False alarm.

[icarus]

It turns out Amazon was just striking terror in my heart covering their bases. I got the book on time and should not have believed random emails about "we might be late." *panics again*

Have read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Loved it. Though if I knew someone about to read the HP series right now, I'd tell them to wait until the next book is out because, while this is not quite a cliff-hanger, it's so close to one as to leave you a little hungry.

Comments

[mark356.livejournal.com]

I didn't think so at all; I thought it was a great place to leave off! But glad you loved it.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It's a terrible place to end it. Either

1) Snape is really a DE and killed Dumbledore (which I don't buy as it's clearly a set-up with that freezing charm D performed on Harry and Snape's protecting H -- again -- and only defending in that duel); or

2) Snape is going into deep cover and killed Dumbledore (because, why? Dumbledore was going to die anyway? Dumbledore was that sick -- funny, he was getting around an awful lot for someone one his deathbed; seems to me he was more busy than sick. Since when do we kill off our most valuable asset in the middle a war, sick or not? Just for Snape's cover? It's not logical.)

3) Snape is going into deep cover and Dumbledore's done the same. (But we have Dumbledore's body, and witnesses.)

Of all of these, 1) is the most logical, but there are all sorts of signs that's not the right answer. Dumbledore sacrificing himself seems a bit dodgy and excuses of his being sick don't quite hold water. That scene felt too well-planned for it to have been a mistake.

We still don't know what that potion Dumbledore drank does, or why he was acting so oddly afterwards. Since he risked both himself and Harry in that adventure obviously it was very important.

Unlike the prior books, she has not resolved the primary plotline. The majority of the questions remain unanswered. This is clearly a book within a story arc and it doesn't stand on its own as well as the other books.

When the story is complete this will probably be my favourite (love that spell of Snape's, and the dark moment at the end where he hits the road and the potions text). But for now it's left a lot dangling.

Including me.

Oh, and it needs more Percy. ;)

Icarus

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Or Dumbledore was pleading with Snape to be killed.

Snape's under an Unbreakable, Dumbledore ought to know exactly what was in that charm, he drank the potion and it slowly killed him, it- *flails* seems to point that Dumbledore knew that all he worked for was done and that he had finished his job. He did teach Harry all about Riddle that same year too. It disturbingly makes sense.

And when Harry calls Snape a coward, he reacts far too violently, which may be because he can't bear to be called a coward after he obeyed Dumbledore's orders to kill him.

*flails again*

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Erm. Reply to your above reply.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I read Garlandgraves post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/garlandgraves/3409.html) and it is very convincing. But I'd rather think for myself.

If this ending were planned, then there's no way Dumbledore would be dead. But if Dumbledore wasn't expecting to be poisoned or near death and this isn't planned, then yes, two Legilimens would be able to communicate and come up with this quick Plan B.

It fits better with JKR's overall goal of isolating and putting the responsibility on Harry's shoulders.

But I'm not sold and will wait for the next book for answers rather than speculation. We don't know what that substance was. We don't know if it was poison. We're making an assumption there, and it's clear to me that what happened in that cave is far more important than anything and the standoff and Snape's betrayal is yet another of JKR's red herrings.

My theory is the substance Dumbledore drank was one of the parts of Voldemort's soul, and Snape's AK killed that.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The most important part is: what did Dumbledore drink in that cave?

I should mention my private theory that the liquid was one of the parts of Volemort's soul (perhaps the part that Dumbledore thought might be in Nagini?), and Snape's AK killed that.

Icarus

[ajuxliapose.livejournal.com]

They did that with my mum who bought a book for my sister over christmas. mum was in a sate of panic.

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

A *little* hungry? Gah!!

*wibbles*

[electricandroid.livejournal.com]

My pet theory of the day - Drinking the potion made DD a horcrux. Have to reread to check if it follows through - but could make sense? Hence death of DD = one less horcrux (man I don't like that word) in the world?

[electricandroid.livejournal.com]

HAHAHHAHA

Just saw this AFTER posted comment

We rock. :D

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Nice theory. The potion being a part of the soul was my first idea, too, and I was afraid of what that might entail. As it is... I don't think it is; the note by RAB (whom I think is Regulus Black - we know he wanted out of the DE and was killed for it - maybe he got back at Voldy the only way he could, knowing he was dead anyway) seems to imply the Horcrux was taken away. Although that begs the question; how come the potion is still there? Did RAB have another way of getting the Horcrux? Did *he* put the potion htere? Was it there before RAB took the Horcrux? So many questions...

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've thought similar things, myself. And Dumbledore said that about Harry's blood being more valuable than his own...

And I still think Dumbledore is not so foolishly trusting as people think he is. I think he *does* have something on Snape. I think Snape's made him an Unbreakable Vow all those years ago... There are plots within plots here.

[marksykins.livejournal.com]

I agree that it was a quick Plan B, too. But definitely planned in that short space of time.

[scary-sushi.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree that it needs more Percy.

Out of all your endings, I suppose 2) has one of the most viable chances: we know Dumbledore was cursed and 'lost' his hand. It is very possible that the curse wasn't entirely lifted, and he could have been dying all along, but at a very slow pace (think of it as cancer: sometimes people discover metastased cancer in its terminal stage while having a random check-up). That's why he could have been overexerting himself trying to find as much information as possible very quickly.

Apart from that, we know someone (most likely Regulus Black), had already stolen the locket. I don't remember who posted about it, but they said Regulus had to have drunk the liquid to get the locket. It looks like Dumbledore knew that, and yet he still drunk, probably thinking Regulus hadn't reached the Horecrux : having seen what the liquid had done to Regulus, he warned Harry about its effects, and he knew he was going to die. I really, really hope it's all an elaborate ply to get Snape back in the DE's and Voldemort's good graces, but... The only thing which makes me twitch is: who's going to believe him? Dumbledore's dead and no one trusts Severus. Does he really thing he can off Voldemort alone?

Except if the Order find a memory of Dumbledore in his office which explains the whole thing...

[mark356.livejournal.com]

That was what I hoped when I first read it, but I wasn't quite sure about the specifics of that last section.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'm still reeling at its being a cliffhanger. Of course it's a cliffhanger. It's just--insane that it's a cliffhanger. We know. We know that Snape did all that on Dumbledore's orders. That Dumbledore begged Snape to kill him because either he or Snape was going to die, and he didn't want Draco to be a murderer, and Snape had to keep his cover, and he didn't want Snape to be the one to die--they'd agreed on it, and he was holding Snape to it. Why in god's name does that need to be a cliffhanger if we KNOW?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

What makes me suspicious is the vagueness about Nagini being a horcrux and the fact that at least one of the horcruxes is not a special talisman. Then there's the fact that V probably had one horcrux left over when he was unable to find a talisman or item from Gryffindor, and the fact that V was pretty casual about his bits o' soul.

And, frankly, the theory that Dumbledore just threw his life away drinking the poison to get to one of the horcruxes... then said nothing, there was no sound of disappointment or anything of the kind when he found it wasn't, then his strange behaviour outside Rosmerta's?

What I'm seeing here is a pattern that tells me that whatever Dumbledore drank, it was much more than just a poison of some kind. There is a conscious silence surrounding it.

A horcrux fits the need to AK Dumbledore, and fits the need to have a particularly powerful wizard drink it as well.

Icarus

[nykohl.livejournal.com]

Yes, but we were led to believe Regulus wasn't very high up in the ranks of the DEs, so how is it he would have known about the Horcrux? It Hardly seems the type of thing that would be common DE knowledge. And Voldemort would have been careful enough to make sure nobody else (especially not Regulus Black) would have found out about it, back when he and Regulus were alive.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm sticking with my theory that the green potion was one V's horcruxes, and by drinking it D became a horcrux. Thus the need to AK him. Thus the need for a great wizard to drink it (anyone less it would completely take over). Thus his strange behaviour outside Rosmerta's.

I'm convinced that whatever that stuff was, at the very least it was much more than a poison. Otherwise it doesn't make sense D would sacrifice himself and not at least mention "oh shit, I'm a goner and all for nothing."

I reeling from the cliffhanger, too. But given where it is in the series (and the need to build drame for the last book), she had a choice between writing a cliffhanger, or writing a transition chapter. The cliffhanger was the better choice.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to fight for the theory, because it is conjecture.

What I do insist is that we don't know what it was Dumbledore drank. We are assuming is was just a poison of some kind. JKR has led Harry to that assumption, and there is an established pattern of Harry's assumptions being dead wrong dating all the way back to book one.

I do insist that it had to be more important than simply a protection that will kill the person after the talisman. It doesn't make sense that Dumbledore would sacrifice himself for so little otherwise.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It covers their asses in case something goes wrong, but I notice they wait to tell you when it's hard for you to cancel your order or find the item someplace else.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

So... that was something of an understatement.

It's going to be years until the next book. *blinks* The fanfiction world is going to go nuts.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It's definitely a group assumption there. All Harry knows is that Snape was the one who leaked the prophesy and that Dumbledore feels he regretted it. But Harry's stating this is the cause for Dumbledore trusting Snape as if it's fact, when Dumbledore never said that.

Beware Harry's endless assumptions.

Icarus

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

True. But somebody knew.

I'll admit you make some very good points. At the same time, I just can't imagine JK making R.A.B. a new character we've not heard of before...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

But here's the problem with 2) -- it's based upon an assumption. We have to assume that Dumbledore was dying.

We don't have much evidence for that. It's a possibility, sure, it could be like cancer, but the case for it is weak.

The problem with all the conclusions is we don't know what it is that Dumbledore drank. Since we're left in the dark about it, and it's clearly important or Dumbledore wouldn't have risked both himself and Harry.... well, let's just say I'm deeply suspicious.

Icarus