Ah, I thought 2 was the total body count. Interesting.

I'm more interested that someone apparently got a reprieve and now isn't dead? That's what I'm assuming. So, who was going to die and now won't?

My 2 knuts, 4 sickles and 1 galleon:

Reprieve: Hermione or Ron

Biting it: McGonagall or Snape
Mr. or Mrs. Weasley or Hagrid

I'm not quite sure if Tonks or Lupin would count toward the major characters or not.

Does Harry return to Hogwarts next year if it remains open?

Is Snape still one of Dumbledore's good guys? (I think so) Will there be some other surprise revelation about Snape in the last book?

This does not lessen in any way my complete lack of patience having to wait for the final installment to hit the bricks sometime mid-late 2007.

I think so too. Michael is fairly convinced that Snape is a vampire. I must say, she does often say that he swoops in like a bat, and after he gave Lupin's class the essay about werewolves, Lupin gave them one about vampires.

Hmmm- interesting on the vampire thing- hadn't considered that before. I think Snape is an anti-hero; he's helping Dumbledore, but he's still an asshole. (I think because he had a thing for Lily and felt guilty for helping to bring about her death, blah blah blah...) I also think that Ron is going to bite it in the end- he's got that fatal flaw that I'm almost positive she's going to exploit in the final book. I also think Molly is toast.

I had not considered and missed completely the vampire connection. Yes, Snape is still an asshole. Wonder how Draco will fare in all of this, I think he is toast too, from Voldemort. Snape has no other duty to protect him, as far as I know, with regard to the unbreakable vow. He did what he was supposed to do (and I believe Dumbledore knew it as well) so now that he got Draco out of Hogwarts, obligations in that respect are done.

I'll be very sad if Molly bites it. I'm also wondering if Petunia and the rest of the Dursleys, but Petunia in particular, have anything significant to contribute when Harry returns to Privet Drive for book 7.

So many questions........and most of mine, so trivial

The Story In Oz
 

Here's that I got to read:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/books/two...174172150.html

The parts that interest me are:

That leads me to think that:

• Voldemort will definately die (evil is NOT allowed to triumph in childrens literature... for the most part)
• Harry may very well die to protect the name, as she mentions. (I can just imagine "Harry Potter and the Ingrown Toenail" or such)
• one or both of the rest of the terrible trio (ie Won won and hermeineonie) will also perish (maybe)
• Oh, and Umbridge really DOES need to die. Snape too, if he IS really evil.

My 2 knuts, and I'll raise you a Fizzing Whizzbee. :D

Have some Chocolate Frogs on me!:p

I'm with WB - I think Ron's going to bite it. Hermione just wouldn't be heart-wrenching enough. She's not as goofy likeable as Ron, and Ron's got the whole extended family that would be affected.

But it's the part where she says that two die that she didn't intend to die that now has me most intrigued. I think Ron's one, but I also think she always meant to kill off Harry, so that leaves hearse number two still empty and waiting.

I'm starting to wonder if one or both of the Weasley parents gets knocked off. Ron and Percy are so unnappreciative of their family and it would serve to knock some sense into Ron with regards to how he views Harry- he'd see how important family really is and what Harry was missing all those years. If he did go bad it might bring him back.....