Muggle Guide

Harry Potter Loose Ends and Questions

Ok, so you have read the final book, did it tie up all the loose ends or do you have questions left unanswered? 

According to MuggleNet, here is a list of some of the loose ends that were "out there" before the 7th book came out, did these all get answered for you?

• Will Hogwarts reopen? And, if so, will Harry, Ron, and Hermione attend for their seventh year?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Is Snape good or evil? Where do his loyalties lie?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What is the significance of Harry having his mother's eyes?
      - Unanswered



• What caused Dumbledore trust Snape so much?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Why was Voldemort going to allow Lily to live after he killed James at Godric's Hollow?
      - Unanswered



• Who is R.A.B.?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Are Dumbledore and Sirius actually dead? Update: JKR confirmed in New York that Dumbledore is in fact dead - but we still don't know about Sirius!
      - Answered in Book 7



• Where are the remaining Horcruxes? And furthermore, was Dumbledore right about what the remaining Horcruxes are? If he wasn't, what are they?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Who will lead the Order now that Dumbledore is dead?
      - Unnswered?



• Is Bill Weasley a full werewolf?
      - Unanswered



• Did Voldemort go to Godric's Hollow alone the night he tried to kill Harry? If so, how do people know the events of that night?
      - Unanswered



• Will the two-way mirror that Sirius gave to Harry come up again?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Is the relationship between Ginny and Harry really over? Will they get back together in the end?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What was the "gleam of triumph" in Dumbledore's eyes at the end of Goblet of Fire?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Is there more behind Voldemort wanting the DADA teaching position so badly, or is it just because he simply wanted the job?
      - Answered in Book 7



• How will Peter Pettigrew repay his life debt to Harry?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What lies beyond the veil in the Department of Mysteries?
      - Unanswered



• If Dumbledore and Petunia were in contact before Harry was taken to Privet Drive, then what were they discussing in their letters?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Who was "that awful boy" who Petunia referred to in OOTP? Was it James, or was it somebody else?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Will Ron and Hermione's relationship finally come to be, or will something happen to prevent it?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What were Lily and James' occupations?
      - Unanswered



• Will Dumbledore's portrait be of any use to Harry?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What will Percy do now that the Ministry has been proven wrong and Dumbledore is dead? Will he return to his family?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Where did Fawkes go at the end of Half-Blood Prince?
      - Unanswered



• What did Dumbledore see or experience after he drank the potion in the cave in HBP?
      - Answered in Book 7



• How exactly did the Potters and the Longbottoms "thrice defy Voldemort"?
      - unanswered specifically



• Assuming Hogwarts will open in Book 7, who will be the DADA teacher?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Again, if Hogwarts remains open in Book 7, who will teach Transfiguration if Professor McGonagall becomes headmistress? And will Slughorn remain to teach Potions for a second year, even though he said he would only be there for one?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Will the terms of the Prophecy be fulfilled? If so, will Harry kill Voldemort, or will Voldemort kill Harry?
      - Answered in Book 7



• On her website, JKR stated that "there IS a significant - even crucial - answer" to the following question: How and why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak? What is the significance of this?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What happened to Ollivander? And since there was no sign of a struggle when he disappeared, whose side is he on? And what about Florean Fortescue - are their disappearances linked?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Will Ron and Harry pass their Apparation tests?
      - unanswered



• What about Dumbledore's family? (JKR said in her interview with MuggleNet/TLC that Dumbledore's family would be a "profitable line of inquiry.")
      - Answered in Book 7



• If Voldemort lost his body at Godric's Hollow, then who retrieved his wand?
      - unanswered



• What's behind the locked door in the Department of Mysteries?
      - unanswered, still a mystery



• Why did Regulus choose to leave the Death Eaters?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Will we learn any more about Dumbledore's brother Aberforth? Will he have an important role to play in the book?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What happened to Dumbledore's wand after his death?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What did Dumbledore actually see in the Mirror of Erised in the first book?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Who will reinstate the protective barriers around Hogwarts that Dumbledore removed so he and Harry could fly to the tower? Not just anybody could have taken them down or Hogwarts would be constantly attacked. Is Dumbledore the only one who knew how to perform those charms?
      - unanswered



• How did Dumbledore know the details of Lord Voldemort's murder of Lily - how LV offered to spare her life and how the charm that protects Harry was formed - if no one else was there to witness it? Was Dumbledore actually there to witness it?
      - unanswered



• What were Dumbledore and Snape arguing about that Hagrid overheard at the edge of the forest in HBP? Was it about spying on Draco, or was it something else?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What will become of the Malfoy family? Specifically, will Draco remain loyal to Voldemort, or will he change his mind and fight for the other side?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Where did Snape and Draco go at the end of the sixth book?
      - Answered in Book 7



• In Chamber of Secrets, Lockhart says that he transformed a werewolf back into a man using the "immensely complex Homorphus Charm." Now we know that Lockhart didn't actually do this, but he did steal the story from another wizard. So, is there a way to cure Lupin?
      - unanswered



• Will the giants and goblins take a firmer position about the war? Will they ever choose a side?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Are we going to see SPEW again? Will the house-elves' rights be improved by the end of the series? And what will become of all of the house-elves that we know so far in the series?
      - answered in part



• Do we know the whole story behind Dumbledore's hand injury in HBP?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What are the twelve uses of dragon's blood that Dumbledore discovered? Will these discoveries be important to the story in any way?
      - unanswered



• Who helped R.A.B. retrieve the locket from the cave? (Dumbledore made it clear that two people were needed to get past Voldemort's enchantments.) And where is the locket now?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What significance is the fact that Mundungus Fletcher has been stealing things from Grimmauld Place going to have to the plot of the next book? Did he take the locket from Grimmauld Place, and if so, who did he sell it to? Will Mundungus be playing an important part in the next book?
      - Answered in Book 7



• JKR said that someone will manage magic very late in life in Book 7: who will it be? Filch, perhaps?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Did Dumbledore have a will or anything equivalent to a will?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Did Hagrid have to be able to see thestrals in order to train them? If so, whose death did Hagrid witness?
      - unanswered



• When Harry was taking Occlumency lessons from Snape in OOTP, he put more than one memory into the pensieve. What other memories did he want to hide from Harry?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Is there any significant reason that wizards come of age at age 17?
      - Unanswered



• When Snape is about to kill Dumbledore, Dumbledore says, "Severus... Please..." Was Dumbledore asking Snape to kill him or was he asking for mercy?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What was the potion that Dumbledore had to drink in the cave?
      - Unanswered



• How did Dumbledore become such an "extraordinary magic user, even at a young age" (a quote from an OWL examiner in OOTP)? Was it just study and hard work, or is there something different about him?
      - Unanswered



• If Hogwarts is opened again in the seventh book, who will be Head Boy and Head Girl?
      - unanswered



• Will Luna have a prominent role in Book 7? Will she live through the war?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Is there a connection between Godric's Hollow and Godric Gryffindor?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Do we know the full reason that Voldemort decided to try to kill Harry instead of Neville?
      - Unanswered



• How did Hagrid retrieve Harry from the ruins of his parents' house if he was not told the location by the secret-keeper?
      - Unanswered



• Now that Dumbledore is dead, who is the secret-keeper of the Order of the Phoenix? Is the spell broken?
      - Answered in Book 7



• Is there more to the curtain that Sirius fell through in Order of the Phoenix
      - unnswered



• Where did the Potter family's wealth come from?
      - unanswered



• What truly determines whether or not someone becomes a ghost? Is there more to it than what Nearly Headless Nick said there was?
      - Answered in Book 7



• What is Grawp's role going to be in Book 7? Will he even have a role?
      - Answered in Book 7

So what do you think, did you have any other questions, new questions created by Book 7, or other oddities you wanted to talk about?

Wow, The Final Harry Potter Book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Delivers!

J.K Rowling's finally book in the Harry Potter series is a masterpiece of literary fiction and wraps up all of the major loose ends and questions created in the previous 6 books.  J.K's love of the characters comes through loud and clear throughout the book and in her personal appearances.

The Today show aired portions of their interview with the famous author of Harry Potter this morning, more interviews will be held tomorrow on the Today show and then on Dateline on Sunday the 29th.  Here is here interview from this morning:

In this interview JK answers some of her readers burning questions, what do Harry, Ron and Hermonie do now, how did she feel about killing characters, and will she continue to write?

In typical Harry Potter fan crazyness fashion, there is even an interview about the interview!

We would love to hear your thoughts about the book!  Did you feel there were loose ends that weren't wrapped up to your satisfaction, what questions do you have?

J.K. Rowling U.S Fan Tour

J.K. Rowling's much anticipated 7th Harry Potter book comes out on July 21st, 2007.  In October the author will be coming to the United Sates for a book reading tour.  J.K. Rolwing will make stops in Hollywood, New York and New Orleans.  At these events she will read to School children and sign books.

Most events will be limited to students in the area who will be selected via drawing from "Sorting Hats" placed in local schools.

On October 19th, she will appear at Carnegie Hall and the event will be open to fans of all ages.  If you want to get a ticket though, you will need to enter a drawing at www.scholastic.com/harrypotter starting July 30th.  Good Luck!

Here are the dates of her appearances:
October 15th - Hollywood, CA - Kodak Theatre
October 18th - New Orleans, LA - Ernest N. Morial Auditorium
October 19th - New York, NY - Carnegie Hall

Harry Potter Info and Voting Site

I recently ran across a new Harry Potter fan site that let's you vote on your favoriate books, movies and characters.  Their Voting widgets let you spread the votes to other sites, so go ahead and vote and let us know what you think!

Click through to see the plexo

New Harry Potter Movie Date and Final Book Predictions!

MSNBC Reports, that the movie date has been moved up from July 13th, 2007 to July 11th, 2007!  Also in their article the ask readers to make predictions on what will happen in the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".  They ask readers to respond to the following questions:

• Who will die? Rowling has promised (threatened?) two major deaths in this last book.
• Will Harry be one of the Deaths?
• Where do Snape's loyalties lie?
• What exactly happened with Dumbledore?
• Is the mysterious RAB really Regulus Black?

The comments in the article are worth a read, some provide more questions than predictions, here are some of my favoriates

Is Harry one of Voldemort's Horcruxs?

"Wouldn't it be crazy if some how Harry's scar was a kind of Horcrux? (Refresh my memory if only inanimate objects can be a horcrux.)" and another commentor answers... "Quoted from the HP Lexicon: The term "Horcrux" is used to refer to any object in which a person has concealed a part of his or her soul. The object need not be inanimate; according to Dumbledore, a living creature can be used as a Horcrux, although it is risky to do so since the Horcrux in such a case is something that can move and think for itself, independently of the implanted fragment of soul. "

"I believe that Harry will be the 7th horcrux and will kill himself inorder to save Hogwarts from Lord Voldamort. "

"I think it's pretty obvious to think Harry's the last Horocrux and will have to sacrifice himself to off Voldemorte (the two deaths)"

"It's obvious that Harry is the final horcrux. Voldemort can create a horcrux by splitting off part of his soul after the commission of a murder. So, since Harry has some of Voldemort's powers, he must be an accidental horcrux that happened when his parents were killed."

"Harry is a Squib. That's right, you read that correctly, I think Harry has no magic of his own whatsoever. I believe firmly that all of his power comes from the scar, which is Voldemort's final Horcrux. This explains why Harry has the ultra rare Parseltongue ability, why his wand is identical to Voldemort's and explains why the hat offered him a choice of houses rather than picking one...because he confused the hat. It explains some of Dumbledore's more obscure comments such as his comment about scars being useful. In order for Voldemort to be defeated therefore, this final Horcrux must be broken."

"I think that if Harry is Lord Voldemort's horcrux, then LV had already used it. Think about it, no one was trying to kill HP in the first few books. When LV was reborn in the grave yard he used HP blood to complete the spell. That's when LV tried to kill Harry and avoid the prophency."

"The idea that Harry is the last Horcrux and must sacrifice himself actually makes alot of sense. If you remember the Prophecy's exact words were, "Neither can live while the other survives" and therefore making that theory a very good one"

Is Dumbledore Dead?

"Dumbledore isn't really dead; he has his own horcrux(es) to 'revive' him "

"As for Dumbledore having his own Horcruxes....while I agree with you, and am clinging to the hope that Dumbledore IS alive. I don't think it's because of Horcruxes. If memory serves, creating a Horcrux means giving up a part of your soul, or dividing it into 2 (or more, as the case may be) pieces, which Dumbledore specifically advises Harry is not a wise move."

"No, a Horocrux requires 1. an especially violent murder and 2. for the wizard to carve away part of their soul. I don't think Dumbledore would have done that."

"Rowling has said that Dumbledore is dead, however she did not mention whether or not he will help Harry via his portrait on the wall in the headmaster's office, and if there is a photo of him in grimuald place then that would support my theory of him helping harry thru his portraits."

"The only good thing about Dumbledore dying is that he will definitely live on in his portraits. Dumbledore does not have a horcrux. Besides the fact that JK said that whoever dies stays dead, horcruxes are evil dark magic. Does anyone really think that Dumbledore would willingly give up part of his soul?"

Snape's Loyalties?

"I predict we will discover that Dumbledore and Snape had an Unbreakable Vow; Snape had to do whatever it took to maintain his cover as a Death Eater. Snape will turn out to be good... "

"I think that snape is working under Dumbledore's orders, that he told him about the unbreakable vow he was forced to take to protect Draco."

"Snape is "good." A total git, but in terms of the Order vs Voldemort, he's definitely on the good side. When Snape stood over Dumbledore and Dumbledore said "Please," I thought it was pretty obvious that he was asking Snape to fulfill his part of the deal. As if Dumbledore would plead for his life! Snape killing Dumbledore is absolutely the best way for Snape the spy to bind Voldemort to him even tighter than he already is. By sacrificing himself, Dumbledore not only made Snape into the Order's best ally (and Voldemort's worst enemy), but he also saved Draco from being a murderer or being murdered. "

"I think that Snape had an unbreakable vow with Dumbledore never to betray him, which is why Dumbledore had such seemingly blind trust in Snape no matter what any one else says. "

What do you think?  I would love to hear your theories...

Muggles to be able to Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando at Universal Studios

Muggle fans of Harry Potter will be excited to know that Universal Studios has announced that they will be building a Harry Potter Theme Park in Orlando!  Universal plans to open the park in 2009!

According to the Today Show:

"Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort plan to open The Wizarding World of Harry Potter within Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park in 2009, Tom Williams, chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts, announced Thursday on TODAY.  The “theme park within a theme park” is the first fully immersive Harry Potter-themed environment based on the bestselling books by J.K. Rowling and the blockbuster feature films."

According to the Press Release:

J.K. Rowling, says "The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans
of the books or films will be disappointed."

Expected to open in late 2009, the new environment will feature
immersive rides and interactive attractions, as well as experiential shops and restaurants that will enable guests to sample fare from the wizarding world's best known establishments. Also debuting will be a state-of-the-art attraction that will bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never before experienced.

The Academy Award-winning production designer Stuart Craig, who has worked to bring the world of Harry Potter to life in all of the feature films to date, leads the creative design for the area to ensure it remains faithful to the look and feel of the films.

"Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter's world as it is portrayed in the books and films," said Craig. "I am very excited to be working closely with the
Universal Orlando team to bring the area to life."

Universal has setup a website with some FAQs and more information.  Visit www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter for more details.

Although the press release didn't mention anything specific about what rides and areas might be there, here are some of our common sense speculations as to what you might find there:

• Weasley's Wizard Weezes Joke Shop
• Gringotts Bank Roller Coaster Ride
• The Forbiden Forest Ride
• Hogwarts Express Ride
• Azkaban Ride
• Ministry of Magic Restaurant
• Quiddich Field / Ride
• Hogwarts Castle Ride (Maybe even a Hogwarts Hotel)
• Shriking Shack Ride
• Diagon Alley Shops
• Knockturn Alley Shops
• Hogsmead Shops
• Olivanders Wand Shop

Any other interesting ideas of what you might expect to see?

More Resources / References:

• The Today Show - Harry Potter theme park set to open
• The Disney Blog - Harry Potter goes to Universal
• Orlando Sentinel - Harry Potter to come to Universal Orlando
• Geeks of Doom - Harry Potter Attraction at Universal Studios?

Harry Potter and the Marauder's Map Lego Game

Here is the Harry Potter and the Marauder's Map game from Lego, enjoy and don't forget to post your scores in the comments!

The Harry Potter Crystal Ball Game

This one takes some very good observation skills, remember to post your scores in the coments section below!

Harry Potter Casting Spells Game

How good are you at waving the wand?  Give it a try and post your scores in the comments, honor system applies, no cheating.  I got 7 on my first attempt, so I clearly need some work at it.

Harry Potter on Myspace?

It looks like the publisher of the Harry Potter books plans on creating a section on MySpace according to Steve O'Hear over at ZDNet.

We noticed that there is a site: http://www.myspace.com/harrypotter but that this doesn't appear to be the official site.  We highly doubt they would have that ugly Adsense block at the top...