Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince-SPOILERS!!!!

[Barendd Nobeard]

I'm wondering at the format of book 7...locating the lair, getting through the defenses, and destroying a Horcrux seems fairly major...doing it for four seems like it'd require a fairly massive book, plus the final battle, epilogue, etc.

I think all but one will happen "off screen" with some members of the OotP finding them. Then, the last one is the one Harry will find "on screen" in the book.

For what it's worth, I think we'll be seeing the last book in July 2007. Book 5 came out, IIRC, July of 2003, so that'd make sense.

But the long delay between book 4 and 5 puts any sort of "schedule" right out the window. JKR can take as long as she wants, and she knows it, and she said as much during the wait for book 5. It was three long years between book 4 and book 5....

 

[David Howery]

My own view on Snape: I think he's one of the good guys, and his severe dislike for Harry is a little contrived. Didn't one of the books say that either James or Dumbledore saved Snape's life? There's a story there we don't know yet. I'm thinking Snape has been working as a double agent for Dumbledore all along. His killing Dumbledore, strange as it sounds, was likely on Dum's orders, something like "If Draco does corner me and can't kill me, you do it"... again, there's something going on here we don't know yet. I think Snape will play a role in bringing down Voldemort and it will be revealed that Snape doesn't hate Harry as much as it has seemed, although he probably doesn't think he's all that cool either. After all, Harry isn't James and is a lot more humble. Still, in OOTP, when Harry snuck a look at Snape's memory in the pensieve, that was probably a genuinely angry moment...

 

[sniffles]

My own view on Snape: I think he's one of the good guys, and his severe dislike for Harry is a little contrived. Didn't one of the books say that either James or Dumbledore saved Snape's life? There's a story there we don't know yet. I'm thinking Snape has been working as a double agent for Dumbledore all along. His killing Dumbledore, strange as it sounds, was likely on Dum's orders, something like "If Draco does corner me and can't kill me, you do it"... again, there's something going on here we don't know yet. I think Snape will play a role in bringing down Voldemort and it will be revealed that Snape doesn't hate Harry as much as it has seemed, although he probably doesn't think he's all that cool either. After all, Harry isn't James and is a lot more humble. Still, in OOTP, when Harry snuck a look at Snape's memory in the pensieve, that was probably a genuinely angry moment...

Interesting to see this theory; this is what my fiance thinks too. I'm a little dubious, although I do still think Snape is acting as a spy for the "good guys". At first I thought perhaps Dumbledore's death was an elaborate hoax, but it seems too elaborate for that.

I wonder if there might be anyone else who has made an Unbreakable Vow, perhaps with regards to Harry?

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

My own view on Snape: I think he's one of the good guys, and his severe dislike for Harry is a little contrived. Didn't one of the books say that either James or Dumbledore saved Snape's life? There's a story there we don't know yet. I'm thinking Snape has been working as a double agent for Dumbledore all along. His killing Dumbledore, strange as it sounds, was likely on Dum's orders, something like "If Draco does corner me and can't kill me, you do it"... again, there's something going on here we don't know yet. I think Snape will play a role in bringing down Voldemort and it will be revealed that Snape doesn't hate Harry as much as it has seemed, although he probably doesn't think he's all that cool either. After all, Harry isn't James and is a lot more humble. Still, in OOTP, when Harry snuck a look at Snape's memory in the pensieve, that was probably a genuinely angry moment...

Yeah, I think James saved his life. But if you hate someone, someone who bullies you (as James clearly does in OotP), and then they save your life....well, you might just resent them for doing something that doesn't mesh with your view of them--and hate them even more.

I think Snape really does hate Harry. He may even resent having to save him constantly, since he hated his father so much. But, Snape does save Harry several times (even going all the way back to book 1 when he stops Quirrell from killing Harry during the Quidditch match).

 

[TanisFrey]

Interesting to see this theory; this is what my fiance thinks too. I'm a little dubious, although I do still think Snape is acting as a spy for the "good guys". At first I thought perhaps Dumbledore's death was an elaborate hoax, but it seems too elaborate for that.

I wonder if there might be anyone else who has made an Unbreakable Vow, perhaps with regards to Harry?

I think that it is possable that Dumbledore was offered by Snape an Unbreakable Vow about what he would do in the future. But would Dumbledore actualy make Snape sware it when offered??? People do lots things that they normaly don't dream of during WAR.

 

[WayneLigon]

My speculations:

I think that the last horcrux is either Harry himself, or Harry's scar - this explains much about Harry's magical ability, his Parseltounge ability, etc.

My bet is that it's Neville that kills Voldemort at last, thus deflecting all the attention away from Harry so he gets to live a 'normal' life afterwards.

Ollivander the wand seller is involved in things somehow as we'll see more of him in the last book. I'm betting on him being a big-time Death Eater after his rambling in the first book.

Harry's involvement with Ginny opens up a very cool idea: Harry is only protected while at the Dursley's because it's his Home. I'm thinking that the Burrow will become his Home as his relationship with Ginny develops. There will be a big tense scene where Voldemort decides to destroy the Burrow since that would kill off Harry's best friend and girlfriend and Hermione (who has totally fallen for Ron at this point) all in one stroke so that Harry suffers before he dies... and can't, since the protection spells have transferred to the Burrow.

Or, Voldemort attacks the Dursley's house while Harry is out ... and it works, wiping out those vermin completely, since Harry no longer considers it his Home.

Those might not work, though; I think Harry's birthday is during the summer and once he turns 17 the whole protection thing drops anyways.

 

[JimAde]

Number 4 Privet Drive is only safe for Harry because it's a home he shares with Petunia. It's her blood connection to Harry's mother that makes it all work. So no transferring to the place Harry considers home, since that's been Hogwarts since the first book.

I agree that an attack on the Weasleys is in the offing. All in all I can't think of a family I'd like to tick off less. The idea of Molly and Arthur Weasly in full parental protection mode gives me the willies.

 

[Staffan]

Didn't one of the books say that either James or Dumbledore saved Snape's life? There's a story there we don't know yet.

Didn't that have something to do with stopping Lupin from eating Snape?

 

[JimAde]

Didn't that have something to do with stopping Lupin from eating Snape?

Yes, James stopped Snape from going through the secret passage under the whomping willow. It would have taken him to the Shrieking Shack where Lupin was doing his monthly fur time. However, it was apparently Sirius' idea of a joke to send Snape through the tunnel in the first place, so I can understand if Snape's gratitude was less than overwhelming.

 

[drothgery]

I agree that an attack on the Weasleys is in the offing. All in all I can't think of a family I'd like to tick off less. The idea of Molly and Arthur Weasly in full parental protection mode gives me the willies.

Maybe, but I'd almost feel sorry for the Death Eaters that try to get Fred and George

(My loony theory was that Percy's estrangement from his family was staged, with only Arthur and Dumbledore knowing the truth, but there should have been some hints of that in HBP if that were true...)