Sectumsempra

HAPPY 25th TO HARRY and 40th TO JKR!

Harry has always been independent; he had to be when he lived with the Dursleys. Unfortunately, his emotions have a habit of clouding his judgement.

His fury towards Snape (not just in the sixth book, but also in all of the preceding) often brought Harry into making rash decisions (such as the minor mistake of shouting the Protego spell against Snape during nonverbal spell lessons- he was so convinced that Snape was going to do him in that he screwed up and got detention) just like Harry's love for Sirius did. Although he does demonstrate blatant heroism, Harry also forgets to think. He has thus far been successful, but I think that when he lets his anger, sadness, frustration, and adoration take over without thinking things over first, he puts himself, but more importantly, others (because they are less competent wizards than Harry, so to speak), in more danger than necessary.

...But then again, not-so-great judgement also provides for awesome reading :).

We first learn about the Half-Blood Prince through indirect characterization via the potions book that Harry uses. We learn about all of his wit, cleverness, and undeniable talent for potion making without actually meeting the Prince. I think this was a very clever way of JKR to allow us to learn more about Snape and to see him in a different light. He was almost a friend to Harry thoughout the book, and was there for him at every turn, without actually being there.

While Snape seemed almost friendly as the HBP, what I don't understand is how he became so powerful and so angry at such a young age. It is my belief that it has to do with his parenting. Many of the most powerful wizards and witches have one magical parent and one muggle parent. Voldemort, Harry, and possibly Dumbledore are all good examples of this. Snape's parents fit the bill and his extraordinary talents fit as well. Perhaps this magical/muggle mixing has a special sort of effect on the child.

I believe that Snape's talents were increased and honed due to the fact that he was tormented in school. I think that his unpopularity caused him to experiment with different potions and spells. How else could he have come up with Sectumsempra and the several corrections and adaptions to the potions??

I think it's intriguing that Snape had such great powers at such a young age. It seems to almost parallel Voldemort to me. Perhaps a future theory...

Was anyone besides me a little overwhelmed with the constant matchmaking in the sixth book? I swear, I turned the page and all of a sudden, one character was making eyes at another, who returned the gaze with a absolutely smitten stare. See, I understand that JKR is trying to show that the characters are growing up, but even the older characters were hooking up with one another. I think that this bothered me so much because the romance was quite gradual- no one really got anywhere with anyone besides Hermione and Harry with Viktor Krum and Cho Chang, respectively- until BOOM! Everyone's hormones started going mad!

Now, love and romance is not a bad thing at all, but I think that JKR pushed it a little in "HBP." I mean, I know that they're teens and they're going to be wanting to date and everything, but my oh my, I couldn't get away from it all. First it was Ginny and Dean, then Pansy and Malfoy, then Ron and Lavender, then Harry and Ginny, then Tonks and Lupin (albeit very cute, those two). I felt like I was entering a soap opera. I don't think that all of the coupling would have bothered me except for the fact that every hook-up happened so fast and ended just as quickly (minus Pansy and Malfoy- Tonks and Lupin we don't really know too much about yet). Harry spent the entire book pining for Ginny, then they hooked up and broke up within what, fifteen pages within each other, if that? Not to say that I wasn't creeped out by that, either. Harry is like Ginny's brother... The whole "Harry and Ginny is a couple" thing was really weird to me as a reader.

Then Ron and Lavender, it seemed like JKR was just finding someone in order to have Ron finally enter the dating scene; Lavender as Ron's girlfriend seemed to have been picked out of a hat.

Next book, I'm hoping for some relationships that'll last longer than a few weeks. We all know Ron and Hermione are going to get together but I'm really rooting for old Neville to get with Ginny and Harry to find romance with Luna (as strange as she is, she understands him). Tonks and Lupin I like as a couple too, so I hope that they stay together. Still though, I don't want the book to end up with everyone nicely paired up- it just isn't realistic. All in all though, JKR shouldn't have felt obligated to stick relationships in the book in every such way; she could have fit them in better. I felt like she thought that she NEEDED to put the relationships in, and while of course a series like the Harry Potter books need romance and such, it should be placed in conscientiously, not hurriedly (although I love the way Ron and Hermione were attacked by the green-eyed monster).

Basically, I'll have to agree with Beth and say that for the most part, most of the relationships didn't add anything to the story and that at times, they took away from it, at least for us.

Slughorn is an interesting character, to say the very least. He shows complete favoritism on students he believes will be successful later in life and does this only for his own personal gain. Slughorn seems to be the type of man who will follow power and cling to it, only to make himself more prestigious and more known. So I'm wondering if he didn't follow Voldemort as well.

While Slughorn obviously seems ashamed of his past, I have to wonder where he became so knowledgeable. He was able to tell young Tom Riddle about horcruxes. I'm not sure if they're common knowledge in the magical world, but I assume not since Harry and Hermione were unable to find much information about them in any book. So where exactly did Slughorn acquire this knowledge?

I don't think that Slughorn is an evil man. I think he is simply a man that loves attention and prestige. He may, however, have had a past he is not proud of. We already know that he doesn't like to look like a fool, so maybe he's trying to hide a darker past.

Any thoughts? I'm not sure if this makes total sense, but it's just something to think about...

I've read peoples' ideas that Harry himself is a Horcrux and that he will create a Horcrux for himself in order to destroy the one inside of him and still remain alive. I cannot stress enough how much I disagree with this theory. I firmly believe that Harry is NOT a Horcrux. He cannot defeat Voldemort if his soul is split and therefore will NOT create a Horcrux. Dumbledore said that "he [Voldemort] never paused to understand the incomparable power of a soul that is untarnished and whole." That being said, if Harry splits his soul, that "incomparable power" is infinitely weakened.

In order to create a Horcrux, an act of extreme treachery and hate must be commited- murder. Sure, Harry indeed hates Snape, and murderous thoughts will inevitably cross his mind, but ultimately, I feel that Harry cannot or will not perform the task of killing Snape (either because he finds information that will change his mind, or because he simply won't become a murderer out of free will). On top of that, to create a Horcrux, one needs to use complex Dark Magic. Harry is not a Dark wizard, and I do not think that he will go so low as to use it.

Also, the one thing that Harry has that gives him more power than Voldemort knows is that four-letter word associated with Cupid: love. Love is something that Harry can proudly say is in his blood, and willingly taking away someone's life (Voldemort the exception) would definitely weaken the love that is inside of him.

Furthermore, Harry cannot defeat Voldemort, even in the latter's mortal form, if he destroys himself, the alleged Horcrux. If Harry's mortal self is destroyed, all that would be left of himself is that of what Voldemort used to be when 'Avada Kedavra' backfired. So even if part of Harry's soul was preserved, he would be too weak, and thus useless, against Voldemort.

One question that I have really been hoping to be answered is what exactly did Sirius disappear into when he died in "OotP?" I understand it was a black shroud but where did it lead to, and what was its purpose?
I mean, I suppose it could have been the physical manifestation of the eternity of death, and may possibly have led to absolutely nowhere, but I'm still confused about it. Does anyone happen to have any ideas on this?

In the end, Dumbledore was left defenseless and weak, open to any attack thrown his way. Draco went up against him alone, and yet seemed afraid to act until others were present. When Snape came, he acted without a thought and killed Dumbledore. Since the Unbreakable Vow was most likely kept secret, wouldn't this be blatantly going against Voldemort's wishes? I fail to believe that Voldemort would have wanted Snape to perform this task because he wished Draco to die in revenge for Lucius's mistakes.

The reception from Voldemort will go one of two ways. Snape will either be praised for his accomplishment or will feel the wrath of Voldemort for directly going against his wishes. Personally, I feel that Snape will be given a higher position with Voldemort, just because he killed the only wizared that Voldemort ever feared. However, no action is without some sort of consequences and Snape will feel some sort of repercussions.

I think that although he went against Voldemort's wishes, Snape ultimately secured his "loyalties". He can now be free to assist the Order and Harry to victory.

Yet another question that remains standing is whether or not Hogwarts will reopen for Harry's seventh year. I believe it will. This is because many of the characters are important to the element of the series yet aren't amongst Harry's closeknit group of friends. Even Neville and Luna aren't in on Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's plan of not returning to Hogwarts. If the school is closed, how will the readers know what the other important characters are doing?

As Hagrid said, Dumbledore would have wanted the school to remain open- its as safe as any other place is now. While many of the students may not return, some undoubtedly will. Amongst those would be Ginny (whom Mrs. Weasley would not allow to travel with the Trio- letting Ron go will be hard enough as it is), Neville, and Luna. I suspect Dumbledore's Army will have a strong part in the Hogwarts setting.

How long the school will be opened for seventh year is undetermined; it is liable to close at anytime. With Dumbledore dead, I do not think that Voldemort has much use for Hogwarts anymore, and I also believe that those willing to come back to the school are those who are trustworthy, thus creating a somewhat safer atmosphere. Of course, the school will overgo many hard changes, and may ultimately close sooner than expected, but I am fairly sure that the school will at least be open for a little bit.

** We'd like to note that this is the first theory that has been written by someone other than Christina or Beth. **

In the beginning of the novel, Slughorn introduces himself as the new Potions Master along with four potions. There's Veritaserum, Amortentia, Polyjuice Potion, and Felix Felicis. As their first lesson, they're instructed to make a batch of Draught of Living Death. This doesnt seem significant until the end of the novel when poof! I realized that all of these potions had a rather significant role in the book.

Ron mistakenly eats the chocolate tanted with the love potion which Romilda Vane intended for Harry; Harry mistakes Crabbe and Goyle numerous times for young girls doing Malfoy's bidding because of their abuse of Polyjuice Potion; and Felix Felicis of course has a significant part to play for Harry as well as his friends.

Veritaserum is mentioned quite a bit, but at this moment I can't recall when it was used--

Regardless, this leads to the last potion brewed that day. Draught of Living Death. This is the only potion that had been mentioned in that scene that had yet to play a part in the novel. It's my belief that Dumbledore is simply under the effects of the potion. If you aren't wholly convinced by this, take into account this little tidbit:

Every person who was killed by the Avada Kedavra curse in all six books died with their eyes open. I remembered for the sole reason that it creeped me out to no end-- but why would Dumbledore, under the same curse of death, have his eyes peacefully closed as he is found beneath the tower? And why would he summon for Snape of all people, so forcefully?

JKR said that careful readers of HBP would find another Horcrux, which leaves me wondering what that certain Horcrux could be? As we know, the Horcruxes discovered most certain are the diary of Tom Riddle (destroyed), Marvolo's black ring (destroyed), the silver locket (possibly destroyed), Hufflepuff's cup (not destroyed), and three other ones that we don't know (since Voldemort himself is the seventh).

Harry Potter

Harry would be an interesting idea for a Horcrux, but ultimately, would not be feasible because Harry would have to die in order to destroy the Horcrux, and as Dumbledore said, Voldemort, even as a mortal, contains the same amount of intellectuality and power that he had before. If Harry died to destroy the Horcrux, no competant wizard would be able to destroy Voldemort, seeing as how the prophecy remains "neither can live while the other survives." Still, however, it would be a most interesting twist in the plotline- maybe neither would survive.

Nagini

I find this an interesting one as well, except for the fact that, as Dumbledore said, it would be unwise to use an animal as a Horcrux. Nagini has a mind of her own and will eventually die, so right there is a reason that making her a Horcrux is unlikely. I'm sure that Voldemort would be that remiss in putting the Horcrux in something that isn't immortal or inanimate, but we can't rule it out.

Black Goblet

This is the silver goblet with the Black family crest on it that Mundungus Fletcher had stole from Grimmauld Place. I can't be too sure whether or not this is a Horcrux but if, and only if, Mundungus is not who he appears to be (i.e. loyal member to the Order), then the possibility lies that he could have been stealing it back from Grimmauld Place to give to Voldemort before Harry goes back there. It might be farfetched and the evidence isn't so solid that you would bet your life the goblet is a Horcrux, but it kind of does make sense, if only a little. Plus, it was the only historical artifact really mentioned besides those of Voldemort's interest.

What do you think?

If you pay close attention to character names, a lot of the time, J.K. Rowling often bases the names off of the each character's personality. Take Pomona Sprout, Herbology teacher. As if there wasn't enough of a clue from the surname Sprout, Pomona was the goddess of fruit trees. Another instance is Malfoy, or mal foie, means "bad faith" in French, and thus far what we know about the Malfoys is that they are a Dark wizarding family (though as I've stated, I believe that something is about to change in that respect).

Now take Blaise Zabini. Zabini, an Italian surname, does not really indicate anything about the student's personality like his first name does. Blaise was Merlin's master (for more on Merlin, read about the legend of King Arthur) and in one of the Grail writings, he's the keeper of the Grail itself. In a sense, "Blaise is the inner self of Merlin. When the mysteries are complete, Merlin reports to Blaise, who then records the details of the Quest" (CRC). Blaise also means "stammering." To me, the meaning and attribution of the name seems to reflect something more about the Slytherin's personality, like his influence and intelligence, and other aspects that are yet to be exhibited.

We know Blaise as a dark, exotic-looking, Slytherin boy (mother French, father Italian). He's mysterious and independent, self-reliant and nonconforming. It seems to me like there is more than meets the eye. To me, he is so secretive that it is hard to know where his true loyalties lie and what his true intentions are, so I will not say that he will become good or evil, but there is something to him, something important that will make him a bigger character in the final book.

I believe that Snape and Lily may have had some type of relationship or that Snape and/or Lily had more than platonic feelings towards each other. This belief stems from the fact that when posed the question, "Has Snape ever been loved by anyone?" JKR said in an interview that, "Yes, he has, which in some ways makes him more culpable even than Voldemort, who never has." While this person could have been his parents or a friend, I believe it was Lily. At first, I was confused how this could make Snape more culpable and not less because he has felt love, but then Christina explained to me, "because maybe he did something in the past to hurt that person." This would fit because he could have hurt Lily in many aspects. He hurt her when overhearing the prophecy and ultimately killing her and leaving her only son to live with her cruel sister, he hurt her when treating her son with contempt and hatred, and he hurt her with a possible rejection of whatever feelings she had towards him.

JKR was posed the question about whether Snape or Lupin had feelings towards Lily in the same interview. She replied by saying that Lupin was, "fond of Lily... but I wouldn't want anyone to run around thinking he competed with James for her." She does not, however, say a thing about Snape. This causes me to believe that Snape may have indeed had some feelings for her.

Other commenters on the site have expressed feelings of the same caliber, suspecting some sort of feelings between the two. I have to agree with them, that love may have been motivation enough for Snape to change sides. I also agree that Snape may have been hiding past feelings for Lily by hating Harry. However, I think it may have been deeper than just hiding feelings. I think that Harry reminded Snape of James, who was the man that would have most likely taken Lily away from him. Since Harry resembled so much and acted so much like James, Snape formed a burning hatred for him. He does, after all, always say that Harry is, "just like his father." He never once says he is like his mother. These actions towards Harry may further illustrate past feelings Snape had towards Lily.

I don't know if this theory will amount to anything more than just speculation, but I find it interesting that Snape was loved at some point in his life. As we have seen throughout the books, love is the ultimate source of power. It is the one thing that Voldemort underestimates and maybe this love saved or can save Snape.

** Interview transcripts can be found on mugglenet.com **

As we know, Peter Pettigrew is now the owner of a silver hand and werewolves can only be killed by a silver bullet. Unfortunately, as we also know, Remus Lupin is a werewolf. Do I believe that Lupin will be killed by Pettigrew? That's hard to say, but as of right now, I will stick to 'no.'

Why I feel as I do about this is because face it, Pettigrew is a coward. He is a rat (no pun
intended) and a coward and a liar, and responsibility is not one of his strong suits. While working for Voldemort might be some kind of an accomplishment for him, he is also on the Dark Lord's last nerve. Another failure would result in imminent death. Why, then, would he not kill Lupin when faced with the courageous werewolf?

Like I said, Pettigrew is a coward, and because he's a coward, he wouldn't kill Lupin. As old Hogwarts friends and a fellow Marauders, Pettigrew and Lupin continue to share a bond inside of them that reminds each of them of the past. Pettigrew killing Lupin would be like you killing your childhood best friend- it just wouldn't happen. Sure, Pettigrew can, as the cliche says, talk the talk, but ultimately, will he be able to walk the walk, when face to face with the man he onced shared all of his Hogwarts experiences, secrets, and feelings with?

I was reading through something called "Thus Spake Zarathustra" by Friedrich Nietzsche, which is a philosophical book that speaks of the idea of the "superman," by which Nietzsche meant that people will soon perfect themselves instead of waiting for perfection in an afterlife- but that is besides my point, although it can also be applied to some concepts in the HP series as well, though now I'm just rambling. I came across this, which was actually quite strange to see because it illustrates my point about Draco perfectly.

And verily, the sight I saw, its like I had never seen. I saw a young Shepherd, writhing, choking, quivering, with face distorted, from whose mouth a black and heavy snake hung down.

Saw I ever so much loathing and wan horror in one face? My hand tore at the serpent and tore - in vain! I could not tear the serpent from his throat. Then a voice within me cried: Bite! Bite!

Bite off its head! Bite! - thus cried the voice of my horror, my hate, my loathing, my pity, all the good and evil in me cried out?

The Shepherd bit, as my cry counselled him: he bit with all his strength! He spat the snake's head far from him - then sprang up, no longer a shepherd, no longer a man, but one transfigured, light-encompassed, one that laughed!

This passage is commonly associated with the death of Nietzsche's father, in which Nietzsche is the shepard, which even better illustrates my point. Beth, having done the Lucius theory, explained why the chances of Lucius surviving the war are essentially nonexistant. With Lucius as the dead father, Draco as the Shepherd, and either Snape or Harry as the narrator, the transition of Draco from bad to good is quite believeable.

As is written, the Shepherd is "writhing, choking, quivering" and the narrator does not believe that he saw "ever so much loathing and wan horror in one face." It is already clear to me that Draco does not want to be in the position he's in and that he'd much rather be rid of the horror that lies ahead. Then, the Shepherd spits the snake's head far away and becomes a "transfigured, light-encompassed, one that laughed." Therefore Draco would be rejecting the darkness inside of him, the snake of Voldemort leaving his body for good.

However, why would Draco be a Shepherd? My take on this is that since a Shepherd guides people, Draco will be able to guide some (namely Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, in otherwords, his posse) to the right side, because of his influence on them. It would be highly odd if JKR read this same passage and based Draco's redemption on it, yet I find the parallel between the snake in the book and the snake that represents Voldemort strangely coincidential...

It was said by JKR that the seventh book would delve deeper into the life of another member of the Order, one whom we don't know much about at all, but which member can it be? We know much about Lupin, the Weasleys, Sirius, Moody, and a satisfactory amount about Tonks, but who has appeared several times yet has never truly been in the spotlight? My best bet: Kingsley Shacklebolt.

As secretary to the Prime Minister, Kingsley can get a lot of information about what Muggles are and aren't noticing, and the actions that Muggles are taking to fix what looks wrong in the Muggle world. This seems to me a good reason that JKR will want to go deeper into his character and make him more of an importance to the last book.

Lucius Malfoy: Famous Death Eater and father of Draco Malfoy. We know that Lucius was put in Azkaban after the events that occured in the Ministry of Magic at the end of OotP and that he continued to reside there during HBP according to Dumbledore. My question is why exactly was he not released. It is clear that the dementors are loyal to Voldemort, so why would he not want one of his prized Death Eaters free?

I feel that Voldemort is unhappy with Lucius for his failure. He might be keeping him there to make him suffer. Snape already told us that Voldemort was most likely giving Draco the assignment in order to kill him, in revenge for his father's mistakes. And to kill his only son would ensure the end of the Malfoy family line... a fate that I'm sure Lucius would not be happy about.

Christina was telling me that Draco will most likely be protected by Snape, through whatever protection he can give, allowing Voldemort to take his rage out on Lucius. I think that this is very possible. I think that, although I do not want to believe it, Lucius will be one to die... I think that Draco will have a change of heart and turn to the order when he finds his father dead at the hands of Voldemort.

So I think there is no life after Azkaban for Lucius...

Somebody please tell me why Ron looks like Danny Bonaduce.

Danny.

Da-I mean Ron.

First of all, I would like to thank Timon for singing this line in the Lion King. It works quite well for the purpose of this theory!

For the entire series so far, Harry, Ron, and Hermione have been best friends- the Trio. With the Wizarding world at war, it is almost laughable to think that JKR will make it so that all three of the friends live, and I think I know which one will die.

My first choice would be Harry, but seeing as how these books are blatant statements about good triumphing over evil, I find his death hard to see. Another reason why I don't believe it would be Harry is because Harry is not returning for his seventh year. This is significant because though it seems JKR will not write anymore Harry Potter books after the seventh, the fact that Harry is out on his own now leaves the possibility to write another book about him open ( but although I nixed his death as a possibility, deep down I still think he should snuff it).

I have a strong feeling that the person to die will not be Hermione. This is because her intelligence is what assists Harry in finding out what he needs to know about many things. Hermione's smarts are key in helping Harry find the other Horcruxes as well, therefore, I do not believe that she will die.

In the seventh book, Ron will be the one to die. I feel strongly about this because JKR says that Harry will be stripped of the people he loves most (i.e. Sirius, Dumbledore) because he needs to do things on his own. While this might be an argument for Hermione being the one to die, I continue to dispute this argument because regardless of how she helps him, Harry always, always finds things out for himself. Anyways, as I've said, Ron will die. Harry and Ron have been the closest friends out of the Trio, if even by a little bit, and Ron's deaty, I believe, will hurt just a little more than Hermione's. Ron and his family took Harry in, and Ron always took Harry's side in arguments with Hermione. In general, Ron is Harry's best friend and I think that his death would signify the tragedy and sorrow that Harry is experiencing, as well as play the role of the impetus that Harry needs to finish off Voldemort.

What exactly is the significance of Dumbledore's retelling of Voldemort's past. It seemed to be his last battle against him, possibly giving Harry the information he needs to defeat his nemisis. We learn about the parents and the past behind the powerful wizard, but how exactly will this help Harry. Does the answer to the defeat of the Dark Lord lie in his past?

I think the extra knowledge will help Harry understand more of who Voldemort is and what drives his actions. I think that this knowledge is even greater than all the magical ability in the world. This is what gives Harry the advantage and what might cause him victory in the end. I think this is why Dumbledore took the time to teach Harry and to track down all the different memories. I think he believed this information would be of great use to him. This is seen when Harry expects to be taught spells and charms and defenses by Dumbledore, when in actuality he was taught history and knowledge.

The past of Tom Riddle will come into play somehow. It might be directly or indirectly, but it will help Harry in his quest to defeat Voldemort.

This theory refers to the possibility that Dumbledore knew that his death was inevitable at the end of the sixth year and that Snape would be the bringer of it. Our other theories broach this theory somewhat, at least mentioning that Dumbledore knew that he had to die, but I believe there is concrete evidence of this early on in "Half-Blood Prince," and this evidence is Snape being appointed teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.

For the first five years that we were exposed to Snape, he has always been the Potions teacher. Then, all of a sudden, in Harry's sixth year, Snape is the DADA teacher. Why, I wonder, would Dumbledore hold off this position for five years and then all of a sudden give it up? The answer lies in his vast knowledge of past, present, and future (not so much "seeing" the future more so being aware of it).
He knew that Snape was a former Death Eater and was a spy for the Light. He knew that he was aging, therefore directly causing slower reflexes and weaker defenses. He knew that Voldemort was back and that the Wizarding world was at war. He knew that Snape would inevitably be called to service. All of these are indications that Dumbledore had that would be key in his own death.

Both Dumbledore and Snape knew that by the latter taking part in the former's death, Snape would never be able to return to Hogwarts (either because he was not allowed, or because Hogwarts was not reopened for parental assurance). If Snape was forced to do the unthinkable {kill Dumbledore}, before he was to become DADA teacher, then his dream would be unfulfilled. Being the DADA teacher was the one thing that Snape desired, and by killing Dumbledore before he got the post, the position would remain only his desire, never his reality, and two injustices would have been done.

Dumbledore knew how much this post meant to Snape and to just all of a sudden give him the position after waiting five years shows that he must have had an indiction or clue that his death was approaching and that Snape would be involved in it, his involvement being the act of following his duties as a Death Eater while keeping his cover as a spy safe.

To sum it up, Dumbledore somehow knew it was coming.

Draco Malfoy is the arch nemesis of Harry Potter. He's mean, snobby, and full of insults (but I still can't get enough of him)- he even assisted the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Why, then, if he's so bad, did he not kill Dumbledore? He is not pure evil; Draco Malfoy may be redeemed.

As he stood on the Lightening-Struck Tower, wand pointed at Dumbledore, it was clear that he knew then what he didn't know before. He realized what he had gotten himself into, what Lucius had gotten him into. All Draco had wanted to do was protect himself and his family, and to show that he can handle the task set ahead of him. Dumbledore knew it as well, and offered to put Draco in what is basically a witness protection program, and judging by Draco's reaction (he began to lower the wand), it was clear that, if given more time, Malfoy would choose to follow Dumbledore.

Draco has never been given a chance to believe in anything but Lord Voldemort and the magnificence of the Dark Arts. Lucius could not be seen raising a Dumbledore-supporting son. Therefore, Draco was brought up honing the same beliefs as Lucius. With Lucius in Azkaban, Narcissa's motherly love was revealed (more on this another time) and Draco is now able to choose for himself. What his ultimate decision is will not be found out until the final book, but I suspect that Snape will have a significantly major role in shaping Draco's choice.

As you all know, Beth and I are under the impression that Snape is ultimately a good character and that his actions in "Half-Blood Prince" resulted from loyalty, not betrayal. Snape left with Draco after the murder. I'm assuming that eventually Voldemort will summon them both for different reasons: Draco to punish and Snape to reward. With Snape on a pedestal, the former Potions teacher must have some sort of influence on a few of Voldemort's decisions, one namely being Draco's punishment. Death would be the Dark Lord's prime choice, but with Snape being Voldemort's favorite Death Eater, killing Draco may easily be avoided, so Draco would live, at least for the time being.

If Draco's life is spared and Snape reveals to him that he truly is fighting for the Light, Draco would most likely realize that if he follows Snape, everything will be okay. His family would be safe and so would he, therefore the chances that he will convert to the good side are high.

We all know that the locket found in the cave by Dumbledore and Harry was a fake, replaced by the mysterious R.A.B. Where the real locket lies now... I have no idea. I was confused by this at the end of the book because I was unsure whether we could trust this mystery person to have been able to destroy the locket or whether we should assume that it is still out there somewhere. Harry seems to believe he has yet to find it... which is proven by his mantra of the locket... the cup... the snake... something of gryffindor's or ravenclaw's... I guess we will find the answer to this in the last book.

I think that the locket either lies destroyed or with an accomplice of R.A.B. I seriously do not believe that R.A.B. would be able to complete the task alone. If Dumbledore himself needed to be force fed the liquid, then I doubt any other wizard or witch would be able to successfully retrieve the locket. So this could mean that some other person out in the world knows about Voldemort's horcruxes and may be attempting to find the remaining 4.

I guess I'm also just wondering how in the world Harry is supposed to find the rest of the horcruxes. It seems so improbable to me for him to do so much in so little time. But I guess when there's a will, there's a way. His revenge against Snape and Voldemort may drive him to extremes that may ultimately save the world.

Does this make any sense?

Well I can honestly say that I am neither surprised nor ever doubted anybody other than Snape was the Half-Blood Prince. While this fact has already been established, there are some that still continue to confuse me... or at least make me think.

First of all, JKR titled a whole book after the HBP, and yet I feel like I know virtually nothing about him. To me it seems silly to have a whole book titled after a character the readers do not know too much about. So I'm thinking that there has to be more to the story. Remember, after all, that HBP was going to be the title of Book 2... so if JKR was in any way planning of disposing such a fact to us so early in the series, well there must be some deeper meaning to Snape being the HBP. Something we have yet to have learned.

I also think that through the Advanced Potion Making book, we are able to see a different Snape. We are able to see his brilliant mind and sharp wit. I find it refreshing to learn about him in such a way. I think this also shows how the relationship between Harry and Snape could have differed if it were not for the grudge and strong hatred between Snape and James/Sirius. I think Snape could have been a strong role model for Harry under different circumstances.

I guess all I am trying to get at is that I suspect there is much more to the HBP storyline than what we are told...

The burning question in everyone's mind after reading "Half-Blood Prince" most certainly is "why did Dumbledore trust him?"
Trust is a word that is the key to secrets and secrets are the key to betrayal, that's the feeling I get when I speak to other people about this particular theory. Snape betrayed Dumbledore and murdered him ruthlessly... in front of Death Eaters. Dumbledore pleaded, "Severus... please..." but to no avail. "Avada Kedavra." The words spilled out from Snape's lips as effortlessly as a snake wrapping itself around its prey. Snape broke Dumbledore's trust. Or did he?
Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in existance. He was wise beyond years and had the greatest mind the Wizarding world had seen in ages. Even Voldemort was frightened of him. But the most touching thing about Dumbledore was his faith in man. When had Dumbledore ever steered anybody wrong? You can't respond because Dumbledore had never misled anyone. Why, after everything else Harry put stock into, did he not believe in Dumbledore's faith in Snape? Harry has never liked Snape, a great deal of it stemming from his knowledge of the Marauder days. A more important question: Why, after everything you put stock into, did you not believe in Dumbledore's faith in Snape either?
Dumbledore was an excellent judge of character. He demonstrated that time and time again from experiences with young Tom Riddle, Karkaroff, and so on. If there is one thing that Dumbledore could not be mistaken about, it was his judge of character. He admitted he was capable of mistakes; all humans are. He was right about Slughorn- whose cupidity is appalling, but he's decent nonetheless- and Hagrid and countless others. What made him wrong about Snape?
Keep this in mind: Snape cannot blow his cover. He must do what it takes to keep his position, and Dumbledore was aware of this. Bellatrix was already suspicious of Snape. Furthermore, Dumbledore had Harry swear an oath to do whatever it took to get the former to drink the potion, what makes you think he didn't have Snape swear one to kill him if necessary?
Gargantuan story short, Dumbledore was an excellent judge of character; Harry does not know any of the circumstances under which Dumbledore developed his trust for Snape. Harry assumed (which, as he was under extreme duress and agitation, is thoroughly understandable), but what happened when he last assumed something so grandiose? Think Sirius.

I also found this kind of funny: Slughorn never remembers Ron's name. He called him "Rupert" once. What's the name of the actor that plays Ron? None other than Rupert Grint. JKR, you sly little fox!

In response to Beth's theory of Snape displaying loyalty to Dumbledore in a feat that suggests otherwise, I completely agree. Dumbledore was not one to plead, nor beg, at least not in the manner displayed on the night of his death. He was the most intelligent wizard of his time and undoubtedly weighed the pros and cons, thus ultimately deciding that his life in exchange for a more peaceful world was a fair bargain. I have a couple theories that intertwine with Beth's Snape theory but those remain to be posted.Tonight, as a bonus for our "grand opening," I've decided to reveal who I believe R.A.B to be.

R.A.B were the initials left on a piece of parchment stuck between a fake locket believed by Dumbledore and Harry to be another Horcrux. Summarized, the note stated that the author believed he will be dead by the time Voldemort received the note but also that the author stole the real Horcrux and planned to destroy it as soon as possible. We do not know whether or not this Horcrux was destroyed; we can't safely assume that it was, but for the time being, we will.

The author would be none other than Regulus Black, brother of Sirius Black and former Death Eater. After Regulus found out the extent to which Voldemort was going in order to achieve power, Regulus attempted to back out and was eventually killed.Why I believe Regulus to be the mystery author, in addition to the R and the B matching up to the intials (we do now know Black's middle name), is because it is completely logical.

At one point in time, he was a Death Eater, as was much of his family, meaning he knew the a good deal about Voldemort's plans, and possibly more than intended. Whether his discovery of the Horcrux was by suspicion or by blatant explanation, I am not sure, but this theory makes a lot of sense to me. Plus, he was trying to get out, and the best way to attempt to break free from Voldemort is destroy a part of his soul. The author writes that he will most likely be dead by the time Voldemort reads the note. Why? Because the Death Eaters had closed in on Regulus soon after he stole (and hopefully destroyed) the Horcrux. Unfortunately, the reparably-bad wizards finish last...

I do not think in any way, shape, or form that Snape is evil or bad. Despite the rather large amount of evidence against this theory at the end of HBP, I think Snape is ultimately good. I feel that due to the unbreakable vow he made with Narcissa he knew there would be no way of getting around the death of Albus Dumbledore. He made the unbreakable vow to keep his cover as a Death Eater and futher convince not only Voldemort, but also his fellow Death Eaters of his allegiance to the dark side.

I think that he killed Dumbledore according to both Dumbledore's own wishes and the vow he made. Dumbledore knew that his death could be the final impetus to cause Harry to defeat Voldemort in one final battle. Now that Dumbledore is dead, Harry will have to depend on only as himself and use the knowledge given him. Dumbledore's death will have an obvious effect on the wizarding world and now that Snape is the one that killed him, he could hold a very powerful position with Voldemort, which could potentially help Harry in the end. I think proof of Snape's true loyalties can be observed at the end of HBP. When Harry calls him a coward, Snape reacts immediately with so much hatred. He didn't want to kill Dumbledore... it probably took immense bravery and loyalty to perform such a task, which makes Snape the bravest of them all.

I also don't think that Dumbledore would be such a bad judge of character. He knew Snape's past, and wouldn't put his complete trust in him unless he knew that he could. Dumbledore is the kind of man that knows everything that goes on. There is something we are not being told about Snape, which I'm sure we will find out in the last book. While I must admit the pleading at the end threw me off, I believe this was all part of the act of Dumbledore.

I believe that sometime during the final book, Snape will reveal his true loyalties to the good side and ultimately help Harry win the battle against Voldemort. For some reason I have a feeling that Snape will play a rather crucial role in the death of Voldemort, maybe even sacrificing his own life for the greater good. It might be because he's one of my favorite characters, but I want to believe that he can overcome the obstacles and prove many, most definately Harry, wrong.

Well I could write so much more on Snape, but I'll stop here for now...

Today begins the journey into two of the greatest minds the Muggle community has ever seen- Potter-wise, of course. This site is the home to the theories and queries of the Harry Potter series (I know you are applauding at my grandiose rhyming skills). Beth and I (I, being Christina), hope to delve into some of our theories about 'Half-Blood Prince' and the preceding five books. Hopefully some of our theories and hypotheses will turn into realities once the final book hits shelves in approximately two years- and I'm hoping this journal will be a memory of sorts to look back upon when our eyes finally glide upon the pages of the seventh book and we discover whether or not we've been correct in our guesswork. Anyone who reads this and is sincerely interested in this is more than welcome to share their thoughts and theories about any or all of the books (and book to come!). Cheers, and good reading!