World's Greatest Predictions
| Under Diagon Alley |
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I made brief mention of George's (possibly Fred's) death, but there's more to that story.
It involves secret tunnels, the maze of Gringott's vaults under their shop, an astonishing anagram, and more. But the theory, by Bob Rozak, was presented as a poem (now a song) and it just didn't feel right trying to summarize such a masterpiece. So you should Listen to the tune on Bob's site. You can read the lyrics as you listen, or read them here. |
| Still Following Draco? |
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This is a recent discovery, put forth by JmsMr27 in the CoS forums with the thread, Dobby and Kreacher still following Draco?
In HBP 19, Harry ordered Kreacher to follow Draco. Harry never explicitly told Kreacher to stop, so Kreacher might still be at it. A major clue comes from this earlier tutorial on Kreacher's behavior: "Kreacher seized his opportunity shortly before Christmas," said Dumbledore, "when Sirius, apparently, shouted at him to 'get out.' He took Sirius at his word and interpreted this as an order to leave the house." |
| The Collapsed Fourth-floor Tunnel |
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"Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it last winter, but it's caved in -- completely blocked."This tunnel might not be important if it had been collapsed years ago, but it's only been caved in since "sometime" the previous winter. I blame the basilisk, partly because he's not around to counter my accusations, but mostly because of the attack on Hermione and Penelope: "They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall.The library is on the fourth floor. Later in CoS, Harry and Ron find a page from a book crumpled in Hermione's fist. Does Hermione seem like the sort of person who would normally tear a page out of a library book? In all probability, she vandalized the book because she was in a dreadful hurry. She heard (or saw, out the corner of her eye) the basilisk emerging from the tunnel. Within the library, we might guess that the tunnel is located at the back of the Restricted Section. It is roped off, carefully guarded, and prickles "the hairs on the back of Harry's neck" (PS/SS 12 pg205-206). Madam Pince might fear some danger beyond what lay in those books. The real confirmation comes when we are reminded of the tunnel's existence by Sirius (suggesing a place for the D.A.D.A. group to practice) in book five: "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere....There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there--"So library or no, Rowling is keeping track of that tunnel. If Voldemort has a Horcrux hidden at Hogwarts, look for it here. |
| Alice Pettigrew-Longbottom |
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This comes from vaudree in a set of theories predating HBP. Here's one of the key passages:
[Harry] watched, as though somebody was playing him a piece of film, Sirius Black blasting Peter Pettigrew (who resembled Neville Longbottom) into a thousand pieces.If Neville looks like Peter, and Neville also looks like his mother (OotP 9 pg 173), then it stands to reason that Alice looks like Peter. Pettigrew was hiding from the Death Eaters, not just the Ministry, after Voldemort's downfall. Hence Bellatrix and her gang were sent after Peter's sister to look for information. Neville has been suggested as a candidate for Gryffindor's heir. If this and vaudree's theory are true, that could make Wormtail an heir of Gryfffindor, too. No wonder Voldemort likes to keep him close, verbally abuse him, and dominate him in every way. It is the triumph over Slytherin of Gryffindor. They called Salazar "Serpent-tongue" (CoS 11 pg 199). Any chance they called Godric "Cat-eyes"? If so, the heirs of Gryffindor could be the Evans family. That would make Lily's (and Harry's) eyes so very significant, and it would also explain why there's "more to Petunia than meets the eye". |
| Hagrid's Giant Secret |
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This idea was recently posted on HPANA by Bob Rozak.
When Harry first met Hagrid, he was told that Hagrid "flew". But flew how? Hagrid can barely get "a bit of a ride" on an enormous Abraxan, which rules out a thestral. Think back to OotP 33: Six relatively petite students had to wait for six thestrals -- they could not share a ride. What about the flying motorbike? If Hagrid had been using that, he could have flown Harry back to the mainland. His not being allowed to use magic is irrelevant. We learned in CoS that the Weasley Twins had "borrowed" the flying Ford Anglia several times, because the use of an already-enchanted object (in this case, a *cough* flying vehicle) doesn't count. There's no evidence that Hagrid is an inherently under-talented wizard. Quite the opposite, in fact, because he can and does perform a lot of magic despite having a broken wand. He just doesn't use magic very often. And we know what that means, right? before they have received training, very young witches and wizards are prone to unstable surges of power, often accidentally producing effects that they may have to train for a few years to be able to reproduce deliberately. Their magical ability is bottled up for weeks at a time and then, when made angry or frightened, it simply explodes out of them...With a lack of formal training, long spans of having his magical power "bottled up", and an affinity for magical creatures, it not hard to guess what wand-free magic Hagrid has accomplished: He's an Animagus. The form, as you probably guessed from the picture, would be a dragon -- an ideal match for Hagrid's personality. There are many sublte clues peppered throughout the text (see the link for more), like this description of Norbert: Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella.The umbrella is a symbol of Hagrid's secret (and illegal) use of magic. Quite appropriate. |
| Amycus and Alecto are Werewolves |
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This one comes from vaudree, also posted on HPANA.
To begin, consider what we know about werewolf attitudes based on Lupin's statement: I cannot pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood..."We can guess that some competition for werewolf loyalties has gone on for some time between Greyback and Dumbledore (using Lupin as his recent ambassador). Dumbledore offers reason and ideas; Greyback offers action and, I would presume, instant gratification. On the down side, his followers have "have shunned normal society and live on the margins" (HBP 16). That's the sort of lifestyle that often leads to a premature death. Now consider this exchange between Alecto and Dumbledore: "Old age, in short... One day, perhaps, it will happen to you... if you are lucky...."Amycus takes that statement very personally. His words and tone both give the impression that Dumbledore once promised him something (to his own perception, at least) and failed to deliver. See vaudree's full post for more clues and an excellent analysis of the Carrows' personalities. |
| The Demented Child Theory |
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This is an absolutely vile and horrific idea. Blame Lord Voldemort.
What was that "rudimentary body" that we like to call 'Babymort'? The text vaguley implies some kind of homunculus (i.e., a human body constructed with magic). But I get suspicious when Rowling leads us into thinking something without actually telling us. We'll begin by considering the options Voldemort discarded: Note that Voldemort was trying to decide whom to possess. But the population of Albania did not consist of Wormtail, Vapormort, and the severely-damaged Bertha Jorkins. So why make a new body from scratch when there are millions of Muggles wandering around doing nothing useful for Voldemort? Hence, I believe the body was that of an actual child who'd been demented. When Voldemort possessed Quirrell, Voldemort's features were impressed on the back of Quirrell's head. That explains why Babymort looked like Voldemort. Quirrell only "shared" with Voldemort. That would've been the same arrangement with Wormtail, had Voldemort decided to possess him. But by using a victim of the dementor's kiss, Voldemort has the whole space to himself. This way, he can use his wand. Considering that Voldemort will be weak in any scenario, a smaller body is convenient. It's easier for Wormtail to hide and carry. It might even be easier for Voldemort's diminished soul to occupy a relatively smaller form (and/or to take control of a body that hasn't been connected to its native soul for very long). So did Voldemort simply pop in to the demented body? Perhaps -- he seems to have used such a technique with small animals. But in this case, Voldemort wanted himself firmly "wired" to the hardware. And humans aren't his preference for possession. Snakes are. Enter Nagini. The latter part of the list describes what Voldemort drank to keep up his strength. Nagini contributed venom. The first part is about getting Voldemort into the "rudimentary, weak body" and Nagini played a separate role in that. Hmm-oh-my-what-could-it-be? Nagini can't operate a wand. Wormtail handled that part. But Nagini is Voldemort's "dear", the closest thing he has to a girlfriend, and perhaps his favorite entity to possess. So that's how it worked: Voldemort possessed Nagini and then Wormtail cast a spell which allowed her to regurgitate Voldemort's soul into the victim of the dementor's kiss. The regurgitation might have included the body as well. Many snakes are capable of swallowing their victims whole and bringing them back up in the same state. If that's how it works, then Voldemort simply possessed Nagini while the hapless demented body was in Nagini's stomach. It fits with the slimy appearance. Babymort is blind. (For proof, see here). This also fits with the idea that the body is a used one. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and thus the part of the body most strongly associated with the unique soul. Unlike mouth and limbs, Voldemort wouldn't be able to use someone else's eyes. Rowling said, This theory gives a possible answer. According to the Ginnymented theory, Ginny has to somehow regurgitate Harry's soul back into his body after the final battle is over. Conveniently, Wormtail owes Harry some kind of debt. In Little Hangleton, Wormtail proved his unwillingness to make good while Voldemort was still around to protect/threaten him. Conveniently, that will not be the case after the last battle. Convenienly, Voldemort taught his "invention" to exactly one person: Wormtail. Scenario complete. Happy trails, Harry! |
| Hiding Inside the Mirror |
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"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas... You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone -- find it, but not use it -- would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking the Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes...." "Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen."Interesting, what? The Mirror of Erised has been suggested as a possible Horcrux (e.g., Degamo's Theory on HPANA) and that's still a good possibility. But I'm going to explore a slight variant: A Horcrux is hidden inside the Mirror. Almost at once, either variant draws the same kind of objection: That Voldemort's behavior was inconsistent with the notion that he was standing in front of his own Horcrux. But I have to ask: What behavior? "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"Despite the fact that Voldemort was with Quirrell at all times, Voldemort wasn't always paying attention. He was so weak that Quirrell questioned whether he should even face Harry! Thus even the most important tasks were left to Quirrell alone, who called on Voldemort only when he hit an absolute stumbling block. The phrase, "Help me, Master," proves one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt: Voldemort had not been helping Quirrell prior to that moment! What's more, the following line demonstrates that Voldemort knew, accurately and without hesitation, how to get the Stone out. Dumbledore's protection was well-designed because a wizard like Quirrell or Voldemort would be unable to see what he needed to see. But Voldemort wasn't fooled for a minute. In fact, his response comes almost too fast. On the previous page, "I don't understand... is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"Quirrell is totally clueless. Not only can he not solve Dumbledore's riddle, he doesn't even understand the basic operation of the Mirror. Beyond revealing Quirrell's ignorance, this shows that Voldemort did not know the Mirror was going to be here when he and Quirrell set out to steal the Philosopher's Stone. At the risk of beating a dead Hippogriff: Voldemort knew, instantly, how to work the Mirror and the nature of Dumbledore's protection. He'd encountered the Mirror before. "...knowing that he had set other obstacles ahead that only he would be able to penetrate."What's been done before can be done again. Voldemort could've pulled the same Erised-trick as Dumbledore, hiding a Horcrux within such that only he would see what must be seen to recover it. (Quick note: Rowling has said that Voldemort would see himself, immortal and all-powerul, in the Mirror of Erised. But Harry's experience in PS 17 proves that what you see in the Mirror depends on the situation.) Now we get to the trickier part of our speculation: What is Voldemort's catch? Maybe: "Only one who wants to find an intact Horcrux -- find it, but not destroy it -- would be able to get it. Otherwise, he would see the Horcrux destroyed." Nifty, huh? I think that's the simplest and most likely scenario, but I'm going to explore a more complex possibility, just for fun. The next-to-last barrier guarding the Philosopher's Stone was a Potions riddle involving poison and antidotes. The final barrier in the cave was a Potion that had to be consumed. What's been done before... Potions are best kept in cups, and Ron sees this in the Mirror of Erised: "I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup..."Foreshadowing for Ron's finest hour? If I were Voldemort and wanted to hide Hufflepuff's Cup in the Mirror of Erised, I wouldn't put it in empty. Horcrux or no, it's a very pretty cup and lots of people might like to have it for their collection. Instead, I'd fill it with a poison & antidote cocktail. Let's call it "poison group A" (consisting of several poisons) and "antidote group B", containing a blend of countermeasures but not the antidote for poison group A. Confused yet? Stay with me, this will all make sense in a moment. "Golpalott's-Third-Law-states-that-the-antidote-for-a-blended-poison-will-be-equal-to-more-than-the-sum-of-the-antidotes-for-each-of-the-separate-components."The trick for getting Hufflepuff's Cup, then, is this: "Only one who wants to drink the cocktail will be able to get the cup. Otherwise, they'd see an empty cup, but there is no empty cup in the Mirror" (just as there was no Elixer of Life inside the Mirror in PS 17). So to remove Hufflepuff's Cup, one needs what only Voldemort has: Foreknowledge of the precise cocktail. One would then mix up a blend of poison group B and antidote blend A. Then one would drink it. Deliberately drink poison? Oh, yes, indeed! With a belly full of poison group B (preferably non-instantaneous poisons), you'd want antidote group B -- which is floating in Hufflepuff's Cup -- more than anything. So you'd get the cup, drink the cocktail, counter poisons B, and ingest poisons A for which you had already consumed antidotes B. So to recap: Floating in the cup inside the Mirror: * Posion A * Antidote B What you drink before looking in the Mirror: * Posion B * Antidote A All that remains is a means for Harry to recover the cup. Unfortunately, the drinking/drowing/cup clues all point to Ron. We can only hope he finds a way to survive the unpredictable combination of deadly toxins. Just a wild guess: I think the Draught of Living Death (surreptitiously supplied by Snape?) might serve as a catch-all defensive mechanism where a bezaor falls short. If it shuts down Ron's metabolic processes, he might stay alive long enough for a proper antidote to be concocted. |
