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The Mysterious Septology Symbol

by David Haber

One month ago, on March 28, fans finally got to see the artwork for the covers of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and intense debate about the meaning of the imagery on the covers immediately ensued. But there is one small, obscure bit of the new images of the Book 7 cover art we haven't yet discussed.

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Reader Comments: (Page 10)

LMD,
No the dream is not related from Harry's point of view - it is related in the 3rd person, but we do know that Harry has just witnessed exactly what happened and we know he didn't witness it through Voldemort's eyes as it is all there in the next chapter (The Scar).

The opening paragraphs of the next chapter have Harry trying to remember what he had just seen in his dream:

'Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken. It had seemed so real... there had been two people he knew, and one he didn't... he concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember...' (GoF UK p.20)

He goes on to describe what he saw and we know that he was not seeing through Voldemorts eyes as he sees Voldemort:

'He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like, but it was impossible... all Harry knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair had swung round and he, Harry, had seen what was sitting in it... (GoF UK p.21)

So either Harry witnesses the dream as a 3rd person (suggestive that he is standing next to or behind Frank Bryce) OR there was a mirror the same height as the chair - by which he would see his/Voldemort's reflection.

Posted by Orlando from England on May 20, 2007 12:05 PM

If we go by the theory of Harry being the last Horucrux, the symbol merely gives a visual representation. To divide the trident, you have to divide the circle. To one, the other has to be laid on the line.

Posted by Rashmi Purushotham from Bangalore, India on May 20, 2007 1:06 PM

I've just been reading the first book again, and noticed some hints to dumbledore at the beginning; Dumbledore states that voldemort has powers he dosn't, but mcgonagall argues that by saying that dumbledore does have those powers, but is too noble to use them. Many other hints appear in the first few chapters of the first book.

Posted by Oscar on May 20, 2007 2:45 PM

I asked my mum about this symbol, she is a math teacher. She said immediately it�s the mathematical sign for the solution. I think this would fit.

Posted by Hannah from Germany on May 21, 2007 11:54 AM

Such amazing theories and ideas on this site. Everytime I come back to it, there's a great discussion going on. I think there's a bit of possibility to nearly every thread in this discussion and I don't really have any theories about this symbol but I do like the point that was made that it could represent a horcrux. That makes sense to me as we already know that Harry's journey in Book 7 be about locating and destroying horcruxes. And as Hannah from Germany pointed out, if it is the symbol for the solution, it would indicate that Harry finds the solution to vanquishing Voldemort.

About the lightning bolt, I've been thinking that Harry's scar might well have been produced by the wand movement required for the Horcrux creating spell.

Posted by Hannah from Los Angeles on May 21, 2007 10:26 PM

I dont meen to ruin the fun. (Get it? Ruin. Rune...)
But what if that symbol isnt meant for us to decipher? Maybe its just something JK is using and not something real.

Posted by Justin Pettit from Prattville Alabama on May 21, 2007 11:05 PM

Justin Pettit from Prattville,

I hate to contradict you Justin, but this site has shown me that JKR does not throw in things just for the fun of it, just to fill in some blank.

Everything has been thoroughly researched for obvious meaning to alternate meaning, to deceptive words. We have seen it from the names of the characters to places, to wand wood types, to wand cores, etc, etc, etc.

As a Mexican I am not very familiar with Celtic lore or Arthurian lore, but I have learnt very much of it through these pages as other commentators had the patience to research and instruct us, the lay persons, and there are many instances where Celtic and Arthurian lore have their parallel in the Harry Potter series.

Many have said that the symbol must be a Rune, I believe it. We have seen the usefulness of most subjects taught at Hogwarts, from Herbology (Devils snare, mandrake, gillyweed), to Care of Magical creatures (Threstals, Hippogriffs, Unicorns), from Divination (Prophesy) to Charms (Summoning, desilutioning), from Potions (Polyjuice, the good luck potion of which I don�t remember the name) to DADA (Bogart, Dementor, Hinkipunk, breaking the imperius curse), but the only Subject that I can think about that so far has not proven to be useful is Ancient Runes, which Hermione has been taking for ages, so it has to be important in DH.

There are too many credible and plausible expanations or aproximations to what this �Symbol� or �Rune� could be, but I think we have to wait for Hermione to explain it to us, just to be sure. I doubt that any of us is in the same league as Hermy, and we do not have Hogwarts impressive library to guide us.

Posted by Emilio from Mexico City, Mexico on May 22, 2007 10:01 AM

Hannah,
A very interesting idea with the scar. I had never thought about it like that.

Posted by Robbie from New Mexico on May 22, 2007 1:33 PM

Orlando I definitely think you are right that Harry has inherited a seer's ability. I was reading the first book over and they mention Harry having a dream his first night at hogwarts. He dreamt that he was wearing Quirrels turban and the turban was talking to him telling him to join Slitherin. That is an example of him seeing into the future, well... not seeing exactly what was going to happen but he saw that something was wrong with the turban early on, he just didn't remember having the dream the next morning. Also this dream sequence in the book didn't mention anything about his scar, so it was not due to his connection to voldy thru the scar.

Posted by Danielle from New York on May 22, 2007 7:22 PM

Don't you think it was just a dream, because he was scared that he was a slytherin. Or it was becase of the occlumency connection between them. I doubt that it was seer moment.

Posted by Claudia on May 23, 2007 08:18 AM

i was searching about Runes in Google. In Wikipedia, under the section "Magic and Divination", the first sentence is: "the runes are attributed with the power to bring that which is to life"

i was shocked when i read that!

As we all know Hermoine has taken this subject for quite a long time, and now we see Dumbledore !

Posted by Bhavadharini Balaji from Doha , Qatar on May 23, 2007 08:58 AM

I was watching Prisoner of Azkaban this morning and saw this symbol in the movie. It's when Lupin is teaching Harry to produce a patronus. The candles that look like spine bones are perched on top of a base that is this symbol. Interesting because JK Rowling has said how bizarre it was that the director of that movie Alfonso Cuaron put things in that movie that would come into play in the last 2 books and he didn't know he was doing that... could those candle holders be one of those things? And the room that Harry and Lupin use for their practice session is actually the set used for Dumbledore's office (although in POA movie I think it's supposed to be the astronomy room) and in Goblet of Fire we see that symbol in a cabinet in Dumbledore's office when Harry looks into the pensieve. But it was interesting to see this symbol in POA movie.

Posted by SM on May 23, 2007 2:16 PM

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