Harry Potter and my Half-way Predictions

Well, I'm now near exactly halfway through the book. Got a good start into it on the flight back east for a business trip, but I've been working long days this week, so it's only another chapter or two each night. I'll finish it off on the plane ride home tomorrow night. I've got a number of hunches and predictions going at this point. I figured I'd share them all here, so that right or wrong, I'm on the record for all to admire or snicker at, depending how it turns out. Obviously I have no spoilers in this post for anyone, since I don't know anything about my claims yet, but beware if there are any comments they may well have spoilers in them. Here goes...

I've had one big hunch before I even started the book. We've all heard that this is the darkest book yet, and that makes sense that it gets darkest before the final book. I figure that Dumbledore dies in this one. It just makes sense that the big D has to die for Harry to fully come into his own (just like Obi-Wan Kenobe did for Luke Skywalker to face Darth Vader).

As to hunches developed as I've started reading, a few are obvious. It's clear that that ring Dumbledore was wearing will turn out to have some significance. It's also pretty clear that while Harry's teenage hormones are raging, there is also some Amortentia potion being used by Ginny.

It's too bad that Tonks is not herself since the battle at the Ministry. While it's probably true that such an experience may explain her change in mood and partial loss of powers. However, I think there's more there. I think she's not herself because, well, she's not herself. We've been warned to guard against impostors using polyjuice potion. I think that's what's up with Tonks. It's very suspicious that her Patronus has changed. And was it just coincidence that Snape got her Patronus message instead of Hagrid? And she was on the spot when the cursed necklace appeared. It may all be explainable, but it may also be a great cover story.

Speaking of Snape, he's being painted as a double-agent, but I think that's a red herring. I think he's a great triple-agent, ultimately working for the good guys. There was that fishy hand twitch during the Unbreakable Vow, you know something is up with that. In fact -- I don't have string feelings about this one -- but it wouldn't surprise me if Snape turned out to be the half-blood prince. Harry has had snippets of sympathy for Snape in the last book, but I think he's due to develop more.

Finally, just because I've learned from experience that nearly no minor detail is gratuitous in these books, I'm wondering why there were spiders crawling on Dumbledore's hat early on in the shed outside the Burrow.

Well, that's it for now. The next day or so will reveal whether I'm right or wrong...