In other news: George R.R. Martin has announced that several characters will die in his next book, A Feast of Crows.
Sorry.
I don’t think this is a spoiler, for the simple reason that it’s something the author wants us to know in advance. If anyone can judge whether a piece of information will spoil anything, it’s her.
That said, I think that Dumbledore and Neville are both going to die, but not until the last book. I don’t think that she’d be cruel enough to kill of Lupin, since he’s the closest thing Harry has left to a father figure. And various Death Eaters may die, but I don’t think that warrents an announcement.
So that leaves Hagrid, McGonagal, or Snape, at my guess.
Just a note…Rowling’s site doesn’t actually confirm someone will die in the next book.
It confirms that at least one more character will die before the end of the series. The quote - from the ‘about the books’ FAQ is ‘Q. Do you plan to kill off any more characters. A. yes. sorry.’ No mention of how many will die, or in which of the two remaining books.
Lupin always seems to be a favourite in the death pool by fans, which I’ve never been able to understand. He’s my favourite, but a lot of people seem to think that because he’s generally kind-hearted and friendly, he’s doomed to die like Cedric Diggory.
I suspect it might be Dumbledore, just because she can’t keep having a Dumbledore Ex Machina almost every book, and if Dumbledore isn’t gone by the end of the 7th book, we’ll all just be waiting for him to swoop in and save the day.
Unless, of course, he’s secretly evil and in league with Voldemort 
I suspect that Dumbledore will die, and Lupin will step in as the head of the Order. He seems to be pretty much running it anyway, and Tonks and Moody seem to report to him.
I was going to mention that she said she’d kill someone else in the next two books, but I see Tengu beat me to it.
She’ll never do it. She’s got some stick way up there that DRaco is utterly, ridiculously, pointlessly evil. Why? I don’t know. He might not even be death-eater evil. But still that’s the way she is.It would probably be abetter story if he did become a sort of reluctant hero - it would even play better off of Harry, but she’s really not that creative in using her characters. They are, ultimately, entirely static.
Well, its not like he’d ever talk in the film. Honestly, how many of the extras have said more than one line in the films? She doesn’t even want us Yanks hanging around in the background wearing robes, for some ungodly reason.
Oh, well, if you’re talking about extras then I don’t see what the problem would be in hiring a couple of American children.
Her use of Umbridge in Book 5 demonstrates the difference.
Anyway, I expect Dumbledore to die near the end of Book 6, but I’m not so sure it won’t be a natural death. Everyone keeps saying how old he is, don’t they?
If we accept that, will anyone be killed? I do like the idea of Lucius Malfoy biting the big one, but I think a more likely candidate is Ron. It has been predicted by Trelawney (well, she said either Ron or Harry, but this is Book 6…) and would give Rowling a whole book to explore the effects of the loss of one of the Golden Trio.
How about Percy? Perhaps he will find out that he has made the wrong kind of friends and end up sacrificing to save someone.
I keep expecting Dumbledore’s brother to become a major character. He’s been mentioned in passing several times. My guess is he’s a Death Eater.
It’s odd that the witching world hasn’t written a history of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Maybe that would be a good job for Hermione.
I heard someone at school saying that THBP will be out in December. But the girl I heard it from is an attention ho, so I don’t exactly trust her information. Does anyone have any idea when it will be released?
I think the chess game in Book One is major, major foreshadowing. For those who don’t have the book with them, the good guys are the Black pieces: Ron is playing a knight, Harry a bishop, and Hermione a castle. The description of their White antagonists is faintly reminiscent of the masked Death Eaters:
The other Black knight is the first piece to fall:
I’m pretty sure this foreshadows Sirius Black’s death at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.
The knight’s fall leaves Hermione free to take a White bishop – presumably, Harry’s counterpart among the bad guys. I think this is probably Draco Malfoy. So far he’s all talk and no action, but I can see his mudblood-baiting taking on a murderous edge now that his world has been shattered by his father’s arrest. I have a feeling he’s going to go after Hermione in Book Six and she’ll end up killing him in self-defense.
Much later, at the end of the game, Ron allows himself to be taken by the same queen in order to allow Harry to checkmate the king.
Conclusion: At the end of Book Seven, Ron is going to die in some self-sacrificing and heroic way at Bellatrix’s hands, while Harry defeats Voldemort. (And if Neville doesn’t take out Bellatrix after that, I, for one, will feel cheated.)
Whew, that was geeky. For the record, I think Peter and Snape are also toast (and they’ll both go out in some grand, redemptive way), and Dumbledore’s probably going to die as well.
I don’t see what the obsession is with putting Americans in the movie. The United states has the most powerful movie industry in the Western world. Surely some room should be made for people in the rest of the world, especially in a movie that is, largely, about Britain.
Aberforth could be a double agent, I guess. He was in the Order the first time around, and he – as the owner of the Hog’s Head – has reported to Dumbledore. But it could all be a ruse.
Everyone’s expecting there to be a traitor in the Order, though Rowling of course never said there would be. Still, she does like her symmetry, and there was a traitor the first time around.
Personally, I have my eye on Tonks and Kingsley. She seems to goofy to be a threat, and he seems too decent. Those are always warning bells in this series
Rowling has not announced the date, yet. All she’s said is that she was “halfway through” as of last August. She also said her pregnancy would “not interfere with the timing of the book,” which people have taken to mean that she’ll have sent the book off to her publisher before her due date – estimated at some time in December.
Of course, that’s a big assumption.
I’ve always liked the “Rowling’s Chessgame” theory. I was introduced to it just as I started reading the books, so I’ve been looking for any hints that it might be true as I’ve read. It’s probably my favourite wild theory, even more so than the “Drooble’s-Best-Blowing-Gum”-is-an-anagram-for-“Gold-bribe-beneath-St-Mungo’s” theory that’s so popular now.
I noticed at one point – Goblet of Fire, I believe – Malfoy is described as being dressed “like a vicar.” Bellatrix is described as being seated as if “in a throne.”
There’s even a sub-theory that – since Ron was commanding the battlefield – he’s sort of more like the King and not the Knight, and maybe someone will die in his place. It’s possible. After all, “Weasley is our king,” and he was wearing a crown next to Hermione is one of Harry’s dreams.
I’m sure that Dumbledore won’t live to see the end of the series, but whether he dies in book 6 or book 7 I have no idea. I, too, have thought that Aberforth might secretly be a Death Eater, and he might betray Albus to his death. Or, possibly, a Death Eater uses polyjuice to impersonate Aberforth, and he kills Albus when his back is turned.
Also, I think Peter Pettigrew will kill Lupin. After all, Peter has a silver hand, and Lupin is a werewolf…
Actually, I predict that Peter will get the order to kill either Remus or one of the Weasleys, but won’t actually do it – I get the impression, especially from the opening of GoF, that fear is the only thing binding him to Voldemort, and it’ll take just one tiny push to make Peter turn against him for good. (And, of course, he’s going to die as a result, although I wish he wouldn’t. I rather like the little rat.)
One more prediction: I think Penelope Clearwater, Percy’s girlfriend, will be one of the first to go after Voldemort starts taking out hits on Muggle-borns, and this will drive Percy to reconcile with his family.
I would bet on Dumbledore or Percy dieing.
Dumbledore because I think Harry needs to face Voldermort alone. And Percy because that’s who my dad says will die. And he’s rarely wrong about these things.
My money’s on Snapes. He’ll be caught by the bad guys as a spy. Draco’s redemption, if it happens, will be a moral of the maleability of children, although I think even if Lucius is killed that Draco still might blame Harry.
As for Rowling’s not wanting Americans involved, it’s just ignorant. I watched a movie this weekend with Cate Winslet as an American, it didn’t ruin the movie. If they can play the role, write the script, etc., and all other factors are equal, then why not consider them. I do think that having certain people playing roles would be a distraction, Jim Carrey (who is anyway Canadian) would be a distraction.
Percy is a good bet, but I cannot see killing off a family member.
I am betting on the release being for next summer. Just like last time. I haven’t heard a thing about an Xmas release this year…not that I have any insider info, but I would be quite STOKED to get it for myself to give it to myself in front of my SIL who thinks that Harry Potter is the Gateway to the Devil.
HAH!
Everyone knows it’s AC/DC.