JK Rowling's last gasp with Harry Potter is now tantalisingly within reach, and millions of potterista are eagerly donning witch or warlock paraphanalia and counting down the moments to whichever midnight they are speeding.
I tend to be a little slack, reading the books some months after their release. This was never a problem at first, but now that everything is unravelling and concluding, secrets are getting out. Even that doesn't worry me so much, for I still enjoy the read. Apparently the final tome, 'HP and the Deathly Hallows', has been illicitly photographed and released onto the internet. Why anyone would want to spoil the fun of millions of children is beyond me, but I suspect an element of self-loathing resides in the perpetrator.
So what do I think will happen? Well, Rowling has already hinted at other deaths. She's not going to want to keep Voltermort alive, is she? If Harry goes down with the dark lord, then I suspect she will lose the next generation of readers. So Harry may well survive. Ron and Hermione? One or both of them will probably perish, and possibly one or two classmates, such as Neville. Possibly Hagrid too.
The question of Snape is of great interest to me. What was the real meaning of his actions at the end of the last volume (other than outright murder) and will there be a redemption? Or was he just a sleeper all along.
Time and 750 odd pages will tell. Perhaps I'lll read this one a little earlier, after all.
