Im back again!
I got this information from the Gryffindor Gazette. sorry if its been posted b4.
PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT HP BOOK
I. Subversion vs. Death
Lets start with the caveat here. The two most interesting 'big picture' questions for HP 7 which affect all of my predictions below are as follows:
A How subversive will it be of the things we think we know?
In other words, how much have we been told so far that is not true? For example, is Dumbledore not really dead? Are Harry's parents, or Sirius or his brother Regulus not really dead? Is someone else Harry's real father? Etc, etc... The speculation you run across is almost endless.
Personally, I hope we don't see much of bringing people back from the dead or discovering too many secret identities. Certainly it would violate the whole series of Dumbledore, Sirius and/or Harry's parent's aren't really dead (Harry's parents not being dead wouldn't fit their emergence from Voldemort's wand, nor with Harry's memories of that night), or Snape isn't really Snape (which would create problems with his memories). And my predictions are based on the idea that most of the surprises in book 7 will be new information that fills gaps, not things that totally invalidate facts from the earlier books.
But lets review two things that we think we know, that some people have speculated might not be the case:
1. Is Dumbledore dead?
Yes, Dumbledore is dead. Lets look specifically at Dumbledore's death. While there are certainly enough oddities to sustain speculation that Dumbledore really isn't dead, or has some way to come back, or left a horcrux of his own behind, I do think he is more sincerely dead. First of all, Dumbledore has been telling both Harry and Voldemort for years that there are things worse than death, that death is a natural part of life and should not be feared, etc. And a critical theme at the end of book 5 (especially Harry's conversation with Nearly Headless Nick), as well as the episode with the Mirror of Erised in book 1, was the need for Harry to learn that death is real and final. It would be a real breach of faith with the tenor of the story and Dumbledore's character for him not to be dead. And, of course, Dumbledore would naturally regard the making of a horcrux -- which requires a murder, people -- as abhorrent on several levels.
We may, yet, see Fawkes again, if someone shows real loyalty to Dumbledore. And we'll doubtless see a conversation with Dumbledore's portrait, although I suspect that once again, the portrait will have to remind Harry that he's just a painting, less even that a ghost; he isn't the real Dumbledore and thus can't provide information or pliot strategy. The most ha can do is reflect the personality of the original.
On the other hand, the suggestion that Dumbledore has left behind extra memories to guide Harry, to be sed in the Pensieve, seems fairly likely. In a lengthy must-read three part interview, I'll excerpt repeatedly here, JKR makes clear that we will see more of Dumbledore's thinking come back to light in Book 7.
2. Is Regulus Black dead?
I agree with the general consensus that "R.A.B" who had preceded Harry and Dumbledore to the cave and had figured out atleast something about Voldemorts' horcruxes is likely to be Sirius' brother Regulus Black. There are just too many hints dropped about Regulus for him to be a red herring -- after all, other than Snape and Karkaraoff, he's the only known defector from the death eaters -- and he fits too well with the information in the note.
On the other hand, the most intriguing line in the whole book 6 is when Dumbledore says to Malfoy, "we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine." It is likely that JKR is setting up someone who is believed to be dead and gone who's actually in hiding or disguised as someone else, and Regulus seems a likely candidate -- he ahd the need since he was leaving the death eaters (as Dumbledore was suggesting Malfoy to do); and while he's presumed dead, nobody seems to know the actualy circumstances of his death. If it's Regulus and as someone has noted "regulus" has an association means lion as "Sirius" and "remus" could do with dog and wolf, he could be Scrimgeour, who repeatedly referenced as having hair like a lion's mane ( a fact that is almost certain to have some meaning in book 7, wheter as an animagus or in reference to Gryffindor or both. This would be quite the accomplishment for a guy in witness protection, becoming head of state.
But: If Regulus lives, as Scrimgeour or as someone else, abd Dumbledore knows where he is, does that mean that Dumbledore knew or should have known that he and Harry were risking life and limb chasing a horcrux that wasn't there? That's what bothers me. Although it may be that, wherver he is, Regulus' cover keeps him from knowing that Dumbledore is hot on the trail of horcruxes.
I'm shying away from an explicit prediction here. In either event, I do think that Harry will get more information from, or left behind by Regulus, but it would make book 7 rather anti-climactic if Regulus could guide Harry through everything.
(Note: I've speculated somewhere that Regulus could be Crookshanks, the cat, but JKR has apparently insisted that Crookshanks is not an animagus.)
B. Will JKR break faith with these being children's books and kill off one of Harry/Ron/Hermione?
Thats the other big one. I can't see her killing Hermione, but Ron has done nothing useful since risking his neck in book 1, and I do think he'll ahve to comew in handy again. But it would be, to my mind, a major shock to the many young readers of the books to kill one of the three major characters.
I say she doesn't kill any of them, but more on Harry below.
II Truth and Belief
We were left with atleast two big particular questions at the end of book 6:
A Is Snape still really working on the good side and/or against Voldemort?
B Is Harry himself, or Harry's scar a horcrux, such that Harry may have to die to kill Voldemort?
I will say this conclusively: because both of these questions potentially present mortal dangers to Harry -- and Voldemort -- based upon how they are answered, I believe that Harry will be put in a position that he tries to answer them before he tries to find what the answers are. For example, he may be asked by Snape to trust Snape, based only on what Snape tells him -- nad have to decide whether he believes him. ANd he may decide that he has to die to be rid of Voldemort -- only to have a horrified Ron and Hermione ( andperhaps Ginny as well) try to talk him out of it. The dramamtic possibilities of Harry not knowing the answers to these questions are just too juicy for Rowling to pass up.
III Snape's loyalties
There has been endless discussions about whether Snape is on the good side and/or working against Voldemort, not withstanding haing killed Dumbledore, and I won't rehash that all here. I don think, first of all, that Snape (a) changed his allegiance between books 1 and 6, as sopposed to having been a traitor to Dumbledore all along (b) was always consciously working both sides, or was (c) plotting to eliminate both Voldemort and Dumbleore for his own Saruman-like purposes. That said, I do think that when all is aid and done, it will be proven that Snape was working and continues to work for Voldemort's downfall and Harry's protection.
It's been strongly hinted at that Snape -- who is endlessly critical of James Potter and Sirius but never says a bad word against Harry's mother Lily, had a thing for Lily. JKR drops further hints in that direction. Theres this:
ES: Was James the only one who had romantic feelings for Lily?
JKR: No. [Pause]. She was like Ginny. She was a popular girl.
ES: Snape?
JKR: Thats a theory that has been put to me repeatedly.
ES: Lupin?
JKR: I can answer either one...Lupin was very fond of Lily, well we'll put it like that, but I wouldnt want any one to run around thinking that he competed with James for her. She was a popular girl, and that is relevant.
AND THIS:
MA: Oh here's one [from our forums] that I've really got to ask you. Has Snape ever been loved by anyone?
JKR: Yes, he has, which in some ways makes him more culpable than Voldemort, who never has.
Of course JKR could just mean he had parents. If Snape was in love wioth Lily, (who, like Snape, was a potions expert), this would explain/open several possiilities:
* It would confirm the importance of Slughorn's observations about the dangers of obsessive love.
* It would explain why Snape's worst memory is and instance when he snapped at Lily and she sided with james.
* It's possible -- vindicating Hermione's insistence about the Half-Blood Prince was atleast partly of the work of his mother, as well as Snape ( that would explain the girlish handwriting, and if she had a schoolgirl crush on him at some point, "the property of the Half--Blood Prince" is the kind of thing a teenager would put at the back of his book), and it would explain why Snape hung onto that thing in his classroom for years as a momento and why he'd be incensed when Harry found it.
(A side note: I only noticed it long after the fact, but we saw Snape use atleast some form of the Half-Blood Prince's Sectumsempra spell once before book 6 in the "Snape's Worst Memory" chapter in book 5. He casts a spell on James Potter that opens a gash on his face.)
* Regardless of where his loyalties lie, I do think that Snape has take the unbreakable vow with Dumbledore at some point, possibly a vow to protect/not harm Harry, which would explain both why Dumbledore trusted him and why he never harmed Harry. But it's possible there was a parralel vow between Snape and Voldemort: Voldemort promised Sanpe he wouldn't harm Lily, which would explain why Voldemort tried to get her out of the way rather than kill Lily to get to Harry straight.
In fact, if Dumbledore has made the Unbreakable Vow not to kill Lily and then he tried anyway, that would explain what really went wrong for him that night. Or if he just made a regular promise, perhaps Snape was there. Either way, the "Snape turned away from Voldemort because Voldemort killed Lily" storyline has something in it.
IV The Horcruxes
Ok, we've been told that Voldemort's soul is seven pieces, six horcruxes and Voldemort himself. As she must to keep the plot manageable, JKR confirms this is the case:
Dumbledore's guesses are never far wide of the mark. I don't want to give too much away here, but Dumbledore says, "There are four out there, you have to get rid of four, and then you go for Voldemort." So thats where he is and thats what hes got to do.
ES: Its a tall order
JKR: Its a huge order. But Dumbledore has give him some pretty valuable clues and Harry, also in the course of previous six books has ammased more knowledge than he realises. Thats all I'm going to say.
ES: It seems that it would be impossible. If Harry had never gone to the cave, he never could have done it on his own, it seems like.
JKR: Well, I'm prepared to bet you now, that atleast before the week is out. that atleast one of the horcruxes will have been identified by the caeful rereaders of the books.
MA: Someone put it to me last night, that if Ginny with the diary -
JKR: Harry definitely destroyed that piece of soul, you saw it take shape, and you saw it destroyed, it's gone. And Ginny is definitely in no way possessed by Dumbledore.
So we have:
1.Voldemort
2. The diary (destroyed)
3. The ring (destroyed)
4.Probably the locket (more on this below)
5.Perhaps the snake, Nagini.
6.Perhaps Hufflepuff's cup
7. Perhaps something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's.
Well, I've tried to be a careful re-reader, and I;ve got some predictions on the horcruxes and what Harry has to do to get them. But bear in mind that we don;t yet know (a) how one makes a horcrux (b)how being a horcrux affects a person/object/creature, other than that Riddle's diary took on a life of its own, and (c) how you destroy the horcrux, if this can be done without destroying the person/object/creature. That said, the nominations:
A The Sorting Hat
First of all, I assume that precisely one Horcrux will be at Hogwarts, so Harry must return there but also go else where . (JKR has confirmed that there are no more Quidditch scenes), which implies that Harry will keep his vow not to go back to the school. But the school is too important for the saga, and many key characters will be there, for there not to be scenes at the school.
Second, think misdirection, as well as the fact that Rowling has hinted that we know some/all of the horcruxes already. Dumbledore points to the sword and says it is the only Gryffindor relic. We know its not, and that there is one ancient, enchanted object belonging to Gryffindor, and has a connection to all four founders, and that would amuse Voldemort because it sits under the headmaster's nose: the Sorting hat. (The hat says in one of its songs that Gryffindor that oulled the hat of his head.) It would have to have become a horcrux after the diary, since otherwise the teeage riddle would not have been so contemptuous of Fawkes bringing the hat into the Chamber of Secrets.
Only two reasons to think otherwise: First, when would Voldemort have been alone with the hat? It is possible that he made the horcrux with that little flick of the wand Harry saw in the memory of Dumbledore's meeting in his office?
And second, can athing me a horcrux and not show signs of Voldemorts' personality ( the hat clearly willing to warn and work against him although it did briefly try to convinve Harry to join Slytherin)
Still, I consider that the hat is an excellent candidate. Consider this remarlk by Rowling in 2000, prior to the publication of book 4.
The character which you might be most surprised to see evolve is none other than the Sorting Hat. "There is more to the Sorting Hat that you have read about in the first three books." Rowling says, "Readers will found out what the Sorting Hat becomes as they get into future books."
Well, we saw the Sorting Hat warn the students to stand united against Voldemort, but otherwise, it hasn;'t done much in books 4 and 5 and didn't appear at all in book 6. Sounds to me that there are still more surprises to come with the Sorting Hat inbook 7, and being a Horcrux could well be it.
Runner-up possibilities: The sword or Harry's invisibilty cloak.
B. The locket.
We know Voldemort had a Horcrux in the cave. It was probably the locket, which presumably made its way (via Regulus) back to Grimmauld place (recall the heavy locket which wouldn't open. from book 5), and which I assume, was them stolen and fenced by Mundungus. Tracing the locket will provide a good story
Now I am Damn Tired...Will Post More Later.
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