Harry Potter Preview

Several months ago, I set a goal to re-read the first six Harry Potter books before the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” this Friday night/Saturday morning. I finished reading book 6 today! In full disclosure, I did not completely accomplish my goal as I completely re-read books 1, 4 & 6, read most of book 5 and rented the movies for 2 & 3. As promised, here are my predictions (some serious, some not-so-serious) for Book 7. Please note that there are some spoilers here if you have not read books 1-6.

- We learned in book one that Harry’s father, James, saved Snape’s life, even though they were not exactly the best of friends. I have no idea why, but I think Draco Malfoy may help save Harry’s life. Wormtail will also help Harry in some way.

- One of the big questions is the identity of RAB. The answer is clearly Reginald Alfred Bush II. You may know him better as Heisman trophy winner and New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush. He can do almost anything on the football field, so it seems appropriate that he would be able to get a Horcrux.

- I think J.K. Rowling will try to show a softer side of Lord Voldemort. It's been a rough 14 years or so for him and maybe he's just lonely. Read chapter 6 to see Voldermort's experiences on the British version of Match.com. Hilarity ensues!

- The biggest question for book seven is who’s going to die? My guess is Hagrid and one of the Order of Phoenix members, maybe Mad-Eye Moody. Oh, Voldemort won’t make it either.

- I have a gut feeling that Hiro Nakamura could be involved near the end.

- With Dumbledore gone, I wonder if the curriculum at Hogwarts will change. I’m surprised that the students are not required to speak a language. During the Triwizard Tournament, Krum and Fleur from schools in other countries both spoke English. Why aren’t the students at Hogwarts learning French or Chinese?

- As for Dumbledore, he’ll still be able to talk to Harry through his portrait in his old office.

- Ron and Hermione will become a couple. While this is not an exact quote, I have read articles in which J.K. Rowling writes that the books will become more adult as the characters get older. Therefore, it should not be too much of a surprise that Ron gets Hermione pregnant. (This part of the story has been edited out, but look for it in the unedited version that is released in five years.)

- There has to be a major shake-up in the wizarding community. It seems like Voldemort can get the giants and werewolves on his side pretty easily. The Ministry of Magic must grant the giants and werewolves equal rights. I’m not sure where they stand on house-elves.

- Is Snape a good guy or bad guy? Why not both? I think he’s on his own side and will somehow escape from everyone.

A few final Harry Potter notes:

According to this article, nearly 20% of Harry Potter fans will skip to the last page of the book to find out how it ends. I am not one of the 20%, and I do not want to know how it ends until I read it myself. The other 80% feel the same way. Therefore, except for possibly writing about my experiences at Barnes & Noble on Friday night, I am done writing about Harry Potter, and I do not want any comments about how the story ends.

If you are interested in checking out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from the Fairfax County Public Library, your position in the holds queue would be #1537. That has to be a record.