As I read at the end of Half-Blood Prince the phrase "One last golden day ... with Ron and Hermione" (HBP page 652), I wondered what that meant. Was it referring to the day they left Hogwarts, or a day later in the summer? Does it give clues to Harry's rough adventure flying solo, or just the opposite? What are your thoughts??

I think it was referring to Bill and Fleur's wedding day. And it being the last golden day meant that it would be the only time he would truly enjoy himself for awhile or until he defeats Voldy or something. Because that's all Harry's living for now, his purpose is to defeat the Dark Lord and avenge everyone he lost and he won't be happy until he fulfills this mission.

Just letting you know that I'm going to move this thread down to the Post-Book 6 area, where I think it is of better fit.

Shout out if there are any questions

~Pix

What struck me as odd is the fact that Harry thought of only one day left of peace. Does he expect to fail? Does he expect to do everything without them? Would JK Rowling let either of these possibilities happen??

"One last golden day" is an extremely provocative phrase, particularly when one breaks it down thusly:

I doubt anybody fails to grasp the significance of the number one in this series, particularly now that Harry believes he is the Chosen One.

"Last" could be a hint about the last book, the last chapter or even the phrase heard from the broken prophecy orb in OotP, "... and none shall come after." So does this word too apply to the One?

Who is most closely associated with the color and metal gold in the books?

And therefore, who could also be most significantly represented by day itself, as in the time of the sun and light, as opposed to the darkness that so pervaded HBP? Will this Founder's hour of greatest triumph finally come at the end of the series?

I think it probably means that this is the last time Harry will get to enjoy himself, or at least to feel a little bit of happiness - one last golden day in the sun before the storms hit. Looks like the last book is going to be pretty dark. I guess that means lots of death and unforgivable curses and traitors. I kind of liked Phoenix because such a lot of it took place outside of Hogwarts so I have big hopes for the last book. I like reading about classes and things, yeah, but it's great to see the characters outside the school setting sometimes, and I think that's probably going to be a large part of book seven while Harry's hunting his horcruxes.

Maybe Harry will get injured like Dumbledore was, or maybe Ron or Hermione will. Or maybe Voldemort will find out about the way he feels about Ginny and use it against him anyway Yeah, potential for a lot of storms and darkness there

So by comparison to all that, Prince was a pretty light book really

It's weird how the phrase sounds so negative! I mean, the connotation of the word "gold" is usually a good thing, but it sounds pessimistic like it won't end well. And really, it's a shame because I don't think Harry will have that last day exactly. I mean, when has JKR ever let him have a good time at some great event where something didn't go wrong? I can't think of anything. That means, I don't know, maybe the Death Eaters are going to crash the party, maybe something will happen prior to this last carefree time. I just have a feeling it won't go smoothly. Anyone agree?

Yup. It would be a little boring just to read about a wedding, wouldn't it? A gate-crash by a posse of Death Eaters would be far more interesting And would certainly start off the book with a bang!

I personally think that he was reffering to the wedding at the Weasley's house. It's kind of depressing, though, that he thinks there's only going to be one...

I think that Harry won't have a completely happy time at the wedding. Ginny will be there, all pretty and who knows what kind of pain that will cause Harry. As for the day of peace, I think it's the wedding or the time he'll spend with Ron and Hermione when they still have the time to be with eachother.

well i think they meant at the wedding because that is the conversation they were having they said
Ron - Well you are still coming to Bill and Fleur's wedding right
Harry - Yeah i am
Harry thought in his mind - at least he coming have one last golden day...with ron and hermione

and i agree with Amyrat151 i hope him and ginny get back together at the wedding and who is going ot catch the flowers at the wedding or don't they do that in the wizarding world.

"One last golden day with Ron and Hermione", because after Voldemort is defeated, Harry will start his golden days with Ginny
I think Harry tries to enjoy any days he has now before he has to think about defeating Voldemort. The golden days may refer to the "carefree life" he had, when Dumbledore was still there to protect him, while he enjoyed high school. Now Harry had to face Voldemort without any backing.

yay yeah he will be spending all of his days with ginny because him and her will get married and have kids and live in godrics hollow sorry that was kind of off topic but it is true and i can't wait to read the 7th book because of him seeing her at the wedding and what if ginny catches the bouquet at the wedding and that would prove her and harry are going to get married

I think it means that it would doon be harry's time ti go and not enjoy himself because he would have to prepare to beat voldeemort so that probaby ment that his enjoyment time is just about to the end

I think it meens that now i whole new chapter in harrys life is about to unfold. That day is the last of his worryfree days so to speak he now has to worry about all the horcruxes and rounding them up, defeating LV he has so much on him now and i think it ment that was the last day he had nothing to worry about.

On the surface, it would appear that the phrase referred to when they see each other again at Bill and Fleur's wedding. However, I think it has a much deeper meaning. But, just what that meaning is suppose to be is open for debate. I tend to agree with what Snuffalupagous said in his (her?) post. Hard times are clearly ahead of Harry and his two best friends!

Ha i acctualy didnt think about it referring to bill wedding (nice ). But think about what that harry was thinking, he says he is not going back to hogwarts and he is going to hunt down the horcruxes and LV. He is ready to fight and die in this war, He is ready to kill LV. He see's nothing but dark roads ahead of him. so that would be his last golden day.

It refers to Bill and Fleur's wedding. I might be mistaken, but didn't the book say 'at least' something. I will have to look over that again. I think the line is supposed to further hint that their road will be dark and dangerous. I am willing to bet that the wedding will not be the last golden day for the trio.

Yeah, a while ago (sorry, I haven't been here for months! ) Sacred_Feminine said that the Death Eaters will probably crash the party. I definitely think so. Possible dire events include: (1) there will be some other trouble, as in something happening elsewhere while they're having the party, (2) Something will happen the night of the wedding, or (3) The Death Eaters, on a rampage or purposely staking them out, will crash or threaten to crash. It's sad, but has JK Rowling ever shown us readers an event that didn't have some unexpected purpose?

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

-- Robert Frost

This is a famous poem by Robert Frost and what it means, or atleast the way I understand it is that everything you once had, all the things that you knew, everything, that will change. No matter what it is, life changes. And I think what Jo means is that this day, this time of peace where Harry was at ease at Hogwarts, is over. That phrase is leading us into the murky depths and the battles of what is to come. The time of innocence for Harry is voer. That time has gone and past.

I think it is brilliant wording on Jo's part.

Here is the full quote, before I go any further:


There, you see, Harry may be talking about the wedding, or he may be talking about that moment just then as they sit near the lake. I will go with the wedding, but I am not one hundred percent sure. That would be my educated guess, though. But yes, still, that wedding is like the closure, or the gateway, between what Harry knows to be life of innocence and the life of tracking down Voldemort. He sees the path, he knows what he has to do, but he also looks forward to the few moments of innocence he still has...

i think that the one last golden day is refering to bill and fleur's wedding...i think that harry is preparing himself for what he has to face, and he knows that as soon as the wedding is over, his whole life is going to change...

but i don't understand why he said one last golden day...i mean yehh ik that he believes the the wedding is going to probably be the last happy memory he will have for a while, but i mean before that, he still has a life to live...and why not make the best of what he has at this point instead of just waiting for the worst to come?

Im confused by that, I wondered what that meant aswell. I think it might of meant the lat day of peace for Harry because hes got loads on his back to worry about, like Ginny, the Weasleys, Hermione, Horcruxes, Dumbledore and Sirius' death, Voldemort, Death Eaters. To much for a guy really.

I'm not confused by the statement at all, and I am not sure why everyone else is .

Harry is clearly pessimistic about what will come in the future, but I don't really blame him considering when he made that statement (Dumbledore dead; Snape betraying them; the fake Horcrux and an uncertain future). And as Harry said a few lines up, it suprised him that something happy could be happening in the middle of all that is going on (I'm suprised that Bill and Fleur are so stupid [and I mean that as nicely as I can, don't get me wrong] to have a wedding going on in the middle of a war, but oh well - if DEs don't attack and people die, I'll be suprised).

I thought that line was actually rather beautiful. HBP seemed to split the trio up quite a bit due to love and drama, but that line and the scene itself brought them back together and stronger than before for "one last golden day" before the end of the book and then we know that they will come together again in book 7 and then we will go straight into the drama of the final battles.

It actually reminded me a lot of the end of GoF where we see HRH walking off together.

He was refering to Bill and Fleurs wedding, saying that at least he has tht last golden day of peace to spend with his friends before he has to go horcrux hunting.

Poor Harry-he deserves more than one day.

Pretty much what 62442al_man said is what i believe to be right.