I can't believe she killed off that character!!!!

Book 6: HP & the Half-Blood Prince Forum

All talk of the character and/or characters that JKR killed off MUST go in this thread.

Okay, since I won't be in here for a while, I'll just pick a character or two and react to their death NOW.

OMG!!! I can't BELIEVE they killed Mrs. Weasley!!! She was so great to Harry, and she took care of everyone so much! What is her family going to do without her?! Ron and Ginny are still in school and they have no mom now. At least the others are out of school. Oh man....I feel so bad! And how she died, too! Jeez! People'll be talking about that death for months! So....unexpected. Kind of eerie, also. Gives me shivers. Man, I think I need a tissue, thinking about Mrs. Weasley's death. Too bad, I liked her.

not sure if it works like that but oh well ...

Yea it was sad for me as well, what is everyone going to do ... the only real mother figure Harry had

Okay, and my other person to react to: Worm Tail


He deserved it.

Wortails has alot to do in this book for him to be killed off in it !!!

Well ... somethings about Wromtail ...

His hand is silver, meaning he may kill a warewolf or two (Remus)
He ows a life debt to Harry, maybe give his life to save him !!!
Hes a really wormtaily character ... dont rats try to weasel out of everything?

Hmm...I'm not sure you get the whole pre-reactions. Supposed to be reactions to the book as if we already read it, not speculations as to what may or may not come.

How about we wait until the book comes out.

Yea Pip, people will look at the date of this post and see thats there is only 14 days 14 hours and 55 mins BEFORE the book comes out

Well I'll be hiding from this thread when the book comes out, so I can't really come in here then

Well you could always read the book quickly, then your be in here quicker and it wont be like the 3 people who post in HP fourm of INR (although i think all the people who havent talked for a while will come back, once they read the book, it always happens that way)

YES! We are in July now!

Omg, I'm trying to explain to my non-geek friend who Hal is. She just doesn't get it! Makes me sad for her sheltered, non-geek life.

Before i say this, make sure youve read to the end !!!



















































I cant beleive she killed Dumbledore and snape did it ... I supose he was bound by the promise to narcissa from the beginning

Spoiler!!!



Snape is the Half-blood Prince? WTF? That mo-fo double agent. Now we all know why we hate that sunovabich. We all thought that he was a reformed bad guy who just hated Harry for personal reasons. I hope that bastard gets his in the 7th book.

M.

I wasn't surprised about Snape killing Dumbledore, or Dumbledore dying anyway, but I WAS surprised about Snapey being the HBP...:O

Dumbledore dying was a strong possibility, but everyone thought that would happen in the last book. And Snape was trusted by Dumbledore. But I haven't read the book so I shouldn't hate his character too much yet. He may still redeem himself.

M.

p.s. Do we find out in this book the reason why Dumbledore trusted Snape so much?

Snape had to kill Dumbledore, at the begining he mad a pacted with malfoys mother that he would finish the job if draco didnt

I kind of ruined the book for my self ... the first bit i read was Dumbledore being killed ... but oh well, i never much liked suspense

I think Dumbledore died to give Harry enough anger to kill Voldemort, he knows His secrets about his passed now doesnt he

She killed off our Dumbledore. I went into the book wondering if Snape was the HBP, so I was not shocked. I still could not believe that he actually killed him. I just remember Sirius saying in POA "we would have died rather than betray our friends." Still, you have to wonder if Dumbledore made Snape promise to protect Harry at all costs. Could it be that Dumbledore knew his time had come, knew that his death would give Harry the anger to perform the killing curse?

I wondered at first who the HBP might have been, it could have been james, Snape, or a number of others (i ruled out Lily, because of the "prince" thing (although slug said she was good at potions))

I knew it couldn't be James because he was a pure blood, Lilly was muggle born, so out of the old crowd it had to be Lupin, Severus, or Hagrid.

It was hardly supprising that Dumbledore died, I mean most people thought he would die anyway. It was supprising how and who he was kiled by, but not supprising that he died.

I don't believe anyone truely knows where Snapes alliegances lay. Of course you would think with Voldemort now but then there was the pact he made with Narcissa in the begining.

However can we actually be sure who he was truely working for?

That big spider died as well, aragog, his funeral gave harry the chance to get Slughorn's memory ... and imortant information

Hi everyone, I know it's been forever and a day since I last dropped in. But after finishing the book, I knew there was nowhere better to start discussing it than here. It's strange, while reading it I was getting ready to start criticising the book after I finished it because of how pedestrian I thought the first 500 pages were, but then the final chapters blew me out of the water and totally redeemed the book! God knows how they're going to film this one without slapping an R rating on it!

Warner Bros need to buck up their ideas. I've had daydreams that lasted longer than 4 hours...now where the hell am I?

On an internet forum talking about it, rather than acting on them. I would write down those dreams, you never know, you might be the next Big film director, or story writer, or JK Rowling

Juts stating my observations ...

thinkers think, doers do!
and dreamers dream, just like you

when dumbledore said tyhis what did he mean .... could it mean he might have survived? admittedly it was before snape came.

I read the book and I realized one important thing that Dumbledore said in Chamber of Secrets and that Harry repeated to the Minister in Half-Blood Prince about Dumbledore not being completely gone as long as those loyal to him remain at school. Now we know for sure that there is a portrait of him now in the Headmaster's office, and there might be some other way for him to leave something of himself behind too.

I wonder what happened to the Fawkes? We do know that he left the premises. Harry thought he saw a phoenix arise from the white flames at Dumbledore's funeral. Was it Fawkes who created the flames?

I think that we have not seen the last of Dumbledore, just like we have not seen the last of Sirius. And his portrait in the office will not be the only thing.

M.

p.s. I also realized one thing: Snape is not working either for Dumbledore or Voldemort, he is only working for himself.

Snape, hmmm. I will start a poll about Snape and see where we all stand on this.

Unlike some other people, I couldn't believe Snape killed Dumbledore, I really couldn't. I thought that, because of the unbreakable vow, Snape would be the one to die, and he'd die because he couldn't help Draco... because of his loyalties to Dumbledore. So, you can imagine, it took me somewhat by surprise...


EDIT: furthermore... I can't believe she killed Dumbledore!!!!!

I was shocked that Snape did it. I said really loud " NO!" when I read it. I was just aghast- and shut up M, I really was aghast then.

I miss Dumbldore.

Hey, I wasn't going to say anything about your aghastness. I was quite surprised and shocked too. It was an emotional scene.

M.

I've just finished reading, and finally managed to stop crying to post or something like that.

I can't bleieve she killed off dumbledore... not only because he was my favorite character, but also because JKR seemed to show herself the most through this character. Up until the sixth book it always seemed as though dumbledore reliably knew things that we could never have figured out on our own. He was always able to give the answers we were searching for at the end of the books, and was always the character that was the most on top of things. I came to see dumbledore as the mediator for what JKR wanted to convey to her readers.

I can't believe he's dead.. it's just too horrible to be true.

On the other hand there was one thing that I managed to pick out of the words. The scene where dumbledore's body was placed on the table reminded me very much of the stone table upon which aslan was placed in the chronicles of narnia. It is well known that JKR has pulled many things from the chronicles of narnia, as well as from Alice in wonderland and lord of the rings. In the book Lucy and susan remained loyal to aslan even after death, and when the sun arose, aslan also was returned to them. The table in the chronicles was made of stone, and dumbledores table of marble, so I do not know if there really is any connection, or if it shows any foretelling of what will happen in book 7. We don't know just how literal dumbledores statement about loyalty was.. However, even if dumbledore will never come back to life as aslan did, I can't help but feel that JKR wanted to use the scene to show that just as aslan was lord of narnia, dumbledore really was like a ruler of the wizarding world. He truely was the wisest and the kindest and the most powerful of his age.

Snape.. needs to die. And when he does.. I hope someone throws his hopefully mutilated body into the Hogwarts lake to be eaten as an appetizer by the giant squid. I was not surprised to find that he was the halfblood prince. I secretly suspected all along that it was snapes book, I don't know why but it just seemed to fit. I was however horrified and surprised when he killed dumbledore. At first I thought it might have been a trick, perhaps he hadn't completely hit dumbledore with it or something, and had only made it look as though our wonderful headmaster were dead. I thought that snape would most surely give his life for dumbledore, seeing as even though his loyalites may have laid with the dark lord the entire time, he sure owed dumbledore a heck of a lot. Dumbledore probably testified for snape, saving his life, or keeping him out of azkaban.. then he offered him a job, and a position in the order. Just as pettigrew owes harry his life.. I was sure that snape was in debt. I hope harry kills snape.. and I hope it's really really really really painful. I hope he pleads for his life, the same way dumbledore pleaded for his before snape betrayed him.

I am still curious as to why dumbledore put harry into the body lock. Perhaps it was because he didn't want him to attack malfoy, but it would have been wiser to just tell harry to stay where he was and not move... I was hoping dumbledore would explain why he did it at the end of the book, as he usually does. But seeing as he wasn't around at the end of the book, I guess that hope is out the window.

All in all the book was definitely very different from the others. The beginning was very different, for we did not see harry until the 3rd ch. And the end.. was most definitely the worst yet. A part of me really wants to send JKR a howler..

I just thought, (Ow, that hurt)

Now Dumbledore's dead, the secret keeper of no doubt so many things, including No.12, what will happen, the DE's will be able to see it. Or does that mean nobody will be able to see it unless they have already been told? or the owner automatically becomes the secret keeper? who knows,

Interesting thought there.

Woooo! I'm here, hp forum, for the first time to discuss hp 6!!!!

Now that's out of my system ........I think that was one of the best written endings she's done, it was so emotional, I was expecting Dumbledore to die, but it still made me gasp out loud, and Snape doing it, I wasn't sure whether to trust Snape, but him killing Dumbledore?!!!!

Anyway, great ending, and so emotional!!

FP, I will start a thread to speculate about the secret keeper.

thank you, ill look for it when youve made it

It's up now. As good topics come up, I will start threads on them.

Welcome back everyone.

I knew Dumbledore was going to die because my friend told me, but I still couldn't contain myself. I was crying so hard I couldn't see the pages well enough to keep reading until I calmed down.

Well, we had a serious discussion, since book 4, I believe, that Dumbledore would die in the series... but, I really thought that it would be book 7 where it happened. Though, I believe that JKR needed it to happen now, so that the start of 7 can show the 'road' that Harry takes, leading him to defeat Voldemort.

Why Snape had to do the killing curse, and be the one who axed him, is beyond me. Is he a traitor? I don't know... I'm just really not sure. But, he did what he did, I believe, to keep Draco from having to die. I think that it was clear, from the scene in the bathroom, with Draco and Myrtle, that he did NOT want to complete this 'task' And then, when he confronted Dumbledore, in the tower, it was toooooooooo obvious that he didn't want to do this. And I'm so glad that Harry was there, to witness Draco 'dropping' his wand...

Still... Dumbledore will be missed. He was such an intricate character, weaved throughout the entire story... and Harry needed him, so much... and they had such a wonderful relationship between them.

I know it was sad. In fact I wish I could have attended the funeral with Harry and everyone.. umbridge got to go and I didn't ... not fair.

That's what I found myself feeling too... I wanted to attend the funeral.

Ohhhhhhhh, when the flames went around his body, I started crying... and then, Harry thought that he saw a phoenix take flight up from there, and then, the flames were gone. I think that Dumbledore's soul, or spirit, was that of a phoenix, for some reason. *shrugs* That's just the impression that it left with me.

And if thats the case, its a possibility that Dumbledores body can turn into another little Dumbldeore .... a phoenix, when it dies, it goes up to the top of a tree makes a nest and curls up and dies in a ball of flame, and in the remains there is a baby Phoenix ... that makes me think a Phoenix litterally never dies

Correct... that's what i was thinking too, FP. That he will truly live on, forever. *shrugs* It's a great thought... because I just can't swallow the loss of our great Dumbledore.

Yeah, I'm sure that Dumbledore's spirit. I think there is a link with that and what Harry was saying about Dumbledore never truly being gone until none are loyal to him. After all, that loyalty brought Fawks once, why not bring this pheonix?

That's what I've been thinking... and it's true... until NONE are loyal to him, even in death, he will remain.

The legacy of what he was teaching, as long as people are loyal ... he servives in others hearts

CORRECT!!

Dumbledore being gone just changes everything in the series. It is like we lost a color of the rainbow. Nothing will ever look the same again.
You have to wonder if Fawkes will come to Harry in a moment of trouble. Fawkes went away, but he did always help Harry before. Perhaps Fawkes will honor Dumbledore's commitment to keeping Harry safe and be there.

Has anyone thought of the possiblity that Dumbledore might not actually be dead? Slim chance I know (and I really think that he's dead, at least in body, maybe not spirit), but my friend made some valid points. He said that because Dumbledore was offering to Draco the possibility to hide Draco and his family, and making Voldemort think he was dead, that maybe Dumbledore and Snape had something similar to that set up. Plus, when Hagrid brought Dumbledore's body to the funeral, it was completely wrapped up, no one could see for sure if it was Dumbledore.

I just can't see how Dumbledore, who is the greatest wizard of all time, would just let himself die, and at the hands of Snape. Why didn't he defend himself against Draco? He could have very easily done a non-verbal expelliarmus and even disarmed him, but he didn't. Maybe Dumbeldore had set up some kind of counter-curse for the Avada Kedrava. We know that no wizard aside from Harry had ever survived it, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wouldn't be possible.

Just something to think about for those of you (and myself) who just can't believe that Dumbledore is dead.

I think we have thought about Dumbeldore being alive, its one possibility

I cant remember Dumbledore saying he would make Voldemort think he and his family were dead, just dissapear and hide them.

I didnt notice that Dumbledore was wrapped up!

Dumbeldore knew that by dying, he was giveing Harry strength, yes with greif, but also a strength of loathing, and fellings for revenge.

I think for Avada Kedrava to work you need to mean to kill the person, Thats where the theories about a Dumbledore/snape plan, to act as though he was dead, so he could search for the Horcruxes full time.

I don't think that they had "the plan" if there is a plan, so Dumbledore can search for the Horcruxes. I think that Dumbledore wants/needs Harry to do that.

I'm sure that Dumbledore knew of Snape's Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa. But most importantly, I think that Dumbledore recognizes that Harry needs to defeat Voldemort on his own, without his help or guidance. It's like in the SS/PS where Harry is telling Ron and Hermione that Dumbledore knew they were going to go after the Stone, but he just taught them enough to defend themselves and succeed. Plus, Dumbledore knew that Harry would never be able to perform the Unforgivable Curse if he didn't have the ability to actually mean it. With Dumbledore gone and with him showing Harry all of those memories teaching him who and how Tom Riddle was, he's given him that motivation, that meaning. Harry never really knew his parents, so while he would want revenge on Voldemort for killing his parents, he couldn't really mean it. There was no real sense of loss with his parents, he never knew them. Dumbledore he knew, loved and respected. His loss resonated with Harry in a way that his parents' death never would have been able to.

Blue... AWESOME idea... and I HOPE that you're on to something there. I never thought about this idea. And WHY didn't you say something to me at work about this? HUH?

I didn't even THINK about the fact that his body was wrapped up, and we never see him when Hagrid carries the body up to the site of burial.

A house elf could have put it there while everyone was out the room ... you never know

You have got to be kidding me Panda. You are like those people who keep giving one explanation after the other to keep justifying the Iraq war.

Accept it dude, Dumbledore is dead. He may return one day in some form or the other (apart from his portrait), but like Sirius he is gone.

M.

He is gone. When you all were reading the book, did you picture Richard Harris as Dumbledore too?

I have my own image of Dumbledore and so far Sir Michael Gambon has been a better fit for me.

M.

Sher... Dumbledore will ALWAYS be Richard Harris to me too!!!

Really M? I am with Kris on this one. RH just had that coolness about him. He was mischievous, yet you could believe that he really was the most powerful wizard. He was just so cool.

Richard Harris would have been more suitable if he wasn't so old. He was just too frail. Even his voice was frail. He was great as Marcus Aurelius though. To me Dumbledore had a strong and commanding voice as well as an energy about him that made him younger than his actual age.

M.

No way... Richard Harris showed POWER as Dumbledore. He was EVERYTHING that I had EVER pictured Dumbledore to look like, sound like, BE like.

Me too Kris. It was like he walked out of the pages of the book and on to the screen. He had that cool raspy voice also. He showed the power in his eyes.

MG is just too much of a hippie Dumbledore. I would have loved to have seen Ian McKellan take over the role, and yes I do believe he would have made it very different from Gandalf.

Sher... that is EXACTLY who should have taken over after Richard Harris' death. Sir Ian would have been PERFECT!

Aparently this is something "for" Dumbledore being alive.

The bit in bold is the bit that was omitted from the UK version - im not convinced this is evidence though, and i dont know what he ment by it

Actually, Sir Ian was involved with LotR, and XMen.. he just did NOT have time to commit... that is why he never took Richard Harris' place as Dumbledore. He WAS approached...

Is Gandulf in the hobbit as well, i asume he is ... Because i think there making Hobbit now

I remember them being mentioned as dead in Book 5.

M.

I guess that I'll have to go look them up.

But then again, I might be mistaken. Although I do like to think that I can trust my memory.

M.

I could just as easily be remembering it wrong.

It has been (unfortunately) a long time since I have posted but I just finished the latest book and still can't get over the loss of Dumbledore. (The tears are drying as I type!) I immediately thought of everyone here and had to read/post.

I am concerned about Harry as he ventures on. Dumbledore has always helped him in so many ways, and without him finishing his last year at Hogwarts (or so he says), will he be knowledgable enough? Could there perhaps be someone knowledgable enough to guide him (and Hermione & Ron) though the next (and last?) book? If so, whom?

(((Max))) Holy crap... you've been gone a LONG time!!!! Welcome back!!! Sher is going to trip when she see's you too!!!!

It's still very surreal, the death of Albus Dumbledore.... and it's hard to actually believe it!

Lupin IS moony isnt he

It says MooDy not MooNy you daffy guy you.

Ohhh, sorry, my fault. they do look similar

Oh you know I am never mad at you.

I know, but i should have notcied that

Hey guys! Thanks! I missed you too! Good to be back

In response to your suggestion, Sherry, I guess that could be a possibility, but I don't feel that they are strong enough characters, in such, to have the expanse of knowledge that Dumbledore did. Sure, they have the experience, but would they be able to handle the knowledge of past events (even if Harry filled them in) and be able to teach Harry the acquired skills necessary to continue on. Dumbledore was the only one who did extensive research and had taught Voldemort enough to know him truly.

Another question (and forgive me if it has already been mentioned... I skimmed through past posts because it would take a while to read all), is whether anyone feels that Harry will become either Headmaster or possibly the Minister of Magic at the end of the 7th book... Just some thoughts...

Max, I so can't see Harry doing either... for Hogwarts, I can't see Minerva walking away. After all, she IS the Headmistress there now. And, Harry would NEVER be happy as the Minister of Magic. He wants to be in the thick of things.

I don't know if he wants to be in the thick of things so much as he can't avoid it. I think that Harry wouldn't want to be MoM because of the responsibility that goes with that job. Plus, is he really old enough to be MoM? And I agree with Kris, I don't think that Minerva would willingly give up the Headmistress position.

Plus he would not be nearly old enough to do either by the end of the next book

True... other than being an Auror, I think that the only thing that TRULY interests Harry would be Quidditch. Then again, if Voldemort DID curse the DADA position... and once he's dead, that curse would be lifted. Harry did an AMAZING job teaching DA last year. So, I could totally see him as the DADA professor.

Me too. I think that Harry would be an awesome teacher. I think that if he were to become an Auror, he would great at it, but I think that he would end up too much like Mad-Eye, not trusting of anybody, a little worse for wear.

We should all keep in mind that while Harry Potter has done great things and is older beyond his age, he is still young to be a professor. Even Dippet who was fond of Tom Riddle turned him away because he was too young, and Tom Riddle in Dumbledore's own words, was perhaps the most brilliant student to ever go through Hogwarts.

Being an Auror seems perfect for Harry Potter. I think the trio will first complete their final year and then most likely Harry and Ron will enter Auror training. It seems to fit them well and both have wanted to be an auror. Plus you can start young as an Auror, like Tonks is. Hermione will do something equally rewarding I believe.

He may return one day to teach though, and even eventually succeed as Headmaster. Maybe he will even have Fawkes.

M.

Well, whatever Harry decides to do when he "grows up," he should first take some time off. He'll have earned it.

Yeah, defeating a Dark Lord is a full time job.

M.

Oh yeah... that boy deserves a VACATION!!!! Maybe he and Ginny, along with Ron and Hermione, will all four go somewhere, and just relax for awhile!!!

I think that Harry will become an auror, although, I don't think Ron is really that well suited to it. He just does not appear to be that strong of a wizard.

Slughorn may be the one to guide Harry. Lilly was his favorite, and we know that Voldemort would want him. He knows a lot, so maybe Harry can get information from him, without having to clue him in to each step that he takes.

But Slughorn is also not as brave as Dumbledore. He is smart and powerful but not as brave. I just can't see him becoming Harry's mentor. They don't have a close relationship.

M.

but if he thinks that Hogwarts is the safest place, he might stay there. You never know, he may give some quick parting advice before he turns into a lamp or something.

Slughorn is going to stay there, but Harry won't. He is going to go (literally) on a witch hunt.

M.

We already know that Fawkes and Dumbledore were fond of each other, almost like Voldemort and Nagini. Therefore that may be possible. We did see a phoenix like shape rising out of the flames. In fact, the whole spectacle of Dumbledore's body bursting into flames and then replaced by a tomb is almost like when Fawkes disappears into a burst of flame to carry away Dumbledore, give messages, etc. in book 5.

M.

I suspect Dumbledore's animagus is a pheonix, and thats what we saw at the funeral

Now think about this FP. Is the word you want really animagus? I think you mean patronous.

No i mean animagus ... But we know that his patronus is a pheonix

Dumbledore's Partonus is most likely a Phoenix, but can a Patronus be cast from the grave?I don't think so.

And I think that we would know by now if Dumbeldore was an animagus. Plus Dumbledore died. How could he have possibly changed forms then?

I think that Dumbledore's soul was reborn into a Phoenix. They're born or reborn from the ahses.

Its possible that he didnt die, and "flew" down to the grond and pretended to be dead. ... it could happen

Of course it's entirely possible that Dumbledore isnt' dead, in fact I'm clinging to that tiny thread of hope, but the facts that we were presented with at the end of the book tell us that Dumbledore is dead.

I don't think JKR would fake a death.

Why not? She had us all believing that Wormtail was dead at the hands of Sirius and look how that turned out.

That is true, blue. I think she might do it. Who knows, maybe Dumbledore was reborn as a phoenix or something. He is most likely dead, but I think that we have not seen the last of Fawkes.

I agree, Fuscia. Dumbledore either faked his own death (slim chance) or he was reborn into a Phoenix. We'll just have to wait TWO years at least before we have our answer. *deep sigh*

That is way too long

Two years is too long. BUT then when it is done, we will all be so sad that it has come to an end.

Yes, we saw that happening in Ministry of Magic.

Are you suggesting that Dumbledore was some sort of human phoenix?

M.