Book one; Animagus introduced
Book three; Animagus secret to the plot

Book two; Polyjuice introduced
Book four; Polyjuice secret to the plot

Book three; Prophecy and Fidelius introduced
Book five; Prophecy secret to the plot, Fidelius secret to the Order

Book four; Snape as a spy introduced, Malfoy the DE confirmed
Book six; Snape and Malfoy secret to the plot

What book five introduction will be the secret to book seven? Surely the Order will play an imortant part in the war buw what will be the real kicker? Metamorphs are one idea, the Veil another, and Luna a third, but I want to hear other suggestions. With the exception of the animagus transformation each book's main plot contributes the deus ex machina for the book after next. The animagus transformation was not essential to book one but was still a stand out moment.

Other similarities can be drug up along the same vein (time turners in three and five; petty!Snape in one, three, and five; girls based plots in two, four, and six; spirit-manipulation!Volde in two, four, and six; flesh and blood enemies in one, three, and five; Pyhrric victories in one, three, and five; decisive victories (for either side) in two, four, and six; etc) so I'm thinking this "every other book" style will hold. I'm looking for a mutual take down with a petty Snape in book seven, possible time travel subplot.

Any other takers?

 

Your analysis is intriguing. There are clear parallels between the books. I feel that the ministry will be fairly interfering to some degree, as in book 5. Beyond that, I'm not really sure.

 

The locked door in the Department of Mysteries?

 

Hmm.

I have my doubts if this pattern is in any way planned and as such there is no guarantee that it will fit with the events of book 7. It's also possible that if you look hard enough you can find more such patterns even if in reality they are just coincidences.

That being said I would think that the Veil or something related to it will return. It was a rather mysterious thing that was never explained. I just hope that there won't be some copout where Sirius comes back through the veil or something like that. Nothing against Sirius ofcourse but something like that would be rather cheap in my opinion.

Or perhaps something else in the DoM.

 

I read an essay on this on mugglenet about 3 years ago.

 

Ah, well I'm a bit slow then. Link?

 

Ummmmm, that would require me to go to mugglenet, which is something I generally avoid doing, and trawling through their old essays, which would not be something I would particularly enjoy doing. If its any consolation they basically said what you said, and suggested a couple of reasons why.

 

We all know that an archway will be important, based on the cover of book 7, so the Veil is apt to show up again.

If we don't hear any more about the locked door to the room full of love again I shall faint.

 

I think it has something to do with the Department of Mysteries or how exactly deep the connection the two have with one another.

 

Technically, Luna was first mentioned in book 4. I believe it was the scene where the Weasley's, Harry, and the Diggory's were gathering on the hill for the portkey. Amos mentioned the Lovegoods.

 

A passing mention to another wizarding family, I honestly don't read much more into it than that. I hope that Luna figures somewhat prominently in the next book, though, cuz she's one of my favorite characters--oh, those wacky antics of hers!

 

I was just pointing out that she was first mentioned in the fourth book, not the fifth.

 

The only constant I've noticed (outside of those already mentioned) is a tendency to Introduce characters that could have a permenant place in the main Plot and then either sublimate them to vauge background postitions, or kill them off. as far as I can tell there are only a few concepts that were really held as constants.

1) Dumbledore knows all the answers (even if he won't tell them to you)
2) the Minister of magic, regardless of what his name is, cares for nothing as much as his own position and is willing to do anything to keep it.

Did I miss any?

 

Just because it was mentioned I decided to check out Mugglenet. Egads... just reading those editorial titles and half-sentence summaries made me wanna strangle the fangirls with my vomit of hate. Yes, let's write a lengthy essay on how "our favorite family" the Malfoys can be saved. (All we have to do is convince these people not to breathe for ten minutes. Ten minutes! That's all I'm asking. We can do it. Don't let these terrorist bitches win.)

But anyways, since it was requested this was a very short editorial written 3/9/05: Picking for Patterns (Following the 2-book rule) by Chloe

 

Eh - she picked exactly the things I wouldn't mention. But then right now I am picturing a scene with Harry sending a spell through the mirror permanently sticking the quill to Voldemort's forehead - or so.

The mirror (Sirius' two way mirror) might play an important role but I doubt the rest. The showdown might take place in the Department of Mysteries and then it will probably climax in the locked room which just in time ejaculates a tank full of love.

I hope it's something and somewhere else as I have already read a quite good fanfic ending with exactly that scene (LavenderBrown: "The Final Reckoning" - not DLP-compliant). Now reading JKR's version of the same events would appear like reading a fanfic's version of the Third Task.

 

Oh, what happened to the pages with harry's blood written on them? I could DEFINITELY see someone using that blood for their own purposes--either the Ministry, or, more likely, Voldemort.

 

I don't think Umbridge would be smart enough to think of saving those for some corrupt purpose. It's a good idea for a story line though. Maybe you should use that and post a challenge.

 

I could see Umbridge as being the type to either keep all the evidence of her conquests over students, or to have just thrown it in with other things and discover it at a later date, and either way use it to sort of plot revenge.

OR! In order to gain support from the masses, using the blood in a polyjuice potion to create a copy of Harry Potter and announce his support for the Ministry!

 

Harry ejecting Voldemort from his mind and killing him when he thinks all is lost and is ready to accept death. I always thought that love was much to simple, and that the acceptance of death was something much more interesting in terms of something Voldie doesn't have. As a matter of fact, I came up with an idea after I read a Mugglenet essay a few weeks back. What if we linked all the important things in Book 5 together? Harry, because he both accepts death and has a great purpose to live for, can somehow enter the veil with Voldemort, trap him there, and manage to leave the veil and live? He doesn't have to enter the room, because he has whatever is in it in spades. What if Luna is really into Celtic mythology and recognizes Harry's white stag as the important guide to the underworld that is indeed featured in Celtic lore and Harry finds out that he can walk through both realms as long as he maintains his Patronus? What if Harry uses the the idea of a Blood Quill and writes a Spell on the Archway in the blood of the "Chosen One" and finds some hidden power, which is locked in the room? Harry staving off the Dementors could be symbolic. How cool would it be if Harry manipulated his patronus and made it jump into Voldemort's chest and explode while the positive energy filled with "love" kills Voldie?

The kind of parallels the people find are the kind of things that you find only after you read the books. We'll have parallels out the ying yang with Book 5 after DH come out, but until then, it could be anything.