Prediction: we will learn explicitly that Snape is Dumbledore’s mole in Voldemort’s organization. We will also learn that Dumbledore’s refusal to make Snape the DAtDA teacher is an important part of Snape’s cover; it demonstrates to Voldemort that Dumbledore does not have full confidence in Snape.
Possibly, Dumbledore is pursuing this strategy without sharing his reasoning with Severus.
I’m still holding out for Neville to settle the score with Bellatrix, but that might not happen until #7.
Oh, and I’ve bought two copies of #6 in advance already.
Besides all the usual stuff y’all have mentioned, I’m hoping to find out more about Dudley. Especially regarding his severe reaction to Dementors in book 5.
It has been repeatedly mentioned how Dudley resembles a pig. Iin the first book, when Hagrid magics a pigtail onto Dudley’s backside, he says, “Meant to turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn’t much left to do.”
Knowing that Harry’s dad was skilled at Transfiguration, and was known for being a little “trigger-happy” with his hexes, I wonder if he might have slung a spell at little Dudley during a family row – perhaps by accident, aiming at someone else? We learned in book 5 that Petunia is more aware of the wizarding world than she lets on, and she is very protective of Dudley – is this why?
Gah! I think I’ve been reading these books too much. :rolleyes:
I doubt we’ll get anytihng on Dudders, as Rowling has said that we spend even less time with the Dursleys than ever: a very very brief stay.
Harry will make an appearance.
I disagree. I believe the book will focus on Luna Lovegood. Harry will not apear. 
Dubledore will die, either at the end of book 6 (maybe another climactic battle, only this one goes horribly wrong and Voldemort kills Dumbledore) or else fairly early in book 7 (if so, identifying and/or catching the killer would probably be the primary plot of the last book.)
As for love interests, I’m hoping that Harry ends up marrying Ginny, thus becoming part of a family that really cares about him. That probably wouldn’t happen by the end of book 7, but we might see hints of the future in that regard. Ron and Hermione seem to be destined for each other. They already argue like an old married couple 
It’s possible that Lupin will die. If so, it will probably be Wormtongue who kills him. After all, he has a silver hand, and silver is deadly to werewolves. Knowing the way Rowling writes, this detail is probably significant somehow.
Lastly, I’m sure that Filch and Mrs. Norris will be significant in the future. They seem to be psychically bonded. Perhaps Mrs. Norris is a witch who is stuck in her animagus form, or else she and Filch are suffering under some sort of elaborate curse.
Harry is not going to be marrying anyone in any of the books. Even by Book7, he’ll still be too young for what I imagine Rowling would go in for.
Strange, I’ve been saying for awhile that Harry and Luna would get together, but nobody has ever agreed with me before. Now I see both cmkeller and Chronos (albeit reluctantly) propounding the same theory. It’s as good as done! Cool, I’m going to have me some great gloating to do! I wonder if I should wait until the actual book is released, just to be absolutely sure? Nah!
Harry and Luna, sitting in a tree …
So, do I have the houses right?
Gryffindor – heroes
Slytherin – villiians
Hufflepuff – idiots
Ravenclaw – love interests
True but he has a pet phoenix… :dubious:
Am I the only one who doesn’t think Dumbledore will die? Boy you guys are pessimistic.
And Harry will hook up with Ginny, not Luna. Trust me on this.
In my own twisted little slashsfic world, it’s:
So, do I have the houses right?
Gryffindor – heroes, love interests
Slytherin – villians,love interests
Hufflepuff – idiots, people you date without it being serious.
Ravenclaw – boring
Harry, Ginny, and Luna have a 3-way…
Here are my predictions. Take everything with a grain of salt. True, I’ve read these books far too many times and read too many interviews, but my track record for prediction is awful anyway.
My own crazy theories:[ul][li]Harry is a metamorphmagus – the reason he looks just like his father – and the reason his hair grows back in 24 hours – is because he’s remembering his father (yeah, I know – he was just a baby; but under the influence of the Dementors, he can remember his father’s voice, so he has those memories in there somewhere).[/li][li]A different theory about his background (if my first is right, I don’t think this one will be) fits in with Lily – Rowling has said it’s important that Harry “has his mother’s eyes” and we keep hearing that “something huge will be revealed about Lily.” I think she had her intensely green eyes for the same reason Hagrid has his size and Fleur has her silver hair – she’s a part-human. Part-what I have no idea. But just as Hagrid gets a resistance to magic from his giant side, and Fleur has the power to charm, Harry gets some neato special ability from his non-human ancestor (which seems to have skipped a generation with Petunia).[/li][li]Petunia is not a squib. Petunia is a witch who refused to go to Hogwarts, and always regretted it after her sister went. Alternatively, the “something about Petunia” could be that she dated or crushed on one of the Marauders – and that “that boy” who told her about Azkaban wasn’t James Potter, but one of the others.[/li][li]Lupin will not be dying in book 6. Instead he will be stepping into a larger role – father-figure for Harry, or head of the Order if Dumbledore dies, or maybe Half-Blood Prince. If he does die in book 7, it won’t be by Peter’s silver hand. I think the silver was meant to be a Biblical reference (Peter as Judas, getting his 30 pieces of silver), and anyway, Rowling seems to associate silver with evil, suffering, and trickery (it’s the colour of unicorn blood, Veela hair, the decorations in the Black mansion, the full moon’s light, Slytherin – and silver coins are called “Sickles”, etc, etc, etc).[/li][li]Dumbledore does have to die, just because it can’t be Dumbledore ex Machina every book, and anyway, it’s “the next great adventure”. [/li][li]Hermione won’t want to get married right after school. But if Rowling does tell us what happened to her characters years in the future, and Hermione does marry one of the boys, it’ll definitely be Ron. I see her as the first Muggle-born Minister for Magic, myself. What might be interesting – not sure if Rowling would do this – would be a “Guess who’s coming to dinner” subplot. Arthur Weasley loves Muggles, but he did marry a pureblood – wouldn’t it be funny if he had prejudices against Hermione after everything he’s said about the Muggle-born?[/li][li]It’d be really cheeseball if Sirius comes back. I have more faith in Jo as a writer than that. I think the reason he had to die to advance the plot is because he was next in line for some property or title – maybe Prince – and now it’ll either pass to a Halfblood relative or to one of Voldemort’s supporters (the Malfoys, maybe?). The Voldemites will try to prevent the Half-blood from inheriting, on the grounds of impurity of blood.[/li][li]I do predict that Harry will be in the book, and will be dripping with more angst than ever before.[/li][li]I like Amelia Bones for Minister for Magic.[/ul][/li]
Other people’s crazy theories that I like:[ul]
[li]Harry was at Godric’s Hollow the night his parents died, due to a Time-turner (I doubt he could resist that opportunity), but was somehow unable to save them.[/li][li]The acronyms MoM (Ministry of Magic) and DADA (Defence Against Dark Arts) aren’t accidents, but indications of Harry’s Parents’ jobs. The one who came up with this theory further suggested that the reason the DADA job is cursed is because James died while he had it.[/li]The Weasleys are Arthurian Greek Chorus – what happens to them either reflects or foreshadows (in a comical way) the rest of the series.[/ul]
The four houses seem to be related to the basic personality types that you find in high school students. Their analogs in a typical American muggle high school (and yes, I’m stereotyping out the wazoo here. This is just generally speaking) would be:
Gryffindors: the jocks who think they can do anything (and tend to get in trouble a lot)
Slytherins: the obnoxious preppies who want to be doctors or lawyers or the president or something like that.
Ravenclaws: the nerds and geeks that nobody pays much attention to (And before anybody gets offended, know that I imagine myself getting sorted into this house )
Hufflepuffs: everyone else. (And yes, that last sorting song made it clear that Hufflepuff is basically the miscellaneous category.)
BTW, I’ve been reading Mugglenet, and they have some interesting theories. For example, there’s the “Two Book Rule.” Starting in Book 3, the magical skill or item that is crucial to resolving the plot was introduced in a minor way two books before.
Consider:
[ul][li]Prisoner of Azkaban: Animagus ability (introduced in Sorceror’s Stone, through Prof. MacGonagal)[/li][li]Goblet of Fire: Polyjuice potion (introduced in Chamber of Secrets)[/li][li]Order of the Pheonix: Prophesy (introduced in Prisoner of Azkaban)[/ul][/li]
If the pattern holds, then something introduced in GoF will be crucial to the story of Book 6. The cover of the American version suggests that the Penseive (introduced in Book 4) will probably be this item in the next book. As for book 7, it will be something first seen in OotP. Three things immediately suggest themselves: The Veil, the Room of Requirement (referred to in GoF, but not seen until OotP), or the locked room in the Department of Mysteries.
BTW, regarding that Veil, I think that it’s an execution device, a relic from before Britain ended captial punishment. After all, it’s in a room that is identical to the court room where Harry was tried, and both of these rooms are in an old, seldom-used part of the building. And the Veil would seem to be the perfect device for a “humane” execution: it’s quick, it’s not bloody or gruesome, it’s probably painless, and you don’t have to worry about the prisoner failing to die (which might be a significant consideration if there is some sort of Fake Death spell or potion available). You don’t even have to dispose of the body afterwards; you just push the criminal through, and he disappears forever.
Perhaps Harry and Voldemort have their final fight in the Veil Room, and Voldy ends up getting knocked through the veil. Who knows?
A form of this has already happened, for everyone poo-pooing the concept. When Harry and Moldyfart locked wands in their duel in GoF and all of the murder victim ghosts appeared, James’ ghost told Harry how to escape, and kept Moldy busy while Harry beat feet back to the Portkey.
IF it does happen, I’ll bet money that Sirius will have James and Lilly with him.
[QUOTE=Diceman]
Consider:
[ul][li]Prisoner of Azkaban: Animagus ability (introduced in Sorceror’s Stone, through Prof. MacGonagal)[/li][li]Goblet of Fire: Polyjuice potion (introduced in Chamber of Secrets)[/li][li]Order of the Pheonix: Prophesy (introduced in Prisoner of Azkaban)[/ul][/li][/QUOTE]
I saw that theory, too. There’s certainly a bit of truth to it, but it’s not so regular as that. For instance, Harry’s ability to talk to snakes is introduced in book 1, and becomes important in book 2. Portkeys are introduced at the beginning of book 4, and become important at the end.
It is true that Rowling likes to get an idea in our heads before she uses it for anything important. I have a theory that the reason the 2nd book was called The Half-Blood Prince before it was renamed Chamber of Secrets was because both Lockhart and Riddle were claiming (falsely) to be a prophesied Half-Blood Prince – introducing it before it becomes important.
It’s also the reason I think metamorphmagi will become important. It’s like there was a giant flashing sign over Tonks’ head with the words “Plot Point! Plot Point!”
(Do you post on Mugglenet? Maybe I’ve seen you there? How many other people in this thread are closet Mugglenetters?)
I’m a Mugglenet lurker, not so much a poster.
I love the theories here. My favorite, which I’d never seen before, is the MoM/DADA idea. Interesting…
Crookshanks is indeed part Kneazle, I think Jo has admittted it. And she busted the “Petunia’s a very reluctant witch” theory (it sounded so GOOD!) by stating that Petunia is a Muggle.
I have more predictions for Book 7 at the moment. I think we’ll see Hermione and Malfoy as Head Girl and Boy, because it’s an irresistible dramatic device. I think Dumbledore will face his demise in Book 7 also, lest book 6 leave her with a very angry audience!
Thanks everyone–enthusiastic speculation and my HP discussion group are the only things getting me through the wait! 107 days, now?
What’s a kneazle? And what’s a metamorphmagus? I’ve read all the books twice, except the most recent one, but I can’t remember what these are.
I’m not sure if kneazles are ever mentioned in the main books, but they’re in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Jo mentions them in interviews and on her website.
They’re a creature that looks like a strange cat, and indeed, they interbreed with cats. They have the remarkable power of being able to detect lies and deceit perfectly.
Since kneazles stick out a little, they’re bred with cats – the result being a lie-detecting, super-intelligent, magic-detecting feline. Crookshanks is one, Mrs. Figg breeds them, and Mrs. Norris is almost definitely one. I suspect they’re bred for Squibs – sort of like seeing-eye dogs (magic-seeing cats).
As for metamorphmagi, they’re introduced briefly in the last book. They have the power to change their facial features, eye colour, hair colour and style, etc. You have to be born one.
Nymphadora Tonks is one, and of all my theories, the one I’m most sure of is that Harry is a metamorphmagus, as well. Maybe now that he’s pissed at his dad, and missing Sirius, he’ll start to look more like Sirius Black