Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Theories (for the record)

I give in. I can’t hide my excitement for Harry Potter any longer. I’ve been resisting a blog post, but it’s a losing battle. For the past week, I have been scouring the internet (mostly Wikipedia) for many things Harry Potter.

But my insane nerdiness (or geekiness? I received a clarification of the two from a co-worker the other day but forget the difference now) is not the point of this post. Okay, maybe it is. I just hope I don’t get too much flak at work for this (though on Cristen’s blogroll I’m already categorized as a nerd along with other co-workers, so maybe it won’t be so bad).

I want to get some of my theories/predictions out there before the book is officially released. They are up for discussion, scrutiny, or apathy if you like (and if I get any traffic).

Let me also clarify something: these theories are not all entirely mine. I had a lot of help. These theories are a result of a weeks worth of email exchanges with three good friends. Two of whom were English majors and well versed in the world of lit-crit. I sent my theories, and they replied with their own. Day after day we debated our theories, proved and disproved many. So I cannot take full credit for each theory — they are a mix of my and my friends’ theories. This also explains why there are so many, and why this is such a long blog post — this isn’t something I put together in one day. This all took about a week to put together.

And finally, there are no spoilers in this post. I have not had any access to Book 7 despite the early release to some people. Trust me, I wish I had the book already.

That said, let’s begin:

1. The prophecy has something to do with Neville

This absolutely has to be true because Neville touches the prophecy in Order of the Phoenix (pg 804). Prophecies can only be touched by the people they’re about; anyone else (Broderick Bode) goes completely nuts instantly. The question, then, is which part of the prophecy is about which one.

“And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…” This is a very sneaky sentence—it all depends on how you read it. The key could be that the “him” and “he” aren’t the same. Voldemort marked Harry as his equal, but he (Neville) will have power the Dark Lord knows not. I believe that power is sacrifice. I believe Neville will, in the end, die saving Harry, and thus give Harry the opportunity to vanquish Voldemort.

JK Rowling gave quite a detailed response to the possibility that Neville might still be the one referred to in the prophecy. It seems pretty clear in her answer that Neville is not the chosen one, but she also says this:

“Of course, none of this should be taken to mean that Neville does not have a significant part to play in the last two novels, or the fight against Voldemort. As for the prophecy itself, it remains ambiguous, not only to readers, but to my characters. Prophecies (think of Nostradamus!) are usually open to many different interpretations. That is both their strength and their weakness.”

Harry, after understanding the prophecy, thinks:

“he must be either murderer or victim, there was no other way….”

After hearing the prophecy, Harry consistently thinks of defeating Voldemort in terms of murdering him or killing him, in terms of Harry becoming a murderer. I don’t think Jo’s use of words is casual here. I think she’s emphasizing that Harry is going to have to make a very difficult choice, because murder will rip his soul apart – murder will make him like Voldemort, which is the last thing he wants to be. I do not think that Harry, or any of the other kids, will have to use an Unforgivable Curse against Voldemort. It would bring them down to his level. Refer to my theory of the books ending, number 14, for why I think Harry will not have to murder Voldemort.

2. Harry’s scar is a Horcrux

“Well,” said Slughorn uncomfortably, “you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature.”
“But how do you do it?” (Voldemort asks)
“By an act of evil – the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: he would encase the torn portion -”

So we know that when someone is going to create a Horcrux, they must first murder someone. “The soul of the creator is split, and a spell is cast to infuse one portion of the soul into the intended object, which becomes a Horcrux.” Dumbledore also mentions that Nagini, Voldemort’s snake, a living thing, could be a Horcrux. Voldemort will only infuse a Horcrux into a living creature if it is “worthy of the honour.” I don’t remember the exact quote, but because of the immense power Voldemort has over Nagini, he can trust a part of his soul in her. He must have power over the object, if it is living, in which he has stored his soul. So, Harry himself could not be a Horcrux, as Voldemort has very little power over him. But we know that Voldemort has always had power over Harry’s scar. The stronger Voldemort gets, the more pain Harry experiences in his scar. And, after Voldemort finally retains a physical body in the fourth book, in the fifth book Harry actually sees himself as Nagini, attacking Mr. Weasley in the ministry of magic. He wakes up and his scar is shooting pain through him. We find out that Voldemort was possessing Nagini at the time, so the connection between Voldemort and Harry is undeniable. At this point, Voldemort does not know the connection between Harry’s and his mind, but Dumbledore does. He insists that Harry take Occlumency classes with Snape to strengthen his mental power against Voldemort, who, once he realizes the connection, is clearly somehow tapping into Harry’s thoughts. In the end of book 5, we see Voldemort actually possess Harry, until Harry feels great emotion in relation to Sirius, who has just died. I will get back to that with number 14.

So here’s the theory: Voldemort went to Godric’s Hollow with the intention of killing James and Harry, and with the intention of making Harry his final Horcrux from James’s murder (since Harry, as far as Voldemort knew, was his greatest enemy, he surely was worthy of a Horcrux). He may have gone with the expectation of finding one of Gryffindor’s relics (Godric’s Hollow) and using it as a Horcrux. I suspect that the spell used to make Horcruxes is done at the same time as the Avada Kedavra curse in some way. Thus, Voldemort performs the “enhanced” Avada Kedavra on baby Harry, it rebounds, and in the ensuring bugf*ckery, the newly split piece of Voldemort’s soul imprints itself into Harry in the form of a scar.

It should be considered that Voldemort meant to create the scar-horcrux after killing James, but instead ended up creating the scar-horcrux after killing Lilly (we see he asks her to “step aside” so he can get to Harry), which changed how the Horcrux functioned, and the strength of it, and that is why Lily’s love for, and protection of Harry is so important.

“Hallows” has various shades of meaning relating both to sanctity and to souls, and I don’t think either is an accident. Assuming the phrase refers to the Horcruxes, it seems safe to assume that not only are they soul-related, but that they are hallowed in some way. Some have also suggested that “hallows” may refer to the spirits behind the veil in the Dept. of Mysteries, or to the souls of Voldemort’s victims. Well, what if it refers to both? That is, what if each Horcrux also carries a piece of the soul of the victim used to make it?

Think of the implications. That would mean that in the case of each Horcrux, a person trying to destroy it would need to know the victim Voldemort used because each soul would leave a different imprint on the object. Maybe the reason that Dumbledore got so messed up destroying Marvolo’s ring is that the soul used to make it a Horcrux was particularly nasty. That would also explain why it was relatively easy for Harry to destroy the diary — that soul was less malevolent.

It would also mean that, assuming it’s a Horcrux, a piece of Lily’s soul lives in Harry’s scar. Hence, the reason that (as JKR confirmed) it’s an important plot point that Harry has his mother’s eyes. It’s because she’s part of him in a very significant way–and, since Voldemort used Harry’s blood to come back, that part of her is now in him as well. Maybe that could explain Dumbledore’s infamous “gleam of triumph?”

If all of this follows, we know that in order for Voldemort to be defeated, each Horcrux must be destroyed. In order to destroy this particular Horcrux, the scar must be removed. There are many sly references throughout the books to how much Harry would like to remove his scar. The only person who knows how to do this, though, is Snape. This is because he was at Godric’s Hollow the night Harry’s parents were killed (and that is how Dumbledore knew specific details of that night, despite the fact that he wasn’t there—Snape told him—and how Voldemort’s wand was rescued) and therefore knows something about the curse no one else knows. It is my prediction that only Snape will be able to remove the scar without injuring or killing Harry in the process.

3. Hermione is a werewolf

Hermione is a werewolf. There’s no budging me on this one, I’m right. Rowling approves all content in the movies, all screenplays, everything. She said of the director of the third movie that he, without knowing it, forshadowed certain things that would come into play in future books. She may not have been referring to this scene, but it caught me off guard that in the movie Hermione attests in a class that werewolf’s only respond to calls of their own kind. Later in the movie, she howls in order to distract Lupin (in werewolf form) from attacking Harry. Upon her howling, he runs towards the sound.

There are also several times throughout the books that Hermione retires to the girls dormitory leaving Harry and Ron in the common room or elsewhere. Maybe these also correspond with full moons. As for how she became a werewolf, that’s a much tougher question. The only werewolf’s we know so far are Lupin and Fenrir Greyback, a supporter of Voldemort who bit Lupin as a child.

Greyback preys on children, so maybe Hermione was attacked by him as a child. Bill Weasley was also bitten by Greyback during the battle at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Most wizards expect that because Greyback was in human form at the time, Bill will not become a complete werewolf, but may gain wolfish features. One change that’s already been observed is that Bill now favors very rare meat.

Maybe Fenrir got Hermione when she was young. Or maybe Hermione, like Bill Weasley, was bitten by Greyback when he was in human form. There seems to be the possibility that Hermione is only part werewolf.

I imagine that, just as Dumbledore visited Tom Riddle personally, and probably visited the houses of other young witches and wizards with “issues,” he also visited Hermione at a young age. First, he knew she was a powerful witch, just as he suspected Tom was, and Harry, etc. Even if she isn’t a werewolf (which she is), having a magical child would have been very alarming to two Muggle parents. That, on top of the magical child also being a werewolf certainly warranted a visit from Dumbledore. If she is naturally a werewolf, I suspect Dumbledore visited them when Hermione showed her first signs of magic, and upon visiting also noticed that she gave signs of being a werewolf, and prepared them accordingly. Or, if she was attacked by Greyback, this also certainly warranted a visit from Dumbledore.

That said, who knows how she has not turned into werewolf form this whole time. Lockhart mentions a charm in the Chamber of Secrets that he used to cure a werewolf. Despite the fact that he’s a raging liar, maybe there really is such a thing. If so, though, how did Hermione learn to perform it? And what did she do, assuming she was a werewolf before she found out she was a witch? What did her parents do?

She couldn’t have taken the potion route—Lupin said all the potion does is make the change less painful and the werewolf less harmful. It doesn’t stop the change or keep him from being absent once a month.

Sirius Black called Hermione the greatest witch of her age & I think this one statement presents two very likely options — one, that she is so great and powerful that somehow she managed to use that charm Lockhart mentioned. Or two, that somehow Sirius has been using a time-turner, and possibly knows with certainty that Hermione is the greatest witch of her age (see number 10 for time-turning theory).

4. Albus Dumbledore/Aberforth Dumbledore/The Protection Harry has at the Dursley’s

Albus Dumbledore will play some kind of role in this next book. Rowling admitted to “having trouble with Dumbledore” when talking about writing the final book.

For one thing, his portrait is in the headmaster’s office—this, however, does not mean that Dumbledore can give Harry any new information about his quest for the Horcrux’s, but only that he can give advice to Harry that resembles advice he has given before. Portraits do not have the ability to really help with anything, other than moving from portrait to portrait spying and sharing information. We have been told that Portraits are simply a representation of the person who was once alive, they can repeat words, phrases, or imitate how the person spoke, but do not give useful advice or pertinent, new information.

Dumbledore must have left some memories in his Pensieve. I doubt that we saw every memory he put in the Pensieve so I expect that Harry will return to Hogwarts either to speak to Dumbledore in his portrait, or to dive into the Pensieve, or both. We also know that Snape borrowed Dumbledore’s Pensieve, so some of his memories may remain as well.

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Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus’s brother, is the bartender in Hogs Head. In book 5 when they hold the first DA meeting, Harry notices that the bar smells of goats, and that the bartender has long grey hair and a long beard, and looks extremely familiar to Harry. This is a hint that Dumbledore’s brother is the bartender. He watches them very carefully during the meeting and perks up when Dumbledore’s name is mentioned.

First of all, this means that Aberforth overheard the prophecy as well–the bartender was the one who tossed Snape out on his ass. That means if Voldemort figures out who he is, he’s going to go after him. And second, it means that he’s hosted Voldemort before–because that was where the Death Eaters stayed when Voldemort went to Hogwarts to try for the job. Maybe he overheard something important then? Maybe they discussed what relics Voldemort hoped to find at the school as a teacher? Or how he could turn them into Horcruxes?

Either way, Aberforth is going to have information about Dumbledore’s past that will prove indispensable. And probably access to some kick-ass family possessions. In fact, I wonder if Aberforth inherited Fawkes, and if that means anything.

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Also, since Dumbledore sacrificed himself for Harry, this sacrifice could work similarly to when Lily did the same. Dumbledore too could have stood aside. If that’s true, then in theory, the blood protection that Harry has with the Dursley’s (which will end on his 17th birthday) could be extended through Aberforth. (Giving him protection in the place the protector’s blood calls home–maybe if Hogwarts doesn’t reopen, Harry will move into the Hog’s Head). Refer to my questions at the end of the post for more elaboration on this note.

5. The final fight will happen at Hogwarts

Throughout the books we’ve seen that Hogwarts is probably the most important place to Harry. It is his true home, and he will do anything to protect it. In the past few books we’ve seen his home damaged, disrespected, and nearly destroyed — which is also why I think Harry will eventually become Headmaster of Hogwarts. Not right away, but eventually. He will not want to be away from Hogwarts for long, and like Dumbledore, Hogwarts will only truly be safe when he is there.

6. The Black Family tree will play a crucial role in changing Draco’s loyalty

On the black family tree, there are a few names other than Black, Malfoy, etc. There is a “Longbottom,” a “Potter” a “Weasley” and a “Prewitt” (Molly Weasley’s maiden name).

If we’re reading that tree correctly, the only kids at Hogwarts who are direct descendants of the Blacks through their mothers or grandmothers are the Weasleys, Neville, Draco, and Harry. Tonks is included in that group. This will become important, but I’m not sure how, exactly, except that in some way, it will be used in bringing Draco back around to Harry’s side.

7. Snape is a good guy and will aid in ending Voldemort’s reign

Snape is ultimately with the good guys. He is a powerful Jedi and the force is with him (oh, wait…wrong story). He has not turned to the dark side. He is a double agent/spy for the Order of the Phoenix. He had to kill Dumbledore because it was the only way he could preserve his reputation with Voldemort. He had to make the Unbreakable Vow to Bellatrix for the same reason. But one of my theories is that Snape actually made an Unbreakable Vow to Dumbledore years ago when he came to Hogwarts. Maybe that is why Dumbledore trusted Snape without hesitation.

Also, Snape gives away his loyalty to Harry in book 5, though very subtly. Harry accuses Snape of talking with the Death Eaters. I do not remember the exact quote, but I have the page number – book 5, paperback, page 391. Snape challenges Harry, says something like “it’s not your job to know what the death eaters/voldemort are doing!” Harry responds (with something like), “no that’s your job isn’t it.” Snape smiles, grins if I remember correctly, and says, “yes as a matter of fact that is my job.”

It is the way the dialogue is shaped that gives it away – it is Snape’s job to know exactly what the death eaters and Voldemort are up to, because he must report back to Dumbledore on a regular basis.

8. Draco will eventually come back to the good side, but Voldemort will either torture or kill Draco.

Draco will come to his senses and at the very least want to return to the good side – the Order’s side.

But Draco failed in his mission to kill Dumbledore, and Snape had to do it himself. The Dark Lord will not be pleased.

9. The locket is at 12 Grimmauld Place. And R.A.B = Regulus A Black

Regulus Black is R.A.B. (duh). He deserted Voldemort and had Kreacher help him drink the potion and steal the locket. It had to have been Kreacher, and not another wizard, because Harry says Voldemort’s boat isn’t big enough for two full-grown wizards and Regulus wouldn’t have used a kid. House-elves have powerful magic that no one really understands. Plus, Voldemort seriously underestimates all non-pure magical creatures– his precautions didn’t take house-elf magic into account. Think about it – Dobby could float that cake around without a wand; maybe Kreacher was able to summon water the same way rather than taking it from the lake. If Voldemort made his precautions wand-specific, it could happen.

So, Regulus takes the locket back to Grimmauld Place and tries to destroy it, but before he can one of the Death Eaters finds him and he’s killed. Sirius says Regulus lived only a couple days after deserting and that Voldemort did not kill him – this makes sense, because if Voldemort killed Regulus, he would have noticed the locket. Since someone else killed Regulus, Voldemort never knew anyone had stolen his locket.

The locket is mentioned in Order of the Phoenix—while cleaning they find “a heavy locket that wouldn’t open.” When Harry makes this connection, he’ll attempt to go back to Grimmauld Place and retrieve the locket. This will prove more difficult than it sounds because when Dumbledore died, the Secret-Keeping spell died also. Thus, Snape can (and will be forced to by Voldemort, who knows this) reveal its location to the Death Eaters. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if in this midst of this fight, Harry or Neville kills Bellatrix. My bet is on Neville.

10. Time travel is a definite possibility.

All of the Time Turners are smashed. But it is probably safe to assume that they might have been able to turn time forward, as well as back. And if someone from the past showed up wearing one, could they use it to undo events.

I believe this wholeheartedly, because why would JK Rowling have used time-turning and time traveling as such a crucial aspect to Book 3, and then never mention it again, if it were not going to play a huge role in another book? The fact that she mentions that all of the Time Turners are smashed means she was either very frustrated with all of the time traveling theories and wanted to put them to an end, OR, she just wants to get us all thinking it’s not a possibility, and then spring it on us in this final book. I believe the latter is the case.

11. House-elves will be very important in some way, as will giants.

Hermione’s relentlessness with S.P.E.W will come into play. Also, we know, from book 6, that Voldemort used giants “last time” (p13, hardback). I expect that with Hagrid’s difficulties in recruiting the giants to the good side, and with their destruction of Muggle bridges in book 6, they have already sided with Voldemort.

12. The Muggle world will finally have undeniable proof that there is a wizarding world.

Voldemort has threatened Fudge, and others, that he will kill Muggles. I believe that Voldemort, a Death Eater, or a dementor, will publicly kill a Muggle. On p 11, hardback, of HP and The Half Blood Prince, Fudge tells the new British Prime Minister of a murder in the Ministry of Magic. The new Prime Minister thinks confidently to himself that such a thing would never happen under his watch. Not in his Ministry…”not yet anyway.” There will be a public murder to be sure. Who will be murdered, and where, I am not sure.

I don’t think that the two worlds, Muggle and Wizarding, will ever completely merge. Nor do I think the entire Muggling world will believe that Wizards and Witches exist. Those who witness the murder will believe, but of course there will always be doubters.

13. Filch will show magical tendencies

It is widely known, from an interview with JK Rowling, that someone will show magical tendencies late in life. I believe this will be Filch, and his role and loyalty will be important. As it is said, Filch knows the passageways of Hogwarts better than anyone. If I am right that the final battle will take place at Hogwarts, it follows that Filch may play a vital role in that battle.

14. Here’s how it will all end

At the end of book 5, Dumbledore says, “there is a room in the Department of Mysteries that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has none at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you.”

In book 6, page 186 (hardback), in Slughorn’s class they learn of Amortentia, the love potion. “it doesn’t create love. … It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room – oh yes. … when you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of love .”

Okay, so we know, from JK hammering it over and over again into our minds, that love is very important. We know that it was Lily’s love and protection that ultimately saved Harry. But it is not just love that is important, but strong emotions, for when Harry is possessed by Voldemort in the end of book 5 we see that he stops possessing him as soon as Harry feels emotions when he thinks of Sirius. We can assume that the “emotions” were not just love, but a combination of love and intense sadness/longing. Dumbledore says that Voldemort could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests.

The big question (that JK herself has raised) is, what could be worse than death for Voldemort? Well, as I quoted above, Dumbledore says of the room in the department of mysteries: “It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death.”

So here’s how I think it will go:

In the end, somehow, Harry gets Voldemort to experience love, or great emotion. Maybe in a practical way – maybe he lures him into the room Dumbledore mentioned, or maybe (and much less likely) he casts a spell, or gives Voldemort a liquid like Amortentia, to force him to experience not just love, but intense love and caring. Then of course, there is the impractical way — perhaps the powerful connection between Harry and Voldemort’s minds and thoughts comes back into play, and somehow Harry transfers his feelings of love and caring to Voldemort. This does not mean that Voldemort will all of the sudden become a loving, caring being. I think that feeling such powerful love will actually be a torturous feeling for Voldemort. It will be painful. So much so that …

a. Voldemort is destroyed(?) or is weakened (from feeling such strong emotions) to a state in which he can be killed or imprisoned.
b. Voldemort is so overcome with emotion, the emotions/love is so powerful it actually destroys him. No one has to kill him, neither Harry nor Neville nor anyone else is forced to use an unforgivable curse.
c. I don’t know, I’ve run out of possibilities.

15. What will happen to everyone

- Harry will live. I almost wish Harry would die…honestly…because I think it is too predictable to have him live. But this is a children’s book after all. My original theory, branching off of the theory that Harry’s scar is a Horcrux, was that Harry would have to die in order for all seven Horcrux’s to be destroyed. My original theory was that Harry would sacrifice himself to save Neville (by jumping in front of a spell or something), and then Neville would be able to kill Voldemort. But, for the sake of these final predictions, I guess I will stick to Harry living.

- Hermione will go into government. She will work towards improving the Ministry, and all of her passion towards S.P.E.W. will translate into a lifelong career of fighting for the rights of the less fortunate — werewolves, house elves, muggle born, etc. She may even become the first female Minister of Magic

- Ron will die

- Malfoy will die

- Snape will die, but will die fighting against Voldemort/the Death Eaters

- Neville will live, will kill Bellatrix, and will end up teaching at Hogwarts, most likely in Herbology as we know that is his strongest subject.

- Harry and Ginny will end up together in the end. Ginny will go on to be an extremely powerful Auror, as will Harry, but Ginny will be the more powerful Auror. After spending a few years as an Auror, Harry will return to Hogwarts to become Headmaster.

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Questions:

1. Dumbledore says, quite a few times, that he evoked the magic that protects Harry while he is at the Dursley’s. He definitely says it in book 5, paperback, p 836, “Your mothers sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you.” In book 6, hardback, on page 35, he reiterates this by saying, “the magic I evoked” protects Harry while he is at the Dursley’s. He says it in other places too. What does this mean?

We all assume that by Lily protecting Harry, dying for Harry, she protected him for life, in a way. We’ve never really been told why staying at the Dursley’s gives Harry such great protection, other than maybe Petunia being there, who is of blood relation to Lily. So what’s this with Dumbledore evoking the magic that protects Harry? And does this have anything to do with the part Petunia will play in this final book?

2. We know (or we hope we know) that Snape is on the good side. In the beginning of book 6 he answers some of Bellatrix’s questions about his loyalty. He says he has been feeding lies to Voldemort about Dumbledore. If he is really on the good side, then the truth is he has been feeding lies to Voldemort. I’m not sure it’ll become of great importance, but I’m curious what lies Snape has been feeding Voldemort. What does Voldemort think he knows about Harry/Dumbledore, etc?