Harry Potter Countdown Thread

[Tanniker Smith]

The countdown is on! We're all waiting. Let's talk about it while we're waiting.

This countdown ticks down the time to both the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film.

Countdown clocks can be found at http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/#static:countdowns

[alwaysconservative]

I think Snape and Dumbledore made an unbreakable vow BEFORE Snape made the one with Draco’s mother; the second one did not violate the spirit or intention of the first because it was what Dumbledore was expecting. It would also account for Dumbledore’s pleading with Snape in HBP.

And regarding another interesting theory: to those who think Harry is one of Voldemort’s horcruxes, I think Voldemort intended to kill Harry, not keep him as a keeper of part of V’s soul. And Voldemort kept trying for “things” of meaning to the four houses.

[PapaBear3625]

BTW, along those lines, I predict that "the Deathly Hallows" is, in fact, another name for the Veil. To "hallow" means "to set apart for holy use." I think we already know that the Veil separates the world of the living, from that of the dead.

I also think so

[Tax-chick]

I think Voldemort intended to kill Harry, not keep him as a keeper of part of V’s soul.

I agree. I don't think Harry is a horcrux; I think Voldemort had all seven finished before he attacked the Potters. After all, he'd been working at it for years.

[Politicalmom]

Just finished reading OOP. Four down, two to go in four days....

[Politicalmom]

Harry didn’t see Cedric die. He had his eyes closed and only opened them after Cedric was dead.

[Politicalmom]

Ok, I think I found an error, unless Hagrid was assistant groundskeeper for a while.

Molly is reminiscing about school, and says someone named Ogg was groundskeeper before Hagrid, but supposedly Hagrid became groundskeeper about 52 years before she said that. She and Arthur weren’t at Hogwarts that long ago, I would think. It should be closer to 25-30, since Bill is 23. (In GOF)

[Politicalmom]

Oops. Just finished *GOF*. Just STARTING OOP.

I think I’m getting dizzy....

[Tax-chick]

Hmmm. Hagrid was a student at Hogwarts at the same time as Tom Riddle/Voldemort. When was that, relative to the older Weasleys’ attendance? Surely some numbers are given in “Chamber of Secrets.”

[Politicalmom]

Voldemort was in school 50 years before Chamber of Secrets, because that’s when the Chamber was last opened.

Hagrid said DD let him be gamekeeper when he was expelled at that time.

[athelass]

<<>>>> Dumbledore said there were only six horcruxes. Voldemort's regenerated body contains the seventh piece. The ring and the diary are destroyed. The locket is apparently in the cupboard at the Black house, which supports the theory that R.A.B. was Regulus Black, though I don't see why he wouldn't have destroyed it once he went to all the trouble to retrieve it. The Hufflepuff cup must be found still, and something from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. I read an article today that suggested Olivander may have come into possession of a wand horcrux and was spirited away and hidden by the OOP. The suggestion is that Neville is in possession of it. He said his grandmother bought the last wand Olivander sold before he went missing. But if that were so why wouldn't DD have known about it. Also, since the wands pick the owners I don't think Olivander could have given Neville a wand that wasn't meant to be his. I hope at least the hidden part is true. I sure don't want the DE's to have gotten Olivander. The store was completely emptied. I don't think the DE's would have bothered to take everything. That's another reason why I think Snape is good. I think he is going to have to work with Harry to find the last two horcruxes. I'm sure DD would have told him what he knew about them. Otherwise, Harry has no information (other than vague clues from the Pensieve) as to where to even start looking. Plus, I believe in order to remain "pure of soul" Harry is going to have to give up his hatred of Snape before the final confrontation. He'll have to have a really good reason to do that and it certainly can't be knowing that Snape betrayed DD's trust.

[Tax-chick]

So that would put Hagrid in his 60’s, more or less, at the time of the books, and we know the Weasleys aren’t older than that!

Oops.

[andyssister]

Hagrids timeline from HP Lexicon.

[EmilyGeiger]

That wand horcrux makes sense! Good post.

[Tax-chick]

Informative.

[Explorer89]

Question: How do phoenixes reproduce?

Answer: Wands choose their owners.

There must be some significance to the fact that Fawkes gave precisely TWO feathers to be used in wands. I believe that there is a cycle whereby a phoenix is created from a combination of bad wizard and good wizard.

What really happened with Dumbledore and the Dark Wizard Grindelwald? I’m betting dollars to doughnuts (Krispy Kreme) that Dumbledore’s wand contained a phoenix feather, and so did Grindelwald’s. And I’m betting that feather came from a forerunner of Fawkes.

Could it be that Fawkes was once upon a time Dumbledore’s mentor the same way that Dumbledore is Harry’s? I think that during Deathly Hallows, Harry will get a new pet phoenix, who was formerly the Wizard Dumbledore.

There has been too much phoenix symbolism. Even in Chamber of Secrets, Fawkes came to help Harry, which Dumbledore said proved Harry’s loyalty to Dumbledore.

So, what happened to Dumbledore years ago? I think that he was locked in the eternal struggle with the current Dark Lord, then Grindelwald. Even Dumbledore had an unusual scar: a map of the London Underground on his knee. Did that Dark Lord mark him, maybe in a battle in the Underground, a curse rebounded off a map and hit his knee?

When Dumbledore finally defeated Grindelwald, G’s powers were essentially transferred to DD. Which made DD so powerful that even Voldemort feared him.

DD had to die to become more powerful (Obi-Wan: “If you kill me, you will only make me more powerful”) and so enlisted Snape to make sure it happened. (I’m in the Snape is good camp.)

At DD’s funeral, Harry saw a phoenix rise into the air in the smoke, which was created from a flash fire awfully like we’ve seen when Fawkes dies and resurrects.

When it was time for the cycle to continue, Fawkes gave two feathers for the next two wizards.

ps. this all came to me during my morning run at 6:00am.

[Tax-chick]

Very interesting. I have Big Thoughts when I’m running, too!

[EmilyGeiger]

Wow, excellent ideas. If this isn’t in DH, you could definately write your own book. :)

[Aggie Mama]

Wow! Very interesting theory!

[TightyRighty]

It looks like it’s been leaked. Someone took pictures of a pirated copy and has posted the ending online.

[Aggie Mama]

Isn’t that just the pits?! Must not look....must not look!