The big day draws ever nearer! It's now less than 2 days until the 7th and final Harry Potter book is released. I've spent the past 3 and a half weeks re-reading the series from the beginning and I'll be done with the 6th book tomorrow. Between reading HP non-stop and watching the first 4 movies again before I saw the 5th one earlier this week, I feel like I've been living in another world for the past month. It'll be a mighty strange feeling when I finish the 7th book.
I've been trying not to speculate too much on how the series might end, but, of course, that's impossible, so I thought I'd put my thoughts down here and maybe I won't dwell on it so much.
Obviously Voldemort's going to die, otherwise there'd be no end of his reign of terror and the series wouldn't really end at all (then again, that's what people would least expect - maybe we're all in for a big shock!).
As to the question of Harry dying, I'm really not fussed one way or the other. If pressed, I would probably lean a little towards him dying, not that I can think of a decent reason why he would/should. Then again, Harry does have a knack for getting himself out of sticky situations through sheer dumb luck. Will his luck hold out one last time? Ultimately though, doesn't there have to be a happy ending where the underdog wins (let's not forget that this is a kids book after all)? I guess that means I'm a fence-sitter then; I really can't make up my mind one way or the other. Just when I think I've got it sorted, I start seeing arguments for the other side. Let's move on...
There is one thing I'm interested in finding out above all else (way more than whether or not Harry dies), and that is to find out what role Snape will play in the final book. He and Dumbledore have always been my favourite characters so of course the ending of the 6th book intrigued me. Do I think Snape is evil? Hell no! I didn't buy the lame excuse in Book 6 about Snape switching to the good side because he was so remorseful over his betrayal of Harry's parents. That's not to say that I don't think it's true. I believe he does feel very badly about that, but there's definitely something else going on there.
Just today, I read the following passage in
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. After Dumbledore tells Harry that he 'believes it to be the greatest regret of his [Snape's] life', Harry asks him once again how he can be sure Snape's on their side. The next couple of sentences read: 'Dumbledore did not speak for a moment; he looked as though he was trying to make up his mind about something. At last he said, 'I am sure. I trust Severus Snape completely.' I think that shows that there's still something more to this that he hasn't told Harry, and this is the thing I'm desperate to find out about in the last book.
I think Snape's goodness will be revealed in the last book and he will come to Harry's aid, possibly saving his life (and maybe giving his own life in the process?). Unlike some people, I don't think it will be revealed that Dumbledore and/or Sirius are still alive. They ain't coming back from where they've gone! As for other characters dying, I haven't given it much thought. Maybe a couple of minor characters will die (if there's going to be a big battle, it seems unreasonable to suggest that everyone will come through unscathed), but I don't really believe that Ron or Hermione will die.
Well, there you have it. They're my predictions for the upcoming book. Make of them what you will! I'll probably come back after I've read the book and change my predictions so it looks like I was right all along. Hehehe.
Rating: 9/10
