The TQ Archives Please Do Not Litter!

Viewing Harry Potter’s life from afar, it looks as though a series of misfortunate events is never far from those who choose to stay near him. We already know of the very unfortunate deaths of his parents, the murder of Cedric Diggory, and the slaying of his Godfather, Sirius Black. And now, the question that has been asked and answered many times—who’s next?

After close examination of the events of Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts, Inner Eye experts suggest young Ginny Weasley will be the next to go.

During the summer before Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts, he and some family friends gathered around a table for dinner. At the beginning of the dinner, the table included Harry Potter (1), Ron Weasley (2), Hermione Granger (3), Fred Weasley (4), George Weasley (5), Ginny Weasley (6), Bill Weasley (7), Arthur Weasley (8), Molly Weasley (9), Nymphadora Tonks (10), Mundungus Fletcher (11), Remus Lupin (12), and Sirius Black (13).

Divination expert Sibyl Trelawney tells us that thirteen people at a table is bad luck, but “the first to rise from a table of thirteen will also be the first to die!” But is this true? And if so, how soon will the death occur?

Trelawney attempts to clarify the uncertainty of the aforementioned question by recalling an event from a couple years back. “Oh, yes. It was Christmas time when this happened. I sat down at the table, knowing that I would make the table a table of thirteen people. I tried to leave, but people insisted that I sit—so I did. And then, Harry, or maybe it was Ron (Weasley)—they both stood up! I’m not sure who got up first, but I guess we’ll find out when one of them dies a nasty death, aye? It hasn’t happened yet, but it will! Trust me, I know.”

Referring back to the dinner table scene mentioned before, a shabby-looking man who was there that evening and wishes to remain anonymous tells us that Mrs. Weasley and the deceased Sirius Black were on the verge of getting into an argument. “Ya! ‘Twas about that young lad—Harry! Harry Potter! Maybe you’ve heard of him. Great kid, he is. Great! Ya! So Mrs. Weasley’s got the upper hand in this argument, y’see? Sweet woman, she is, but awful scary, too! So Mrs. Weasley and Sirius were arguin’ and Mrs. Weasley said somethin’ or ‘nother that got Sirius real angry-like, so he’s getting out of his chair all slow-like! But then, Mrs. Weasley and her God-like voice, yeah, she just roared, ‘Sit down, Sirius!’ And he done it! Sat down like some farm dog, he did! Just sat right back down!” The important fact is that Sirius Black was the first to rise from that table of thirteen and as we know, he was murdered near the end of that year.

“That's a load of rubbish!” A pink-haired young woman says. "Sirius Black rose from the table when the table only had twelve people! After dinner, Ginny Weasley was on the floor playing with bottle corks and Crookshanks (Hermione Granger's cat)."

"But Sirius Black died! He still died! There must've been other people at the table!" Trelawney argues.

Thinking back to all the people who visited Potter's residence that summer, only one more person comes to mind: Mad-Eye Moody.

But when members of that dinner table were asked if Moody was present at the table that night, no one could answer!

"Mad-Eye," former professor Remus Lupin thought. "He's a quiet old fellow, but every time he opens his mouth, something sarcastic comes out. But I can't say I remember him being at dinner that night… not really sure."

The others answered similarly. It would be nice to ask Moody himself, but it seems that he is not listed in any accessible directories and he's not been to any Floo Huts either.

"The cat! The cat! Crook-whatever-he's-called! He was at the table, too! He's an anima--" Professor Trelawney struggled to inform us on something else her Inner Eye had informed her of, but tall men in white suits promptly took her away for a while saying she was a bit frantic and in no fit state to be using her Eye so much.

And thus comes the end of the information, and the start of the speculating. We are certain of twelve people that were at the table that night (refer to the list above and skip over Ginny Weasley's name). If, in fact, Mad-Eye Moody was at the table that night and Sirius Black rose while the table occupied thirteen people, Trelawney's favorite superstition is creditable. However, if Moody was not at the table that night, then when Ginny Weasley left the table to play with the cat, she was the first to rise from the table of thirteen. However, after trying to piece together what Trelawney was saying, if this other member that she mentioned was also at the table when Sirius Black rose (during his argument with Molly Weasley), the table of thirteen rumor is true and therefore, Ginny Weasley is next in line to die."

"And Ron Weasley and Harry Pot--!" Professor Trelawney tried to remind us before she was out of earshot.