(MAJOR SPOILERS) Half-Blood Prince (MAJOR SPOILERS)

[B Electronic]

If DumbleDore isnt really dead, then they sure messed up by burying him!

Indeed though...I did expect a much bigger fight from DD when he would bite the dust instead of the caught with his pants down kinda way he went off in now...

 

[lcummins]

I'm with Dave; I never believed Sirius was truly dead, and I don't think Dumbledore is either. I'm sure it will turn out to be some sort of plan. I've never trusted Snape but still don't know what to think! Man! all this waiting just to finish the book in a few days, and now wait some more! :thud

 

[Azog of Moria]

Perhaps, Dumbledore has used a Horcrux just as Voldermort has

But I agree I think the Snape killing DD is some form of a rouse to through all off track, except those in the know, but at the same time, this will be the third time DD has withheld the truth from Harry....so much to find out, so long to wait..

 

[GilGalad HK]

But Dumbledore would have had to kill someone to create a horcrux, i find this highly unlikely. I think he will still have a place in the last book as a guide and mentor for Harry, It will just be through the picture in the Headmaster's (guess it's mistress now) office.

Interesting take on Snape killing Dumbledore by Dumbledore's own wish just to keep the undercover statis. Guess that could be the case, not sure though.

Did anyone else think that Dumbledore was the secret keeper for the Black house/ I assume this is now broken, and possiblw wont be the easiest thing to get the locket out of the house??? Could be someone waiting? This was the headquarters after all. I have to think that Voldemort will invade the place at some point, possibly take it over.

 

[Azog of Moria]

I went to bed thinking what I posted about Horcrux, perhaps, I should have said something similar, maybe a good wizard version or something, I know JK has never eluded to anything like that thought. Or could it be that polyjuice was used and DD was not really DD?

However since it is very possible for wizards to reappear in ghost form, and have causial effects, for example peeves and the baron, DD could come back and that to me would be a better idea or more consistant.

Actually what I was thinking is that the ministry now has some of the stuff from the Black's how since Mundungus had been stealing stuff.

I think JK also eluded that she will really be exploring the senior wizards even more as she did in Order of the Phoenix. With a relationship between Tonks and Lupin possible.

I also wanted to say, and this will show the big softie in me, I really enjoyed the subplot of Harry and Ginny, I think JK worked that in mastefully, and suddenly it gives me flashbacks to the ending scene in Spiderman...

 

[B Electronic]

Now that you've mentioned it, if Harry got unfrozen because the person who's cast it has died, then not only will the Black house be unprotected, but Hogwarts aswell!

I personally think that DD is truly dead. Why else create almost 2 chaperts on the fact he's dead and buried? Sirius on the other hand never got a satisfactorly explanation for his disappearence in the mirror. But I've read an interview on Muggle.net in which she said the following about it:

I really like him as a character and a lot of people really liked him as a character and are still asking me when he's going to come back. [Laughter.] But Sirius had his flaws – I’ve sort of discussed that before – some quite glaring flaws. I see Sirius as someone who was a case of arrested development.


And then later on she says:

Anyway I've wandered miles away from Sirius.


This doesnt sound like he's coming back any time soon . But I still feel a better explanation is needed about that stupid mirror thing.

 

[B Electronic]

Oh and about DD returning? Here's Jk's comments on that:

ES: It was probably 65/35, but definitely, most thought he was going to die.

JKR: Yeah, well, I think if you take a step back, in the genre of writing that I'm working in, almost always the hero must go on alone. That's the way it is, we all know that, so the question is when and how, isn't it, if you know anything about the construction of that kind of plot.

ES: The wise old wizard with the beard always dies.

JKR: Well, that's basically what I'm saying, yes.

 

[dstephan]

One thing this book has done is made me appreciate Chamber of Secrets more. I always thought that book was something of a cop-out because he wasn't really up against Voldemort, just a memory of him. But with seeing so much of Riddle's background it really made me appreciate Chamber a lot more, even watched the movie again after finishing Prince.

As for Ginny and Harry - didn't everyone see that relationship from book 2? It was obvious Ron and Hermione were to get together and it just seemed inevitable that it would be Ginny for Harry.

As for the deaths - I can see Dumbledore being truly dead, although hopefully there's more to it, kind of like Obi-wan's sacrifice, but Sirius' death was just so off-handed. I really can't see that being so final.

 

[BTVSnut]

I just finished the book last night and I feel the inevitable sadness about it being over - at least until the next one - man, I hope it's not 2 years I don't know HOW I'm going to feel when it's COMPLETELY over :cry

I don't think Dumbledore is coming back. I think he's gone. Just like Gandalf was separated from Frodo in LOTR, Obi-Wan was separated from Luke in SW, etc. It makes the hero's quest that much more meaningful.

Oh, and have any of you wondered if perhaps Harry himself is one of the Horcruxes (Horcruxi? )... or maybe his scar? An *accidental* Horcrux maybe? Therefore Harry must sacrifice himself in order to rid the world of Voldemort? Something like the Jesus story?? The thought just came into my head...

Boy, that would be sad :cry

 

[dstephan]

That's a great thought about Harry being a horcrux - except that they have to destroy all the horcruxes before destroying Voldie. I guess he could kill Voldie and then fall on his sword so their was no chance of him returning.

Gandalf came back after everyone was completely convinced he was dead. And so did Obi-wan in a way.

However I wouldn't be surprised if she does kill off Harry.

 

[B Electronic]

Woah....thats a damn good point! In the interview I keep quoting from, she says in it somewhere that there is a horcrux in book 6 which we all might discover if we would carefully re-read it.

Btw, anyone have any thoughts on what the stuff was that Dumbledore had to drink in order to get the horcrux out of the basin?

 

[Azog of Moria]

Wow, I had considered Harry's Wand perhaps, but not Harry himself....great point....

 

[dstephan]

So what other clues that have been planted through the series have become obvious by this book?

 

[mirabella6666]

After I finished reading the book, I was sure Dumbledore was dead, but then, after to reading various comments, I went back and re-read the last section starting with Dumbledore's conversation with Malfoy. He promises that he (DD) could hide Malfoy so Voldemort could never find him and kill him. He says something like, "he can't kill you if you are already dead." Also, did you notice that Snape prevents the other Death Eaters from doing serious harm to Harry. I think there's a possibility that DD paralyzed Harry knowing to prevent Harry from harming EITHER Malfoy OR Snape. I also think there's a possiblity that the pleading to Snape was to go ahead and "kill" him. Interesting that the Ave Kedavra (I'm too lazy to look up the spelling) blasted Dumbledore over the ramparts, instead of leaving him dead on the spot. Also, a phoenix arises from Dumbledore's body and the flames, just before the tomb materializes. Perhaps it is not only Fawkes who can rise from the ashes?

Also, remember about the Potions book. It belonged to Snape, but the book itself was 50 years old, which was when Voldemort was at Hogwarts, not when Snape, Sirius. Lupin, and Harry's father were there. If the book was indeed Voldemort's, then perhaps Snape is the best equiped of all to help Harry defeat Voldemort (provided that Snape is still play-acting at being a death eater.)

With the unbreakable vow, if Snape did not kill Dumbledore, he himself would die. Also, why would Snape help Dumbledore after he was harmed by the curse on Marvolo's ring? Couldn't he have said that the curse was beyond his powers?

When I read the book the first time, I was convinced that Snape was indeed a Death Eater and had fooled everyone, but now I'm thinking that perhaps the person who has fooled everyone is JK Rowling.

Just random thoughts. I do agree that Harry has to "go it alone", and I suspect he's going to be confronted with some terribly choices. This is not a "they lived happily ever after" kind of series.

 

[Buttmunch]

The potions book wasn't Voldemort's, it was Snape's mother's. He last name was Prince, hense "Half Blood Prince."

 

[dstephan]

Mira brings up a great point that would add a great deal of drama - if it's ultimately Snape that must help Harry defeat Voldie. But Jo has said that Harry must go on alone, so who knows where she's taking it. However I'm convinced that she couldn't have written Dumbledore so stupid to have trusted Snape all this time and be wrong about it. But I guess we'll have to wait 3 years to know where she's going with it.

 

[Buttmunch]

I'm begining to think that Snape will kill You-Know-Who (see my avatar) and not Harry. Snape could easily back-stab him now. Either that or Snape will die helping Harry defeat him.

 

[Viking28]

Im starting to think Draco Malfoy will end up helping Harry in the end.

 

[mirabella6666]

I keep thinking Gandalf = Dumbledore, because of their faith in the possible redemption of the souls of bad people. Maybe we will have a resurrection here too? After all, the Patronus of Dumbledore left his body just before the tomb appeared.

 

[dstephan]

I think someone had mentioned occlumency above, but I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Phoenix and when Snape talks about occlumency he says that only a wizard that is expert at it could lie to Voldemort. And who is so good at it that he's assigned by Dumbledore to teach Harry?