# Your theories for Harry Potter Book 7 (spoilers, obviously) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000 "2007-04-28T22:45:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/121 "2007-05-16T21:16:28Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Any chance Dumbledore could have a horcrux? It’s not inconceivable he killed somebody during the war with Voldemort or his other misadventures over the past century. OR that the sword of Gryffindor could be a horcrux for Godric Gryffindor rather than Voldemort? [/QUOTE] The making of a horcrux is serious Dark Magic, which neither Dumbledore nor Godric Gryffindor would ever dabble in. ---
**Author:** ![PharmBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@PharmBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PharmBoy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/122 "2007-05-17T00:39:32Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] I recently re-read _Half-Blood Prince_, and, due to all of the speculation concerning Snape, kept an especially close eye on everything he did and said. As a result, I am absolutely, without-a-doubt convinced that Snape is not working for Voldemort. I am also nearly as convinced that Snape is not working for Dumbledore. Snape is, I think, working for Snape. He believes that Harry is the only one who can defeat Voldemort, and he needs Voldemort out of the way so he can take his place, so he is helping Harry, to an extent. But he doesn’t actually want Harry to win; he just wants Voldemort to lose. I agree with the hypothesis that Harry will have to give up his magic. It fits very well, I think, with the hypothesis of Harry as Horcrux, which I also agree with. With McGonagall becoming Headmistress, there’s now a vacancy for the position of head of Griffindor. There’s only one other confirmed Griffindor on the faculty, and he was one of the ones McGonagall consulted at the end about whether to close the school. Therefore, we can conclude that Hagrid is the next head of Griffindor. Like **Guinastasia** , I would not be at all surprised if all the socks we hear about end up being significant, but I’m not betting on it. I am, however, betting that Chocolate Frog cards will end up being very important. Remember, when Dumbledore was stripped of all his honors (High Mugwump, etc.), he said that he didn’t care, as long as they didn’t take him off the Chocolate Frog cards. He had a flair for use of artwork in magic, and he’s got a portrait of himself in the pocket of half the student body. Coincidence? I think not. **Omi no Kami** , I doubt there’s a wizard alive capable of casting a time-travel spell. The only time travel mechanism we’ve seen is only good for one hour at a time, and twenty years is a lot of hours. And even those seem to be extremely difficult to make: The Ministry is stated to have not replaced any of Time-Turners broken in the Battle of Mysteries. [/QUOTE] Hagrid was in Hufflepuff, wasn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/123 "2007-05-17T01:01:23Z")
I think Hagrid was in Gryffindor but I can’t remember a cite for that. Here’s another idea of mine: We know that Harry’s father and mother, in the original order of the Phoenix, were brought low through being betrayed by one of their most trusted friends (Peter Pettigrew aka Wormtail.) This is the kind of drama that might be worth using twice, no? Will JK Rowling have us guessing at a traitor in the midst of Harry Potter’s entourage? If so, who would the traitor be? If she did go with the “traitor in our midst” plot, I would venture to say the following: - The traitor will not be someone _too_ close to Harry (e.g. Ron / Hermione are right out) - It will be someone that _is_ close to Harry and that Harry would tend to trust: e.g. DA member Luna Lovegood would be a possibility, DA member Zacharias Smith (obnoxious and disliked by our heroes) would not. - The traitor will be someone in either the Order of the Phoenix or Dumbledore’s Army - To parallel the betrayal of his parents, I suggest that the traitor would be someone from Dumbledore’s Army. Who? I think that the combination of “trusted friend” but excluding Ron / Hermione gives these possibilities: [list=A] [li]Ginny Weasley[/li][li]Fred or George Weasley[/li][li]Luna Lovegood[/li][li]Neville Longbottom[/li][li]Ernie MacMillan[/li][li]Cho Chang[/li][li]Lavender Brown[/li][li]one of the Creevey brothers[/li][li]one of the Patil sisters[/list][/li] For personal reasons (I like those characters very much), I am going to state that it will not be either of the Weasleys, Luna or Neville. Lavender Brown, Patil sisters: have never seemed to be special friends of Harry. If we look at Peter Pettigrew’s character (follower of important people), that would remind us of the Creevey brothers (hero worshippers of Harry), but they haven’t been central enough to the plot plus one of those brothers has demonstrated courage (thinking falling in the lake and being rescued by the giant squid was exciting) and a traitor would not be courageous. Therefore. my guess would be that the traitor (if there is one) will turn out to be … _drumroll_ … Ernie MacMillan (I like him a lot too but I’ve got to pick someone!) or Cho Chang. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/124 "2007-05-17T01:08:55Z")
I’m trying to figure out what JKR means when she says Book 7 is essentially a continuation of Book 6. Obviously it’s a sequel, but… I can only assume it begins at Dumbledore’s funeral. I think the tomb has some pretty powerful magic. It’s not only created magically but it’s on the grounds of Hogworts. And I’m thinking the May-August romance between Lupin and Tonks will somehow play a part in Book 7. Dating a werewolf can rarely end well, unfortunately, so it may not be a pleasant part. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/125 "2007-05-17T01:11:00Z")
I just thought of possible evidence showing that Cho Chang might turn out to be a traitor: I have read that in the movie version of _Order of the Phoenix_ the DA snitch is Cho Chang instead of her friend Marietta Edgecombe. At first I thought it was a bad choice, but I figured that they needed to simplify the plot and cut down on the number of main characters, though I still am nonplussed by the fact that Harry would be foolish enough to love a girl of weak moral fibre. But now I’m thinking - could this be foreshadowing by the movie-makers, who know something we don’t? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/126 "2007-05-17T01:12:10Z")
Cho also could be led to believe Harry killed Cedric. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/127 "2007-05-17T01:12:53Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I’m trying to figure out what JKR means when she says Book 7 is essentially a continuation of Book 6. Obviously it’s a sequel, but… [/QUOTE] My interpretation: hunt for horcruxes starts in book 6, ends in book 7. Whereas the other books all had a separate “challenge” that was resolved at the end of the book. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/128 "2007-05-17T17:00:50Z")
Hm - Cho as traitor is an appealing idea. She doesn’t seem to appreciate the gravity of the situation - witness her making excuses for Marietta. So she could definitely act against Harry for petty reasons, without intending to be truly evil. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/129 "2007-05-17T18:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] Here’s another idea of mine: Will JK Rowling have us guessing at a traitor in the midst of Harry Potter’s entourage? If so, who would the traitor be? [/QUOTE] Percy Weasley. I know he’s not from Dumbledore’s Army, but he is a Gryffindor. In other respects, he meets the qualifications of someone from Harry’s entourage. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/130 "2007-05-17T19:18:03Z")
A possibility I considered, but Percy would have to do a lot of back-pedaling and apologizing for Harry to trust him again. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/131 "2007-05-17T21:36:07Z")
Are there any other Parseltongues mentioned other than Harry & Voldemort? I don’t recall any (I’m sure Voldemort’s maternal relatives, but of the present I mean). Godric’s Hollow is I’m sure connected to Gryfindor somehow, but I wonder if that’s significant. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/132 "2007-05-18T00:33:59Z")
Voldy’s relatives were indeed parselmouths. And Hagrid was in Gryffindor. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/133 "2007-05-18T01:06:56Z")
_Will JK Rowling have us guessing at a traitor in the midst of Harry Potter’s entourage? If so, who would the traitor be?_ No. The betrayal subplot has already been done with Marietta and then Snape, and at this point, there’s no one who has enough information to pull off a meaningful betrayal other than Ron and Hermione, and I really don’t think Rowling is going to go there. Harry hasn’t even told _Ginny_ about what he’s going to do next (not that I think Ginny is a plausible betrayer either). Cho, Colin, Ernie, and the other minor characters are way out of the loop. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/134 "2007-05-18T03:10:59Z")
Apparently the only other somewhat significant parselmouths are Salazar Slytherin and the Gaunts. Dumbledore was able to translate some parseltongue in the last book but that doesn’t indicate in any way that he spoke it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/135 "2007-05-18T04:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Dumbledore was able to translate some parseltongue in the last book but that doesn’t indicate in any way that he spoke it. I’m not sure he was even able to do that. All he says in those scenes is “I assume you understand what they’re saying, Harry” (which, of course, he does). He doesn’t ask for a translation later, but then, the general gist was pretty clear from context. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/136 "2007-05-18T12:18:17Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] I’m not sure he was even able to do that. All he says in those scenes is “I assume you understand what they’re saying, Harry” (which, of course, he does). He doesn’t ask for a translation later, but then, the general gist was pretty clear from context. [/QUOTE] Ah, fair enough. I haven’t read the book since last summer. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/137 "2007-05-21T20:28:07Z")
I haven’t seen anyone say this, so I’ll put it out here: Many have speculated that Harry is a Horcrux. I say “no” to that. Harry himself is not a Horcrux. However, Harry’s _scar_ is a Horcrux. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/138 "2007-05-21T22:33:16Z")
Ron dies. Hard to imagine anything else that would kick us in the guts harder than that, aside from Harry himself and I can’t believe that would happen. Hermione winds up with Viktor, who knows he’s secondbest but loves Hermione enough he’s happy to have her any way he can. Harry marries Ginny and has a measure of happiness but is forever haunted by the death of his friend. I don’t know if this is so much a theory, as a scene that would be a really nice sendoff of the Dursley portion of Harry’s life: > [@](#): > > (to Petunia, with Vernon and Duddikins looking on): "You know that bloke that killed your sister? Yeah, well, he’s still out there, and he’s looking for me. Gotta go after him, maybe stop him finishing the job, but I reckon you won’t be bothered by me any more. > > Gathers broom and wand. Walks out the door. Pauses, thinking he’s heard Petunia saying something. Decides he must have imagined it and continues walking. Surely he hear her whisper “Harry… be careful”. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/139 "2007-05-21T22:45:44Z")
Noticed the thread resurrection, and just had to mention - 2 months to go!! ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000/140 "2007-05-22T00:34:14Z")
[QUOTE=Fiver] I haven’t seen anyone say this, so I’ll put it out here: Many have speculated that Harry is a Horcrux. I say “no” to that. Harry himself is not a Horcrux. However, Harry’s _scar_ is a Horcrux. [/QUOTE] I’ve probably said this before - but in the theory supposing that Harry or his scar is a horcrux, would Voldemort be aware of that fact? If he weren’t, then he would have made yet another horcrux as part of his plan to have his soul in seven pieces. If Voldemort is aware, then maybe he wouldn’t be so keen on killing Harry? You would think he would want to keep the seven soul pieces (7 - that most magical number!) intact. ETA: I just remembered now that at this point Voldemort knows that one of his horcruxes was destroyed (the diary) so maybe he’s given up on the “exactly seven pieces of my soul” idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-theories-for-harry-potter-book-7-spoilers-obviously/402000.md?page=8)