Im sorry Doxybiter_DH_ but there is every possibility it could be a Fireball. It's wings are red and it seems to have an golden/orangey feel to it. It's more likely a fireball, than it is norbet. Also I don't think that can be Hogsmede. I never remembered a river nearby it, and plus there are several waterfalls if you look to the right.

I just noticed harry is wearing green shirt in the us cover of dh and he is wearing a green shirt in this cover too

I doubt you could imperius a dragon as most spells bounce right off their hide. Also, if that were possible why hadn't Voldy done it in the past. I mean if he wanted to wipe out the wizarding world, he could have just done a "shock and awe" with dragons and giants.

a dragon!!?!? how sweet...never wouuld have guessed! god july 21 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to far away!

The village that they are flying over looks very French, like something in the Loire Valley. Could they be flying to Beaubatons?

the imperius curse is a MIND curse, it would not bounce off the hide.

but there is something wrong with the dragon

There is no proof that it is Hogwarts, but there's no proof there isn't. I was sharing a theory I had, because there were hills, rivers, fog like the fog on the back of the UK childrens... so, no one has officially said it is Hogwarts, but no one can say it isn't. Gotta love theorizing! It's half the fun of reading! Also, those who think it's an animagus, keep in mind that this is probably a Horcrux hunt, and the only people who know about the Horcruxes are Voldemort (I think we can rule out that the trio is riding on Voldemort =) ), the trio, and Dumbledore (who is now dead, tear tear). Just thought I'd point that out!

Hey there spoilers, what's up?

Sarah_Louise, the dragon hide is magical and protects it from spells. Sort of like Hagrid and his giant blood protecting him.

wow, i really don't know. it can't be norbert because norbert was black. funny because we were just talking about norbert returning for the 7th book yesterday. it COULD be hogwarts and hogsmade but I don't know...Hogwarts looks awfully small and where's the black lake? what's with the fields? i doubt it, really. i think this is just a scene over some city on their way to the scene on the us cover

So beautiful!

Infer596 I think the incident in us cover occured before this cover harry is wearing robes in the us cover but not in this one

maybe since ron and hermione have parents that wont allow them to not go to hogwarts, harry uses either norbert or a dragon from bill to get ron and hermione out to help him find horcruxes seeing as ron and hermione are wearing black (school) robes and harry's not

yes i understand the hide protects it, but not from everything! (remember the conjunctivitis curse?) Everything has a weakness, no where in the books has it been suggested that dragons cannot be placed under the imperius curse. A COMBINED stunning spell can stun a dragon. IT COULD BE A COMBINED IMPERIUS CURSE. But there is no evidence to suggest that a dragon cannot be imperised. I stick by this, imperius is a mind curse, to me, dragons are alot like trolls, strong, big but not neccessarily strong minded at least SOME dragon breeds)

OMG DRAGON (: 42 days!

I am confident that the boy on the back is Ron. If you notice, he looks very much like the ron in the full cover of the HBP and also, GrandPre always makes Ron and Hermione's hair look about the same color (only exception is in COS b/c it is very vividly red there) and they both look like their hair is the same color in this picture. I agree w/ silver_shivers that this is a scene occuring after the showdown w/ vodly. I think that Hermione is hurt and that is why Harry looks so determined. Also, I can't tell if Harry is wearing the locket in this picture.

You know, it might not be a dragon...I think it's a thestral.

oh my god. that's positively breathtaking. this is it, guys, we really have nothing left to get except the book...

does harry have the locket yet? and the robes could be the same as in the other cover, just black with sunlight on them because he's wearing the same things underneath. and these cloaks in every cover seem strangely significant.

*speechless*

Wow. The artwork is always so amazing, but this just out-does all the rest. The sunset. The dragon. And I love how the trio finally look somewhat grown-up. As for the village...there's never been mention of a river running through Hogsmeade. It could be Little Hangleton, because it's in a valley (the Gaunts lived across the village from the Riddles), or it could be Godric's Hollow (a hollow is like a valley, except smaller). I wonder what the villagers are thinking, what with a dragon flying over their houses...

its to big to be thestral. If a thestral is that big, then why didnt all Ron, Harry, Luna, Hermione, Ginny and Neville all ride on the one thestral to the department of mysteries? besides, thestrals have hair. Not scales

It's Puff, the Magic Dragon.

bachwiz182, JK's drawing of a threstral looks very different from this picture. A threstral is more horselike and this thing has a long spiked tail. Plus, on threstrals, it can only take one rider. It would be extremely interesting if you were right. That's definitely thinking outside the box.

Wow...I'm almost positive that that is Hogsmeade. Mountains are surrounding them, and if you look at the left corner the water begans to look like a lake. If I had to guess somewhere else, I'd say it was Little Hangleton. As for the dragon...I'd be more inclined to say it was Norbert because that dragon is familiar with human handling and thus easier to control. I don't like the idea of it being controlled by a spell...that would seem rather unpredictable because a dragon is so strong. Harry looks rather determined, while Ron and Hermione look to be clinging on for dear life. Their clothes are intriguing. They look like they've been through a battle, but that also could be a sign that they've been out on their own for a long time. It could be that they each only have like two pairs of clothes and are forced to wear them even if they are torn. Wonder where they are going and where they are coming from?

The conjuntivitus curse hits the dragon in the eye. There is no hide over its eye. Perhaps if the curser hits the dragon in the eye w/ the imperius curse it won't bounce off. HOWEVER, regardless of whether the hide will protect it from a MIND curse, if dragons could be imperiused or controlled w/ any form of a MIND curse, then it would have been done before now. We have seen dragons in two of the books, and noone has ever attempted to use MIND curses on them. If they had, don't you think Igor Karkaroff would have told Krum to use one instead of conjunctivitus? Again, I will say that had anyone been able to use a MIND curse on dragons, they would have been being used by Voldy to fight the wizarding world. Dragons are extremely powerful magical creatures that I don't think can be controlled through a simple curse. I believe that the rune-like symbol under debate from the UK ed is the key to controlling it.

I will concede that the dragon may be under the Imperius curse. However I need to ask, what are the chances that 3 young wizards (who have never used this particular curse) succesfully controlling a beast on their first try! I doubt J.K. will make us swallow something that truly unbelievable. However we will just have to wait and see. Is it Norbert or isn't it? Is it Hogsmeade or Godric's Hollow? Is there anything left in Little Hangleton besides the Riddle estate that our trio will need to go to? Is LV even still using the estate as his headquarters? Which one of the hundreds of theories will prove right (if any)? It's too exciting to take in all at once.

One question, How do I get one?!?!?!?!?

*CRACK* [apparates] Call me crazy, but when I saw this artwork, I immediately thought that the trio was riding a Griffin, not a dragon. But in looking closely, everything about it says dragon...the scales and horns to mention a few. I also noticed that Ron and Hermione have robes on, but Harry doesn't. Does this mean that Hogwarts continues to stay open, with Ron and Hermione going back, but Harry does not? As far as the village goes, I thought it would be Godric's Hallow....

It's NORBERT!!! ROFL! Way kewl! Whoa! and is that dragon hide Harry's wearing? The dragon looks pretty torn up. My guess is it was battling another dragon, and Harry, Ron and Hermione saved it, slaying the other dragon. That would explain the shabbiness of the robes and Harry wearing Dragon hide.

dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, ddragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, ragon, dragondragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, , dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragodragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, n, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, ddragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, ragon, dragon, dragon, does everyone see the dragon? HOGSMEAD VILLAGE WOOT WOOT. Horcrux in hogsmeade, watch out! dragon in hogsmeade? maybe just flying over it... DRAGON. wow am i hyper, just had an iced cap from timmy h. gotta love those. who else loves them?

it takes a powerful wizard to perform an imperius curse, krum, fleur, cedric wouldnt have known how to do it. And harry at the time was not as powerful. However, we KNOW harry is more powerful than the average wizard. Besides, imperius curses (before voldemort came back) were STRICTLY illegal, probably even against magical creatures. Now, the laws are alittle more lax. Besides, wizards before this have never had anny deisre to ride a dragon, all they ever wanted to do was either slay them or them stun them. Whats the point of putting it under an imperius curse to kill it? (uless you want it to kill itself) no one has ever needed to CONTROL one before, just subdue it. Besides, as i said, whats to say a combined imperius curse cant work? Ron, Hermione and Harry are not your average teenages, they are powerful. We know that.

"The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts; if he had to give them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither -- vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they out to belong to giant bats." -------------- The animal on the cover doesn't look like a horse at all. To start, it has no hooves. The creature on the cover has scales. And it describes the wings as 'black leathery wings'; the dragon's wings are reddish. And the thestrals are not described with horns on it's face. ----------- People were discussing the breed of the dragon, and I would like to suggest (sorry if it's already been said) that it might be a hybrid... a cross of two different species.

If you recall, Dragon hide has a lot of protective qualities and can deflect most magic. VERY smart move for Harry to wear it! Also, the dragon may be dependent on Harry... look at the eyes. I think it's blind!!!

Does anyone else feel like this is becoming more and more like the hobbit...i mean a dragon, jewels...

From Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: "Antipodean Opaleye: Unusually for a dragon, it dwells in valleys rather than mountains. It is of medium size (between 2 and 3 tonnes) Perhaps the most beautiful type of dragon, it has iridescent, pearly scales and glittering, multi-colored, pupil-less eyes, hence its name. This dragon produces a very vivid scarlet flame, though by dragon standards it is not particularly aggressive and will rarely kill unless hungry." p. 11 All of this seems clear to us. Physical description fits, and also its demeanor allows for them to ride without having to do much more than make sure it is fed. But what a great idea that it is Draco. Why name him that if you are not going to do something about it?! This could be how Draco redeems himself, (because I am a mom and want the message to get out that no one is too bad to be saved).

The first thing that came into my mind was : NORBERT!! But now that I've looked closer it may not be him. From Harry's determined look I'm thinking that Voldemort killed someone and he's so angry for it.

it luks alrite im in the uk so i cnt get tha version, but im gettin the special edition uk 1 which also makes me member tha i haffa pre-order tha (high school musical 2, shrek 3 & harry potter 7 this is the best summer of my life!)

Oh my god! Someone said it could be Norbert. I don't see why it isn't. He may not be completely black, but if it's Norbert, his color may have changed slightly with age. Point: it's a dragon! Wow, I'm going to go freak out now...

potterpicklepals- omgsh! that is a perfect decription of the dragon! i love it! when i read your comment i thought right away that that was like a perfect description.

I can't believe some of you are actually putting thought into my joke...I mean theory that the dragon is Draco.

Ok HERMIONE'S CAPE IS BLOWING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION as everything else. IT LOOKS LIKE ANGEL WINGS!!! The dragon is definitely old cause its horns are cracking and its eyes are foggy. Not sure who it is or where they are going but the cape in the wrong direction caught my attention.

I think that is godrics hollow since JK says that Godrics Hollow is connected To Gryffindor, and also in the sorting hats song it says ''Bold Gryffindor from Valley Broad" so i am just piecing the puzzle togethor here but that's my guess.

wow! good thing i pre-ordered the deluxe edition. i didnt expect to see a dragon on the last book. not with them riding on it eneweis. but that is sooo cool. can;t wait. 42 days!

Wow there is so much in this! My thoughts and questions are these... - Is the dragon Norbert? If not, is it an old dragon? Is it blind (look at the whites of his eyes)? - Why is it that Ron and Herminone are wearing cloaks, yet Harry isn't? Does this mean that Harry doesn't return to Hogwarts? - The village is one of three places - 1. Godric's Hollow, 2. Hogsmeade, 3. Some place new (my bet is Godric's Hollow) - The mist! Something BIG, BAD, and SHOCKING is coming after the trio! (DUN DUN DUUNNNN!) - 42 DAYS! I'm re-reading the series, currently on Book 4.

GORGEOUS! I was kinda meh...on the HBP deluxe cover but this beautiful. That looks like either an Opal Eye or maybe Norbert, but wouldn't Norbert have more ridges on his back as a Norweigan Ridgeback?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH this is amazing! I cannot wait until we get the book. I mean, dragons?! I'm thinking maybe Norbert.....sorry, but I don't see how they could get a dragon out of Gringotts without being killed or arrested. bUt you never know... I'm just excited we get more news! This is amazing!

OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! \(^o^)/ *squels and throws various objects*

Awesome Dragons!!!!! Can't wait...could it be Norbert or one from Gringotts...GO NORBERT!