastically different if Firenze didn't "interfere" with upsetting events foretold by the centaurs beliefs.

Good theories, Zippy and of course, welcome to our forums.

[neglet]

Okay, I'm probably in the vast minority in believing that Harry Potter dies at the end of the 7th book, but I have valid reasons for believing so.

It goes way back to the first book, during Harry's detention in the Forbidden Forest, after he encounters Lord Voldemort for the first time. The centaurs Firenze, Bane, and Ronan get into an argument when they see Harry Potter on Firenze's back, and they start yelling about what is written in the planets, what is written about Harry and Voldemorts future.

When Harry starts rehashing the nights events with Ron and Hermione, he says, "Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so...Bane was furious...he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen...They must show that Voldemort's coming back...Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me...I suppose that's written in the stars as well." (pg. 260, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, paperback)

It was never clear what exactly was written in the stars, they all assumed it was about the sorcerers stone because they were ignorant of the full circumstances that surrounded Harry (i.e. the Horcruxes, the prophecy, etc.). Perhaps what was written in the planets was the outcome of the series.

Howdy, Zippy, welcome to our forums. We discourage yelling in here, we're all here to share our enjoyment of the Potter books and movies.

While I think it's entirely possible JKR could kill off Harry, I don't agree with your reasoning. You're talking about divination here, and JKR's already demonstrated that prophecies don't necessarily mean what we think they mean. She's already shown us that Voldemort created his own meaning for the prophecy Prof. Trelawny made by choosing to attack Harry instead of Neville. So while the centaurs may think they've read Harry's future in the stars, it may not mean what they think it means. I'd say that free will is more important in the books--doesn't Dumbledore tell Harry it is our choices that define us, when Harry asks about the Sorting Hat putting him in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin? I think it's a very important theme throughout the books, the importance of free will, especially in the face of what seems inevitable.

I do agree with your point on Snape, however; I think Dumbledore consented to his murder, and there was something going on between them we have yet to decipher. I really really hope Book 7 comes out next summer, like some have been predicting.

[Belledame]

Predicting? I thought that was a sure thing. Although my sources at Scholastic would not confirm. I think the last book should drop on Harry/JK's birthday: July 31st.

That would be a fitting send off.

I can't fathom why Dumbledore would consent to dying rather than kidnapping Draco. He tells the kid right there that the Order can hide people so the Death Eaters can't get to them. There were plenty of other options available. Conspiring in his own death seems pretty out there. That said, I have absolutely no idea who Snape is really working for, but I know when JK tells us, it will be one humdinger of a story.

[neglet]

I can't fathom why Dumbledore would consent to dying rather than kidnapping Draco. He tells the kid right there that the Order can hide people so the Death Eaters can't get to them. There were plenty of other options available. Conspiring in his own death seems pretty out there. That said, I have absolutely no idea who Snape is really working for, but I know when JK tells us, it will be one humdinger of a story.

Oh, we had a nice long thread discussing this on the old boards, which now seem lost in the ether. <Sigh.>

My thoughts on the matter of Snape and Dumbledore's death included the following:

1. We know that Dumbledore trusted Snape for some reason he wouldn't discuss. When Voldemort returned (as did the mark on Snape's arm) at the end of GoF, Dumbledore gave him a special assignment. It's possible he asked Snape to re-establish contact with the Death Eaters and become a double agent of sorts; in this way he might assist Harry in the conflict when he needs help the most. Dumbledore knew when Snape faced him with the Death Eaters he couldn't fail to kill him without a) breaking the Vow; and b) jeopardizing his cover with the Death Eaters. Dumbledore's "Please" could have been a request to go through with it.

2. Of course, we know--because Dumbledore told us--that the headmaster's greatest flaw is being too confident in his judgment. So it's also possible that he gravely misjudged Snape, who was actually a double agent for the Death Eaters.

The fact that both these scenarios seem possible are a testament to JKR's skill in plotting and characterization. I can't wait to see these questions resolved in the next book. I hope you're right about the July date.

[Belledame]

I'm sure I read the old thread. It just doesn't work for me. Maybe I love the suspense of not knowing what to believe.

[spammityspam]

Resuscitating this thread because I'm one-month-away excited.

My theories:

1) Harry's going to have been supposed to die but will find a way out of it. JKR likes her hero too much. However, I do think he's a Horcrux. There are two big problems with this theory, namely (a) Voldemort was just killing, not trying to make a Horcrux, out of Harry's parents and (b) that Harry's suffused with his mother's love. As to A, the thing is, I think Voldemort was trying to make his final Horcrux out of Harry. I think that when you decide to make a Horcrux, it's like a sort of adapted AK, and because Harry was supposed to grow up and defeat him and stuff, Voldemort would've thought it fitting to make his last Horcrux as he killed his supposed usurper. So obviously, he failed at killing Harry, but I think he succeeded in making the Horcrux. The spell rebounded, right, and that's why Voldemort died. Because he killed himself -- with a Horcrux-making spell. His own murder was the one that sealed the deal.

As for (b), I think Voldemort's soul and Lily's love may just be representative of the two sides of Harry's personality: the dual soul. Lily's love protects her son, not other souls in his body. This is a shaky answer, I know, but I think that's what happened.

2) Snape's not evil. I think Dumbledore was trying to save him at the end -- because if you break an Unbreakable Vow, you die, right? And Snape had vowed to kill Dumbledore if Draco couldn't, which he apparently couldn't. That's just my thought, though. I just don't think JKR would be so obvious as to make Snape really evil, especially when Harry thought he was the whole way through the books. I also think Draco will at least partially redeem himself, because he's not a bad kid; he's just kind of a dick.

3) Ron and Hermione will totally hook up; JKR loves her some romance. Either that or one of them will die tragically.

4) Dumbledore is Dead. So is Sirius.

God, I know I have more, I just can't remember them.

[KingVoyeur]

Ok people, we've got one week till the big day. Any last minute theories about what's going to happen?

I just read an interview with Helena Bonham Carter about her role in the Order of the Phoenix movie, and she said that JK Rowling told her that Bellatrix will have a significant part in the final book. I've always thought that Neville will be one of the people to die, and Bellatrix's "significant" role could be killing him. Who knows though.

This is going to be the longest week ever...

[spammityspam]

I still think Snape can't be evil, because at that point we've well and truly jumped the shark. And I still think Harry's the last Horcrux, but I think JKR's too attached to him to let him die.

On a random note, has anyone else noticed that JKR writes ALL of her evil characters as ugly? I hate that in a writer.

[neglet]

Ah, but are they evil because they are ugly, or ugly because they are evil? I'm currently re-reading book 6, with all the scenes about Voldemort/Tom Riddle's history, and Tom Riddle is consistently described as extremely handsome. It is only after he descends into his evil role as Lord Voldemort that his face begins to change and he becomes more and more ugly.

I'd like to think that Snape at the end will fight with Harry (or die for him), but it's possible it could go the other way. I don't think Harry is a Horcrux.

And who are the two main characters who will die? Voldemort, obviously, should be one. In decreasing order of likelihood, I think the other one could be:

Snape
Harry
Draco
Neville
a Weasley (Ron or Ginny)
Hagrid

I'm sure Hermione will survive. I just think JKR loves her too much to kill her off.

[neglet]

ps: This is a thread for speculation, not for discussion of book 7. I want to keep this thread SPOILER-FREE for Book 7, so if you want to talk about whether your speculations came true, go to new Book 7 discussion thread. If you can't manage that, I might close this thread down temporarily when book 7 comes out.

[ladymurasaki]

I thought that perhaps Harry himself was some sort of horcrux.

Haha!