With less than 3 months to go (gulp!) until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits bookshelves and ends the delightful agony of anticipation for us all, I think it's about time to get serious about making predictions.
Let's start with the basics, and then we'll go from there.
The first and most basic question: Who will die?
I will make some bold and basic predictions here. Tell me what you agree with (or not).
1. Harry will not die.
2. Hermione and Ron will not die.
3. Voldemort will die.
4. Snape will die in a sacrificial manner.
5. Ginny will not die.
6. Hagrid will not die. (I think JKR may have planned to kill him, but loves him too much to go through with it. I think he's the character she spoke of recently as having spared.)
7. Fred and George will not die, but will come close.
8. Percy will die.
9. Draco will not die.
10. But Lucius and/or Narcissa will die.
11. Neville will not die.
12. Bellatrix will die.
Okay, folks, start weighing in on these and other characters. Be bold and take a stand! We'll move on to other predictions (like, say, the Horcruxes) after we've exhausted this one. I'll send a free copy of my book (antique though it will be at that point) to whoever racks up the most correct predictions.
Predict away!
Friday, April 27, 2007
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17 comments:
I'm worried about Mr. Weasley more than Mrs.
I agree with all these predictions, except I keep hoping that Snape is the character who has gotten the reprieve. I think Luna will be the friend of Harry who dies, and I agree that Percy will be the Weasley who dies.
I predict that one of the Weasley twins will die. First, because it's a better payoff for Mrs. Weasley's fears than losing Percy, and second because it's the most horrible thing I can think of outside of killing Harry, Ron or Hermione - to leave one of the twins alone without the other.
I agree with most of the above predicitons, but I'm not sure about Harry. The one thing he'd be willing to do to stop his foe that Voldemort would NOT do is sacrifice himself -- if that were the only way, only one of the two would do it.
Do you suppose Draco will be redeemed? There have been movements in that direction, but whether those are genuine or feints on the part of Rowling remains to be seen. I could see Draco turning on his father at the last and giving Harry time to escape to confront Voldemort directly. Would Naricissa sacrifice herself to protect Draco? From Bella, perhaps?
I have a feeling Hagrid will die or in some other way be incapacitated during the events of book 7. It fits in with the whole color pattern of deaths that has been thrown around for awhile. Black(Sirius), White(Dumbledore), and now Red(Hagrid). The three colors involved in the creation of the Sorceror's Stone. All three characters have names identifying them with these three colors, all of them were adults that supported Harry, and all were in someways (I hate to say it) crutches that must be gotten rid of for Harry to leave behind childhood and become a formidable and independent adult. I think Harry is a metaphorical Sorceror's Stone. The whole series has been building up to this momement where Harry will leave behind being the Boy Who Lived and become a Man capable of bringing down Voldemort. The final stage of that development, the thing that will force him to leave behind childhood forever, will be losing the last thing he is holding onto from childhood, the last adult he has to lean on, Hagrid.
Another reason I think Hagrid may very well die is that the list you have right there would not make for a suitably costly battle. Losing Percy would just not have that edge to it, the bittersweetness of a victory won but at a high cost. Surely it would devestate his mother, but I don't think the reader would feel as if much had to be sacrificed in order to acheive victory. No, I think losing Hagrid is the only way to do that now without betraying the reader's trust with the death of either Harry or Ron and Hermione. I actually kind of like the idea of Hagrid going down against Nagani (or whatever the giant snakes name is, I forget exactly). How appropriate would that be, giant man versus giant snake. Hagrid wins, helping assure Voldemort's ultimate defeat with the loss of another Horcrux, but at the cost of his own life. Leaving Harry behind to go after Voldemort with righteous anger. Awesome!
I also think Bellatrix will die, possibly at the hands of Neville who we all know now is a formidable wizard when it comes to fighting the Dark Arts. He gets that from his mother and father and I think the moment will be just too sweet to pass up, having Neville avenge his parents by killing the woman responsible for torturing them into insanity.
I don't think Snape really has to die, though he may. I'd be happy with a sacrifical death, or some other possible means of redemption without a death. Either way is fine as long as we don't end up finding out that Snape was just a bastard all along with no redeeming qualities and that Dumbledore trusted him for no reason. I just think it would be a betrayal to not reveal that there was some unshakable reason for Dumbledore's unwavering trust in Snape after such a reason has been set up so much in previous books.
I think Percy may well die, but we're going to find out that either a) he was on the side of right all along, and playing the double agent, or b) he returns to the fold and dies a hero's death, perhaps throwing himself in harm's way to save Fred and George.
My husband thinks Fred or George may die, in part because of the "kill the spare" comment in GoF (sort of a foreshadowing). You also have the twins singing the school song to a dirge in Sorcerer's Stone. I'm not so sure though. It's hard to imagine one dying without the other, unless (again) one sacrificed himself for the other, which is possible.
In general, I agree with your predictions here! I do wonder how some of them will come about. I don't know if Neville will kill Belltrix or not, though it's hard not to imagine they're slated for a confrontation. I keep trying to imagine what a "happy ending" would look like for Neville, and somehow I don't think becoming a murderer would do it -- even to avenge his parents.
I took think Hagrid has gotten a reprieve. Or possibly Lupin.
I think it's possible that Neville will die. He has been such a gentle souled character through it all, up to this point (in spite of his contribution to the battle in Order of the Phoenix). I do NOT see him killing anyone in revenge, no matter how much he might want to. But I DO think him capable of sacrificing himself to save others.
I don't think Arthur Weasley will die. (Jan & I have discussed this several times. Heh.) I think that Molly will die. Remember, of all the visions she had when she faced the boggart, the only death she did NOT see, was her own. Plus, it would be a powerful loss to "our side". I'm not certain what circumstances it would be in, except that it would be at the least expected moment.
Of the Weasley siblings, I think it is Bill who is doomed. Sometime after his wedding.
I don't think Percy will "be redeemed". He is not out and out evil, but he is too "by the book" to be flexible when needed, and he will never change his ways. I see him as shunned by "our team" after the victory, and he will be a bitter, closed man, not because he's evil but because he's petty.
Draco will have to confront his father and defy him, I think.
Thems my predictions.
I think Fred OR George will die, but not both.
Will any bad guy survive? I think there will be a death eater that survives. At least one. Because killing the head honcho doesn't kill all the bad influences.
Okay - my predictions, which are probably wrong (Rowling always surprises me:)
I, too, am really hoping Snape is the character who has been given a reprieve. Initially I thought he would give his life to save Harry's, but now I'm pretty sure it will be the other way around. It's more likely that Harry will sacrifice himself to save Snape. I believe Harry is carrying the last horcrux, and will destroy it by forgiving Snape and acting to save him from Voldemort.
Harry may die, though I hope he won't. But I can't see him coming out of this story alive.
Voldemort, of course, will die. Snape and Harry will destroy him together.
Ginny is the Weasley who will die. If Harry lives, he will be with Luna, who will not die. (The twins may die as well.)
If Harry dies, Ron and Hermione won't.
Hagrid may die. I'm worried for him, though not as worried as I am for Severus and Harry.
Neville will survive. I don't see him killing anyone, but he will be instrumental in bringing Bellatrix to justice.
Bellatrix will probably die. I'm afraid Narcissa may, as well, though I'd like her to be redeemed.
Draco will probably survive.
I think Lupin may die, if he is a traitor, as I fear he might be. Otherwise, I hope and believe he will live.
Pettigrew will die, of course.
No other predictions so far -
Sadly, I think the twins may die. When Jo mentioned *two* more will die than she originally planned, they immediately came to mind.
I think that Molly or Bill Weasley will die. I am on the fence about Neville, who may end up marrying Luna and growing lots of interesting herbs. The out of the box death could be Harry's aunt, who knows more about Lily than she is letting on......
However, I think that it is possible that Harry may sort of die. I think that in the end, when he vanquishes Voldemort, he ends up losing his powers and has to go back to the Muggle world. It would, for Harry, be a fate worse than death in some ways, but worth it to avenge his parent's death.
Jan,
Going through your list:
1. Harry will not die. Agreed.
2. Hermione and Ron will not die. Agreed.
3. Voldemort will die. Of course.
4. Snape will die in a sacrificial manner. I strongly suspect this to be true.
5. Ginny will not die. Of course. She has to marry Harry.
6. Hagrid will not die. (I think JKR may have planned to kill him, but loves him too much to go through with it. I think he's the character she spoke of recently as having spared.) - I am inclined to agree.
7. Fred and George will not die, but will come close. Disagree. I think they will die heroically and grandly, saving Percy.
8. Percy will die. - see number 7. I think Fred and George will throw themselves in the line of fire to save him. This is judging from the character arc of their relationship with Percy starting from Book One on. Also because their loss would atone for Percy's betrayal of the family.
9. Draco will not die. I tend to agree, though I'm not sure. I think he'll be redeemed, whatever his fate.
10. But Lucius and/or Narcissa will die. Not so sure on this one. I guess I hadn't thought of it, but I see this as plausible. It would be fitting retribution to Draco (to survive, but lose his parents).
11. Neville will not die. Agreed. But he won't marry Luna. JKR dismissed this possibility on her website. He might very well kill Bellatrix. (It wouldn't be murder or revenge, just killing in the line of duty).
12. Bellatrix will die. -- Oh, she *has* to. Preliminary battle to the climax. She's been too set up as bad guy #2. She might even kill Narcissa, following the trend of "father against son, brother against brother."
Mr. or Mrs. Weasley - I hope sincerly neither of them died. I don't think Harry needs to lose another parent!
Luna - I don't see it in the arc for her to die.
Bill and Fleur, Lupin and Tonks - they've suffered enough and won't die. (It would be a suffering for Bill to lose Fleur so she won't die).
Fenrir Grayback - I vote he'll be killed by Lupin and/or Draco. My money's on Lupin.
Peter Pettigrew - will save Harry, possibly surviving by doing so (though not likely).
Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt - heroic deaths could be in the works. Same for MacGonagall or Sprout, though less likely (we need someone to lead Hogwarts!).
Dobby is another candidate for heroic death (fighting Kreecher, maybe).
Who needs Rowling? Let's us write the book! (giggle)
I have no clue who will die, and I'd rather not speculate. I do not, however, believe that Harry will "die a symbolic death" by losing his powers. I think when Rowling said characters would die in the book she meant exactly that. I also think that calling this a "symbolic death" would not be in keeping with the things the books have been saying and hinting about wizard-Muggles relations.
I still think it's possible that both Voldemort and Dumbledore were mistaken, and Neville really is the one of whom the prediction spoke. From the things that were said in books four and five, I had the impression that Voldemort's life and Harry's were now in some unexplained way connected, made part of each other. That doesn't fit with the idea that one of them, and only one, must die. It does fit with the idea of Harry's death, though--but I'll believe that when I see it, and not before.
I think Hagrid's the one who got the reprieve. My guess is that as Hagrid fights Nagini, Grawp joins in. Nagini kills Grawp, but that gives Hagrid time to kill Nagini.
Also, I've been wondering about that photo album Hagrid gave Harry at the end of the first book. Is it possible that somewhere in the background of one of the photos there's a clue Harry needs? Or maybe all it's for is to help him figure out who to go to for information about his parents. (Because we can always use a few more people telling Harry he's got his mother's eyes.)
Oh!
And I think Snape's going to DEFINITELY kick it. He'll be one of the "major" characters that dies. Peter's life-debt to Harry obviously means Peter's going to die, but I don't think it'll be in a situation where Peter's saving Harry's life.
But the Trio will definitely survive. And so will Ginny, Neville, and Luna.
I'm sorry, Ashley, I've had to delete some of your comments, not for the content, but for the language. If you want to re-post with somewhat toned-down language, your comments are very welcome.
Ugh, wow. Wasn't aware everyone got so offended.
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