Harry Potter 7: Speculation only

[RevBob]

To clarify my intentions, this is a thread for people who've read the first six books to speculate about what they think will happen in book seven.

In other words, once you crack open book seven and start reading, you should not be posting here. Similarly, if you haven't read the first six books, expect to see spoilers.

Also, I'm not looking to turn this into a debate or justification for one view over the rest. The book comes out in less than 33 hours; we'll find out who's right and who's wrong soon enough. This is just kind of a way to get your theories on the record.

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extra space added

for fast forum readers

who are still reading this

even after seeing the first two paragraphs,

even though they haven't read book six,

so they'll only have themselves to blame

if they read further and see spoilers for it.

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As for what I expect from the Deathly Hallows, and what I think going into it:

1. Neville still has a significant part to play.

2. The final Horcrux is Harry's scar.

3. Ron and Hermione will explicitly fall for each other and tell each other how they feel.

4. For some reason, Harry won't wind up with Ginny. I think it's a shame, though.

5. Dumbledore still has more to say, but there's no resurrection in the cards. (Three words: notes, painting, ghost. Combine as needed.)

6. Snape really is a bad guy, but an eleventh-hour redemption is a real possibility.

7. At least one of the Weasleys will die. I'm guessing Fred or George.

8. The Dursleys will do something shockingly humane, for a change.

9. Draco's toast, unless he swallows his pride and switches sides. Voldemort isn't exactly the forgiving sort, and Draco failed him big-time in book six.

10. This volume may conclude Harry's story, but Rowling's going to do at least one more book in this world. Backstory, epilogue, parallel...something.

EDIT: Just noticed something else -

11. The Sorting Hat used to belong to Godric Gryffindor - so much for not being able to find a Gryffindor artifact to use as a Horcrux....

[Bookman]

Just responses to your points for now. I'll pop back in if I think of anything more.

Originally Posted by RevBob

1. Neville still has a significant part to play.

Aye.

2. The final Horcrux is Harry's scar.

Aye.

3. Ron and Hermione will explicitly fall for each other and tell each other how they feel.

Sounds good.

5. Dumbledore still has more to say, but there's no resurrection in the cards. (Three words: notes, painting, ghost. Combine as needed.)

Agreed, but I think Rowling needs to give us something here -- We need to know how this is different from becoming immortal via the Horcrux. How is a painting in Dumbledore's office fundamentally different from Tom Riddle's diary? A couple of lines from Dumbledore telling us his limitations in picture form should do it.

6. Snape really is a bad guy, but an eleventh-hour redemption is a real possibility.

Disagree. Snape really is a good guy, 'cause otherwise Dumbledore is stupid.

7. At least one of the Weasleys will die. I'm guessing Fred or George.

I'm thinking Ron. Gives us a good setting for he and Hermione to be honest with one another, and completes the foreshadowing from way back in book one -- he knows Harry's the important one, and he's willing to sacrifice himself if necessary.

[Qoltar]

...based on just watching the movies - I think Snape is just massively annoying, but winds up helping the side off good. (whether or not he really wants to )

[Þorkell]

I assume you've seen this? http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1632.html

Oh, I'm mostly seconding Sydney's speculation.

[C. J. Burke]

Snape's final words will be "Yippy-kay-yay, Harry Potter", with extra spit on the "Pot".

Snape's a dead man whichever side he's on, but I don't think that DD was a really big chump, so he's a good guy and gets killed by LV. Otherwise, Harry kills him.

Snape doesn't get the "redemption" death. That "honor" goes to Percy. Unless Fred and George kill him first.

If Ron manages to profess his love for Hermione or actually propose, he's a goner. And he might get killed as well.

Neville gets to take out Lestrange. No, he isn't "the Other" and doesn't get to kill LV.

If someone other than Harry kills LV, then the wrong person's name has been on all the books.

Since Ginny is the first female Weasley in generations, she plays an important role and will probably wind up with Harry.

And from the cover of the book, I'm guessing something important happens at Gringotts.

I'll know more tomorrow night-ish, but I won't be telling!

[RevBob]

I'll tell y'all this - I'm gonna be seriously P.O.'d if my copy has any sort of binding error, missing pages, or anything else like that.

Oh, and I think Hagrid misunderstood the argument he overheard between Dumbledore and Snape in HBP. Harry takes it to mean Snape was dragging his heels on investigating Slytherin House - I think Snape was supposed to be investigating something about the guy the House was named after, related to Dumbledore's search for the Horcruxes. (Considering Dumbledore knew all about Draco's inept plotting, why would he have needed Snape to investigate him?)

I still say Dumbledore's dead-dead-dead, and Snape was a double agent - but for Voldemort, not Dumbledore. Dumbledore has repeatedly said that he makes mistakes - and this one proved fatal. He thought he had Snape pegged, but he's been Voldemort's man the whole time. All the same arguments that can be used to argue that Snape's a good guy can be used just as validly to say he's a bad guy, and then there's the whole kill-the-opposing-general angle. (It also makes thematic sense: Harry goes into the final book having learned all he could from his mentor, who dies tragically to cement the hero's resolve and underscore that it's time for the hero to Make His Stand.)

[zorg]

Originally Posted by RevBob

I still say Dumbledore's dead-dead-dead, and Snape was a double agent - but for Voldemort, not Dumbledore.

Agreed. It's pretty hard to recover from Avada Kedavra, so I don't see how DD could have survived. Also, his death makes V even more evil and cunning. Since Snape was cast as a Bad Guy from book 1, I doubt he'll turn out to be a good guy after all.
In the Potterverse, all good guys are ultimately likeable, and all bad guys are ultimately disgusting. I can't see how Snape could get over that.

I *hope* that Harry gets to sacrifice himself in the final battle, leaving Ron and Hermione to each other. But I doubt it'll happen that way. I like the thought, though.

Originally Posted by C. J. Burke

Snape's final words will be "Yippy-kay-yay, Harry Potter", with extra spit on the "Pot".

/grin/ There's much potential there. [heavy breathing]Join me, Harry... You are my son![/heavy breathing]

[C. J. Burke]

Two other things that have been foreshadowed:
Ron's nearly always wrong unless he's joking about something.
Considering his opinion of Snape since book 1 . . .

The other thing is with the emphasis on unspoken spells, it is quite is to believe that Snape cast an unspoken spell while speaking the killing curse, which wouldn't have worked if his heart wasn't in it. (Not to say that DD isn't dead . . .

ONE DAY MORE!!
/Les Miz/

[sgtcallistan]

The one part I descried from reading the Potters up until Phoenix is that Neville is born to be the one who will take down the villain, not Harry.

There have been more than a few parallels drawn between them, and Neville is the one with the device that will remind him of what he has forgotten.
I feel Harry has been a stalking horse his entire life, protecting the real 'Dumbledore secret weapon': Neville.

By the way, a friend works in W. H. Smith's; an English printed matter seller, and is so glad he isn't working there tomorrow for the launch.

There are also tales in the press about how the supermarkets' (Tesco's) price war over this book, has prevented the latest Potter from turning a profit for anyone but J.K. Rowling, and may force the publishers Bloomsbury out of business.

[Hakubak]

No spoilers ----------------

I just finished the book. As many of the early reviews said, it provides a fitting ending to the series.

I enjoyed it as much as I did the rest of the series.

Yes, I sat up all night reading it...