Tonks is at least 23, as of the end of OotP. (She would have been 18 at graduation + three years of Auror training + the one year she was qualified before OotP + the OotP year. And that’s assuming she didn’t take any time off between school and Auror training.) I don’t think she’ll be getting together with Harry – there’s at least a seven-year age gap, and if he had a crush on her, surely we’d know by now?
Harry did not get the required grade to advance into NEWT Potions. However, he did beat Malfoy, and when McGonagall hears that Snape bent his rules and admitted Draco into NEWT Potions, she’ll insist that Harry also be allowed to take the course. Snape will be furious that, once again, the normal rules do not apply to Harry.
As an aside, why does it seem that so many people think that Malfoy is a good student? As far as I can remember, the only indications that we have that he’s a good student are his marks in Potions, and I think that Snape has been allowing favouritism to affect his marking. Malfoy was made prefect, but it’s not like he was facing much competition in Slytherin.
Harry will fall in love with Ginny. The only question is whether Ginny reciprocates. Either way, he’s going to feel like a complete idiot for not noticing her before. I’m really hoping that we don’t see a bunch of marriages at the end of the last book, though. I really don’t think that it could possibly seem realistic. A Harry/Ginny marriage would feel especially wrong. She’d be 16, Harry would be 17(no Sound of Music jokes, please) and I just don’t see marriage being a possibility at such a young age.
There’s a theory out there that Ron’s a seer. He does have a tendancy to make off-hand remarks that come true(case in point: In CoS, Harry asks what Tom Riddle did to earn an award for special service the school. Ron’s reply? “Maybe he got it for killing off Moaning Myrtle. That’d do anybody a favour.”) However, Ron makes a lot of off-hand remarks, and a lot of the “prophecies” require a lot of squinting to make them seem true. It’s a nice theory, but I just don’t think that there’s enough evidence.
Ooooh, Ron as a seer. Interesting.
I am thinking that another animagus will make an appearance. I am thinking that Snape is one…it keeps coming back to me everytime I read the books…
Just a thought.
Death death death.
They are kids books. I don’t see JK killing off that many people as predicted.
I love the potions analogy that mimics the DADA teachers.
Here’s my go:
-Harry as a parseltounge will be a needed skill down the line.
-Neville will do something dramatic that will show he’s not a total ball of neurosies and incompetence.
-The house elves and the movement to free them will pick up steam in the Wizarding community at large.
-Draco remains a minor character. Enough to give the trio a hard time, but will never be involved in any major battles or plot points. Just at the end when he sees his Father humiliated or arrested, or whatever his fate will be.
-A another whole aspect of the Wizarding community will be shown. She did it in every other book. Like introducing the other schools for the Triwizard cup, then the scale and size of the World Quiddich match. If Godrich Griffondor is the HBP, could it be a big history lesson? Maybe an election for a new Minister of Magic, showing how a political campaign is run with magic.
I SO want to see that. I don’t know how interested the kiddies would be, though…
The other thing I’d really love to see is Mad-Eye Moody getting drunk and spilling all the tales about the First War that have hitherto been considered too harrowing for Harry’s tender ears.
You really think Moody would allow himself to get drunk? He doesn’t drink anything anyone else prepares, ever. Constant Vigilance!
Though he might just tell all while sober… From what we’ve seen of Moody (fake, but a very good fake), he doesn’t seem to worry too much about offending tender sensibilities.
And Harry’s Parseltongue has already been significant, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the python from the zoo makes another appearance. Or maybe he sends a letter from Brazil, in Parselscript, which only Harry can read.
Sure, why not? He can mix his own drinks, can’t he? I doubt he’s got pumpkin juice in that flask all the time.
Ooh yes, it would be great if we saw more of that boa constrictor (it is a boa constrictor and not a python, IIRC). Maybe it’ll get in a Snake’s Duel with Nagini.
38 days, ladies and gentlemen until it is ours…squeeeee!
Oooh, I can’t wait. Well, if it’s not too late to post my 2 cents:
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We’ll find out that Lily Potter was an Auror, and that will fuel Harry to work harder to become an Auror and avenge her death.
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By the end of Book 7, Neville will be training to take over the DADA position, and Snape, if he’s still alive, will be pissed at being passed over again.
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The goblins are going to step in and do something major. In just about every book, JKR keeps mentioning the goblins, whether in Prof. Binn’s boring history lectures, Gringotts bank, Ludo being in debt with them. . . Hmmm.
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Ron’s going to come into his own and do something besides be Harry’s sidekick. I think he’s going to dust Aragog, who like the dementors, is going to gang up with Voldy.
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By the end of Book 7, Harry’s going to get fed up with fighting evil. He’ll dust Voldy, but then he’s going to become a Quidditch player for one of the major teams.
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There’s something going on with the giants. Grawp will probably save Harry & Co. from one of Voldy’s gang.
Why would Aragog join up with Voldemort? Hagrid may be a moron, but he knows who is evil and who is good.
Yeah, it seems Hagrid has taught Aragog what’s right and what’s wrong.
A lot of people are expecting an Aragog connection, because of the chapter title “Spinner’s End”, and because the British Harry Potter website was decorated for awhile in cobwebs.
Rowling’s also let drop that Veritaserum is not 100% guaranteed, which is why they don’t use it in court cases. I wonder if that will become relevant…?
Also, Flitwick is part Goblin (hence the size), and the pureblood families are dying out. This last point apparently comes up in the next book.
I don’t have any new kooky theories to share. I still expect Harry to be a metamorphmagus, and that’s the only one of my theories I’d bank on. At this point, I’m convinced that anyone – or everyone – could be the Half-Blood Prince. It may not even refer to a person.
38 days 
That could also mean that Voldemort’s forces kill Aragog as he tries to defend Hagrid or something. I just thought of the fact that spiders and snakes don’t like each other at all, and Voldemort is the ultimate Slytherin.
ISiddiqui, Aragog isn’t necessarily a good spider to everyone. He’s loyal to Hagrid because Hagrid saved his life, but Aragog was all too willing to let his children eat Harry and Ron in COS, and I imagine he would gang up with Voldy if Voldy allowed him and his kids access to more prey. I don’t think that Hagrid is a moron, but he does have a penchant for trying to tame untameable creatures like dragons. Aragog’s nature is complex because he can be loyal, but his nature is to kill. I could see Voldy finding a way to exploit that.
I cannot decide who I think will Bite the Big One in the next book. I think nearly everyone missed the Big Death in #5.
Hagrid seems to have run out of his usefulness.
Snape is an important antagonist and Malfoy can’t die it would flatline the story.
It sure isn’t Voldemort.
I’m wondering if maybe Percy might get the big ax?
I will have to think more on this later.
meditate on this, you will.
i’m trying to decide which bookstore to hang out in; and when to start rereading the books.
You can add me to the people who think Neville will get a lot better at magic - mostly because he’ll have to get his own freakin’ wand.
I started once it was 50 days till the sixth book, so it gave me about 10 days per book. Though I’m already halfway through the third book at this point…
A lot of people are betting on Dean Thomas biting the dust, but I don’t think he will. He’s not that big of a character and wouldn’t really affect much.
I’m thinking of starting about 16 hours before the release date.
The real problem that I’m going to run into is that there are 4 of us in the house who will want to read the book right away. Coming up with a fair way to share is going to be interesting, especially given that my brother will probably want to divide the time by chapter, as he’s the slowest reader, while I’ll want to divide the time equally because I’m the fastest.