it is interesting that you think they are fighting each other. If you notice, they are not facing each other, but something in the distance. Also, neither of them are using wands, some sort of wandless magic. If they are not fighting each other, what could be so horrible that they would fight it together? I think it could also be something they are both fighting to gain control over. Another thing to notice, there are curtains on either side of the cover, perhaps a veil? And lastly, I kind of think the cover has an afterlife type look to it, almost like the Greek hero paradise. I forget what they are called. But, that would correspond well with the veil idea. Either way, the cover is truly a Nerdgasm.

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/gallery/dhus
If you go that site you can see a high resolution version of the picture. There are definitely people watching, they curtains are tattered, and Harry is wearing a locket. If this is the horocrux, why has Harry chosen to wear it? Damn, this Nerdgasm has become a fan boy dork-orgy. Word.

omg omg omg. the circular shape of the arches to me recalls to death room in the department of mysteries, and with the curtain, the figures watching, and the creamsicle sky i would posit that *omg omg omg HP5 spoiler ahead*

they are on the other side of the veil Sirius fell through. like frank pointed out, they are not dueling with wands and harry appears to be wearing the locket--maybe the fake he and dumbledore recovered and maybe slytherin's actual locket--perhaps they are merely trying to get back to the "life" side of the veil!

*apoplectic with glee*

ok, i typed messily in my hurry to break up the fanboy sausage fest. sorry.

Awesome! I'm excited to be there for the final book in a major series. That anticipation of an incredible story coming to its climactic finish is such a great feeling. I've had that a lot with movie series, but never with a book series. I probably wouldn't be standing in line at midnight and reading it immediately non-stop to the finish, but I'll at least be reading it within a couple days of the release. I'm excited.

I agree with Frank, it did not immediately occur to me that they were fighting eachother. In fact, they both seem to be facing the same way - fighting a common enemy perhaps? Maybe they are dueling in an area of some type (hence the audience) and are both trying to take control of the same thing?

They may be fighting eachother, but that cover doesn't make me conclusively think that.

Kind of a side note to Harry wearing the Locket. If it is Salazar Slytherin's locket, what did he keep inside of it? A picture of someone, a note, some blow to snort when no one was looking? It seems he must have had some children with someone. Was this woman's likeness inside his locket? I am sure someone will say that the locket has HWSNBN's piece of soul, but before that, what was in it?

Because of the prominence of the "Accio" spell in previous books, that was the first thing that came to my mind - that Harry was trying to call something to him (maybe a wand, since he isn't holding one) and Voldemort was either trying to stop him or just putting his hands up defensively (since he is also unarmed). I also thought of the room in the Department of Mysteries, because of the arches, stadium-seating and the tattered veil.

So, to put the two theories together, maybe Harry is trying to summon something from behind the veil to help him and Voldemort is trying to prevent it?

I'm pretty sure what's going on is that Xander Cage was brought back to life and he's jumping at Harry and Voldemort on his motorcycle, shooting bullets and flaming antelopes while they cower in terror.

I disagree that they are not fighting. It's clear that Harry's not looking at Voldemort, but Voldemort (it appears to me) is looking directly at Harry. Harry's definitely holding his hand out expecting something, although what he's waiting for is anyone's guess. Something I just thought of that I'm surprised no one else has mentioned--of course Harry and Voldemort aren't using their wands; they can't use them against each other. Remember in Goblet of Fire when the Priori Incantatum effect happened? Harry and Voldemort can't have a normal wizard's duel--they've gotta find some other way to use their magic, or use someone else's wand.

And that brings me to my next point--can Harry even use magic without a wand? I'm pretty sure I remember Voldemort doing some basic shit, but don't all the really complicated spells require a wand?

Also, based on the UK adult cover, I would say that Harry is wearing Slytherin's locket, although I have no idea why, other than that it's a horcrux.

As for the whole veil in the Ministry of Magic thing, that's definitely the first thing I thought of. The curtains on either side of the cover strongly suggest that. But it's hard for me to believe that they're actually on the "death" side of the veil.

As for the spectators, I can't imagine that they're anyone other than Death Eaters--who else would sit idly by while Harry and Voldemort fight?

***Book 6 Spoiler***

I love the idea that they may be fighting a common enemy, perhaps fighting over control of Voldemort's essence. Since I'm about 98% certain that Harry is a de-facto horcrux, so perhaps they're competing in the land of the dead for control of Voldemort's remaining essence (a la Highlander's "there can be only one").

A couple of things:

1) I also think they are on the life side of the veil. Although possible, it seems unlikely to me that the death side would be an identical replica of the life side. I just assumed the orange sky was an artistic license thing - all of the covers take a pretty liberal approach to reality.

2) I am at school so I can't look at the book right now, but I thought the reason the Priori Incantatem effect happened was because they cast spells at exactly the same time. So maybe they would still be able to duel if that didn't happen again? In any event, I also think they are clearly in the middle of a fight. They wouldn't necessarily be looking at each other the whole time if some intervening person/thing came into play.

3) Harry can do some magic wihtout his wand - at least the Accio spell, because he has used that to summon his wand when he dropped it before. Also, on Mugglenet.com, JK Rowling is quoted as saying that all wizards can do basic magic without a wand, but all wizards require a wand to do more complex spells. So I think any advantage Voldemort would have over Harry would be limited if neither of them has a wand. In fact, that might favor Harry because Voldemort would almost certainly be unable to cast the Unforgiveable Curses without a wand, while Harry has never been able to cast them effectively at all.

Expat, you totally just blew my mind! Harry as that horocrux! It all makes such perfect, elegant sense! And I think they are most definitely fighting. This is the last book, the last battle. In every book, Harry and Voldemort have had a showdown, and this will be the ultimate showdown. God, I can't wait!!!

lauren, i hate to quibble with you but i must. harry and voldemort do not actually have a showdown in every book. voldemort himself is absent from the climaxes of book 3 and 6. pettigrew escapes to rejoin voldy at the end of POA, and then snape flees with malfoy and the death eaters at the end of HBP...

in other numeric trends that mean nothing, acromantulas appear in all of the even-numbered books....seven being a prime number, so what i stand to gain by thinking about this is a mystery even to me.

Ok, let me address the "Harry is a horcrux" theory: it's crap. Kristin and I just discussed it, and here are some major points that I think blow that theory out of the water:

1. Why would Voldemort make a living being not under his control a horcrux? The fact is that, at any moment, Harry could die--why would Voldemort trust a piece of his soul to some autonomous thing? The fact is, he wouldn't.

2. If Harry is a horcrux, then why the fuck has Voldemort been trying to kill Harry? It's pretty clear that Voldemort wants Harry dead, so why kill something that's carrying part of your soul? Kristin posited that maybe Harry doesn't need to be alive--maybe his physical body is the horcrux, so it doesn't matter if he's alive or dead. As Kristin said, though, if that's the case, why would Voldemort make Harry a horcrux rather than, say, a bottle of water?

I simply see no reason to believe that Harry's a horcrux--that's just not plausible, in my mind.

Of course, we know very little about how horcruxes work, so maybe we'll be surprised.

As far as priori incantatem, I think I remember Sirius or Lupin saying that twin wands like Harry and Voldemort's were useless against each other. But maybe I'm making that up. Can anyone remember?

*Throws in his second gauntlet in the contest for Uber-dorkdom*

Ismael and Kristin, I trust your scrutiny on the topic, but you're overlooking the fact that Harry might be an accidental horcrux. If Harry's mother protected her son's life with her love, perhaps this spell cursed Voldemort in a way that caused him to hurt the only person he loved: himself.

I'll break my theory down:

First, making a horcrux requires the person to murder, right? Well, that's what happened. Harry's parents bit the big one thanks to Voldemort's magic.

Second, there is speculation that Voldemort was making seven horcruxes, and saving the last for a really special event, something that might seal his bid for immortality. Offing Harry would have looked like killing two birds with one stone to him, also serving to feed a narcissism he has fostered since childhood.

Third, do having seven horcruxes (yourself and six other objects) make you immortal or do they make you dead? As you pointed out, Ismael, we don't know enough about them.

Fourth, and most telling to me is that the prophecy says Voldemort will mark the boy who can defeat him as an equal. Is a seventh of Voldemort's own soul not equal to the remainder, still in his body?

Based on these four points, one can speculate quite strongly that, in his haste, Voldemort pulled a gigantic boner and overlooked the protective magic Lily placed on Harry.

Expat,
I have to admit that I find one of your points compelling: The prophecy does say that the Dark Lord will mark the boy as his equal, and Voldemort and Harry each having one-seventh of Voldemort's soul would be a really interesting spin on that.

Still, I can't fathom that Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard in years, the most advanced wizard Hogwarts has ever seen, someone who nearly matches Albus Dumbledore himself, could possibly create a horcrux accidentally. I think it far more likely that Voldemort planned to use Harry's death as the one that would allow him to create the seventh horcrux--perhaps using some significant item, like Slytherin's locket.

OK, I can't resist. Brother wands don't work at all against each other, but that doesn't mean they can't work in each others' presence. So Harry could certainly use his wand to curse Voldemort, but if Voldemort was trying to curse Harry at the same time the result would be priori incantatem. I don't think it has to be the same spell, or cast simultaneously, as long as the wands are acting against one another. So if V tried to use, I don't know, "sectumsempra," and Harry blocked it with a defensive jinx a second later before it hit him, I would expect the priori incantatem effect. At least that's my theory.

This is a great discussion and far more interesting than the paper I am supposed to be writing.

Dee, right after I posted that I realized my heinous error. But I think the larger theme is telling here. In every book, Harry faces and overcomes evil, and evil that is always connected to Voldemort in someway. If not Voldemort, a deatheater. So this is it. This has to be the big one.

And I'm still with Mr. Expat. We know there's been some exchange of essence between Voldemort and Harry. I think a horcrux is at least plausible, especially since Voldemort's plans all went cattywompus when he tried to kill Harry. Things happened that he didn't expect. Who's to say that making a horcrux wasn't one of them. Voldemort nearly died that night and the usual explanation is that the death curse bounced back and did what it could to him. What if he was further weakened by the fact that he'd just split his soul one more time?

I guess we'll all find out come July!