Tonight, Tonight

A few final pre-release thoughts about Harry Potter. (The Harry Potter posts will stop dominating this blog soon.... I promise.) I made some predictions in this post... but why miss a chance to embarrass myself and make a few more? =)

So here goes (and try not to laugh too much if you're reading this post after you've finished reading the book).

Ginny will do something amazing... and it will involve cats. I'm not sure if she's an animagus.... but she seems to have a special affinity with cats, particularly Crookshanks. Also, adjectives and descriptions of her frequently are cat-like. If I'm right about this... it will make the following line from book two absolutely brilliant: "Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover." (Chamber of Secrets, Scholastic paperback, pg. 146). That would mean that line not only works when re-reading Book 2, but is actually an important detail for the whole series.

We will FINALLY find out about why it is important that Harry has his mother's eyes.... and why Lily had a good wand for charm work. (Every time I read that Harry has his mother's eyes, I think of a rejoinder from the Mrs. Doubtfire movie ... "not unless he fills out a donor card.")

Aberforth Dumbledore (see this post for more about him) will be important because he's been an incredibly minor character until now.

There's been a lot of speculation about will Harry live or die. My friends and family (who all know that I'm an obsessed Harry Potter fan) keep asking me what my prediction about this is. My answer is that I don't think it will be that simple. It's hard to guess anything at this point (without looking like a complete idiot tomorrow).... but I feel sure that there's more to it than just living or dying.

So enjoy reading.... and don't forget to savor the book as you tear through it. My first step (while exiting the parking lot at the bookstore) is to pore over the table of contents. These may feel like extra pages that are in your way of getting to the first chapter, but I found that in Book 6, Rowling did some fantastic psych-outs with the chapter titles and I'm looking forward to seeing if she does it again.

Have fun at the Harry Potter release parties. If you're debating whether or not to go at midnight (it's just a book after all).... just go. It's the last book, the last party... it'll be worth staying awake for. If you haven't found a party in your area, check out the extensive listings at Potter Parties.

As for me... I'm retreating to a cave (well, figuratively- see the new poll on the right side of the page) until I've finished the book. I'll post lots about it when I'm done.... with gigantic spoiler warnings. I always finish the books very quickly and can't find anyone to talk to about it. I would LOVE to hear your opinions about the book... e-mail me at wizardwireless@gmail.com or post to the comments section, but please put Spoiler in the heading.

And then, I promise, I'll get back to writing about something other than Harry Potter.

Enjoy the book!!!!!

Update: Check out the acknowledgements on J.K. Rowling's official site. Click on the pink eraser on the desk. The Room of Requirement will open for you.... there's no secret code for getting past the door this time.