alfaniner said:
At the risk of duplicating some speculations above, I'm making my entries with no foreknowledge of what anyone else has posted.
I had been considering the last couple days of what I would say if I was one of the "lucky" people to get the early copy of the book. I probably wouldn't have read it right away anyway.
I have not read any of the books, and my only exposure to HP is from the media hype and having seen the movies. I rented HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban just this last week, not knowing that a new book was due. As I watched it I found I'm just not that compelled by it. I love science fiction and some fantasy but not much.
That being said, this may all be negated in the 4th and 5th books anyway. I'd suggest the half-blood prince is Malfoy, since he's always snarking about Hermione's "mud-blood". What a shock for him to find out he is one as well.
We don't know a lot about Malfoy's mother, I don't think, although she has been around here and there (she went to the World Cup, I believe).
Didn't one part of Malfoy's family show up on the tapestry at Black's mansion? I know there were a lot of Death Eaters on there.
I know you can't answer these questions, but someone might have more information.
But in terms of mud-blood, note that You-Know-Who is actually a half-blood, too. He's not proud of it (and killed his father), but apparently half-bloods are sufficient. Herm-own-ninny has both Muggle parents.
Who will die? I heard speculation about Neville. I don't even know who Neville is... Someone on another page suggested Ron and I guess he's as good a candidate as any, and it clears the way for Harry and Hermione.
Bah, who wants Harry and Hermione anyway? Ron and Hermione is a far better couple.
As for Neville: there is some indication that Neville Longbottom will become a much bigger player in this whole thing. Everyone assumes that the prophecy refers to Harry, and it make sense, but in the last book she dropped the seed that it could also be Neville. It's not likely, I doubt, but enough of a question to think about it. Therefore, she may want to muddy the waters even more, and we might learn more about Neville this time. Thus, it's not crazy to think that he is a candidate to die
OTOH, I notice that everyone is expecting someone really big to die, meaning someone who has been a major player from the beginning. Hagrid, Dumbledore, Ron, and even Neville are far more historical than the others who have died. Sirius had a pretty big role, but he only really played much of a character in two books (and besides, he was starting to act like the annoying bratty school kid again and so I wasn't so sad to see him go). Cedric was around from the beginning, but only in passing. Crouch was minor. Etc.
I still think it's Grawp.
