Well, I'm one of those "delusional" people (who read the book 4 times) that immediately thought there was a "glitch" in the Dumbledore death and sought ways to work out how it wasn't what it seemed. But I gradually came to believe he really was dead, but I still don't believe it was in cold blood via Snape's evil treachery. I guess now I understand how the Harry/Hermione shippers feel, hearing Jo say unequivocally that something is one way when you want so badly for it to be another way. Interesting stuff! Petunia is fascinating and I'm really interested in seeing what JK has in store for her!

@Ritz (and others who will surely want to hear more): The initial long pause after the trio was definitely her thinking of others to invite; she acted exactly the same way she always does when trying to answer hard questions, with lots of movement. Since Stephen King had already said he'd invite the trio (for obvious reasons, he didn't want to invite any of his own characters), I think she realized that she had to include them. The long pause afterward was considering who else to invite, which is quite difficult, as it's rather like asking her to pick favorites, and characters are like children to an author. When she said that the problem was that they ahd to be alive, she had obviously thought of Dumbledore and dismissed him as not being alive now, but then immediately realized her mistake (that she'd just implied that the trio was still alive even though she doesn't want to give away that sort of information). The comment about Dumbledore was rushed, possibly trying to cover up the mistake or to obfuscate it, then she did have to think a while before settling on Hagrid (so Hagrid could be dead or alive, and I don't think what she said implied anything about his state). You can also trust that I am not one of those people who is twisting this to fit my theory; I've believed since GoF that Ron was going to die near the climactic end of Book 7 and was rather disappointed to hear what I think is a clear (mis)statement to the contrary (not because I dislike Ron, but because I feel it would be best for the plot).

Hagrid's going to die- duh, idiots. He's the person people would be the most sad to see go! And, sadly, dumbledore will not come back in PURPLE (see book seven spoof), but it was painfully obvious. How about "Mundungus is not in Askaban"? eh? umm, i'm still not going to get my hopes too high that The Trio will live to tell their grandkids about their lives... cause if i'm convinced, and it ends up someone will die, i might just pull a "dumbledoreisnotdead", and go absolutly mad.

WHoooo!!! Wow, she almost let something slip. I always knew Dumbles was dead (not that I was happy about it mind you). I'm sad though... I want snape to make it through the series, but his chances dont look great. I think hagrid might have it comming...

Has anyone ever thought that perhaps "Pretend to be dead" proposition from Dumbledore was refering to another character everyone already thinks is dead? RAB?

I am 'glad' Dumbledore is dead, not happy he was killed, but I would have been disappointed to have been so upset and have him come back.

Of course you think of that, it's just strange someone on his deathbed would make a comment such as this and later that comment be ommitted.

uhh Slythindor.... Snape. Should. DIE. he's evil. i hate him. he killed Dumby *breaks into sobs*

"- While Jo is listing the characters who she'd invite to dinner, she names the trio but then pauses. The crowd begins to shout out other characters, but Jo responds, "I'm the only one who knows who lives through the series," accidentally implying that she could only list characters who make it through the final book. Her final two choices (after realizing what she said) were Dumbledore and Hagrid." So did she accidentally let it slip that the trio lives? That confused me a little...

Jo's "I scared Stephen King," comment is brilliant. I also think it's kind of funny that people are shocked to find out that Dumbledore is REALLY dead.

I have never been more convinced that none of the trio is going to die.

awesome, finnally jo put an end to the theories even though i think everyone was hopeing that dumbeldore was still alive.I think jo led us to believe something even though what she said was true...i'll letu think about that.....who am i kidin, i don't know....long lived the boy who lived!

I knew all along that Dumbledore was dead (I was hopeing he wasn't, but, he is so...), but my question is... why doesn't Harry use the picture on the wall in Dumbledore's (now McGonnigal's) office? If Serius' great great grandfather (I can't spell his name on the top of my head... Phinnius Niggelous... I know that's wrong) knows about things from the past, and he's a picture, shouldn't Dumbledore's picture know things from the past as well? If I were Harry, I would've ripped Dumbledore's picture from the wall, and carry it everywhere I went!!! ;) Well, as for the two deaths. I think when she mentioned that she couldn't mention the people who lived, and when she said Hagrid, that means he lives, not dies. In a way, I would, actually, like Hagrid to die. I mean, OF COURSE I wouldn't want him to die at all! But if I had to choose one the the trio, over Hagrid [to die], I would definitly choose Hagrid. Also, DOES ANYONE KNOW A WEBSITE THAT SHOWS THE CEREMONY (the thing that J.K. Rowling was speaking in that we're talking about right now)!!! CAUSE IF YOU DO, WOULD YOU POST IT??!?! I really wish I lived in New York!!!!!

noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dumbledore is DEAD!!!!!!!!!! i knew it anyways, from when it showed his portrait go up in the headmaster's/ headmistress's office, but i was in denial....................... oh well... k what if dumbledore can show up in harry's mirror from Sirius? it'd be like a portable Dumbledore!!! and still, harry could go up to McGonagall's office and talk with him, so it's not like he's gone forever...

It makes me sad and happy to KNOW that Dumbledore is really dead. It makes me HAPPY, not because I hate Dumbledore, but because I didn't want him to "pull a Gandalf". That's funny that Jo said like the same thing. Anyway, after reading this I went to dumbledoreisnotdead.com and here's their reasoning of Jo's comment: "But if Dumbledore is as important to the final conclusion of the story that we think he is, do we really believe J.K. would give us correct clues about what happens in Book 7? J.K.'s declaration could just as easily be one of those red-herrings that she likes to throw us off the track with..." Yikes. Denial.

Can anyone tell me where I could find a video of this event???

agh i want to know im so confused now

for a brief time, i thought dumbledore was alive but grew out of that, im glad the truth is out (permently sp?). And I cant wait until i hear what the mugglecasters have to say about jk's alleged slip-up (which i hope is true, i wouldnt mind if hagrid died, i never felt that he was significant to harry survivng and fighting against voldemort, after book 1 and 2 of course)

haha..."his opinion was too hard to follow...." that cracked me up. and the live show today was great, guys!

Wow! That's really interesting. I cant wait to see what the story behind petunia is. i'm soooooooo excited for book 7!

Wow it sounds like it was another amazing nite!! It definately cleared up a few things. The thing she said about the title was interesting.

Did anyone suggest yet that she could have just made the whole thing up? Let something "slip" on purpose for those of us who will read into everything she says? Myself included. Give us something to talk about? I think she was 100% serious about Dumbledore being dead, i'm not trying to say otherwise about that. Just about the trio surviving and Hagrid, well maybe living or dying, I cant decid which way she wanted us to take that. This would be so Jo to fake the whole thing. And another thing, since she wished Harry Potter a happy birthday, since it is 2006 and he was born in 1980 and would be turning 26 this year, doesn't that def. mean he survives? And all the other ppl she has been wishing a happy birthday? Did Ron and Miss Granger get a happy birthday message?

The event was amazing. There's no other words for it. Stephen King and John Irving were both incredible readers and extremely funny. They kept all of us who didn't read their works entertained and definitely ready to hit the library to take out a book. Jo was...god she was completely fantastic! She answered all the questions beautifully and getting to see her live was probably some of the most enjoyable hours of my life. Thanks so much for the wonderful evening, Jo!

Any and all asking for videos - they were not allowing cameras in (searching bags and such), so I imagine that you'll have to wait for an official release for anything more than a few, short, illicit clips. And no, she was 100% not faking it. She could not have faked the setup or the reaction.

dumbledore's really DEAD?????!!!! aahhh!!! i really thought he's going to pull a gandalf..huhu.. i cannot believe this!! nevermind, wat is dat rushdie's theory? cn anyone tell? tsk.. i hate this.. i wana go to that event too..!!!! so jealous....

I really think it's unlikely that all of the trio live. I think that Jo instinctively said that she would invite the Ron, Harry, and Hermione because they are the main characters--wouldn't you rather meet the main characters than the side ones? Of course she's going to say, at least at first, that she'd want to meet them! Then (I think) she realized that one of the trio dies, and accidentally corrects herself, then changes her answer to one character we know is dead and one character we assume lives (at least, I do...I think the two characters to die will be Voldemort and one of the trio).

This kinda off topic, but this desire just popped into my head when they mentioned learning more about Petunia. I want one moment where Petunia looks at Harry as "Lilly's boy" and truely loves him. I want them to have one last hug, and for Harry to say Thank you to her personally for taking him in and protecting him even if she had a part in making him miserable-she was still protecting him, just one tender moment, then for the trio to leave. I think that would be, in a way, heartbreaking. God I hope the trio lives.

Question for anyone who was at the event: What was the theory proposed about Snape to which JKR replied that their opinion was correct? Maybe someone caught that? I'm dying to know! Thank you!

I can't believe so many people are honestly surprised that Dumbledore really is dead. There was never any doubt in my mind that he had kicked the bucket. Oh, and I'm slightly skeptical that J.K. Rowling made a slip up. It's very easy for things to come out different from how you mean them, and this might very well be one of those cases. I notice how she pauses after saying she'd invite the trio and then says "I'm the only one who knows who lives through the series," in response to the audience, which could easily be taken either way in regards to whether the trio survives.

Sweet!!!! I love the answers! I love the questions! I love that the trio survive the end. That's where my money is!

Rushdie really spouted out a complicated theory there, but what I think he meant to say was that, if Dumbledore is really dead, then Snape must be evil. HOWEVER, and you will find this when you do finally hear/see a recording of the event, Rushdie was extremely confusing and spoke very quickly and not always fully coherently, and I would not bet that Jo understood exactly what he meant by the question. Rushdie had asked the question as a follow-up to the previous, which was the cute little boy getting his heart broken by asking if Dumbledore was really dead, and Jo did not actually say that Dumbledore was dead until after Rushdie's question. (After the boy's question, she only said that he wouldn't pull a Gandalf, which would have been explicit enough for me but might not be for other people.)///To sum up, Rushdie's question was quite confusing, and I'm not at all certain that I have it right, nor do I think (if I do have it right) that Jo understood the question or else her answer would have been more discreet. Most of her answer was simply a confirmation that Dumbledore was dead.

YES! Definitive proof that Dumbledore is dead! AND that the Trio lives through book 7...WOOHOO!!! A mean lady kicked our MuggleCasters out of Barnes and Noble? Um, hello? DOES SHE KNOW WHO THEY ARE?! (and if any of the MuggleCasters in question want to mention this on said podcast, feel free, because you guys rock!)

woah woah woah so wait does that mean the Trio lives? -confused-

I think those of you who are reading Dumbledore's words "He cannot kill you if you are already dead" and taking them FAR too literally. Dumbledore also said that, should Draco fail in his mission, Voldemort would expect Draco to be killed. Thus, if Dumbledore survived (and hid Draco), Voldemort wouldn't bother looking for Draco because he would assume that Dumbledore killed him. THAT is what Dumbledore meant.

okay so the thing about the title is realllllly exciting. im interested to know which one is used. i have a feeling the next thing revealed about the book will be the title.. i do hope however that she will reveal the title that she does not use as an extra bonus for us also ;) but im betting she wont. also i think you can interpret what she says about the trio at the end as they are going to live... however it wasnt said thats what she meant by that comment. this report was given by a couple of people im sure and it could just be how those few interpreted it. on top of that i dont think that she picked hagrid and dumbledore after she had said that just because one of them was already dead so as to cover up her so called mistake. i would be rather alarmed if dumbledore was not one of her choices. i think its safe to say that many of us would pick dumbledore. however, even without her making a 'mistake' i believe the trio will live however there will be major consequences for harry. lastly, this has nothing to do with this news at allll haha. but i just read in the book 7 section that there would be no more quidditch matches in the next book and i have to say that i am thoroughly excited about that. i must say i enjoyed quidditch immensely in the first few books and it fit in perfectly... and actually the plots in the first three involved some of the quidditch matches so it worked... but i donnno ive become rather tired of quidditch.. its like slamming on the brakes in your car and coming to a dead stop from all the important action... it just doesnt fit anymore i donnnnt think.. too slow and doesnt really have much to do with the plot. plus i think harry has enough on his plate. not to ramble or anything. haha im done.

I really am interested to hear the question about Snape and her response...everyone seems to ignore that bit yet it would answer one of the biggest debates. Really it's all about her tone, whether or not she understood the question (facial expression wouldn't hurt either). Basically I would like as much detail on that one as possible. The trio comes down to interpreting the tone. If there was a pause between Harry and the rest of the trio, then a long pause and that thought, it could mean she can't think of a character that lives that she wants to have dinner with, or it could mean she was reconsidering Ron and Hermione for the simple fact that they die. That's less likely that she would slip up after a long pause concerning the fate of two of the trio. Again, facial expression and tone would help.

sounds as if hagrid dies.. possibly JK just tooting her horn by throwing us off with some clever phrasing

Very cool. I want to know who dies, though. So i can go through the stages of death now before it comes out. Sorry I have a very obscure sense of humour.

The best I can do for timing and facial expressions (paraphrased): "Well, Harry, of course" *short pause to think* "and Ron and Hermione, too, the entire trio" *long pause, very obviosuly trying to think of another character* "The problem is that they have to be alive" *split second* "Or I suppose they don't have to be, then Dumbledore of course" (all in a rush) *long pause, obviously flustered* "Hmm, and I guess Hagrid, too." (likely in homage to her previous answer that she would most like Hagrid to come to life)

there's a DumbledoreIsNotDead.com?! 'Stephen King said he was scared of Death Eaters, to which Jo replied, "I scared Stephen King."' that's funny!!!

Harry, Hermione and Ron live! THEY LIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*sob* good bye dumbledore's shadow! Though your body may decay, your spirit lives through us and all the Hogwarts students and teachers (and hagrid). Lol, contridiction. She lists dumbledore to invite to dinner and says dumbledore is dead. Will probably invite his protrait though.

OMG!! You guys are soooo stupid!!!! You should ALL know that when someone curses you with the Avarda Kedavra curse you die instantly!!!!! What do you learn???? I know! You are all sooo wrapped up with the books that you don't want anyone to die!!!! hehehe

I have been very adimite that JKR

I have been very adimite that JKR

WHAT WAS SALAM Reicches or whatever his name was theory?!?

"The problem is that they have to be alive." She could easily have meant alive as of book 6 when she said this and then got flustered when she realized how it sounded. I definitely wouldn't place money on the whole trio surviving, not on this basis.

JKR would NEVER lie to us about such things as Dumbledore's death! Stop saying that and get on with the five stages of life/death.... I'm on stage to now and the tears are about to flow....

I can't take it! I need a video, or a least an audio clip!!! I have waited up all night, waiting for someone to post a clip.

I can't take it! I need a video, or a least an audio clip!!! I have waited up all night, waiting for someone to post a clip.