Dumbledore is definitely dead, but ….

JKR famously clarified that “Dumbledore is definitely dead” last year at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

“And I do know – I do know that there is an entire website out there that says – that’s name is DumbledoreIsNotDead.com so umm, I’d imagine they’re not pretty happy right now [crowd laughs]. But I think I need – you need – all of you need to move through the five stages of grief [crowd laughs], and I’m just helping you get past denial.”

However, it has emerged recently that while on the set of the Order of the Phoenix film, JKR remarked; “Dumbledore’s giving me a lot of trouble”. When asked “But isn’t he dead?” by Daniel Radcliffe, she explained; “Well, yeah, but it’s more complex …”.

So what does this mean for the end of the series? Well, as JKR has said before: “Wizards have ways of making sure their voices are heard after their death”.

There is a portrait of Dumbledore in McGonagall’s office – (although JKR has stressed that portraits merely “repeat catchphrases” so are “not as fully realised as ghosts” who enjoy “more meaningful interaction” with the living) – and there is also Dumbledore’s Pensieve (although this device does not appear to allow any interaction at all). And Harry does have a lot of questions for his former Headmaster…

For my take on Dumbledore’s possible ‘return’, see divination nine!

Added: alternative ending

For a slightly alternative take on the ending, take a Portkey from Divination 16 (recommended) or go straight to the Second Sight editorial if you are already familiar with 16.

(NB: If you want to read the synopsis in the correct order, just follow the numbers, 1-17 and don’t miss the Portkey from Divination 13!)

In My End Is My Beginning: the Phoenix & the Scar

Teaser: As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harry’s wand tip, the wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. (GOF34) Interesting … so the beam of light has the essence of flame – Phoenix fire, perhaps? And Harry’s ‘lightning-bolt scar’ resembles a burn…

Enjoy :–)

News

Following the announcement that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be published on Saturday 21st July 2007 at 00:01 BST in the UK and at 00:01 in the USA, JKR has updated the diary section of her website to give her reaction to ending the series – she is currently editing Book 7. She has also dispelled one recent rumour (unfortunately not relating to the plot) and answered (or refused to answer!) two questions about the title (here and here). Interesting…

Make of this what you will: ‘I always knew that Harry’s story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be. Even while I’m mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I’ve finally written the ending I’ve been planning for so many years. I’ve never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric.’ (JKR) One has to wonder… is she mourning the end of the series and/or the end of Harry?

Otherwise, thanks so much for sending me your comments on my synopsis and apologies for keeping some of you waiting for a reply … I do read them all and aim to respond whenever I have the time and/or something new to say!

(BTW, those of you who’ve commented on my take on the ending, might be interested to know that a reply has been added to divination sixteen…).

In the meantime, fair fortune be yours.

Cassy :–)

P.S. Just to ensure that no-one is confused about the synopsis … you should know that it makes no claim to *be* Book 7! Rather, this is my attempt to create a version of DH that aims to be (at least) plausible in content (based on what we know of the Potterverse) but also (hopefully) a full story – making imaginative leaps in places not yet covered by canon. Sort of between fan-fiction and straight analysis. At any rate, it gives you *something* to read in the interim!

Update!

Now you can take a Portkey from Divination Thirteen…

Divination 13¾: The Deathly Hallows

Teaser: When he awakens, in a formless world of shadow and spirit, Harry believes he has died, leaving an unfinished mission.

Contents

Thanks for visiting my site! To make it easier to view the synopsis; I have included a brief outline below, which should help you to move faster between pages.

My Book 7…

Divination One: Snape Alone

Teaser: Snape is overwhelmed with grief and horror, gasping, retching and shaking, he curses Dumbledore for forcing his hand, convinced that he has lost his one friend in the world. Suddenly, there is a flash of fire and Fawkes appears at his side.

Divination Two: Malfoy & Scrimgeour

Teaser: Following Dumbledore’s death and having failed to recruit Harry Potter to his phoney war against Voldemort, Scrimgeour has had an abrupt change of heart.

Divination Three: Back to the Dursleys

Teaser: When Harry reveals that Dumbledore is dead, killed by Snape, Aunt Petunia is appalled and frightened. It appears that the name of Severus Snape is not unknown to her.

Divination Four: Flight to Grimmauld Place

Teaser: For Dudley and Petunia, however, the situation couldn’t be much worse … they are stranded in the magical world, utterly dependent on Harry and living in his house (and a hostile Dark house where they cannot touch anything, as well).

Divination Five: The Inheritance

Teaser: During the day, Hedwig arrives with some unexpected mail: it seems that now Harry is of age, he is able to read his parents’ will and any other messages they have left for him.

Divination Six: The Induction

Teaser: The newly elected leader of the Order, Alastor Moody, swears in Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Divination Seven: R.A.B.

Teaser: When questioned by Harry, Kreacher fingers Snape as the murderer of Regulus Black.

Divination Eight: A Summer Wedding

Teaser: They will need to use Sirius’s old motorbike, which was confiscated years ago by the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, only to end up in Arthur Weasley’s shed, where it provided the inspiration for the flying Ford Anglia.

Divination Nine: Godric’s Hollow

Teaser: Harry is full of wild disbelief – for a moment he even thinks of Inferi – but the Headmaster calmly reassures him: he has not returned from the dead, merely gone forward in time.

Divination Ten: Return to Hogwarts

Teaser: Harry himself intends to go back to the school on a part-time basis, as Dumbledore has advised him to begin his hunt for Horcruxes there.

Divination Eleven: Tragedy in Diagon Alley

Teaser: As in a nightmare, Mrs Weasley awakens to the striking of her family clock, which denotes death.

Divination Twelve: The Siege of Hogwarts

Teaser: An ever-growing swarm of Dementors surrounds the fortress, while armies of Inferi attack the merpeople in the lake and even the centaurs become involved as Fenrir Greyback’s wolf pack invades the Forbidden Forest.

Divination Thirteen: Neville & Luna

Teaser: Neville’s courage in revisiting the darkest moments of his life proves invaluable to Harry; providing the information he needs to recover a Horcrux.

Divination Fourteen: Atonement

Teaser: Malfoy approaches Snape as a refugee from the Dark side, claiming that he wants out of Voldemort’s organisation.

Divination Fifteen: Wormtail’s Secret

Teaser: Sixteen years earlier, Peter Pettigrew accompanied the former Voldemort to the house as a rat and was able to retrieve the Dark Lord’s wand after he vanished from his body.

Divination Sixteen: The End & the Beginning

Teaser: From beneath the invisibility cloak, Harry deflects the curse back on to Voldemort with a non-verbal spell, saving himself. Lord Voldemort is vanquished and baby Harry becomes an accidental Horcrux.

Divination Seventeen: Aftermath

Teaser: In the fullness of time, Hermione Weasley becomes the first Muggle-born Minister of Magic and presides over many beneficial reforms including the democratisation of the wizarding world and the gradual emancipation of house-elves.

Introduction: Seen and Unforeseen

Welcome!

‘Harry Potter!’ said Professor Trelawney … ‘The rumours! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time … the omens were never good, Harry… but why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!’ (HBP15)

I, Seer Cassandra Vablatsky, author of the popular Prophetic manual, Unfogging the Future – ‘Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods – palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails…’ (POA4) – have turned my attention to the mysteries of Harry Potter.

‘…at the Solstice will come a new…’ said the figure of an old, bearded man…. ‘…and none will come after…’ said the figure of a young woman.
The two figures that had burst from the shattered spheres had melted into thin air. (OP35)

Now we have the title (delivered this Winter Solstice, December 21st 2006) – and reason to hope that the book itself will be published within the year – it’s time to appreciate our unique position: the last generation of Harry Potter readers able to anticipate the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (DH) as they are being written! It’s a fun hobby and an excellent distraction; especially for all those who have grown up with Harry Potter and are now bogged down with OWLs, NEWTs, finals etc.

What’s to come in this blog is my humble attempt to divine the synopsis of Book 7 based on omens and portents in the earlier books, teasers from JKR and discussions within the fandom as a whole. It is, of course, one entry in a much wider debate. For fellow Potterites, I hope that my ramblings will be of interest, beyond the pleasures of fan fiction, as an invitation to explore some of the septology riddles from an unusual angle. First, a word of warning: when attempting ‘to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future’, one must remember that Divination is ‘the most difficult of all magical arts’ and not at all an exact science. As Trelawney tells Harry, ‘Books can take you only so far in this field…’ and imagination is also important. Your contributions are very much to be encouraged, whatever you make of my interpretations, as together we embark on this one-off international treasure hunt for clues to the end of the series. Meanwhile, I will be happy to offer further evidence and respond to your comments online… though, of course, I have to be careful, as descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the virtual world clouds my Inner Eye.

‘From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork. From hereon in, Harry, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher, who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron.’ (HBP10)

‘You need your Inner Eye testing, if you ask me,’ said Ron … (POA6)

Guide to the Blog

Each post or divination begins with an Into the Pensieve section, in which I present my version of Book 7 (approximately 1-3 chapters in each divination). For the purpose of this blog, I have chosen to attempt a chronology of Book 7: presenting the events in the order in which I believe that they will occur. This, I hope, will enhance reading pleasure. It does mean, however, that those interested in a particular theme will have to follow it through successive divinations.

The next section, Omens & Portents: Canonical Clues & Questions, considers some of the ideas in the Pensieve section and attempts to explain how I have arrived at my main conclusions. Having set myself the – frankly rather enormous – task of imagining Book 7 (!) I won’t be able to account for every interpretative decision that I’ve made – but this section is meant to be a starting point for discussion in the comments.

The final section, Legilimency, cites some of the JKR quotations that have influenced my thinking in each divination.

Intuitions

I thought it might be helpful to (potential) readers if I outline my current position on some of the most contentious issues of the series.

Dumbledore is dead?
Yes! JKR has spoken. (Though I wouldn’t rule Gambon out of the seventh movie just yet.)

Horcruxes?
Destroyed: Riddle’s diary and the Peverell ring. Intact: Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s object. NOT the Gryffindor sword. NOT the snake Nagini. (Dumbledore is not infallible.) Harry’s scar almost certainly IS a Horcrux and he can’t have surgery to remove it, IMHO. That’s six, (the seventh soul fragment resides within Voldemort’s regenerated body) … but it might not be the last. (As Lady Lupin has written on Mugglenet, following a suggestion from Paritosh, Voldemort was very angry about the destruction of the diary. Did he attempt to replace the Horcrux?) Keep your eye on Voldemort’s wand!

Harry Potter: fitted to live or fated to die?
Definately doomed, IMHO. Just like the first Cassandra, Professor Trelawney was telling the truth. JKR must kill her most famous creation in order to reclaim her own life, only (like Conan Doyle found) it isn’t quite so simple. So when Harry dies, expect a phoenix from the ashes.

Snape: double-triple-quadruple bluff?
My Snape is definitely on the side of the Order and was working with Dumbledore throughout HBP (including chapter 27), in accordance with a pre-arranged plan.

To be revealed in Dumbledore’s Pensieve?
Not again! I believe that (ingenious) plot device has been fully exhausted. JKR will find something better next time.

Why did Voldemort offer Lily so many chances to live?
She was to be Snape’s prize, in gratitude for telling him the Prophecy. (Think Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle Senior.) Lord Voldemort rewards his followers. Ugh. But Lily resisted Voldemort’s Imperius Curse and died trying to save her child. No wonder Snape has a problem with Harry…

So why did Dumbledore trust Snape?
Snape knew that Lily would not choose to live without her husband and son, so went to Dumbledore to warn of the family’s danger. ‘Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once.’ (POA10) In GOF10, we learned that Snape’s defection occurred prior to Voldemort’s downfall; something that Harry seems to have forgotten (HBP29). But it’s vital.

Snape loved Lily, right?
Right. Why else would he copy her recipes into his school textbook? (Yes, I too believe it was Lily’s Potions talent in that book.) The power of true love is immense in the Potterverse.

Other ships?
Flagships: Ron/Hermione (launched); Harry/Ginny (sunk). Other: Bill/Fleur, George/Pretty Muggle from Village Shop, Lupin/Tonks. Also: Tonks/Charlie and Ginny/Neville … because oftentimes there’s love after death. Snape also has a past with Petunia. (Not joking!) Oh, and Prof. McGonagall is married.

Back to school?
Ron and Hermione (to take their NEWTs) & Harry (part-time). You can’t get out of it that easily!

New teachers?
McGonagall appoints former Head Boy and star pupil, Bill (DADA), & Krum (Transfiguration). [Edit - thanks, Tamar!] Hagrid & Slughorn to head Gryffindor & Slytherin.

Siege of Hogwarts?
You bet.

Harry defeats Voldemort personally?
Of course.

How?
I have a theory … but you’ll have to wait. (He doesn’t use an Unforgivable Curse, in case you’re wondering.)

The Prophecy?
Paradoxical and important: neither will live while the other survives. Then how come Harry & Voldemort are both alive at the same time? Let’s just say I have my own thoughts about that…

Heir of Gryffindor?
Well, if it isn’t Harry, there isn’t one. But the Weasley family would make the perfect Gryffindor dynasty … and maybe the Dumbledores are distantly related. (Albus was on rather cosy terms with Arthur & Molly.)

Sirius returns?
Sadly not.

Regulus lives?
Probably not.

Mirror, mirror?
I haven’t forgotten.

Dead (at the end of Book 7)?
Fred Weasley; Hagrid; Dobby; Trelawney; Draco Malfoy; Narcissa Malfoy; Lupin (possibly).

Dead lucky?
Ron; Hermione; Ginny; Neville; Luna; Tonks (possibly); Wormtail (just to show those pesky Tolkien fans!).

Whose redemption?
Percy & Snape (total); Fudge, D. Malfoy & Wormtail (partial); L. Malfoy & B. Lestrange (beyond redemption).

Whose betrayal?
Arch-Traitor: Rufus Scrimgeour (think Halifax to Fudge’s Chamberlain in British history).

Whose faked death?
Emmeline Vance.

R.A.B.?
Regulus Arcturus Black. Incidentally, my Regulus was a former friend of Severus Snape, which is why I think that Voldemort ordered Snape to kill him.

What did Harry’s parents do for a living and why has no-one told him yet?
Because it’s Unspeakable (literally). Doesn’t explain why he hasn’t asked, though. (Actually, I think that Lily was an Unspeakable. James & Sirius (who were loaded) probably worked full time for the Order.)

Do you have a theory on the invisibility cloak?
Yes – and mine predates JKR’s ‘Never Asked Question’. Therefore it’s probably completly wrong!

How about Dumbledore’s infamous ‘gleam of triumph’?
Tsch. Patience…

Favourite character?
Remus Lupin. Why is it I fear that werewolves have a shorter life expectancy than either wizards or muggles?

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