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Just finished HBP last night, and got done reading this entire thread just now. So, here are some general thoughts, and responses to a few comments from different people (instead of going back post-by-post):

Excellent book, but I was really disappointed that Neville didn't figure more prominently.

Dumbledore is really, permanently dead. Anything else is wishful thinking. Rowling making him alive again would be just as cheap as bringing the Potters back to life. We might see him as a ghost, though, and definitely in portraits.

Snape as the HBP was not too surprising, given his skill with potions, and I had been expecting Dumbledore to die in the 6th book for a *long* time (necessary to remove Harry's protection and ramp up the tension for the finale in #7). I tend to agree that Snape was acting on DD's orders. I think Snape will die in the next book, possibly sacrificing himself in a similar way.

At the end, Harry leaves his invisibility cloak at the top of the astronomy tower; we know from Scrimgeour that the Ministry searched up there after the attack. Did they confiscate it?

As grellis noted, a Death Eater (the one Harry stunned in the tower) appears to have been captured alive -- how else would Scrimgeour know about it? So, why no further mention of it?

Now we have some connection to Gryffindor...the only relic left associated with Godric is the sword in DD's office, right?

I keep wondering about the Sorting Hat. It dates back to the school's founding, IIRC -- did it belong to Godric? Of course, it's still in DD's office, just as inaccessible to Voldy as the sword is.

Harry feels he has bigger fish to fry this next year, but in order to be an Aurer he'll need to complete his 7th year.

Given Harry's unwillingness to work w/ the Ministry (for now), I wonder whether he really needs such certification. I mean, where does an Auror work, other than the Ministry of Magic?

But when another Death Eater hit Harry from behind Snapes warned him off by shouting "No! Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord! We are to leave him!" So by my reckoning the mere fact that Snapes didn't kill or kidnap Harry is meaningless.

I can buy that Voldy may want to kill Harry personally, but surely he wouldn't mind Snape bringing Harry to him alive. I think Snape is bluffing to protect Harry.

Umbridge needs to be played by someone who is short and pudgy.

I'd suggest Miriam Margoyles, except that she's already playing Prof. Sprout, LOL...

Dumbledore hinted at something and I think it's that Dudley was offered admission to Hogwarts and they (probably Petunia) said no without telling him.

I think you must be referring to the 'damage' or 'abuse' DD said they'd done to Dudley. I'm quite sure that refers to their horrible parenting of him, such that he's a spoiled thug. I'm confident that Dudley is a Muggle.

I know what you're thinking. "Did he destroy six horcruxes or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a phoenix-feather wand, the most powerful device in the wizarding world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

ROTFL...