Harry Potter Book 7 Theories

Ron Weasley and his family are not actually blood traitors. Let me explain: The whole relationship starts with Ron seeking out a place to sit on the Hogwarts express. He has his pet rat which is well passed expiration. But somehow this wizard family does not recognize the longevity. He is continually absent in someway whenever Harry needs him. In the Philosopher/Sorcerer’s Stone he fights the devils snare. He makes Harry go by himself to face Voldemort. Chamber of Secrets has Ron failing to join Harry in the Chamber. He traps himself on one side while Harry goes it alone. Yes, Ginny does lie in the Chamber. But as Bellatrix Lestrange indicates the pureblood deatheaters would gladly sacrifice a child for Voldemort. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron is confronted by the longevity of Scabbers. He supposedly hates this rat yet fanatically chases after it and is vehement in his accusation of Crookshanks. He won’t let go when a Grim or Dog grabs him and carries him to the shrieking shack. He does not want to let go when Sirius and Lupin try to show that the rat is Pettigrew. It’s almost as if he is aware of the nature of Pettigrew. Once again Ron is unavailable to assist Harry because of his newfound devotion to Scabbers. Goblet of Fire shows Runs true nature appearing. He is angry and what he sees as Harry’s betrayal. But, what is most interesting to the story is that Mr. Weasley is not present when the Deatheaters are spotted. And it takes a long time to find Harry in the woods. He alone gets separated completely from the others. Plus, Ron has a change of heart after seeing the dragons and tells Harry even though he is mad. In Order of the Phoenix, Ron does not figure a way to get away from Umbridge. Ron gets small curse of tongue tiedness to prevent his help in stopping the deatheaters. In Half Blood Prince, the most interesting things of all happens. Mrs. Weasely is horrified that Bill wants to marry a halfblood in Fleur. Not until he is damaged goods does the marriage become acceptable to Mrs. Weasely While the DA is protecting the castle with the OOTP, Ron and Ginny are the ones who are watching the room of requirement. The purebloods are guarding the purebloods. How convenient that Draco is able to get by them with the Peruvian Darkness Powder from the Weasely Twins. And the feisty and determined Ginny, relinquishes Harry quite easily in the end. A pureblood family that has remained pureblood. How can they be bloodtraitors. Ron seems is the one who drags his feet so often. He traps Harry in the Chamber of Secrets. He is angry at Harry, but tells Harry to find Hagrid whom Barty Jr. is encouraging to tell about the dragons. He is of little use at the Ministry of Magic. His family has Black lineage if you trust JKR family tree. And if you believe the statement that only Slytherin House magicals can become bad/evil. Remember, Pettigrew was a Griffyndor. And so is Ron. And Ron is the one who made the statement. And if you will notice the ominous tones of Pureblood Names: Black Lestrange Malfoy (bad act) Black Goyle Gaunt Longbottom Crouch Weasely fits right in. BTW: If you point out Neville being a good pureblood wizard. Remember her was mistreated by his pureblood family out of fear he was a squib. And, the purebloods betrayed his family by the torture curse. Deadly Hollows takes place in what should have been or will be Harry’s seventh year. That is when James and Lily fell in love. She is a muggle born of exceptional ability. So is Hermione. She fights beside him according to the prophecy. So does Hermione. And James was betrayed by his Griffyndor friend who just so happens to be close to Ron in the first three books. Perhaps, the anvil comment is a little bit unfair to those who are actually reading the books. -Theory by Erv

One ongoing questions throughout the series is what were the occupations of James and Lily Potter? I believe Lily Potter was one of the unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries. In the department they were experimenting or working with the power of love. Perhaps this is the reason that she didn’t leave the house with Harry when Voldemort attacked; she knew that if she sacrificed herself for Harry a protection would be put upon him. Yes, I think, because of her job, she knew what she was doing when she sacrificed herself for Harry.

-Theory by Jamie

Could Aberforth be the barman of the Hog’s Head? Dumbledore speaks very little about his brother, Aberforth. In fact, the few times he is mentioned it sounds like it’s of no importance. But the few times has led me to wonder about Dumbledore’s brother. The first time Aberforth is mentioned is in the GoF when Rita Skeeter writes about Hagrid’s mother. During the talk in Hagrid’s hut between Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and Dumbledore, Dumbledore says, “My own brother Aberforth was charged with doing illegal charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide. No he did not. He held his head high, and went on with his business as usual.” Possibly the Hog’s Head? In the OotP, Mad-eye Moody shows a photo of the original Order. He mentions Aberforth. Also, in the OotP, the first meeting of Dumbledore’s Army takes place in the Hog’s Head. Harry describes the barman as tall and thin with long grey hair, a beard, and looking slightly familiar. It sounds a bit like Dumbledore, and if they were brothers, they might look alike. The bar also smelled something like goats. Aberforth did illegal charms on a goat. I think this is a connection. And finally, in the HBP, during the memory of Voldemort requesting the job, Dumbledore lists all the Death Eaters that are in the Hog’s Head. Dumbledore explains it as “merely [being] friendly with the local barman”. I would say “Oh, my brother Aberforth is the barman of the Hog’s Head, and we talk a lot, but don’t tell anyone.” But of course, who would tell Voldemort you were related to a barman? And that would be too obvious for us. I think Aberforth and Dumbledore were closer than we thought…maybe even close enough to share the Horcrux secret. Could Aberforth be the key to locating the Horcruxes?

-Theory by Smart Aleck

This theory is of my own invention, it has to do with Lily Evans’ job status. What did Lily Evans do for a living? Book 7 gave me a clue; Slughorn tells Harry, over and over, that his mother was gifted in Potions. Recently I watched Prisoner of Azkaban and it made me wonder… we know Snape was making Lupin his Werewolf Potion but who made it for him at school? Was it Lily? Could this be how Lily was there for Lupin, by his own admission, when “Nobdy else was”? Or was the wolfsbane potion even around then? Could Lily, the gifted potionist, have had a hand in the creation of it? Perhaps after Lily graduated she ( I hope I am using this term right) became an alchemist.

- Chelsea Currier

Who’s R.A.B. and where’s the locket? I personally think that R.A.B. is Sirius black’s younger brother. Why? For one, he addresses the letter to “The Dark Lord” and only death eaters call him that; Regulus was a death eater. Secondly, Sirius shows Harry a tapestry of his family tree, and why would JK show us that unless it had a meaning? On the tapestry Sirius shows that his brother’s name is Regulus Black and the ‘A’ in his name could have been after his mother’s cousin Araminta or any other Blacks whose names began with ‘A’. Thirdly, the Horcrux. Regulus could have stashed it in the Black house which would explain the locket hidden there in OoTP. Lastly, because the letter in the locket is addressed to ‘The Dark Lord’ and because whoever wrote it was stealing the locket, we know that R.A.B. must have been a former Death Eater turned good; the description, again, fits Regulus Black.

- Theory by Chereez

Zacharias Smith and Hepzibah Smith both share the same surname, and after the “Mark Evans” fiasco we can be almost certain that this isn’t a coincidence. Hepzibah Smith is the heir of Hufflepuff, as revealed in “Half-Blood Prince”, and was killed by Voldemort after he had stolen from her the cup of Hufflepuff, which he presumably used as a Horcrux. It is highly probable that Hepzibah is related to Zacharias, making him the heir of Hufflepuff. From what we can see of Zacharias’ personality, especially in “Order of the Phoenix”, he does not possess any of the traits that make one a member of Hufflepuff house. He’s certainly not kind and caring. So how is it that he was placed in Hufflepuff house, when he was much more suited to Slytherin? I say ancestry. His blood - the Sorting Hat recognized him as related to Helga Hufflepuff, and naturally put Zacharias in her house. I’m not sure what significance this could possibly have in Book Seven, but Zacharias Smith could be linked with anything to do with Hufflepuff’s cup. If it is a Horcrux, it is likely that Zacharias is the key to finding and/or destroying it.

We all know that, come July 31, the blood protection Harry’s mother bestowed upon him will end. What if Voldemort knows this and chooses that night to try and rid his world of Harry Potter for good? Or will Petunia, the only living relative that shares blood with Harry and loathes his existence, be able to do for him the same thing his mother did?

It seems unlikely, seeing how she doesn’t act remotely like a mother towards him. But, she takes him in, knowing the possible danger it could bring to her own family, and she insists that he stay even when Vernon is ready to kick him out. Granted, she has the claws of he wizarding world on her back when she does all of that, but I believe she would have taken him in regardless.

Petunia always speaks lowly of her sister, Lily, but I think deep down she really did care for her. Harry’s aunt was always upset that her parents paid more attention to Lily, seeing how she was the first in the family to be a witch, and that made Petunia resent Lily. I can’t say that I blame her - I’d be jealous too. But deep down, Lily still was her sister and she still loved her. It’s like ‘my’ mother always says, ‘it’s amazing how easy it is to love somebody, but not like them’. So I think that Petunia loved her sister, but disliked her because clearly she was the favorite of the family, or at least in Petunia’s eyes she was. So out of respect for her dearly departed sister, she willingly takes Harry in out of love, but treats him badly out of dislike.

So, if Voldemort was to attack the Dursleys on the night of July 31, would Petunia give her life up to save Harry in the same way that Lily did?

But why would she do this? Possibly out of respect for Lily, but most likely because this is the only way Harry could defeat the Dark Lord, for the moment, and it would save Dudley and Vernon as well. Petunia is not ignorant of the wizarding world. She knows that Voldemort could kill her family shortly after wiping out Harry, or possibly even before. If Dumbledore explained everything to Petunia in the letter that came with Harry, like he says he did, then Petunia should know exactly what her sister did to save Harry.

JKR said that there was more to Petunia than meets the eye… could this be what she was referring to? Could Petunia make her last stand for her family and (unintentionally) the wizarding world?

Of course, Voldemort will come back since he has Horcruxes still out there, but at least that will be one less that Harry doesn’t have to find. Perhaps Voldemort will use the one that Harry didn’t know of.

- Written by forums member That Old Black Magic

Draco has not exactly crossed over to the good side, but I think his inability to kill Dumbledore may put into question what path he will choose in the future.

He has always been attracted to the dark side, and it’s no wonder, given his upbringing by two Death Eaters. However, I think now that he’s faced with the reality of what it means to serve Voldemort, he will question his allegiances.

- Written by forums moderator razzberry2.

I thought it was significant that Draco was confiding in Moaning Myrtle. She was killed by the basilisk, so she is most likely muggle-born. The scene where Harry catches him crying shows such weakness on Draco’s part, in the face of Voldemort’s orders, that it would seem he cannot be a loyal servant to Voldemort.

Also, does anyone think Snape’s promise to protect Draco will result in Snape actively trying to convert him to the Order’s side? The two of them running off together at the end seemed to indicate that.

- Written by forums member adilee.

Narcissa Malfoy loves her son very much. We can see this in the chapter where she and Bellatrix go to talk to Snape; Narcissa literally begs Snape to take care of Draco because she knows there will be harsh consequences, instituted by Voldemort, if he fails. I think Narcissa will be very important to Draco, especially now that both he and his family are in danger.

I also think Narcissa will die, either from Bellatrix or from Voldemort himself. If so, her death will affect Draco, and so he might not be quite as interested in joining the Dark Side anymore.

The only problem with Draco going over to the Light Side, however, is: Who’s going to help him? Dumbledore offered Draco help; he said that by Draco being on the right side, he and his family would have more protection. However, Dumbledore is dead, so who does Draco have to turn to?…Nobody.

Unless the Aurors, Professors, students, and even Harry can try to save him from Voldemort, Draco is very much dead, Dark Side or not.

- Written by forums member silverness.

On page 187 of Half-Blood Prince, Professor Slughorn states that he took Felix Felicis “twice in my life, once when I was twenty four, once when I was fifty seven…”

My guess would be that he was twenty-four when he started at Hogwarts and was fifty-seven when he retired.

If we look at the dates, we know that Snape was given a job at Hogwarts after the death of Harry’s parents, which occurred in 1981. Also, we know that he had been vying for a post at Hogwarts at the same time as Trelawney, who was hired in 1979.

So, if Snape was hired at the beginning of the next school year, after the death of Harry’s parents, it would be 1982, which would make Snape only twenty-two years old. But if this is true, and my speculation that Snape replaced Slughorn is correct, then Slughorn would have been fifty-seven in 1982, making him twenty-four in 1959, and born in 1925.

This, of course, does not work because Slughorn was Tom Riddle’s teacher, and Riddle was born in 1926, and started at Hogwarts in 1937. So, what we do know is that he was teaching in the late 1930’s as well as in the 1970’s, as he taught Snape, the Potters, Sirius, and Lupin, who all began in 1971.

We also know that Horace knew Draco’s grandfather, Abraxis Malfoy. Draco’s father was born around 1945, so Abraxis was probably born after 1900.

Seeing as Horace tells Riddle that he has a number of contacts who could make Riddle the Minister of Magic, he most likely had been teaching for some time at Hogwarts to make such powerful and varied contacts.

Anyway, I would think the first time he used Felix Felicis was when he started at Hogwarts (this would be roughly the same age as Snape when he was hired). He had been teaching for a number of years by 1940, so I would place Slughorn’s birth around the turn of the century or earlier. As such, the fifty-seven date does not necessarily hold to anything of consequence.

- Written by forums member Draven5.

I have absolutely no idea why Voldemort would abduct an ice-cream man .

The only reason I can think of is When Harry stays at the Leaky Cauldron in PoA and spends his days in Diagon Alley, he does his homework while asking Fortescue for some wizarding history to help him complete it. He seems to know quite a lot. Perhaps he was involved in some organization, or worked by himself, to stop Voldemort. To prevent Fortescue ruining his plans, Voldemort has him kidnapped? Also, He [Fortescue] is very well learned and could probably give Voldemort important information about ancient magic [Voldemort describes the protection Lily gave to Harry as “ancient magic”].

Theory by forum member Padfoot12.

Ollivander…change the letters… ‘an evil lord’

He disappeared from his shop in OoP…was he captured…or did he go willingly. Where did he go? Did he go to the so-called dark side??

IF; he is evil, is it possible that he gave Harry the brother wand of Voldemort on purpose?

-Theory by forum member glamourchochang

Bumblebee, another forum member, has a different take on Ollivander…
I think that Ollivander is one of those people so immersed in his own profession and so clever in his own field that everything else seems relatively unimportant to him.