Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I just wanted to see what you guys may of thought about the new Harry Potter book. It was a great read, state your opinions here after you've completed the book. Don't read below if you haven't finished the book beacuse you will be sad and cry for hours. Below are some points/thoughts/ramblings I came up with after finishing it:

Concerning Dumbledore, Snape, and all that jazz -
Snape made an unbreakable vow with Malfoy's mother that he would do everything he could to keep Malfoy safe - especially from Voldemort, who would kill Malfoy if he did not die in an attempt on Dumbledore's life. It is my belief that Dumbledore knew about the unbreakable vow because he knew everything else about Malfoy's plans and attempts.
At one point in HBP, Hagrid slips up and tells Harry that he heard Snape and Dumbledore arguing. I think this was over the very situation that happens at the end of the book - if there was a situation in which Snape or Malfoy may end up dying and this could be prevented by killing Dumbledore, then Snape must do it.
I don't think Dumbledore was pleading for mercy, he was pleading for Snape to kill him. As hard as that may be to even consider, Snape may be the most valuable resource to those against Voldemort in the end. I think in the 7th book, there will be a crucial moment in which Snape will either save Harry's life, or contribute to Voldemort's demise in some fashion.

This kind of theory fits the way Rowling twists her stories around... if I took the way I read it straightforward, well, I'd be wrong. Rowling masks her writing as straight but behind that mask is a twisting story.

A friend of mine threw out an idea that possibly Dumbledore didn't die at all, and that it was someone under the influence of Polyjuice potion. I'm no HP expert, but I'd believe that the person would still retain the form of whoever they were until the potion wore off, which would probably be within the hour. However, if you noticed, Dumbledore's body was not viewed at the funeral, it was covered even when Hagrid carried him to the tomb. All theory, of course.

I just can't see this being all plain as day and straightforward. Dumbledore wouldn't have gone down without a fight unless he meant to... I believe Dumbledore froze Harry behind the door in order to a) protect Harry b) protect Malfoy and c) protect Snape. It was all just a form of protecting in various ways. Harry no doubt would've just gone charging screaming in shooting spells. Whatever, playing the hero role that he does quite well. Had Malfoy died, Snape would have too. So really, in the end, it was just to the benefit of everyone that Harry stayed behind the door against his will and under his cloak.

All the Harry and Hermione shippers - your luck has run out. It's Ron + Hermione... and it's so painfully obvious.

I guess the only thing to do now is wait until book 7.

Thank you J.K. Rowling for giving us all such a great story. :]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Okay here goes my thoughts.
I think that Dumbledore did indeed die. It think he froze Harry to protect him and not anybody else. I don't think that it was somebody using Polyjuice Potion because there was not a time in during the last parts where Dumbledore could have switched with somebody else.And just to throw out a question, who in the world is R.A.B? I'm guessing that we will find out in the 7th book or it might be someone that was mentioned only a couple of times but is very important. But it was still a very good book, the best in my opinion.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Remember the locket from book five that Harry found in Sirius's house? I believe that Sirius's father took it in those few days before Voldermort killed him.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

We may have mutual friends, because this is the same theory I shared with a few of my friends. I believe that Dumbledore and Snape took Polyjuice potion to obtain the others identity.

This is a good point, but what about the liquid Dumbledore had to drink in the cave? Possibly a potion to extend the polyjuice potions life? Or quite possibly a poison that does not allow your body to change form. Seeing as Snape is the Half-Blood Prince and he came up with the spells and potion shortcuts, it is quite possible he could have invented one of these potions.

Just my $0.02.
JT

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I have to agree with you Ryan, Rowling is a brilliant writer and I think in the next book there will be more explanation as to what REALLY went on. The main reason I think this is that in all the books she has made Dumbledore out to be smart and observant, and he has always trusted Snape. Every time we thought Snape was "the bad guy" he always came back to save Harry. I don't think there is any way that Snape just switched sides without Dumbledore at least having a clue. I, too, can not wait for the next book (even though right after finishing I was swearing to Jay I would never read another Harry Potter book again :p)

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Unless Rowling is introducing a new character (which I would hate if she did that so late in the books), then it's a good chance that it is in fact Sirius's brother Regulus Black. He was mentioned in Order of the Phoenix and apparently was killed for trying to switch sides (from evil to good).

That's my theory on R.A.B. - I think it's really cool how Rowling is tying in the founders of the school again with the Horcruxes.

I wonder if Hogwarts will even reopen next year. But even if it does, Harry said he wouldn't return (at least not for schooling). I bet he'd still come back to converse with Dumbledore's painting though. Becoming an Auror is too obvious, so who knows what's going to happen in the end.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

sooo i finished on saturday lol few hours after i got it and was waiting for someone to start a thread on this b/c i couldn't ruin it...but since ryan you already jumped in now and have opened it up...here's my two sense...

snape..always had in the other books leads that he's like a double agent...
and with it being the 6th book it had to come out and the death of Dumbledore seemed like it had to happen... but yes i'll go on ryan's friend's theory..it seems so unreal...dumbledore was one of the best there was... and snape yes always has been helping harry... even though he said in the beginning..he was arranging for it all to happen...but there has to be more...

now things w/ harry and hermonine...yeah i always since the beginning figure it would be her w/ ron... and well yeah it is obvious sooo bad now...

the way to destroy Voldemort... well is a great idea.. she made the stories even more connect and pieces fall together... she is a great writer and all..i will agree with everyone.. it's just one series that we've got hooked and wanna know what happens.... the 7th book i'm sure will knock our socks off... i can't argue which book is the best but i've enjoyed reading them all...

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I hate to be a party-pooper but I really thought Rowling was uncharacteristically obvious in this one. It just didn't seem quite as thrilling as all of the rest leading up to it. Yes, I do realize that they are 16 and 17 now and looooooove is supposed to be such a big thing but between that and the gore, I guess I just didn't understand where she was going.
I suppose I liked it more when she stuck to the action and allowed the reader's mind to wander as she described the effects of a potion or spell instead of telling the reader flat out.
Nonetheless she has been as thorough and creative as ever. The only thing I question technically is where Gryffindor's ruby-filled hour glass was first mentioned. Granted, it has been some time since I last read any of them, but it didn't even set off a mental alarm as to where it was first written about.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

To my very best knowledge, the hourglasses were first directly mentioned in the 5th book when Snape tried to take points from Harry but there no rubies left to take. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

No, I believe they were first mentioned in the first book, at the point where all the other Gryffindors are shocked to discover that a lot of the rubies have disappeared from their hourglass when Harry, Hermione and Neville lose 150 points for being caught out at night.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I don't know about you, but when I finished HBP, the first words out of my mouth were "What the (explicative), JK Rowling?? Why did you have to leave such a huge cliffhanger???"

Now on to the theorizing....
I agree with most people that R.A.B. is Regalus Black, Sirius' brother. It makes fairly good sense, and can be connected with an earlier passage in the series.

I think Dumbledore did in fact die, and he was begging to Snape to kill him. The polyjuice theory just seems too implausible for me to believe. Dumbledore knew about the Unbreakable Vow, so to help Snape (lord knows why), he sacrificed himself. Harry was frozen so that he could not intervene and potentially get killed.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

A friend of mine pointed me to this post on LiveJournal.com:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/fabularasa/27100.html

I agree that Dumbledore did in fact die, and that he had an agreement with Snape for Snape to kill him.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if in book 7 he contacts Harry somehow and explains it all to him.

I think this is one of the reasons Snape treats Harry so bad:
Snape and Dumbledore are/were in cahoots over Voldemort's demise, but Snape always get the short end of the stick, because he's an ex-death eater. To top it all off, the guy he has to help is the son of the guy who tormented him throughout school. Basically, "I ruin my life and career for this kid??"

Ah well. Now we wait another two years to find out.

Dave

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

But why would Voldemort have thought of that when he was designing his defenses? He surely wouldn't have wanted to help the person drinking the potion.

R.A.B must be someone important, as they have one of the horcrux's. There has to be another mystery party as well, since Dumbledore stated there would be absolutely no way for one person to have drank the potion and retrieved the horcrux. They must have been pretty powerful wizards to discover a way into the cave, and retrieve the locket.

The whole romance thing was really lame... it didn't seem to me like it fit well at all

We still don't know why Dumbledore trusted Snape so much... there has to have been a good reason, as he never trusted Voldemort from the moment he met him.

It would be incredibly weird for Rowling to spend six books developing all the characters at Hogwarts, and then just drop the vast majority of them out of the final book.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Cory remember the note in the fake Hocrux

R.A.B. could have very well changed to liquid in the basin. Snape would have known that he was defying Voldemort. (If R.A.B is actually Regulus Black) And if Snape was already on the side of The Order of the Phoenix, he could have given him th potion to replace the old one with. It may not make complete sense, but its an idea.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

First off, this was BY FAR my favourite book of all six so far ... moving the third book to second place. I think this was mostly a transition book leading up to everything that is going to happen in the next book.

Cory: Dumbledore trusted Snape because Smape told him that it was he who had told Voldemort about the prophecy. I don't quite understand how that makes Dumbledore trust him, but it's the reason that he gives Harry. I think there is something more to it though. Think maybe Snape had to do something to prove his loyalty to Dumbledore?

About the couples:
Ron and Hermione: oh so painfully obvious. Has been hinted at since Goblet of Fire.
Harry and Ginny: meh ... could be worse ..
Bill and Fleur: never been a big fan of Fleur
Cutest Couple Award: Tonks and Lupin

About RAB:
Somebody beat me to saying it but I think RAB is Regulus and the potion that had to be drank was some sort of tracing potion. Because Voldemort knows he isn't the best in the world, and it seems to me he is insecure and that is why he needs the trophies (I think Dumbledore mentioned something like that). Anyways, I say it was a tracing potion so that he could find whoever got past all the curses and find out how they did that. That being said, Dumbledore did say that once they destroyed the Horcruxe, Voldemort wouldn't know, but I think he was wrong.
Also, if it is not Regulus, it could be someone knew. As in Borgin or Burkes. Or also, in the Slug's Club, there is Marcus Belby who clearly has family connections if he was there. And Katie Bell's last name also started with B.
But also a point to remember: "The world is not separated into good and evil. The Order vs. The Death Eaters" - Sirius. (or something along those lines). In which case, RAB could be someone entirely new. If it is, I think it was someone who went to Hogwarts with Tom Riddle or was in the orphanage with him maybe? But someone from his childhood.


About changing the potion (was mentioned in an earlier post):
I disagree because when Harry tried to fill it with water for Dumbledore to drink, it wouldn't. So why would it fill with anything else? And the note only said RAB, not RAB and SS (Severus Snape).

About Snape being the Half Blood Prince:
I think there is more to it than just that. It reveals that he is an extremely powerful wizard and that even though he is head of Slytherin and a Death Eater (or at least he was and was accepted by Voldemort as one), he isn't a pure blood. And I think the fact that he is half Muggle is extremely significant.

About Snape killing Dumbledore:
For some reason, my gut says Snape is evil. The unbreakable vow did not mean that he was forced to kill Dumbledore. It means that if he didn't, Snape would die. But, if Snape hadn't killed Dumbledore one of the other Death Eaters would have killed Snape because they would know he was a traitor. And then one would have killed Dumbledore. But Snape is a pretty powerful wizard and I think he could have taken the 3 and a half Death Eaters in the room. The half being Malfoy.

Which brings me to my next point and predictions for the next book:I say Malfoy turns good (and if the world was perfect he would fall in love with Hermione). But, regardless, he did not want to kill Dumbledore, and no matter what he said on the train to the other Slytherins or what he says to his mother, Voldemort, or Death Eaters, he isn't coldhearted enough to be a murderer.

I also say Harry kills Snape. Whether Snape is evil or good, Harry hates him too much. Not just for Dumbledore, but also for everything Snape put him through, everything he has said about James and Sirius, and mostly for telling Voldemort the prophecy that made him kill James and Lily. So now he's reached his breaking point and will kill Snape before he ever truly finds out if Snape was actually good or evil.

I also say Harry dies next book. Yeah yeah she won't make one of the kids die, but I think he will because it will be the only way for him to get rid of Voldemort once and for all.

As for will Hogwarts stay open? I think it will. For the sake of Dumbledore. He wouldn't have wanted it to close. I think the structure of it will change greatly and there will be a lot fewer students, but I think it will remain open.

My guesses on the 6 Horcruxes:
1. The Locket (Something of Slytherin's)
2. The Cup (Something of Hufflepuff's)
3. The ring (Something of his own descent)
4. The Diary
5. Nagini (the snake)
6. This has to be some place obvious, and I am thinking Hogwarts because it was such a big place of his life. The only place he ever felt at home and wanted to return to. Also, he wanted a teaching post there and was refused twice, though Dumbledore never found out why he wanted it so bad. If this last one isn't in Hogwarts, than maybe Borgin and Burkes because of his job there.

Also a point to notice, but the DADA teacher didn't last for a year again.

Here is what I I think will have a huge significance next book but don't know why or how:
Aragog's dying is a big deal I think
Grawp
Kreacher and Dobby
Krum will come back I think
Cho will come back again
Krum and Cho possibly??

I noticed in this book there were a lot of unanswered questions that were supposed to be answered. JKR said after Order of the Phoenix that in the next book we would find out that there is more to Aunt Petunia that meets the eye and why it is so important that Harry looks exactly like James, but has his mother's eyes?

And throughout the whole of the Half Blood Prince, one question bothered me: Who is guarding Azkaban?? It can't be the Dementors because they follow Voldemort now. It can't be Aurors because in a battle of a Death Eater vs an Auror, it can go either way.




Anyways, those are my thoughts on the sixth HP. I heard JKR has the seventh one written already so that means only one more year til it's released and we don't have to wait for her to get over writer's block or anything. The movie of the fourth book is out on November 18th!!! www.gobletoffire.com

Shyra

EDIT: everyone seems to be ruling out the possibility that RAB could be a she.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

On the couples....

George: haha and harry + ginny....odd combo to me
Friend: you talk about them like they`re an entree at panda express. ._.'
George: yea they're good with a side of orange chicken
George: o.O
Friend: great. :D
George: haha the other combos were nice though...wrapped eels submerged in each other

I thought it seemed really out of place, but sort of expected. I seem to sense that as the books have progressed, they have been more "fantastic movie scene possibility" types, as if Rowling was thinking "hmm this would be cool to see in a movie."

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

He did give that as a reason. but I don't see how Dumbledore can unconditionally trust him because of that. There has to be something more.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I really think that Dumbledore did die because his portrait did appear inside the headmaster's office. As for JK Rowling being too obvious, I don't think that is the case. She knows what she is doing and I think that she would have anticipated everyone guessing what was going to happen next. As a result, I don't think that it will be anything that we can guess. But like it was said before, that is just my $.02.

I think that Dumbledore knew even before he left in search of the horcrux that he was going to die that night. When Harry was taking Dumbledore back through the caves, Dumbledore implied that he would trust Harry with his life. If this is true, why wouldn't he let Harry come and help him? I think the reason is that he knew that Harry would find a way to succeed against the death eaters and save him. This would be against Dumbledore's plans because he was considering the prophecy. The prophecy says that Harry, alone, would have to be the one to kill Voldemort. If Dumbledore lives, Harry would be too dependent on him and would never go in search of those horcruxes w/o him. As a result, the prophecy would not be fulfilled because it would not be Harry alone defeating Voldemort. Dumbledore said in OOTP that his weakness was that he cared for Harry too much. The only way to fix this would be to eliminate himself. Dumbledore said that he could trust Harry, I think he trusts him enough to be able to fulfill the prophecy.

As for Harry becoming an auror, I don't think so. I think that he will end up doing what nobody else could. He will become a teacher at Hogwarts and will teach his favorite class. No other teacher could last for more than 1 year when teaching defense against the dark arts. I think taht job was meant for Harry and this will eventually be realized.

Snape is a very complex character and it is hard to tell which side he is on. When he shouted "Don't call me a coward!" to Harry, this raised a flag to me. I think that Snape very reluctantly killed Dumbledore. It makes sense b/c in the OOTP, he was the one who alerted the Order about Harry's actions. If it weren't for him, Voldemort would have had Harry right where he wanted him. He told the Order and Dumbledore which allowed them to prevent Voldemort from getting the prophecy and killing Harry(the death eaters made it clear that they had every intention of killing Harry after they got the prophecy). I don't think that Snape would have wanted to foil his master's plans intentionally.

Like I said before, I am probably completely wrong. JKR will probably come up with some elaborate story that will put all of our speculation to rest. She will probably come up with something that nobody would have thought of or she will introduce some new element into the book. If I am not mistaken, the 7th book is coming out in the summer of 2007? So we now have something to look forward to. Hopefully, it won't be another War of the Worlds disaster where all the questions were left unanswered!! :ahh: (yes, i am still mad about that ;) )

BTW, I am sorry if I have mentioned something that has already been said. I keep losing track between all the HP discussions. :D

GO 1403!!!

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I haven't been on in a reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyy long time but I just had to reply to this one...

I think Dumbledore did actually die because otherwise why would a portrait of him appear in his (old) office along with all the other dead headmasters/mistresses?

And also on that point, Dumbledore's portrait will be very important in the last book. Because portraits can talk in the wizarding world, Harry will be able to talk to Dumbledore and possibly discuss tactics or recieve guidance and help in book 7. I think this could probably be why Rowling mentioned the portrait hanging on the wall (even if it was just a small hint)!

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I dont actually think that they say anywhere in any of the books, that the portraits are for Dead Hogwarts headmaster/mistresses but for former headmaster/misstress so all this says to me is that Dumbledore is no long the headmaster.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Pretty much everything I've had to say was already said, but my cousin threw out this idea: Harry, or another person, as one of the horcruxes? If so, someone will have a very difficult decision to make come book 7. I found this to be the weakest book so far, but still a decent read.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

that's a good point...I didnt think about that

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I considered Harry as one of the Horcruxes but ruled it out because it just didn't make sense. Why would Voldemort try and kill Harry if Harry is a part of his soul and without him, Voldemort is one bit closer to mortality.

Also .. another question that was supposed to be answered or at least hinted toward is what were the professions of Lily and James? I can't remember where I read it but they weren't Aurors ...

Also .. I didn't like how JKR made Dumbledore point out everythign from the memories oh so blatantly. Like he would say "I hope you can see how so and so" But at the same time I can see that she did that so the younger readers would be able to follow the story. So while I'm not a huge fan of it, I also can't see another way around it ...

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

i've loved all of this specualtion.. and yeah, i dont think Dumbledore pleaded for his Life, but for Death, and this was all planned long before the encounter with Malfoy's mother and her sister at Snape's house. It was a good book, and i liked it... i sort of expected Dumbledore to die throughout the whole book though, so i wasnt incredibly surprised. i do enjoy Rowling's use of Suspense everywhere. :)

about the potion and the locket: it is very true that RAB could be one of Sirius' ancestors. if you didnt notice, whenever Harry and Dumbledore were in Dumbledore's office, Sirius' ancestor who used to be a headmaster was always making comments. always. and anyways, if RAB really did destroy that Horcrux, thats one less that Harry has to worry about, and that works in his favor. anways, the potion. remember what dumbledore said about the potion before he began to drink it? it seems to me that Dumbledore knew what he was dealing with before he got there.. perhaps he visited the cave before he came back again with harry when he realized he couldnt get the Horcrux alone, and it was all a show to get harry to believe it. maybe it was even a test of sorts for harry... a test to see if he really was "Dumbledore's man, through and through" if he could really do what he was asked.. and he passed with flying colors, allowing Dumbledore the knowledge that harry was ready to do what he was destined to do (although, i'm pretty sure Dumbledore doesnt really give a $@#$@#$@#$@# about the Prophecy, he just uses it to his advantage that Voldemort is self-fulfilling his own demise) and it was time for him to go.

also, something else no one has mentioned... Draco crying in the bathroom and Moaning Myrtle consoling him. Draco as a whole.. you could tell he changed throughout the school year. he wasnt as arrogant... he seemed scared. i cant say i blame him.. but yea... you can see how he responded when Dumbledore offered him a way out, a way to keep his family safe.

and speaking of keeping his family safe, i'm curious as well as to who is protecting Azkaban. its mentioned a lot throughout the book that Lucius is "safe in Azkaban"...

Snape being the HBP was brilliant.. i loved that twist. and when he asked harry to stop using his own spells against him and to stop calling him a coward.. i got the red flag too. Snape must be a very strong person to have killed Dumbledore.. i dont think Snape wanted to at all, but he had to, there was no way around it, and there was no other way to fully convince Voldemort and the Death Eaters of his "allegiance" without excecuting his Unbreakable Vow and sacrificing Dumbledore. i think Dumbledore had done as much as he could have, and at that point, he was really of no more use in person, especially because of his hurt hand, and he no longer needed to live to help. his portrait could give all the information that was needed... thats all Dumbledore was good for anymore, and at the time, Snape was far more useful and important than Dumbledore could have ever been. Snape is a brilliant double agent and plays the part extremely well... my 2nd favorite character just because of his brilliance and darkness, second only to Sirius.

so... the couples. good and bad, in my opinion. i found it cute (but maybe thats because i'm a girl) but also, it offered another conflict, another layer of the story... and it even gave some hope in the book, so the book itself didnt turn out to be extremely depressing.
i think a great injustice was done to the books in that the movies were created before the series itself was completed. they rushed into making the movies while it was assumed HP was just a fad, but now HP is being considered as literature ... and it wouldnt have hurt to put off the production of the movies for a few years. you're right, the fact that her books were being turned into movies may have influenced her writing a little (i'd certainly hope not...)... and now, even though i said i'd never watch the movies, i have, and when i read, i cant help but picture the movie version of everything, which really sucks because it takes all of the imagination and fun out of reading in the first place.

and yeah, the blatent obviousness or supposed blatent obviousness got a little annoying, and perhaps it was for the younger readers, but the more i read Rowling's work, the more i get the impression that the Harry Potter series was never intended to be Children's Literature. it just so happened that it would be recieved that way.

just my two cents. :)

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Heads of House for the they last year at Hogwarts, if there should be even a Hogwarts that students are attending.
Ravenclaw-Flickwick
Hufflepuff'-Sprout
Slytherin- SLughorn
Gryffindor- Hagrid

I though that this book was more dark than anything other HP book, it sometimes scare me, like the Interfi, I had a dream that they attack me, but its OK, With Dumblerdore dead, I was like what? He is such an important character to the plot that now it going to turn everything upside down. And yes he is dead, I don't think that he took any Polyjuice Potion to be someone else. And also I don't think he would let Snape kill him just to save him and Malfoy, that just be not like of Dumbledore. Also the relationships were weird, Harry and Ginny, it was like eww, but Ron and Hermione, we all know that it was going to come. Sometimes, I didnt understand the plot but its a good book and I believe that everything will come out of the open in the LAST book.

Here is what I am thinking about YEAR 7

- Aberforth Dumbledore, brother of Dumbledore and barkeep of the Hogs Head plays a big part.

- Snape dies and Harry is proud

- Characters that we did not know or only knew a little bit about them, WILL play bigger roles.

_ In book 5, he recieves a gift from Sirius or someone, not sure, but I believe it was a mirror and Harry will need it to talk to the dead or a least family, friends and others

- He will travel around Britian and get the how many parts of Voldemort soul left and destory it but he would have help from the OoP

- Hogwarts is one of 7 parts of " he who must not be named" soul

- Lily Potter will help or solve or just be a big part in the last year.

- Dumbledore saids famous phases that are notable to him but does give full adivce to Harry.

- Many more characters will die.

- Harry WILL have the HELP of Hermione and Ron in whatever he does

- And Voldemort will DIE.

But still, I am shock that Dumbledore is dead!!!!

But who know what JK got in store for the last book? I CAN'T WAIT !!!!

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I'm envisioning that Harry will try and hunt down Snape for revenge. But Harry, in his attempt, will be caught in the middle of something to big for him to get out of. Harry in the end will be saved by Snape who will be forced to show his true colors to save him, but in the end will be mortally wounded and Harry will regret how he thought of snape. Not saying its gonna happen, just a possibility.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Ok i have to say this is the best HP ever. My first thing is the luck potion will be very important. I think Harry is going to have slughorn making that stuff left and right. Next off i think the argument between dumbledore and snape was that dumbledore told snape to kill him and snape just didn't want to. As for who is going to die in the 7th i think that the weding will be a massive war between the order and the death eaters leaving ron, ginny, george and Mrs. Weasley left. If Hogwarts doesn't reopen as a school then voldemort will use it as his base of operations. As for snape i think he is either good or he is playing the field. I mean he could have been waiting in the middle looking to see who is going to come out as the early leader and pledge his alegiance to them. The book will end with Harry fighting voldemort with Draco, Ron and Hermione. Hermione will die in Ron's arms. Draco will have to choose between his family and what he knows is right. Harry will win and either become an auror or Headmaster of Hogwarts

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

All the people saying that the relationship stuff isn't needed... what are you guys thinking? Voldemort cannot love, it's the one thing Harry has over him and will somehow use to his advantage. To say the relationships aren't necessary is foolish. Ron and Hermione have obviously been destined to get together for quite sometime now. If you think about it, Ginny and Harry have too though. She's the perfect girl for Harry. Harry needs a girl that isn't afraid and can handle having a marked man as a boyfriend. It's a perfect match.

I just read this and thought there's no way this is right. Rowling rarely tells it like it is, there's always a twist. If Snape hadn't have killed Dumbledore, his cover would have been blown not only with the Death Eaters but with Voldemort as well. There is no way that Dumbledore was pleading for his life and that Snape is just pure evil. It's never that simple.

Keep in mind Slughorn was only stepping in for a year anyway. I doubt he will be hanging around Hogwarts again in book 7.

I also seriously doubt that book 7 will be released in 2006. Plan for 2007, if we're lucky. Rowling does not have a deadline and she will write/edit it until it's exactly how she wants it.

About the Horcruxes: It's not Harry and it's not Hogwarts. Far too obvious to be one. Rowling mentioned in a recent interview with two true HP fans that another item that is a horcrux was mentioned in the book and that she hopes someone figures it out. Think of things specifically mentioned in this book and you'll have a better chance of guessing what the unknown horcrux is.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

The relationships she portrayed weren't about love at all though, it was petty middle school stuff, which is why I didn't like it at all, and didn't think it fit.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

Reading this triggered a thought in my mind. I always knew there must be a really good reason behind Dumbeldore's consistent trust in Snape, and here is one theory.....

As someone else mentioned, it was during Snape's confession to Dumbeldore that he was responsible for telling Voldemort about the Prophecy resulting in Lily's and James' deaths, that Dumbeldore knew Snape had repented and gave him his trust. I think you are right Shyra that Dumbeldore must have tested this.... What if the test was that he asked Snape to partake in an Unbreakable Vow with himself to protect Harry's life, and maybe even to help him in his quest to ultimately destroy Voldemort? This would be very appropriate since it would be something extremely hard for Snape to do given his history with James, yet prove his remorse by protecting the child he helped in orphaning. And, by including in the Vow that he must aid in destroying Voldemort, it would ensure that he was no longer on the side of the Death Eaters. It is my opinion that the idea of the Unbreakable Vow was purposefully underdeveloped and left unexplained because it will play a much greater role in the final book, beyond even that of protecting Malfoy. (Please let me know what you think of this one idea!!)

Perhaps Dumbeldore's death was connected to these two Unbreakable Vows and in a way was expected or necessary, although how, I am not sure of. It seems easy enough for Dumbeldore to continue parting his wisdom to Harry and the Order through his headmaster's portrait....almost too easy. Has JKR ever explained how portraits are able to maintain what seems like a piece of someone's soul that can communicate with the living? Harry's photos of his parents never communicate to him. It seems too good to be true that someone can live on in their portrait as we all hope Dumbeldore does.

I definitely predict that book 7 will be immensely long since there is so much left to be explained. JKR promised more insight into the nature of ghosts and the veil that was seen at the Ministry in book 5, and so much more. I imagine since this will be a very involved conclusion to the series that an early would be very hard to achieve. I doubt she has finished writing it, let alone editing it (I could be wrong though, which would be very nice :)).

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I'd disagree with the relationships being "petty middle school stuff." Well, the one between Ron and Lavender was... but it was supposed to be like that. Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and the others have been friends for a very long time. Emotions are raging between Ron and Hermione, I'd call it drama. Yes it's drama, but they're sixteen, it's to be expected. I still think that their friendships are based on love, and that once it goes beyond that, it will be a relationship that reflects this.

Rowling doesn't wanna rush it guys, it'll happen eventually :]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

The thing is only a few knew that Draco had orders to kill Dumbledore.

But the more I think about it, and the further I get in slowly rereading the book, I'm thinking that Snape might be good. But I think Harry will kill him in the next book before he really knows. And then he'll find out later why Dumbledore blindly trusts him. Because as I said earlier, there has to be something more than just Snape telling Voldemort the first prophecy.

As for the next release, I heard the seventh book is already written. Don't know how true or not true that is.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

It isn't finished. Only parts of it have been written, such as the last chapter and a few other spots. There's still quite a bit to go and she isn't going to start writing it for maybe a year or so according to an interview she had with mugglenet. I think she deserves a little time off.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

OMG ... revelation: Snape's Potions Book as the last Horcruxe ...

The textbook didn't have a lot of purpose this book except for getting Harry a good mark, getting him in trouble, and teaching him a few knew curses. Also, it wasn't revealed until the very end that Snape was the Half Blood Prince. So to have the title named after it, it would have to play a significant role in the series, and because it didn't in this book, it should in the next.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I think your right. I have thought on it and it would make sense. That would explain why he is a parseltongue, why voldemort needed harry in Goblet of Fire, why he told his followers not to kill him, why the sorting hat said maybe slytherin, why he survived voldemort, what was controlling harry in Order of the Phoenix, and why he can feel voldemort. I know this sounds outlandish but it would tie up several unexplained things.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

In a few ways it makes sense, but in many more it doesn't. Why would Volemort make Harry contain a portion of his own soul? It would've been a very stupid thing of him to do. This means that in order to fulfil the prophecy in the way he wants to, he's going to have to destroy part of his own soul, thus making him even less immortal.

Voldemort needed Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire so he would be transported to the graveyard and Harry's blood could be used to restore Voldemort to power. He could have used any wizard who hated him, but he used Harry so he would be immune to the magic that Lily instilled upon Harry when she died.

Voldemort wants to complete the prophecy himself. He wants to have the satisfaction of killing Harry. If you look at it from Voldemort's viewpoint, Harry has caused him a great deal of trouble. I don't think he contains part of Voldemort's soul, he just wants to be the one to kill Harry Potter.

Voldemort tried to destroy Harry with a killing curse and failed. This is why Harry's scar hurts and why they are connected. Voldemort found out about the prophecy from Snape and chose to act upon it. Voldemort's actions caused them to be connected. It just doesn't make sense for Harry to be a horcrux, but maybe Rowling is betting on that too. Who knows.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

He can't really do that though, because the paintings are merely a moving image that happens to have the ability to speak, they can't really make any decisions they didn't already make in life. He could talk to Dumbledore's painting, but the painting can't really help him

Also I think Rowling may be expanding the series, there's still four or so Horcruxes left, and it's going to take a while to figure out where the heck they are. We know what most of them are, yes, but where they are is still to be determined.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

I politely disagree. The portrait of Dumbledore, among other headmasters, could be very useful. First of all, the information that Harry needs to know is stuff that Dumbledore knew in his life, such as the whole Snape issue, among other things. Second of all, Rowling is really starting to tie in a load of history here, to the point where you really have to pay attention to keep up with what's happening and who's related to who in what regard. She wouldn't have put it in there if it didn't have some significance. Keep that in mind.

My thoughts on the romance -
I support Harry and Ginny. I admit it. I was hoping for it since the start. I think they're cute.

However, I agree with Cory. The way it played out was kinda in the style, but kinda not. I find it mediocre. The breakup was also rather oddly emo.

Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Spoilers)
 

The mirror of Erised as a horocrux maybe.

Anyways, I thought the addition of the Horcruxes really added a more mature element to the storry.