Since the new Harry Potter book title was announced maybe a week ago, I’ve been thinking about the name and why it was chosen, and so here are my thoughts on the matter.
My girlfriend, Adriann, said that the fact that the word “deathly” was in there meant that it was likely a lot of people are going to die.
I believe this to some extent. I don’t think (and neither does Adriann I know) that JK Rowling is going to kill off the biggies like Hermione or Ron, but I have a horrible feeling that certain people we’ve come to love might meet Avada Kedavra at some point. For one, Rowling has been attempting to make these novels real and so if they’re going to have a big bad war, then people are going to have to die. They can’t use magic to bring them back (unless they want to rot away like Voldemort), and so we’re going to lose people. A lot of people? I hope not.
My predictions? As follows:
One of the Weasleys will die.
Why? Because let’s say 1 out of every 7 people die. There are 9 people in the Weasley clan, counting Arthur and Molly, so it stands to reason that one of them is going to get caught in the frey.
I don’t think it will be Percy, and while perhaps that’s just my fluttering heart praying to Rowling not to kill one of my favorite characters, I have another reason for this: Percy is not finished. Whatever the hell has been happening to Percy since Book Five needs to be cleared up, fixed, and ended entirely. I suppose there has to be one bad apple out of 9, but Percy never struck me as a “bad guy”. I know he’s a presumptuous asshole who basically just wants to push people around and feel important, but that’s not what ruins people in the HP books. Ron had a taste for power too when he finally realized what it meant to be a Prefect, though he pretty much sucked it up with that role, because unlike Percy he doesn’t know how to be bossy and take control.
The only thing that scares me about Percy is this: the references to Tom Riddle. There are numerous aspects of the books that hint of connections between Percy’s power-hungry feelings and the young Riddle’s same lust for power. Just check out what I believe was in CoS or PoA — when Ron, Hermione, and Harry discuss how far Percy’s willing to go to be in charge and feel important. Ron says some scary things. If I can find it, I’ll post it here. The difference between Percy and Riddle, I think Rowling hints at however, is simply in the upbringing. Riddle had a terrible life that led him to viscious hatred. Percy had a loving family who, though poor, did everything they could for him and supported him to their utmost ability. If love is going to save the world in the HP series, then Percy cannot go bad.
How about Ginny?
I’d sure like to rid the series of her! Honestly, I get the Lily-Ginny connection, I get the love-connection, but I just don’t get the Harry-Ginny connection. It’s disgusting to me. Ginny, for one, has no personality. She’s a blank slate and suddenly turns hobag in Half-Blood Prince, so honestly, I wouldn’t feel so bad if she kicked the bucket.
And I could see this happening under only two conditions:
1) Ginny jumps in front of Harry and saves him, just like his mother did.
2) Ginny has to die because Harry needs the will and anger to kill Voldemort (the biggest hole in the book in my opinion, which I’ll get to someday…). Okay, this isn’t really a condition under which Ginny could die, but either she saves Harry and it’s so that he can be angry enough to perform an Unforgivable Curse, or it’s just because she wants to save him.
Alright, so how about Ron?
NO. Nuff said, but worth mentioning that if she kills Ron, it’s pointless. I guess it would anger Harry ala what I said Ginny’s death would do, but otherwise there’s no meaning to it, so killing him would just be for shock value, something I don’t think Rowling would do to us. She’s a writer not a romance writer (as is evidenced by Ginny/Harry kisses…blech).
The Twins?
Again, I see no point. I’m not even sure they’re going to fight. Maybe she distanced them from Harry and the gang just for this last book. Then again, it could be a horrible clue that in HBP, people were using Fred and George’s tricks to help protect themselves. I think, though, the whole world would react negatively to the Twins’ deaths. And yet, she’s a writer, so if it becomes necessary to do away with them…. *sighs*…. so be it.
Molly or Arthur.
Yeah. I can see that, unfortunately. It seems possible that Molly and Arthur’s death could lead Percy out of his stupid power bubble and into the real world and maybe he’d get off his high-horse and do something to help them or at least out of love for the memory of them. For Molly and Arthur, though, I don’t know where to start in telling you how they’ll die. Honestly, it’s a toss-up for me, because if she does kill both or one of them, she’s going to have to make it mean something for another character. But it’s likely Voldemort could use them to get to Harry. They’re his second parents, after all.
Bill or Charlie.
Certainly. Good bye, Bill and Charlie! They’re pretty useless unfortunately, even though I looooved Bill before Rowling decided to put him with Fleur. I don’t get it and hopefully will never get it. Hey, she’s almost a member of the family; she could die!! *cough*
So my prediction for the Weasley Family? —-> Charlie, Ginny, Arthur, or Molly.
I think I should write more on this later. I have a lot to say, so let’s call it Part 1. ;)
