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

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 174201


Betsy wrote:
> 
> > -- Voldemort will be defeated.  (What? I'm going out on a 
limb     
> > here! You got to give me an easy one.)
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> I got this bit right.  The funny part was how little Voldemort's 
> death actually meant.  It didn't change the WW at all.
> 
> 
> > -- Harry will defeat Voldemort.  He may have a bit of help, but 
in 
> > the end, I'm sure it'll all come down to Harry.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Oddly enough, it more came down to a super-special wand.  So I 
think 
> I'll say I got this one wrong.  Certainly in spirit this was a miss.

Julie:  
I don't think it was a miss, in spirit or otherwise. Harry 
beat Voldemort because he was willing to sacrifice himself
for others. The wand was just the instrument, again...as it
was when Lily was willing to die for Harry. Voldemort didn't
get it the first time, and he still doesn't get it 16 years
later. 

Betsy:
> 
> > -- Harry will live.  Happily ever after, however Harry (or JKR) 
> > defines it, with magical abilities intact and all of his 
surviving 
> > friends.  (Yes, OBHWF for all. :/ )
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Okay, this one I got prefectly correct.  Harry was incredibly happy 
> and the Weasley family is big and happy as well.
> 
> 
> > -- Draco Malfoy will play an important role in helping the 
good    
> > guys beat Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Oh, and he'll survive.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Well, Malfoy survived (I doubt he ever really lived though, poor 
> boy).  But his role was the definition of unimportant.  I totally 
> blame HBP, though.  Silly me, taking that book seriously.

Julie:
I was hoping for a little more spine from Draco too, which
was probably a product of my own desires more than any
canon from the books. Draco never showed a lot of spine 
when he was in danger, and he never showed any real interest
in changing his outlook on Muggles or the WW. So I can
accept that DH Draco was a reasonable extension of that
character.

Betsy:
> > -- 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.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> I'm calling this one wrong.  I assumed "man" and all along Snape 
was 
> Dumbledore's dog.  Of *course* Snape didn't leave Dumbledore.  
> Dumbledore owned Snape lock, stock and barrel.  Mega-depressing, 
> though quite frankly the Snape of my imagination would have never 
put 
> up with Dumbledore.  Too principled.  And this book is not about 
> principles.

Julie:
I disagree. Snape was never Dumbledore's dog. He made a promise
because he loved Lily, and he kept it, first for her, and
eventually because I think his principles did shift (he was
willing to continue with the plan even after he found out
that Lily's son was to be sacrificed for the sake of the WW).
But he could have left any time and pursued his own agenda
(whatever that might be--and I can now see an AU fanfic 
where Snape kidnaps Harry and locks him away to save him
from his fate!). 

Seriously, I don't see how Dumbledore owned Snape. 

Betsy:
> That Dumbledore himself was so evil and weak was a surprise.  I 
> recall arguing that Dumbledore would *never* use an Unbreakable Vow 
> or a Horcrux.  Young and naive.

Julie:
I do agree that Dumbledore took a step down from all-powerful
all-wise God-like to simply a man who'd made his own critical
mistakes and had suffered and eventually learned from them.

I did shake me a little that the Dumbledore who was so set
on saving Draco's soul seemed to care so little about Snape's.
I really expected Dumbledore felt a deeper bond with many of
his students, including Snape and the Marauders. But it seems
he really didn't. He let Sirius rot in Azkaban because he
just assumed Sirius was guilty. He had no extraordinary wisdom
or empathy for others beyond that of an old man whose been 
through many experiences. 

In short, he was just a man. And in the end that worked okay
for me, because all-wise all-loving god-like Dumbledore 
didn't really fit with so many things that had gone before.
 
Betsy: 
> > Trends I Suspect Will Play Out:
> > (This is more my sense of how the story beats will play out, 
so    
> > it's all a bit vague.  This stuff will more nibble than 
anything.   
> > <g>)
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Oddly enough, I think it's those nibbles that hurt the most in the 
> end.  I was *way* off in my sense of the story JKR was trying to 
> tell. As you will see. <g>
> 
> 
> > -- I suspect the final confrontation between Harry and 
Voldemort   
> > will be quite private and solitary: think diary!Tom vs. Harry 
in   
> > CoS.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Hahaha! No.  Not only was it as public as possible (surely someone 
in 
> the crowd had a camera) Harry did his own version of the Evil 
> Overlord speech.  Lucky (or not?) that no one snuck up behind Harry 
> and beaned him while he was mid-explanation of who had the biggest 
> wand.

Julie:
I didn't actually have a problem with this, as Voldemort
has said over and over again that Harry is for him. So I
wouldn't expect any DEs to interfere.  

Betsy:
> > -- I suspect Harry is a Horcrux, or at least, I think his 
scar     
> > might be.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> I ended up right about this.  Odd.
> 
>  
> > -- I still think someone we think is good will turn out to 
be      
> > working for Voldemort.  No real solid clue on who though.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Gosh, no!  That would have meant Harry being *wrong* about someone 
> and maybe having to question his judgment or something.  When we 
all 
> know Harry is practically perfect in every way.  (Plus, the 
> psychological horror of learning someone you thought trustworthy 
> really isn't would have seriously gotten in the way of the great 
> McGuffin hunt.  Hermione needed time to collect mushroom, gosh darn 
> it!)

Julie:
I rather suspected this too. But I put that expectation all
on myself (happily knowing I was *far* from alone). There 
was absolutely nothing in canon that demanded someone in
the side of good was working for Voldemort. Hence you had
no solid clue on who, and nor did I, though we all entertained
a variety of theories!

Betsy:
> > -- Somehow the four houses of Hogwarts working together will be 
a   
> > key to defeating Voldemort (finding the horcruxes maybe?).
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> The pain...  oh, the pain...

Julie:
I am with you on this. JKR dropped a lot of hints that the
Houses had to unite, that they had to work together to
defeat Voldemort. I assumed that included Slytherin, who
was after all the only House *out.* So I am a little 
disappointed it didn't happen.

Betsy:
> 
> > -- I'm pretty sure both Hermione and Ron will survive the end 
of   
> > the series.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Got that one right.  Yay?
> 
> 
> > -- If a contemporary of Harry dies, my money is on either 
Neville   
> > or Luna.  (I lean more towards Neville.)
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> And I got that one wrong. Yay.  (Wasn't Luna super-duper annoying 
at 
> that final feast though?  It was like she was suddenly Harry's 
> grandmother or something.  Or was that just me?)

Julie:
Fred was sort of a contemporary, as well as Colin. But it
wasn't one of the six. I'd have to re-read the feast part
as I don't recall Luna being particularly annoying. But
her father sure was!

Betsy:
> > -- If Snape actually killed Dumbledore, he'll for sure die.  
If    
> > not, he might, *might* live.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Eep.  Again, this was back before I realized the depth of sin 
> attached to being a Sltherin.  Not only does Snape die, not only 
was 
> it anticlimactic, but by that point I didn't even care.  Seriously, 
I 
> think an eye-roll was about my only reaction.  (Why did JKR even 
> *bother* with a Snape character?)

Julie: 
I really wanted Snape to live too. But I knew he was almost
certain to die. I do find it odd though that you didn't care
about Snape living or dying by the point of his death scene.
We hadn't even learned his story yet, and I knew more was
coming. 

I do understand your reaction about it being anticlimactic
though. When I finished that chapter I just sat there in
stunned disbelief, thinking "That's it? Finally we get 
Snape, and the first thing he does is die?" I certainly 
cared though. I was furious!

Still, on later reflection it worked for me. Yes, I wish
there had been more of living!Snape in DH, but learning
about him through his memories was better than not learning
about him at all. And even if Snape didn't turn out exactly
as I wanted him to be, I still thank JKR profusely for 
*bothering* with this character. 

Betsy:
> > -- There's a link of some sort between Snape and Lily (fingers 
> > crossed it's friendship and not romance).  I suspect Aunt Petunia 
> > will give Harry a clue on that.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Right and sorry for it.  Snape's first experience at being 
someone's 
> dog.  Though again I laugh at the thought that Aunt Petunia might 
> come into play.  (Silly Betsy, Muggles are for laughing at.)  I did 
> gain a massive amount of sympathy for her after seeing Snape's 
dying 
> memories.  What a horrible little sister.  "Tunie"?!  Seriously!?!  
> Petunia should have run away from home.  And become a scientist.  
Any 
> field.  Just to show how hard Muggles beat Wizards.

Julie:
Again, I don't think Snape was Lily's dog in any way. Even 
if I expected something a little different, his character
did make sense. Whatever my personal vision of Snape, he
was never mine to mold ;-) 

I did feel sorry for Petunia. Really, when you think about
it, how would you feel if you find out that your sibling
in essence gets to go live at Disneyland every day for the
rest of her life, and you DON'T? Ouch. Really, ouch. I'm not
sure many sibling relationships could survive that kind of
disparity of fortune. (And maybe that's why we never heard
from another family where the siblings didn't all end up at
Hogwarts--like the Creeveys and the Patils.)

<snipping a bit>

> Betsy Hp:
> And the answer is: crazy.  Absolutely, utterly, mad as a hatter.

Julie:
I am sorry it was so disappointing for you, Betsy. I didn't
get all I wanted--which makes it sound like it was Christmas
morning and we didn't get what we asked for in our stockings! 
--but it was always JKR's story and we were always just 
interested bystanders. 

Julie