Deathly Hallows Predictions

Posted by Susan Hyde Jun 15, 2007

I've promised my seven year old son that, on the night of the of July 20th, I'll take him to the local bookstore to stand in line with all of the rest of the Harry Potter addicts so that we can be among the first to receive our copies (already pre-ordered) of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows right at midnight. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the ending of the series than for us to chuck our "muggle" attire in favor of capes and wizard hats. It will certainly be a night that neither of us will soon forget.

Of course, like every other fan, I have my theories about what will happen in the final book. I'm in the camp with those who refuse to believe that Potions Master Severus Snape actually killed Headmaster Albus Dumbledore near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. For that to be true, readers would have to dismiss the multiple clues that author JK Rowling left us in earlier books:

• Dumbledore's patronus is a phoenix, so it is obviously in his nature to rise up from the ashes.
• Although the Sorcerer's Stone which is at the heart of the elixir of life has apparently been destroyed, Dumbledore was one of its creators. He has achieved a potion for immortality once. Maybe he could do it again.
• Readers know that both Snape and Dumbledore are both very powerful wizards and that only the most powerful of wizards can execute silent incantations and curses. What if Snape silently sent Dumbledore tumbling out of the tower just seconds before uttering the Avada Kadavra killing curse in order to save the only wizard who has ever believed in his goodness?
• Since when has anything in this series been as it has seemed? What if one or more of the characters were under the influence of polyjuice potion which would cause them to take on the appearance of another wizard?
• What about Hermione's time turner?Supposedly it has been destroyed... but has it really? Could Dumbledore's life be saved through time travel?
• What about Snape's own wordsto his first year students in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? : "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death."

Then there are the questions about whether Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley will be able to resume their romance, about whether Harry will finally be able to conquer the Dark Lord Voldemort, about the identity of RAB (my vote is for Regulus Black), and, perhaps most importantly, about the location of the remaining Horcruxes through which Voldemort maintains his immortality.

I hope that there are more answers than questions in this final book!