Harry Potter predictions update.
cut and paste from this blog on April 25 2007.
Added comments in italics. I have read the book and the added comments are spoilers.

spoiler alert

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below all from April except for comments in italics.

Bloggers often write about books which they have read, but rarely admit to reading Harry Potter books (come one don't be ashamed everyone does it)

Silly me. Cooler bloggers aren't embarassed to admit they read Harry Potter books.

I'm goint to try to guess some of the content of the final book. Spoiler warnings when appropriate.

I don't see many hints from books 1-4 except that Peter Pettigrew has to do something useful (like Gollum).

1 correct.

In book 4 (Chalice of fire) Dumbledore shows an expression of fierce triumph when he learns that Voldemort has reconstituted his body using Harry's blood. He doesn't explain, but this must be important.

2. Correct. Very important. Not exactly in the way I guessed

In book 5 (order of the Phoenix) we learn that only one of Harry and Voldemort can live. Not sure that means what it seems to mean.

A) I was careful with my guess, but I was wrong. It meant what it seemed to mean.

Snape had 3 very bad memories and we have only shared one.

3. Correct if "bad" is read as "painful" this is correct. Snape's memories are very important. However, there are many more than 2 ones which are new to Harry. Some date from after "The Order of the Phoenix" but some don't. Do I dare suggest that Rowland hadn't planned this perfectly in advance ?

When cleaning 12 Grimauld Place a heavy locket which no one could open was found.
Kreacher tries to hide Black family heirlooms.

In book 6 (half blood prince) we encounter the concept of Horcruxes which are various objects which hold part of Voldemort's soul. One bit is in his reconstructed body, another was in the Riddle diary (killed in book 2), another was in a ring destroyed by Dumbledore.

One is clearly in a locket once belonging to Slytherin.

This was replaced in its former hiding place by an ex follower of Voldemort who signed R.A.B. . One Regulus Black (brother of Sirius) was once a follower of Voldemort. He was quickly killed after he tried to switch sides. I assume he is RAB and that the locket is the one found in 12 Grimauld place. I guess that there will be an effort to find where Kreacher hid it, then it will be discovered that Fletcher sold it. This should be good for hundreds of pages.

4. mostly correct. The word "sold" and "quickly" are not exactly. Also not hundreds of pages on the topic.

Another is likely to be Helga Hufflepuff's teacup. No idea where it is. Hundreds more pages to find if it is the horcrux and, if so, where it is,

5 correct but obvious. No doubt was ever expressed on the teacup issue. Brilliant deduction by Harry and *not* me on where it was.

The sixth bit is likely to be in the Snake Nagini (so guessed by Dumbledore)

6 correct but guessed by Dumbledore.

The seventh is, I am quite sure, in Harry Potter. Clearly he is linked to Voldemort and Nagini. I don't know how we are supposed to pretend we haven't noticed.

7 correct and explicitly so stated. The numbering is unclear, that is, it is not clear to me even now if there are 7 bits of soul including the one in Voldemort's body or 7 separated bits one of which I did not guess.

As to the denoument, I risk ruining much better books, which also feature a school of magic, written by Ursula LeGuin (A Wizard of Earthsea, The tombs of Atuan and The farthest shore, Tehanu all well worth reading). I think the key is to be found either in denoument of A Wizard of Earthsea or that of The Farthest Shore. Won't say what they are, but each has a moral and both seem to potentially fit the Potter series. I'd say that Dumbledore's unexplained expression in book 4 suggests that it will be a Wizard of Earthsea moral. Others claim to know it will be the other.

Not correct. The ending does not correspond to either Earthsea book.

Other matters.

The ring bears the "Peveral" crest. This family is not otherwise mentioned. This must be a hint somehow.

8 correct.

The injury Dumbledore received when destroying the ring was never described. I think that in books 6 and 7 as in book 1 Snape is set up to appear to be guilty but is innocent.

Roughly, I guess something about destroying the ring made it necessary to kill Dumbledore (as in the bit of Voldemort was in him or something). Snape promised Mrs Malfoy that he would. Later he is arguing with Dumbledore that he doesn't want to do something and Dumbledore says he promised so he must. For some reason Dumbledore freazes Harry when he could have saved himself. He seems very calm till he sees Snape who kills him. It all makes sense if Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him and feared Snape wouldn't do it. The aim may have been to give Snape absolute credibility with Voldemort.

9 correct that it was necessary to kill Dumbledore but no bit of Voldemort in him

Neville Longbottom has moved from being a geek to being an extraordinarily brave hero type. The prophesy could refer to him not Harry. He might have to do something very unpleasant to end the series.

c) the transformation from buffoon to model of courage is completed in the last book. However, his final act was not unpleasant at all.

I count 9 correct and 3 incorrect, but I am being generous to myself. I thought that Neville would have to kill Harry to destroy him as a horcrux and that, in some way, Harry would survive. Voldemort did the killing himself. Dumbledore was just doomed to die, not horcruxed. My guess as to possible endings were wrong, which might explain why I was disappointed by the actual ending.