"plenty to argue and speculate about?" I want all loose ends tied up. No questions, end of story.

We find out Voldemort is Harry's father, and what's her name is his twin sister and he loses a hand and... Oh, wrong hackneyed series.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and speculate that in the seventh book, Harry will have to join forces with/rescue/win over/sacrifice himself to save Draco Malfoy, because Draco will be the key to defeating Voldemort. Why else, do you suppose, would Dumbledore have held his fire?

I have often wondered if the Dursleys are more than just placeholders.

And I suspect someone will betray Harry in this book (someone unexpected, not an ambiguous character like Snape).

I wonder how long it will take to establish whether Dumbledore is really dead, and if so, who will lead the good guys? Harry himself?

And will there be links to the other 'schools' of wizardry? While it made for a good sub-plot (with the tournaments and flirtations), their presence diminishes Hogwarts as center stage.

Dumbledore is dead. His portrait is already on the wall in his office.

Harry and Voldemort die together. Snape is the hero.

Draco and the Dursleys, the less written about them the better. Undoubtedly the Malfoys will have a part in the final confrontation, but it's hard to see the Dursleys there.

"Dead as a Dumbledore" will become a future catchphrase.

The Dursleys will have to be moved to Grimmauld Place for their own safety. Think P.G. Wodehouse on a bad acid trip.

Lily and James's profession? Magical lawyers. They tricked You Know Who into an Unbreakable Vow to not kill Harry. (Goblet of Fire showed that you don't have to consent, or even know about, a magical contract, for it to bind you.)

Viktor Krum will die to save Hermione.

The True Immortality Spell will require You Know Who to re-assemble what remains of his soul. Book 7 will be a race between Harry destroying Horcruxes and Voldemort hot-gluing them together.

Remember in Order of the Phoenix, when Harry found his wand by casting Lumos, and it lit up even though he wasn't touching it? Based on this, Harry will invent the Wandarang, a flat, L-shaped piece of wood with a core of some magical material (hind legbone of a Snorkack, flobberworm nervous system, or strand of Weasley hair). In the final confrontation, Harry will throw a Wandarang at You Know Who, which will fly past him. You Know Who will sneer and launch into the traditional "My Evil Plans" speech. After he explains how he will re-organize the Ministry of Magic, and starts in on improvements in Knight Bus service, the Wandarang, having circled around, will strike him in the right ear, injecting the ten-year-old Ginny Weasley's crush on Harry directly into him. The emotions raised by the crush will rip You Know Who's re-assembled three-sevenths of a soul into four parts, which just doesn't work. He dies completely.

I won't tell you how many children Harry and Ginny have, because I don't want to spoil it for you.

I've got my own theory. Harry is the last Horcrux. That explains his scar and his Voldemort-like abilities. Harry will either die or lose his wizarding powers to destroy Voldemort.

Interesting theory Brandon. It just might fly.

What Raoul said.

I think we can presume that at least one of the deaths will come at the very end of the book, since Rowling has said she plans to kill two characters and she's not going to give away the answer to Harry's predicament early on.

(Continue reading only if you have read the last book or don't care to have plot details revealed.)

My guess is the early reference to "stoppered death" in book one means that Snape came up with some kind of spell to delay Dumbledore's death after he injured his hand destroying the earlier Horcrux. Dumbledore's plea at the end of the last book was not a plea to save his life but rather to kill him to protect Snape's cover, as both of them knew he was going to die soon irregardless. That would also explain why he spent so much time instructing Harry on Voldemort's past, since he knew there was not much time left for him.

The theories that show up over the next few months ought to be great fun.

Final prediction: Harry, following the theme of sacrifice present through the series, either dies to stop Voldemort or loses his magical powers in the attempt. My personal guess is he's a dead man.

Matt, Harry can't die until he has an heir or what would have been the point of the series.

One "good" character and one "bad" character dies...IMHO.

oj: Why don't we start a "who's going to die" contest?

erp:

The point is that he sacrifices his life to save everybody else. The books practically shout the sacrifice theme from the rooftops, and having Harry die to save others like his parents died to save him would be the brass ring of storytelling. It also fits the standard mythological framework she's been following.

That Harry would die in the end has been the rumor for a long time, even back when it would have appeared implausible. Ms. Rowling, in a little-noticed comment, has said Harry will learn something about his mother that strengthens his will to do something that has to be done. The last three books have seen characters die, from a minor character to a major beloved character to a really major beloved character. Harry's in the on-deck circle.

No matter what, I'm quite confident he doesn't get out of this unscathed.

Matt, Do you think that if Harry saves everybody by dying before he has a heir, it mean that he's fulfilled the destiny his parents had in mind for him?

erp:

Maybe not the one his parents envisioned -- but yes, he'll have fulfilled his destiny. His role in the story is to be a savior, and he will succeed. There won't be any need for an heir.

His parents, friends, and guardians have all died to save him. I think this story has to go full-circle to be the kind of children's literature that people continue talking about for years. Ms. Rowling has the kind of storytelling greatness that makes me think she will go for it.

So then Harry will be the modern Christ-figure. Will his death end the disconnect between magicians and muggles?

erp:

I don't think so. Harry is generally portrayed as polite to Muggles except for his horrible stepfamily, but the Muggles play a peripheral role. The books portray Muggles as generally too unimaginative to take much note of the magical world, unless they are absolutely forced to do so.

OJ has noted that it would be neat if somehow they came in and saved the day, however.