I don’t know – that’s generally refered to as the “death by poking” scenario.
Frankly I just thought it was a Biblical allusion – the traitor got his reward in (30 pieces of) silver.
That’s pretty close. there are 27 bones in thehuman hand.
Jeeves wasn’t sure how many in a human-to-rat-animagus hand, though. 
Hey, here’s a question: Was Peter’s maimed hand the one he used for Voldemort stew? If so, is the silver one going to be missing a finger?
Me, too–he is really growing up. I hope that Daniel Radcliffe stays with the series…
Thanks for the clarification–I was quite confused! I can relate,though, since I know almost nothing about rap, hip-hop or J-Lo… 
Oh, and people? Please try to keep in mind what I said a few posts back about straining the metaphor. Rowling is telling a really good story, but her metaphors really shouldn’t be subjected to the type of stress we might apply to, say, C. S. Lewis.
Scholastic is not releasing advance notice of the back cover, like they did last time:
From mugglenet:
Looking for the synopsis on the back side of the HBP jackets?
US and UK publishers Scholastic and Bloomsbury have informed us that this time, they won’t be releasing images of the back of the Half-Blood Prince jackets until July 16th because they reveal important plot details. In 2003, pictures of the back jackets were released, so this is a new strategy for them. Usually the summary on the back is printed to encourage people to read the book without giving away the story.
Hmmmm…
“Of course, since we never saw Peter in the fifth book, maybe he has already done something?”
One of the biggest and most developed speculations was that Peter was imperiously controlling Percy. I think it proved to be untrue, but I do recall JKR saying that we would find out what Peter had been up to during that year. No doubt something vile. We don’t really know much about Peter’s magical specialties, if he has any other than animagusing (he otherwise seems fairly inept).
As for Lupin, maybe I remember him saying stuff in the movie, not the books, about not being the greatest at Patronuses (suffice to say, Harry’s Patronus has proven to be by far the most impressive in the series, though we didn’t really get a good look at how poerful Dumbledore’s was when Harry was attacked). So maybe it doesn’t count. Then again, I just don’t buy it about Lupin. I think he’ll play some key roles emotionally, but I don’t see him suddenly whipping out some huge magical power to save the day: seems like too cornball for him. He is who he is. It’s Snape that we need to learn more about, and it’s Peter that is obviously being set up for some major role stemming from Harry sparing his life (gollum anybody?)
I would like to go out on a limb with a crazy stab in the dark here and hazard at guess that Harry Potter and Dumbledore are related.
Look at the HBP picture.
They have the same nose and the eyes are very similar.
coinkydink?
I think the similarities are just due to the artist being the same. . .
I seem to recall, though, that an alternate title bandied about for this book was “Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch.” It was debunked, but, having seeng the US cover, I can see how someone who had access to the cover art could’ve come to that conclusion.
I am so looking forward to July!
The cover is very pretty but it doesn’t quite tie the entire series together. The first four books are done in multiple colors but the last two have only had one dominant color. Interesting.
Doesn’t necessarily reflect the overall tone of the book, either. The cover of GoF depicted Harry looking deliriously happy (and about five years old), and OOtP had him looking slyly over his shoulder, neither of which seems appropriate, considering what actually happens.
From her website.:
Of course, assuming Dumbledore isn’t Muggle-born, they are distantly related, since Harry’s father was Pureblood, since they’re all inbred. Insert appropriate Dark Helmet quote in here.
You’re right that stuff in the movies doesn’t count – only the books are considered “canon.” But he does say in the books, “I don’t claim to an expert at fighting Dementors. Quite the contrary.”
I assumed that “Quite the contrary” meant he had few, if any happy memories on which to draw. His Marauders days might be the only ones, and now they’re probably tainted with Peter’s betrayal and the horrible deaths of two close friends.
I figured the gollum of the series was going to be Umbridge. She looks more the part
As for “it being too cornball,” we are talking about the same series, right? As I recall, the villain of the first one was hiding under a teacher’s turban, in the second was a diary, and in the third was a pet rat. That’s how Rowling writes – she drops a thousand hints and then springs on us a major surprise, some coup of lateral thinking. That’s what keeps us coming back time after time, and why all us adults are obsessing over a children’s series
I think Lupin’s power has been hinted at. Being soft-spoken, self-effacing, and extremely modest has a tendency to disguise what he’s capable of. And yet, he was still the only one besides Dumbledore to get out of the battle in book five without an injury. And he can seem to conjure fire without a wand. And he was able to fend off a Dementor on a train while still obviously very sick. And sneak out of the Shrieking Shack, and create the Marauder’s Map without drawing Dumbledore’s attention.
So I think it has been hinted at. But she’s been very careful not to draw much attention to it, which, with Rowling’s writing, is always suspicious.
I still think it too cornball. To be blunt, it sounds like something you’d find in Lupin-fan fiction than in Rowling. There are already plenty of powerful wizards running around, and for Lupin to jump out and “I am teh supra-powerful wizard!” just doesn’t seem part of his character. The powerhouses in this story are Dumbledore and Voldemort. Dumbledore may die, Harry may rise in his place, but Lupins’ role will be, I’m sure to play a supporting role. Lupin’s “mystery” is that he’s led a sad and lonely life of being ostracized and feared.
I think you are reading too much into Lupin just as I and many others read too much into Percy’s behavior in OotP. Nothing in the battle in OotP suggested that Lupin made it out unscathed because of some extrordinary power. His soft-spoken-ness was there from childhood, and it’s from his great fear of being despised and his loniness. Lots of wizards of at least moderate power seem to be able to conjure minor things without wands. And as Lupin himself says, there was only one Dementor on the train to conjure away: apparently NOT something that requires much of a feat for a well-trained wizard since its apparently a skill many many wizards have and know about. What do you mean about sneak out of the SS? Which time? And wasn’t the MM created by all the Marauders? And does the creation of such magical objects really make him or them singularly exceptional? There are lots of maigcal things that are done without Dumbledore’s knowledge, and Dumbledore often seems bemused and delighted to find ingenious works by others, not shocked and surprised that they could occur without his notice.
Heh. Only if they had never read OotP or GoF and had no idea what the Pensieve was!
I don’t have a handy cite, but JKR has publicly ruled out that Dumbledore is Harry’s grandfather. She never said anything about great uncles or distant cousin, however.
i have nothing to add apart from the fact that this is the funniest typo I have seen in a long time.