When is Harry Potter 7 Book due to be released?

Question

And what are the best rumours you have heard about it?

Answer 1

Here's some info regarding the last book:

Opinion Article on Release Date


In light of recent comments made on JK Rowling’s official site, I have decided to revise my previous article.

Although JK has been saying the book is progressing well, and that she’s “well into it now,” I’m getting the ominous feeling she still has a long way to go.

JKR.com, September 11th: Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. I haven't written 750 pages of book seven, and if I had, I'd be very worried, as I'm not close to finishing it yet.


I could reference innumerable statements Jo has made pertaining to Book 7’s progress, but they’re becoming less and less relevant; she made them too long ago for them to hold as much truth now. Instead, I’m going to dissect her most recent comment. (My notes in square brackets.)

JKR.com, September 13th: Now that I'm back from New York, the only real news is that I'm continuing to work hard on the book [reassuring us that the book is indeed going well and that she’s writing diligently]. I've done quite a lot [more reassurance, great!], and I'm really enjoying it, though [ah, not good] every now and then I look up and realise that it's THE LAST ONE. You might think I'd have got used to that idea during the sixteen years I've been planning seven books, but it still keeps hitting me... no more Harry after this... and then I bury myself in book seven again [burying is good, yes] and tell myself I've still got plenty to write [not good, but if it means the book is longer – very good].

The heightened security restrictions on the airlines in August made the journey back from New York interesting, as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven (a large part of it is handwritten, and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the US [working while in the US is a good sign, as not only was she doing readings but taking a much-deserved vacation there]). They let me take it on, thankfully, bound up in elastic bands. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't; sailed home, probably.

I am currently trying to decide between two possible titles. I was quite happy with one of them until the other one struck me while I was taking a shower in New York. They would both be appropriate, so I think I'll have to wait until I'm further into the book to decide which one works best [clearly, a lot more to go].


As you can see, she made both good and bad comments, though I feel that by telling us she was working hard, she was easing us into an unpleasant reality. We need to understand that this is the final book - and all the implications that come along with that. The books are so complex that it’s only natural the final one should be close to impossible to pen within a year. There are so many loose ends to tie up – some major, some minor, but almost all need to be explained in Book 7. That isn't an easy task.

Last June, during an interview with Richard & Judy, Jo said she had sometimes regretted writing certain things in previous books because, in doing so, she had “boxed herself in” for later books. I feel that, during the writing of Book 7, these obstacles will be far more prevalent and, most likely, more difficult to overcome.

I believe JK’s going to take the time to ensure everything is tied up in a nice, neat bow. When reminiscing in a few years' time on the phenomenon that is Harry Potter, is she going to want to think, “look at the mess I made of Book 7 - why did I rush it?”

No matter how much pressure the fans and publishers put her under, Jo will remain resolute. This is her book. She has said before she’s writing this for herself. She isn't going to do a rush-job just so we can get our blissful 7/7/07 release, or so the businesses behind Potterdom can earn big bucks more quickly. They are certainly significant factors and she isn’t going to ignore them – she knows we’re absolutely ravenous for the next book – but what’s important to her right now is the quality of the book, not the speed at which it’s produced.

At the moment, Jo isn’t going to be worrying about the release date. All she needs to focus on is the writing. Whether or not the fifth movie is coming next summer really makes no odds to her. Once she hands her publishers the manuscript she’s done. I don’t believe we should speculate any further on the release date until we hear something solid from Jo. It’s so variable that our conjecture couldn’t be close to accurate. However, when we find out she’s finished, then we can crack out our copies of Unfogging the Future and predict a release date!

Debunked Rumors


Before each Harry Potter book comes out, there are always people who will try to turn theories they've concocted into fact, or even those who will simply create rumors for the fun of it. Currently, there are a few about Book 7 and below you can find the ones which JKR has debunked.

Character Information

* Dumbledore is really dead. He is not in hiding and is not coming back.
* There will be no character named "Icicle," and JK said that she didn't recall saying there ever would be
* Dumbledore is not Harry's relative
* Harry is not related to Voldemort and he is not related to Salazar Slytherin
* Lily Potter is not alive
* Lily was not a Death Eater
* Crookshanks is not an Animagus
* Neville is not the son of Peter Pettigrew
* Remus Lupin does not have a twin brother
* Petunia is not a Squib
* Dumbledore is not Harry/Ron from the future
* Mrs Norris/Crookshanks will not be discovered as an Animagus

Plot Information

* Harry will not become Minister for Magic
* Peter Pettigrew’s silver hand will not kill Lupin
* Lupin will not return as a DADA professor
* The prophecy refers to Harry, and not in any way to Neville
* The final part of the prophecy does not mean Harry has to kill Neville, or vice versa

Other

* The title of the book will not be "Harry Potter and the Pyramids of Furmat"
* No prequel books are planned (no books before Harry's time at Hogwarts)
* "Keeper of the Keys" has no secret meaning
* The Sorting Hat is not a horcrux


Confirmed Information


On this page you can find several points of information we know about Book 7. Each of these points have been confirmed by an official JK Rowling source.

Character Information

* We will find out something "incredibly important" about Lily Potter
* We will find out who R.A.B. is
* We will discover more about Dumbledore's past
* We will discover where Snape's loyalties lie.
* Something will be revealed about Petunia Dursley, although it will not be that she is a Squib
* Viktor Krum will return (World Book Day, 2004 interview)
* We will see a reappearance of Dolores Umbridge - "It's too much fun to torture her not to have another little bit more before I finish." (MuggleNet/Leaky Interview)
* JKR has said, "There is a character who does manage, in desperate circumstances, to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare..."

Plot Information

* Harry will face Voldemort for the final time
* Harry will be attempting to find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes
* Harry will return to the Dursleys' during the school vacation, but the magical protection Dumbledore arranged will expire on his 17th birthday when he comes of age
* Harry will visit Godric's Hollow
* There will be a reappearance of the two-way mirror
* We will see the wedding of Fleur and Bill Weasley
* The fact that Harry "has his mother's eyes" will prove to be an important plot point
* At least one character will die

Other

* The last word is expected to be "scar," but may change
* We will finally learn the full reason why some people become ghosts when they die and others don't
* The final chapter, which has already been written, will detail what happens to the characters that survive
* There will be no more Quidditch matches


Loose Ends


Because Book 7 is going to be the last book in the series, we can assume that it's going to tie up all of the loose ends that have accumulated over the years. Here's a list of those questions that will probably be answered in the last Harry Potter book. If you think we've missed any, e-mail them directly to sarah at staff dot mugglenet dot com (not sara at staff dot mugglenet dot com, nor Sara (Editor) on the feedback form, as they are two different people).


* Will Hogwarts open up again? And if so, will Harry, Ron, and Hermione attend for their seventh year?
* Is Snape good or evil? Where do his loyalties lie?
* What is the significance of Harry having his mother's eyes?
* Why did Dumbledore trust Snape so much?
* Why was Voldemort prepared to let Lily live after he killed James at Godric's Hollow?
* Who is R.A.B.?
* Are Dumbledore and Sirius actually dead? Update: JKR confirmed in New York that Dumbledore is in fact dead - but we still don't know about Sirius!
* What bad memory was Dudley forced to encounter when he was attacked by the dementors in Order of the Phoenix?
* Where are the remaining Horcruxes? And furthermore, was Dumbledore right about what the remaining Horcruxes are? If he wasn't, what are they?
* With Dumbledore dead, who will lead the Order?
* Is Bill Weasley a full werewolf?
* Did Voldemort go to Godric's Hollow alone the night he tried to kill Harry? If so, how do people know the events of that night?
* Will the two-way mirror that Sirius gave to Harry come up again?
* Is the relationship between Ginny and Harry really over? Will they get back together in the end?
* What was the 'gleam of triumph' in Dumbledore's eyes at the end of Goblet of Fire?
* Is there more behind Voldemort wanting the DADA teaching position so badly, or is it just because he simply wanted the job?
* How will Peter Pettigrew repay his life debt to Harry?
* What lies beyond the veil in the Department of Mysteries?
* If Dumbledore and Petunia were in contact before Harry was taken to Privet Drive, then what were they discussing in their letters? Thanks, T.M. Howard
* Who was "that awful boy" who Petunia referred to in OOTP? Was it James, or was it somebody else? Thanks, Pranav
* Will Ron and Hermione's relationship finally come to be, or will something happen that prevents it?
* What were Lily and James' occupations?
* Will Dumbledore's portrait be of any use to Harry?
* What will Percy do now that the Ministry has been proven wrong and Dumbledore is dead? Will he go back to his family?
* Where did Fawkes go at the end of Half-Blood Prince?
* What did Dumbledore see or experience after he drank the potion in the cave in HBP? Thanks, Linda
* How exactly did the Potters and the Longbottoms 'thrice defy Voldemort'? Thanks, Kyle
* Assuming Hogwarts will open in Book 7, who will be the DADA teacher? Thanks, Kimmi
* Again, if Hogwarts remains open in Book 7, who will teach Transfiguration if Professor McGonagall becomes headmistress? And will Slughorn remain to teach potions for a second year although he said he would only be there for one? Thanks, Alex Yee
* Will the terms of the Prophecy be fulfilled? If so, will Harry kill Voldemort, or will Voldemort kill Harry? Thanks to Rachel and Kevan
* On her website, JKR stated that "there IS a significant - even crucial - answer" to the following question: How and why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak? What is the significance of this? Thanks, Phil
* What happened to Ollivander? And since there was no sign of a struggle when he disappeared, who's side is he on? And what about Florean Fortescue - are their disappearances linked? Thanks, Michael and Steph
* Will Ron and Harry pass their Apparation tests? Thanks, Molly
* What's the deal with Dumbledore's family? (JKR said in her interview with MuggleNet/TLC that Dumbledore's family would be a "profitable line of inquiry".) Thanks, Cycloneprime
* If Voldemort lost his body at Godric's Hollow, then who retrieved his wand? Thanks, Matt
* What's behind the locked door in the Department of Mysteries? Thanks, Kayleigh
* Why did Regulus choose to leave the Death Eaters? Thanks, Kelli
* Will we learn any more about Dumbledore's brother Aberforth? Will he have an important role to play in the book? Thanks, Andy
* What happened to Dumbledore's wand after his death? Thanks, J.R.
* What did Dumbledore actually see in the Mirror of Erised in the first book? Thanks, Vanessa
* Who will reinstate the protective barriers around Hogwarts that Dumbledore took down so he and Harry could fly to the tower? Not just anybody could have taken them down or Hogwarts would be constantly attacked; is Dumbledore the only one who can perform those charms? Thanks, Ashley
* How did Dumbledore know the details of Lord Voldemort's murder of Lily - how LV offered to spare her life and how the charm that protects Harry was formed - if no one else was there to witness it? Was Dumbledore actually there to witness it? Thanks, Shelly and Richa
* What went on in the period of time between baby Harry's rescue from the ruins of Godric's Hollow and being left the NEXT DAY at the Dursley's doorstep? Thanks, Invidia
* What were Dumbledore and Snape arguing about that Hagrid overheard at the edge of the forest in HBP? Was it about spying on Draco, or was it something else? Thanks, Denise
* What will become of Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa Malfoy? Specifically, will Draco stay loyal to Voldemort, or will he change his mind and fight for the other side? Thanks, Lisa
* Where did Snape and Draco go at the end of the sixth book? Thanks, Keith
* Are we going to see the Ford Anglia in the Forbidden Forest again? Thanks, Jeanette
* In Chamber of Secrets, Lockhart says that he transformed a werewolf back into a man using the "immensely complex Homorphus Charm." Now we know that Lockhart didn't actually do this, but he did steal the story from another wizard. So, is there a way to cure Lupin? Thanks, Jessica
* Did Dumbledore mean anything significant when he said that the Dursleys had "mistreated Dudley"? Thanks, Beatrice
* Will the giants and goblins take a firmer position about the war? Will they be neutral, support Voldemort, or oppose him? Thanks, Ashley
* Are we going to see SPEW again? Will the house-elves' rights be improved by the end of the series? And what will become of all of the house-elves that we know so far in the series? Thanks, Roque and Mary Pat
* What happened to Sirius's motorbike while he was in Azkaban? And where is the motorbike now?Thanks, Kim and Marshall
* Do we know the whole story behind Dumbledore's hand injury in HBP? Thanks, Matias
* Assuming Hogwarts stays open, will the curse that Voldemort presumably placed on the DADA position ever be lifted? Thanks, Kunal
* What are the twelve uses of dragon's blood that Dumbledore discovered? Will this be important to the story in any way? Thanks, Alena
* Who did R.A.B. get the locket from the cave with? (Dumbledore made it clear that two people were needed to get past Voldemort's enchantments) And where is the locket now? Thanks, Andy
* What significance is the fact that Mundungus Fletcher has been stealing things from Grimmauld Place going to have to the plot of the next book? Did he take the locket from Grimmauld Place, and if so, who did he sell it to? Will Mundungus be playing an important part in the next book?Thanks, Michaela and Griselle
* JKR said that someone will manage magic very late in life in Book 7 - who is it going to be? Filch, perhaps? Thanks, Melissa
* Did Dumbledore have a will or anything like that? Thanks, Sam
* In order to train the thestrals, did Hagrid have to be able to see them? If so, whose death did Hagrid witness? Thanks, Jo
* When Harry was taking Occlumency lessons from Snape in OOTP, he put more than one memory into the pensieve. What other memories did he want to hide from Harry? Thanks, jme
* Is there any significant reason that wizards come of age at age 17? Thanks again, jme
* When Snape is about to kill Dumbledore, Dumbledore says, "Severus... Please..." Was Dumbledore asking Snape to kill him or was he asking for mercy? Thanks, Jillian
* What was the potion that Dumbledore had to drink in the cave? Thanks, Joesephine
* How did Dumbledore become such an "extraordinary magic user, even at a young age" (a quote from an OWL examiner in OOTP)? Was it just study and hard work, or is there something different about him? Thanks, Kevin
* If Hogwarts is opened again in the seventh book, who will be Head Boy and Head Girl? Thanks, Sukhraj
* How will Harry find his parents' home in Godric's Hollow? After all, Wormtail is the secret-keeper, and as far as we know the only way to find the home would be for Wormtail to tell Harry its location. Thanks, Chuck
* Will Luna have a prominent role in Book 7? Will she live through the war? Thanks, Madisen
* Is there a connection between Godric's Hollow and Godric Gryffindor? Thanks, Robbie
* Do we know the full reason that Voldemort decided to try to kill Harry instead of Neville? Thanks, S.M.R.
* How did Hagrid retrieve Harry from the ruins of his parents' house if he was not told the location by the secret-keeper? Thanks, Natalia
* Now that Dumbledore's dead, who is the secret-keeper of the Order of the Phoenix? Is the spell broken? Thanks, Mikako
* Is there more to the curtain that Sirius fell through in Order of the Phoenix? Thanks, Matt
* Where did the Potter family's wealth come from? Thanks, Sara
* Why did Dumbledore give Snape the DADA job if Dumbledore knew that there was a jinx on the position? Thanks, Laurel
* Will Voldemort be angry that Snape killed Dumbledore rather than letting Draco go through with the job? Thanks, Abby J.
* What truly determines whether or not someone becomes a ghost? Is there more to it than what Nearly Headless Nick said there was? Thanks, Joana
* What is Grawp's role going to be in Book 7? Will he even have a role? Thanks, Debbie
* When Dumbledore is explaining to the Dursley's that the magic protecting Harry will cease to operate on his 17th birthday, each of the Dursley's reactions are given, and it says that Aunt Petunia "was oddly flushed." What is the significance of that? Does she know something more? Thanks, Kathy

Answer 2

All I am sure of is that it will be sometime in the summer. See, there is a common pattern. All of the Harry Potter books which I remember being released were released during the summer. My explanation for this is that all the books start in the summer time(except for the first). It makes sense that it is released at the same time as the time in the book.

Answer 3

The release date is probably 7/7/07. I have heard two major characters will die. Stephen King asked Rowling NOT to kill off Harry Potter. Some think that both Harry and Voldemorte will die together.

Answer 4

It's out on 7th July next year (the week before the new film)
I've heard that both Harry and Voldermort will die, that Harry is a Horcrux, that Dumbledore isn't really dead, that Snape will help Harry kill Voldermort.
Oh, there's so much. I can't wait.
JK is a genius.
If you visit
www.mugglenet.com
there are loads of articles about the possibilities in the next book

Answer 5

No one knows.... but there is this great website with all kinds of info about the Harry Potter books and movies as well as all kinds of theories about the 7th book. You should go to it.... www.mugglenet.com

Answer 6

07/07/07 is the hoped for date but it is unlikely to actually happen. The book may not in fact be released until 08, we'll just have to be patient.
Source: Many HP websites.

Answer 7

The third Harry Potter comes out eithter next year or in a couple months

Answer 8

oooh! i can't wait too! i LOVE harry potter! i've heard that another 2 main characters will die, and as its the 7th and the last book (god forbid), i think it will be harry and voldemort!

Answer 9

07/07/07. Only rumor I've heard about it is that a major character will die. My friend and I have bets on Ron, sadly enough.

Answer 10

I heard Fall 07. I guess it depends where you live. I also heard someone will die and I'm also betting on Ron, unfortunantly.