Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

[Jedi Master Carr]

Okay the release date has been announced coming out in July

http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/en...364492000.html

I am really glad at least we don't have to wait three years this time.

[jjwr]

Now that I've finally caught up I'm very much looking forward to next July!

A few things I am hoping for

#1 - Less whining!
#2 - Less beating around the bush, getting tired of all sorts of secrets and people not talking to each other and then it all coming out at the very end.
#3 - More Magic! Harry is in his 6th year, the DA studied a ton and after all that in the climax of book 5 he barley used more than 2 or 3 spells and nothing cool and powerfull like all the adults were using.
#4 - Ron & Hermy - it has to happen!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think there will be less whinning. I think Harry will be more isolated he will isolate himself becuase of the prophecy and he don't want people around him to die. Although I think the prophecy secert will come out at some point in the book with Ron and Hermione finding out. With more magic I think that will happen. I suspect there will be a better DADA teacher this time. We had two duds in a row we need a good guy in that position for a change. As for Ron and Hermione I think we will get more of it don't know if it will get full blown in the book or not.
Now there are two big questions for me. Who in the heck is the half-Blood prince? She has ruled out Harry or Voldemort and she said somewhere it isn't Hagrid. My guess is Lupin, because he is a half-Blood. I guess it could be a surprise and it be Snape or Dumbledore. Unless it turns out to be the new DADA.
My other question is who is going to die? She has said more people are going to die, and I feel we will have several deaths in this book. There is a war going on and I suspect people are going to be dropping. We might not know most of them alot of the order for example names we have heard but characters we reallly don't know. I do think we will have one major character die right now I am suspecting Dumbledore but that is just a feeling it could also be Lupin.

[jjwr]

Its almost a given a few more members of the order will go down, very possibly one of the Weasleys? They have all been built up quite a bit and right now Ron's Mum is kind of the adopted mother of the Order and would be a hard blow to everyone without being one of the big ones.

A few well known students could turn up dead, Seamus, Dean, maybe Cho?

I can't see Dumbledore dying, he's really the only thing keeping Voldemort in check, he may go down in the last book in the final battle type of situation, he goes down and Harry steps up to take on Voldemort by himself without the shield of Dumbledore around him.

Lupin...he's really the last tie to Harry's father with Sirius dead so if he goes it leaves Harry alone, again I would more lean toward a Weasley(or two?)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I would say Dumbledore because I think Harry needs his death to move on to face Voldemort. Now this might happen actually in the half way point of Book 7 don't know. It could happen at the very end of HBP leading to major problems in book 7. I think at the end of book 7 I see war coming to Hogwarts I think Voldemort and his followers will attack the school and I think that will be because Dumbledore has already been taken out of the picture. As for other deaths I agree with you about some of the Weasleys. I don't think Arthur because he was almost killed in OOTP. There is Mrs Weasley, Percy, Charlie, and Bill. Any of them could die. Also there is the possibility of Hermione's Parents. I think Lucius Malfoy is going to do something nasty after being locked in Azkaban (you know he will escape) and I think he will come after either a Weasley or Hermione's parents or both. Though we haven't seen them it would be a huge blow for Hermione.

[jjwr]

The point about not having seen Hermione's parents is a big one, they may get killed but wouldn't qualify as the main character death.

As much as Lucius hates the Weasley's it could be any one of them, maybe the twins? Though the seem more powerfull then they let on, Percy is very possible, it won't be Ron and Ginny has already had her run in.

Good points on Dumbledore, I would imagine that would all get crammed into Book 7 though, or like you said be the cliff-hanger at the end of book 6.

Open war in Hogwarts would be interesting, it would be fun to see all the various teachers get into it as well as waves of students stepping up.

Another thought...at some point before the end Ron or Hermoine has to take down, maybe even kill Draco, he is obviously a supporter. He would be the perfect choice for a inside source to gather students to Voldemorts side and when the battle happens he could lead a attack from Within. You know Ron & Hermoine will have their moments at the end, their own final fight and it would be perfect for Ron to take him on.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I would love to see Ron take out Draco it would just seem fitting. Maybe Draco is about to kill Hermione and Ron takes him out, I could see that.

[jjwr]

That I could definetly see, and it would be very fitting.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The cover art for all the different versions are out here is the U.S one

http://www.mugglenet.com/viewer/?ima...potter6_HR.jpg

I like it, it gives it a very mysterious look. I am surprised to see Dumbledore on the cover. First time that has happened.

[Darth McBain]

I like it too. I'm pretty psyched for this book. I hope I'll be in a position to read it when it comes out, though. Right now I'm working on the Dark Tower books (I'm about halfway done - great series), and of course there's Ep. III in May. There'll be too many different mythologies going on at once in my head - I may unfortunately need to wait a little while before diving into this one...

[Lorani T'sava]

It won't matter to me if I'm in the middle of reading another book or 6, when the book comes out, I'm picking it up (pre-ordered) and reading it immediatly.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Same here I am going to probably pick it up midnight the night before and start reading it the next day. I really want to see what happens.

[Sejah Haversh]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr


http://www.mugglenet.com/viewer/?ima...potter6_HR.jpg

"...instead of a lord, you would have a QUEEEEN! Well, an old drag queen with a beard, but still. Say, you've still got that ring right? Wait, what the hell? Where's Snape? Better yet, where the hell am I?"

The cover just screams it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Since we have a few months lets debate who the half-blood prince will be. We know it is not Harry or Voldemort and it can't be any purebloods or people with no magical parents and I read somewhere it is not Hagrid so that leaves. Lupin, Snape, Dumbledore, the new DADA, or a half-blood student (since we don't know the parentage of most of the students there is no point in go over candidates here) I am leaning towards Lupin, but heck it could be Snape for all I know. Although Dumbledore is on the cover but watch it be the new DADA.

[Gav Mortis]

http://www.mugglenet.com/viewer/?ima...n=hbpchild.jpg

The UK children's cover gives me shivers. I love it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah the U.K covers are better IMO.

[Phantom]

Though I'd laugh if it was Snape, I doubt its actually him. I don't think he's a half blood.

If you remember, in OOTP Snape called Harrys mother a "filthy mudblood" so I doubt he'd have called her that if he himself was only a half blood as well.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well
Voldemort is a half-blood himself so who knows. And he calls people mudblood (COS comes to mind). Right now I think it is going to be Lupin but that is just my guess.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Okay a little more than 2 weeks to the release, actually 17 days. So what do you think is going to happen? Who is the half blood prince? And for those refusing to read spoilers who is going to die? Because it has been revealed somebody big does die, the quest is who. First I have no idea what will happen specifically, though we know they will get their OWL results and they will be in their six year studying for the futures. Also everybody knows Voldemort is back and what that means will be interesting. Will Voldemort start killing people? Will the Dementors return? Or the Giants? As for the other questions, I know think the Half-Blood Prince is Dumbledore. It fits that he would be the one since he is the leader of the good side so he would be the this ideallic ruler. As for the spoiler I also think it will Dumbledore that will die. Dumbledore is all that stands in the way between Harry and Voldemort, so it fits that he will die at the end of Book Six, setting up a epic battle in Book 7 where I think Voldemort will attack the school with his evil armies (including the Dementors, Giants, and I am sure other Dark creatures). Should be interesting to see what happens in this book, I can't wait.

[Droo]

I'm not trying to suss out what's going to happen. I'm keeping my mind blank so that the suprise factor is at it's highest.