(by 4 people)
Like so many millions of fans, I love and obsess over all things Harry Potter. And like just about everyone else, I have theories on what's going to happen in Book 7. I've even published one of them in a book, presented at The Witching Hour (a HP conference), and taught classes on finding the clues!
The focus of this lens is to form a how-to guide on picking up clues in the Harry Potter books and forming logical theories. This is purely a place for analyses of the literature with perhaps a glimpse into Book 7 and sources to form theories of your own.
What's On This List
A Table of Contents
- Links to more information on Harry Potter on Squidoo.
- A Guestbook
- A Poll (just for fun!)
- A Short Dictionary of Terms used by Harry Potter fans
- Read, listen, and watch the works of J.K. Rowling (six lenses)
- Extra reading:
-Harry's schoolbooks
-JK Rowling's influential books
-Books about Harry Potter - Where to find primary Harry Potter sources on the web
- An example essay
- Where to discuss your theories
- Where to publish your theories
The Pensieve
Leave Your Thoughts Behind
Am I missing your favorite theory or fanbook? Let me know so I can consider it.
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webseitler
Great lens! Have you seen Dumbledore is Not Dead? (http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/topics/dumbledore.html) Food for thought! ;) Posted October 02, 2006 |
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MeganCasey
You've got it all! Just wanted to say I love this lens. Thanks. Posted August 27, 2006 |
Poll
At the "An Evening with Harry, Carrie, & Garp" event on Aug. 2, 2006, Jo was asked who she would want to have dinner with, choosing out of the characters she created. Immediately she answered the Trio (Harry, Ron, Hermione), then paused and said she was trying to choose a fourth character out of those that survive the series.
Terms You Should Know
- Canon: a hard fact coming directly from the Harry Potter books, a reliable interview with Jo or her website, and sometimes the companion schoolbooks; it must be the basis for any theory (Note: the movies are not considered canon)
- Jo: the name J.K. Rowling said fans should use when referring to her
- HP: Harry Potter, abbreviated
- SS/PS: abbreviations for the first book, Sorcerer's Stone or Philosopher's Stone
- CoS: abbreviation for the second book, Chamber of Secrets
- PoA: abbreviation for the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban
- GoF: abbreviation for the fourth book, Goblet of Fire
- OotP: abbreviation for the fifth book, Order of the Phoenix
- HBP: abbreviation for the fifth book, Half-Blood Prince
- Shipping/Ship: Theorizing or Theories about relationships in the book, primarily romantic ones; pairings are denoted by naming the characters' initials separated by a slash mark,ex: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley = HP/GW; some "ships" have actual names (the good ship, Harmony, Orange Crush, etc.)
(Note: these theories are among the most hotly debated) - DD, SS, DM, RW, HG, etc: characters' names are sometimes written merely by their names' letters so Dumbledore becomes "DD," Snape is "SS," Draco Malfoy is "DM," Ron Weasley is "RW," Hermione Granger is "HG," etc...
Sorcerer's Stone
American versions of the first book
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Book #1 in Hardcover
Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Book #1 in Paperback
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Book #1 read on CDs.
Amazon Price: $32.97 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Special Widescreen Edition)
Movie #1 on Widescreen DVD
The DVDs are recommended; the extras are fun!
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Full Screen Edition) (Harry Potter 1)
Movie #1 on Full Screen DVD
The DVDs are recommended; the extras are fun!
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Video: VHS format
Movie #1 for those who still watch VHS (but be forewarned, the VHS versions are hard to find now!).
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Chamber of Secrets
American versions of the second book
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
Book #2 in Hardcover
Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
Book #2 in Paperback
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
Book #2 read on CDS
Amazon Price: $32.97 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)
Movie #2 on Widescreen DVD
The DVDs are recommended; the extras are fun!
Amazon Price: $12.49 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Full-Screen Edition) (Harry Potter 2)
Movie #2 on Full Screen DVD
The DVDs are recommended; the extras are fun!
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Movie #2 for those who still watch VHS (but be forewarned, the VHS versions are hard to find now!).
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Prisoner of Azkaban
American versions of the third book
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)
Book #3 in Hardcover
Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)
Book #3 in Paperback
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)
Book #3 read on CDs
Amazon Price: $34.62 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 3)
Movie #3 on Widescreen DVD
The DVDs are recommended; the extras are fun!
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2-Disc Full Screen Edition) (Harry Potter 3)
Movie #3 on Full Screen DVD
The DVDs are recommended; the extras are fun!
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Movie #3 for those who still watch VHS (but be forewarned, the VHS versions are hard to find now!).
This is the last Harry Potter released on VHS.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Goblet of Fire
American versions of the fourth book
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
Book #4 in Hardcover
Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
Book #4 in Paperback
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
Book #4 read on CDS
Amazon Price: $44.07 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Widescreen Edition) (Harry Potter 4)
Movie #4 on Widescreen DVD.
Be forewarned about this edition; there are No Special Features!
Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Two-Disc Deluxe Widescreen Edition)
The only way to get the desperately needed missing scenes and special features; Movie #4 on "deluxe" widescreen DVD
Amazon Price: $25.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Full Screen Edition) (Harry Potter 4)
Movie #4 on Full Screen DVD
Be forewarned about this edition; there are No Special Features!
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Order of the Phoenix
American versions of the fifth book
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Book #5 in Hardcover
Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Book #5 in Paperback
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Book #5 read on CDs
Amazon Price: $47.25 (as of 10/12/2008)
Half-Blood Prince
American versions of the sixth book
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
Book #6 in Hardcover
Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
Book #6 in Paperback
To be released on July 25, 2006
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
Book #6 read on CDs
Amazon Price: $47.25 (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry's Schoolbooks
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Quidditch Through the Ages
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
Harry Potter Schoolbooks Box Set: From the Library of Hogwarts: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Quidditch Through The Ages
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 10/12/2008)
On JK Rowling's Bookshelf
For futher understanding & appreciation
The Little White Horse
JK Rowling said Elizabeth Goudge probably most inspired her writing and has specifically and repeatedly mentioned "The Little White Horse," a wonderful book in its own right.
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
8 Books in 1: Jane Austen's Complete Novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Lady Susan, and Love and Friendship)
Jane Austen is JK Rowling's favorite author.
Amazon Price: $11.65 (as of 10/12/2008)
Oh, Play That Thing (Last Roundup)
JK Rowling mentioned Roddy Doyle as her favorite living author.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
The Barrytown Trilogy
Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 10/12/2008)
The Van
Slightly difficult to obtain, but explicitly found on Jo's bookshelf...
Amazon Price: $11.90 (as of 10/12/2008)
On JK Rowling's Bookshelf #2
There's more!
I Capture the Castle
Not only repeatedly mentioned as a personal favorite of Jo's, but some editions actually bear her remarks.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
The Five Red Herrings
For those who read Harry Potter as a mystery series, reading Dorothy L. Sayers will surely unravel some clues. (Though this title may appear on Jo's shelf as a joke.)
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
7 Books in 1: The Railway Children, Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet, The Story of the Treasure-Seekers, The Would-Be-Goods, and The Enchanted Castle
An author repeatedly mentioned in connection with Harry's story whose influence on Jo is obvious upon reading.
Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 10/12/2008)
The Adrian Mole Diaries : The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 : The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
These first stories in the Adrian Mole novels are no longer found on Jo's website, but they are fun reads anyway.
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 10/12/2008)
Companion Books
Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter (Analysis of Books 1-4)
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/12/2008)
New Clues to Harry Potter Book 5: Hints from the Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter
Amazon Price: $9.85 (as of 10/12/2008)
Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter (Analysis of Book 5)
Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 10/12/2008)
The Plot Thickens... Harry Potter Investigated by Fans for Fans
Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 10/12/2008)
Fact, Fiction, and Folklore in Harry Potter's World: An Unofficial Guide
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 10/12/2008)
Latest Leaky News
With one "yes" or "no" Jo kills entire theories (and the occassional website too!). Keeping up with the latest Harry Potter news is important so that your Harry Potter theories don't become dated.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byRemaining Questions
A Few Among the Many...
- Throughout HBP, there is imagery surrounding trunks and invisibility and objects being stuffed into trunks - all reminiscent of Mad-Eye Moody's imprisonment in GoF. Are the images in HBP suggesting a similar problem (i.e. a character being imprisoned or an impersonated)?
- There are a lot of descriptions of people looking like animals - Marvolo is like a monkey, Slughorn like a walrus (and his students clamlike!). Could these animal descriptions have any meaning?
- Both Merope and Tonks lose their powers because of their unrequited love; Harry separates himself from Ginny at the funeral because he cares for her so much. This seems to mean that Harry will face-if not unrequited-unfulfilled love in Book Seven. Will his powers be affected?
- Dumbledore clearly never trusted Tom Riddle so obviously Dumbledore does not trust *everyone*. Why, then, does he trust Snape?
- Mundungus Fletcher is jailed in Azkaban for impersonating an Inferius. He has been stealing from Grimmauld Place too and there was a (now infamous) heavy, gold, unopenable locket there in OotP. Should Mundungus's arrest affect Harry's horcrux hunt?
- How exactly does the potion surrounding the fake Horcrux affect its drinker? Does it create fear or regret? Is it like a dementor or the Cruciatus Curse in potion form?
- An archway lets Dumbledore and Harry into Voldemort's dark cave that is filled with enchanted dead Inferi and a potion that seems to almost kill. Similarly, an archway in a sunken pit supports the mysterious black veil that kills Sirius, who had lived as Snuffles in a cave for almost a year. Is there any connection between these deadly arches? At any rate, what do they say about JK Rowling's thoughts on death and the afterlife?
- Fans (including this one) generally believe the mysterious R.A.B. to be Regulus Black but Dumbledore says the protection surrounding the fake Horcrux is so well done that one person alone cannot penetrate it. So who helped R.A.B.? Should we also wonder who prepared the horcrux's protective potion?
Quick Quill
- Harry Potter Lexicon
- An internet encyclopedia of everything Harry Potter that's so extensive, even Jo admits to checking it sometimes!
- Quick Quote Quill
- Some theories just won't die and Jo needs to shoot them down verbally. Other times, you've just thought of something new about Book 7 and need to see if she's said something about it already. Either way, if Jo's said it, this site has it archived.
Dumbledore's Mysterious Final Words
An Analytical Essay Example
"Severus...please..." are not Dumbledore's only final words that are puzzling. As he ingests the horcrux cave's potion, he also says some mysterious things. Harry takes Dumbledore's words to mean he doesn't want to drink any more potion, but surely his words point elsewhere.Harry is forgiven for misunderstanding; Dumbledore starts out his pleading with "I don't want...don't make me..." (UK HBP, p534). However, his eyes are closed as he says this and he looks like he is "dreaming a horrible dream." Perhaps the potion acts on Dumbledore as dementors do on Harry - forcing him to relive a horrific event and physically weakening him.
When he moans, "don't make me," Dumbledore seems to refer to his own past actions, not his wish to stop drinking potion. Continuing, he pleads, "It's all my fault...I know I did it wrong...I'll never, never again"(p535). Surely drinking potion is not Dumbledore's fault nor did he do something he did wrong. There is nothing else occurring in the cave for him to directly refer to. He is reacting to something he alone sees.
Dumbledore's pleading escalates, each individual statement forming a narrative when taken together. He seems to either be imagining or reliving a horrible experience, one involving his witness of the injuries or deaths of other people.
"Don't hurt them...hurt me, instead" Dumbledore actually begs. Were people tortured in front of Dumbledore? He does scream, "not that, I'll do anything." Whatever Dumbledore saw made him wish for death and he actually yells, "KILL ME!" (p536).
Dumbledore acts child-like as he's speaking (Harry thinks he is "like a child dying of thirst," on p536). Could this point to Dumbledore seeing people harmed when he was young, just as baby Harry witnessed his parents' deaths? We know little about Dumbledore's family and yet, Jo said, "Dumbledore's family would be a profitable line of inquiry," in her Mugglenet/TLC interview.
Harry's understanding of Dumbledore's words could be crucial to his own choices in Book 7. Dumbledore did successfully vanquish the Darkest wizard of his age, Grindelwald. If this destiny was forced on him by his parents' deaths, Harry could really gain some insight from better understanding these final words of Dumbledore's. Maybe one of the first stops on his horcrux hunt should be the Aberforth Dumbledore's haunt, the Hog's Head...
This editorial and all other site content copyright E. Goldman, 2006.
New CoS Forums Posts
When you're ready to share your theories
Start by sharing your theory on Mugglenet's Chamber of Secrets forums. Getting others' input reveals new clues and can unravel faulty logic, all making your theory stronger.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byPublish Your Theories on the Web
- Mugglenet
- The most well-known place on the internet to publish Harry Potter essays, Mugglenet has been specifically praised by Jo.
- Scribbulus
- An off-shoot of The Leaky Cauldron, Scribbulus takes an academic-journal-type approach to fan-made theories. If your theory is unique, well-written, and well-researched, try applying to this site.
