R.A.B. and Horcruxes

First, let's review my predictions:

1) I agree with Sheri in saying that Harry's year will be more normal than abnormal. Check! The abnormal year looks to be Book 7. Score: 1/1.

2) I look forward to the return of Quidditch, with Harry captaining the team and the usual number of Weasley members (now Ron and Ginny). I'm on a roll: 2/2.

3) I've heard that Harry's stay at the Dursley's will be rather short, so look for a big revelation about Aunt Petunia in Book 7, not Book 6. Some inside information here, but I'll take the easy point: 3/3.

4) Thus, the DEs will have to engage in hit-and-run tactics, with one such attack almost certainly occurring at Hogwarts. Wow, my predictions started off well: 4/4.

5) The new Minister of Magic will either be Lucius Malfoy or Amelia Bones. A big strike out here: it didn't even occur to me that they'd be able to keep Lucius locked up: 4/5.

6) I think the Half-Blood Prince will be a new character. Survey says...X. Whoops, 4/6.

7) I'm intrigued by this editorial on Seamus and hope that it comes into play. Half credit, as Slytherin's ring did come into play, just not on Seamus's finger: 4.5/7.

8) We'll also get new information that helps confirm the Changling Hypothesis. Bingo! More discussion below: 5.5/8.

9) Yep, but only more flirting, nothing major, between Harry/Luna and Hermione/Ron (a very unoriginal prediction, I know). This prediction looked so accurate half-way through, but ended up completely off: 5.5/9.

10) Yes, I think Wormtail is done for. I really should have stopped while I was ahead, but could anyone have thought that Dumbledore wouldn't be around for the last installment?!

Final score: 5.5/10, which I suppose is reasonable.

Overall, I thought Book 6, while a fantastic read, needed a plot line that threaded the entire book. Years 3 and 5 had this element (Sirius and the dream, respectively) and I think that puts them ahead of Book 6 in terms of quality. The Horcruxes will dominate Book 7, and I have high hopes for the final story.

I must ask, does Snape really make sense as the Half-Blood Prince? He was, according to Sirius, a child prodigy, but in spells and not in potions. Sirius also mentions that Snape was always interested in Dark Arts, but again doesn't mention potions. Note that Snape would have to be well-versed in the theory (chemical engineering) of potions to have come up with all the amendments to the text in his book. None of the Harry's Sanpe-taught potions classes deal with the theory of potions--they are all "copy this recipe from the blackboard and execute." Not worthy of the Half-Blood Prince, if you ask me.

Also, why would Snape want to advertise himself as a "Half-blood?" We see him calling Lily a "mudblood" in Book 5, and both Slytherins and YKW prefer purebloods. The moniker just doesn't make sense for a self-hating half-blood.

Continuing on the Snape theme (the book is named for him after all), how do his OotP actions make sense given that he was always loyal to YKW? He could have let Harry go to the MoM without alerting the Order--none of the other teachers noticed that Harry was missing: Snape had a large plausible deniability argument. Of course, this line of reasoning invites the question, why was Snape looking for Harry's return from the forrest in the first place?

Given JK's interview with the MuggleNet and Leaky Couldron leaders, it seems clear that Snape is evil and did not kill Dumbledore on the headmaster's own orders. Alas, Snape is lost to the dark side, though I suppose there could be redemption in Book 7.

Also, why did Dumbledore give Snape the DADA position if he knew it was cursed by YKW? We, as readers, (I think) had always assumed that the DADA curse was set upon by Snape (since we never knew that YKW wanted the job). But Dumbledore must have figured that YKW's curse would continue even if he appointed Snape and therefore Snape would have to leave Hogwarts after this year. And why would Dumbledore want Snape out if the headmaster trusts him? (Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever have this question answered.)

Speaking of Dumbledore, on the astronomy tower, why couldn't he have blocked Draco's spell and then frozen Harry? His odd choice of actions just made his death that much more frustrating.

I also noted that while the Felix Felicis potion worked well for Ginny and Ron, it certainly didn't help Luna and Hermione discover that Snape was a traitor when he stupified Professor Flitwick...bit of a hole there, but nothing major.

On to more important matter: R.A.B? I think, as do the rest of HP fans who post on the Internet, that R.A.B is Regulus Black. Sirius mentions that he has an uncle Alphard, which is (was?) probably Regulus's middle name. Regulus is probably dead, although we have no concrete evidence of that (Sirius intimates that he never saw his brother's body). The location of the true locket/Horcrux is hidden in Book 5, and I leave it as an excercise to the reader to find the reference (or do a quick Google search ;).

And finally: the Changling Hypothesis! If you don't know what I am talking about read this editorial (and the one that follows it) right NOW. Maline, with the help of those at Red Hen, were truly prescient (and not in the John Kerry sense of the word). This theory, which keeps getting more and more support from the cannon indicates that Harry is a Horcrux. Remember, that Dumbledore did say that YNW was had only completed five of the six Horcruxes when he killed James and Lily, and that he was preparing to use those killings as a way to divide his soul for the final time. Thus, it is not a far leap to suggest that half of YKW's soul was magically and accidentally propelled into Harry's body. This theory explains Harry's ability to speak Parseltounge, the sorting hat's desire to place him in Slytherin, and Harry's expertise at DADA. My only question is: who is going to tell Harry that part of Voldemort is inside of him?