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Book 7
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...
Where Do We Go from Here

(Will there be another book of Hogwarts adventures?)

The first Harry Potter fans began to line-up at bookstores as early as the 17th of July - days before the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Saturday, July 21, 12:01 a.m. Bookstores around the globe hosted "Grand Hallows Ball" to celebrate the release of the final book. The "Grand Hallows Ball" events transported guests from their ordinary muggle world into an evening of enchanting music, imaginative costumes, fun activities, and fabulous prizes that lead up to the main event - the first copies of the last Harry Potter Book in the hands of eager fans.

Rumors of spoilers... Ok, this one looks real - there's supposed to be a real copy floating around. Scholastic got it pulled from PhotoBucket, but it seems that the damage is done... click over to find out more...

- A supposedly religious motive prompted someone named Gabriel to post the "end" of the book. We've looked at it and it looks very unlikely to be true... having read the book - it is definitely not anything close!

If you want to judge for yourself and don't care about spoiling the fun of reading Deathly Hallows without thinking you know how it ends ... visit insecure - but remember that this is very likely to be just one more bit of Hogwarts' Hogwash... An Australian news site quotes an American blogger with more supposedly factual spoilers on how Harry Potter ends... also not very likely to be the real ending, but they have an otherwise nice collection of Harry Potter info. There are tons of bogus copies of the book - if you think JKR wrote them, read away, just don't be surprised when you read the real book and it's different...

If you want to find out how the book really ends just visit JKR's site and check out her diary's May 14th entry...

You'd be better off spending your time reading about the release of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie. The reviews for the latest movie are definitely mixed... plus lots of interviews and Harry Potter specials on your TV...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in book 6 finally tied together quite a few plot strands from the first five Harry Potter books.

JK Rowling has made it clear that the 7th book in the series will be the final adventure for Harry and the Hogwarts crew, and that the book will bring more deaths. She has also said that we will learn more about Harry's parent's, James and Lily. We know there will be a wedding, although we do hope that it doesn't end up as badly as the World Cup of Quidditch!

The final chapter in the adventures of the boy wizard is written. JKR told interviewers at the end of June, 2006, "The last book is not finished. But I'm well into it now. I wrote the final chapter in something like 1990, so I've known exactly how the series is going to end."

It's rumored that the printers worked on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the dark to prevent any prerelease leaks...

The title of the book has raised even more speculation about Harry's future. Who are the Deathly Hallows? While fans still had to wait until the book was released, there were more than a few hints and rumors about what the future holds for Harry.

In an interview broadcast in June 2006 on Britain's Channel 4, Rowling said that two characters had been killed off in the last book, "One character got a reprieve, but I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die."

She added, "I've never been tempted to kill him (Harry) off before the end of book seven, because I always planned seven books and that's where I want to go."

"I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks 'Well, I'm going to kill them off because that means there can be no non-author-written sequels ... so it will end with me, and after I'm dead and gone they won't be able to bring back the character'."

Jo commented in another interview when asked if book seven would be shorter than book five, "No, I think that [book seven] will be long because I won't want to let go. I'll just keep writing...I dread leaving Harry..."

Which really makes it seem that Harry does survive book seven...or maybe not...

Could it really be true that the world would have to wait until July 21, 2007 before finding out how this all turned out?

There was a rumor about the release date of 07/07/07 for book 7 going around that sounded very well thought out. The speculation was that it would be the perfect for date for the last Harry Potter book to hit the bookstores. It may have sounded very convincing, but as with many HP rumors, it was just speculation that proved wrong. The real date of July 21, 2007 was announced!

Before the release, with the book's secrets still safe in the author's imagination, where they belong, fans couldn't help but speculate on what the next book would reveal.

There is a list of rumors on JK Rowling's site that you may want to check. She's added a bit about Book 7 to the welcome page as well. "For 2006 will be the year when I write the final book in the Harry Potter series. I contemplate the task with mingled feelings of excitement and dread, because I can't wait to get started, to tell the final part of the story and, at last, to answer all the questions (will I ever answer all of the questions? Let's aim for most of the questions); and yet it will all be over at last and I can't quite imagine life without Harry."

At an appearance in New York in August, 2006 Jo added some more hints...

• Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who was murdered in Half-Blood Prince, has an important role in the final book - even though he is dead...
• Severus Snape (played by Alan Rickman in the Harry Potter films) is actually a good character.
• Harry's aunt, Petunia Dursley, will have a very important part in the final book.
• Not said at the reading, but strongly implied... Harry, Ron and Hermione will survive book seven.
• Stephen King, reading from his work at the same New York benefit, asked whether Harry Potter’s rival Draco Malfoy would be redeemed. Rowling answered that all her characters except Lord Voldemort, “appear redeemable” and that Harry firmly believed that Draco Malfoy was not evil.
• JKR added that book seven will explain the deep connection between a wizard and his wand.
  
  

There was a rumor that Harry might die in book 7...An article in the UK's Mirror reveals, "Actor Jim Dale - the voice of the teenage wizard in the US audio books - believes the seventh and final installment will spell the end for Harry." Yet Jo seemed to nix that idea when answering questions in New York.

Some fans are brave enough to create fan fiction that builds the next stage of the story.

Others just wonder out loud...

How will the struggle between Harry and Voldemort end?

What will happen next leading up to the final confrontation?

If you haven't read the first six Harry Potter books, STOP right now and go get copies from your library or bookstore. Reading more of this will give away many of the carefully woven threads that run through the first books and spoil the fun. Knowing what's happened in the past will let you better decide for yourself what lies ahead for Harry and his Hogwarts friends...

Unlike Snape, we're not able to look into the mind of JK Rowling to know what she has planned for Harry. What you'll find here are the results of our sometimes overactive imaginations.

Your guesses are as good as — and in many cases better — than ours, but half of the fun of being a Harry Potter fan is weaving your own fantasies.

That being understood, for better or worse, here are our thoughts on what book 7 would reveal before we read the final book:

• Dumbledore is not out of the picture (or should we say he is in the picture?) All of the prior headmasters of Hogwarts live on in their portraits. Dumbledore will be around in book seven to guide and advise Harry. We believe that Snape and Dumbledore planned the death scene in book six to make Voldemort think that the only wizard more powerful had been eliminated. Snape did what needed to be done at Dumbledore's command.
  
  Which means that the Half-Blood Prince will turn out to be a good guy!
  
  
• The forces of evil are strong and growing stronger. There will be many battles and adventures as Harry searches for the pieces of Voldemort's soul that are hidden throughout the world. He will find and destroy all but one of them. The last piece will be saved for the big finale...
  
  
• The speculation on many sites is that the big death in book seven will be Harry himself. We think this is almost true...in a way.
  
  It has been foretold that Harry will have the power to destroy Voldemort :
  
  "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not, and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives"
  

  Will Hermione's love save the day?

  If Voldemort is defeated, it will have to happen in Book 7. We may be too literal, but "either must die at the hand of the other" does not make it sound as if both Voldy and Harry die. We can't imagine a world where the dark forces win and only Harry dies.
  
  
• We now know that Harry and the Dark Wizard can look into each others' thoughts. Dumbledore speculated that part of Lord Voldemort's powers were passed to Harry during the attack giving him the ability to speak to snakes and increasing his natural powers.
  
  The death curse that killed his parents did not kill Harry, but left him with a scar that aches when Voldemort is close by. The speculation has always been Harry's mother, Lily, blocked the death curse. Her sacrifice was motivated by the oldest magic, pure love for her son. How angry and jealous would that have made Tom Riddle, who had never experienced love from his mother or anyone else? What could be the most horrible revenge he could inflict on the boy wizard?
  
  
• Could it be that Voldemort used Harry to store one piece of his soul? This would mean that even if Harry did destroy him, he would still have a life as long as Harry existed.
  
  *What better ending than to have Harry, who is pure goodness and Voldemort who is the embodiment of evil meet in a struggle within Harry's mind. Both personalities would be destroyed in the battle with the surviving Harry Potter/Voldemort persona becoming the union of good and evil.
  
  This is basically the solution that Neo and the agent Smith found in the Matrix movies. Pure good and pure evil join into one powerful balanced personality...yin and yang.
  
  Neither can be whole without the other. The merged Harry would take a new name to indicate that he is a balanced blend of good and evil. This new person would be as moral as any other normal wizard.*
• We suspect that Hermione will have a hand in keeping Harry alive. Love saved him in the beginning and will push the balance in Harry's favor in the final meeting with Voldemort. The merged Harry could go on to marry Hermione and become the new Headmaster at Hogwarts.
  
  Since he would be both Harry and Voldemort, Harry would be in command of the Death Eaters and all of the evil forces.

How sweet would it be to have Malfoy actually taking orders from Harry Potter who is now merged with the soul of Voldemort?

We all have to wait for some of the answers -- when book 7 of the Harry Potter series is released -- to see where we go from here.

For now, one of our predictions has been addressed and soundly denied!

This from JK Rowling's official site...

"Rumors - 19/12/06 - At the end of book seven Harry and Voldemort will 'merge' to form a single persona who will command both the forces of good and evil."

"This is not a rumour, more a lone theory on the net that the son of a friend of mine pointed out to me. He wants me to repudiate it, so I'm repudiating: Harry will NOT merge with Voldemort to become a single entity, nor would Harry ever wish to command Death Eaters, Dementors, Inferi."

We're flattered that Jo took the time to address this in the middle of working on the book. We're sorry if we have caused any distraction. It was certainly not our intention.

We'll just repeat that we do not represent these predictions as official in any way. They are neither rumors nor romours that have any basis... other than impatient fans dreaming up possible twists to fill the time until we get to read the real adventures. We share them in the belief that it's fun to see what others are thinking - not in the belief that we have any special insight or secret access to answers. We're imaginative fans - not psychic friends...

Readers comments on our predictions...

• COMMENT: This is the most ridiculous ending I have read to date. Thanks a lot for expanding your mind into some weird realm of the matrix and narnia and trying to mix it with harry potter. Please stop while you are behind.

• RESPONSE: Thank you for taking the time to express your opinion. We are sorry that your reaction was so negative, but we are glad that you shared your thoughts.

The Matrix, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Ring Trilogy, The Adventures of Harry Potter and a long list of other enduring fantasy based fiction all have elements of the great myths cleverly woven through. This makes for a lot of parallels when good battles evil. We'll find out how weird it is on July 21st. It's just a fun exercise to try to guess how the tale will progress. No one really knows but the author— and she's not telling.

Whatever the ending is, we're sure it will be unexpected and fantastic and that the Dark Lord and his forces will not win the day. Other than that it's all speculation. We'll take comfort in the fact that, if the predictions here are ridiculous, at least in your opinion they are the most ridiculous. It's nice to be judged best at something!

• COMMENT: Hello, I'm sorry but I have to make a comment on one of the predictions you made about the 7th book. You said that maybe Hermione and Harry would get married and that she would save him. I'm sorry, but you can ask Emma Watson yourself, Ron and Hermione are most likely to get together. Also, Harry and Ginny kiss in the 6th book, indicating that Ginny and Harry will probably be together in the 7th book. So if anyone would save Harry from Voldemort, it would be Ginny. Unless, of course, Hermione does it out of friendship. AND FRIENDSHIP ONLY.

• RESPONSE: Thanks for writing. JK Rowling is an amazing writer and an even more amazing woman. We don't pretend to have access to the the secrets locked away in her imagination - if only...but that would spoil the fun, wouldn't it! Someone's borrowed our copy of book six and has not given it back yet, but if we remember correctly, Harry and Hermione do realize that they share much more than friendship at the end of book six...but Harry thinks he needs to go it alone to spare his friends the dangers that are ahead. [Update - We've been gifted with a new set of books which we don't intend to lend to anyone. Having reread all six, we can still see Harry and Hermoine as a surprise match - but agree with everyone who's been writing to tell us to 'get a clue' that Ron has been the crush throughout the books and Harry is more of a brotherly/good friend relationship for Hermoine. Please remember that these are just our guesses and don't be mad if we don't foresee the same outcome as you. This is just for fun until the book is ready and is not meant to be interpreted as we are right and you are wrong. We'll be very ready to admit we were off base on July 21!

Of course, we don't think that all his friends will leave Harry to face his fate alone. We're pretty sure that the old magic based on pure love (that saved Harry from the death curse and in the graveyard) will bring many lost characters to his assistance. Could those spirits be the Deathly Hallows? We believe that love and goodness are stronger than hatred and evil, despite the state of the world, and somehow Harry and goodness will win the ultimate battle. The victory will come at some great cost, but Voldemort will be vanquished

Glad you enjoyed reading the predictions and took the time to write. Please don't apologize for disagreeing with us. Your predictions are every bit as possible—and we all may be totally off base!

• COMMENT: Just for the record on your Harry Potter predictions. And I am completely surprised you didn't show this one on your site... The wedding you are talking about has already been predicted in book six. Bill and Fluer's wedding, of course. It has been shown since book 4 that Ron and Hermoine/Harry and Ginny are the couples to be. Just so you have an Idea.

• RESPONSE: Seems that the Ron/Hermoine and Harry/Ginny connection is what most fans expect. We agree that they'd make a great set of couples and the Ron/Hermoine relationship has certainly been hinted at through the last few books. We'll just have to wait and see how Jo sorts it all out in book 7

• COMMENT: I do agree with you that the ending of this series will stump us all. I also agree that these 'relationships' between HP/GW and RW/HG are all tid bits of something that HP & TGOF nipped in the bud. Harry ended his relationship with Ginny and it seems the threesome will tag along with Harry on his mission but it does not seem that a relationship will arise out of this. Maybe with the fear of death will RW/HG possibly end up together but its been minor childish flirting going on between the two, I don't see anything truly coming from it. You are also right that all of these 'predictions' are just that, guesses that in the end will have turned out to be speculations that JK Rowling most likely laughed at or already thought of, but she is a smart lady and will come up with something with a little more shock and awe.

• RESPONSE: But that's the fun of being a Harry Potter fan. No matter how sure you are that you have everything figured out...the adventure always comes as a surprise and suspense filled story. The only thing that you can be absolutely certain of is that Harry will be true to himself and his friends...no matter what the dangers are that he will have to face.

• COMMENT: If Harry was a horcrux, or a place where some of Voldemort's soul is, why would Voldemort want to kill a part of his soul? In all the past HP books,Voldemort has been after Harry to kill him in some way! That's why I dont think Harry could be a horcrux! If he was, Voldemort would pretty much be wanting to kill half himself! And believe me, I dont think Voldemort would want to kill part of himself, would he?

• RESPONSE: Good points, but if the horcrux is just an object which stores part of Voldemort's soul, he could retrieve it without destroying it and still kill Harry. Are you counting down the days until July 21st so we can find out what really happens??

• COMMENT: If Harry was a horcrux Voldemort wouldn't want to kill him, right? WRONG. When Voldemort kills Harry another part of his soul rips. This means he can make another horcrux. ¶Now, about the locket in book 6. R.A.B is obviously Regulus Black. But where is this horcrux? I'll tell you. Number 12 Grimmauld Place. How do I know? In book 5 it says that there is an unusual locket in there, and guess what - that's where Regulus used to live! ¶JK Rowling also told us that Harry would not use any unforgiveable curse against Voldemort, so how will he kill him? Well, how did Sirius die? THE VEIL! Voldemort will get killed in the veil. Bellatrix Lestrange will get killed by Neville. ¶Harry is Godric Gryffindor's heir! I don't know how some people haven't picked up on this! His mother and father and Harry lived at "Godric's Hollow". Any resemblance? Of course! That is where Godric Gryffindor lived! I hope these help.

• RESPONSE: Good ideas! The sword that the Phoenix brought to Harry was Godric Gryffindor's sword. That would make perfect sense if Harry was the heir. Is that what JKR was talking about when she said we'd learn more about Harry's parents in Book 7? We also think that there is still more to be found in the Chamber of Secrets. Fingers crossed and holding our thumbs that Jo Rowling figured out some way to spare Harry and the group of friends so we can go on thinking of his future even after the books are done...

• COMMENT: I know what happens in the final Harry Potter book...
1. Lily and Petunia are the decendents of the Slytherin bloodline. Tom Riddles mother, Merope, had a daughter, as well as a son...Petunia and Lily's mother. Harry is therefore Voldemorts great nephew...
2. Petunia when applying at Hogwarts was discovered to be the most powerful wizard in the entire wizarding community, therefore, she was sent away...she later reveales my next spoil..
3. Lily and James were experts in Horcruxes and were obsessed with killing Voldemort. When Voldemort tries to kill Harry in the first book, Lily actually turned Voldemort into a Horcrux and split Harrys soul. You can make a Horcrux not only with evil, but with love, as well.
4. In the last book Harry does die, but is able to come back because Voldemort is Harrys horcrux...
Sorry....

• RESPONSE: We've been getting tons of mail forecasting the ending of the book. This is just one. Again, we join JKR in warning that these spoilers are no more accurate than anyone else's predictions. If you enjoy reading what other's think, keep in mind that no one has a secret copy of the book and all of these guesses are no better than your own. If you have any doubts - come back and check them against the book after you've read the real ending!!

• COMMENT: Yea, so I have absolutely no clue if I'm right, but I'm going out on a thin limb and I'm going to take a very educated guess and say Deathly Hallows in some way shape or form is going to relate to Godric's Hallow or a 'Hallow' something like Godric's Hallow. Read the book and notice how Rowling didn't fail to mention that Harry is returning to Godric's Hallows. I don't get why people are wondering what Deathly "Hallows" has to do with or relate to.?

• RESPONSE: Seems that quite a few fans are getting muddled by the title. The confusion comes from the two words, Hallow and Hollow, sounding very similar - but they are not the same. Hallow, the word itself, means revered or holy. One guess would be that the Deathly Hallows are ghosts - perhaps the spirits of saints (the good spirits on Harry's side?) like in "All Hallow's Eve" which we know as Halloween. Wikipedia says, "Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent (e.g. Catalan mythology about witches, Irish tales of the Sídhe)." All Hallows is now called All Saints Day although the evening before is still known as halloween. Then again maybe JKR is referring to something else - a case could be made for something like the locket or sword being revered - hallowed - and no spirits may be involved...?? In any case, that's very different than a hollow like Godric's Hollow - which is a small valley between two mountains (http://www.wordreference.com/definition/hollow). That's why people are wondering who or what the Deathly Hallows might be. We should all know by now that the devil is in the details when it comes to the Harry Potter adventures! (Half the fun of the last book was trying to guess the identity of the half-blood prince.) We'll know soon enough - we're counting the days until the book comes out!

• COMMENT: The theories you presented about the final Harry Potter book were well thought out, but have almost been completely killed by Mrs. Rowling herself. Please spare yourselves the disappointment and stop clinging to the hope that Harry and Hermione may get together. Mrs. Rowling stated in an interview with Melissa and Emersom from the fansite Mugglenet two summers ago: "JK Rowling: 'Yes, we do now know that it's Ron and Hermione. I do feel that I have dropped heavy hints. ANVIL-sized, actually, hints, prior to this point. I certainly think even if subtle clues hadn't been picked up by the end of Azkaban, that by the time we hit Krum in Goblet...'" Clinging to the false hope that she could pull a fast one on us is foolish and delusional. No disrespect was intended and you can believe whatever you want.

• RESPONSE: ANVIL-sized hints! Ouch! We did see the Ron/Hermione hints throughout, but there are also some pretty intense Harry/Hermione hints. How many hugs and 'friendly' kisses did Harry & Hermione share? How many times did Hermione give Ron a friendly peck on the forehead or the check? However, we did not see the interview - or, if we did, we were in that delusional state you mentioned and don't remember reading it. If the author says it's Ron & Hermione - then who are we to argue? Harry and Ginny would make a cute couple and have enough in common for a serious relationship. So, the good news is that if JKR has Ron & Hermione winding up together, the rumors that she gets killed in book seven REALLY can't be true. That's a relief!!! Waiting for the real story is getting harder by the day...

• COMMENT: My prediction for Book 7 is that Harry and Voldemort wont die. They will be trapped in the chamber of secrets for ever... Tom Riddle like. Yes, I know JKR wants to finish it, but she won't. She will leave the door slightly open.

• RESPONSE: That's an interesting and original guess. We can't imagine such a cruel end, but who knows???.

• COMMENT: Thank you for your site. I love the mystery story that is Harry Potter. I think most of the people blasting you for your suggested rumours need to take a step back and realize as you have continually stated... We will find out soon enough. These rumours are just for fun and should be taken in that spirit. I see some fallicies in your suggestions as well, but it is fun to suppose what might happen. Thanks again.

• RESPONSE: Thank you for your kindness and for sharing our flights of fancy. They aren't actually rumors since we don't claim to have any special information - just over active imaginations!

We found a press release where two Harry Potter "experts" share their thoughts on what will happen in book seven - we just enjoy speculations, not expecting many of the guesses to hit the real plot. If replicating the author's thought processes were that easy there'd be a glut of well written books for us to enjoy. Sadly, that's not the case...

Not much longer now!

The waiting has ended... were your guesses close to what really happened? Hope Jo decides to change her mind and do another - trying to guess what was going to happen was almost as much fun as finding out the ending. Our thanks to a wonderful author who wove a brilliant tale that captured our imaginations and our hearts...

Join in the discussions at Harry Potter fan site forums...

The Leaky Lounge at the Leaky Cauldron

Veritaserum.com - forums

Related Sites & News Bits

HARRY POTTER: IS JKR ABOUT TO KILL HIM OFF? - Actor Jim Dale - the voice of the teenage wizard in the US audio books - believes the seventh and final installment will spell the end for Harry.

Radcliffe: Kill Harry!

Harry Potter: Book Seven

Severus Snape: The Unlikely Hero of Harry Potter book 7

Two characters killed off in final Potter book - Author hints that Harry might be among characters to die