They fly the dragon out of Gringotts back to Godric's Hollow after nabbing another Horcrux?

well of course its ron. if its not norbert where are they going to get a dragon from?

I've been looking at dragon descriptions on the lexicon, trying to identify whether it really IS Norbert... thought it might help... http://www.hp- lexicon.org/bestiary/drag ons.html

The lack of pupils does suggest that it's an Antipodean Opaleye (check out http://www.hp-lexicon.org /bestiary/dragons.html). These guys are native to New Zealand, inhabitat valleys, and have iridescent, pearly scales. Then again, the facial hair makes it resemble a chinese fireball. It certainly does not resemble a Norweigan Ridgeback. It looks like the trio will be traveling really really far.

God that's an effing DRAGON!:) Now I really can't wait, I was so hoping there would be a dragon in DH! (dragons in books 1, 4 and 7! See the mirroring! First, middle and last book...) Could it be Norbert? Kinda cool... it's black, but it hasn't a real ridgy back:p I'm getting fantastic beasts out here right now!

Yeah, I think we can discard Norbert, it's too light. Its most likey a opaleye, athough the spikes around his head suggest that it could be a fireball. I don't think for one moment it's Norbert.

Things I think People should draw thier attention to! 1) The Church Shaped Building 2) The Lake/Water flowing through the town 3) Crops (Maybe A Farming Village) 4) Sunset Obviously just before or after the Meeting on DH US Cover Which might mean that ron and hermione might be fighting death eaters during the final battle or that they survive 5) finally whether the place actually looks like a hollow Something to dwell on!

I just looked at it again... Harry is wearing some kind of sweater. It doesnt look like the same outfit he has on in the original cover. And the Dragon looks pretty old and kind of BLIND maybe? Harry also looks like he has wounds on his face...so maybe they're done fighting. But he does have a determined look on his face, which could mean they're on their way somwhere. I think the town is Godric's Hollow. Ugggggh I need it!

OMG! I dont think i can get more exited! only 42 days left...

According to Fantastic Beasts, the Antipodean opaleye has pupil-less pale grey eyes and is not particularly aggressive by dragon standards.

Look in the bottom left corner andto the left of the field there is a rocky part at the bottom of the hill and that might be the place where the fake locket was hidden.

AMAZING! Although I feel we've just been spoiled perhaps too much. The most important thing to me is that it's the TRIO on the dragon, we are finally getting trio adventures which we've been waiting for for a long time. I hope it harks back to book 1.

This is right after or right before the us normal cover... the sky has the same colour.

I don't know why so many are saying it but the dragon is definitely not Norbert. He is old and oriental looking plus the opaque eyes. As far as where he came from, I'm guessing Gringotts. Current location, my guess is Godric's Hollow but I could be wrong on any of these. This pic does stimulate my excitement for DH and it looks as if Jo took a page out of the Eragon series. LOL

Oooo....does anyone know when we can preorder one...i mean there's like only 100,000....ONLY 100,000!!!! i must get one...I'm gonna check Amazon and Barnes and noble's sites....AAAAAAAA!!!!! *faints with excitement*

Oh my goodness... I hope this doesnt show they got through the big fight with Voldemort, because that would pretty much give away everything, considering the whole trio is on there... But i figure they got a horcrux out of Gringotts..escaped on a dragon? ugh, theres so much to speculate.

Who cares about the dragon? I want to know what's in those extra pages.

You can reserve it at borders, thats what i did

I'm almost willing to bet money on it that this very dragon will appear on the Dutch DH-cover:) I'm analyzing dragons right now: Antipodean Opaleye: possible, but it's an Australian dragon. It has no pupils, so it's a very likely candidate. Chinese Fireball: red, so I guess it's not this one Common Green Welsch: green, so... little chance Hebridean Blackhead: (English translated to Dutch translated to English, so I'm sorry if I got it wrong... same dragon though): it's British, which is a plus. But it has purple eyes... the wings do seem to fit the description Hungarian Honrtail: black, so possible. Yellow eyes, bronze horns... so I guess, no Norwegian Ridgeback: black bumps on its back... no sharp tail. Possible (Norbert!) Ukranian Ironbelly: grey... eyes dark red... nope Peruvian Vipertooth: smal, cupper-coloured... no Rumanian Longhorn: dark green, long golden horns....nah Zwedish Shortsnout: silverblue, nope So it's either the Opaleye or Norbert:p

The first thing that struck me was that it is Norbert and therefore they are flying over Albania (close to Romania...where Norbert was sent). Given that LV spent a lot of time in Albania, there may be clues there. I also agree with Sarah_Louise that the dragon appears to be under the imperius curse (or something similar)....how else do you control a dragon?

Yeah, where are they going, where did they leave. Why. etc etc 21 July can't arrive soon enough. Wow! A DRAGON!!!!! OMT

I also thought it might be Norbet at first that would be coo. However the Dragon look rather elderly, I suppose dragons could age faster sort of like dogs. Then again he does seem to have a sort of Asian look to him. Maybe they did find him in the wizard bank. It also appears it could be blind, perhaps that why Harry is more focused he is being its seeing eye person.

Are they sure that that is Ron? To me it looks like the kid has blond hair, but it probely is Ron. I wonder how Harry convinced Ginny to stay behind. Maybe she did come and is not apart of that sceen. The Dragon looks pretty cool. I still think that Ron and Herimone will die in this book.

I love this new cover! From the look of it, I would this is evidence of the trio's survival...both Ron and Hermione are wearing tattered robes (symbolizing they survived some typen of battle??) as is Harry (well, clothes...as if he shed the brown robe he was wearing in the first cover)...I think this is an end scene...Harry survives!!!!!!!

is it definatly a dragon.. because if u look at the eyes theyre all white like theastrals and ron and hermione look nervous because they can't see what they're flying on but harry doesnt because he can see it. also theastrals have really good sense of direction n that would help harry find where ever hes goin to.

Look in the bottom left corner andto the left of the field there is a rocky part at the bottom of the hill and that might be the place where the fake locket was hidden. Thats where they are coming from.

Well I'm not soo sure it is Norbert. Norbert is a Hungarian Horntail, and there are no horns on his tail. So if it isn't Norbert, how did they manage to convince a Dragon to let them ride it. Dragons can't be Imperiused, they are too strong minded (like Harry). It is definitely exciting and I just can't wait any longer. This has been a summer of my dreams soo far with the movie, book and now the universal studios park announcement. I could wet myself from the excitement (Don't worry, I won't, but I could) Hehehehehe. And I agree with the folks who think the village is GH. It is where Harry told them he wanted to go right after the Dursley's so it just makes sense. And what better way to travel than on a dragon who has a "Falcor-ish" face!

Well, I like asleep_at_the_moment's idea that only he has suggested--sorry if you're female--Little Hangleton perhaps? Little Hangleton is important to Voldie. As for the dragon, I'm just wondering how they got a dragon to let them ride it. Which reminds me, is the deluxe edition released at the same time as the regular book or later?

Draco is an Animagus who turns into a dragon. Wasn't that obvious to everyone else?

Sorry I was being stupid and the the forest on the side was water, but I'm pretty sure Norbert was a Norwegion Ridgeback.

Thats right he was a Norwegian ridgeback. The horntail was the dragon harry had for the first task in GOF. Draco that would be interesting, Draco the Dragon.

Also, the fog that they seem to be flying into- there was lots of fog on Hogwarts on the back of the UK childrens edition (and, yes, that castle WAS Hogwarts, it was confirmed)... I'm not sure what to make of that, 'cept that they're flying to Hogwarts or past it? That would mean it's Hogsmeade.

OMG OMG OMG WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! Don't expect anything fairly making sense-ity because I am going cccrraaaazzzzyyyy!!!!! I THINK THEY ARE AT A FRIGGIN DRANGON'S HOARD ON THE COVER OF THE UK CHILDREN'S EDITION!!! And the sky's the same color and stuff. And wow, wow, wow!!!

Wait...if that is Hogsmeade, why can you not see the giant castle off in the distance? Didn't they always say in the books that you saw Hogwarts before Hogsmeade?

One of the field-like things looks like a cemetary, but I think it is Little Hangleton

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! i think mayb it is norbert but still it would have to b someone they know from wich they can borrow or ask for a dragon.... again...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!

well i just don't think its Godric's Hollow in the picture. If you read the 1st chapter of the 1st book, Hagrid says Harry fell asleep over Bristol, of something like that. As he is on the way to Surrey, to have flown over Bristol implies Godric's Hollow is in the South West of the UK. This area is distinctly flat, like the picture, where it looks distinctly more like the Hogwarts grounds. I think thats the lake, and Hogwarts is just to the right of the picture, therefore the village is Hogsmeade. PS. if it is Godric's Hollow, i would think that it is somewhere in Wales, although Hagrid would have had too have taken a fare old detour. If unsure check maps.

After searching the encyclopedia, I am pretty sure this is a Norweigan Ridgeback. Considering the mountanous terrain, do people think we are still near Hogwarts? In Europe? It would be extremely sentemental but very cool if this was in fact Norbert.

They could be coming from another angle. I also like the Little Hangleton idea, and whoever said Thestrals, that's a good thought! I like that theory.

Ooops, just re-looked and Norbert is a Ridgeback, but even still, he has no ridges. It just can't be him. And I don't know what the guy was thinking who said it was a thestral. Thestrals are HORSE-LIKE creatures with scaly skin. Not dragon like. Ron and Hermione prolly look scared because they are riding a Dragon, and we already know Hermione hates to fly which is why she appears to be laying on her stomach in fear.

WOW!!! Look at all the over analysis going on in here. Does anyone think that Mary GrandPré actually consulted with the dragon description pages at http://www.hp-lexicon.org /bestiary/dragons.html before making this awesome illustration???

Can Animagi-forms change too? Maybe it's McGonagall:p (would explain why the dragon seems old):p

This is amazing!! I do not think that the dragon is Norbert. It looks to old. I like to believe that this image gives us hope that the trio all survive b/c it appears as though they have just come from a battle. I'm not going to hazard a guess as to where they are, but I wonder if perhaps the symbol on the spine of the UK children's ed. is the key to controlling the dragon. Or, perhaps, if someone isn't an animagus who can turn into a dragon. What if it is Aberforth. What if this is what he got into trouble with over goats. Perhaps he turned into a dragon and ate them!!! Or Draco would make sense too, his name means dragon after all.

Hey guys, just a thought here, but can anyone actually see the locket around Harry's neck whilst he's on the dragon? Because I can't, and its really clear on the US normal cover. Maybe in between the time of the dragon-riding and the final, climatic scene he somehow gets the locket, maybe off Voldemort? Just a thought. And I think Hermione lying down means something, maybe she's mortally wounded? As for the mystery male at the tail end. There is always something for a reason with HP, so I think the people who say it may be Malfoy have it more on the head than it being Ron, it would be just like JKR to throw something like that into the works. But if so then where is Ron? Dead? Died honourably in battle? I CAN'T WAIT 42 DAYS I NEED TO KNOW NOW! :)

Fog=Dementors breeding. I thought that one was obvious

Man, its too bad you cant get the Deluxe edition in Canada. I would buy it from the states but it wouldnt get here on the release date. This looks exciting, but I hope theres more to the book then a bunch of Hocrux hunting...I bet JK makes it more interesting then that.

I might also add to my previous comment that the dragon does have the spikes that are present in a Chinese Fireball, but I'm not sure if the coloring is correct. Maybe in the light it is too hard to tell?

Is that dragon blind?

I dont think that dragon is nobert and that IS ron in the picture because it has already been told but the sky colour in the prevois cover is same and harry is wearing robes in that cover ..

Holy horcruxes, when and where was the confirmation that Castle was hogwarts? (i seemed to have missed it) and to NelleDE, it IS a possibility that the dragon in imperiused, i mean, how the hell are you supposed to control it really? Besides, some humans (like harry) can fight off the imperius curse, whiles some humans cannot. Whats to say it isnt the same for dragons? besides, i have never come across any info that states you CANT place a dragon under the imperius curse, you just have to probably be exceptionally powerful. OR its a combined effort! like a combined stunning spell can stun a dragon, maybe its a combined imperius curse?