For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?

This column will not extensively analyze the recently-released slip cover of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Deluxe Edition.’ This will probably be my last ‘Pre-HBP’ Column. Ironically enough, it doesn’t deal with future events in the ‘Potter’ series; rather, it deals with past ones.

I have felt a growing suspicion that ‘Half-Blood Prince’ would delve more and more into the lives of four people who are long-dead: the Founding Four wizards of Hogwarts. My suspicions were elevated as this new slip cover was released. (I will describe why later in the column.)

The Chamber

One of the first things we knew about Book 6, perhaps even before we knew the title, was that it would have a particularly close tie to Book 2. Putting the other information we know about Book 6 aside, what issues did we learn in Book 2? We learned, first and foremost, about the Chamber of Secrets. We were introduced to the Half-Blood versus Pure-Blood rivalry. We learned something about the House elves, and we were given information, pertaining to the Chamber of Secrets, about the Founders of Hogwarts, in particular, Salazar Slytherin. House elves aside (sorry, Hermione), I believe that this data can be easily woven together.

We know that Salazar Slytherin was a Pure-Blood (thus one person is eliminated from the HBP List. If only Mark Evans were so fortunate), and we know that he exhibited some of the ‘blood supremacy’ qualities that are present in the Malfoys; and, ironically Voldemort. These attributes eventually isolated Slytherin from the other three Founders: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, causing him first to create a Chamber of Secrets, and eventually to leave Hogwarts.

Let’s hold our thoughts. Why did he create the Chamber of Secrets? Dumbledore explains that he hoped his Heir might one day use the powers within to purge the school of Half-Bloods. But was that the only Secret (it is, after the Chamber of Secrets, plural, as Matthew and I have both previously noted) contained there? After all, it wasn’t a very good secret—every member of the Wizarding World knew about this feature. So what else is…or was contained in this Chamber? Prophecies? Riddles? A deadly archway?

The Archway

I think it’s highly possible. What purpose would this archway have served for Slytherin? He could have used it to kill Half-Bloods, yes…but he had the Basilisk for that. Perhaps, it was used as some sort of Transportation Device to the Netherworld (unlikely). Or perhaps it was used as a ‘dangerous enchantment’ Dumbledore referred to that Tom Riddle applied to himself to increase his power and hyperextend his pathetic life. This is all pure speculation, of course—I don’t expect that anyone will guess what the Veil is or does until JKR tells us. It’s much more useful to theorize about how the Veil came to be in the state and location it was in for Book 5.

It’s also very likely that if the Veil were in the Chamber of Secrets, then Voldemort got a hold of it later. If Voldemort found use for this Veil, it follows that the Veil could have been removed from the Chamber…which could explain how it ended up in the Department of Mysteries. After all, Voldemort’s old things are apparently floating around the Wizarding world, such as the Diary and the Wand.

And just how did Lupin know anything about the Veil, when apparently nobody else had. Sirius, of course, may have known about it, but that is a moot point. It is possible that he knew someone who knew something about it. I’ll just get to the point: Were James and Lily Unspeakables? That profession was introduced in Book 5 for some reason.

Was Salazar Slytherin responsible for the Pure-blood Prejudices as we know them? Before I was given the opportunity to write regularly for ‘The Sugar Quill’ here on veritaserum, I wrote an essay called “Using Logic: The HBP” in which I present the theory that Godric Gryffindor is the Half-Blood Prince. The Theory goes something like this: Gryffindor and Slytherin were good friends, but Slytherin was jealous of Gryffindor’s wizardly prowess. Gryffindor was a much more powerful wizard than Slytherin in all fields. Slytherin became increasingly jealous (spot the Ron parallel?) and he eventually decided that the only aspect in which he was superior to Gryffindor was his heritage; that is, that being a Pure-blood made him superior to Gryffindor, a Half-Blood.

The feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin explains a lot. In (yet another) stroke of literary brilliance, the finale of “Chamber of Secrets” was deeply symbolic. It portrayed Harry defeating Tom Riddle, yes; but on a larger scale, it was Gryffindor defeating Slytherin, who were manifest, respectively, in the Sorting Hat (did Fawkes once belong to Gryffindor?) and Sword, and the Basilisk.

Additional information about the Hogwarts 4 could have easily been placed in Chamber of Secrets. Logically, Ms. Rowling’s first instinct would be to include the entire story line into Book 2. On second thought, however, she realized the need for Harry to learn this information later. This explains why “Chamber of Secrets” feels slightly removed from the plotline; it hasn’t been tied in yet.

The Cottage

You’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with the Deluxe Edition Slip Cover. That’s an extremely good question. If you examine the door to the cottage, it appears that there is a large green snake on the door in the Shape of a Reverse ‘S.’ If Salazar Slytherin ever had a residence in the creepy forest, it would be this dilapidated thing (although Conventional Wisdom says it is Godric’s Hollow, the site of Harry’s parents’ deaths). More than anything, I think this signals that Harry and Dumbledore are, for whatever reason, embarking on a journey to discover something about the Hogwarts 4, which will take them on a perilous journey involving Penseives (American and British editions), Fire (British editions), Old Forests (American Deluxe Edition), Some sort of old book, possibly about potions (Adult version, cover page of American Edition as seen on the video).

My instincts tell me that Dumbledore and Harry are embarking on an Indiana Jones-like quest that will include riddles, adventures, and a chase. (Which, will ultimately result in Dumbledore’s death.) Perhaps they are tracking down something that relates to the Veil.

To Conclude

I cannot wait to prove myself wrong by reading the book. I know I haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg on the Secrets of Book 6. After Friday, all my columns up to this point become Null and Void, and I have to start rebuilding theories. But it’s all worth it…two days…