The Book Tower

Very slowly, I’m getting ready for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It’s taking me a while to get enthusiastic, but I’m sure I’ll be jumping around in my wizard’s hat in time for July 21st.

I saw something in the paper this weekend about William Hill’s odds for the book’s grand finale. It’s no secret that Harry meets his maker in Rowling’s final instalment of the series. I can’t find the paper now; I’ve either put it with the recycling or my wife has it by the bed upstairs. I daren’t wake her by rustling around up there. But I’m interested, do many people really bother betting on a Harry Potter book? After much frantic searching I’ve found what I believe to be the odds on who kills Harry:

• 2/1 Lord Voldemort
• 5/2 Professor Snape
• 6/1 Draco Malfroy
• 6/1 Ron Weasley
• 6/1 Harry Potter

And the less likely:

• 12/1 Neville Longbottom
• 14/1 Lucius Malfroy
• 14/1 Hermione Granger
• 20/1 Proffessor Slughorn
• 25/1 Hagrid
• 25/1 Cornelius Fudge
• 33/1 Arthur Weasley
• 33/1 Dawlish
• 40/1 Professor McGonagall
• 50/1 Lupin
• 50/1 Mr Filch
• 50/1 Dobby
• 100/1 Ginny Weasley
• 100/1 Tonks
• 100/1 Fred/George Weasly
• 100/1 Uncle Vernon
• Other On Request

The desperate:

If Harry Potter survives all bets will be void and stake money will be returned -You cannot lose!
Other Potty Potter Punts Hills Have Accepted:

• Ron and Hermione To Marry with Harry As Best Man-8/1
• Ron and Hermione to have a child 16/1 ….called Harry 25/1
• Ron to cause the demise of Draco Malfroy in a duel-20/1
• Harry Potter to catch the snitch in a Quidditch world cup-33/1

Has the world gone crazy? Why not just make up the most far fetched scenario you can think of? There’s no mention of Dumbledore or Sirius Black coming back from the dead although, as my two favourite characters from the series, I’d love to see them again.

Interesting that William Hill will return your money if Harry survives, which – in a way – is a sort of tribute to Rowling. The fact that he will die, and it’s such a certainty that William Hill are betting on it, isn’t what’s exciting or interesting. It’s how.

To be perfectly honest, I am a big fan. I always find one or two fantastic sequences in a Harry Potter book. At least. In the last instalment, I remember Harry and Dumbledore’s journeys back into the early days of Voldemort particularly effective. And that other journey across the lake…

Talking about it though, I’m getting excited again. Where’s my cape and wand..?