Writing Warning! This thread contains unmarked spoilers!: Harry Potter, Book 6.

[Sandy]

At first I thought I had just gone blind when I didn't see a topic about this, but then I did a search and found out that there in fact wasn't one! :rolleyes:

It feels unbelievable since this book is coming out this weekend! Have everybody forgot all about H.P. or what's going on?!

Anyhow, I'm going to this lineparty in front of a bookstore in central Helsinki with my boyfriend this Friday. He's a huge fan of H.P., and he actually organized the whole lineparty - over 100 people are going to attend.

It's funny that I'm not even going to buy the book, I'm just going to meet my bf's friends and enjoy the party of freaks & geeks. ;)

Of course I'll read the book when my bf has finished it (which will be like the day after he gets it). I've read all the five previous books, from which the fourth in both English and Finnish.

I'm excited to see what new plot twists J.K. Rowling has come up with, how the characters have grown and all that! It feels fantastic to step into that world of magic again. :D

What about you guys? Planning to buy the book in the first rush? Anybody going to other lineparties in other countries? Whatwhatwhat?!

[Dagger]

My younger sister is re-reading the first five books in preparation for this one. I have full faith that she'll buy it at midnight and finish it by the morning after it's released.

Speaking for myself, I found that certain... events in OotP really soured me on the series as a whole, and going back for book six just isn't going to feel the same for me. However, I'm sure I'll end up reading it eventually, at least once my sister gives me her review. Ironically I'm still in love with the HP fandom--in fact by now I probably like the fanon stuff a whole lot more than the actual novels, haha.

As hope springs eternal, I'm hoping that:

1) We haven't seen the last of [spoiler]Sirius.[/spoiler]
2) Harry grows out of his all-angst, all-the-time stage.
3) Draco Malfoy does sometime to warrant the excessive page space (or whatever the literary equivalent of screen time would be) he's been allotted in the previous books. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this as a fangirl--I just find it puzzling that he continues to get attention while remaining completely static as a character. Everyone else has changed at least a little (although that isn't always a good thing--i.e. angst!Harry).
4) More Lupin. And this I [i]am[/i] saying as a fangirl.
5) The book has closure but doesn't wrap up to become an (almost) self-contained story, as did the others. I'd like to see book six and book seven form a kind of two-parter, personally.

~Dagger~

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=Dagger]
As hope springs eternal, I'm hoping that:

1) We haven't seen the last of [spoiler]Sirius.[/spoiler]
2) Harry grows out of his all-angst, all-the-time stage.
3) Draco Malfoy does sometime to warrant the excessive page space (or whatever the literary equivalent of screen time would be) he's been allotted in the previous books. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this as a fangirl--I just find it puzzling that he continues to get attention while remaining completely static as a character. Everyone else has changed at least a little (although that isn't always a good thing--i.e. angst!Harry).[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with you on these three issues, Daggy:

1) Although rapid fans - like my bf - have fanwanked this to me cazillion times, I still can't believe certain one would [spoiler]simply die because he fell through a portal and that's that[/spoiler]. ;)

2) Harry's teenage angstiness, though very realistic, irritated me to no end in the fifth book. Just [I]grow up[/I], Harry! :p

3) I've always wondered if Draco would turn out to be something else than the cliché bossy bully he is. There's certainly a lot of potential in him. But I'm afraid Rowling isn't as good in creating the baddies as she is with everything else. All the villains seem to be of the all-evil-no-emotions-kill-everything -stereotype. The fifth book took an interesting twist [spoiler]by bringing a few non-Voldemort-fanatic-villains to the scene[/spoiler], but still there's a lot of ground for potential personality development. ;)

We'll just have to see what the sixth book brings us...

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=2][font=arial narrow]I think a lot of people have some sort of problem with OotP. The characterisation of Harry is just so different and so much angrierthat it seems to throw people off. I myself [i]loved[/i] Umbridge so much. She was just so needed, it was fantastic for her to be there.

Like Dagger, I really want Draco to have some sort of evolution, as he is the only character in the books that hasn't really been any self discovery. But he's getting to the age where a person starts to come into themselves more, so fingers crossed we'll be seeing another time. (And [i]un[/i]like Dagger, I [i]do[/i] speak from a fangirl perspective.)

In the 5th wish, at least, you might get your way. I've heard some talk from JKR that it's going to be more a two parter (or got that impression, at least).

CAPITAL-LETTERS!Harry is both annoying and funny, in my opinion. I've seen some excellent fanfic mocking it, but I really think it's needed. A person who has been through that amount of trauma in their life has the right to be angry, even if the reader finds it annoying. I think, too, Harry's anger will strengthen the resolve against Voldemort and bring something more tangible against him. While his parents were definately a strong point for his resistance to it, now Harry has a real and present reason to hate Voldie. So yeah, I'm anxious to see how JKR writes him now.



[b]Just as a side note before the 6th book comes out -- please remember, once it does, to include spoilers in your posts. As a person who won't be getting the book until the 23rd, I will personally be [i]very ticked off[/i] if someone spoils this book for me by not spoilering their posts. Remember; any discussion involving a big event that would not be guessed (for example, Harry being in 7th year doesn't need to be under spoiler tags) should be under spoiler tags. To learn more about spoiler tags, please have a look at the [url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46199]SpoilerTag[/url] thread in The Anime Lounge. [/b][/font][/size]

[Ryo the Tactician]

It's funny that you should say that, Dagger. I have an older sister re-reading all the books in preparation for this one.

As for looking forward to it, I really am. After reading Order of the Phoenix, it's like so many things happened that she's just got to keep going, got to continue it. Deaths and new friendships, and strengthening of bonds of old ones. And all those hints between[COLOR=Black]Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I mean, come on. Remember that line in OotP when they said, "Hermione snapped at Ron, much like Mrs. Weasley admonishing Mr. Weasley" or something along those lines.[/COLOR] I hope for:

1. More character development not just between the three, but people like Neville and other friends, the new girl that Harry befriended (what was her name), Ginny and her everchanging boyfriends, staff like Dumbledore and..McGonagal (sp????)?

2. Harry needs to get over this "teen angst" as Dagger so excellently put it. It's like he's always on. I mean, you have to cut him slack, considering the insane amount of things he's going through at the same time. I mean, I thought being his age was a pain enough, minus
- insane person bent on your destruction
- being famous
- etc.

3. Yes, I'd also like them to humanize Draco. Until now, he and his father have been nothing more than ultra-stereotypical baddies. C'mon, tell us his background, his life, tell us [I]why[/I] he is the way he is! I think his fangirl base would go through the roof if J.K. Rowling did this.

4. I believe, Dagger, that now there will be no self contained stories like the first 4 books. From 5 onward, now that we know the true conflict between Harry and He Who Must not be Named (^_^), the true story will only continue to develop.

~RtT

[celestialcharm]

Aww I can't wait till the book comes out. My sister pre ordered it for herself so, it is going to be delivered straight to our house. :animesmil She is also going to let me read it first when it comes. :catgirl:

I don't really remember the last book. All I remember Harry was all angsty, which annoyed me till sometimes I had to take a reading break (a break that I read a peice of another book instead of Harry Potter.)

Now, what I'm looking forward to is:

Ms. Rowling said something about Harry having an relationship with someone. I want to know what's that all about and who is it.

Ron/Hermione relationship. I think they are too cute together.

More of the secondary and minor characters appearances, like Fred and George.

And more info about the war that started. It reminds me of WWII. :animeknow

[Mitch]

I haven't even read Order of the Phoenix yet. I plan on getting it and reading it, sometime. I mean you can get the book in softcover for 5 bucks now, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I still enjoy the Harry Potter books, although not as much as when I read the first three of them. Every book kind of feels like more of the same to me anyway, but even that's good enough for me I guess. My interest has waned overall though. I used to really love these books, now I just like them.

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]Ah! I was waiting for someone to start up this thread. I would have done it myself, if I had more access to a computer at the moment.

As for me, I've been counting down the days since I got out of school. Right now it is currently four days, six hours, and 4 minutes... well, according to the time in which I am writing this. Unfortunately, I will not be able to get it at midnight, the moment it is released. For one, I didn't know I'd be at my father's when it would be released, so, I didn't reserve on at Barns&Noble. I would have been able to get a copy at home, since our town is rather small and not as many people would be there. Ah well, I can always get it for half price at Target on Saturday morning. That's what I did for OotP.

Anyway, I honestly can't wait for it to come out. I didn't need to re-read the books to prepare for it to come out... because I re-read them at least twice a year anyway. >> Yeah, yeah, everyone knows that the Claire is a total HP geek.

I do think that we haven't seen the last of our favorite big black dog, Sirius. And yes, Harry's whole angst stage was rather... annoying... but I guess you can't blame him. After all, he is a teenage boy... and with all the crap he has to put up with... I was waiting for him to finally start yelling at everybody.
I'd also like to see a lot more of Draco. Heh, I'm definitely a hardcore fangirl when it comes to Draco Malfoy. But, J.K. Rowling doesn't always add the much needed growth of Draco. Sure, we see him making some snide remarks here and there. But I want more of a history behind him. Come on, he's Harry's schoolmate rival, you need to see how he grows, and give him a bit more history.

I have another HP obsessed friend, and he always insists on having heated discussions on who the half-blood prince is. I've reasoned that it could be [spoiler]Hagrid[/spoiler], but everyone gets upset with me when I bring that up and explain my reasoning. Some people just simply say it's [spoiler]Harry[/spoiler], but that would be to obvious and dissappointing. I think J.K. Rowling can whip out better plot twists than that. But, we'll just have to see.

I'll definitely be posting again once I read it. And trust me, I'll be shut up somewhere, reading, as soon as my fingertips brush against the spine.[/color][/size]

[DBZgirl88]

[COLOR=#004a6f]I don't normally buy books, because they can be pretty expensive. So I simply go to the library. The local library is getting a total of 70 copies distrubuted in its branches, and I put the book on hold quite a while ago, I'm #52 on the hold list :animesmil . As soon as the library gets the copy, I'll get to check it out. I hope they get it soon. I don't think I can wait much longer.

I'm pretty excited. I can't wait to find out what happens next! I've reread the first five books in preparation.[/COLOR]

[Ozymandius Jones]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][QUOTE=Lady Asphyxia][size=2][font=arial narrow]
[b]Just as a side note before the 6th book comes out -- please remember, once it does, to include spoilers in your posts. As a person who won't be getting the book until the 23rd, I will personally be [i]very ticked off[/i] if someone spoils this book for me by not spoilering their posts.[/b][/font][/size][/QUOTE]

Hear, hear!

Anyways, this is the first Harry Potter book that's been released since I've become a fan, so I'm pretty excited. I will be doing absolutlely nothing interesting, however...I'm not even buying it, I'm borrowing it from my library. They're getting 5 copies at my branch alone, and I managed to make it 3rd on the request list, so I will most likely have my hands on it pretty close to the release date.

I, too, agree with the hopes that Ms. Rowling has de-angsted Harry a bit, and also with the [spoiler]Sirius not being completely gone[/spoiler] theory. That happened too fast. Whether it would show up in this book or the next book, I have no clue.

I, however, am overjoyed with all the rumors & hints at even more Snape involvement. And that is from both an interested reader's position AND a fangirl's position. [/COLOR]

[Ailes de Velour]

[font=arial][size=1][color=darkorchid]I remember when OotP came out. My friend dressed up as Moaning Myrtle, COMPLETE with a toilet seat around her neck! Don't ask me where she got it, I don't know, nor do I want to. But people were taking pictures of her with their little kids, who were all wearing generic Gryffindor costumes. She won first place in the costume contest, too.

So, back on topic. I'm not too excited about it's release. It's just another book that I might read. I'm not a raving Harry Potter fanatic, and I don't think I've ever been. My interest level for the series is moderately low. I mean, I'm interested in reading it, because I don't think it's too bad, and I desperately need something to read. My mom will probably buy me the book out of nowhere, like she did for OotP.

I didn't even notice any angst. I guess I'm just dumb.[/font][/size][/color]

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=Ailes de Velour][font=arial][size=1][color=darkorchid]
I didn't even notice any angst. I guess I'm just dumb.[/font][/size][/color][/QUOTE]

Excuse me?!?!?! What did you think all those "I HATE EVERYBODY!!!"-filled sentences were, shrieks of joy? :p

I don't think you're dumb, you're just not paying any attention. (ADD, maybe?) ;)

Though they're relatively easy to read, Harry Potter -books if any require serious sinking into the story, or else you're just one big questionmark about all that's going on. You have to learn and remember the countless odd names and titles; it's almost like a whole new world you have to get into. It won't happen if you just read the books because you've got nothing better to do. ;)

[Ailes de Velour]

[QUOTE=Sage]Excuse me?!?!?! What did you think all those "I HATE EVERYBODY!!!"-filled sentences were, shrieks of joy? :p

I don't think you're dumb, you're just not paying any attention. (ADD, maybe?) ;)
[/QUOTE]
[font=arial][color=darkorchid][size=1]Nope, I don't have ADD. Nya.
It's been a while since I read the book, though, so I don't remember. I DO remember just one page of basically all caps, which was interesting.

I probably didn't think anything of it because the Dursleys get on my nerves, terribly. I would've done the same thing.

And Snape, and Malfoy, and the whatsherface new headmaster weird lady...o.o;;

+ramble+[/font][/size][/color]

[DBZgirl88]

[COLOR=#004a6f]Bad news everyone. A major Half Blood Price leak has occured. 15 copies were accidentally sold in a Canadian store. Be very careful, because some people have been posting spoilers.[/COLOR]

[Syk3]

[size=2]Geeze, with all of this hype, those store employees would have to be pretty stupid to accidentally sell copies before the actual release date. Ah well, I?ll sleep better in my bed knowing that they have probably been fired. :) And have been put through various tortures, of course.[/size]

[size=2]It will come as no surprise to those of you who know how big a fan I am that I will most definitely be there at midnight on Friday/Saturday to pick up my reserved copy, as I did with the last two from the series. The Harry Potter titles are really the only books that I have read for enjoyment since.. it must have been Goosebumps in elementary school. To prepare for the occasion, since I just got back from the beach last Saturday, I have watched the first three movies to sort of get a quick reminder in there, and I?m currently listening to the latest two books on tape. This is actually more of a re-reminder for me in anticipation for The Half-Blood Prince, because earlier this year when I found out when the book would be coming out I listened to all five books consecutively. And yes, that is how lazy I am, but it also helps because when we get a new Harry Potter book; I?m free to read while my brother listens the first time through. :p[/size]

[size=2]In terms of Order of the Phoenix, I won?t deny the fact that Harry was a little angrier than usual. I believe that this helped to set a much darker tone in the book by showing it through a pessimistic view, and though it happened throughout the novel, I?m not going to go as far as to condemn the entire book for it. In fact, I feel that the Harry Potter series gets better and better overall as the story goes on, as the reader becomes more immersed in the environment, or at least as I did, lol.[/size]

[size=2]It took me until about the third day to finish the fifth book after I got it at midnight. Now.. that was two years ago, and I admit that I am a pretty slow reader, but in response to your sister finishing it by morning, Dagger: :eek: I mean, how can you get your mind around the story and enjoy all the hard work put into it when you?re practically skimming it? Haha :p But as I said, I don?t consider myself a fast reader, so it?s difficult for me to comprehend, heh.[/size]

[size=2]I?m also wondering who you all think is the person behind the title, Half-Blood Prince. Rowling has already confirmed that it isn?t Harry, Voldemort, and certainly not Hagrid; it?s obviously a guy, and he has wizard blood from only one parent; lastly, she has said that Chamber of Secrets was such a big clue that the book almost had this title. I did a little looking around on the internet earlier, and I found one site that brings up an excellent point for a possible candidate. [spoiler]If you recall in CoS, when Dobby was saying who would be terrorizing Hogwarts, he said it wasn?t ?he-who-must-not-be-named? but rather, we would find out later, Tom Riddle, before he had that title. If J.K. is going on the same sort of trick, then the rest would fit. Tom Riddle is both the heir of Slytherin and half blood, so maybe we?ll get more information about him and his background.[/spoiler] For a more detailed prediction, you can go [/size][url="http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/theburrow/prash01.shtml"][size=2]here[/size][/url][size=2].[/size]

[size=2]In closing, I must say that I have full faith in J.K. Rowling and her work, so I?m more interested in seeing what new events Harry is getting into than critiquing the book. It?s a much more enjoyable read that way. ^_^[/size]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Syk3][size=2']It took me until about the third day to finish the fifth book after I got it at midnight. Now.. that was two years ago, and I admit that I am a pretty slow reader, but in response to your sister finishing it by morning, Dagger: :eek: I mean, how can you get your mind around the story and enjoy all the hard work put into it when you?re practically skimming it? Haha :p But as I said, I don?t consider myself a fast reader, so it?s difficult for me to comprehend, heh.[/size][/quote]
I read the book overnight last time, and I wasn't skimming it. The only part that eluded me was a certain person's death scene. As soon as I finished that section of the story, I had to go back and re-read it about three times before I managed to convince myself that I wasn't having horrible hallucinations due to lack of sleep or whatever. After that I was a little too shocked/depressed/enraged to appreciate the rest of the book (I think I almost stopped right there, as a matter of fact), but I slugged on through, since it was near the end anyway.

I actually find it difficult to skim JKR's writing. One of the hallmarks of her style is that it flows quite well, making reading it a very natural-feeling experience. I don't think she's the greatest writer out there in just in terms of how she uses/manipulates the language, but she doesn't have to be--the plot & characters & interesting details are what carry this series, not absolute genius with figurative language and so forth. Anyway, while I do read her books quickly, I feel that I absorb more than enough to enjoy them. And I'm a fast reader in general, I suppose. It runs in the family.

I also believe that [spoiler]Riddle is the prince from the title. He's pretty much the only prominent character who fits, as far as I can tell. Apparently CoS is going to be important to events in the new book, so that too makes sense.[/spoiler]

[quote name='Sage']Excuse me?!?!?! What did you think all those "I HATE EVERYBODY!!!"-filled sentences were, shrieks of joy? :p [/quote]
That is totally signature-worthy. :animesmil

~Dagger~

[Fyxe]

[quote name='Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f']Bad news everyone. A major Half Blood Price leak has occured. 15 copies were accidentally sold in a Canadian store. Be very careful, because some people have been posting spoilers.[/COLOR][/quote]

[size=1][color=slategray]Yes, I heard about that. My friend said she had found that out, then researched the subject. Supposedly 14-15 copies can released to a few customers early Monday. I wonder what morons could "accidentally" release such a tensely anticipated book. But, the people who the books were released to, were threatened by some judge that if they told anybody what happened, they'd be sent to jail. Lol, I don't know if that's true... but, funny. That's what my friend told me. I wonder where she found that? News perhaps?

Anyway. [spoiler]Not Hargrid, you say? Well... so much for that. But there was some valid proof that it could have been him. I mean, he's a half Giant, half Wizard.... and he doesn't know anything about his mothers past. Not much anyway. But if J.K. Rowling says so, I guess we should believe her... after all, she [I]is[/I] the author.[/spoiler] XD

[quote]Originally posted by [B]Syk3[/B]
Rowling has already confirmed that it isn?t Harry, Voldemort, and certainly not Hagrid; it?s obviously a guy, and he has wizard blood from only one parent; lastly, she has said that Chamber of Secrets was such a big clue that the book almost had this title. I did a little looking around on the internet earlier, and I found one site that brings up an excellent point for a possible candidate.[spoiler] If you recall in CoS, when Dobby was saying who would be terrorizing Hogwarts, he said it wasn?t ?he-who-must-not-be-named? but rather, we would find out later, Tom Riddle, before he had that title. If J.K. is going on the same sort of trick, then the rest would fit. Tom Riddle is both the heir of Slytherin and half blood, so maybe we?ll get more information about him and his background.[/spoiler][/quote]

Hmm... I don't know... [spoiler]If the half-blood prince isn't Voldemort, then how could it be Tom Riddle? If Tom was the half-blood prince, then Voldemort would be too. Since, obviously, they are the same person. Maybe J.K. Rowling was indicating something else from the book.[/spoiler] But, of course, we can't be sure until we read it for ourselves, now can we?

I was discussing this with my older sister earlier, and she made a very good point: [spoiler]What if it's Dumbledore? Since the man is so mysterious, who would suspect? Plus, we know basically nothing about his past.
It could also be a new character, or so she said, but I found that very hard to agree with. J.K. Rowling wouldn't conjure a completey new character and slap on the title "Half-Blood Prince." I definitely think it's someone we've seen from book one.[/spoiler]

As I talk further into this subject with people, the answers and points get stranger. Like this one, [spoiler]someone said that it could be Hermione... and she just changed her sex... or will change her sex... etc.[/spoiler] Though it's amusing. I find it very unlikely. Lol. [/color][/size]

[Lord Dante]

The store where I work is having a midnight opening in order to sell the book... and I've been drafted to work that shift... :animesigh. Which means I'm going to have to deal with obsessive fans and crap like that.

Personally, i know that i'll end up reading the book as soon as i get paid, but to be perfectly honest, i'm not that excited. To me it's just another mildly interesting (maybe not even that) book.

[DBZgirl88]

[COLOR=#004a6f][quote name='Lix']Yes, I heard about that. My friend said she had found that out, then researched the subject. Supposedly 14-15 copies can released to a few customers early Monday. I wonder what morons could "accidentally" release such a tensely anticipated book. [/quote]It was only one employee who did it i think. The store where it happened wasn't actually a books store, it was a "superstore". Normally, that store puts out its merchandise as soon as the get it. The employee probably made an honest mistake. It's not like EVERYONE is obsessed with Harry Potter and counting down to the second till July 16.[/COLOR]

[Ryo the Tactician]

Oh come on, one of them (were there more than 1) had to know about Harry Potter's release date. I know people that aren't big fans, but everyone knows about the upcoming book. They would've had to be reaaaally thick, either way, to put those books on the shelves.

Oh, Lord Dante, my aforementioned sister also works in a bookstore, and she's working the shift. I am going to the midnight party as well, of course! I haven't figured out whether I should wear my Dementor costume, but there's no way in heck. Guess I just made up my mind ^_^. OotP's party was so fun! There were so many happy people, etc etc. It was just fun. My sister pre-ordered a copy who knows how long ago.

I surely am looking forward to that date. Wait...that's 2 days from now???? I had no idea it was so close, I was still thinking it was a week! :animesigh Woooow.

Who knows, maybe I'll unknowingly see some of you at the midnight party ;-).

~R.E.

[Syk3]

[QUOTE=Lix][size=1][color=slategray]Hmm... I don't know... [spoiler]If the half-blood prince isn't Voldemort, then how could it be Tom Riddle? If Tom was the half-blood prince, then Voldemort would be too. Since, obviously, they are the same person. Maybe J.K. Rowling was indicating something else from the book.[/spoiler] But, of course, we can't be sure until we read it for ourselves, now can we?

I was discussing this with my older sister earlier, and she made a very good point: [spoiler]What if it's Dumbledore? Since the man is so mysterious, who would suspect? Plus, we know basically nothing about his past.
It could also be a new character, or so she said, but I found that very hard to agree with. J.K. Rowling wouldn't conjure a completey new character and slap on the title "Half-Blood Prince." I definitely think it's someone we've seen from book one.[/spoiler][/color][/size][/QUOTE]Well, it's like I said; [spoiler]if it wasn't Voldemort doing the attacks in Chamber of Secrets according to Dobby, then obviously, in Rowling's mind, Tom Riddle and Voldemort are two different people in a way. Riddle was his.. well, human past, before he turned into this completely killing machine.[/spoiler] Do you see what I'm saying?

[spoiler]Dumbledore is a possibility, and so, I believe, is a completely new character. Think about it. All of the titles so far deal with people or things that are introduced in each book, respectively. Sorcerer's/Philosopher's stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix.. none were titles that take something from a previous book and slap it on this one. I'm not saying it will [i]definitely[/i] be a new person, as you can see from what I've told you before, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.[/spoiler]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]I have highly anticipated this book, although it just hit me MONDAY that the book is released Friday/Saturday at midnight. For 4 and 5 I was at the midnight parties, waiting for my reserved copy to be handed to me. But now, being in college and in the middle of planning my wedding, I really forgot all about it, and I wont be able to get to Barnes & Noble. I don't have a car, I don't want to be there by myself at midnight, and I don't have any money until my fiance takes me to buy it on Saturday evening. So I'll be a day late, but I don't think it will hurt me very much. One thing that sucks, though, is that I have a huge test coming up next week and instead of reading Harry Potter, I should be studying for it, but I don't want to!

In preparation for the sixth book, I'm re-reading OotP since I re-read all the others just a few months ago. I figure I might as well read the closest one to what's going on because I've only read it twice, this being my third time. I am so happy for Harry Potter. Ravenclaw for life!

I don't really have any expectations going into this book, except that I am SO freaking excited to see how they did on the O.W.L.s!! That is the most anticipated thing for me, and I am such a dork. All the other stuff I'll read when I get to it. I want to know about those dang tests! And Percy. I want to know about Percy.[/color][/size]

[Dagger]

My sister sent me an interesting email with (all confirmed) information about HBP and HP in general which the people at muggle.net gleaned from JKR's site as well as various official interviews & online chats. I'm just going to spoiler-tag the whole thing, although it's reasonably vague for the most part.

[quote][spoiler]
- We will learn a lot more about Voldemort in this book.
- HBP will be an intense book, but with light-hearted moments.
- Harry will leave Privet Drive early again, for a "much pleasanter" reason than in book 5.
- The opening chapter of book 6 was originally planned for the early parts of book 1, perhaps we get a more in-depth story of what happened the night Harry's parents died.
- Neither Harry or Voldemort (including Tom Riddle) are the Half-Blood Prince
- Arthur Weasley will not be the new Minister of Magic
- By the ends of books 6 and 7 "you'll have all the back story you'll need", says JK Rowling, and a prequel will not be necessary
- There will be a new Minister of Magic, no more Mr. Fudge.
- We will find out what happened to Hagrid's half brother Grawp. He will be a bit more controllable in book 6.
- The Dursleys are in the next book, but Harry's stay with them will be the shortest yet. In book 5 he stayed for 4 weeks, so we know his stay will be less than 4 weeks.
- Cho Chang will not be a romantic interest of Harry in Book 6, however there will be a "little romance" for Harry says JK.
- In books 6 and 7 we will find out exactly why JK killed off Sirius.
- Harry becomes even more powerful in book 6.
- In books 6 and 7 we will find out why Dumbledore trusts Snape.
- We will find out what happened to Wormtail AKA Peter Pettigrew
- More about the animosity between Snape and Sirius will be revealed in the last 2 books.
- JK has said that giving away the form of Snape's boggart and patronus says too much. We'll definitely find out what Snape's worst fear is, and it'll be important.
- Hermione and Draco will NOT end up together in book 6 or 7.
- We will find out what exactly Dudley saw when he looked at the dementors.
- The reason Voldemort and Harry both didn't die when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, will be revealed.
- We will see more of Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy, now that Lucius is busy.
- We'll learn more about Harry's scar in the last 2 books.
- Moaning Myrtle will make an appearance again, as will Tonks.
- More about Voldemort's birth will be revealed, thus helping us understand why he is so evil.
- Muggles begin to notice "more and more odd" occurrences in book 6, says JK.
- The wizarding world is really at war in the sixth book.
- Harry will tell his dearest friends about the prophesy after it sinks in to him.
- We will learn more about Harry's relatives, including his grandparents (though JK says they aren't really important to the story)
- We will find out what happened to Sirius's motorbike.
- Book 6 will be shorter than the 5th book (or at least JK's 99% sure, but will not swear on her children's lives)
- There will be no "new" nationalities of children at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a British school, and JK says that adding foreigners for the sake of it is not in her plans.
- During an interview, when JKR was asked in which Hogwarts room she'd like to be for 1 hour, she said it would be a room in which Harry has been before, but doesn't know its importance. Yet. (this could have happened in book 5, but we're unsure)
- It's very important in the plot that Harry has his mother's eyes, and that her wand was very good for charms.
- During an interview for Kids BBC, Victor Greensteet (reporter) asked Rowling if Harry would have a dragon for a pet. This is what she replied: "You can't tame a dragon, no matter what Hagrid thinks. It's simply impossible. So no. He has more common sense. He MAY have a different pet in the future, but for now, I won't say anything else". (This could have been buckbeak, but I'm sure we can expect more pets)
- In the same interview for Kids BBC, the reporter asked J. K. if Harry had ever used the internet, and this is what she had to say: "No. They (the Dursleys) won't let him go near Dudley's computer, and Dudley is the only one who has a computer. They hit him if he gets too near to the keyboard. So the answer would be No. I use it a lot, but Harry doesn't. Wizards don't really need to go on the web. They have an even better way to find out what's happening in the outside world, which I think is a lot more fun than the Internet, but I'm going to keep quiet on this one."
- The choice between what's right and what's easy will be a pillar of the plot in Harry's last 2 years at Hogwarts
- Harry's parents' profession will be a big part of the plot.
- Something HUGE will be revealed about Lily Potter.[/spoiler][/quote]

It sounds like (again, this is just extra caution with the spoiler tags) [spoiler]we're going to be seeing a lot of Snape in the next two books.[/spoiler] Maybe [i]he's[/i] the half-blood prince.

~Dagger~

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=2][font=arial narrow]What I'm interested about for the next book is [spoiler]the excerpt from HPB that JKR posted on her site; you know, the description of the man who 'looked like an old lion'? I'm inclined to think that it might be the new DADA teacher, which could be interesting; has anyone noticed how the DADA teachers [i]always[/i] play a big part in the books? I mean, you have Quirrel in PS, Lockhart in CoS [he's sort of the exception], Lupin in PoA, Moody[spoiler]/Crouch[/spoiler] in GoF, and Umbridge in OotP. In each of the books they play quite a significant part, in plot terms if not actual screen time. [/spoiler]

Am very excited now. ^_^[/font][/size]

[KarmaOfChaos]

[color=deeppink][size=1]There are just so many things to be excited about in this next book, I don't see how anyone could [i]not[/i] be anticipating it. Personally, the only thing that deeply bothered me about book 5 was [spoiler]Sirius' death[/spoiler], but Harry's angst/anger was something I guess I had been waiting for almost, kind of like 'dude, get angry already. please. you're entirely too passive.' Lol. Anyway. I will most definitely be going to the midnight showing, and possibly dressing up as well (my friend wants to go as the Fat Lady in pink), and I'm considering going as a snitch. * giggles * Imagine me covering in gold face paint and wearing a gold sequin (sp?) skirt and tights and a shirt, like something out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. XD Ah, crazyness. Still, you should be a kid while you can be, you know?

-Karma[/size][/color]