August 15, 2005

The 2005 Harry Potter Post

Of course, Elizabeth and I read "Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince" when it came out. We've talked about it, read some speculation on various forums, and re-read the book. I really really want to read book 7, but I think I've at least worked hard enough at burnincg myself out on Harry Potter that I'll be able to wait without too much stress.

Here, for anyone who cares, are my thoughts on the book and what might come next. They're very rough (and very long), but it's not worth the time to me to clean things up any more than they already are.

*** WARNING: Spoilers ahead! If you don't want book 6 ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince") spoiled for you (or if you just don't care about the series in general), then don't read the rest of this post!























I mean it. Lots of spoilers below. Last chance!




















OK, first things first: Based on what I've read on MuggleNet, Regulus Black is the front-runner likely person to be R.A.B. His middle name is probably after his Uncle Alphard. But there's a slight nagging question whether it might not be Amelia Bones (perhaps she used her middle name, and had a first name such as Rita). Given some of Rowling's interviews, though, I'm leaning heavily towards Black.

I think Snape is still fighting to defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore trusted him, and he's generally right (but will we find out why Dumbledore trusted Snape?). Dumbledore is not one to beg for his life, especially since he presumably knew that Snape had taken the Unbreakable Vow, so his pleas to Severus were presumably either 1) asking Snape to actually kill him and avoid risking his own life and his cover, and/or 2) asking Snape to keep Harry safe, since Snape presumably guessed that Harry was on the rooftop under his Invisibility Cloak.

There is some confusing accounting when it comes to Voldemort's soul fragments. One major question is whether or not soul fragments die/disappear when their container is destroyed/killed, or if they go back and merge with other survining fragments? The list of possible locations of soul fragments is (Note: 'd' means 'destroyed' and 'm' means 'maybe' and refers to uncertainty about identification of the object):

  1. pre-death Voldemort (d??)

  2. current reincarnated Voldemort

  3. Nagini

  4. Slytherin's locket (d?)

  5. Marvolo's ring (d)

  6. Riddle's diary (d)

  7. Hufflepuff's cup (m)

  8. Ravenclaw/Gryffindor object (m)

As you can see, this adds up to eight possible soul fragment repositories. Dumbledore was pretty convinced Voldemort would try to make seven, including the one in his body, so we might as well assume that's what happened (for lack of any better idea). Before he died, Voldemort presumably had six framents (five Horcruxes plus his body; I'm using this number given Dumbledore's guess that the Potters were going to be the case for making the sixth horcrux). One fragment might have been needed to possess Quirrell in book 1. But was that fragment lost when Voldemort left Quirrell's body? I'm guessing the answer is no. Voldemort put a new fragment into Nagini sometime after being reincarnated around book 4. But, going back to when he died, did that soul fragment die too? Was the soul fragment in a horcrux "used up" when he was reincarnated? If both answers are "yes," then that leaves only four total fragments (including the one in his current body; three if one was required and then destroyed with Quirrell), not five.

I'm a bit frustrated at some elements receiving short shrift in the book. Most notably, the students' learning to Apparate was lame. It sounded like Harry really wasn't making much progress, then suddenly he can Apparate AND bring Dumbledore with him?

Snape repeatedly gets upset at being called a coward. I'm assuming this is because he's mad at what he has to do (which, in fact, requires a lot of bravery - e.g., being a double agent against Voldemort) and can't tell anyone about it.

General Questions:

  • If Regulus is RAB, did he bring Kreacher to help him with the locket horcrux?

  • Also, did Regulus remove the soul fragment from the locket horcrux before he died?

  • Why was Dumbledore asleep in the portrait at the end of HBP when McGonagall was there?

  • Will Hogwarts open in book 7?

  • If it does open, will Harry return?

  • Also, who will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?

  • Doesn't Harry have to return to Hogwarts, for information if nothing else? Will Dumbledore's portrait be an important source of information for Harry?

  • What happens to Fawkes, the phoenix, in book 7?

  • Will Slughorn play a more important role in book 7, helping advise Harry (since he knows, e.g., about horcruxes)?

  • What could possibly be left at Godric's Hollow for Harry to find and/or use?

  • Now that Dumbledore, Secret Keeper of the Order of the Phoenix, is dead, does that mean that the secret is no longer a secret? Can Snape now tell Voldemort? Is it at all safe for Harry to go back to 12 Grimauld Place?

  • Why did Dumbledore finally turn over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position to Snape this year?

  • There's lots of references to Tarot objects, one of which is wands. It may in fact be that the four founders' objects are each one of the suits (wands, cups, swords, coins). Sword=Gryffindor, Cup=Hufflepuff, Coin->Locket=Slytherin? If so, then wand=Ravenclaw. Did Olivander (the wand maker) disappear because he found out something about Ravenclaw's wand, and it being a horcrux for Voldemort?

  • How did Voldemort get his wand back, if he died the first time using it against Harry? Was someone else there to pick it up??

  • What is the spell Dumbledore cast on Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic duel at the end of book 5?

  • How was Harry found & rescued on the night Voldemort tried to kill him as a baby? The location of the house was a Secret, and the Secret-Keeper (Pettigrew) is still alive. I can see Harry knowing where the house is (maybe), but how could anyone else?

According to interviews w/ JRK, there are some important points:

  • The importance of Harry having his mother's eyes. (Unless this was important in persuading Slughorn, the new Potions master, to give up the memory. But it can't be just that, can it?)

  • What Harry's parents did for a living.

  • That flash of triumph in Dumbledore's eyes at the end of GoF.

  • The mirror Sirius gave Harry.

  • The shape of Snape's patronus and his biggest fear (i.e., what would a boggart appear as?)

  • Why did Voldemort give Lily multiple chances to step aside (rather than protect Harry), and why would he have let her live if she did? Was he doing it because Snape was in love with Lily and suggested Voldemort let her live so he (Snape) could pursue her?

Finally, here are a couple of quotes we came across that were amusing.

A quote from the SDMB:

The other thing is that I think the salient detail of Voldemort's past -- the reason why he's so evil -- is not because of the orphanage, or because he's peeling his soul like an onion, but because he worked at Borgin and Burkes as a clerk for several years. Working customer service will make even the most pleasant people want to kill off most of the human race.

Another SDMB quote:

Oh, and excuse me if I missed this -- I was skimming very quickly -- but I have to say a locket is the lamest evil wizard artefact ever.

Evil wizards are supposed to have the Staff of Eternal Darkness, the Dagger of Poison, the Book of Absolute, Brain-Curdling Evil. They do not carry around lockets.

What else has Slytherin left, besides a ring and a locket, I wonder? Old subscription cars to Teen People? The My Little Pony Collection of Ineffable Damnation?

And whose picture is in it? The Basilisk's? Helga Hufflepuff's? Godric Gryffindor's?

Posted by Tom Nugent at August 15, 2005 12:31 AM
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Posted by: Tom at August 15, 2005 01:10 PM
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