The End of Harry Potter: Predictions

Disclaimer: Obviously, I haven't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet, so what follows are some predictions I'm making on what will happen. I correctly predicted the ending for book 6, so who knows, maybe my strategies and hunches will work again. That said, if you want a clean slate heading into your reading, avoid this post. But if you're curious and speculative like me, I'd love some feedback. Again, what follows are just predictions, reader discretion advised, so I'm not responsible for totally ruining your appreciation.

I knew Dumbledore was going to die in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince once I took a look at the prominent place he had on the book's cover. Off the top of my head, every other book in the series features Harry alone, and so Dumbledore's presence told me that his place was going to be prominent, and given the book's tone and place in the series, the only logical conclusion would be that he wouldn't make it to the end. And that turned out to be correct.

And I think that's key to unlocking these books: the cover. Mary GrandPre, the cover artist for the US edition of the books, gets an advance copy from Rowling, reads it, and creates the art based on what she sees fit. Clearly then, the cover of the books must hint at the book's major plot points and themes, you can see that in every book's cover. There's always Harry carrying a wand or a broomstick or whatever, but littered throughout the cover are also symbols representing the book's plot. It's always been a joy of mine to go back and re-examine the covers after finishing the books, and finally noticing all the things that the covers practically foretell. With all the hype surrounding the release of the 6th book a few years ago, I used that to figure out that Dumbledore would probably be killed. Rarely is the major revelation so clearly shown, usually only minor plot pathways are illustrated, but with a book as important as the final book in the series, the ending must be hinted at somewhere.


So that's why I think the cover is important. Without fail, they provide us with valuable clues to uncover the book's plot. Now, let's try that strategy with the cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:



There isn't too much to be said about this. The front cover only shows Harry gesturing into space, presumably at an enemy, which is presumably Voldemort. The setting appears to be some sort of cemetary, just like in Goblet of Fire. So there's some sort of major battle, it seems. Obviously that's not a surprise, though I would've been amused if Harry had just accidentally fallen off a cliff during a Horcrux-finding mission or something, ending the book.

But I wanted to know what's on the back cover and the sleeves, in other words, the full artwork. The results absolutely stunned me:



Based on just the front cover, we thought Harry Potter was casting a spell at Voldemort, but what's this? Voldemort is found to his left, the direction opposite to which Harry has his attention focused. And moreover, this is the part that completely floored me, it actually looks like they're facing the same thing! They're not battling at all!

Let's take this in for a moment. The front cover matches our expectations, as Harry Potter engages in some sort of battle. But when we zoom out, and look at the entire artwork, we find that Harry Potter and Voldemort aren't even fighting! In fact, it looks like they may even be cooperating and fighting a common enemy. This is not an accident. This is what the artist intended.

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But how can this be? Some quick Wikipedia research to jog my memory uncovered exactly what I was looking for: a mysterious section near the end of book 4, after the Triwizard Tournament and Harry's witnessing of Voldemort's return. I quote from the text:

"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," Harry told Dumbledore. "He said the protection my mother left in me - he'd have it too..."
For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. But next second, Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him.

Even at the time I first read it, this excerpt was extremely puzzling to me. Dumbledore expresses a flicker of triumph, only for Harry to become convinced that it was something illusory. Why? Perhaps more importantly, why would Rowling care to point this out? It's never referred to ever again.



But there is significant reason to believe that it plays a crucial part in what will happen in book 7, based on this interview with Rowling, excerpted:

MA: Does the gleam of triumph still have yet to make an appearance?

JKR: That's still enormously significant. And let's face it, I haven't told you that much is enormously significant, so you can let your imaginations run free there.

I think that's key. And I think it's connected with my interpretation of the book's cover, showing Harry Potter and Voldemort almost collaborating.

So here's my theory:



Dumbledore expresses throughout the series that Lily Potter's love is the reason that Harry survived Voldemort's curse, as Voldemort does not understand love. Dumbledore believes this to be his downfall, as he believes that love can conquer even the greatest magic. This is driven home even deeper in book 6 after his death as everyone is recuperating in the hospital.

In the quote then, we see that Voldemort essentially takes some of Harry's love to make him stronger. While Harry finds this to be a cause of concern, I think that Dumbledore sees it as an opening. Perhaps, he may think, Voldemort can now appreciate the power of love, and can perhaps even be swayed by it.

And this is where I think the cover comes in. With a bit of hand-waving, here's my conclusion.

Harry and Voldemort are shown as allies. Because of Dumbledore's gleam of triumph, I believe that Voldemort also comes to understand the power of love, joins forces with Harry on the side of good, and the series ends in peace.

Let me repeat that. Harry and Voldemort become allies. For the side of good.



With that out of the way, there's a few minor things I want to note. First, notice that the cover has curtains on both sides, almost like stage curtains closing. Nice touch for the final book.

It's also worth noting that this cover reveals practically nothing about plot details, at least as far as I can tell. We have no clue about the fate of the horcruxes, the identity of R.A.B. (the consensus seems to be Regulus Black, which makes sense), or how Wormtail will repay his debt to Harry, if ever. And there's dozens of other plot lines that are still unresolved, but those are the ones I find most important to book 7. Besides, of course, the true allegiances of Snape, which I doubt anyone can predict, I have to give credit to Rowling for setting that up well.

And of course, my prediction could turn out to be completely wrong. It's still greatly possible that Voldemort kills everyone on the planet, and the book ends in darkness. I'd be really interested in seeing the popular and critical response to the series if something like that were to happen. For that reason, plus the marketing repercussions, I can't see it happening.

But there's two things to worry about with regards to my prediction. First is the prophecy, that only one of them can live while the other survives. I haven't looked at the wording closely, but perhaps there's a loophole? It wouldn't be the first time Rowling has used the trick. The other is the title, which must be equally as important as the cover. What is meant by the Deathly Hallows? I'm at a total loss. It sounds very dark, but that's about as far as I can get. It certainly doesn't match my prediction.

But none of this will matter in one week. The book will be out, we can look back at this post and laugh, and sort through the aftermath of the end of Harry Potter. I'm not ready to think about it yet, I need to reserve judgment until I read the book. Until then though, let me know what you think about my theory, and offer up your own.

Coming Around on Animal Collective

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The hipster adoration of the band Animal Collective used to completely mystify me. What was so extraordinary about ten minute songs full of moaning and the occasional tribal drums? At least, that was the impression I got during my background listening of Feels, the one song I heard off Sung Tongs, and the completely uninformative and bizarre Pitchfork review for Here Comes the Indian, which undoubtedly goes into the annals of worst reviews ever.

But I've been coming around on them recently. It all started with the new Panda Bear album Person Pitch (PB is a member of AC, for those who weren't aware). The album seems to be the frontrunner for Hipinion's album of the year, and a few of my trusted friends and colleagues gave the album high praise too, so a few weeks ago I decided to revisit it. My first listen, in the wake of Pitchfork's laudatory Best New Music labeling, was not a good listen, as I never got past the first track 'Comfy in Nautica'.


Panda Bear lookin sharp, and by sharp, I actually mean wtf where do you get that kind of outfit from

And I can still see why I didn't like it. 'Comfy in Nautica' is predominantly a cappella, and that doesn't work well because Mr. Bear is not a good singer, and musically can't phrase his lines at all. The awesomeness of Person Pitch, as I was about to discover, starts with the second track 'Take Pills', and doesn't let go from there, and in fact, only gets better with the brilliant 'Bros' and the sublime 'I'm Not'. I think the strength of Panda Bear's music is his innovative use of interweaving loops, showcased in 'Bros' particularly. Opening the album with 'Comfy in Nautica' is a bit of mistake then, as it doesn't show nearly any of that. Then again, thematically speaking, the song has to either be the opener or closer. But it can't really be the closer, as 'Ponytail' is really perfect in that role. So maybe it does have to be the opener. My advice, then, goes out to potential listeners, who must try to grit their teeth and get through the first track, in order to experience the warm chewy and delicious center of the album.


Person Pitch album cover. I didn't even notice the Panda in there until really recently. Also, the colorful pigeon on the right hand side is fantastic.

Fresh off Person Pitch then, I went back and revisited Feels, to discover that, in fact, it is actually fantastic. I always liked 'Did You See the Words' but I have a much better appreciation for it now, and ditto with 'Turn Into Something', so it's nice that the bookends of the album are among my favorites, I always like it when that happens. I do still have some issues with the middle of the album, too much of the moaning and murky psychedelia. The exception though, is 'Banshee Beat', which I used to find too long and boring, but has quietly shown itself to be a really stunningly beautiful piece. Omg, now I'm even talking like an Animal Collective fan, referring to their songs as 'pieces' and labeling then as brilliant auteurs rising head and shoulders above the morass of boring indie rock guitar bands. Animal Collective fanatics really are pretentious and annoying like that. I hope I don't turn into a Fiery Furnaces fan next, though this could be a stepping-stone...

I'm still working on the rest of Animal Collective's back catalog. I listened to the first two-thirds of Sung Tongs but I only liked the first two songs, 'Leaf House' and 'Who Could Win a Rabbit'. Those two songs, however, are fucking great, in a completely deranged but amazing way. I also watched the video for the song 'Fireworks' off their upcoming album Strawberry Jam. The video itself is pretty bad, it looks like the work of a high schooler who just decided to become a film studies major after watching Garden State. The song, though, is completely great, and has me really pumped for Strawberry Jam. Of course the Animal Collective disciples have already proclaimed it to be Album of the Century, but I think it'd be wise to reserve judgment, as that seems like an overstatement especially when the correct answer is actually still Ys.


Sorry, as good as these guys are now, they're still getting pwned by the elven harpist

After giving Sung Tongs a few more tries, I plan on alternating between the just-leaked Strawberry Jam and their early album Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. Based on what I've read, STGSTV sounds like a much better starting point for me than Here Comes the Indian which everyone seems to describe as a lot of moaning, and I just don't like that side of Animal Collective yet. People in the know: is this accurate? Anyways, I'm glad that I'm finally 'getting' this band because they'd been frustrating me for awhile. I love it when things suddenly click like that.

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Completely random story: In 11th grade, Mrs. Kim (Swarthmore alum, woop woop!) gave us a challenge. I don't think there was any kind of context. But apparently, there are three words in the English language that have two meanings that contradict each other. The example she gave us in class was 'cleave' which can mean to split, or to stick together. Our challenge was to find the other two words.

For some reason, that challenge stuck with me. Late in my senior year in high school, I stumbled across the second word: 'execute'. It can be used to start something (execute a command) or to end something (execute a prisoner). Am I right?

And suddenly, just now, I think I got the third! I'm studying for the GRE, and I found a word that I know well already, but just hadn't thought too much about: 'sanction'. To sanction something can be to accept and approve something, or it can be a penalty to restrict something. Am I right about that one? If so, woohoo!

After finding three though, I have to wonder if there's more. Those can't be the only three, can they? And that's my challenge to you.