On Hallowed Ground: CC2K Looks to Harry Potter Book Seven
Written by: The CinCitizens
(After a full week looking at Harry Potter past and present, CC2K presents our look to the future, and the impending release of Deathly Hallows. The following contains predictions – NOT Spoilers – and are based on insights and guesses, rather than leaks and cheats. Do you agree? How did we do? Let us know!)
A Horcrux of Goodness – By Tony Lazlo
Hardcore Harry Potter fans who read the sixth book, Half-Blood Prince, must have all thought one thing after finishing it:
"I hope she doesn't name the seventh book Harry Potter and the Four Horcruxes."
But even though the quartet of superobjectives facing Harry in the series' final volume — the four enchanted objects that house the remaining shards of Lord Voldemort's soul — would make for a clumsy title, the word that J.K. Rowling conjured, horcrux, could easily be pressed into duty as a synonym for "confluence" to describe this July for Potter maniacs.
Just because I like driving myself batshit with excitement, let me say again: This July will see the release of the fifth movie, Order of the Phoenix (July 13), and the final novel, The Deathly Hallows (July 21). That is a fucking horcrux of goodness.
Naturally, the release of the cycle's climax stokes the most excitement in me, but before I open discussion on that last novel, let me take a moment to praise Phoenix's place in the pantheon of Potter.
It's The Empire Strikes Back.
Now, let me hasten to qualify that. When you invoke Empire, you're typically honoring one chapter above all the others as the best, and Empire will always be the biggest, the grandest, the richest (and most heartbreaking) of all the Star Wars movies. I don't necessarily think that Phoenix will go down as the best Potter book. I think that distinction will go to Goblet of Fire.
No, Phoenix is the Empire of the series because it's the dark, turbulent, middle chapter in the cycle where the series and its hero ascend out of a dark adolescence with the help of a teacher. And yes — you read that right. Phoenix is the middle chapter of the Harry Potter series. Though I will always respect the place of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets in the overall mythology, let's face it: Rowling was just spinning her wheels. Clearing her throat. Fucking around. The series truly got underway with Prisoner of Azkaban, which was not only the first fully satisfying novel, but it was also where Rowling started writing with her finish line clearly in sight. The giant, epic gears and wheels of the overall Potter storyline started to creak into life when Harry first heard that Sirius Black had made a daring escape from the magical world's dreaded supermax prison.
With that in mind, that leaves a five-book cycle, with Phoenix at its pivot.
Furthermore — and here I concede one of Phoenix's failings — Harry gains a great teacher in this chapter, Professor Snape, who will probably go down as Rowling's most brilliant creation. When I realized that Snape would be teaching Harry the crucial skill of occulumency, I thought to myself, "Holy shit — Snape is Harry's Yoda." Unfortunately, Rowling didn't spend enough time with Harry and Snape in this volume.
OK, let me pause a moment to get back to my assigned thesis for this article: I'm here to praise Potter. Like CC2K staffer The Red Baron, I typically show my admiration for art by talking about it. That said, let's consider the possibilities for the series final novel, The Deathly Hallows.
This much we know:
Harry and Voldemort will fight.
Some main characters will die.
Harry will go on a journey to destroy the remaining horcruxes.
Snape's final allegiance will be made clear.
And yes — I know there are reams of other clues and possible spoilers out there. For once, I'm trying to stay away from them and only speculate on the seventh novel with what I have in mind. In this spirit, I'll offer my predictions, in reverse order:
Snape will emerge as one of the series heroes. Rowling has written Snape so brilliantly that to have him break either way will be satisfying, but I would prefer to have Snape a hero.
Ron and Ginny will die, leaving Harry and Hermione together, if not romantically involved.
Harry will destroy the remaining Horcruxes.
As far as the final fight goes, Harry will discover that his magic wand is one of Voldemort's horcruxes, leaving him to face off against the dark lord without his chief weapon. Here Harry will have to simply conjure magic with only his force of will, and for you fans of David Lynch's classic movie of Dune out there, it will mean that Usul will no longer need the weirding module. Harry will become the Kwisatz Haderach.
I cede the floor.