hARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS -

12th HOUR TRUTHS

Well, the end has been revealed, and I made a lot of suggestions, predictions, and assumptions, and a few were right on... but a lot were way off.  WOW!  I would never have imagined some of the "left turns" that J.K. Rowling took in Harry's final and climatic tale.  I was thrilled with several plot points... but I was devastated by many more... and I can even imagine WHY she decided to do some of the things she did.  It will take me a while to compare my assumptions versus the actualities, but I will make an effort over the next several days, weeks, etc.  I can see that I will have some major footnotes to make on my site.  I also have quite a few questions about unresolved story points from the other 6 books. For now, here are a few of my yeahs and nays (in a few words).

 (SPOILERS!!!)

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YEAH!  Harry lives!  So does Hermione and Ron.  Harry marries Ginny.  Ron and Hermione say "I do" too.  Draco has a change of heart.  Neville and Luna live.

NAYS!!!  Hedwig, Dobby, Fred, Lupin, Tonks.

Still up in the air... Hagrid

11th Hour Feelings, Predictions, Hopes and Fears

In the wake of the final installment of the Harry Potter septet, I thought I would write down some of my own thoughts about J.K. Rowling’s incredible boy wizard tale.  So many of us have grown up or grown older with all of Jo’s magical and muggle characters.  Their joys, fears, and sorrows have be ours too, and it’s with a mixture of great anticipation, excitement, happiness, sadness and relief that we will finally read the last chapter (which no longer ends with the word “scar.”)

Being the webwizardess of my own Harry Potter fan site, it’s a bit unsettling to know there will be no more Harry books after Deathly Hallows.  What will I theorize and conjecture about if Jo doesn’t write another book?  Happily, there are still two more films to come out over the next few years, so my fears about having nothing new to write about have at least been temporarily quelled.  Big sigh.  But say it isn’t so that Harry’s adventures are really ending.  Jo may say she’s done, but I have a strong feeling that the fans will keep Harry’s wizarding world brewing in new fanzine fantasies, academic dissertations, and web blogs. We really can’t live without Harry.  Even if our hero is destined to go through the veil, his legendary life will live on forever in every HP fan’s dream.

So, now that we are only hours away from knowing the fate of Harry Potter and all of his friends and enemies, I want to put out my own final predictions about the final chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I have listed some of these already on other pages of this site, but I figured once more right here couldn’t hurt. 

Will Harry live or die?  I’ve never felt Harry would meet his maker in the last book, and I’m sticking with that idea.  Harry will live.  Harry’s tale may simulate the Arthurian legend, but even Arthur was years older than Harry when he was killed in battle.  I think Harry will vanquish the Dark Lord for good and thereafter, he will live several more decades beyond his 17^th birthday.

Will Hermione and Ron survive to live happily ever after?  Hermione is Harry’s conscience and Ron is Harry’s devil-may-care side.  Harry needs both of them to survive himself.  I believe that the trio will survive and conquer, and that right-brained Hermione will marry left-brained Ron, and they will have loving arguments for the rest of their long lives.

Will Snape live and whose side is he on, anyway?  As much as I would love to say the Severus Snape is a greasy, sleazy two-faced Dumbledore traitor and murderer, I can’t quite say it… completely.  Yes, ol’ snivel nose is greasy and sleazy, and it does appear that he betrayed and murdered Albus Dumbledore, but I think he is still on the good side.  I think that Snape and Dumbledore had a plan and a backup plan… and they had to use them both.  Snape and Dumbledore had an agreement that called for drastic measures, including the death of our beloved Headmaster, in order to save Harry, Hogwarts and all of the students, even Draco.  So, he obeyed Dumbledore and killed him with the Avada Kedavra curse… and in so doing, he sealed his own fate.  He will die for killing Dumbledore, but I really believe that Dumbledore was wise in trusting Snape and that the potions professor is a good guy.

Hagrid? At the end of the second movie when Hagrid returns to Hogwarts from Azkaban, Harry hugs him and tells him that there’d be no Hogwarts with Hagrid.  I have been holding on to that line for several years now, and keeping it as my safety net for Hagrid’s survival.  Of course, Hogwarts could be destroyed and that would mean that Hagrid could die, but I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that since Hogwarts and England have survived a thousand years, Jo has allowed Hagrid to live to a ripe old half-giant’s age… and marry Madame Olympe Maxime.

Will Neville ever remember what he forgot, and if he does, will he die for it?

Yes to both questions.  I believe that the memory charm that was put on Neville as a baby will be lifted and the fog in his brain will clear.  He will remember something very important, the secret that his parents had been tortured for.  Neville has really grown as a person in the series.  He has become a truly brave and courageous wizard, and I think he will test his skills against Bellatrix LeStrange in Deathly Hallows… and kill her; but I think he may also die in the duel.  I will miss Neville.  (BTW, Neville is one of the ones who wasn’t supposed to die in Jo’s original story.  I think this because Dean Thomas had a bigger role in the beginning, but then Jo decided to move the emphasis to Neville.  I don’t think Neville was supposed to die in the original version, but then maybe Dean Thomas was and maybe he still will.)

Will Voldemort kill Draco?  He may certainly try.  Snape has vowed to save Draco, so Snape may have to duel with Voldemort to save Lucius Malfoy’s son.  Draco has a fifty-fifty chance.  If he lives, he will switch sides and be a good guy. 

Will Lucius Malfoy live?  No.  And it may be Arthur Weasley who puts an end to Mr. Malfoy, and then he’d have to adopt Draco… (okay, maybe that’s stretching it a bit.) 

Will all of the Weasleys survive?  Big sigh.  I don’t think so.  In order to redeem himself with his family and the Order, Percy may have to sacrifice himself.  He reminds me of Sirius’ brother, Regulus, and we all know what happened to him.  I also worry about Charlie Weasley, but I think Bill and Flur will live and have a beautiful wedding.  I refuse to believe that Fred and George could get themselves killed; they’re too clever for that.  And Ginny?  She’s been near death before, and she and Harry broke up at the end of HBP.  I think she will live and they will be reunited.

Will McGonagall become Headmistress of Hogwarts?  Yes.  And I think she will deal with Umbridge, who may die in the battle.  I don’t think it will be McGonagall who will kill her, though.

Will Lupin ever be cured of being a werewolf?  I am always hopeful, but I don’t know.  He and Tonks will live and get married and raise little purple hairs puppies.

Peter Pettigrew?  His fate was sealed by his own hand of death.  For more, read my thoughts about the Prophecy.

Mad Eye Moody?  Seems to be a survivor, but the old crowd (members of the Order) are dwindling.  I think Mad Eye may finally end his days as an auror and not in retirement.

Horace Slughorn?  He’s got a few more tricks up his sleeve.  He may live to teach many more years at Hogwarts.

Luna Lovegood?  Luna lives!

The Dursleys?  I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to ignore the whole battle that will happen in Deathly Hallows.  However, Petunia may have to face her destiny as a late bloomer, or at least, the fact that she and Lily were twins. And Dudley and Mr. D. will change their names and move to Spain. (Honestly, I don’t have a clue as to what will really happen to Harry’s only living relatives.  They may finally accept Harry when they find out he’s rich and ask if they can live with him.  Dudley could offer to be Harry’s body guard.  Now that’s funny.)

Cornelius Fudge?  Goner.

I could go on with every character in the book, but I think I’ve covered most of major people.  We’ve got less than two days to wait to find out the fates that Jo has given them, and then I’ll have to see how well I have done on my divination test.  I hope Trelawney will survive to tell me.

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