Who's the next wizardly victim?

It's time for more speculation! In the next Harry Potter novel, a major character dies. Blogger Chris Lynch posts the odds. The comments, spurred by an Instapundit link, are also an amusing read.

And in between his post and this post, someone found the likely answer. Not that anyone should be surprised, given how Dumbledore's death would create the perfect setup for the climactic battle in Book Seven: Harry, on his own, realizing that only he can save himself from Voldemort. Professor Bainbridge puts some reasoning behind this assertion, citing Joseph Campbell's Hero Myth, the apparent model for the Harry Potter novels (and a whole lot more).

Now, if the publisher and author had felt particularly evil, they would have given the printer a fake book! (Logistically, that's probably impossible, but it would be great fun!)

Update: Tom Maguire suggests what was seen here supports the maligned idea of a futures market on terror. I would doubt that authorities would monitor such a thing, but alert readers could hopefully alert those in charge in time.