Death and the Prince.

Spoiler Warning!

After reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I cannot suppress the sad feeling with which I usually get filled up after finishing almost every book. Yet, the case with HBP is different. Albus Dumbledore's death and the relevation that Severus Snape is the Half Blood Prince, are extremely sad and particularly (though not unexpected) shocking, respectively. Dumbledore's death was totally unpredictable and unexpected, though J.K.Rowling had sprinkled the earlier part of the book with hints on Dumbledore being getting weak, now that he had reached 150 years, which, the uninformed must carefully note, is not abnormal for wizards.
"I am pleased to say, however, that Dumbledore is growing old. The duel with the Dark Lord last month shook him" - Severus Snape.

Speculations had been drawn on the character who would die since JKR notified that she is snuffing one more character in HBP. Some of the worthwhile speculations being Harry Potter, Rubeus Hagrid. The magnitude of these speculations is nothing compared to what we saw for the rumours of whom being the notorious Half Blood Prince. JKR herself had to speak out that it was niether Harry nor Voldemort. Still the theory and rumour mills worked overtime...But to expect that Snape would be "it" is, ah, totally unexpected, atleast to me. I found this interesting quote on Ms. Rowling's official Website (www.jkrowling.com)
"Lest you think I'm protesting too much, please ask yourself whether I would really want to reveal my email address on a fan site. Love you all though I do, I don't really want to wake up tomorrow and have to download 21,956,038 new emails, all demanding the identity of the Half-Blood Prince." - J.K.Rowling.
I am sure you get the idea of the kind of desperation about the identity of Mr. HBP the world, in general, was facing.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is considerably the best book out of the six released till now, which the couple of people I *interviewed* think so, and rightly too. I (in front of the line) also consider it to be "super-cool and tha best" of the lot. Some conclusions I have drawn of what to expect in Book 7, depending upon the hints JKR gave at the end of HBP, are...

1. Harry Potter with Ron and Hermione, probably won't be returning to Hogwarts for their 7th and last year. Which is quite, ah, unimaginative for me. To expect Harry Potter Books to be Hogwarts-Free is perhaps, well, unimaginative for me and many others.
2. Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape will join Voldemort full time now. With no double-job for either of them. No more hopping from Voldemort to Dumbledore to Voldemort for them.
3. Evidently, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks will get married, following after Bill Weasley and Fluer Delacour, whose wedding will be probably narrated in Book 7.

Let's hope JKR springs something as perfect as Book 6 for Book 7.

The Countdown now begins.