The Penultimate Word

In anticipation of the publication of The Deathly Hollows, the seventh and last book in the Harry Potter series, I recently re-read the first six front-to-back. I had not read the early books in years, and it was interesting to see how consistent Rowling was from book to book. She carefully builds up the Potter mythology and rarely contradicts herself (although I don’t understand how house elfs can Apparate at Hogwarts while no one else can). The early books were much darker than I had remembered, probably because of foreknowledge of later events and revelations. Quirrell seemed much more menacing the second time around than the first.

This what I think will happen book 7:

• Draco will join the good guys. He already showed that his heart is not really in being a Deatheater, and since Voldemort threatened to kill him if he didn’t murder Dumbeldore, he is in mortal peril and his only hope of protection is with the Order.
• Aunt Petunia knows a lot moe than she is letting on. She knows what a howler is and what a dementor is, and she is, after all, Lily’s sister. She is probably a Squib.
• The “R.A.B.” who stole the horcrux Harry and Dumbledore were after in The Half-Blood Prince is clearly Regulus Black, Sirius’s brother. The note left by R.A.B. in the locket fits in with the story Sirius told about his brother. I think Regulus hid the real horcrux in the Black house. Kreacher knows Regulus hid something important in the house, but is not sure what it is, which is why he was hoarding all that stuff in The Order of the Phoenix. It is possible that Mundungus inadvertantly stole the horcrux when he was looting the house after Sirius’s death and sold it.
• Harry is not a horcrux, as some have speculated. It takes some effort to make one, and Voldemort was intent on killing Harry and to his great surprise almost destroyed himself when he couldn’t.
• Dumbledore will not return. His death and funeral were written with too much finality by Rowling to allow that. He may, like Obe Wan Kenobi, put in a cameo, but that will be it.
• Snape will turn out to be a good guy. In The Half-Blood Prince, he very carefully did not kill anyone except Dumbledore, and went out of his way to protect everyone else. I still don’t know why Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him and why Snape agreed and I will be interested to see how Rowling handles that.
• Neville plays an important part. He grew tremendously in The Half-Blood Prince, and I think Rowling is setting him up for bigger things in book 7.
• Harry dies. Everything points that way.

Other HP speculation here. This is a good site for the completely obsessed.

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