I was going back through old posts and realized that this blog turned one year old on Monday, July 23rd! My first post was a prediction about Book 7, so I thought to celebrate I would make a list of my posts that had predictions in them. I was usually waaaaay off, with the exception of the big question of whether Harry would live or not, and why.
Harry Potter and the HooHaa about Deaths in Book 7 (July 23, 2006)
I see Harry as a stand-in for Jo herself, written as she came to terms with her mother's early death: "The Mirror of Erised is absolutely entirely drawn from my own experience of losing a parent. 'Five more minutes, just, please, God, give me five more minutes.' It'll never be enough." (BBC "Harry Potter and Me," 2001) So for me it just doesn't work for Harry to die. He needs to finish his parents' battle, yes; but he won't really cancel out Voldemort's poison by dying with him. He won't truly overcome Voldemort until he is living his life fully. I don't see how Rowling would have found Harry's death emotionally satisfying knowing that she planned the books in the years immediately after losing her mother.
Researching "Deathly Hallows" (December 22, 2006)
[I really blew this one because I discounted the Arthurian connection and had become convinced that it was a place.]
What do I think about the new title? (December 23, 2006)
I am still struggling with what it may signify and I suspect that like 'Spinners End' it is unguessable. The words are somber, archaic, poetic, even melodramatic -- and incomprehensible to me, even after reading many excellent theories. My best guess is that the Deathly Hallows is both an ancient, powerful place and an object or objects. If you press me I will say that the Department of Mysteries or the Forbidden Forest may hold the key. And I really want to know what her other two titles were.
Deathly Hallows meme (January 19, 2007)
19. Which question from the books would it annoy you most not to have answered?
Hagrid's missing 24 hours on Nov. 1, 1981. [Actually, I am OK with this. I guess it just wasn't as important as we all thought it was.]
What would you ask? (March 22, 2007)
I have realized that I don't want to figure it out, I just want it to be enjoyable and feel "right." I want to have moments again where I ask myself "how did she think of that?" and times when I get that shock of recognition of something she is lampooning or just the funny details she adds. In Book 1 it was the list of things Harry needed for Hogwarts that hooked me. And in Book 3 the smart-aleck mirror. I want more moments like those before the series ends. Lots more moments like those.
Cover art! Wheeee! (March 30, 2007)
(On the Deathly Hallows emblem) This looks to me like an alchemical symbol, though I can't find any that are perfect matches. I think it is something Jo made up for some purpose. Is it a monogram? A symbol for a secret society? The entrance to the treasure room?
(On the Scholastic cover) I think that the "Deathly Hallows" is a place and that this is what it looks like. Harry and Voldemort are being tested and are not fighting each other. I would really love to know how Grindelwald died. The shadows watching are shadows of the dead, like a ghostly Wizengamot. The rubble is there simply because it is an ancient building. [WRONG! But I don't think anyone guessed that it was Hogwarts, or that what we were looking was a moment just before Voldemort's defeat!]
So, what does JKR say about Book 7? Find out here (April 25)
Forget for a moment about fans not knowing – what she implies here that it is important for the story that Harry also not know the truth of Snape’s loyalties and motivations. What will Harry do when they meet next? Does Harry need to overcome his hatred and trust Snape against all appearances, or arm himself against Snape’s trickery and betrayal? We’ve heard Snape defend himself to Bellatrix; what will he tell Harry if given a chance? Should Harry listen? [On the other hand, I suggest that Regulus might not be dead, and lots of other clunkers]
Deathly Hallows = cemetery amphitheater? (April 19, 2007)
So now I am wondering: did Mary GrandPré search for examples of "hallowed ground" as she was designing the cover for Book 7 and hit upon Arlington? [No, but the resemblance is still eerie!]
Nothing earthshaking (May 27, 2007)
Regarding Harry's eyes, when the advanced guard sees Harry for the first time, someone says something to the effect that Harry's green eyes are what keeps him from looking entirely like James. This convinces me even more that what is important about his eyes is not magical, but the emotional effect that his gaze has on people who loved Lily.
Ten years since Book 1 (July 1, 2007)
Countless children love books because of you, Jo. Thank you.
Harry and the Veil (July 6, 2007)
I believe that a journey into death could be a very fruitful and interesting plot device.
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