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

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 167203

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.

Ceridwen:
Joining the chorus of Harry Lives! Voldy Dies!

Jen:
> Checkmarks down Betsy's list of Harry living happily ever after,
everyone marrying a Weasley (thank goodness there are enough to go 
around) and Draco helping with something crucial.

Ceridwen:
I'm not much into OBHWF, but I think that's the way JKR is going.

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.

Ceridwen:
Agree with point 1, Dumbledore might make correspondingly larger 
mistakes, but he makes even larger dead-on calls.  Snape was, is, and 
forever will be DDM.

On point 2, the reason Luke's Temptation worked in Star Wars is 
because because it seems both true to life on that sort of scale, and 
because it has echoes of other temptations back to earliest stories, 
and sideways into religion.  I'll go with LV tempting Harry this way.

I will also really stick my neck out and say that Snape is the 
character who got the reprieve.  His method of demise and the reasons 
for it are set out by Jen, but the Snape and Harry characters working 
together took the story in a new direction despite JKR, and Harry 
saves Snape at this juncture in the story.

I agree with the first part of 3 - Snape is complex and has several 
reasons for doing anything, in most cases.  His return to Dumbledore, 
though, was purely because LV's methods, his intent to target an 
infant instead of waiting until that infant matured, and the entire 
DE code/MO/mindset went against Snape's own internal moral code.  We 
don't always agree with Snape's compass, some moreso than others, but 
he does have one, and he seems rigidly bound to it.  In my opinion, 
of course.

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.

Ceridwen:
I hate the idea of Harry being a Horcrux, but after thinking about 
Horcruxes and soul-bits recently, I will agree that Harry has a Voldy 
soul-bit, though he is not a Horcrux.  The soul-bit that was severed 
at Lily's death, and the one severed by James's death moments before, 
were both suddenly without housing when LV vaporized.  One or both 
went to the only living being, which was Harry...

Unless one went to the only *other* living being, Wormtail.  If one 
soul-bit was left without a place to stay, it went where soul-bits go 
after the body dies.

If Harry does have a soul-bit, it will be easy to get rid of it, or 
it will not matter.  No spell was cast to create a Horcrux, and no 
magical protections were placed to guard it from expulsion.  So, 
either the soul-bit will flee Harry at some point (or already has), 
or it has been so well-integrated into Harry's soul that it is a 
seperate entity from its former host.  If it is integrated, 
especially if Wormtail also has one, then the lack of spell to 
designate these bits as Horcrux fillers will mean they cannot anchor 
Voldy's soul.  Ancient and arcane magic.

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.

Ceridwen:
Luna and Neville certainly seem to be set up to die.  I like them, 
too, and don't want to see it, so I am offering alternatives:

Cho dies.  Harry feels that anyone he gets close to dies, and it 
takes the effort of all his friends, plus Dumbledore's portrait and 
the Hogwarts ghosts to pull him out of his depression.  Cho's death 
will be the last straw for Harry on this point, until Nick et. al. 
make him see the light.

Marietta Edgecomb dies, and Hermione is wracked by guilt before the 
Big Showdown, due to the Sneak hex.  Similar help from friends brings 
her out of it.

McLaggen dies, heroically, after being a jerk every time he is 
mentioned.  Crabbe and Goyle juniors die, caught in the middle, not 
wanting to be DEs, but wanting to save their fathers.  *weep*  
They'll finally be more than stock bully back-up.

Jen: My own 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.

Ceridwen:
Concur.  It's Lily's moment to really shine, and she does.

Jen:
*Deathly Hallows refers to both All Hallows Eve at GH and the Horcrux
quest.

Ceridwen:
Concur.  DH will *also* refer to the graves of the Founders, which 
are in a barrow mound on the grounds.  At least one Horcrux was 
placed in their tomb.  And, finally, at the end, the Deathly Hallows 
will be the shades of LV's victims as *they* take his remaining core 
soul, leaving the body to be killed and buried by the living.  Soul 
takes care of soul, flesh takes care of flesh, and the victims get 
their rightful payment.

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

Ceridwen:
Yes, Petunia has kept correspondence, including Lily's letters from 
friends at Hogwarts, which were left with the Evanses, and which 
Petunia inherited when they died.  There may even be a schoolgirl 
diary.

There will be an attack on Privet Drive early on the morning of 
Harry's seventeenth birthday.  Since this is magic and all, LV 
miscalculates the time, and Harry is still protected because he 
wasn't born that early in the day.  Harry, Ron and Hermione are able 
to get the Dursleys to GP, where they molder for the rest of the book.

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

Ceridwen:
Yes, Hagrid dies, but not before imparting important information.  He 
may accidentally say things, but he really can keep a secret when he 
is clearly instructed to do so.  He may even think he is going 
against Dumbledore when he gives this information, but relies on DD's 
love of Harry for his own forgiveness.

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.

Ceridwen:
Yes, Lupin survives, and is not ESE, though he makes at least one 
mistake which helps the bad guys during DH, or is discovered to have 
done so earlier.  This of course would relate to his reluctance to go 
against his friends.  Peter was his friend once, you know, which 
makes me think that whatever Lupin did has been done since before at 
least PoA.

Peter, yes, slay Fenrir.  Good thing Fenrir showed up, or I'd have to 
go with him killing Remus with that cool silver hand.  He dies as his 
act of remorse.

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

Ceridwen:
And now, Aberforth is the sole surviving heir of Gryffindor.  
Aberforth gives Harry the okay to enter the GH property where James 
and Lily died, and lifts any wards protecting the property against DE 
vandalism.

Jen:
> *Grindelwald had a Horcrux and there's some connection between he 
and Riddle. Dumbledore defeated him in some way besides killing him--
maybe the gong spell from the MOM?

Ceridwen:
Tom learned about Horcruxes from Grindelwald, and was an anonymous 
tipster leading to his demise.  We will learn about Gridelwald and 
his importance or lack of importance to the story.

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*.

Ceridwen:
Are you suggesting that Umbridge had something to do with Trelawney's 
disappearance?  I can certainly see her being vindictive, since she 
was not able to push Trelawney out when she was Inquisitor.  But, 
perhaps, Trelawney didn't come down simply because she didn't want to 
see Umbridge?  DD was gone, maybe Umbridge could persuade Scrimgeour 
to oust Trelawney now?

Trelawney and her abilities will play a role in DH.  Harry will 
remember her card reading before his excursion with DD, and she will 
be consulted, with Luna providing the *correct* interpretation of the 
reading.

Jen:
> *Dobby's socks or portrait of Harry will come back to help and he 
will be shocked Harry didn't realize they were magical. Dobby will 
help with the Horcrux hunt (heh, got that from the cover).

Ceridwen:
Dobby will play a major role in the defeat of Voldemort.  He will 
convince the elves to join the fight against LV, and will go down in 
House Elf history as a hero and liberator.

Jen:
> *Ron's and Dumbledore's watches will prove to be time-turners and 
play a role.

Ceridwen:
Not sure the watches are time turners, but Harry will inherit DD's 
watch, and the two watches will play a role.

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.

Ceridwen:
Agreed.  And, someone will Explain It All.

And now, my own meager contribution:
We will learn about the Prank.  I'm hoping we'll get one of those 
Harry-less chapters and have the Marauders and Snape as the main 
characters.  It may be too much to ask, but this would make a great 
chapter for me.

Ceridwen, agreeing with Jen that the more ideas that are tossed into 
the pot, the better the chances will be that at least one will be 
right.