HOLY @%$#

-------SPOILER WARNING. DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT THIS POST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. CHITRA, THIS MEANS YOU!-------

So it's out. I can hardly handle the overload of information here .... and I don't think there has ever been a HP book cover that has given so much away. AIAIAIAIAIAI!

So. Dumbledore is the Half-Blood Prince. I was half-right... I had my money on Aberforth. Damn. It changes a few things in my fic-in-progress.

And we can expect a big, fiery battle scene with Harry fighting alongside Dumbledore, of course. It's going to be spectacular... I can't wait for it. And it does look like Dumbledore and Harry are going to see more of each other, that in this book at least, Dumbledore isn't going to be relegated to the role of the explainer-of-it-all at the end. I like the idea. I love the idea. Harry and Dumbledore have some apologising to do to each other, and a lot of relationship-building, too.

I wonder about the colours in this cover: red and gold, more so than simply fire. Something to do with the power of Gryffindor? It would certanly be apt in the war against the heir of Slytherin.

Artanis was right, too - you don't even have to look closely to see the sign around Dumbledore's neck. You know. The one that says, "Hello. I'm dying in this book."

Ah, so the Pensieve is going to be major in this book... For OotP, the U.S. cover featured a scene from the Ministry of Magic - the room with the blue candles - and that turned out to be the climax. I wonder if a pensieve scene will be the climax of HBP? If so, it's bound to be apt; certainly, Harry getting some answers from the past also means that it will be something long overdue. I don't know whether or not to be hopeful that Dumbledore is with Harry in this scene... Maybe JKR has a most unusual death in store for Dumbledore? Maybe he's going to die while in the pensieve, or while trying to protect Harry while he is in the pensieve?

Another minor mystery solved! Harry is going to take Advanced Potions in his 6th year - somehow or the other. He might manage an Outstanding in his Potions OWL somehow, to Snape's consternation. He might get 'special treatment' again, and take the class in spite of Snape's objections - which will be interesting to watch, what with the already fever-pitch animosity between the two. Or, Snape might get the DADA Teacher job (or be otherwise unavailable to teach Potions) - which is sort of my pet theory.

If Snape is DADA teacher, though, then there's something horrible coming to him by the end of the book. Death? I really, really hope not. In fact, I'd rather have Dumbledore die than Snape, simply because there are so many questions left unanswered about him... But it's going to be hell for Harry if Dumbledore dies. Gah. Not like JKR didn't warn us.

Also, Mugglenet features this quote by Arthur Levine, an editor for Scholastic: "There is to be a new Minister for Magic. We learn much more about Voldemort. No information revealed on whether Snape will be the Half-Blood Prince. HBP will be an intense book, but with light-hearted moments."

Let's see. New Mnister for Magic? Knew that already, and also that it's not Arthur Weasley. Amelia Bones, perhaps. Or someone new. Who knows? I'm betting it isn't Percy, though. :)

Much more about Voldemort: sort of knew that. She did say in the March 15th chat that we learn more about the circumstances of his birth. My guess (and I'll bet on this) is that this is the famous First Chapter of Book 6 that's been brewing for 13 years. What could it be, though? Something that shows how Voldemort lost the capacity to love - like a curse or something? Something his mother did to him when he was born, to 'protect' him? Whoa, that's an idea! (Hands off, I'm going to write a fic about this, I think!)

Snape as the HBP? Never thought so, and the covers of Book 6 do strongly hint that it's Dumbledore...

Intense book with light-hearted moments? It's JKR - what did you expect?

Jeez, now I totally can't wait for July 16th!