*~* Muggles, Welcome to the Burrow! *~*

[N&B'smom]

Is there a reason why we can't start discussing the cover? I think we should just jump right in!

Yes, I thought I saw shadowy figures as well, death eaters maybe? Could they be dementors? Hmmm....

Shelby

 

[N&B'smom]

I am re-reading POA (I am re-reading the books in reverse before OOP movie and DH come out) and I think there's something that I hadn't noticed before that I am wondering about.

When Lupin does the first DADA class with the boggart only two people don't get a turn. The first is Harry -- because Lupin jumped in to "save" him. But the other one is Hermione. Does anyone have a theory as to why? I think you could argue that it just was happenstance that Harry went before her, but remember, Lupin told everyone to stay back so as the Boggart would focus on them one at a time and then proceeded to call out each student to banish the boggart so to speak. I am not sure that Lupin intentionally left her out, but I am VERY sure that JKR did. And I can't put my finger on why, so what are everyone's thoughts?

Not totally sure but what would Hermione's biggest fear be? How exactly would a boggart take on the form of 'failure'? Let's face it, that seems to be Hermione's biggest fear in life....not being the absolute best. So, other than that, I wonder what her boggart would be.

Shelby

 

[MomofKatie]

It looks to me that Harry and Voldemort are both looking at someone- or something- else- they don't look like they are facing each other. I wonder if that means that someone else comes in and does away with Voldemort at the final showdown?

 

[N&B'smom]

Snape perhaps???

Shelby

 

[BuckyFan04]

It looks like Harry is wearing a locket around his neck on the US cover. I wonder if it's the fake horcrux or the real locket that RAB had stolen.

Neither Harry nor Voldemort are holding their wands. I think the final battle might be wandless, especially knowing that their wands will not work in battle against each other.

I really like the cover, and I can't wait for the book to come out.

Also, in the UK children's cover, you can see a house elf holding a sword behind Harry. Will Dobby be important in the last book, and is that perhaps Godric Gryffindor's sword that he is holding?

 

[WeirdTigger27]

I love the US version, so much to wonder with!!!!

 

[piglet too]

The UK cover looks like it may be the Room of Requirement to me.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Between the UK front cover and the US front cover, I'm inclined to think that "the veil" has something to do with book 7. In the UK version it looks like the trio is trying to not fall back into the archway. I'm also wondering if the house elf behing Harry is Kreacher and not Dobby. Maybe Kreacher is actively hiding the horcrux/locket/sword amid other treasure.

I also thought it was interesting that the snake on the back cover of the UK version was in a glass orb, sort of like the prophecy. Obviously Harry's patronus will show up in this book, and I have no clue what Harry and Voldemort seem to be fighting together in the US version. I'm sure all of this will be blazingly obvious to some diehard fans out there. I can't wait to read the book!

 

[va32h]

The US cover:

A rep from Scholastic said those were people in the background, not gravestones. They still look like gravestones to me though.

The curtain - could be the veil, could be symbolic of the "final act" of the series. I have this fantasy that there is a tomb for the four founders somewhere on Hogwart's grounds and that's where the last horcrux is. I guess I just never thought of the Veil in the ministry as being red, or having a tie-back! And there are pieces of broken wood on the bottom, although I thought the veil was a stone archway.

But I suppose we have to remember artistic license.

Harry is reaching for something expectantly, Voldemort looks like he might be trying to ward it off - or is he trying to catch it too? Maybe the last horcrux is bobbing around overhead. I just think it's telling that Harry is right next to LV but doesn't look at all afraid. He looks hopeful. Harry lives, I tell you, he lives!! He's wearing something - a time turner? The locket?

UK Childrens: Oy what a mess! I think they are in Gringott's. Maybe being chased by one of those dragons that Hagrid thinks is guarding the place. I see a cup - is that armor a horcrux too, does one of the founders have a breastplate or something? That creature on the breastplate, is it a dragon, a phoenix, or a serpent? If Gryffindor has a sword, you'd think he'd have a suit of armor to go with it. Or is that the goblin made armor Hepzipah Smith mentioned to Tom Riddle?

I'll bet the cup is the Hufflepuff cup. I think it's Dobby with the sword. Dobby is brave a loyal, a "true Gryffindor" just like Harry - he has earned the right to carry the sword. And he would help Harry.

I don't think the UK children's cover is depicting an exact scene, I think it's an amalgalm of various scenes or object that feature prominently. I like that Harry's Patronus is there - Prongs will be helping his son again.

But who's missing - SNAPE! Maybe Snape is not as important as we thought. But that's as it should be - it started with Harry and LV and it should end there.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I'm at work so I don't have much time but my first impressions on the US version:

Voldy! On the cover! With weird ET fingers!

The orange-- sunrise or sunset as the setting for the final battle perhaps?

The locket-- Harry's talisman to finish the horcrux finding task!

The ruin in the background-- something to do with the founders? Or maybe something in Godric's Hollow. Or perhaps part of the underworld with all the arches and the veil?

The veil-- Maybe Harry is traveling to the land of the dead. Or wherever the veil leads to exactly. Will we see Sirius again?

Gotta run, I'll come back tonight to speculate somemore and see what everybody else thinks!

 

[poohbear919]

Let the speculations abound!

Hi my name is Jessica and I've got a Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows addiction... Are there meetings for this???

So now, my first thought while dissecting this cover was they're wandless and they have spectators... Now the closer I look at the thing, I'm drawn back to thinking about Harry's judiciary meeting at the Ministry in OotP (which I'm still re-reading!) The people in the background made me think of when Harry went into DD's memories in the pensieve (sp?) and was sitting elevated looking down into the courtroom, much as Fudge and Umbridge looked down upon Harry... The wood also made me think of that chair that Harry had to sit in that magically shackled the person to it (though it didn't do so with Harry.)

Now I blew that darned cover up to look really closely... Harry's definitely looking at something (not Voldy) and Voldy's kind of looking at Harry...ugh! This release just makes me look forward to the book release even more...

I'm puzzled mainly by the UK cover... (Thank goodness for Mary GrandPre's soft pastels in the US!) I'm sure there are numerous clues on this cover too - but not being used to the busy-ness of them I'm never going to pick them all out!

Good call BuckyFan04 for noting that it looks like Dobby holding Gryffindor's sword on the UK cover...

There are also lots of little bottles on that cover perhaps they hold memories from others to use in the pensieve to help find the other horcruxes!

I can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Originally Posted by sugahjunior
When Lupin does the first DADA class with the boggart only two people don't get a turn. The first is Harry -- because Lupin jumped in to "save" him. But the other one is Hermione. Does anyone have a theory as to why?

During O.W.L. examinations, Hermione freaked out because her boggart was Professor McGonagal telling her she had failed everything. And she was sorted into Gryffindor (not Ravenclaw-- the "smart" house) for her bravery even though she's very intelligent. She strikes me as a rational person who really can't be scared by spiders and mummies.

I think her fear is failure itself, not just failing classes. I didn't really get the impression that JKR had any other motivation for skipping Hermione in class other than the boggart being funnier in context of an O.W.L. exam. After class, Ron even asks her if her boggart would have been a test with a 9 out of 10. Of course, Hermione didn't directly answer him about her fear so....???

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Here are some more ideas, now that I've had time to examine the covers more closely. And I will freely admit that some of these are really stretching it so don't be afraid to tell me I'm crazy!

• The arch(es) on both the UK and the US versions and all the mystery surrounding the Department of Mysteries make me think we have not seen the last of the arch and veil that was the end of Sirius. I also think we will see Sirius again.

• The US cover, with the twilight coloring, the veil, and the importance of Halloween in the other HP books: This could be on All Hallows Eve when the veil between the living and the dead is most open. Halloween is a big day in the HP universe and with the line between the living and dead so thin and so many unanswered questions about death this idea could be very viable. Especially since JKR has said we will see some dead characters again. And this is very much a archetypal hero's journey.
  
  The UK cover arch has the same orange-looking sky inside.

• My first impression of Harry looking up the way he is was that he saw his parents, or other loved ones, who are going to aid him in the final battle. V, of course, can't handle the love aspect and this could be why he's pushing away.

• If those are people in the background on the US cover, we could be looking at past victims of Lord V rallying to help Harry like they did in GoF coming out of the wand.

• From the way it is drawn, we could be looking into the veil and arch. The curtains on either side remind me of a stage and they form a frame on the cover.

• The UK cover is a mess! But what is the deal with all that treasure? Is it Harry's in the Gringott's vault? Do goblins have something to do with the end? IS that goblin made armor? Bill and Fleur because they work for Gringotts and they are getting married? Is another arch and veil (passageway into that world) hidden with a load of treasure?

• Ron and Hermione don't look so good on the UK cover. Hermione's arms are pretty scraped up, as are Harry's. I think at least one of the trio will die.

• I see a reptilian face in the clouds on the UK version. Voldy? Or dementors with all the mist/clouds? And the full moon makes me wonder about Lupin and Bill and their role in book seven.

• Harry's scar is barely visible. I wonder if that is a artistic choice or something more?

• Dobby and Gryffindor's sword make me wonder if Dobby will be sacrificing himself to help Harry? Dobby loves Harry as much as his human friends do.

• The adult UK cover is boring! But the locket is the same shape as what Harry is wearing in the US cover. It could be the real one but I think it is more likely the fake one that is his reminder of his quest to destroy the Horcruxes, especially since he found it shortly before Dumbledore was killed. Also because we need to learn who RAB is!

So, thoughts? Comments, questions, cries of shock or outrage? I want to hear what everybody else gets from the cover!

I have to say I was really surprised by this cover as it seems to be more of a scene rather than a compilation than other covers have been. I really liked the monochromatic covers of OOtP and HBP but the more I look at this one, the more I like it. Harry's facial expression alone, that determination and confidence and bravery, makes this a great cover!

 

[sugahjunior]

During O.W.L. examinations, Hermione freaked out because her boggart was Professor McGonagal telling her she had failed everything. ... I think her fear is failure itself, not just failing classes. I didn't really get the impression that JKR had any other motivation for skipping Hermione in class other than the boggart being funnier in context of an O.W.L. exam. After class, Ron even asks her if her boggart would have been a test with a 9 out of 10. Of course, Hermione didn't directly answer him about her fear so....???

Oh my goodness, I had completely forgotten about that. It does make sense to me. Darn it. Just when I think I am onto something. Back to the drawing board.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I forgot to add earlier, that the UK version (obviously) lets us know that Harry will spend time at the Burrow and also will be at Privet drive and will be waiting for an escort from the OOTP to get him safely to the Burrow.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Did we kill the thread? I hope not!

I know there are more theories and observations! Share them!

 

[va32h]

I may have to take a break from discussing HP, as I got into a very heated argument with someone who insists that Harry and Hermione are secretly brother and sister. I thought it must have been an April Fool's joke, but no, they were serious.

I am just very relieved to see the cover art, because I really think it looks very hopeful, and peaceful, and indicates that Harry lives. I never really thought Harry would die in the end, but this cover makes it more and more obvious to me that he does live.

 

[poohbear919]

I may have to take a break from discussing HP, as I got into a very heated argument with someone who insists that Harry and Hermione are secretly brother and sister. I thought it must have been an April Fool's joke, but no, they were serious.

I would have totally thought this was an April Fool's prank too - I can't believe anyone would seriously think that as a theory - but I guess to each his own!

I am just very relieved to see the cover art, because I really think it looks very hopeful, and peaceful, and indicates that Harry lives. I never really thought Harry would die in the end, but this cover makes it more and more obvious to me that he does live.

I'm glad you think he'll live - I'll be devastated if anything happens to the main three kids... Ugh, horrible thoughts there! I'm not sure that I'm feeling yet though, that the cover secures anything for me!

Anyhoo, I was rereading OotP last night and am in the chapter with the first Occlumency lessons with Snape... I noted that Snape made a point of sharing with Harry that "The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection." (JK Rowling, p. 531, HP & tOotP, US Hardcover Edition)

This statement led me to think about Snape's own occlumency skills and whether he's fighting for the Order or Voldy's side... Depending on his own skills, which must have been pretty high - if DD was asking him to teach Harry this important and valuable skill, he must have been able to use this when *working undercover for the Order* as DD has claimed (I think in GOF), yet Snape was still convincing Voldy that he was on his side...

Perhaps this was a subtle hint from Rowling that Snape truly is a good guy and working to protect and do good for the Order!

If any of that rambling that I've just said about Snape, Occlumency, and my interpretation has made sense to anyone, please comment and share your thoughts...

 

[Daxx]

Anyhoo, I was rereading OotP last night and am in the chapter with the first Occlumency lessons with Snape... I noted that Snape made a point of sharing with Harry that "The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection." (JK Rowling, p. 531, HP & tOotP, US Hardcover Edition)

This statement led me to think about Snape's own occlumency skills and whether he's fighting for the Order or Voldy's side... Depending on his own skills, which must have been pretty high - if DD was asking him to teach Harry this important and valuable skill, he must have been able to use this when *working undercover for the Order* as DD has claimed (I think in GOF), yet Snape was still convincing Voldy that he was on his side...

Perhaps this was a subtle hint from Rowling that Snape truly is a good guy and working to protect and do good for the Order!

If any of that rambling that I've just said about Snape, Occlumency, and my interpretation has made sense to anyone, please comment and share your thoughts...

Very interesting! I love reading everyone's thoughts and how they're finding these tidbits in the book that may shed some light on things. V. interesting, indeed!

And, someone things H&H are sibs!?!?

 

[LuvN~Travel]

The sibling thread actually seemed to start on Darkmark and moved over to mugglenet a few years back. Of course then the fifth and sixth books had not yet come out, and many remarks were made that could have pointed to that way. However, with the last two books out, it has been pretty obvious that it probably isn't going to go that way!
Someone is just a little bit behind in their reading.
Kim