SPOILERS: (More Informed) Predictions for the next Harry Potter books

Cafe Society
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This is a continuation of thread that began long before HP&TOOTP came out. It presumes that you’ve read that book, so please don’t come to this thread if you haven’t because there are spoilers. I’ll use the spoiler charm in the opening one just in case anybody wanders in uninformed, but after the OP please don’t feel compelled to do so.

[spoiler]Harry and Luna are a natural couple, but what if anything do you think will be revealed about her mother’s death?

How will Fred and George’s shop in Diagon Alley come into play? This has been being set up since Book 1, so it has to have a pay-off.

Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth has been mentioned twice now but there’s been no development. Do you think he’ll come into play? Since we know that Voldemort was born Tom Malvolo Riddle that’s not the connection, but what is his significance? Is he Mycroft to Dumbledore’s Sherlock, or Strawn to Dumbledore’s Kid Shelleen?)

Is Sirius really dead [and am I the only one who wasn’t that upset if it is- I’d much rather him die than most of the other characters, plus death probably beat Azkaban])?

Will Draco Malfoy become a good guy? (I’ve always seen this one coming.) Will any of the good guys defect or turn traitor?

Is Umbridge out of the running? Is she a Death Eater (she certainly loved Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe)? What exactly happened with her and the centaurs?

What will Firenze foretell? Will Trelawney have another good prophecy in her? (And did anybody else think the “Dumbledore tells all” sequence was anticlimactic and unrevealing?)

My biggest disappointment in the new book (which generally I thought was really good) was learning that Dumbledore sent the howler to Petunia. I thought we were going to learn something really major about her, like she’s really a squib who defected to the mortal world due to bitterness or that she had a romance with Lucius Malfoy once upon a time or some such, or that her story of how she knew what Dementors were was just a thinking-on-her-feet cover story for the real reason.

Well, that’s enough to get us started. Please suit yourself over whether or not you bewitch the post with a spoiler.[/spoiler]

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I think that Rowling said at some point that Harry and Draco would work together in book 7 to defeat a powerful enemy. Voldemort’s the natural choice, but that seems too obvious.

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[spoiler] I’ve heard the Harry and Luna couple rumors, and I think No chance in Hell. A better bet, is Luna and Ron go out, get Hermione jealous (payback for the jealousy Ron felt with Krum and Hermione) and then something develops there.

Gwrap comes back at some point, I’m sure. The centaurs become more cold to humans, making the forest even MORE dangerous… of course that doesn’t stop Harry from entering it again :D.

Neville has a big part, even perhaps dying in a heroic way against the forces of evil.[/spoiler]

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[spoiler]I, too, have doubts about whether Sirius is really gone.

I predict there’ll be some sort of showdown between Lupin and Wormtail – I think they’re being set up as foils for one another – which will end with Wormtail redeeming himself. I really hope Lupin doesn’t buy it in the process, but I have a bad feeling that he will.

I don’t think Hagrid is going to die, as others have predicted, and I’m sure Fred and George won’t; it just doesn’t seem like the type of series where the comic characters get killed off. I think he and Madame Olympe might have marriage and even kids in their future.

Dumbledore might die, but not 'til Book 7; if he doesn’t, he’ll probably retire. One way or another, Professor McGonagall is going to end up as Headmistress. Hermione will definitely grow up to be a Hogwarts professor; Harry may end up teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, but only as a sideline to his career as an Auror.

We’re going to find out a lot more about Petunia and Lily’s childhood (hopefully something that will give Lily a bit more depth as a character, right now she seems too saintly to be believed).[/spoiler]

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Harry and Snape…

As I was reading about the actions taking place between Harry’s father and Snape as students at Hogwarts, I thought that Snape may begin to forgive Harry (for whatever things he hates him so much for). I think I can picture Harry and Snape growing a bit closer, and starting to understand each other. As Harry stated after peeking into Snape’s “worst memory”, they have a lot in common. The thing I really see coming is that Snape may sacrifice himself, even his own life, to save Harry.

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I not gonna bother with a spoiler box because it says “spoiler” right in the thread title! Here goes:

Umbridge becomes a Death-Eater. She hated “half-breeds” already and was apparently abused by the centaurs. Plus she seemed to enjoy hurting Harry (remember the whole thing about the Cruciatus curse and needing to enjoy causing pain?) and was a little too chummy with the Malfoy crowd.

Ron and Hermione end up together, eventually, after some inevitable twists and turns.

G. House wins the Quidditch cup again next year with Harry back as seeker, Ginny moved over to chaser, and Ron blossoming into a truly great keeper now that the twins aren’t there (and post-school Ron becomes keeper for the Cannons for a while).

Harry and Snape reach some kind of mutual understanding/respect, although probably not really friendship.

Aunt Petunia is a late bloomer, or had the ability but tried to deny it, or flunked out of Hogwarts early, or something. She’s not just a plain old Muggle.

Fred and George, now that they’re out of school, make a ton of money with the joke shop and also join the OotP.

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Perhaps, but I liked seeing Ron struggle as keeper. It brings a sense of reality… no Gryffindor doesn’t always do awesome. Ron had to deal with his horrid goalkeeping and triumphed in the end. I liked that.

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I had this theory that the gang will return to Hogwarts and only Harry, Neville, and Luna will be able to see the threasels [sp] proving that Sirius isn’t gone. Unfortunately (probably planned) Harry and Neville were the only people to see Sirius fall though the curtain, this couldn’t work.

That said, I think Sirius will play a part somehow. Its’ like Gandalf. No body, no death. Maybe he and Harry will form a Luke-Obi-Wan type thing.

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I think Hermoine is going to work for the ministry, she’s smart, and would probably bring alot of changes changing the laws about how non-human creatures are treated etc. She’ll probalby end up as the Minister of Magic.

 Harry and Neville'll probably end up training for Aurors, and Ron and Hermoine won't get togheter until the seventh book, as it'll ruin the whole group dynamic if two members of the group date.
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[spoiler]I’d heard several arguments for Sirius’ return, and I was thoroughly unconvinced by any of them…until I remembered that he died in a book with “phoenix” in the title.

Think we’ll get to hear about what exactly were the three times James and Lily defied Voldie? That’s what I want to know now.[/spoiler]

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It would be kind of odd if Sirius did return after all the fuss about JK Rowling saying how hard it was to kill him and that she was in tears as she wrote it.

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[spoiler] I can’t make up my mind whether or not Sirius will return…

 On one hand, I kind of think that maybe there was more to the mirror Sirius gave Harry than just a walkie-talkie. Even though Harry was unsucessful in contacting him through it the first time he tried, I think that it might show up again. Harry threw it in his trunk and it shattered, but it's still in there. He could very easily cast a spell to repair it, just like how Hermione repaired his broken glasses. Perhaps Sirius thought ahead and enchanted it to communicate with him whether he was dead or alive, but (for some reason to be explained by Rowling :) ) it couldn't work right away. Also, where would Sirus have picked up the mirror? It's not like he could take a stroll down Diagon Alley and buy it. What if it came from his house, a house full of Dark Arts relics? Maybe it's not as insignificant as it appears.
 BUT, I also think it could have been just a device Rowling used to show Harry that he was even more responsible for Sirius' death than he realized initially...if he'd just used the mirror, the showdown at MOM would have been avoided and Sirius would still be alive. Harry, now even more angry at himself, could become a darker, more cynical character over the summer, coming back in Book 6 as sort of a vigilante good guy, using the bad guy's methods....he has already used an Unforgivable curse.

On the other hand, Rowling has been quoted saying that once someone dies, they die. Harry’s parents aren’t coming back, Cedric hasn’t returned (even to comfort an obviously devestated Cho) and even Nick said Sirius won’t be returning as a ghost. (I suppose ghosts have the ability to ‘know’ when another ghost is created, otherwise, how would he know?)

So, I don’t know. I could see it happeneing either way.[/spoiler]

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OP says not to worry with the spoiler boxes, so I won’t.

It’s interesting to me that Ron is now a prefect and on the Quidditch team, because it makes it possible for him to become Head Boy and Quidditch captain. In other words, what he saw in the Mirror of Erised could now come true. Anyone think that’ll happen? And if so, what about what Harry saw in the Mirror?

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No. Umbridge is a half-breed of something. Way too much emphasis on how strange she looks, how short she is, etc. Is she half Goblin?

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Remember when Ron joked that there was about as much chance of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup (with him as keeper) as there was of his dad becoming Minister of Magic? Well, look who won the Cup! I don’t know how many of you have noticed this, but every time Ron jokes about something, his joke comes true. So maybe we should be expecting to see Arthur Weasley get a promotion :slight_smile:

I’m sure that Umbridge will be back to cause trouble, and I don’t need to be a seer to predict that Grawp will be important in the future.

I wonder if the centaurs will try to assassinate Firenze?

Speeking of the Forbidden Forest’s denizens, I also wonder if the enchanted Ford Anglia will turn up again. And remember the giant spiders? Those could be important if the Death Eaters try to attack Hogwarts. Imagine Voldemort and his bunch laying siege to the castle, trying to get in, and suddenly they hear an odd rustling noise and a hundred gigantic spiders come swarming out of the forest to attack them.

I don’t know if Sirius is going to come back, or what’s going on with that mirror, but Nearly-Headless Nick’s comments suggest that we won’t be seeing him as a ghost.

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rumors I’ve read:

[spoiler]
-Hagrid dies saving dumbledore. From what I understand, J K Rowling confirmed that there will be a death in the seventh book that is very hard to write.

-Ron and Harry end up being related somehow

-Harry dies. I’m not so sure I buy this one, and I really hope it doesn’t happen as I"m one who likes a (relatively) happy ending. It also doesn’t make a lot of sense. If one has to die for the other to live, why would they make them both die. (I’m assuming, of course, that Voldemort dies by the end).

-Harry Kills either Lucious (SP?) Malfoy or Cho Chang by accident.

-A Weasley dies in book 6. My guess would be Percy.

-Ron Dies. It is becoming clear that all of these rumors I’ve found can’t possibly be true as there will be virtually no witches or wizards left.

-An arsload of people die in the 6th and 7th book.

My own thoughts:

-Harry and Ginny end up together. I’ve got a number or reasons for this but I’ll mention two. Twice when Harry was ranting and raving about something in the fifth book, she stood up to him and basically told him to stowe it. It was mentioned that Ginny is now over her crush of Harry. It was also mentioned that Ginny is becoming a very respectable witch and better to place her with than a very respectable wizard.

-Harry and Ron will end up being Aurors at the end of the seven books. It would open the doors for a whole new series of adventures. I’m not sure this is a terribly earthshattering idea as Harry already wants to be an Auror and he does have a backer in McGonnigal (again, SPelling).

-I (and I’m sure others) think that Neville will play a very big part in the downfall of Voldemort. I think the battle at the end of book 5 will do wonders for his confidence which I’m sure is the only thing missing before he becomes a great wizard.

-Ron can’t end up with anyone but Hermione. They just have too much tension.

-That archway (that dead people end up behind or at least theoretically end up behind, I don’t remember the word they used in the book) will play a big part. I think Harry might end up visiting it if that’s at all possible…

I leave it up to you fold to tell me how off the rocker I am. As stated in the spoiler (in a round about way), I don’t have a lot of faith that any of the spoilers I found on websites are true except for the death that will be very hard to write part.

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you folk, sorry.

The second half of the spoiler box is all stuff I have not read anywhere but have surmised from reading the last three books so closely together (span of a few weeks).

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Okay, my guesses:

Harry will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the best Hogwarts has ever had, and possibly an Auror. Somehow, I think Snape knows this; he may resent Harry for being destined for the position Snape himself cannot have. Before Phoenix I thought that the first prophecy of Mme. Trelawney was about Harry ascending to the post, and I still think this is Harry’s direction. Snape is in a perfect position to keep an eye on the Slytherins, while still forcing Harry to work very hard in Potions (which has been mentioned as critical to an Auror). Is Snape driving Harry on purpose? With his easy marks, Malfoy certainly isn’t being pushed to excel.

Wormtail will redeem himself. Dumbledore said as much, and I tend to agree with him. This is also a clear lesson for young readers: no good deed goes unrewarded. For some reason I think Wormtail’s new silvery hand will play a significant role in his redemption; Voldemort’s own magic will come back to hurt him.

Ginny and Harry will be an item, because it has been foreshadowed for so very long, and Ron gives a significant glance toward Harry toward the end of the book when talking with Ginny about picking a better boyfriend next time. At this late date, no other candidate presents herself as strongly. (Assuming, of course, that Harry will eventually date, and that his date will be female. This is meant for children, after all.)

Ron and Hermione will be an item, clearly. I would be shocked if it were otherwise.

Dumbledore will die. Harry will not grow as a character if Dumbledore is always there to protect him; You-Know-Who will never make his move if Dumbledore is always standing on watch. The final arc of Harry’s development will be achieving true independence. (I figured Dumbledore would die, but continue to give assistance and advice to Harry through the headmaster portraits at Hogwarts; after reading Phoenix I found I wasn’t too far off the mark.)

Umbridge is going to the dark side. It’s built into her name: umbrage, “in shadow.” Rowling likes punny names. “Sirius” is the dog star, Professor “Lupin” is lupine (wolfish), “Slytherins” are serpents, and so on. Just look at the authors of the magical textbooks for more name puns.

Speaking of names, Aunt Petunia is more similar to her sister Lily than we think. They are both named for flowers, after all; I don’t think this is coincidence.

Likewise, Draco (named for the constellation of the serpent) will not reform.

The excised parts of the family tree in Sirius Black’s manor will show some connection to James Potter’s family. This is just a hunch; I don’t have much to support this.

Arthur Weasley will become Minister of Magic; Hermione might take over Mr. Weasley’s post, or something in Muggle Relations.

Aslan will call upon Deep Magic From Before the Dawn of Time to… wait a tic, wrong book.

Anyway, I can’t think of anything else just yet. Further updates as events warrant. :slight_smile:

FISH

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Not necessarily. By the end of OotP, Harry seems to have found a kindred spirit in Luna, even though he spent most of the book making fun of her behind her back. Ginny, on the other hand, seems to be developing towards more independence- the point is made on the train near the end that, regardless of what Ron wants, she’s going to go out with whoever she pleases.

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I understand your reasoning, Tarrsk. I just disagree. Given that this is a book primarily aimed at children, I think that book five is a little late in the game to introduce the Love Interest. Even Sirius Black was mentioned in Book One.

Ron’s significant glance may indicate that he knows more about Ginny’s preference in the matter than he’s told Harry; Ron’s in a position to know.

That’s just how I interpret it, anyway.

FISH