We’re a stone’s throw away from HBP, it’s a full moon, and two years ago today, I finished Order of the Phoenix. Strikes me as a great time to disprove any claims that I am sane.
If there is a way to use hyperlinks in UBB code, please let me know. This will be LONG.
For this occasion, I have painted a Star Wars/Harry Potter crossover. Trust me, it befits the moment. I will post it as soon as it dries. Also, I will have the full-moon vigil to end them all (you do realize this is the last full moon before the next book.)
Anyway, without further ado, I give you:
Theories
I’m not much of a shipper myself, but I do have one gigantic, soaring hope, and that is Harry/Luna. Considering how much I’ve said about the moon in such a short space, you can probably guess why. Which kind of sucks, as JKR says if Harry ends up with anyone, it’ll be someone there since the beginning. Ah well, I always qualified my Harry/Luna statement with “if Harry doesn’t go all Frodo and stay a bachelor forever,” so I’ll just have to give it up.
Realistically, Harry will wind up with Ginny, or… go all Frodo and stay a bachelor forever. I prefer the latter. Hermione isn’t an option, because Ron/Hermione is the most obvious ship ever to avoid being explicitly stated.
Anyway! The interesting stuff!
As I see it, there are only two ways the phrase “neither can live while the other survives” works: “survives” in the sense of “Rosie Cotton is survived by her THIRTEEN FRAKKIN’ CHILDREN,” or “live” in the hippie sense of “Live Life. Pass It On.” All in all, I get the feeling it’s the former. Which, yes, sucks. But if you don’t think the series would have a point if Harry died, that’s why you aren’t in the Order.
Then again, you never know. The auguries do seem to be animal rights activists, if they can call Scabbers “chained these twelve years.” If that isn’t hippie, I don’t know what is.
While we’re on the topic of the Prophecy, they kept the one in the DoM intact because it was their best bet to lure Voldemort into the open. Which, face it, had to be paramount.
As for the legendary two-way mirror, I haven’t the faintest clue how it will help, except I’m positive that no one will throw the other one through the veil. How many interviews do you people have to listen to?
If Sirius does return in the next book, be alert to a trick of Voldemort’s. I can no longer underestimate JKR’s cruelty.
This brings me to the vengeful portion of our discussion…
Kreacher’s ultimate end is uncertain, but I think he’s got some more great damage in store. Dumbledore is feeling strangely merciful towards him, and I doubt any good will come of it. Yes, it is just what Gandalf said about Wormtongue. It was a real stroke of luck then, too, that the only consequence was to get Saruman killed without incriminating any hobbits. And Kreacher has no reason whatever to support the Order, mercy or no mercy. Then there’s the issue of controlling him. Andromeda Tonks is the only person placed on the tapestry and sympathetic to the Order, and I doubt she’ll be much better towards Kreacher, considering he just plotted her favorite cousin’s demise. It’s just an explosive situation.
I do not support the Chess Set Theory, because there are three character arcs (or more – there are ten years totally unaccounted for) that say there is no way the White Queen (Bellatrix) is getting out alive. And while JKR is cruel, she is a fan of poetic justice.
Now, as for poetic justice, have you noticed that in GoF and OotP, Buckbeak has been eating a good deal of rats? I don’t expect anything to come of it until the seventh book, though. That’s if it’s not more a reflection on Sirius’s character than anything else.
You know, I used to have a whole host of people who I cried out should answer for the tragedy of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. I’ve narrowed it down somewhat, which shows I have some sense of perspective, but one still interests me: Mundugus Fletcher.
Y’see, Mundungus got banned from the Hog’s Head in 1975, and somehow he knows that the bartender (yes, definitely Aberforth) would remember him if he came without a disguise. Well, what if he tried to test the ban in 1980, and managed to overhear the first snippet of the prophecy? It would explain why our unidentified Death Eater got thrown out.
I’ll spare you all by putting the rest of my predictions in bullet form, ‘kay?
-The goblins will turn towards Voldemort. This includes the Gringotts goblins.
-Caradoc Dearborn, the guy who was in the original Order but vanished, will turn up as a Death Eater.
-Luna will come back from Norway with a Crumple-Horned Snorkack in tow.
-During the thestrals lesson, Umbridge can apparently see them. We may *shudder* be seeing more of her to find out why, but she will not be a Death Eater.
-The next MoM would be Amelia Bones if she ran and wasn’t poisoned or anything, but she won’t, because that would be a good scenario. The worst-case scenario is that Fudge is assassinated and the rule is that the Senior Undersecretary takes over by default. And that’s far more likely, because it would be awful. All right, the strategic worst-case scenario is some as-yet-unrevealed Death Eater getting the top job, but it wouldn’t cause me physical pain like a Minister Umbridge would. (Interesting fact: More people on Mugglenet think Grawp will be the next Minister than think anyone linked to Fudge will. Seriously, Grawp was a poll option.)
-When JKR got a query whether Arthur Weasley would be the next Minister and said, “Alas, no,” that “Alas” might indicate “You really don’t want to know who’s the next Minister” (see above) or “You really don’t want to know what happens to Arthur Weasley.”
-The twins’ joke shop will be some sort of front for the Order. I had a fanfic idea about it, but it was dead depressing and spawned from my rage at Fred Weasley, which has since dissipated.
-Avery will eventually die. He just has a red shirt on.
-There will be some sympathetic Slytherins. I hope.
-Snape may show his true colors by the end of the sixth book. If he’s a good guy, he will die shortly thereafter.
-What do I think of his true colors? Well, seeing his behavior in PS, I can’t see him totally on the Dark Side. But I’m convinced that he killed Neville’s grandfather, and is still holding it over the poor boy’s head (“I expect you to scrape an ‘acceptable’ in your O.W.L., or suffer my… displeasure,”) so I wouldn’t trust him by a long stretch.
-Based on no evidence whatever, and based far less on wishful thinking, I get the feeling that Remus is a marked man.
And now, the Grand Prediction:
THE BIG DEATH
This is not to mean that no one else will die in HBP. Of course they will – it’s a war, isn’t it? But I am positive that this death will be the big one. If it happens in HBP, nothing else could be the big one. (I’m shockingly unconcerned about it, though. I expect I’ll come around soon enough.)
That’s right. Dumbledore.
No, there is no way his death can be postponed until the sixth book, and here’s the sentence that proves it:
“The Dark Lord will rise again, greater and more terrible than ever he was.”
See, Voldemort was considerably great and terrible back in the day, and that took him eleven years to earn. Unless he wins in the end (which WOULD mean the series had no point,) that gives him a very short span of time to beat his record, and I don’t see how else it could be accomplished.
By the way, if you thought the foreshadowing in OotP was heavy-handed, get a load of these quotes. (None of them are from OotP; even I won’t waste my time playing the minesweeper without a search key, and they’re finally cracking down on pirated OotP.)
“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?"
“Harry's heart did a somersault."Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. Harry could have laughed out loud with relief. He was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.”
“‘I have good news,’ she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.
‘Dumbledore's coming back!’ several people yelled joyfully.”
“But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of?”
“You couldn't help trusting Albus Dumbledore, and as Harry watched him beaming around at the students, he felt really calm for the first time since the dementor had entered the train compartment.
“Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore.”
“Harry saw no hint of a dementor within the grounds. Dumbledore's anger seemed to be keeping them at their stations at the entrances.”
“He had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve anything. He had expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air. But no ... their last hope was gone.”
“Dumbledore wouldn't laugh -- he could tell Dumbledore...”
“…he's reading the signs, even if no one else is.”
“Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times…”
“‘Course Dumbledore trusts you. He’s a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances.”
“Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir - there are powers Dumbledore doesn't ... powers no decent wizard..."
“Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him.”
“Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who…”
“Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you.”
“One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.”
“They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."
“Yeh say it wasn’ you, an’ I believe yeh - an’ Dumbledore believes yer, an’ all.”
“Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place.”
“Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."
“Well then, I can't think who else [besides Voldemort] would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts. I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing…”
“Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days -"
“I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching.”
“Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed... Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did...”
“... I thought his protection might be weaker there, away from his relations and Dumbledore...”
“Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry - doesn't miss a trick, that man.”
“Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster.”
“I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it…”
“Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around.”
“Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir - there are powers Dumbledore doesn't ... powers no decent wizard..."
“Well then, I can't think who else [besides Voldemort] would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts. I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing…”
“Yeh can' take Dumbledore! Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"
“See here, Malfoy, if Dumbledore can't stop them, I mean to say, who can?"
“Great man, Dumbledore."
*FLASH*
"Can' believe it... great man, Dumbledore...”
*FLASH*
“Great man, Dumbledore...."
*FLASH*
“Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried.”
Cloud: Let’s stop this…
Dumbledore is a unifying force, a protector, a strategist… in short, Voldemort’s greatest obstacle. He can’t survive the next book.
Okay, now that I’ve found all these quotes, I am concerned.
One final note before I leave: I am developing a mad crush on Neville Longbottom.
You know, just in case you still thought I was sane.
Do what you will; but I will hinder it if I may.
-- Eowyn of the Mark
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