There’s many groups of spoilers going around.
I would just say that the one with the most solid evidence (pictures of the books pages, including the prologue) contradicts the ones you listed as the prologue includes one of the characters that the Border’s people claim dies. 
Look, gang, the idea was that this was the thread for DISCUSSION of the new book AFTER it comes out. The whole point was to have one thread for such discussion (partly, to avoid people starting a thread with a title like “Snape is Harry’s Father” or whatever.)
There are plenty of threads for speculation. Please, please, help us out: if this thread is 200 posts long before the book is available, it’s defeating the whole purpose.
I don’t expect to see any posts here until after Saturday morning.
The New York Times reviewed it today and said, “With each installment, the “Potter” series has grown increasingly dark, and this volume — a copy of which was purchased at a New York City store yesterday, though the book is embargoed for release until 12:01 a.m. on Saturday — is no exception.”
Seriously, dude, shocked that he’d admit it?
The stuff people talk about here. . .and you’re shocked that someone mentioned he got an advance copy of Harry Potter? The Horror!
Not much for spoilers in the Times review, but the guy did like it and said this, “Getting to the finish line is not seamless — the last part of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh and final book in the series, has some lumpy passages of exposition and a couple of clunky detours — but the overall conclusion and its determination of the main characters’ story lines possess a convincing inevitability that make some of the prepublication speculation seem curiously blinkered in retrospect.”
I’ve read some of the spoiler sites, and every one so far had a certain fishy foul stench to it. Of the four, they contradicted each other to a great extent, and all of them read like any of the previous prediction threads here.
My skepticism has my sense of expectation intact. I can hardly wait to get home from my EMT certification exam to find my box from Amazon waiting…
Sigh.
No, I’m not Rowling, but I am reading the actual book.
Let’s please keep the spoilers from the actual book so the thread doesn’t become ridiculous.
Okay, we’re 9 1/2 hours from release so I’ll comment on my favorite parts of the beginning of the book. I’ll spoiler-box them, since some consider any information at all to be spoilers.
[spoiler]I love the line by Mad-Eye: Even Voldemort can’t split himself into seven pieces!
Poor, clueless Mad-Eye. 
I love that Rowling keeps George and Fred’s humor alive even after George lost his ear(and has a hole in the side of his head.
“How do you feel, George?”
"Saintlike…I’m holey…HOLEY!"
[/spoiler]
I’m at that wonderful early part of the book where mysteries are just building. I’ll make one ridiculously bold guess about a relatively minor spoiler(though I’ll spoiler -box it to be safe). It is meaningless if you haven’t gotten to chapter 7 yet, but you 'll know what I’m talking about if you have.
[spoiler]“I open at the close.”
Hmmmmm. I’m wondering if the quote is continued on Gryffindor’s sword and the last word isn’t close, but “closest” or “closet”.
My wife thinks I’m crazy, but that’s my guess.[/spoiler]
Well, if those are actual spoilers I’d say the version I, er, saw is 1.7mb of fanfic pretending to be Book 7. No problem. I can still maintain my superiority to my children because they don’t need to know Pop was taken in by a cheap fake since I only skimmed it.
Well, I just finished the book. I did my best to stay away from any and all spoilers, and it was really nice going into it not knowing what to expect.
As I understand the rules, spoiler boxes are no longer required, so proceed with caution.
The ONLY actual spoiler I read, was that two characters were going to die. Even THAT was total bull - first off was Hedwig, the LAST character I ever expected would die! Once Rowling resorts to killing off Harry’s pet, I knew anything was game. There was that nice teaser there with Hagrid…it seems like the fans have been wanting him to die ever since book 4…only to quickly reveal that Mad Eye had been the fallen warrior instead. I had my suspicions that Mad Eye wasn’t actually dead, since they never did collect a body, and if that 2 person spoiler was true, then I KNEW he wasn’t dead, cuz no way was Voldemort gonna survive. And then go Dobby (yay!), Crabbe, Snape (at least his history was explained, even though he did go out like a wuss), Fred (aww), Lupin (NO!!!), Dora, another nice tease with Harry, and then finally Voldemort, and the other 50 random people.
I’m curious as to which other legit, and non-legit spoilers have been passed around.
And as far as the experience, well, this was definitely the most DIFFERENT of all the Harry Potter books. It has so many political undertones that I won’t even get into…it was hard to believe that with the Death Eaters taking over everything, including Hogwarts, that the parents would even send their kids back there, especially the ones who knew what was really going on. After reading book 6, I was excited about the prospect of book 7 being about Harry on the search for the Horcruxes, although it didn’t really go the way I was hoping. It was a letdown the Lupin didn’t end up joining them, since he was my favorite character in the series. It was also nice how they wrapped up nearly everything I was still wondering about, up to and including just WHY everybody is so afraid to say Voldemort’s name, and what it would really do. I thought the epilogue was incredibly cheezy, although it was cute that Harry named his son Albus. I wish there was some kind of mention of what Harry was actually doing with his life now…did he end up becoming an Auror? A hogwarts teacher? Professional quidditch player? A position of power that he never asked for, but still accepted? And really, no mention of whatever happened to the Dursleys?
Now that I’ve read the entire series, my ranking from favorite to least favorite is 3, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 4
Just finished chapter 15, and I’m really annoyed by one thing, which I will box since it’s a major plot thing, and the release time has not come yet: Why the fuck are they wearing the locket, when they know it’s poisoning their minds? Sure, don’t leave it in the tent, but could they at least try putting it in a pocket or, gee, Harry’s superswell bag that only he can get stuff out of?
Ok, got that off my chest. I’ll just say that also, I like how Rowling is throwing in some more adult language type stuff, without actually having them swear, which somehow seems out of place in a HP book. Didn’t someone say, “Merlin’s wrinkled left -” and then get cut off? Several “effings” so far as well, and loved Ron saying how his book on how to pick up chicks “isn’t just about wandwork.”
Seems to me you’ve misunderstood the rules. The book isn’t out yet, so people might still be wandering in here and not expecting to see specific spoilers set out without spoiler boxes, as yours are. CKDexter said quite specifically "Look, gang, the idea was that this was the thread for DISCUSSION of the new book AFTER it comes out. . . . I don’t expect to see any posts here until after Saturday morning."
Not sure what part of “AFTER it comes out” and “Saturday morning” you misunderstood.
I didn’t see a mention of that in the OP. Mods, feel free to put a spoiler box on my post.
I’ve emailed a mod to point up the urgency of your request, fusoya, and I’m posting about it here so there isn’t too big a flood of such “heads-up” reports from other Dopers.
I’m beginning to regret that joke I made in post #13…
Um, I’d say the misunderstanding stems from the fact that what you bolded isn’t in the OP. Reread the OP, and he explicitly states that (1) spoiler boxes aren’t required after the first 10 posts, and (2) if you want to avoid spoilers, avoid this thread. Also, “I don’t expect to see any posts here until after Saturday morning” is not the same as, “Don’t post here until after Saturday morning.”
People already have the book, through whatever means, and they’re discussing it. And this is the place for it. Where’s the harm?
I will state again that I certainly do NOT mean any harm or jerkiness with my earlier post. One of the reasons that I read the book so fast is that I didn’t want to be spoiled myself, as I was with book 6. I really doubt I’m the only doper who has finished the book and I wanted to get the ball rolling. Since the OP did clearly state that boxes weren’t required after the first 10 posts, and it’s also clearly stated that you are ready to be spoiled by entering this thread, I didn’t see the harm in what I wrote. The fact that my post has not been edited means either the mods feel the same way, or they’re afraid to read what I wrote themselves, in the process of boxing it 
Thanks, Apprentice Moderator! Of course, the thread is specifically, unquestionably for spoilers, and the book IS out by now, depending what time zone you’re in. This thread is for spoilers, so if you don’t want spoilers, get out.
I’ve read the book. Wanna know what happens?
Rick, I PMed you.
Yes, I want to know what happens.
(looking at my watch) Before anybody posts any REAL spoilers, one last comment on the spoiler sites. I still don’t know if my download is good, and won’t until I pry the real books from my daughters’ hands in the morning, but, sweet zombie Jesus, the spoiler sites are all over the place! Some are way far away, some describe what I scanned, near as I can tell, and one is only close if i assume some of their spoilers are whatever the spoiler equivalent to a pun is. Purposely misleading, but they can point to how they were right, in a way. This is almost annoying enough to get me to actually read it!
Either way, my opinion is the same: they are ripping yarns and very entertaining, but the woman can’t write. I like the movies.
The guy was a weasel all along. Until, oh, 50 minutes ago my kids held out hope for him, but DUH!
We can talk about the book now, right? It’s been on sale for half a day.
First, Mrs Weasley’s ‘NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH’ was so damned awesome that I had to put my book down and cheer. Percy’s return was nicely played, too.
Almost none of my predictions came true, but it was fun reading as they were shot down in flames. Hedwig’s death was a great start to the book, and maybe I’m just mean, but I wanted more students dead in the final battle. Remus and Tonks were unexpected (by me, anyway, lots of people had predicted Lupin’s death).
I loved the darkness in it - the wandless begging in Diagon Alley in particular. Potterwatch Radio was a neat idea.
Oh god yes! I thought I’d just missed something whereby they HAD to wear it, but maybe they were just really bloody stupid.
I had heaps to say as I was reading it, but it’s all gone out of my head now.