Wampum

Over at Susie Madrak's place, I wrote in comments last week:

MBW Says: July 18th, 2007 at 12:22 pm

I was thinking one or more of the trio would die (including Harry) until Universal announced in June that it was pouring billions into a Hogwarts theme park. There's no way they'd agree to that without knowing the ending, which, clearly has to be a happy one for millions of fans to want to visit such a place.

Hagrid will die, as will Snape, Voldemort, and one or more of the Weasleys (Ginny, Percy or the Twins are my bets.) Possibly Wormtail (saving Harry to pay his debt) and Lupin.

Rowling was once asked which five she'd invite for dinner, and after mentioning the Trio, she asked if she could invite dead characters. I think she's always planned on the Trio to live.

Now, I'm not writing spoilers here. In comments, feel free to post your pre-release predictions.

And, yes, I've now finished (as has Eric - Grace has about 100 pages left.)

As a post-modernist historian/post-processualist enthnohistorian-archaeologist, I began to view the whole series from what many might view as a rather different perspective, beginning in about the fourth book. Five and six cemented that view, and eight, well, we'll talk about that soon enough...