Always possible, but JK has stated that who Harry’s grandparents are is not important to the story.
Yes, I think that Harry is going to end up in possession of the Pensieve, and some set of memories that Dumbledore has left him.
I also think it’s likely that Harry is going to have to give up his magic. I don’t think Ginny will die, though.
Some other Weasleys are definitely going to bite the dust. There may be a big redemptive death for Percy, or Mr. (or, less likely, Mrs.) Weasley may die bringing Percy back into the fold. I suspect at least one of the twins will die. We haven’t really built up enough affection for Charlie or Bill for them to make good sacrifices, so I think they’ll make it. I don’t think Ron, Hermione, or Harry will die.
Harry is absolutely not going to use Avada Kedavra. But there are other ways to kill. Which leads me to another Prediction: Harry is going to use some thoroughly Muggle method to kill Voldemort, such as a gun. Voldemort and Harry both already know that they can’t effectively use their wands directly against each other, which takes a lot of magic off the table in any duel between them. They could use different wands, but a wizard works best with his own wand, and neither of them will want to be the one to take that handicap. But Voldemort’s hatred of Muggles and their ways is so complete that he’d never consider a non-magical attack, while Harry is wise enough that each has their place.
And any resemblence between Harry and Voldemort (including the Parseltongue) can be perfectly well explained by the mysterious bond Voldemort forged between them when he “marked” Harry (which bond is presumed by many to be a fragment of V.'s soul in Harry). This would work especially well, given that none of the resemblances are physical: Harry is said to look just like his father, except with his mother’s eyes, and is never compared to V. in appearance.
I just thought of something else that I can’t claim as my own prediction, since I didn’t think of it myself (maybe I read it here?): Voldemort won’t actually be killed at all, but instead Harry will vanquish him by first destroying all the horcruxes and then by permanently binding the final soul fragment in some way–perhaps in or to an object–using Parseltongue for the incantation, thus creating a nigh-on unbreakable spell. I think this would be a brilliant solution, as well as elegant and satisfying for the reader.
Ah, I had not heard that. That’s very sweet and sad at the same time.
Well, someone earlier suggested Harry loses his magic. What if Harry manages to take Voldemort’s magic from him? So Voldemort loses the battle, his powers, and can’t make another horcrux, so he eventually loses his life as well, since he’s no longer importal. That way Harry doesn’t have to actually kill him.
Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?
The effect of Avada Kedavra on Fawkes is not inconsistent at all - that’s what happens to a phoenix when he dies - bursts into flames and comes back as a baby bird. Fawkes was killed by the curse.
I read it on the website --an interview she gave for the Leaky Cauldron site. It’s on her site as well (don’t know the url, sorry).
I like the Parseltongue theory a lot. I also see Percy dieing in a redemptive way. I see Snape doing so as well.
I see Mr Weasley dieing, not Molly, though. (no good reasons why). I think that there will be a combination of events, much like the smashing of the prophecy and Voldy will end up dead-but no one knows for sure who did it.
Also, don’t forget that Voldy’s goons have taken Ollivander (or else he has gone wilingly) --this might mean that Voldy has a new wand.
I see pride doing in Voldy in the end.
Whynot–I did the same, but I started in Feb! I’m already done and now I’m stuck…I might re-reread book 6 just before the release date of book 7.
I found a Rowling quote where she pointedly didn’t answer that question.
As to why I subscribe to the theory, its been more then a year now, but after I finished reading the last book, I was pretty convinced. My rough recollections of why were:
-The scene of Lily defending Snape against James’s bullying.
-Dumbledore says that Snape’s biggest regret was telling Volde the prophecy he overheard, that led to Volde murder of James and Lily. Snape hated James, so presumably his regret was over Lily’s death.
-Rowlings has said that Snape’s past lovelife will be important in the last book.
-Harry is in some ways responsible for Lily Potter’s death (she died protecting Harry when Volde came to kill him) which would explain why Snape hates him.
-I wish I could remember the quote (hopefully someone will chime in) but at one point someone asks Dumbledore why he trusts Snape. Dumbledore’s cryptic answer seemed to support the Snape loved Lily theory.
I think one of the novelties invented by the Weasley Twins will turn out to have a major military use in the battle against Voldemort.
I’m still working with why Snape willingly took the unbreakable oath. He could easily have refused by saying he was a mole and could not have his cover blown.
I think Draco might become a wand wielding school shooter sort. I can’t see him coming over to the Potter camp but I can imagine him becoming a loose cannon seeking to succeed the Dark Lord and not quite mature enough to do it, thus being a danger to everybody.
I think the death of Luna’s mother has some major significance- could the prophecy pertain to her? (Her father’s alive but is he her father?)
The Dementors breeding may produce a new kind of enemy.
Finally, Harry will cause a huge uproar in the wizarding community and beyond when he appears naked with a hippogriff in the school play. Petunia will say he is an abomination, the Malfoys that he is a typical Halfblood, Luna that he has really cute buttdimples but really needs to work on the accent, and McGonagall that he needs private lessons to make up on some work while Hagrid will say “You know that Hippogriffs are really randy dontcha Harry? Might not wanna rub on him like tha… too late.”
OK I have just skimmed the thread, I’m too excited to reveal a new theory.
Deathly Hallows- Halloween will play an important role in this book. I don’t think the book will span the whole school year as usual.
There’s the obvious Hallows/Halloween thing
Voldemort originally attacked Harry on Halloween, and it will finish it off nicely if it ends on Halloween.
Rowling has said that anyone who understands her religious/spiritual beliefs will have a good heads up on what’s to come. In Celtic pagan folklore, the holiday roughly analogous with Halloween (Samhain) is the one night a year when the veil between the worlds of the dead and living is thinnest so it is possible to pass through it more easily. It’s the best night for divination, the dead are supposed to walk the earth, etc. Perhaps those killed by Voldy will come back to fight him along with the Order.
So I think we’ll see James and Lily and Sirius and Dumbledore back for one night to aid Harry in his attempt to destroy Voldemort.
Halloween was when Harry’s parents were killed.
I think she’s agnostic. Does that mean in the end nothing happens?
I can’t remember where I read it, if it was on her website or in an interview on a fansite, but she said something to the effect that her spiritual beliefs/interests would be a bit of a giveaway about the plot of Deathly Hallows. I tried looking but can’t find it. Either way, there is an awful lot of Celtic pagan imagery/folklore in the books, so I just assumed that would be what she meant.
She could be agnostic but still interested in paganism.
I think, since the veil has already been introduced, and with the title, it’s not too big a leap to make. I remembered reading that about Celtic beliefs- the exact term used was the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead. And since the veil is on the cover…
From all I’ve read, Rowling has never lied or misdirected anyone in her interviews or online chats. In addition to being a very talented and inventive writer, she is a woman of her word. She may omit something or say “No comment” or the equivalent, but she’s never flat-out lied. I just don’t see her starting now.
Okay, so believe that.
I just think it’s silly to assume she’s always going to tell the truth on something like that which could ruin a whole major plot point.
-Joe
Rowling is neither an agnostic nor a pagan. She is a member of the Church of Scotland. (And I, too, remember the interview quote where she mentioned that her religious beliefs inform the ending of the seventh book although she doesn’t want to reveal how, but I can’t find a cite either.)
The “did anyone else love Lily?” quote is interesting in context, but I don’t think the most popular interpretation is correct. Here’s the full exchange with interviewers Emerson Spartz and Melissa Anelli:
Note that Rowling offers to answer the question regarding Snape OR Lupin, but not both. (And then doesn’t answer at all about Snape but gives a sorta-answer for Lupin.) What this suggests to me is that the combination of the two answers would give too much away, but neither individual answer would reveal anything of importance – in other words, the two answers are “No,” and “No,” and knocking out both of the front-runners would set people looking for a third candidate, making them more likely to stumble on the truth.
I’m voting for Peter Pettigrew – who, unlike Snape, was definitely in a position to bargain for Lily’s life just before Voldemort visited the Potters, and who is pictured sitting between James and Lily in the first photo of the Order.
All curses that are dodged or misaimed cause stone, masonry and wood to crumble or explode, not just Avada Kedavra. When Harry is running out of Hogwarts after Malfoy and Snape, he’s dodging shrapnel from all the curses being flung around by the Death Eaters and Dumbledore’s Army, but no one is saying “Avada Kedavra”, they’re all doing Impedimenta and other non-Unforgivable Curses. So the statue shattering is not inconsistent at all - it’s acting the same way any curse that hits a non-living target acts. And, has already been pointed out, it killed Fawkes, as well, sending him into a premature birth cycle - 'cause he’s a phoenix.
The last Harry Potter book will crossover into the christian “Left Behind” universe, outraging fans of both series.
As for the full quote regarding Snape’s possible love for Lily, an alternative interpetation is that Rowling doesn’t want us to know that all the Mauradurs + Snape were competing for Lily’s attentions. Recall that Sirius at one point tried to kill Snape (by sending him to werewolf Lupin) which seems to go beyond mere bullying, but could be explained by jealousy over Lily.
Does anyone recall the quote I mentioned in my last post, where Dumbledore begins to explain why he trusts Snape. I don’t have the books here, so I can’t look it up. In anycase, Dumbledore certainly puts a lot of faith in “the power of love” so Snape having had feelings for Lily would certainly be able to convince the old wizard.
There is a specific reference to one of them “flinging killing curses willy-nilly”. And while other curses can be lethal (sectumsempra, probably, if left untreated, and too many stunners can do in someone with a weak heart), Avada Kedavra is the only one that’s referred to as “the killing curse”.
And I’ll add my voice to those who don’t see a basis for the “Snape loved Lilly” theories. I won’t say it’s absolutely not true, but if it does turn out to be the case, I don’t think it was very foreshadowed.