The co-protagonists and minor characters in Book 7

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 142676

We all know that the plot of Book 7 will require Harry (presumably
with some help) to find and destroy four Horcruxes (locket, cup,
Nagini, and something from Ravenclaw) and, ultimately, to confront and
defeat Voldemort. Most of us assume that Snape will perform some
crucial role and that Pettigrew's silver hand will come into play.

But what about the other (not so minor) characters, especially Ron and
Hermione? What will Hermione do if she doesn't have the Hogwarts
library at hand to do her research? And what about Ron's skills at
chess, and for that matter, his fear of spiders? (I'm
oversimplifying--of course there's more to the two characters than
these few traits.)

I think that Ginny will be the Trio's contact at Hogwarts via the
two-way mirror (Harry will find Sirius Black's mirror at 12 GP and use
a simple Reparo charm to fix his own). Maybe Hagrid will take care of
Hedwig, who's too conspicuous for Harry to use as a means of
communication, so maybe Harry will use his Patronus to communicate
with Lupin, who (IMO) will need to remain at 12 GP as he can no longer
spy on the werewolves (his cover is blown--the DEs saw him fighting as
an Order member at Hogwarts).

And surely the Percy arc will have to be completed. He's not exactly
reconciled with his family despite having been forgiven (and hugged)
by his mother. I keep remembering Molly's Boggart in OoP, which I
think foreshadows the actual as opposed to near death of at least one
member of the Weasley family. And I don't think it will be Ginny,
Arthur, or Bill, all of whom have had their turns, or Molly herself,
who is not part of the Boggart vision. (The fact that Ginny and
Charlie aren't shown isn't irrelevant, IMO--either they "died" before
Harry entered or the Boggart hadn't got to them yet.)

I'm disappointed, BTW, that all the hands on Molly's clock are
*already* pointing to mortal peril. What good is that? If one of her
children is in genuine danger, threatened by a dragon (Charlie) or
kidnapped from their Diagon Alley shop by DEs (the Twins), how will
she know that their "peril" is more "mortal" than that of the rest of
the family sitting in relative safety in the Burrow?

So, what side plots (aside from Snape and RAB, which have been
thoroughly discussed) really, really need to be resolved and what role
will the sidekicks, subordinate heroes, and other minor characters
(Luna, Neville, Dobby, Percy, Umbridge, Scrimgeour, Slughorn . . . . )
play in resolving them? (Well, okay, we can include Snape here in
relation to future actions as opposed to past motivations and events.)

What themes other than choice and Love and where Snape's loyalties lie
(house unity? wizards' attitudes toward other magical beings?) can and
should be woven into the plot without extending the book to 800 pages?

Carol, hoping we've at least seen the last of S.P.E.W.