HBP contest: Rules Repost

[hekatesheadband]

No: HPFGUIDX 131922

Quite a good lot ones are out there! I'll add my own, with the 
caveat that precedent indicates a personal subject line more like 
Hekatesheadband and the Half-Wit Predictions. Time will tell.

1. Who will be the most major character to die?
    Dumbledore. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to lose a Weasley 
or two, and I'm getting seriously concerned about - please, Ms 
Rowling, no - Hedwig.

2. Who is the Half-Blood Prince?
     My money is on Godric Gryffindor. That said, I don't think the 
character or identity itself will be very important to the story.

3. What is Lily's big secret?
    OotP promotions promised major information about Lily - 
specifically her maiden name and that her eyes, as well as being 
green, were small and almond-shaped. This time, we'll learn the name 
of her pet Puffskein and what kind of ice cream she preferred.

4. Who will be the new DADA teacher?
    Snape, based on the set-up in OotP (and yes, I think it will go 
badly). Alternate selections are the lion man - we'll call him 
Timmy - or Bill Weasley.

5. With whom will Harry have a romantic relationship?
    If anyone, Ginny Weasley.

6. Who will be the new Minister of Magic?
    Most likely Amelia Bones - I don't think I'd enjoy one 
obstructionist evil bureaucracy plot after another!

7. What is that bowl-thing on the green U.S. HBP cover?
    A watering trough for Cornelius Fudge's heliopaths, which are 
the source of all the flames seen on the Bloomsbury cover. (You 
don't think they'd allow for anything as obvious as a pensieve now, 
do you?;)

8. Will Harry take Advanced Potions?
    Yes.

9. Will Neville take Advanced Potions?
    Unlikely, but remotely possible if Snape does get the DADA post 
and Neville's O.W.L. results are better than he might have expected.

10. How many OWLs did Harry get?
    Leaving aside the theory/practical counting ambiguities - DADA, 
Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical 
Creatures, and probably History of Magic. Astronomy is probably 
right out, but I have a pet theory that he'll receive an "O" in 
Divination, as will Ron, based on their understanding of the real 
understanding of the subject matter, while devoted Div divas 
Lavender and Parvati will do poorly after swallowing all of 
Trelawney's nonsense.


As for the five independent predictions - first, let me congratulate 
the moderators on thinking to limit it! I'm afraid more than a few 
jobs, social lives, and academic terms might otherwise be ruined. 
(What, do you think I'm referring to myself? Where on earth would 
you get such an idea?)

1. It will be Bill and Fleur's wedding that occasions Harry's early 
departure from Privet Drive. It's a dangerous and uncertain time, so 
there wouldn't be much in the way of long engagements and massive 
wedding preparations.

2. Serious trouble will become acquainted with Hermione - because 
she overestimates her abilities or has underestimated past opponents 
and situations.

3. Kreacher will be dead by the end of the book at the latest, and 
probably by the beginning. Hippogriffs are dangerous when they're 
angry or feel slighted. Kreacher went out of his way to injure 
Buckbeak. If the two of them are still in the same house... even 
J.K. Rowling could complete that equation.

4. At least one instance of Dumbledore's trust in or forgiveness of 
a widely disliked or suspected person will turn out to have been an 
error in judgment on his part. Bagman, Filch, Snape and an 
apparently repentant Percy Weasley are all possibilities.

5. OotP explored the potential of war/fear/chaos to bring out the 
worst in people. I don't doubt that this will be crucial in HBP as 
well, but I think, and hope, that we'll also begin to see how people 
can make the best of such situations, and how attention to greater 
needs can also, sometimes, bring out the best in people.

-hekatesheadband
(who is very excited about being proven wrong in just shy of two 
weeks)