Last-Minute Harry Potter Guessin’
Today is THE last chance I can legitimately call the shots in advance for the finale of Harry Potter, and I have to take it. As a disclaimer, most of these theories came out of discussions with my family, so I don’t claim many of them as specific to me. Click on “comments” for my thoughts or to add your own.
posted by Kate @ 11:45 PM
2 Comments:
**Snape is good. He was in love with Lily Potter (the admission of which was probably the thing that made Dumbledore believe him so implicitly), therefore it is extra painful for him to interact with Harry: he sees the spitting image of his enemy with the eyes of his beloved. I think that whereas Harry sees Snape’s attitude toward him as spite, the reality is that Snape simply can’t bear him because of the breach with James and the unrequited love with Lily.
**I’m hopeful that we will find out about the courtship of James & Lily Potter because there is an unsettling gap between Snape’s memories of James-the-jerk & Lily-the-saint and their supposedly happy marriage. We could just imagine it away as youthful folly, but it puts such a knot in my (and Harry’s!) stomach that I believe it will be addressed in some way. Wouldn't mind knowing more about James' family history, either...
**I think it makes sense that all of the heirs will be contemporary since Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw were -- "the greatest wizards of that age," or however the quote goes. I also think that it would be cool for all of the heirs to play an integral part in the final battle between Harry and Voldemort. I have no idea who the heirs of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw might be (Fleur could be Ravenclaw’s…), but I think JK will tell us, whether or not the rest of my theory holds true. At any rate, I think it will be undeniable by the end that Harry is Gryffindor’s heir and Voldemort is Slytherin’s.
**I wonder, since I'm fairly certain that Harry will have to sacrifice himself in order for Voldemort to fall, whether some kind of echo of the love sacrifice that Lily did (done this time by Snape or Hagrid?) will allow for Harry's resurrection. Harry will definitely come back to life -- however that comes about. I think that Harry will have to willingly submit to death at Voldemort's hand, knowing that their lives are so intertwined (wands, failed curse, Harry's blood for V's rebirth) and that that is the only way V can really, completely be killed. Somewhere in all of that will lie a hidden magic of rebirth from sacrifice. I really believe that Harry will be alive at the end of the last book -- and teaching the Dark Arts. :o)
**I predict that at the end of the 7th book Harry is asked to come and be Hogwart’s Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Maybe Snape becomes the new headmaster -- although McGonagall would be a shoo in, I say. (These were Dad’s ideas, and I love them.) I thought it would be nice to end the 7th book with Harry surveying his first DADA class and saying, quoting Lupin from HP3, p. 130, "Good afternoon. Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands." Of course, we know she won’t do this since the last word is “scar”, but I still like my idea.
**I agree with Bess that Neville was possibly the subject of a memory charm, thus his characteristic forgetfulness. I can't imagine what someone would have made him forget, though...
**Neville said at the end of the 5th book when his wand broke that his grandmother was going to kill him because it had belonged to his father. I’m kind of surprised that it didn’t happen in Book Six, but I bet that when Neville finally gets confident with a wand that's actually meant for him, he'll turn out to be a very powerful wizard. (His grandmother was blinded from this simple wizarding rule of a wand being particular to a wizard because she loved her son so much and wanted Neville to follow in his footsteps.)
**Either Lavender or Parvati (or both) actually have the gift of divination. I think that they knew that Harry would ask Parvati to the Yule Ball, which explains 1) Lavender and Parvati giggling and looking over at Harry when Professor McGonagall first announced the ball to their class, and 2) Parvati still being available when Harry asks her kind of last-minute, even though she and Padma are the best looking girls in their year, according to Dean (or somebody). This will come up when one (or both) foretell(s) something very important. This is one of my favorite, albeit far-fetched, theories.
**The absence of Dumbledore makes the climax of Seven extra climax-y because it's Harry's first time working without a net. (Even when Dumbledore wasn’t present, his very existence would have felt like a net to Harry.) I think that Dumbledore knew he would have to die in order for Harry to really take the full responsibility on himself, and decided it would double as an indisputable faith-binder for Snape in Voldemort’s clan. I also think Dumbledore left some magic lingering which is still protecting or somehow aiding Harry.
**Ginny is obviously a powerful witch (reminiscent of Lily). She could become a cat animagus. (The 5th book referenced her sounding like a cat). I think at least one of the younger generation will be an animagus.
**Percy will realize he’s an idiot and come back to the good side in the end. I wonder if it won’t be triggered by personal or familial harm, though. (Hopefully not his dying words!)
**Draco Malfoy will turn good, but his father won’t. Lucius will make it clear that Draco will lose him if he leaves the Death Eaters, but Snape will fill the father-role. I think that Harry will have to trust or stick his neck out for Draco before he’s sure Draco is good, thus winning Draco over completely. Where Harry’s father failed with Snape, Harry will succeed with Draco, as Harry seems to follow in his mother’s character in regards to relationships.
Hi Kate - I just finished HP7 and am so glad you posted your guesses. Very good ones! I think you will be happy with the things that are explained -- and there are a lot of them.
Aunt Peggy
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