My *One* Most Rock-Solid OoP Prediction

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 59632

You know, I'll bet there have been *thousands* of predictions on this 
list about what will happen in OoP.  I've probably made dozens 
myself, some of them mutually exclusive.  ;-)  We've had polls about 
all sorts of predictions, too.

Now that June 21 is just around the corner (Wow! -- We'll be reading 
OoP next weekend!), maybe it's time to get *serious* here.  No more 
having a whole bunch of vague predictions to your name.  Maybe it's 
time for a gut-check -- time for anyone who's willing to stand on 
just one OoP prediction to step forward.

And not just any old prediction, either.  Let's say you only get to 
make *one* prediction.  And specificity counts.  Sure, you could go 
with "Mrs. Figg will be the DADA teacher" if you like.  <yawn>  
Better, though, might be "Mrs. Figg will be the DADA teacher and will 
not get on well with McGonagall."  

Degree of difficulty counts, too.  "Mrs. Figg will be the DADA 
teacher" is kind of easy, really.  "Mrs. Figg will be the DADA 
teacher and the villian who betrays Dumbledore but is thwarted before 
she can kill Harry" is a real show-stopper, though.  

Size matters also.  "Sirius will have his soul sucked out by a 
dementor" is big.  "Snape will be tortured to death" is 
*huge.*  "Harry will ride a broom" is, well . . . you know.  ;-)

But we also should have style points -- you have to explain whatever 
it is that makes your prediction rock-solid.

After OoP, we can check out the predictions and see which ones were 
best.  How can we decide which single prediction was best?  Why, we 
can *argue* about it, of course.  ;-)

OK.  Here goes.  

<clears throat>

My single most rock-solid OoP prediction is that the Put-Outer will 
be the key to the protection on Privet Drive, and Dumbledore will 
explain this to Harry in the course of "telling him everything."

As I've said many times, I think much is suspicious about the way 
Dumbledore lights the lamps in PS/SS.  Way too much drama accompanies 
the simple act of extinguishing and igniting some street lamps.  
Dumbledore doesn't use a wand -- he uses a "Put-Outer," which is the 
single clunkiest name JKR chooses for any magical device.  I think 
she chose that name to encourage us to assume that the "Put-Outer" is 
insignificant.

Yup.  I'm gonna bet the farm on the Put-Outer.  

Cindy