Everything? Ok, but you asked for it.

The SHOWDOWN.

I believe the last book will move quickly. For one thing, JKR has said it will be shorter than the last two. For another, I think it’s all set up and that there’s not much left for her to do. It’s like one of those elaborate domino set-ups, covering an entire gymnasium. All she needs to do now is tap that first domino. Don’t expect to go to work or school that day. From the midnight pickup until the last page, you won’t be able to put it down.

I figure the first part, the tapping of those first dominos, will take about 30% or 40% of the book. Then, maybe 40% or 50% of the book will be devoted exclusively to the day of the showdown. It will be so messy that she’ll need the last 15% or 20% just to clean it all up and give the epilogues.


Ok, let's say Harry is smart enough and/or lucky enough to collect five horcruxes. We have the diary, ring, locket, cup and mystery item and, so far, Voldemort doesn't have a clue. (Nagini and Voldemort remain at large.)

The diary and ring are clean, but the locket, cup and mystery item are still horcruxes. Hermione has been working on it, has suggested possible theories, but they haven’t tried anything yet. Nor have they discussed it with anyone, not knowing who to trust.

Harry suspected for some time that he, himself was an accidental horcrux (an eighth shard). He eventually shared this with Ron and Hermione. Once over the initial shock, they began working on that, too.

Meanwhile, Voldemort has been wanting to revisit his Chamber of Secrets for about forty years. He left something important down there -- maybe a special weapon. He hoped to slip into the Chamber at the time of his job interview, but it didn't work. He does not trust anyone enough to retrieve the item for him.

Then dawns the big day. Harry does not yet know that this will be the day of the showdown.

After evading it for as long as possible, Harry forces himself to follow the theory that a certain dementor can help. This takes a few little plot twists but, eventually, the dementor comes through, sometime around mid-day. The dementor removes the shards from the locket, cup and mystery, and then performs the same operation on Harry, himself. [This dementor also becomes an ally (long story) and follows Harry from a distance through the day.]

Voldemort knows immediately. The other horcruxes make no impression, but his connection to Harry was strong. He flies into a rage and the roller coaster starts here.

Dumbledore and Fawkes are still around, working their own magic; they don't talk to anyone, but they quietly do their share.

Believing himself to be invincible, Voldemort throws caution to the wind and tries to sneak past the Hogwarts enchantments and into the Chamber of Secrets for his special little toy. Harry finds him.

The battle rages across the country, to anywhere and everywhere. The twists and turns make Tolkien's final battle scene look like something out of a Dick, Jane & Sally book. We flip from one location to the next. Everybody and his grandmother are in on the act, somewhere. Toward the end, Snape kills Nagini in the presence of Harry and Voldemort, revealing to both his true alliance. After JKR’s seven-year build-up, the sub-plot conclusions explode at the reader like a machine gun so that you can't catch your breath between one and the next. They come faster and faster, like a fireworks finale and then, silence.

Harry and Voldemort are alone in the Department of Mysteries. No Death Eaters, no Order of the Phoenix, no Dumbledore. Harry taunts, calling him "Tommy," and counts off on his fingers: "Dumbledore found a really nice ring in your grandfather's house! And that pretty cup -- I used it today at breakfast for my pumpkin juice..." Only now does Voldemort realize that his horcruxes are all gone. Then, one last exchange of curses leaves Voldemort severely injured, and Harry snaps his wand in half.

Enter the pity theme (remember Merope's story and Harry's reaction). Harry hesitates, and that compassionate hesitation creates some magic that makes Voldemort even weaker.

Voldemort is injured, terrified, and begs for his life, using language similar to what he used when he wanted Harry to beg.
Harry can't do it.
But the dementor is still around to quietly finish the job.