Writer's (Chopping) Block

Yaaaaahoooooooo!!!! Harry Potter and the half-blood prince is going to be released on July 16th 05. However, JKR has also announced that one more of her characters is going to die in this book. You can be sure that speculation is going to be rife all over the globe as to who this character would be. Here is my two-penny worth of the same:

1. Harry: Impossible. JKR has ruled that out herself.


2. Ron/Hermione: Tempting but unlikely. They are two of the main characters of the series and nicely paired up. Also we have already had Ron vs Harry and Ron vs Hermione fights and a Harry vs Hermione fight is due.


3. Neville Longbottom:Neville is about to get his own wand as his father's broke in the last book. Also the fight he put up might boost his confidence and self-esteem. I expect to see Neville develop a lot in this book and pose as a serious threat to Ron as far as Hermione is concerned. (Might that be the reason for a Harry vs Hermione fight?) It would be tempting to see him die bravely fighting Death-Eaters but it would be a waste of a good character. Also remember that according to the prophecy, Neville was the second candidate for destroying the Dark Lord. Now however Dumbledore may interpret the prophecy, any lawyer worth his salt will be able to conjure up atleast ten different interpretations. So Neville might not die just yet.


4. Dumbledore: I sincerely believe that if a poll were to be conducted on this question, Dumbledore would be the winner. But I don't think JKR will kill him off just yet. The ideal time for him would be the middle of Book 7.


5. Arthur Weasley: He is the quintessential family guy and too low down the ladder in both, the Ministry and the Order. Unlikely.


6. Lupin/Moody: Prime Candidates. For one both do important work for the Order and are routinely in harm's way. Second, Wormtail has got a silver hand and Lupin is a werewolf. Both are sort of mentors to Harry though Lupin is more so being his father's friend.


7. Percy Weasley: Another prime candidate. He has already shown himself to be extremely ambitious. Infact he is a young Mr. Crouch and it's completely possible that the Dark Lord will use his nature to trick him.


8. Hagrid: Again, tempting but unlikely.

As you can surmise from the list above, my votes go to Percy and Lupin. Now to cross our fingers and wait eagerly for July 16th.