Predictions for the End (what I think, hope and know)

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 167195


> 
> Betsy:
> > -- Voldemort will be defeated.  (What? I'm going out on a limb 
here! 
> > You got to give me an easy one.)
> 
> Alla http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167187
> >Yeah, Okay I will start with the ones I always do - Voldie will
> > loose, Harry will live.
> 
> Jen:  YES, you guys are so good at this. <g>  I'm with you on
> Voldemort finally dying and Harry living.

Julie:
I think Voldemort being defeated is the most certain bet 
of all. I can't imagine 7 books ending with Voldemort
Victorious. (Though that could be a title chapter in 
DH--just not the last one!) I also can't see how JKR 
could kill off Harry after everything she's put him 
through. Yeah, he's a fictional character, but she's cried
writing other character's deaths, let alone Harry's. So
she'll have to let him live ;-)

<snip>
> 
> BetsyHp: 
> > -- Snape is, and has been for the course of the books, solidly 
and 
> > unwaveringly DDM.  Oh, I'm sure there were moments of "You want 
to 
> > who?  With the what?!?"  But that just goes with the territory of 
> > working with Dumbledore.  Snape never considered leaving the old 
guy.
> 
> Alla:
> > In short, I will say that Snape killed Dumbledore without any
> > requests from DD not on the Tower, not before, but Snape killed
> > Dumbledore because he truly felt trapped on the Tower and has
> > intentions to help Light side in book 7.
> 
> Jen: Hmm, nearing the last chance to pin down the elusive one.
> 
> 1)  Dumbledore trusted Snape would never return to Voldemort
> and he will be proven right.
> 
> 2)  Snape won't be the first DE to get out of the terminal contract
> with Voldemort.  LV intends to use Snape in some way to get to
> Harry, and Snape will help Harry in his undercover role until LV
> realizes he's been had and kills Snape himself.  (But not before
> tempting Harry to act on his hatred and kill Snape--is that too
> Star Wars??)
> 
> 3)  Snape joined Voldemort because of a combination of the Prank,
> lost faith in DD, anger/hatred from a hard life & fascination with
> the dark arts.  Hey, he's supposed to be complex. ;-)  His return
> and remorse were a mix of the life-debt and Lily.  

Julie:
I agree with Betsy that Snape is and has been DDM ever since
he turned "back" to the Good side. He's never wavered on that
score, IMO, even when he was disagreeing with DD's methods. 

As for why Snape returned, I believe DD's reason for trusting
Snape completely is something we still haven't figured out. I.e.
it will be a surprise! There has to be a few of them in DH, and
I think this will be one. Once it's revealed we may be able to
look back and see the clues, and we may recall someone did get 
"close" to the mark (like with Voldemort splitting his soul),
but it will still be a revelation. And it will feed into why
he returned (and maybe why he went to Voldemort initially).

> BetsyHp:
> > -- I suspect Harry is a Horcrux, or at least, I think his scar 
might 
> > be.
> 
> Alla:
> > Except of course whether Harry is a horcrux. Okay, he either is ( 
or
> > something on him - his scar,etc) or at some point he will believe
> > that he is and will be fully prepared to sacrifice himself and 
that
> > will not be needed eventually.
> 
> Jen:  Harry has a soul piece.  JKR won't treat him as an
> accidental Horcrux though so Nagini will still be the fourth
> one.  Dumbledore's emotional mistake was overlooking this
> possibility.

Julie: 
I think Harry has a soul piece in him too. Which doesn't make
him a Horcrux, since that piece ending up in Harry wasn't an
intentional act. But Harry will still have to remove it, some
way, some how, to separate himself from Voldemort and be able
to defeat him. 

> Betsy:
> > -- If a contemporary of Harry dies, my money is on either Neville 
or 
> > Luna.  (I lean more towards Neville.)
> 
> Alla:
> > I think Luna will go. Maybe Neville (sob), but hopefully not.
> 
> Jen:  Wah, my two favorite kids.  Luna will help Harry make it 
through
> the Veil to see his loved ones.  When they are ready to return, 
Harry
> will realize only one of them can go back and discover Luna knew all
> along she would be the one to stay behind.

Julie:
I'm hoping they both make it, though I like the idea of Luna
helping Harry get through the veil. If schoolmates die, it 
may be the "lesser" characters, like Seamus, or Dean, or Cho.
Or one of the Weasleys, besides Ron. 

> 
> (Jen's) predictions:
> 
> *Lily will play a major role in DH.  The grand finale will take 
place
> in the locked room with Harry finally able to open the door once
> he is able to get past his hatred, identify with Lily and understand
> why he is uniquely qualified to defeat Voldemort.  Harry having
> Lily's eyes will play a symbolic role.

Julie:
I agree that Lily will play a major role, and I think there is
a connection between her and Snape. Her potions ability, and his
never mentioning her name in any derogatory way must have some
significance. But I don't think there was any romantic feeling
between them. It was something else, something she did for him,
or vice versa. Another secret to be revealed! And whatever it
is will help Harry understand Snape, at least enough to let go
of his hatred.

<snip>

Jen:
> *Petunia will finally crack and tell Harry everything she knows 
about Lily.
> She will let him read the letters from DD (kept under the creaky 
stair).

Julie:
And again, I suspect Snape may come into it ("That awful boy!").

Jen:
> There will be an attack on Privet Drive and the Dursleys will flee 
to live
> at Grimmauld Place.  

Julie:
Oh, yeah. There has to be *some* humor in DH, after all ;-)

Jen:
> *Hagrid will die for some reason connected to saving an animal or 
Grawp.

Julie:
I think Hagrid will go too. I just don't know how. 

Jen: 
> *Lupin will be the last surviving Marauder when Peter dies after
> unintentionally killing Fenrir with his silver hand (life debt).  
Lupin
> will help Harry throughout DH with the Horcruxes and also tell him
> more about Lily.

Julie:
Agreed on Peter killing Fenrir--poetic and takes care of 
that life debt. I also think at least one Marauder has to
survive to remember them all for Harry (not that anyone 
wants to remember Peter). So it will be Lupin, who I think
will finally grow a backbone during DH (or at least I hope).

Jen:
> *Dumbledore is Heir of Gryffindor and Godric's Hollow was his 
ancestral
> home.  

Julie:
Yep, makes sense. Does that now make Aberforth the heir to 
Gryffindor, and Godric's Hollow his home? It would seem so,
and I wonder how that will play out.

<snip>

Jen: 
> *There's a reason Trelawney wasn't present from the time we see her 
in HBP
> after the tale of the eavesdropper.  I won't say she was kidnapped. 
*hem, hem*.

Julie:
I think Trelawney's "disappearance" is a non-event. She was at
the funeral and Harry just didn't look for or notice her. Or
she was in her room downing cooking sherry.

<snip>

Jen:
> * There will be a big feast in the Great Hall at the end of the 
story and
> everyone will be there to rejoice in the defeat of Voldemort and to
> honor the dead.

Julie:
Er, this sounds a bit sappy to me, kind of like the end of 
Return of the Jedi (blech). Maybe something more somber, but
a feast? Only if nobody Harry cares about dies (since we
usually experience everything from his point of view, and
he's not going to be feasting if he's buried friends, IMO.)

Now for some predictions about a few more characters:

Draco will be turned to the "Good" side, probably by Snape.
And he'll survive, maybe to eventually teach Potions at
Hogwarts.

Percy will help the Order, either because he was working 
for Dumbledore all along, or because he will finally open 
his eyes and see what's really going on with the Ministry.
He'll likely die for it, but at least then Fred and George 
won't dig up his grave and pants his corpse.  

Along with Voldemort, Peter and Fenrir, Bellatrix and 
Kreacher will be dead by the end of DH. They're all too
irredeemable to survive. (Lucius has a small chance if he
chooses Draco's welfare over his own, I think.)

All the named animals (Crookshanks, Hedwig, Buckbeak, etc)
will survive :-)

Julie, who doesn't have the temerity to predict that Snape
will survive, even while hoping he does!