Lara's Harry Potter Predictions...

Harry Potter Factoid of the Day: "J.K. Rowling doesn't pronounce the “T” at the end of Voldemort. She pronounces it VOL-de-more."

**sidenote:** Thing Three is doing MUCH better today. I guess the antibiotics are working! Hooray!

Now, on to the business at hand. At the risk of alienating readers with my unabashed love of all things Harry Potter, I have decided to dedicate this entire post to the Boy Wizard.
Apparently I’m one of the few 30-something mothers who is not a "closet" fan of Harry Potter, (at least in the circles I run in) and until I read the durned thing, (the “durned thing” being Book Six) everyone is just going to have to bear with all my theories and links (not to mention book quotes ad nauseum, etc).
I promise, cross my heart, that once Book Six is released I’ll shut up relatively quickly about it, except to post my reactions. And then it will be back to my woes about raising kids, life, etc.

So here are my theories about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (with two and a half days to go) from clues I’ve sorted out from the cover art and my meticulous readings of the first five books (which at this point are so dog-eared I’m going to have to buy another full set in the near future.) **WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!**

1) Someone will die.

(DUH) I personally believe it will be Dumbledore, because according to the Prophecy, Harry must face Voldemort alone, and as long as Dumbledore is alive, he will be there to “save the day” for Harry like he did in Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore will have to make his exit sooner or later. Although I will be sad to see him go.

2) Someone will hook up.

I am a HUGE Ron/Hermione shipper, and frankly, anyone who reads the books should be able to figure it out. Hermione is always furious when Ron appears to be even mildly interested in any other girls, and she’s always giving Harry friendly advice on women.
Hmm. Let’s think about this: She HELPS Harry hook up with other chicks, and SCORNS Ron for thinking the same thing. What would anyone else with more than one brain cell conclude? And no, I DO NOT believe that Hermione and Draco is even an option. Not even remotely. (Sorry Jenny from Oakdale!)

As for Harry himself, I’d like to see him with Ginny Weasley. That poor girl has gone through enough, and frankly, she's earned it: possession by the Dark Lord, mental pain and torment (just from being a Weasley) a traumatic experience in the Chamber of Secrets, and mighty battles with Evil (i.e. the Department of Mysteries clash, etc.)
The girl has come into her own. She’s strong, like Harry, and she’s finally gotten over him so he can notice her. GO GINNY!

3) Draco Malfoy will stay bad.

Draco Malfoy, (like Severus Snape--another "baddy") is commonly misjudged by people, in my opinion. Everyone seems to think that Malfoy and Snape will turn all rosey-lovey-good when all is said and done.
Please people, if Jo had all her villains turning good in the end, it would be too “Brady Bunch” for her devoted readers, because in literature, some bad people really ARE bad, and they just don’t turn good, you know? I have a suspicion that Snape will prove to be good in the end, but what am I saying? He’s always been “good,” he is just clouded by his hatred for Harry’s father, (and consequently Harry).
It doesn’t make Snape bad, it makes him pitiable.

Draco, on the other hand, has no reason to turn good. At least not yet. He’s too evil and full of arrogant rage to join the ranks of the mudbloods and muggles and half-bloods. He’s too full of himself to see how miserable his life really is. With his father landed in Azkaban, who else can take over the whole Stinky Evil Malfoy Franchise? Oooh, maybe Narcissa. That will be interesting. My money is on Draco to stay bad. At least through Book Six.

4) Bellatrix Lestrange will torture/kill more people.

I think J.K. has a real diamond here, a character that is evil through and through (much like Voldy himself) and since my skin crawls whenever I think of what she did to the Longbottoms (and many others I’m sure) it's easy to assume that she makes the skin crawl of other readers as well.
Dolores Umbridge was deliciously hateful, but she was at least on the “good” side, misguided though her actions were.
Bellatrix Lestrange is just begging to be killed off, in spectacular fashion. And I hope to high heaven that it’s Neville who gets to do the job. GO NEVILLE! But I think Bellatrix will survive Book Six. She’d better bite it in Book Seven.

5) My Theories on the plot:

A) J.K. Rowling herself said that the opening Chapter of Book Six was originally meant for Chamber of Secrets, so we know that Books 2 and 6 are tied, somehow. My theory (after having seen the U.K. and U.S. versions’ cover art) is that we haven’t heard the last about the Chamber of Secrets.
Yes, the Basilisk was down there, but he’s been annihilated, and since it’s called the Chamber of SECRETS (and not the “Chamber of ONE Secret Only”) there is definitely more down there.
My guess? Salazar Slytherin has stored his personal Pensieve down in the Chamber, in an underground cavern only accessible by boat, and the pensieve contains everything he learned about Immortality.
Since Voldy is hell-bent on becoming immortal (I mean, the guy is obsessed, you know?) it would make sense that finding this pensieve would be his next target, since the prophecy slipped out of his grasp—quite literally—in the last book.

B) I also believe that Harry will continue Occlumency. Perhaps not with Snape, but another person. Harry needs to at this point, especially with the whole bait-and-switch that Voldy pulled on him at the end of the 5th book. Voldemort is “on to” his link with Harry, and Harry needs to learn to close his mind---in a hurry.

C) And who is the Half-Blood Prince? My money is on Snape. But that’s just a guess. To be honest, I could be WAY off on that one. I’ll find out in 2 ½ more days!

DARN IT I’M ANTSY...