Well, since we’ve been busy I haven’t been able to make any kind of comments or give analysis on the LAST book of the great Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  And since I was so adamant about other people not spoiling the fun, I want to be careful that I do the same.

So, SPOILER ALERT – SPOILER ALERT – SPOILER ALERT!!!  If you DO NOT wish to read about the last Harry Potter book (and learn important plot details) do not click on the link below to read more AND do not view the comments for this post below…

Here’s how I fared on my predictions…

I originally wrote the following:

…Since some people devote entirely too much time in analysis,
criticism, and fanatic devotion to this series I won’t bore you with pages of analysis on what I think.  But I will, without further adieu, share my Probably Obvious Harry Potter Predictions
with you for your perusal.  These are given in no specific order.
(NOTE: I have NOT read any articles or author quotes from J.K. Rowling
about what to expect from the last book.  These are my gut feelings.):

• Dumbledore will show up in the last book.  Much in the
  way Gandalf returned from the depths of Moria in LOTR, I envision
  Professor Dumbledore making a dramatic "resurrection" type entrance at
  some point in The Deathly Hallows.  The "phoenix" symbolism is
  too obviously scattered throughout the series for me to believe
  Dumbledore is dead and gone.  I think he somehow orchestrated (or
  allowed) his demise at the hand of Snape in The Half-Blood Prince.
  CORRECT:  I, at least, get partial credit for this one.  Dumbledore DID show up in a significant way in this last book.  I was barking up the wrong tree with the phoenix (rebirth) idea, but the good Professor did not leave Harry in the lurch.  He was trustworthy, in the end, and did orchestrate his own death at Snape’s hands.
• Sirius Black will show up in the last book.  I have read too
  many comic books and seen too many TV serials to believe that when
  someone disappears into a different dimension (as happened in the Hall
  of Mysteries) they are destined to stay there for good.  I am not
  saying Sirius will come back "in the flesh" but he will communicate to
  Harry from "beyond the grave" or from "beyond this visible world"
  Partially Correct – Sirius did "show up" in the last book (along with all the other dead loved ones from Harry’s past) from beyond the grave.  He didn’t really come back in a really significant way though.  I thought he would come back out of that doorway he fell into, but that didn’t happen.
• Severus Snape IS going to be a hero in this saga and not a
  villain.  Rowling has been leading us along this whole time; trying to
  persuade the reader to think like Harry that Snape is a despicable
  double-crosser and Voldemort lackey.  I think this is a ruse.  We know
  that Snape is an expert in Occlumens and thus able to keep powerful
  wizards out of his head.  We know that Snape has had many opportunities
  (already) to end Harry’s life, but has always refrained.  We know that
  Dumbledore trusts Snape even to his last breath.  If you buy
  this picture that Snape is a nefarious villain then you are forced to
  doubt Dumbledore’s judgment.  It’s a philosophical dilemma and I, for
  one, am not prepared to live in universe where Dumbledore’s judgment
  can be called into question. (Ha-ha.)  I know it would prove that
  Dumbledore is "only mortal" and capable of making a mistake but I’m not
  quite ready to accept that as fact just yet.  I am not saying Snape
  doesn’t have issues.  He does!  Obviously there is still a crucial
  piece of the puzzle missing, but Dumbledore’s trust in Snape was
  iron-clad and I’m sticking by that. I think Snape is going to be
  instrumental (even perhaps in a Gollum sort of way) in the downfall of
  Voldemort.
  Correct!  This one I nailed.  Snape is a flawed hero, but a hero nonetheless.  Dumblebore trusted him and it proved the right decision.  Snape did aid in the overall fall of Voldemort in all that he did to preserve and help Harry (mostly behind the scenes.)  I still think Snape "has issues" but he was not the villain that Rowling was leading (some of)  us to believe.
• The Horcrux that was stolen and replaced with a fake before Harry
  and Dumbledore found it was replaced by Regulus Black (Sirius’
  brother.)  We know the initials on the note were R.A.B.  I think
  because Regulus was a Death Eater who tried to "get out" from under
  Voldemort’s tyranny he would be a likely candidate to know where the
  Horcrux was located.  I think he was killed by other Death Eaters
  before he could find the other Horcruxes.
  Correct!  My wife tells me everyone knew this.  So "No Duh!" to me.  It still counts.
• I think Neville Longbottom is the Chosen One spoken of in the
  prophecy (not Harry) and will be the martyr for the cause in the last
  book.  I think Harry will still be the ultimate hero of this tale and
  will be the one to kill Voldemort but Neville Longbottom will play an
  important role…giving his own life.  Maybe this is a long shot, but
  I’ve always felt like Neville could have been a character of little
  importance (i.e a Dean or Seamus), but instead Rowling keeps him right
  there on the periphery of the main story.  Perhaps his parents’
  insanity "marked" him in some way??
  Wrong!  I was WAY OFF on that one as many of you suggested, but in my defense I will say that Neville killed the snake/horcrux and that’s pretty significant.  I knew Neville was a major player, but I guess I took it a bit too far with my prediction.
• Ginny Weasley’s love for Harry will mean "something significant" in
  the last book.  I know that’s not a very precise prediction, but we
  know that the "power of love over evil" is a dominant theme of the
  book.  I am not sure exactly how this will play into the book, but it
  will somehow provide additional "protection" for Harry against
  Voldemort.
  Wrong! Ginny was like a non-entity in this last book (I thought).  She became nothing more than a romantic "prop" for Harry.  I thought the Epilogue was cheesy, too, by the way, but then again I’m not a girl.  It felt like to me it was the kind of ending that Rowling knew she had to write just so she doesn’t get badgered for the next 20-30 years of her life with "what happens to Harry and his friends" type questions.  She really wanted to put it to rest it seems.

All in all, it was a great ending (I thought) and one of the better books.  I could have even handled it if Harry had had to give his life for the cause, but I know that’s not a "happily-ever-after" children’s book type ending.  In the words of my wife, the dramatic conclusion to the series was very, "fulfilling".  I would tend to agree, but poor Dobby!