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Site challenges 'Harry Potter' denouement

Sabena Suri
Sabena Suri
is a CNET News.com intern.
Sabena Suri
2 min read

Spoiler alert: Do not read this blog if you plan to read "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

If you're a Harry Potter addict, you've finished "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in two days. But as you came to the end of the sixth installment in the series, your jaw dropped. Well, it's a good thing there are fans like David Haber to convince us we can't always believe what we read.

The URL for Haber's Web site, dumbledoreisnotdead.com, flat-out reveals the site's purpose. Upon reading the ending of "Half-Blood Prince," Haber, along with millions of other fans, was left shocked and angry. So he set out to prove that our beloved Dumbledore didn't actually die, or that he was aware of his impending death. Either way, Haber dissects JK Rowling's "Half-Blood Prince" with great detail.

The second page of the site, "Dumbledore Clues," lays out the various signs that helped Haber come to the first possibility that Dumbledore did not actually die, and that he had been planning to feign his death. This is supported by various claims, including the "Freezing Spell" incident, Dumbledore trying to sway Malfoy's decision to kill him, and how certain lines regarding this latter incident do not appear in the U.K. edition. Although Haber's claims can be interpreted as a bit implausible, they have validity when pieced together.

The "Snape Clues" page outlines the reasons that Snape never actually intended to murder Dumbledore, as well as the reasons Dumbledore had planned out the whole death ordeal with the consequences and potential difficulties in mind. The most notable example Haber provides is Dumbledore's parting words, which seem to take on a whole new meaning as Haber puts them into context.

Haber even provides an "Unanswered Questions" page, which is necessary for all those critics who don't believe Rowling truly finished her book with a conclusive ending.