Tom as Half Blood Prince (was Re: BOOK 6 ANNOUNCEMENT ON JKR WEBSITE)

[Tim Regan (Intl Vendor)]

No: HPFGUIDX 103304

Hi All,

So we know ...

The next book is called Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince from
behind the bricks and
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/news_view.cfm?id=77

We know that CoS was to be called Harry Potter and the Half Blood
Prince:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_2353000/2353727.stm
>>> What was the original working title of Chamber of Secrets? Harry
Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I quite liked that title,
unfortunately the story bore no relation whatsoever to the title by the
time I'd finished. <<<

We know CoS contains clues for books 6 & 7 that JKR believes were
overlooked:
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/news_view.cfm?id=77
>>> I have said before now that 'Chamber' holds some very important
clues to the ultimate end of the series. <<<

We know the half blood prince is not Harry or Voldemort:
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/news_view.cfm?id=77
>>> the HBP is neither Harry nor Voldemort <<<

We know that Tom Riddle is not Voldemort, well, not exactly:
CoS, Dobby's Reward
>>> "I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on
Harry's sock with shaking hands. "You told me all this had nothing to do
with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well --"
"It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was
obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his
name, could be freely named, you see?" <<< 

We know that there is something about diary!Tom that will be important
later:
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/faq_view.cfm?id=17
>>> In 'Chamber of Secrets', what would have happened if Ginny had died
and Tom Riddle had escaped the diary? I can't answer that fully until
all seven books are finished, but it would have strengthened the
present-day Voldemort considerably. <<<

This has left me thinking that it is Tom Riddle who is the half blood
prince. That's why he chooses an aristocratic nom de plume for his post
transformation self. Given the back-story we've seen about his father ,
I think we can say that Mr Riddle was not from aristocratic lineage, but
he seems the type of man who would have been enamoured by any woman who
was. So perhaps Mrs Riddle was a royal. And she was a witch. So Tom
Riddle is the half blood prince, and we'll be seeing him again in book
six. Perhaps Dumbledore's words to Lucius towards the end of CoS: "I
would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord
Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into
innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are
traced back to you" were more a prophesy than a threat.

This post is a thinly veiled attempt to reply to Wanda's, Potioncat's,
Debra's posts (103294, 103299, and 103301) without just saying "me too".
But I don't buy Wanda's time travel prediction. Time travel is a lame
plot device for even the most technical authors. JKR only pulls it off
in PoA because it is such a wonderfully paced adventure and mystery. I
don't think she'd try it again. I hope she wouldn't. No, I think it will
be another artefact imbued with Tom Riddleness.

Cheers,

Dumbledad.

PS I cannot work out how to look up Tom's mum in the Lexicon (there's no
entry I can see for Mrs Riddle). Please email me off-list if you know
where I should be looking.

PPS I'm trying to ignore the blurring that using HB as an abbreviation
for Half Blood gives me with Head Boy and with Humungous Bighead





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