HBP - Speculations

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince… Book Six. This is the second to last book in the seven part series of Harry Potter. There have been many speculations as to what will happen. And now I will let you in on my opinion. I give you today, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Speculations:

Part 1: OWL Scores

Yes, yes, we all have been thinking about them. But what will actually happen? Here is what I am guessing Harry, Ron, and Hermione will get on each of their Ordinary Wizarding Level scores:

HARRY POTTER:

Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations
Charms: Exceeds Expectations

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding

Astronomy: Acceptable

History of Magic: Dreadful

Potions: Acceptable

Herbology: Acceptable

Care of Magical Creatures: Exceeds Expectations

Divination: Dreadful

RONALD WEASLEY

Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations
Charms: Exceeds Expectations

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Exceeds Expectations

Astronomy: Acceptable

History of Magic: Dreadful

Potions: Acceptable

Herbology: Dreadful

Care of Magical Creatures: Exceeds Expectations

Divination: Dreadful

HERMIONE GRANGER

Transfiguration: Outstanding
Charms: Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding

Astronomy: Exceeds Expectations

History of Magic: Outstanding

Potions: Outstanding

Herbology: Outstanding

Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding

Arithmancy: Outstanding

Ancient Runes: Outstanding

Now this is the part where you all get mad at me. "Harry CANNOT get lower than Outstanding on Potions because he has to be an Auror!" This is where I say that you are both wrong and right. Huh? Yes, you heard me. First of all, Harry does not have to be an Auror. He only wants to be. But he will get his chance to be in Potions. How, you ask? Well this brings me to my next section of the editorial…


Source : Muggle Central

Part 2: The New Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher

Now, don't you dare stop reading this article from what I am about to say. You might agree with me by the end. Even if you don't just keep this article bookmarked so you can congratulate me if and when it happens (weather it be Book 6 or 7). I believe that the new DADA teacher will be none other than Professor Severus Snape!

Ow! Stop throwing those rocks at me! I have some – ow! – good reasons. Here they are:

1. Harry was almost certain that he did not receive an Outstanding on his potions OWL.
2. Harry thought that it was much easier to concentrate on his potions without Snape
3. Snape knows a lot about the Dark Arts and would be a great DADA teacher because he is in the Order of the Phoenix
4. This would allow Harry to take potions that would allow him to become an Auror
5. This could show that Snape did something that made Dumbledore trust him even more than he used to. Hmmm…

If Snape is the new DADA teacher, could this mean that he will die in this book? When asked if the DADA teacher pattern would continue, JKR said, "Not telling!" More on Snape's death will be addressed later in this editorial.

Part 3 – The Lion Man

When JKR's door opened on her website a few months ago, she gave us an excerpt from HBP:

"[He] looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his main of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp."

This tells us all we need to know about this new character… except who he is! Let's take what we know about him:

1. Looks like a lion
2. Old (streaks of grey in hair and eyebrows)
3. Yellowish eyes
4. Wears glasses
5. Long, slender arms and legs (rangy, loping)
6. Moves gracefully
7. Limps

Who do we know of that could look like a lion? Let's think back to book two. Have you got it? If you haven't, I'll tell you. Even if you have, I'll tell you: Godric Gryffindor! I know what you're thinking. "He's dead!" But haven't we seen dead people before? Yes we have. Here is just a small sample: Nearly-Headless Nick, Past Headmasters, Lily and James (Mirror of Erised). There is no reason we could not see someone dead. Now we will look at the other features of this person.

This man is old. He has grey streaks in his hair and eyebrows. This still does not disprove that he is Godric Gryffindor.

He has yellowish eyes and glasses. We have never gotten much of a description of the four founders, but one of them might have had glasses. Could it have been Godric Gryffindor? Yellowish eyes – what a coincidence (not). Most cats have yellowish eyes. Lions are cats.

This man also is tall and moves gracefully with a slight limp. This still tells that he is old. Who could this man be? The way I see it, there are two possibilities. Either it is somebody we do not know yet, or it is Godric Gryffindor!

Part 4 – The Relationships

This is a very difficult part to discuss. No matter what I write down, I will get rude owls and possibly some more rocks thrown at me. So I will just tell you my opinions. I understand that they are not yours, so please do not send me any e-mails about Part 4.

HARRY --- Our hero is not having much luck with girls. I believe that he is done with Cho Chang and that he will move on. JKR once said that Harry will be getting another kiss or two. But she wouldn't tell us who. (I personally think one or two of those will be from a dementor, but that's another editorial.) I also think that Harry needs to be away from girls for a while because he needs to learn to "control his emotions" as JKR puts it.

RON --- We can see that he obviously likes Hermione (don't throw them please). He got very jealous when Hermione started dating Krum (Victor). But does Hermione feel the same way? If so, Ron better hurry up if we want to see some Ron/Hermione romance in the series. Now about…

HERMIONE --- She likes Krum, but how long will she stay with him? I believe that she will separate from him in Book 6. She will get together with Ron and they will live happily ever after. Ow! Stop it!

Part 5 – Deaths

I believe that there will be many more deaths in HBP. If you really think about it, only four people have died in the past two books. Bertha Jorkins, Cedric Diggory, and Broderick Bode. There will definitely be more people dying in this upcoming book. Here is who I think will die:

Severus Snape: Yes. I believe that he will die in the sixth Harry Potter book. I believe that he will sacrifice himself to save Harry from Voldemort. This will finally repay James for the dept that Snape owes him. It will also complete what Voldemort says in GoF about him. "One, who I believe has left me forever… he will be killed, of course…" And finally it will continue the pattern of DADA teachers (see above). Here is how I see it happening:

Voldemort moved in closer. His pitiless red eyes were wide with infinite rage. He held his wand high into the air and screamed in his awful, cold voice, "Harry Potter! You will die today and none will stop me now! Avada Kedavra!" Just as Harry thought all hope was lost, lying there on the ground, cold and wet, Snape jumped in front of him and took the full jet of green light right in the chest. He was dead before he hit the floor. "What?" yelled Voldemort. His white face was, if possible, paler than Harry had ever seen it.

"You have been very foolish the past year Tom." Dumbledore was now striding along the wet floor toward Voldemort. But now that you have killed another of my friends, I believe that you are very likely to be stopped."

Albus Dumbledore: The sad truth finally comes out. I believe that Dumbledore will die while he is protecting Harry from Voldemort. I believe that Voldemort and the Death Eaters will storm the castle and the initial confrontation will be here. While Harry is nearly killed, and Snape is dead, this is what I see happening:

"What are you talking about Dumbledore?" said Voldemort. He said Dumbledore's name with a slightly more confident expression. "You are the one who is foolish. You know that you cannot kill me, but I can kill you. The time for your punishment has finally come. May your face never be seen again on this earth. Avada Kedavra!" As Voldemort raised his wand, a jet of green light zoomed out of it. But with a swish of the cloak, Dumbledore had vanished. He reappeared behind him.

Harry, seeing his chance, stood up and raised his wand. Simultaneously, Harry and Voldemort both shouted the words of the killing curse. "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot out of Harry's wand in the direction of Voldemort. It was the worst feeling that Harry had ever felt. Like he would never be forgiven. But it was too late. Voldemort vanished from the scene, leaving Harry alone in the hall with Snape's body and over where Voldemort was just standing was... Dumbledore, obviously dead.

Minerva McGonagall: I'm sorry, but I think she is going to die for two reasons. One, we are going to need a new Headmaster or Headmistress and I don't think the story calls for her to be in that position. And second, she was in St. Mungo's at the end of OotP. This how I see it happening:

Luna passed Harry the newest edition of the Quibbler with an expression of terror on her face..

Ministry Members Slaughter Teacher

Today, special reporters of the Quibbler found out that former Under Secretary to the former Minister of Magic, Dolores Jane Umbridge, and two or more unidentified Ministry workers stunned and killed the Hogwarts Transfiguration Teacher, Minerva M. McGonagall, age 75. According to our very reliable sources, she was transported to St. Mungo's, the awful hospital that has denied the 1976 Crumple Horned Snorkak attacks. She was reported dead by a healer named Andrew Caedo.

Vernon Dursley: Voldemort will try to attack the Dursleys (either book 6 or 7, but probably 7 because according to JKR we don't see them much in this book). But he will not be able to kill the one that he wants to: Petunia. Or Dudley, for that matter. The only one that he will be able to kill is Vernon. Why? Because Petunia and Dudley share the same bloodline, just as Harry does, with Lily Potter. This will also give Petunia a reason to spill the beans about what she knows about the Wizarding World. Here is how I see it happening:

Harry was just about to close his eyes to sleep when he heard a loud crash from downstairs and the familiar voice of none other than Lucius Malfoy. "Hurry up! They'll be awake now. You, look out for Potter. If you see him, stun him. The Dark Lord will take it from their."

Then Harry heard the footsteps of Uncle Vernon who was holding a gun. He walked downstairs and started shooting at the place where the voices had come from. Then a voice came out of the shadows. "Avada Kedavra!" A flash of green light later, Aunt Petunia screamed. Harry ran out of his bedroom and saw, to his and his aunt's great surprise, that Uncle Vernon Dursley was dead.

And those are the people that I believe will die in HBP. Will there be more? I am sure of it, but they might be little deaths that we do not care about (like Jorkins' death).

Part 6 – The Half-Blood Prince

This is the most debated subject about the next Harry Potter book (except perhaps the shipping). But will the identity of this man/boy really tell us what the book is about? Let's take a look back at all of the previous titles of the Harry Potter books.

PHILOSOPHER'S / SORCERER'S STONE: The PS/SS was a small stone that created the elixir of life and turned any metal into gold. Does this give us ANY idea about the book? No. The story was about a young boy who was trying to study magic and stop an evil teacher from stealing the stone, only to find that he wasn't trying to steal it – it was the disembodied spirit of the mad wizard who killed his parents attached to a stuttering DADA teacher.

CHAMBER OF SECRETS: The CoS was a secret underground lair that Salazar Slytherin created before he left the school. Once again, if we knew what it was, would we be able to tell that the story line was about Muggle-born wizards and witches (and a ghost) being petrified by a giant snake called a Basilisk and then Harry had to save Ginny Weasley from the Diary that was re-creating Tom Riddle, the child form of Voldemort? For some reason, I don't think so.

PRISONER OF AZKABAN: The PoA was a man named Sirius Black, who we had never heard of before. You know what question I am going to ask, so I will answer it for you. No. The story of this book was about Harry learning to fight off dementors with the patronus charm, learning about his father and his friends at Hogwarts, finding out that Ron's rat Scabbers is actually the man who betrayed his parents, learning that Sirius is innocent and his godfather, and finally using the time turner to save a hippogriff and Sirius from death and the dementor's kiss.

GOBLET OF FIRE: The GoF was a small, wooden cup with glowing blue flames. The storyline had nothing to do with this goblet that was put in a box, never to be seen again. The storyline went like this: Quidditch World Cup, Dark Mark, Triwizard Tournament, Mad Eye Moody, Harry is a Champion, Three Tasks, Unforgivable Curses, Portkey Triwizard Cup, Cedric Diggory dies, Wormtail chops off hand, Voldemort Returns, Harry sees his parents "shadows", Harry nearly killed, Moody actually Barty Crouch Jr. a mad escaped Death Eater who tries to kill Harry, Dumbledore makes plans to bring back the old crowd.

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX: The OotP was (and still is) a group of people who try to stop Voldemort and his Death Eaters. We could never (in a million years) guessed that the storyline was about Harry going out with Cho, an evil DADA teacher from the Ministry that makes herself the HHI (Hogwarts High Inquisitor) and then Headmistress, studying Occlumency, OWLs, the Prophecy in the DoM that would allow Harry to find out why Voldemort wanted to kill him when he was little and tell him that he must kill Voldemort or Voldemort must kill him, and Hagrid bringing his half-brother Grawp (a giant) to the Dark Forest.

HALF-BLOOD PRINCE: Now, from what I have shown you, I think you will notice that we don't need to know who the HBP is, but we need to known his importance to the storyline. The PS/SS was a stone that could bring Voldemort back to life. The CoS was where the Basilisk came from and where Ginny was dying. The PoA was an innocent man and turned out to be Harry's Godfather. The GoF was the innocent looking cup that started the entire storyline leading up to Voldemort being revived. The OotP was the group that introduced the prophecy to Harry (a weapon that he can only get by stealth). Now, the HBP probably someone that we do not know about yet, but let's take a look at what the name means:

Half-Blood – This means that this person is either the prince (future king?) of the Half-Blood population or he is Half-Blood. But what does that mean? It means that he would be half Wizard and half something else (Muggle, giant, troll, horse, etc).

Prince – I took the liberty of looking up the word prince. Here is what the Webster's Dictionary says about it:

Prince (prins) n.

1. A non reigning male member of a royal family, esp. the son of a sovereign

2. A male ruler of a state or principality

3. One of a high order of nobility

4. One of the highest rank of the class to which he belongs

I have bolded the definitions that I would like to address, because I think that the HBP is someone that we have been told about, but never seen. I believe that this man's name is none other than Godric Gryffindor! Ow! Stop throwing those at me! I believe this for a few reasons that are listed below:

1. The lion man quote (I don't think that JKR would give us a quote that wasn't important. Look at the ones that she gave us for OotP)
2. It is probably someone that we found out about in CoS and that could have still been the HBP with what we new in that book (JKR says that HPB storyline used to be in CoS)
3. Salazar Slytherin was the "King of Serpents" so why can't Godric Gryffindor be the Prince of the Half-Bloods (after all, SS got pretty angry with GG didn't he?)

But now we must ask ourselves, why is this HBP important to us? We can only guess. So I won't speculate any father on this subject (its now seven pages long) and I'll save it for a different editorial.

Part 7 – The Chapter Titles

On Halloween 2004, the door on JKR's website opened to reveal three titles of chapters in the Half-Blood Prince.

Chapter Two – Spinners End

Chapter Six – Draco's Detour

Chapter Fourteen – Felix Felicis (pronounced: Fee-licks Fe-lee-kiss)

Let's take a look at each of these titles and see what we come up with.

SPINNERS END

The first thing that we have to notice is that there is no apostrophe after spinner. So it is not the end of Spinner. This might mean be a village or street (like Privet Drive or Grimmauld Place). Since Sirius died, maybe the OotP has to move to a different place. This could be it. Or maybe it's a place in Diagon Alley.

DRACO'S DETOUR

When I first saw this, it made me think of one thing – Apparition Tests! When is the correct age to start practicing? Could Draco be 17 in this book? Harry might meet up with him and find that he has already passed his Apparition test.

FELIX FELICIS

This is a Latin term. Felix Felicis is Latin for "lucky." This could be a name. Maybe it's the name of the new Potions teacher or Transfiguration teacher (see above). Whoever it is, I hope that they are on Harry's side. We'll need him if he's lucky!

Part 8 – The Initial Confrontation

As it was stated in Mugglenet's the Underground Lake

'The Lost Day, Part 5, "In a great saga between good and evil, there must be an initial confrontation between the opposing forces. In the climax of Book Six, Harry will have to willingly fight Voldemort."

I believe that this is true. This is how I think it will happen:

1. Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and the rest of the Order will go to Azkaban (or somewhere else, but Azkaban seems like such a cool place for this battle) to encounter Voldemort and fulfill the prophecy.
2. Dumbledore knows that they are taking a huge risk by doing this, but takes extreme care in organizing it
3. They enter the abandoned Azkaban
4. The Dark Mark appears right in front of them
5. Bellatrix, Lucius, and other Death Eaters attack the Order
6. Dumbledore and Snape perform some charm on Harry (disillusionment?)
7. Dumbledore stuns all of the DE at once
8. All members of the Order are stunned too
9. Voldemort appears and to everyone's great surprise, he knows the prophecy
10. He is about to kill Harry when Snape saves him by willingly dying (thus repaying the dept that he owes James).
11. Dumbledore starts to do some strange spells on Voldemort
12. Voldemort and Harry both shout killing curse
13. Dumbledore dies, but Harry's spell misses
14. Voldemort realizes that it he is risking everything by trying to kill Harry again
15. Voldemort vanishes
16. Harry is alone in Azkaban
17. The Order suddenly awake and alert Ministry officials
18. Harry is brought back to Hogwarts where he is questioned about who should take over the post of Headmaster now that Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape are dead. Dumbledore's (or another teacher's) spouse becomes Headmaster/Headmistress (see below)

I know that it's awful, but these things have to happen. You could tell that the books were getting darker. They have to be at their darkest in Book 7.

Part 9 – Spouses

When asked if the Hogwarts teachers had spouses, JKR said that she could not answer it because they are "key to the plot." Could a teacher's spouse become a new teacher? Or maybe the new Headmaster/Headmistress? (See above)

Part 10 – July 16, 2005

Well, all I can say is, "HURRY UP JULY 16!" I don't know about you, but I'll be waiting in line ALL day on July 16 so I can be the first in the store to read it. But, unfortunately, I live in California, so almost everyone else in the world will be reading HBP before me.

Hi Mumbai_Masti, Where is this article from? Could you please give the source? Thanks!

My opinion on this article:

Though this was an interesting piece, I feel that it is faulty in several aspects.

I agree with the assessment of OWL results and the assessment of relationships.

I also find it interesting how the author linked the "lion" person described in the short quote to "Godric Gryffindor. However, there is one point to be noted here. Godric Gryffindor has been dead for centuries! So unless he has been in hiding for a long time, living off immortality medicines, it is highly unlikely that Gryffindor is the new DADA teacher.

The speculations about the deaths are really "speculations" and would make a good fan-fic. However, so far, we have not been able to get any solid evidence from the books themselves about foreshadowing of deaths.

About Godric Gryffindor as the HBP: I would have possibly agreed with the author except that one tiny thing is bothering me -- Godric Gryffindor used to be friends with Salazar Slytherin! From the Sorting Hat's Song in OoTP:

"For were there such friends anywhere / As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair / Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?" (p. 185, Scholastic Ed.)

"Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those/Whose ancestry is purest'" (p. 185)

I highly doubt that a pure-blood fanatic like Slytherin would have been such good friends with Gryffindor if he was a half-blood!

Perhaps Gryffindor was a champion of half-bloods - in the sense that he supported them in front of Slytherin. Remember how Voldy called Dumbledore a "muggle-loving fool"?

But, then this raises the question of whether the Half-Blood Prince is a half-blood himself? Did JKR specifically mention that? 😕

sorry mysti for not to post the source

i've taken this article from muggle central......