Sectum Sempra

Hey everyone, just wanted you all to know I am still alive and kicking - Pauli's posts have been great in the dearth of my own contributions - I have just been working a lot of hours as well as working on Ph. D application stuff. By the way, I'm looking forward to discussions with a fellow holder of an MA in Theology such as La Shawn. Sectum Sempra I was working on thoughts on the Sectum Sempra spell in HBP in relation to an email to a former professor on a topic she raised in a conversation in her office at Grove City College a few days ago and it sparked the thought of a prediction I will officially throw out there. As I have said before, Snapes healing incantation is "like a song" and I think the direct instances of music in the books are rare enough that I think we can say that they signal very important things. Here is the background: Sempra is, I believe, either and actual Latin variant of the word "Semper" (meaning "ever" or "everlasting") or one JKR "made up"/adapted herself. "Sectum" is, I believe, the fourth principle part (the perfect passive participle) of the Latin verb "seco" which means to cut. So the spell would mean "ever cut." Maybe if I were more clever I would have seen ahead of time that if the HBP invented Sectum Sempra ("ever cut") then the HBP was probably ... Severus. Also, the effect the spell has on Draco is an "ever-bleeding." This is very different from the instantaneously mortal brutality of the Avada Kedavra curse. A continual bleeding drains a person slowly, eats away at their soul gradually. Interestingly, in Hebrew thought, the "nephesh" or life force is in the "daam," the blood. Drum Roll Please So ... here's my prediction: Harry will destroy the Horcruxes, but Snape will actually kill Voldy with Sectum Sempra (it might be Harry that does it but I think it will be Snape ... if it is Harry that does the spell, I think Snape will actively withhold the healing.) I think it will also be done at the cost of his own life and make him sort of a "good thief on the cross" character whose final redemption is in giving his life. I think she will reprise the unbreakable vow in book 7 and that the only way Voldemort will fully trust Snape is in an unbreakable vow not to let him die. And I think that wording will be important, because I think once the Horcruxes are destroyed Voldemort will be hit with Sectum Sempra be either Harry or Snape, but either way both will be there and Voldy will know Snape invented the spell and is the only one who knows the healing incantation and Snape will let him die at the cost of his own life due to the unbreakable vow. It is also possible that the death will be more along the "Voldemort made his own doom" line that Dumbledore goes into in HBP, and that in the place of the unbreakable vow there will be the situation that Voldy assumes Snape is betraying him - if Harry does the spell - and with his last energy uses Avada Kedavra on the only person who could save him. But I like the unbreakable vow version better, since I think it is too deep of an image for her to use it only once in the series and JKR is well known for introducing an element in one book and then making it crucial in another (such as polyjuice potion being introduced in book 2 but they don't find out a whole lot from Draco, but it is central to Barty Jr's deception in book 4) ... and in this version Snape willingly gives up his life. I may be way off base, but if I'm right just remember ... you heard it here :)