113 Days, 6 Hours, and 11 Minutes....

Yes, the countdown is ON! It's actually been on for quite a while now in our household, but with the new cover art being released this week, we're all in a flurry.

What's it all about? Harry Potter, of course!

Yes, the Scholastic cover art for the seventh and last book was released this week. E has been hovering over Mugglenet.com, analyzing the details of the illustration as well as checking out the UK versions (both children and adult). All kinds of clues to the events of the seventh book abound: Why is Harry wandless? Is he in a coliseum/arena? Who is the creature on Harry's back with a dagger? Where is all the treasure located? What's the reflection in Harry's glasses? (Those last three stem from the UK cover art.)

E and I have gone around and around, guessing and surmising about the seventh book and what will happen. Will Voldemort be defeated? (YES!) Will Harry die? (Hope not, but how else will she avoid writing more HP books?) Will Hagrid die? Ron? Ginny? Hermione? (Not Hermione!!!) Will Snape turn out to be a good guy or is he as bad as he appears at the end of the sixth book? (I think he'll turn out good, much to my chagrin.) How will Dumbledore return? (I'm betting on the portrait or something to do with Fawkes, somehow.) Will Harry locate all the horcruxes? Will they return to Hogwarts at all? (Hope so, at least to visit Dumbledore's portrait.) What role will Draco play? Will he come over from the "dark side" and fight for what is right and good?

And I'm not even considering all the surmises and questions E haas related to me from Mugglenet....

The summer release of the Order of the Phoenix movie is thrilling, but it's the Deathly Hallows I can't wait for. After much debating, I've decided to let the speedier reader get the (already pre-ordered from B&N) book first. All I can say is that E had better read FAST (and keep her mouth shut!) until I can get my hands on it....