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Sweet October
by Cooper Lewis
October 31, 2004
I was fascinated with the riddle JKR left us with this Halloween, and even more so at the chapter titles she left us! After close to thirty minutes of testing keys and turning off the light switch, I finally opened the door and was faced with the desk. After destroying a few mice in a clicking frenzy, I opened the desk drawer and examined the file...
1. Chapter Two: Spinners End
I really do feel very blest that the brilliant Matthew Vines wrote his column before mine, because I do feel that he hit a jackpot with his theory that Spinners End is a street. When we think about it, streets and residences have played key roles in the beginnings of all five books, and indeed much of the exposition takes place in these locations:
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive..."
-Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter 1
"'Welcome,' said Hagrid, 'to Diagon Alley.'"
-Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter 5
"A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, The Burrow."
-Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3
"An old wooden sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told him he as in Knockturn Alley."
-Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4
"Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent. What was going to happen to him? ... Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes."
-Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 3
"The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it 'the Riddle House'..."
-Goblet of Fire, Chapter 1
"The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place."
-Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 3
The fact is that these were the locations for critical moments of each novel's exposition. I think it's safe to say that Spinners End could, and very possibly, is the name of a street or a residence.
But I must add that my first thought was that Spinners End referred to the death of Aragog. But as Matthew Vines has pointed out, that would be 'Spinner's End.' And I doubt that JKR would stoop to a lame epithet like Spinner...
2. Chapter Six: Draco's Detour
The Harry Potter novels are told from Harry's perspective, with a few exceptions. The only time that the perspective shifts is when it absolutely has to clue the readers into something that Harry, for various reasons, can't know about yet. The only two such instances I can think of are the first chapter of Sorcerer's Stone, The Boy Who Lived, (in which Harry is only one) and the first chapter of the Goblet of Fire, The Riddle House, (in which Voldemort and Wormtail plot somewhere that Harry could not logically be.)
Note also that these are the FIRST chapters...not the sixth chapters. So it's safe to say that Harry will be there to witness Draco's Detour, whether eavesdropping or otherwise.
Could a detour be as drastic as joining the Death Eaters? Yes...but I think that's the trick in JKR's Halloween Treat. This is the rumor she's trying to egg on, in my opinion. Since Harry feels no qualms about eavesdropping, I think it's very likely that Harry will overhear Draco talking about something that gives information about the goings-on of the dark side. (Maybe Draco did something with his father over the summer...)
3. Chapter 14: Felix Felicis
This was my favorite one! If you've been tuning into the Sugar Quill, you'll know that I have always held the belief that Godric Gryffindor, the Lion-man, and the Half-Blood Prince are all the same person. Well, now my theory has fallen apart (maybe).
From my studies, I believe that felix means cat (think feline), and that felicis refers to the Latin word for happy... (think Feliz Navidad).
I'm assuming Felix Felicis is name (or a spell, but let's face it...felix felicis! And Draco was suddenly facing an extremely happy housecat! - no.). So who would be named Felix Felicis? Maybe someone who looks like a lion? (Although a lion's genus is panthera, it's close enough.) One acronym: DADA. I really, truly think that we're looking at Professor Felicis, who looks like a cat, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in Harry's sixth year.
So, readers, I've presented my theories....now write your own!
Back to the Sugar Quill
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