I’ve a secret (no more) fear that one of the twins will die.
Anyone else get the feeling that the two characters who are killed off will be connected somehow? Like Arthur and Molly, Remus and Tonks, or Fred and George?
Not sure what constitutes a “major character”. Deliberately vague is the way to go sometimes. 
Not Arthur and Molly, surely. :eek:
What if one of the character’s deaths occurs quite early and impacts on the another major character, thereby tipping the scales one way or another?
To illustrate:
Say Draco buys it in the second chapter–Snape tried to prevent it and couldn’t. (oops, am forgetting about the Unbreakable Vow here but never let facts get in the way of good speculation!)–anyhoo, Snape, witnessing a student’s death that he feels responsible for, has an epiphany. He struggles the entire book to help Harry, but always it looks like he is trying to impede HP, if not outright do him in (theme from all the other books). But now, we, the readers, know about Snape. In the end, Snape dies to protect HP.
Or–Tonks snuffs it and Lupin goes on a rampage-because she died to save him–and kills Greysnout or whatever his name is AND some Deatheaters. He dies at Snape’s hands, Snape protecting Draco, as he has vowed to.
OR-Percy is recruited by the Voldy folk and is given the task of killing Hermione, who has worked out all manner of hexes and charms to protect the DA. He poisons her, and HP thinks it was Snape. To get to Snape, he contacts Kreacher, who brings him Pettigrew. Pettigrew lets slip that it was Percy who offed Hermione. But HP has already sent some of the DA to take out Snape–there is no way to call them off. Snape escapes and comes to finish off HP in a rage–and Pettigrew, who owes his life to HP-takes one for HP and dies. HP escapes, as does Snape…
I could go on all day!
No biggie, the only thing Padma and Parvati were used for was the Yule Ball in GoF, and scurrying out of harm’s way before (just in case) Dumbledore’s funeral just makes them more expendable, IMHO.
*Note:Yes, I do know that Achren was really talking about Fred and George.
I, personally, don’t want Snapes to redeem himself - not in the sense of suddenly being helpful and all to Harry. I’d like him to remain thoroughly unlikable, clinging to his hatred of James Potter. Note this doesn’t make him a Death Eater heart and soul, necessarily - he could just hate Potter. I can see him sacrificing himself to save Potter, if he’s anti-Voldemort - but dying still full of spite, letting Harry know as he does so that he still hates Harry, and always will, and that he feels that if Harry weren’t such a failure (in his eyes) that his own death would have been unnecessary.
‘Think on that, Potter. If you hadn’t been so incompetent, I wouldn’t have had to die. May my fate haunt you, Harry Potter’
That’s my Snape - bitter and nasty to the very end, because he is, whichever side he really is on.
:eek:
I think that Snape will die bitterly. It’s Harry that needs the insight. If Snape hasn’t gotten over his hatred of James by now, he won’t. But Harry is capable of growth and, IMO, he needs to see Snape as he is–a complex, bitter man. Not as Snidely Whiplash.
How about Snape dieing and coming back as a ghost?
I’ve seen a rumour that the 7th book will issue on 7/7/07.
This thread should be renamed The Offical Harry Potter #7 Deathwatch Discussion Group 
Anywhooo,
What if Dumbledore does a Jesus Christ thing and comes back from “the dead” and battles Voldy with Harry and Harry is the sole survivor of the battle.
( I don’t think Dumbledore is really dead. maybe already dying of whatever is afflicting his hand.)
That would put in the Christian imagery that all the Harry Potter is the Gateway To The Devil loons into a lovely, lovely snit.
Or a Gandalf thing. 
Yeah, but with Gandalf as our reference, unlike with Jesus Christ, we can’t write a song like Dumbledore Superstar.
Dammit.
My bad.
Here are the odds given by two noted Harry Potter experts on the likelihood of some of the major characters biting the dust in book 7:
http://www.mugglenet.com/viewer/?image_location=usatodayodds.gif
They predict a very low chance of the three main characters dying, Voldemort is a goner for sure, they’re on the fence for Snape, and split on McGonagall.
For the two main characters dying, my guess is main characters outside of our three heroes. I agree that Lupin doesn’t seem slated to make it, and one of the students (Neville, Luna, perhaps Ernie MacMillan) will go.
Dumbledore, Dumbledore, is it true that we’ll see you no more?
Dumbledore, Superstar, are you as dead as we think you are?
Ev’ry time I read this book I can’t understand
Why ya let Snape work there so long without getting canned!
Even though Jo Rowling’s got the whole series planned
I can’t believe that Horcrux nearly burned off your hand!