Reason for Neville as the HBP, and side notes about Lupin, Tom, and Mark

[Debra]

No: HPFGUIDX 103346

> As for Tom Riddle as the Half 
> Blood Prince--it's certainly 
> possible, but I will be even 
> more disappointed with that 
> than with the prophecy at the 
> end of OoTP (which I spent 
> hundreds of pages biting my 
> nails to find out and then 
> it was just that Harry has 
> to be the one to defeat Voldy?  
> I could have told you that 
> without ever having read the 
> books and having only a vague 
> idea of the plot of the series.  
> The protagonist is always the 
> one responsible for vanquishing 
> the antagonist).  

Ahh, but I do believe the prophecy holds many more clues than that. 
JKR wouldn't have said that she worded it very carefully if it didn't.
 
> Also--hasn't it already been 
> pointed out on here that Mark 
> spells his last name differently 
> from Lily?  One uses an "a" and 
> one uses an "e."

Actually, that hasn't been pointed out, because it's incorrect.

OP Chapter 1, 'Dudley Demented':
"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harry asked, his grin 
fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights 
ago --"
"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.

OP Chapter 28, 'Snape's Worst Memory':
She turned on her heel and hurried away.
"Evans!" James shouted after her. "Hey, EVANS!"

Just one of the many quotes I posted in 103331.