Potter finale NOW: book discussion! xxxxx SPOILERS!!!!

[VAN]

I believe Ron.

Harry is the main hero, I doubt he will die and since Ron is his best friend he might toss himeslf in front of Harry in order to protect him.

[BigBadQDaddy]

I say Harry dies.
After all Neville is the real chosen one.

Other then that either Snape or Malfoy, with leanings toward Snape. Malfoy was played very sympathetically as of THBP and it would be kind of strange to off him after seeing him in such a light. It is almost as if JKR is setting him up in some sort of redemptive light.
I see Snape dying in a way that confirms all along that he could be trusted.

[Catman Jim]

Other then that either Snape or Malfoy, with leanings toward Snape. Malfoy was played very sympathetically as of THBP and it would be kind of strange to off him after seeing him in such a light. It is almost as if JKR is setting him up in some sort of redemptive light.
I see Snape dying in a way that confirms all along that he could be trusted.

I just finished re-reading HBP, I totally agree. I do also see Neville doing an "Inago Montoya" on Bellatrix Lastrange, as in "You took my parents from me, Prepare to die".

[Pamela]

I agree with you two that Snape is probably going to die, and prove himself trustworthy. I really hope I'm wrong though; I like that guy! But he's got the same problem Sirius had: too many witnesses and bad press.

I'll be very surprised if Rowling kills Harry; not a smart idea with a kids' series. I do wonder about Ron and Hermione, but I think Rowling'll leave 'em be. She's had Harry lose his parents, Sirius and Dumbledore; give the kid a break already!

I also agree with you, Catman Jim, about Neville and Bellatrix having one final duo.

My husband thinks that Hagrid will die. I have to admit that I wouldn't mind.

[Catman Jim]

She's had Harry lose his parents, Sirius and Dumbledore; give the kid a break already!

Possible Spoilers below




I'm not convinced that Sirius & Dumbledore are irretrievably dead. Sirius fell through the archway in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries at the moment he was hit with the Avada Kadavra curse. It was strongly hinted in the Order of the Phoenix movie that he would be returning. (The scene near the end of the movie when Luna was telling Harry that things come back to you eventually, and we saw her shoes suspended in an archway). Also, Dumbledore is much too closely tied to Fawkes the phoenix for me to believe that he is not going to rise from his own ashes. I am one that believes that his final plea to Snape in the "Half-blood Prince" (Snape... please...) was a request for Snape to in fact kill him, and was not a plea for mercy. It served to protect young Malfoy, keep Snape from being outed as a spy, and Dumbledore had no other way to regenerate his withered hand than to be re-born.

[Pamela]

I agree with you that Dumbledore is pleading for Snape to kill him, knowing about the Unbreakable Vow and also Malfoy's reluctance to do the deed himself. I've also wondered about his connection to Fawkes; was his portrait in the Headmaster's study asleep because he was new to death, or because he isn't completely gone yet? But I don't think it's likely- not after Voldemort's own scramble for any form of immortality.


I do think that Harry might try to speak with the dead in that Ministry room. Dumbledore certainly hasn't told him everything he needs to know to arm himself for Voldemort, and I don't think he's going to find that kind of info easily otherwise.

[Catman Jim]

It is currently believed that the snake Nagini is one of Voldemort's horcruxes, formed by yet another splitting of his soul in an act of murder. Might there also be an as-yet-described positive form of horcrux, formed by an act of sacrifice, that Dumbledore has instilled part of his soul in Fawkes the phoenix? That Dumbledore is in a portrait is not neccesarily an indicator of his permanent death, Lockheart had portraits of himself after all.

[Catman Jim]

"Mischief Managed" - I know

Got my copy at midnight, got my daughter to let me have it first, as it's my birthday.

HAH!

[Pamela]

Our copy came in the mail at 7:37 am, and my husband and I are sharing it, four chapters at a time.

No spoilers, I promise.

[Jester of the FoS]

My theories:

* Ron lives. He confesses his love for Hermionie and they live happily ever after. JKR is too predictable and has been pairing too many people off for her to to neglect this. People give her too much credit as a killer
* Black comes back
* Nevil kills Voldemort
* Harry graduates and works on becoming the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher breaking the cycle of a new one each year
* Dumbledore stays dead but his ghost/spirit pop in Obi Wan style
* Ginny and Harry (I called this one welllll before HBP)
* Snape loved Lily and proves himself
* Wormtail betrays Vold setting up big V's final fall

[alhoon]

Today I have bought the book and of course read the final 2 chapters. I won't say who is right or who is wrong though. I just wanted to brag that I have the book.

[steveflam]

I bought the book this morning at 9:45 and finished reading it around 8 p.m!

[VAN]

Got my copy at midnight, got my daughter to let me have it first, as it's my birthday.HAH!

Happy belate Birthday Catman Jim!

[Scarycount]

I got the book at the midnight thing at the local bookstore, and it took me 48 hours to finish it. I won't say what happens, but I will say it is really cool.

[Joël of the FoS]

Had a busy weekend, so I finished it only yesterday night.

Rereading this thread. Boy, were we wrong

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOWS
























I liked the rythm of the book, very different from other books that were rythmed after the school year.

The wand vs wand ending was brilliant, I think. That was something we could not foresee, even while reading the 7th.

I was expecting Inferi made of people Harry knew, but I was wrong there.

But Dumbledore made a come back à la ObiWan, so I got this one right. But Ron/Hermione didn't die in a dramatic way.

While Neville proved his value and courage, he didn't kill Belatrix (loved her in the 5th movie) as I expected.

I liked the final fate of the Malefoys, and in the last scene, when Draco nods at Harry. Nice touch.

I'm happy the supposed revelations on the web were wrong (that Hagrid and Hermione died), so that didn't spoil the fun of reading the book.

David wrote: Snape loved Lily and proves himself

Great guess, dude