Just finished "Half Blood Prince"

It's Sunday night. I bought the latest Harry Potter on Saturday morning and I've just finished it. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Tonight, I'll give the book to a friend of mine. Her son is a big HP fan.

SPOILER ALERT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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THIS IS ABOUT THE ENDING AND THE NEXT BOOK SO BE WARNED.................

1) I don't believe that Dumbldore is dead.
a)He told Malfloy that the Order of the Phoenix could make the Death Eaters think that others were dead in order to hide them safely.
b) His tomb covers any "body" hidden in that purple & gold covering - and not no one can check to see if Dumbledore is really in there.
c) His phoenix familiar flew away - I believe it rejoined him.
d) A phoenix apparition rose from the smoke at his gravesite
e) His picture in the study is simply sleeping, unlike the other pictures there.
f) Snape could make it look like he was dead and so be trusted even more by Voldemort.

2) Snape is protecting Harry and has been all this time.
a) He felt guilty at betraying Harry's parents, even unknowingly, to their deaths
b) I believe that he swore an unbreakable vow to Dumbledore to protect Harry, when Harry was small, which is why Dumbledore trusts him completely
c) He has never done any real harm to Harry
d) Breaking the vow would kill him
e) Other books made reference to a "plan" between Dumbledore and Snape. I believe they have not put that plan into action.

of course now, he has to protect Harry and Malfloy in the same way and for the same reasons. We don't know the wording in the vow made over Harry, but I'll but it doesn't contain the loopholes that the vow to Malfloy has.