Okay, I first want to put this whole thing in perspective. J.K. Rowling is a genius who has richly earned her billion dollar payoff for the books themselves (325 million copies, Holy Toledo) and the movie tie ins. There is much hype associated with the whole phenomenon, but at the root of it there is a wonderful artistic achievement and a marvelous feat of imagining. An added plus are the profound moral lessons Rowling weaves into her tales for young adults. We are uniquely situated here, both adolescents and adults, to both savor and mourn the end of a shining period of young adult literature. Future generations will share our enjoyment, but the suspense of having no clue about the final page will be largely missing. Word gets around, right?
Having said that, the time is getting tight for those like myself who want to issue a prediction on the ending of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". I do not want to yammer about every last detail but I think it is fascinating to speculate on the BIG categories. As I see it, they are:
- the eventual fate of Harry himself. I simply cannot accept the idea that Harry will die. My reading of Rowling is that she would not wish to end a titanic battle of good and evil with a loss or a tie for the good side.
-the enigma of Snape. I read Snape as a classic example of a double agent. Like all double agents, he talks a good line about being evil (by constantly giving Harry a hard time) yet saves Harry's life at every turn. Bottom line: Snape is on the good side, and this will become crystal clear at the perfect moment. As to Snape's fate, the crystal ball is murky. He could die in the final confrontation, sacrificing himself for the Order of the Phoenix to whom he always gave his hidden allegiance. Or he could survive to take Dumbledore's place as Hogwarts headmaster.
-love interest for Harry. It is noteworthy that Ginny Weasley has loved him from before the time that he saved her life back in Chamber of Secrets. Why not the sister of his best friend, who knows him better than most people and loves him for who is is rather than just acting out a thirst for fame?
-Hermione and Ron get together? Yup. And both survive too. Another couple who survive are Lupin and Tonks.
-Bellatrix leStrange is toast. Neville will play a role there, avenging the torture and madness of his parents. Neville however may die in this confrontation. A couple of our favorite characters are going to be sacrificed, as the battle of good and evil does involve casualties from the good side.
-Malfoy dies? Depends on which one you are referring to. Draco has yet to really do anything evil, thanks to Snape. He does not deserve death, but rather to make peace with Harry. His Dad, Lucius, has many crimes on his soul and is going down.
-Voldemort? Well, as I said, good conquers evil seems a likely theme to me. Voldemort also is goin' down.
-is Dumbledore dead? It depends on what you mean by "dead". Are any of us dead so long as we live on in the memory of others? Harry Potter never even lived, but he will live forever in the minds of readers everywhere.
Okay, Potterphiles everywhere. Go on the record today, the sand is running out of the hourglass. I cannot offer a cash prize, but the most accurate prognostication obviously will deserve bragging rights.
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Comments: 38
yes, I think that is a valid viewpoint. Neville has motive to do that, and it would be a clever twist.
I think Draco will live but his father is toast along with Bellatrix. I am wondering if perhaps Percy Weasley dies as well. He's been such a prat but it's also possible that he is working for Dumbledore. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mad Eye as one of those who dies as well.
On the other hand, I would love to see Professor Umbrage killed. What a dreadful woman. The one I most fear is going to die is Professor McGonagal or Hagrid. Either would be logical because both would fight to protect Harry.
In the end it will be so cool to finally see. Unfortunately I think Snape dies.
My prediction however, is that Amazon is gonna sell a lot of books.
and the survivors live happily ever after.
And with all the hurt in my heart I believe that she [Rowling] will definitely kill Harry...
- Neville will take place (maybe on the final battle or follow Harry's steps) on defeating Voldemort with some help of course of Hermione and Ron, or close friends to Neville... But I have my eyes set on Ron and Hermione because the story didn't focused on any of Neville's friends. I Say this because the prophecy speaks of 2 and which it refers to Harry and Nevile more than to Voldemort and Harry.
-I also Believe that Dumbledore is not really dead (as in what you guys say, dead to what muggles is).... Although he will no longer be present in physical term he will might return in a ghost form or something... Just thing about it... It was too Easy for him to kill Dumbledore. I AM IN DENIAL (of Dumbledore being dead) LOL!...
- There are a lot of unfinished business in all books that, I read somewhere that Rowling will indeed write about the plot of those, but not as a Harry adventure. (or so she would like to).
Well, I have a lot of predictions but I have to re-read the last book [Half-blood prince] Cause I read it and finished it 3 days after it was released, and I don't remember much of it.
I am kinda afraid tho... aren't you?... What might happen... Oh my...
Greetings to all.
harry will find a weapon of some kind in the godrics hollow which will make him more powerful
snape will have a crucial role to play
one of the weasleys will die
all the deatheaters will either die or end up in askaban
i just cant wait for the book to release...
greetings to all
I pesonally want to see Harry & Ginny; Ron & Hermione fly off into the sunset, and I have no desire to face the death of any of these characters I have come to know until I must.
I think that the death of Hagrid is a high probability event. One or two of the good guy characters are clearly going to be sacrificed. Hagrid also represents Harry's early adolescence- and therefore seems more expendable than most characters as Harry reaches maturity.
1) Harry must die. It's part of the archtypal hero story - self-sacrifice for the greater good. Some believe it's because he's the last Horcrux, I believe it's because the books really are about love, and that Harry won't/can't sink to Voldemort's level, and Voldemort's destruction of Harry will somehow kill him too.
2) Snape is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. I think he's good, I think he loved Lily Potter, and his love for her hides his true intentions from Voldemort, the best Legilimens in the world. It is also that which allows Dumbledore to trust him unconditionally. His "Worst Memory" is not James/Sirius mocking him, which happened all the time, but his insulting of Lily. Snape obviously killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore told him to, that's what their argument stemmed from where Snape didn't want to do something any longer.
3) I think Ginny will constantly pursue Harry, who will constantly push her away, until either Ron or Hermione (who get together) dies, and he realizes he can't do this alone, without love. His death, then, will be a fulfillment of that love.
4) The Neville storyline: I have a suspicion Neville is descended from Gryffindor himself, why else would he be in that House? He's obviously otherwise a Hufflepuff, with his love of Herbology. I think he'll be crucial in figuring out the Gryffindor Horcrux which Dumbledore didn't know existed, and he'll kill Bellatrix Lestrange, before fighting, and possibly dying to Nagini.
5) Draco Malfoy is key to the reunity of the four houses of Hogwarts. He'll somehow escape, support Harry, and therefore reunite the long lost Slytherin with the other three houses. He might have to kill his father too.
6) Voldemort dies, but because he destroys himself. True evil is never defeated by good, it defeats itself, while true good saves itself in death. Even Dumbledore said that death is life's greatest journey (or was that C.S. Lewis?)
7) Dumbledore = dead. It's obvious. The teacher/mentor figure always has to die before the student can become fully actualized.
Other predictions: RAB is Sirius's brother, the locket may have been filched by Mundungus/Kreacher. Zacharias Smith is related to the Smith woman killed by Tom Riddle for the Hufflepuff cup, and will be involved in finding that Horcrux. The Centaurs will help with finding Ravenclaw's Horcrux, and the Sorting Hat will prove to be a Horcrux as well; its destruction serves the dual purpose of destroying part of Voldemort's soul, and destroying the thing which separated the Houses of Hogwarts. Dumbledore (through a will, or the painting) will make Harry the new DADA professor, because it's the one thing Voldemort ever wanted, and Harry is most qualified to teach students how to defend themselves.
meaning harry will feel guilty and eventually have to kill himself to save the world from voldemort.
I am having the hardest time coming to terms with Dumbledore's death. The actual death, and all events leading up to it, are so bizarre. I have the strongest feeling that Dumbledore is the actual embodiment of the Phoenix. If anyone can rise from his own ashes, it will be Dumbledore.
I think of Ron and Hermione to be just like Mr. and Mrs Weasley. You are amazed that they became a couple and yet they are perfect for each other. The whole Weasley family is a little misplaced. Mr. Weasley is actually related to all those upper-crust snooty pure-blood wizards. So how did they get so low in the pecking order? But the pairing of Ron and Hermione is immediately comfortable, provided Ron finally does something spectacular to show the world (and Hermione) what a great wizard he is.
Actually, I've long worried that one or both of the Weasley parents would die in this fight, or one of the older sons. And I've always thought that Percy is an undercover agent for the Order. So there's a potential death once he's discovered.
For some reason I see Harry and Neville joining forces to work as a team in this final battle. Rather than hiding the prediction from Neville, I see Harry finally sharing all the details with Neville. Being a stand-up guy, Neville does finally stand up, and stand by Harry's side in this fight. And Neville may have to die because of it.
I've always thought that Bellatrix and Lucius would meet their fates at the hand of Voldemort, along with Peter and other followers. Voldemort had never been impressed or satisfied with the level of loyalty from any of his followers, except maybe for that snake. I can easily see Voldemort eliminating anyone who displeases him at that exact moment.
After all is said and done, Voldemort must die. The planet cannot continue to exist in its present state if this evil is not distroyed. Dare I suggest that Snape does finally shrug off his double-agent cloak and join Harry and the others in this ultimate battle?
I'm actually not very good at predicting. I am dying from anticipation for this last book. I am already preparing a private reading space, a huge supply of food within arm's reach, endless cocktails (of course), and nobody bother me till I come out. At least, that's what I'm planning.
You go girl! I think it is clear that you appreciate the finer things in life, and you are so right that the Harry Potter series is one of them.
Alok-
I love your spin on Snape! I think the final volume will serve to finally humanize him and show his true colors.
Everybody-
thanks for your intense interest in book 7 and your thoughtful speculations. Like you I will find this a long 5 days of waiting. Hats off to JK Rowling for her accomplishment.
I wonder what she will do next with herself? One billion dollars dow not compete with Bill Gates/Warren Buffett, but I expect she will find ways to do a great deal of good in this world with it.
Anyway, very nicely written!!!! A 10 from me!
What a choice! We see Malfoy get paler, and more sickly looking, and seem much more stressed than we've ever seen him, in HBP. Crabbe and Goyle, normally his longtime friends/thugs, are pushed away because they can't understand him, neither his pressure to perform (both as the Dark Lord's apprentice, and as his father's son) nor his intellectual depth, for I believe Draco to actually be very smart. We see him crying in the bathroom with Moaning Myrtle. We see him push away Snape, with very unreasonable views ("You're trying to steal my glory!"), his favorite teacher. And then, finally, we see him at the top of the Astronomy Tower.
It's at that point, that we see Draco Malfoy for what he is. Most would call him a coward; some, like myself and Dumbledore, would say he is human, and therefore a creature of love, and thus is incapable of killing Dumbledore. Dumbledore sees this hesitation not as cowardice, but an unwillingness to go over to Voldemort's side, Draco's Recantation, if you will. For this reason, Draco will side with Harry - because he's come to realize that there's no worth, or value, to being powerful, if it means losing what it is to be fundamentally human (or wizardish?).
But there's another reason Draco will side with Harry, and it has to do with plot exposition. From the beginning, we see how Quidditch and other activities like the House Cup serve to divide and conquer Hogwarts students. In the 6th book, we hear the Sorting Hat imploring its students to get along, to reunite, like it was in the first days of the Hogwarts Founders. It might not be hard for Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw to reunite - but Slytherin has always been the odd House out (and after all, it was Salazar Slytherin who left Hogwarts to keep the peace with the other three Founders). Who is going to lead the reunification process? Do you think Slytherin House will listen to Harry when he calls for reunification? I doubt it. Will Blaise Zabini, who looks to be likely as the next de facto leader of Slytherin (and possible Head Boy), do it? Maybe, as we get an indication that he finds Ginny Weasley pretty. But I think Malfoy is the one who must push Slytherin to a full, wholehearted acceptance of the reunification.
And thus - Malfoy has to be on the good side.
And yes, I've thought of Harry Potter way too much in the past two years.
In the end, the whole point is that darkness stands alone - and in his utter despair and solitude, Voldemort might finally see the light. Isn't it Dumbledore who says "There are worse things than Death?" to Voldemort in HBP? I think that refers to the utter aloneness Voldemort will face by the end of Deathly Hallows.
Oh, by the way - Hallows refers to the four suits of the old Tarot cards - Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. And it also corresponds to the four Horcruxes of the Founders, possibly. Hufflepuff's Cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's wand, Gryffindor's sword (??), and Slytherin's Locket (remember that the word "pentacle" usually refers to an amulet of sorts, worn around the neck). Thus, the Harry Potter stories become the story of the Tarot - IE, the Holy Grail. Look for Sybil Trelawney to make another big appearance in this book.
You are right on in many of your assumptions/predictions. The entire series is reminiscent of early mythology and certainly Arthurian legend. That is one of the multitude of reasons I have been endeared to Harry from the beginning. Although whoever made the comment that Aunt Petunia will do magic made me really laugh (anything's possible right?)
1) petunias a witch. rowling said so herself that she isnt a squib, u will find out something peculiar about her and that someone in the story will use magic for the first time quite late in life out of desperation.
2) snape is good. dumbledore prolly told him that if there comes a point where he has to choose a side he must make it seem as if he is still with the death eaters. thats why they had a row. and dumbledore was pleading because snape was staring at him and didnt know what to do so dumbledore was pleading for him to kill him so he can resume his post as a spy. but people dumbledore is dead but i think he will become a portrait like the other headmasters and he will give advice to those who need it.
3) slytherins locket, the horcrux, is in number 12 grimmauld place. i say this because look at page 116 of the hardcover at the bottom and it says ';also a heavy locket that none of them could open' that is the locket that regulus, R.A.B., took and placed it there.
4) neville will not kill bellatrix. she will be at his mercy but he will decide he is better than her and wont stoop that low.
5) harry will kill voldemort but not in the way we all think. i think the veil will be used to kill him.
So that's my prediction. Along with Voldemort, Harry will die. But as Miracle Max in The Princess Bride said, 'He's just sort of dead.' And all the people who love him bring Harry back to life and back to the wizarding world.
I know, hearts and flowers to the last.
I will consider the option of posting a recognition of the best and most accurate of the predictions after I finish reading the cook a couple days from now.
Thanks for your participation!- Chris W.
Your right about a lot. Harry will live on in our minds and hearts....
Good guess on Snape, Harry, Voldemort, Dumbledore, Ginny, Ron and HErmione
not so hot on Lupin and Tonks though....anyways, I love HP too, he Rocks!!
Okay, better now.
My fav. book of the series.