New Harry Potter title revealed by author
Yes, that's right. The next Harry Potter book--second-to-last in the series--has a name, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Still unavailable: a release date for the book, which J.K. Rowling isn't done writing.
However, this does allow us to open up early betting: who is the Half Blood Prince? Rowling says it isn't Harry or Voldemort, and also that she almost called the second book by this title, but decided to hold the information about the HBP's identity until now.
My bet is Draco Malfoy. Who better to be a half blood than Draco, who loves to sneer at Hermione over her own mixed origins? And this would certainly be in keeping with the allegories Rowling has created; those who seek a master race often turn out to be the very thing they wish to destroy. It helps that Draco has been around since the start; it's hard to imagine that Rowling had this important character all ready to go in book two and held him until now. I guess we'll find out sometime in 2005 or 2006. Any other guesses?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Hitler was Jewish and he wanted to kill all the Jews, so it's not exactly unprecedented to do something that seems totally illogical. And people think all the time that they can cover up parts of their past they find undesirable. Just ask Jack Ryan. The Malfoys aren't royalty, per se, but there is a hierarchy in the wizarding world that we get to see, and they're on top of it. They're the craven rich folks. And have we ever seen the mother of Draco? I only recall seeing his father.
Anyhow, I think Rowling is keen on irony, and there would be rich irony indeed in Draco calling Hermione a mudblood all these years when he himself is a mudblood, too. Plus it would make an interesting twist for Lucious to turn on his own mudblood son in a fit of righteous "pure wizard" furor--and for Harry to come to his aid. To risk his life for someone who doesn't deserve it would make Harry quite the hero.
I took off that last comment because I realized that I repeated something you said Richard. I'm pretty sure you're right that we've never met Malfoy's mother.
Still, I'm more inclined to think it's an under-the-radar character like Neville Longbottom.
I think 2006 sounds reasonable. I'd prefer summer of 2005, though...and so would pretty much every other person on earth, not least the folks who want to make the movies while the actors are the proper age to play their parts. I hope Rowling hurries. She's got the rest of her life to enjoy the royalties when she finishes.
As for Hagrid, who you asked about earlier, I found this summary of his life, which includes info about his lineage. He is half-giant, half-wizard; his father's story appears to be untold as yet. So he, too, could be the HBP. I guess that could help explain Dumbledore's protection of him. Anyhow, here it is:
Rubeus Hagrid was born in 1929 to the giant Fridwulfa and a human wizard father. The exact circumstances behind this pairing is a mystery, but it's clear Fridwulfa was not keen on the idea of raising a son: she left when Hagrid was about three, and his father continued to raise him alone. They were as close as a father and son could be, despite their obvious differences; Hagrid's father was a fairly small man, and Hagrid had already outgrown him at age six. They were happy times for Hagrid.
When Hagrid was accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1940, it was with a mixture of pride, excitement and trepidation. His father couldn't have been happier, of course--with Hagrid's mixed lineage, he wasn't sure if his son would have any magical talent at all. Hagrid was nervous, though--he was always a very sensitive soul, and he didn't know anyone else at the school. He was worried he would be picked on--yes, even though he was bigger than every student, and pretty much all of the faculty as well--and that he wouldn't be able to make any friends. Still, both for his own sake and for his father, he agreed to go, and so began his wizarding education.
Hagrid's fears about being alone at Hogwarts were not totally unfounded. He was different--in a very obvious way--and he quickly learned that people who are different have a hard time being accepted, especially by children his age. However, he did find one friend that would last a lifetime: Albus Dumbledore, who was at the time the Transfiguration teacher. If it weren't for Dumbledore, Hagrid probably wouldn't have stayed at Hogwarts for long; he was his one and only friend, but a good enough friend to make up for all the rest. Still, he was not a very happy boy: he wasn't a very good wizard, and the prejudices of the other students and faculty were a burden on him. His one real joy was in caring for magical creatures, since they didn't care if he was half-giant, or anything else. Unfortunately, the animals he preferred tended to be the sort forbidden on the castle grounds, so he had to care for them in secret--and was usually caught.
Late in Hagrid's second year, his father died. This flung Hagrid into a depression deeper than any he'd been in before, but again, Dumbledore was there for him. Even though Hagrid now had no known family, which only distanced him further from his fellow students, Dumbledore convinced him to continue to attend Hogwarts. This even Hagrid didn't fully understand--not only was he depressed, but his marks weren't improving, and he was still getting into trouble: he found he had a hot temper, and that, combined with his tendency to get into some sort of trouble, and his poor performance in classes, had put him under close scrutiny by the teachers, so he couldn't get away with much. It all came to a head in his third year, when mysterious attacks began in the school. Eventually, Hagrid was accused of releasing an acromantula (one he had been raising in a cupboard) in the school, assumed to be the creature responsible for the attacks. Since Hagrid already had a reputation for raising--and occasionally losing control over--dangerous magical creatures, the faculty had no trouble believing the accusation. Only Dumbledore--who seemed to be the only one who understood the half-giant's gentle nature at the time--believed in his innocence, but he could not prevent Hagrid from being expelled from the school. He did, however, manage to convince the faculty to keep Hagrid on at Hogwarts, letting him train to become the school gameskeeper--no small feat, considering how little love the students and faculty had for Hagrid.
For Hagrid, his new position was something of a consolation. As a gameskeeper, he could care for magical animals in the open, and he didn't need to care what anyone else thought of him. Didn't need to, but did anyway--it always stung him when people talked badly about him, but at least now he had his animals to turn to, when Dumbledore couldn't be with him. It also gave him responsibilities he could manage, and through his work, Hagrid began to find independence, and to mature as a person. What's more, as students graduated and faculty retired and were replaced, people began to forget about the trouble he had been in, and he slowly found a measure of acceptance. Without the pressure of classes to deal with, the friendlier side of Hagrid's personality could come out, and all would agree he became much easier to get along with. He even made other friends, both with students and faculty, but none ever as close as Dumbledore.
The only person Hagrid considers almost as close to him as Dumbledore was the boy Hagrid helped rescue on the night of Lord Voldemort's near-defeat, and whom he introduced to Hogwarts, personally guiding him into the wizard world he truly belonged to: Harry Potter. Hagrid had loved James and Lily Potter, and so has come to love Harry as well, almost seeing himself as a favored uncle to the boy. He is very protective of Harry, but not overwhelmingly so--he would never allow Harry come to harm, but he has other responsibilities too, and as much as he'd like to, he can't be with Harry all the time. But he feels secure knowing that Harry has other people watching out for him--his friends and teachers, as well as the friends and teachers of James and Lily--all of whom feel just as responsible for Harry as he does.
Hmm. Everything everyone's said makes sense--it could be Draco--that would be quite ironic. It could be Hagrid, but not sure where that would lead the series. . . Possibly an under-the-radar character, as Paul said, such as Neville. But why exclude major characters. Maybe it's Harry himself--sure, his parents were both wizards, but his mother was a Muggle--just like Hermione. Granted, it doesn't make sense in terms of the title--it's always been about Harry Potter and (Fill in the Blank with someone other than himself), but it could be him. The series seems to be taking the darker turns, but I'm hoping (as well as everyone else in the world) that in the end, the good guy Harry will come out as the winner. And wouldn't it make him even more so to find out he is some kind of prince? I dunno. I'm only speculating.
Or what about Voldemort? I don't remember enough from Chamber of Secrets where they discuss Tom Riddle's family background, but it's possible. I guess my point is not to exclude main characters just because they're main characters. . .
I would agree with you, Anonymous (Michele?), that Harry and Voldemort make good sense, but J.K. Rowling has said explicitly that the Half Blood Prince is NOT Harry or Voldemort. Based on that, and on the fact that she said the information about the HBP was almost part of book two, I'm drawn to the conclusion that the actual HBP is a character who has been around since book two. And since the series is already 5/7ths done, I don't see Rowling adding a whole new character at this point; that would sort of betray the idea that the narrative has been building to something, wouldn't it? On the other hand, the HBP could be someone who champions the cause of so-called Half Bloods in the battle against You Know Who and his Death Eaters; while that would likely rule out Draco (who may be pureblooded after all, since his mother evidently appeared in book four), it could be Neville--except that, as it turns out, Neville's a pureblood. (According to internet chatterers, you can find this on page 185 of Chamber of Secrets.)
I guess we'll have to hope the book comes out soon and answers our questions.
Yes, Richard, it was me (Michele). I guess I forgot to read that part about it NOT being Harry of Voldemort. So I guess everything I said is just retarded. . .
Malfoy's mother is Narcissa (Black) Malfoy, who is one of Sirius' cousins and, as far as I know, pure blood. So is Neville Longbottom whose parents are Alice and Frank Longbottom. They cover the fact that Neville is a pureblood at the end of the fifth book. Voldemort feared Harry more than Neville because of Harry's halfblood status.
Nice research--was that James who left the info about Narcissa and Neville? It would appear that our initial guesses are all wrong: not Draco, not Neville, not Harry, not Voldemort. Maybe Hermione has a brother? The only half blood main character left I can think of is Hagrid, who's half wizard, half giant. That would be pretty cool...
Actually, we meet Malfoy's mother in Goblet of Fire, at the Quidditch World Cup, where she is attending with Draco and his father. However, I don't recall if she has any speaking lines, I think she's just kind of there. I always wondered why Harry never wondered about her.
(and this is Jamie; I just don't feel like picking another login name and password for yet another thing I may never use....)
Post a Comment