1. The goblins will play a major role in The Half-Blood Prince. The giants, centaurs, and elves have all come up. Except for when Harry visited his vault in Book One, the goblins have not appeared. Hmmm...Professor Flitwick is part goblin. I wonder if the half blood prince is part goblin as well.
2. Speaking of centaurs, I expect that Dumbledore (with Harry Potter in tow?) will visit the Forbidden Forest to try and enlist the centaurs in the fight against Voldemort. The centaurs know that war is coming. How will they react?
3. A Weasley dies. Voldemort has attacked entire families in the past. The episode with the boggart in Order of the Phoenix feels like foreshadowing. I think Mrs. Weasley and Percy are the likeliest candidates, probably one defending the other against Death Eaters.
4. Who is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Obviously, the job is vacant again. Dumbledore would probably like an order member and the Ministry of Magic might want a competent auror to fill the post. Kingsley Shackelbolt seems like like a perfect choice. Dumbledore's brother is a dark horse candidate. Of course, the past Defense teachers have all been completely new and not referred to previously.
5. Here come the foreign wizards. We will definitely see some non-British wizards. Charlie Weasley has been off helping enlist them. Perhaps the Half-Blood Prince is from a foreign country.
6. Class schedules. Harry, Ron, and Hermione will all get good marks and be in O.W.L. level classes together for those subjects required of an auror.
7. A Death Eater will be revealed to be a metamorphomagus. I am almost tempted to say that Tonks uses her ability to go undercover at Hogwarts posing as a student, but that would just fuel the people who want a Harry-Tonks romance.
8. Speaking of romance, we will get the first explicit evidence that Ron fancies Hermione and vice versa. This is just the most blindingly obvious thing that the author has telegraphed and we will finally get the first move on someone's part. The obvious spark for some movement on the Ron-Hermione front is Viktor Krum showing up in person. (And can Fleur Delacour be far behind? Perhaps an international conclave of the Order of the Phoenix.)
9. One of the creatures that Luna Lovegood has mentioned, but which Hermione has scoffed at as not real, will actually show up. One of the creatures might turn up in Hagrid's class, but if I had to bet, it would be heliopaths.
10. Hogwarts students will have to deal with dementors. If not this book, then the next. You don't have Dumbledore's Army practicing summoning a Patronus unless there will be a need for them to try (and possibly fail) later in the series. (10:51 PM)
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