Potter Predictions & Presumptions

I'm a big HP fan. Oh, I'm not "fanatical" about the books and movies; I don't own a replica sorting hat or anything like that, but a dear friend of mine from Britain has sent me the UK versions of the softcovers and I have the entire US version set on order from Amazon, to be shipped as soon as it is released. I also have the last book on pre-order with the local Hastings Video store, but it's on backorder.

Ah, but there's the rub: I will not be able to go ANYWHERE on the 'net a day after the book is released (Friday, I think) without some jerk posting what happens. Now, I'm not so concerned, I was thinking I might very well skip to the back of the book as soon as I got my nicotine-stained fingers on it, find out what has happened.

I've given many possible endings some consideration and here's what I think will happen:

After wondering who was going to be killed, thinking it through as logically as my peabrain will allow, I'm now of a mind that it may be Neville that gets killed, he may very well have been "The Chosen One" in the prophecy. JKR said she WAS going to kill off three, but since has hinted that it's now only two of the main characters.

IMHO, there's no way she can kill off Harry. She's bright enough to know that that particular ending would be traumatic to the millions of young (and old) readers. I can't see it being either of the other two main characters, either . That's the love story.

I thought it might be Percy, he certainly needs to redeem himself in some manner after being such a twit...and what a horrible thing it would be to have both of the twins be killed and almost as bad if only one were to die. No, the Weasleys have suffered enough, what with Bill being bitten by a werewolf and Mr. Weasley's brush w/ death as well as Ginny in her first yr. at school.

(I love the Weasley's: I am going to post a silly little essay I wrote about them)

I think the other one to die must therefore be Snape. I think Snape will ultimately be who Dumbledore always said he was, someone who has turned away from the Death Eaters.
I think the title "Deathly Hallows" will be something like the plural of "Hollow", wasn't that the name of the place where HP's parents lived? (Godric's Hollow? I said I was a fan, not a fanatic)

Snape will die to save Harry or one of the other main characters, perhaps even Neville, giving him the chance to destroy Voldemort. I also think Draco will play a fairly major part in this duel and I hope he too will reject being a Death Eater...but I really don't know, there are so many ways Draco Malfoy could figure into the mix.

I think that Neville's parents were killed nearby on the same night, and I think that's where the final showdown will take place and where Harry will meet his match, fail in his duel to the death with Voldemort and Neville will step in to save him and be killed in the process. I also think Wormtail will have to help Harry in some way, perhaps be alive when Voldy dies and maybe won't kill the defenseless HP. Wormtail owes HP a life debt.

I do think Wormtail will have a major role in summing up the story; I'm wondering if his new hand isn't a Horacrux...then again, that's not something that really concerns me, but Wormtail does. He is also another that needs to redeem himself and he's much more central to the plot than is generally realized. He and Lupin are the only surviving members of the old gang of four Hogsworth buddies, and I also wonder if Lupin won't be killed in a duel with the werewolf that bit him.

I think JKR has really wanted a bloodbath in this last book, figuring her readers from the start can handle the violence, the ones that were Harry's age when they first read Sorcerer's Stone(Philosopher's Stone in the UK version) and now are nearly out of their teens!

It may very well be that when Voldemort and HP have their final battle that V. saps Harry's powers, returning them to himself. Yep, I think that Harry might well not have had any/as much power except for that which was transferred to him as a baby in the attack, the one that left the scar on HP's forehead. He (Harry) has always has a split personality, a dark side, and I think that was imparted to him via the failed killing curse.

I'm also thinking that the phoenix will have some part to play in saving the day, or at least saving HP's life. It has only given up two feathers for wands...Harry's and Voldemort's. It saved Harry's life before because Harry had shown such devotion and loyalty to Dumbledore, and I believe the phoenix was left to Harry by him upon his death.

JKR has left so many red herrings in the books, "clues" which have turned out...or perhaps WILL turn out...to have no meaning at all nor add anything to the basic plot. She may very well have some interesting plot twists and turns, but I cannot envision Harry being killed to end the book.

Ms. Rowling has also shown a brilliance combining the parts of magic that we all remember from childhood fairy tales...unicorns, trolls, wands, etc. and has created some delightful parts of magical life, such as Quidditch, schools for witches and wizards, enchanted candy...as I said, the only description is "delightful". Those things are my favorite parts of the movies.

The author (recently labeled 2nd richest woman in entertainment in the world, just behind Oprah) has also done a masterful job of getting deeper and darker, more dangerous with each passing year in the lives of these young people. I consider it an object lesson to "real" young people, that as you grow older, the world opens up to you but also becomes more dangerous. It's also a classic tale of good vs. evil, rebels against the establishment and this last book will be the magical equiv. of The Gunfight at the OK Corral. High Noon with wands.

Really looking fwd. to the last book and the final two movies, but I am already sad that it has to end.