I think maybe they're in the Forbidden Forest, and I have a pretty good idea that that mysterious man is the "He looked rather like an old lion..." man, because in that quote he said the man was limping, and this man is carrying a cane!

Oh, this is excellent. The publicity on these books is amazing; they keep making us think we're done for til it gets released, and then show us something new.

I agree with Kool kat, this is likely to be the guy described in the excerpt, though my first thought was "HBP!". Could we have been outsmarting ourselves and the HBP really be the guy from the excerpt?

This looks like the Forbidden Forest to me, too. So why are Dumbledore and Harry in the Forest with a strange hermit?

Another question: are they following him, or is he leading them? What I mean is; are they sneaking around? Doesn't seem like Dumbledore to be sneaking around, but the guy is awful far ahead of them....

And then, if you look in the window of the shack, there's a person shaped shadow. Perhaps this mystery man is leading the two of them to the HBP? But then that throws my sneaking around theory out the window...

Ah...just two more days....

Yeah, the guy in the forest probably is the one discribed. To me, it seems as though Dumbledore and Harry are following him, because he has to show them something in the house.. Or, he could be a Death Eater or something and is trying to lure Harry and DD away from Hogwarts, because, like Kool Kat said, it does look like they're in the Forbidden Forest. But if it is the FF, then why would someone want to live there? So..maybe the guy that DD and Harry are following could be the HBP, showing them his house..deep into the forest.
Right, QQS, two more days (for me) and all our worries will be over..(that is until the seventh comes out)

i think the knife embedded in the tree may have some form. of signifigance,... or it could be there only to add atmosphere

MOD EDIT: No double posting, please. I've deleted your second post; it was exactly the same. If you haven't yet, please read the rules. Thanks, Mason.

This is fantastic. I agree with Quality Quidditch Supplies, Harry and Dumbledore seem to either be following this strange man or are being led by him.

Is that a snake on the door??

And is that a bat flying over head?

I'm so excited...for Dumbledore to accompany Harry to this strange house in the middle of what appears to be a forest, this has to be something big! Right?

**bursts into multi-colored flames because he can't wait any longer**

I think that the man is Character X and the knife was his and he was using it to cut down the limbs and branches. I don't really know what the house is bbut my guess is probably Spinner's End maybe. Who knows? We will find out in 2 days

Looks like a question mark on the door as well.

Perhaps Harry and Dumbledore are following someone in the Penseive like Harry did for Snape's memories last year or for Dumbledore during GOF.

Well, the snake on the door makes me think that the house is somehow related to Slytherin or Voldemort somehow. And QQS was right about the following or sneaking question. Harry and Dumbledore -do- look like they are sneaking around. As for the location, one would only guess the Forbidden Forest.

But is this man character 'X'? With the cane it seems likely. As kool kat pointed out, he could have a limp.

i think that harry and dumbledore are looking through the pensive, that would explain why they are wearing pajamas. maybe they are looking through godric gryffindor's pensive (which could be the one on the front cover) and he is the man with the cane (character x). the house that he is going to would be salzaar slytherins, seeing as it has a big snake on the door. maybe we will find out what exactly happened between gryffindor and slytherin. i dont know why the knife could be there... scary.

And there are 2 bats flying to the right in the trees. And it rather looks like a snake on the door, not a question mark.

We don't have long to wait.

OMG, I thought that was it for the releases!!



God, they don't half keep us wound up, don't they? I feel so sorry for everyone's parents...imagine, it's like Christmas Eve in July....

Anywho, it seems to me that they might be viewing a memory...possibly of that old guy (who certainly does seem to be a likely candidate for Character X) who might be a relation to Voldemort? Could that be where Voldemort's mother lived after her husband left her? It does seem as though he was the one with all the money, after all...maybe she went to that cottage to have Tom and maybe that old guy looked after them both for a while...sort of their keeper. I don't know....I'm just playing with ideas and I've been very influenced by LLTWK's absolutely outstanding fanfic I, Voldemort...which you really should read if you get some time...

ok i take back what i said about that guy being gyrffindor, now that i think about it he wouldnt be in those clothes considering how long ago he lived. but i think bc theres a snake on the door that house has to do with either slytherin or voldemort.

is that smoke coming out of the window on the far right? or a whisp of something white...
i dont think its the forbidden forrest must be somewhere else.

The man doesn't look like Character X. I think "loping grace" despite a slight limp doesn't describe the squatty character hobbling down the path with a noticeable absence of a "mane of tawny hair" (unless he tucked his hair up into his hat, or very short hair is now called a mane).

Could the man be Peter trying to repay the debt he has to Harry by leading them someplace where they can get important information that may help Harry defeat LV? Or maybe he convinced them he was trying to repay his debt and is now leading them into trap.

It also makes sense that they could be in a pensieve memory, since they don't seem far enough back that the man wouldn't notice he's being followed, but they're not necessarily close enough that he is their guide (though his being a guide is still the most likely explanation).

I think the shadowed figure seen in the window is the more important unknown character--that's who they're going to meet.

And the wisp of smoke coming out the window is too apparent to just be something to add to the mysterious ambience. It's got to be significant.

Don't they know that the only one's who pay attention to things like the release of more cover art have probably already ordered their book online or will buy it at midnight? Why do they torture us so?!

Because they're a bunch of sadists....

I don't think they're wisps of smoke though...looks more like nets or curtains caught by the wind.

The shadow in the house is interesting though...and that knife, definitely...that has to be significant because it seems so out of place, you know?

Guys, if you look closley in the window there's a shadow of a person! Wow, this is all getting so complicated! I don't know how this could be the Forbidden Forest, because there's a house there.

Edit: Ooops, sorry, I didn't think anoyne else had seen the shadow!

Maybe the knife's just to accurately depict the scene in the story, as in:

"As the shabby old cottage came into view, their unlikely guide thrust his machete into a nearby tree and hobbled up the pathway before them."

And I guess it could be curtains, but why's that window open and the others are closed? Did someone just sneak out of the house because he or she saw the group approaching?

Dana, you're flippin brilliant!

I wondered why DD and Harry were so far behind the guy; too far to be being led by him, but not far enough to be hiding. They could very well be in a pensieve. But then we go back to whatever that basin was on the US cover and the back of the UK cover.

Gah...this is getting on my nerves. I wish they'd either release the summary or nothing at all til Saturday.

Maybe, like Albus-wan said, DD and Harry are in a memory. And, the man is Peter. It could be a memory of when Peter was going to Voldemort to take care of him, after he escaped from the trio, Lupin, and Sirius.. And so, the shadow could be Voldemort.. It said that Voldemort was hiding in forests of Albania, so that could be where they are.. Pretty unlikely..
Dunno how they would get that memory though, and why.

I guess, that house is Godric's Hollow. ( i still believe, that Godric is the HBP, and this cover really fits into my theory )

Its weird, that in each cover, there is Harry with DD. He may help him a lot...at least more, than in OotP. I think he and Harry are following that man. It looks like as if they were hiding in the shadow of the tree.

Is it a question mark or a snake on the door? Its hard to tell
And there is someone in the house.

I havent got a clue, who that mysterious man is. My first thought was Moody, but now, i dont think its him. He is smaller and a bit chubby.

About the knife: i dont think it belongs to that man. If you take a closer look, you can see, that the knife is rather high, Harry couldnt reach it, and that man is definately smaller that Harry.


Gosh, 2 dasy to go

this is confusing, th house in the picture is Hagrid's house near the forbbiden forest or is that house inside the forbbiden forest?

by the way : first message in veritaserum

Edit:
No, now I see that it can't be Hagrid's house, it certainly looks like it's in the forest

is it me, or does Harry not look very scared? it looks like the Forbidden Forest to me. i also agree witht he people who are saying that this man looks like the one the one that Rowling described int he excerpt that she relased on her web site.

only two days now! cant wait!

Ok, has anyone else noticed the serpent on the door? I mean, that's usually a symbol of the Death Eaters or Voldemort. The other thought that popped into my head is new headquarters for the Order of the Pheonix, but this is kind of unlikely. Because Dumbledore and Harry look like they shouldn't be there. And I was thinking, the man in the window, could it be Pettigrew? All of my theories contradict eachother, but those are them. We'll know in 2 days though!

As many have already said, i think its the guy that was described in the excert (Or however the heck you spell that xD)...

Anyways, Im wondering why theres a knive in the tree, and what that house could be. Maybe thats another "riddle house", or, a place where Voldemort killed people. I guess Im really quite a noob to this.

*Runs off*

i really dont want to try and guess what the house i because itll probably be wrong, but i cant help thinking that it is somewhere connected to dark magic, because of the serpent. it looks quite scary though! really cant wait for the book! ive actually got the day booked off work...

Have you notice there is a bat ?

each of the books have got staeaily darker, and this one has got to follow that pattern. all of what has been released seems to be creating unease and tension, sot hats probably what the books going to be like.

i remember reading somewhere that jkr said that there will be lighthearted moments as well. and afterall these are aimed at children, so im hoping that it isnt going to be too scary...

First off, it looks like they are in the forbidden forest. The trees around them are old and very close together, as the trees have been described in earlier books. Then, there is the knife. I’m not too sure what this could mean. It might be a sort of marker to a secret place. The house in the background… we have not been here, if it is indeed in the forbidden forest. The man, I’m guessing, is the Character X that many have wondered about. He has the same look to him as he is described. He has a cane for his limp for instance.

There seems to be a shadow of a person in the window. Who could this be? Possibly a companion. friend or servant. But something that really catches my attention is the snake on the door. I’m guessing that this is a snake, because I don’t think that it would be a backwards “S.” Perhaps that could be a certain sign? Which brings me to think that this house might be a sort of headquarters for DE’s or something like that. The dark mark is a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth and wrapping its body around the skull.

Dumbledore is with Harry, which is something that we don’t usually see. Typically, Ron and Hermione are with Harry when he goes sneaking off. Perhaps what they are doing or are about to do, cannot take place with Harry’s friends? Or perhaps they are off doing something else possibly back at the castle?

This deluxe cover art is full of little clues that we will probably catch up on while reading the book.

Youre not alone in hoping thay theyre frequent! Harry really needs a laugh! thx for the hint by the way, im new to this so i dont have a clue!

without fred and george, do you think that we will get some new 'trouble makers in chief'? i hope so, though no-one could evere replace the weasleys!

the knife int he tree...is it a possibilty that someone has thrown it? probably not, because ient he magic world, they would not attack with a knife, but just a thought

i think that is a picture of the riddle house and that dumbledore and harry are sneaking to it through another route rather than out in the open.








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"GET AWAY FROM ME WEREWOLF!!"

Hey guys...can I just call a bit of a time out in this thread before I go

Chuffed to pieces though I am that so many new people are coming here, you guys are giving me a headache... Double posting, one liners...everything you shouldn't be doing!!

So can I just say a very warm welcome to the VTM forums to all our newcomers! We're pleased to have you here and I hope you all enjoy yourselves but PLEASE take a couple of minutes to read the rules for the forum that you can find linked in my signature...before my brain explodes....

Thanks.

It looks like they're in the Forbidden Forest. However, if they are, what's up with the Centaurs? are they avoiding them cleverly? Have they made some kind of a deal? I recall the centaurs being, um, somewhat displeased the last time wizards entered the Forest.

Most wizards wouldn't use a knife much (not a normal one anyway) unless they were trying to be sneaky. You'll recall Sirius was going to use a knife on Peter/Scabbers in PoA.

I could be totally wrong because I haven't read the third book where they give the description of the shrieking shack in an infinity (and Alfonso's may have been incorrect in the movie of how it really is placed), but I have a theory that because Dumbledore and Harry are behind a tattered fence and the house is indeed spooky looking that the shack could possible be one we have heard of amply in the past.

I don't think that this scene takes place in the Forbidden Forest, although if it isn't, I have no idea where else it could possibly be.

That snake on the front door is rather interesting, however. It is almost identical to the snake inside of the ring. This could be where Harry gets it.

Makes sense that the guy in the hat is Character X, though at first I thought it could be Fudge. As for the shadow.....got me. Pettigrew, Character X, Lupin (I liked that idea), and countless more are all possibilities.

What I really want to know (because it would give so much more info, and its really non-descript) is what that loose/broken sign by the smoking window says.

This makes me MAD for the picture of the Articale there is the back and i wanted it to be a surprise. I HATE veritaserum!!!

MOD EDIT : Well you shouldn't have clicked on the link then, should you? It was hardly a spoiler. You're not going to give us trouble now, are you? I've yelled at quite enough people for one day...

If you hated Vertiaserum why did you join? Anyways if this house is inside of the forbidden forest why aren't Dumbledore and Harry all scratched up. This place looks very dark so it has to be deep in the woods. I really think that they are in a memory.

This is going to ruin my chapter chronicles!! Oh well, I'm happy to see it!! now i'm starting to think about who walked with a cane, and Frank Bryce is all I can think of... and Hagrids house is the only one I can think of in the forest. Unless Grawp and his Lady Friend get a house...

DOH! I cant get the big picture to load on my screen, so I'm going to have to go by the small one.

Just a guess, but I dont think it's the Forbidden Forest either. I think it might be a place called the Black Forest, it was mentioned very briefly in GoF so I'm going to go with that. It certainly looks Black.

I definately agree that Dumbledore and Harry appear to be walking around in someones memory from a pensieve, but who's I've no idea. It could be the guy with the cane or possibly the shadow at the window.

It probably is a good bet that the man with the cane is the lion-like character. We cant see his face, but I bet he has a big bushy ginger beard and side burns.

About the knife. It could be an Athame, though we haven't seen those mentioned in the books yet. If it is, it may have certain magical properties, or more likely, Dumbledore may be trying to get a look at the markings on it?

Cant pick up any more detail than that on the small pick (stupid server!) Why does it have to play up today?? *groan*

When I first saw the picture there was something familiar about the house.... the door to be exact. I compared the inside cover of OotP to the back cover art.... and the doors seem a lot alike... the only difference is that the snake on the door of U.S. edition inside cover (I'm hoping in the other ones, too) the snake is a tad smaller... but mistakes can be made, right?

So, I'm going on my little theory of it being Grimmauld Place. Not definite, of course, but give it a thought. Yet then there's that thing.... the fact that Grimmauld Place isn't inside a big forest but on a street between two old houses. But I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

I wish good luck to us all... at surviving the three day long wait until HBP comes out.

Very interesting. If JKR never does anything without a good reason, I wonder why she would choose now of all times to release the image?

I doubt that the cottage is in the Forbidden Forest - it's definately dark enough in there and all, but I would go with the suggestion that this is the hut Voldy was hiding in in a forest in Albania, that the man with the cane is Pettigrew, and that this is Harry and DD viewing one of Peter's memories through a pensieve. One hole in that theory is that Voldy would hardly have been capable or standing unassisted at the window like that at the time when Peter found him. Unless that IS Peter at the window looking out, and the mysterious figure is somebody else entirely coming to visit (possibly the HBP or Character X or both).

As for the knife, the bats and the smoke/curtain blowing out of the window, I think those are all just to add atmosphere to the scene. What somebody thought looked like a half broken off sign near the window, I believe is just a broken window shutter hanging on one hinge (there's also a shadow of another such shutter near the silhouette window).

And has anybody realised that Mary had drawn these cover images based on only scraps of information? There is a possibility that the picture contains minor errors that are incongruous with the actual event(s) in the book they depict. If, for instance, she received the information 'Harry and DD hiding in the trees, watching a mysterious man with a can walk towards a cottage where another mysterious character is living' she wouldn't have known that it was Voldy (if it in fact is) and so wouldn't have known he wasn't capable of peering out the window like that. JKR would have seen the art long before it was shown to us, and would have corrected anything she didn't like - but it's possible she left in small errors just to throw us off.

But enough prattle from me, I (like the rest of the intelligent literate world) can hardly contain my excitement! Less than 2 days!

almost the second i saw it i thought that it might be the way to get to the thing on the american cover (pensieve thingy?) like under the house was that river and ...oh i dont know.... But i love that picture!!!! Can't wait till the book comes out. After that- another 3 years of waiting till the 7th book comes out.

I immediately thought the mustery man was Fudge. Short, narrow-brimmed hat, not quite a bowler, but maybe he wanted something more casual seeing as that he's no longer a ministry official. Eh, it's probably not him. We'll find out soon enough anyways.

I just realized while reading the thread. Some one said something about how it couldn't be griffindor because of his clothes. Does anyone else think he is dressed like a muggle???

I am a huge fan of the artwork for all the Harry Potter books released in the US. I love how the pastels give the pictures a wispy feeling.

I thought it might be a Muggle too, but if the scene is in the Forbidden Forest....I mean, what the heck would a Muggle be doing in the Forest, you know? And what are the ramifications if is indeed a Muggle?