Harry Potter Countdown Thread

[Tanniker Smith]

The countdown is on! We're all waiting. Let's talk about it while we're waiting.

This countdown ticks down the time to both the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film.

Countdown clocks can be found at http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/#static:countdowns

[Tanniker Smith]

This is the place to check out every day to see what everyone else is saying about the upcoming book.

On topic: any speculation, guesses, anecdotes, trivia, or whatever.

What SHOULD NOT Be Posted: SPOILERS of any kind. If you have some insider knowledge of something or if another hacker breaks into something or if someone somehow steals a copy of the book . . .
Basically, if you have ANY reasonable belief that you might actual KNOW SOMETHING which might spoil it for folks DON'T POST IT.

At the very least, make it INVISIBLE.
To do that, use the FONT tag with the option COLOR=WHITE. When you do that, the text will only be visible if you highlight it.

Example: This is < FONT COLOR=WHITE> invisible </FONT>. This is NOT.

Example: This is invisible . This is NOT.

[Tanniker Smith]

Okay, I guess you can't embed stuff here. The link didn't work.

Anyway, we all know how much time is left anyway.

[Tax-chick]

How much time? I’m easily confused!

[Politicalmom]

Great. The amnesty bill suspense is killing me, and y’all have to pile on the stress. :p

[Allegra]

Ping!

[Tanniker Smith]

23 days, 11 hours, 7 minutes. Give or take.

[Tanniker Smith]

Whoops, wait!!!

It's only 23 days, 7 hours and 11 minutes!!
Just shaved off close to FOUR HOURS there.

[Tanniker Smith]

So yesterday morning, someone on one of the morning news programs was asking kids about the book, and asking, "Do you think Voldemort will die in this book?"

Now, let me put it this way: Is that a STUPID question or what?
I mean, if Voldemort's not dead at the end of this then the story is NOT finished. There can be no locking him up in Azkhaban or anything like that. No trapping him in the Chamber of Secrets. It's all or nothing with him, that's how he marked Harry in the first place.

Of course he has to die! The questions should be How? and By whose hand?
(Will there be another Darth Vader to save Luke from the Emperor?)

TS

[b9]

Reminds me of that funny scene in “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Meryl Streep, a Cruella deVil clone, threatens her assistant with firing unless she can produce an advance Harry Potter manuscript for her twins. By 3 pm. that day.

[Allegra]

It's only 23 days, 7 hours and 11 minutes!!

And approximatley ten days' shipping for me. (Sigh)

I've got it pre-ordered on Amazon. I'll have to avoid any spoiler threads like the plague once it comes out.

[kanawa]

Okay, I guess you can't embed stuff here

I've heard that's being worked on....

Thanks for starting a "safe" thread.
Last thing I'd want is for the suspense to be spoiled.

[Allegra]

approximatley = approximately

Time for bed. My typing sucks.

[Politicalmom]

Good grief. I intended to re-read all the books and I have company arriving Monday. Guess I better get going tonight....

[Tanniker Smith]

I bought Book Six at 12:09 am the day it came out (according to the receipt). It was a Friday night. I was up. The family was asleep. I drove over to Pathmark. There were maybe a half-dozen to a dozen people there waiting for the book (and others who were actually shopping at midnight and were clueless about it).

I'd love to try that this time -- but it looks like I'll be away camping for the week!! (I'll have to sneak off to Wal-Mart.)

[CholeraJoe]

Would you like me to freepmail it chapter by chapter?

[Politicalmom]

I stopped doing that several books ago. My husband always called from Walmart before mine arrived and said “There’s a huge pile of HP books. Want me to get you one?”

LOL

[dfwgator]

I think the last page will just suddenly go to black.

[Allegra]

I bought Book Six at 12:09 am the day it came out (according to the receipt). It was a Friday night. I was up. The family was asleep.

That sounds like fun.

I got the last one....in the mail from Amazon.

I've been here too long!

[Tanniker Smith]

I think the last page will just suddenly go to black.

LOL!

No, wait!!
It'll "go to Black".
Siriusly.

[Tanniker Smith]

That sounds like fun.

It was. I think I read at least two chapters before I went to bed. I left it on the kitchen table as a surprise for everyone.

... with a Bookmark in place!!

[Allegra]

Would you like me to freepmail it chapter by chapter?

That is a very sweet offer. Actually, I love having the book and racing away from my office each evening to curl up with it and read it until I just zonk out.

And there'll be people who DIDN'T order waiting anxiously to borrow it when I'm done. I learned how this works last time around. ;-)

[Allegra]

I stopped doing that several books ago. My husband always called from Walmart before mine arrived and said “There’s a huge pile of HP books. Want me to get you one?”

There aren't any WalMarts or Barnes and Nobles or anything like that where I live.

There are some Targets, though....OK, OK....that was bad.

[retrokitten]

Potter Ping!

[Old Sarge]

There are some Targets, though....OK, OK....that was bad.

You really HAVE been there too long, darlin'...

[Tanniker Smith]

Potter Ping!

Badda Bing!

[Tanniker Smith]

You really HAVE been there too long, darlin'...

Only if you start calling it "Tar -- zhay"

[Allegra]

I'll sign off for the night with this:

Think Ron and Hermione will finally make it official?

Harry and Ginny?

Will all four of them be standing at the end?

Did Dumbledore really die and is Snape secretly a good guy?

[Steelerfan]

UGGHHH.

Wife and bought two copies this time after fights over whose turn to read it was last time. Hoping Amazon doesn’t get too behind in shipping them.

[Tanniker Smith]

Think Ron and Hermione will finally make it official?

If they do, then Ron is definitely a goner . . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . and he might get killed, too!

Ba dum dump!

[CholeraJoe]

Yes
Yes
Yes
and Yes.

My guess is that Hagrid and Percy get whacked. One of the Potter sites just reported this week that Kreacher the elf plays a big role in book 7.

[knittnmom]

In previous books, it’s been established the Voldemort’s ability to exist is closely tied to Harry’s life. If Voldemort dies, does Harry also have to die?

[JenB]

It’s going to be the end of an era for me. Almost ten years of waiting for the next book.

My husband has been informed that I get the book first. I can always put another copy on preorder at B&N if he has a problem but my HP fan cred is better. Heh, I was at a friend’s last weekend and he was showing off his deluxe edition HP books and asking me if I thought he should get that again, so I mentioned how I collect the series in British... guess I won that geek contest.

[Politicalmom]

Sorry. Forgot where you were. There ARE a lot of FReepers, you know. :p

[TBP]

Rowling has said that someone will die in the last book. Who do you think it is?

I certainly wouldn’t mind if that annoying Draco Malfoy turned out to be one of them.

[Politicalmom]

I hope it’s Percy. I know a Weasley gets whacked, and I don’t think I can give up any of the others. At lease we know it won’t be a massacre....don’t we?? *Whimper*

[mware]

I remember when the last book came out, some git worker at a Borders told a child when they finally got their hands on the book, "Oh you are going to cry when Dumbledore dies at the end."

There ought to be a law.

[mware]

Actually the original UK version had a different title than the US title.

[JenB]

That’s reason 001 why I have the British versions as my “permanent collection”. It’s “Philosopher’s Stone”, thank you very much.

[CholeraJoe]

JKR has said that only 2 characters (besides Voldemort) die in “Deathly Hallows.” The Weasleys have taken their share of heartache so far - Molly’s brothers killed (Gideon and Fabian Prewitt), Ginny kidnapped, Arthur bitten by a snake, Ron poisoned, and Bill maimed. Since Percy’s such a snot, I figure he will either get whacked or see the error of his ways.

[LongElegantLegs]

In British? What’s the difference?

[Politicalmom]

They thought Americans were to stupid to translate terms such as “jumper” and “lift”.

[Politicalmom]

I figure she could sneak in another death or two... :P

[LongElegantLegs]

Bangers and mash!

[Tanniker Smith]

In previous books, it’s been established the Voldemort’s ability to exist is closely tied to Harry’s life. If Voldemort dies, does Harry also have to die?

"Have to"? No.
The prophecy's wording
... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ...
indicates that someone's gotta die.
Now, you might be of the persuasion that "the other" actually refers to A THIRD PERSON, but I'm not falling into that just yet.

TS
And if there is some "Other", with a capital "O", I'm guessing that it'd be Neville. But really, if Neville kills Voldemort, then the wrong name has been on the covers of the books from the beginning.

[Tanniker Smith]

THere are too many Weasleys, so they're the best candidates. I would guess that it won't be anyone that Harry's saved already. Fred or George, maybe, or one of the older brothers.

Of course, if F&G find Percy, we'll know that the prat gets it!

[Tanniker Smith]

I see it as very unlikely that Snape makes it to the end.
If he's evil, Harry will kill him.
If he's not, Voldemort will kill him personally.

I don't see him as (to quote above) the Darth Vader to step in between the Emperor and Luke Skywalker.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Yee haw!!!!! I have started my re-read of all the books. Not sure what I will pick up the sixth time that I haven’t picked up before, but it will be the first time since having read book 6 that I am starting at the beginning again. And no, I don’t have too much time on my hands or I would have done it months ago. It’s go time!

[WV Mountain Mama]

It'll "go to Black". Siriusly.

Just as Voldemort walks out of the bathroom reaching into his robes... LOL!

[Tanniker Smith]

I only reread the last two. I didn't really want to reread Goblet of Fire -- it's probably loaded with clues, but the story seemed a bit forced to me, getting from point A to B to C.

Granted, Half-Blood Prince was so good that I read it faster than I had planned, but definitely slower than the first time (when I read it in less than a week, and hadn't reread OotP -- and didn't really remember the members of the Order, either.)

[Tanniker Smith]

“Honey, wake up. I just had the strangest dream.”
“what is it, Bob?”