for the record

[topaz]

I've been saying this for months, but I wanted to get it down in writing before tomorrow:

I think the half-blood prince is going to turn out to be Draco Malfoy.

If I got runner-up guesses, I would have said Snape or Hagrid. But my money's on Draco.

Comments

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Mine's on Godric Gryffindor. :-)

[ceo]

I don't see how he could be, unless the family tree described in the previous book is inaccurate.

On the same subject, however, I'd like to note for the record my long-standing prediction that Dumbledore gets the chop in this book.

[jacflash.livejournal.com]

If the chop-ee isn't Dumbledore, I'll be very surprised.

And I don't think the prince is Malfoy, either, though I don't have any better guesses.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

There would indeed have to be some new information about Draco's lineage to make it work. But it's the perfect solution for two reasons. One is the grand irony of mixed blood in the Malfoy family, given how obsessed they are with the purity of wizard blood. The other is that it would continue the theme of bringing unity to the wizarding world that the last book started, beginning with the Sorting Hat and continuing through the rift between wizards, giants and unicorns.

I'm curious that everyone bets on Dumbledore being the one to get the ax here. How come? Was there a specific prediction or foreshadowing that I missed?

[ceo]

No, but the theory is that the wise and powerful mentor has to be taken out of the picture at sme point so the hero can do his hero thing.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I bet it's Gollum!

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Well, she's setting it up to be Neville, so you must be right. :)

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Setting it up how? Because of the bit about the ambiguity in the prophecy from the last book?

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Well, I haven't read the books in *quite* a while, but I remember having the feeling before the last book that she was setting Neville up to be something unexpectedly grand, and THEN there was the prophecy thing. Hm. If I reread them, I'll tell you what I mean.

[pancua.livejournal.com]

My money is on Neville

[wolfkitn.livejournal.com]

i'm thinking of going to the burlington B&N at midnight to enjoy the mayhem...

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Willow Books in Acton is doing a midnight release party. I'll be there with Morgan either till midnight to pick up the new book, or whenever he gets tired and wants to go home. :-)

[wolfkitn.livejournal.com]

i'm home. mayhem it was, with the line snaking its way through the parking lot. we didn't do a thorough search, but we did come across one dedicated mom and kid pair who we knew -- had been there since 7pm, and they were pretty far back in line! yikes.

i do still have to order or get my copy, though. :)

[mizarchivist]

Actually, I just reread #5 last week. I think Harry's the half blood prince. I know- too obvious, but there you go. I know she'll keep killin' 'em off. My money is on Neville, too. Or one of the older Weasly folk. Woot, new book!!

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Nah, she already denied in public that the half-blood prince was either Harry or Voldemort. :-)

overanalyzing children's literature

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

stephe pointed out that the titling pattern thus far has been Harry and the something else, so the Halfblood prince isn't likely to be Harry. It might be Voldemort--he's a half-blood--but probably not any of the Weasleys or Malfoys (or Hermione) as Rowling's made it clear that they're all pure Wizard/Muggle.

Another co-worker described the death as "heartbreaking"; I'm betting on Dumbledore too, but there are 4-5 other possible characters.

[mizarchivist]

oh- I'm pretty sure "half blood" really doesn't count for Draco anyway given how much he makes of his pure lineage.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

But dude! That's why it's so perfect! Wipe that smug smirk right off his trap!

[mattlistener.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking otherwise since V already embodies the irony of a half-blood who's fanatic about being pureblood.

My guess is that the half-blood prince is a character we haven't met yet.

[sconstant.livejournal.com]

It is tomorrow in some places. Aren't the most intrepid fans going to go to the dateline, in order to be the first and the last people to get the new book, all in the span of 24 hours? When do we start hearing from Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands (a dependency of NZ) about how it ended?