Book 6 Predictions (was:Predictions at Madison Square Garden)

[boyd_smythe]

No: HPFGUIDX 79959

>> In post #79117, Remnant said:
>> see Harry saved by Moody, Tonks or Shacklebolt and taken to a 
beautiful reunion with his SHIP-mate and two or three other close 
friends (all schoolmates, of course). Tears flow, Harry blames himself 
and then vows to never let someone so close be taken from him again. 
So he disappears. End of book 6. >>

> Then in post #79173, Kirstini said:
> Ooh, what for? This sounds exciting. And aren't the schoolmates 
rather obviously Ron and Hermione? Or did you kill Ron off? 
> Interesting. So you're identifying a breakdown in the formal 
conventions of the series (Boy at house has birthday, leaves house, 
goes to Diagon Alley, gets on train, fights with Draco, gets off 
train, eats a big stodgy meal, trains for Quidditch, celebrates 
Halloween, plays Quidditch, signs a list saying he's staying at 
Hogwarts for Christmas, goes to Hogsmeade, plays more Quidditch, 
fights Snape, studies for exams, gets involved in huge denoument, ends 
up in hospital ward, wins cup, gets on train, fights Draco, gets off 
train, leaves station)?
>I know that OoP went some way towards this, by removing the emphasis 
from Hogwarts (even by putting Luna in on the Hogwarts Express) and 
changing the real-time dates around slightly (book opens after Harry's 
birthday). Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of? I want 
proper canonically-backed thematic analysis of how each of these 
things you describe is going to come about. Show me the themes. Tease 
them out in lots of lovely detail. Wave them about under my nose until 
I. Get. The. Point, please. >


And this brings us to the last of our semi-canonical discussions of my 
current Book 6 predictions (post #79117), wherein much changes for the 
worse while Harry changes for the better. Off we go!

Since my initial Book 6 posting, I have decided that Tonks was the 
betrayer (post #79697), so she can't be the savior, too. And that 
leaves Snape, Moody and Shacklebolt to save Harry. Frankly, I don't 
have the foggiest which it will be. But they are the most likely to be 
with either Harry (to keep him safe) or DD (in the rescuing crew). It 
will be Snape if JKR doesn't decide now is the time for him to 
sacrifice himself for the cause/DD/Harry. Obviously, I read Snape to 
be genuine in his loyalty to one of those.

My belief is that with DD buying the farm (or at least being 
vanquished somehow) in this betrayal/trap, Snape will become Harry's 
new guardian/mentor. During the battle, Snape will have proven to 
Harry through his actions that he is on Harry's side. Now that their 
mutual misunderstanding has cost them DD, Snape will finally tell 
Harry why he is loyal, and Harry (who blames himself as always) will 
tell Snape he's sorry. Not only does this match up with the theme of 
not reading a book by its cover (a consistent JKR nugget), but it 
finally resolves the plot development needs of DD elimination and a 
Snape-Harry truce/understanding. Can we really believe in a Harry the 
Good who still hates Snape because he's a tough teacher? Despite 
Snape's work on behalf of the OoP? No, resolution must come for those 
two before Harry can vanquish LV.

Thus will start Harry's preparation for the final showdown. He'll have 
seen firsthand the evil of LV's ways, and will feel the added 
obligation of living up to DD's sacrifice to save Harry. Snape will be 
able to tell him more about LV and what happened to his parents and 
why Harry is the one. It is this series of events that will shape 
Harry's resolution to defeat LV. Something like this needs to happen 
so that Harry can take the next step in his development.

After the dust settles from his discussion with Snape, JKR will need 
to get Harry back to his friends. They're the most important things to 
him, and we won't have seen them in a few chapters, now. Thus the 
return to Hogwarts and a reunion with them. They'll include Hermione 
and Ron, of course, and probably Neville, Luna, Ginny and maybe one or 
two more of the recently developed characters.

OK, maybe I jumped the gun on his disappearing. Sounds neat, but on 
second thought, you're right that it ventures too far from the tree. 
He probably stays at Hogwarts after the events to finish his 
preparations.

So as for breaking down the structural conventions of the books that 
you have described so well, Kirstini, they may not be affected so 
much. He could start at Hogwarts, make it through to winter break 
before leaving Hogwarts and meeting the betrayal/trap, then return to 
Hogwarts in time to continue his studies under a new headmaster and a 
very dedicated Snape. Maybe Snape is finally DADA! Maybe the 
house-elves provide protection to Hogwarts! Maybe Grawp and the 
centaurs do, too! Maybe the MoM starts hunting DEs in earnest at last! 
Maybe no one wins the House Cup, because that's dividing the houses 
that need to work together to survive! Maybe some members of Slytherin 
will start to come around (OK, maybe they'll just leave Hogwarts 
instead).  Maybe there's more action in the second half of the school 
year outside of Hogwarts (Gringott's? Lucius' house? Other exotic 
locales?) Or maybe this took the whole spring? Maybe maybe maybe.

Kirstini, it's impossible to second guess everything that JKR's up to, 
but she has set some ground rules for what needs to happen in the next 
two books. I merely hope that my predictions keep you entertained 
until the real Book 6.

-Remnant
Maybe I'm Done!