Predictions and Parallels (was: The BEANS Theory)

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 170481

> Ann:
> <snip> 
> I was impressed by Red Hen's essay on possible PoA/DH similarities,
> at http://www.redhen-publications.com/2ndGuessing.html?
> Particularly impressed by the Weasleys' being out of the country 
> twice. 

Mike:
You reminded me of something I wrote to Red Hen about a year ago. 
Back then, I thought I'd try my hand at some predictions about the 
PoA = DH possibilities. So I present them here for your amusement.

Two things; I wrote this as a message *to* Red Hen, so I've changed 
the "you"s to "Red Hen" and fixed the verb tenses to match. But other 
than that I have not edited. And I left the date it was written.

Second, this was before JKR's night at Radio City where she 
pronounced Dumbledore dead. But I'm leaving in that stuff anyway, so 
y'all can make fun of me! ;)

Oh, just to pat myself on the back a little, Red Hen didn't have the 
Weasleys going out of country in her essay before I sent her this 
correspondence. She did thank me for the input :)

So here it is:
*******************************************************

More Predictions
May 21, 2006

I've always liked the parallels Red Hen drew between books 1 & 5, 2 & 
6, and the likelihood that 3 & 7 will mimic each other. So in that 
vein I've got some more for book 7 that I think have a chance. But 
first, a guess about what we saw in HBP.

I agree, that the whole death on the tower scene needed another 
accomplice. But my vote is for Slughorn. I don't think Hagrid is that 
good of an actor. I think Dumbledore needed someone who could whip up 
a DotLD and could be waiting for him at the bottom of the tower. Then 
if Snape can't throw out all the protecting spells on Albus, old 
Sluggy is the backup. Sluggy collects Albus' wand then catches Albus 
with the `fall slowly' charm, gives him the DotLD and scurries back 
into the castle. In Minerva's wrap-up meeting Sluggy is all sweaty 
and pale. What caused this perspiration, notifying the ministry? 
What, did he run there and back? No, I think Sluggy was scurrying 
around behind the scenes. He blurts out his displeasure with Snape as 
he walks into the room to assure everyone there that He's sure Snape 
killed Albus. At the end of the meeting, the group is discussing 
Dumbledore's funeral arraignments, Slughorn is agitated over this. 
Why? Because he knows this will mean some new difficulties, wasn't in 
the plan? Maybe, at this moment he's thinking what this will do to 
the plan. Then he comes up with the idea of making a simulacrum. More 
work, but I can do it, "I suppose
yes
"

I think Sluggy is a much better actor than Hagrid, he's certainly a 
better wizard to count on, and he's got some experience with this 
whole faking one's death thing. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if 
Sluggy had a hand in hiding Regulus, if Reggie is still alive.

Now the Book 3 to 7 parallels:

1. The Weasley family will be out of the country during the summer 
holidays. I think there will be a group decision to move Bill and 
Fleur's wedding to the continent, probably to her parents' home in 
France, because of the unrest in Britain. Hermione will go but Harry 
won't. Why? I dunno, failed apparition test? He thinks he should stay 
in the Dursley house to collect his last bit of blood protection 
because he promised Dumbledore? Finds some of Lily's letters to 
Petunia and feels like he needs to follow up on some clue immediately?

2. Harry will have a row with one of the Dursleys about one of his 
parents and depart #4 Privet Dr. for London. I can't pinpoint what 
this argument will be about, but I'll guess it will be with Petunia 
and will be in regards to her sister Lily. Harry will go to #12 
Grimmauld Place to await the return of Ron and Hermione from the 
mainland. He'll bring all his stuff with him and set up #12 as his 
base of operations.

[I put this one forward as conditional. I still have the feeling the 
Dumbledore let the Dursleys in on #12's secret for a reason. I could 
easily see all of them going for the Dursley's protection]

3. Harry will lose, or more likely have destroyed, something he 
received 2 years ago. He will subsequently get it replaced by a like 
object but better; however there will be suspicions about the 
trustworthiness of this new object. My prediction is the two-way 
mirror he got from Sirius. While he's at #12 he discovers Sirius' 
half of the connecting mirrors, remembers his is broken in the bottom 
of his trunk, digs the pieces out and gives them a Repairo. Now the 
trio can use these two mirrors to communicate when one is separated 
from the other two. After one of these two gets destroyed (by 
Kreacher?), Harry finds a new mirror amongst the ruins in Godric's 
Hollow.

Hermione is suspicious; she thinks this new mirror might have been 
planted here by Snape to spy on the trio's adventures. (It turns out 
in the end that Snape did plant it here). Finally Harry tries using 
it and finds this mirror allows him to communicate with Aberforth, or 
at least he thinks that's who he's talking to. I really like this 
one, maybe not all the dressing up, but definitely the mirrors. JKR 
was asked about the mirrors in her Muggle-Leaky interview the day of 
HBP's release. She clammed up with one of her `you'll see' type 
responses. So I see the mirrors coming into play both as a result of 
JKR's response and as a neat parallel to the broomsticks in PoA.

4. Not quite in the same vein but about mirrors: JKR said in that 
same interview that Harry has been taught more than he realizes. My 
mind immediately went to the Mirror of Erised. Harry knows how to use 
it; he did it to thwart Voldemort once. What if he were to stand in 
front of it again concentrating very hard on how to find that last 
missing Horcrux? Wouldn't be especially poetic if all he saw was 
himself, and his scar? Can't you just see the conundrum? Did I do it 
wrong? Is this thing on? Ron, com'ere, you try it.

5. Red Hen predicted the parallel in the Sirius-Pettigrew scenario, 
the enemy who betrayed his parents is really on Harry's side while 
the dead hero is really the betrayer, and book 7 having Snape-Albus 
play these parts. Well we need someone to play the part of that guy 
who Harry hates showing up and mucking up the works. JKR has told us 
that someone who hasn't shown any magical abilities to date will get 
magic late in life. Who fits both these bills? 

I'm going with Filch finally getting the hang of things from his 
Kwikspell lessons. I don't know what spell he'll use, nor how he 
mucks up things, but I can see Filch busting into a 
meeting/confrontation at the Hogs Head and wildly waving his wand 
around at anything that moves. Of course he won't have a clue as to 
what is going on and he'll see Albus disguised as Aberforth and be 
none the wiser. But when he sees Snape, he'll think he has just saved 
the day and caught a murderer. 

In fact, we've been told that there are four secret passageways out 
of Hogwarts that Filch knows of, but not where they are or where they 
end up. Could he have been using one of these all along to sneak off 
to the Hogs Head for a nightcap? He sneaks out this time and finds 
himself coming out of a closet right into a startling scene, which 
shocks him into performing magic for the first time in his life. 
Maybe Filch carries a magically cored feather duster with him 
wherever he goes.

I like Hagrid to play Lupin's part in this little scenario. He's the 
guy that thought Snape was guilty but has come around to realize that 
Albus isn't dead. He just saw Aberforth tending bar seconds before he 
hears Harry's voice and a commotion in the back room, comes into the 
room and sees *Aberforth* lying on a bed (unconscious from another 
mishap, Snape was checking up on him?). I don't know and I'm not 
going to try to write Rowling's book for her. I'm just making some 
predictions.

6. OK, now for a little fun and series long symmetry. Let's say that 
the Dursleys did take Harry up on his offer to shelter at #12 
Grimmauld Place. So the war is over, Harry picks up the Dursleys and 
escorts them back to Privet Drive. He finds Dumbledore and McGonagall 
there to wish him well, present him with NEWT qualifications based on 
all his adventures over the past year, and to say goodbye. Then 
Hagrid shows up on Sirius' flying motorcycle, which he had kept 
hidden all this time, and gives Harry a ride to Godric's Hollow where 
Harry is going to live. Hey, Storybook ending anyone?