Who is that dragon?

The new artwork for the deluxe edition of Deathly Hallows has been released, and we have so many more questions than answers:

Who is that dragon? It could be a grown-up Norbert (the picture vaguely matches the description of Norwegian Ridgebacks given in Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them). This dragon looks to be either a greenish color or black (but reflecting lots of color), has long horns, has a black-ridged back, and has opal-like eyes. FBaWtFT never describes the eyes of a Norwegian Ridgeback.

Update 6/14/07 -- However, the book has this to say about the Antipodean Opaleye :

"Antipodean Opaleye:This species is native to New Zealand, although it has also been known to make its home in Australia as well. It has pearly scales that reflect the light to make a rainbow of colour, making it (in the opinion of many) the most beautiful dragon of all. The name comes from its eyes, which are multi-coloured and have no pupil. It is generally non-aggressive and its main prey is the sheep. Its weight of 2-3 tonnes makes it a medium-sized dragon [FB]."

Interesting idea: what if there is a new breed, one that was bred to be tameable? It could have a combination of features from various dragon breeds....

Is the dragon a dragon? What if it turned out to be an Animagus? I know, I know... we've had lots of unregistered Animagi (Sirius, James, Peter, and Rita), but we've only seen one registered Animagus so far (McGonagall), so perhaps it's time for another registered one. It would sure go a long way to explain why it's acting tame.

Who's riding the dragon? Is that Hermione and Ron with Harry... or Hermione and Charlie, the Weasley who works with dragons, with Harry? Update 6/11/07: According to Scholastic, that is definitely Ron with Hermione and Harry, not Charlie (and definitely not Draco, as some people have suggested). Yep, we have a particularly light-haired Ron bringing up (sitting on) the rear.

What are they wearing? Looks like Harry is wearing a sweater/jumper and a pair of jeans. The other two might be wearing robes over muggle attire. Update 6/19/07: Harry's outfit actually looks similar to what he's wearing on the front cover of the regular US edition: either brown or black robes over a greenish long-sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans.

Where are they? I see a valley with a river running through it. There is a bridge crossing the river to the right. There are mountains in the background. There is a small village in the valley, at the foot of the mountains. On the other side of the river are some croplands. It could be Norway (Norwegian Ridgebacks live in the mountains, while Muggles live in villages along the southern shoreline and in valleys). Another idea I've heard is Godric's Hollow, specifically that village. This would probably place them in Wales, which also has mountains and valleys bisected by rivers. Update 6/19/07: Since we might be dealing with an Antipodean Opaleye, could the trio be in New Zealand or Australia? Perhaps the horcrux hunt has sent them quite far and wide across the globe....

Where are they going? This would depend on the time of day, and that's a bit tricky. Though we see the sun, I'm not sure if this is sunrise or sunset. With all the colors in the sky I'd like to say sunset, which would put them moving northward. If this place is Godric's Hollow (and if Godric's Hollow is located in Wales), then maybe they are headed up north towards Hogwarts in Scotland. If it is in fact sunrise, they must be headed South, maybe towards London (where Gringotts is), or into another country, like Italy (where Il Colosseo is to be found). The sky is very reminiscent of the orange-red, fire-like sky of the regular cover art. I'm not sure how fast the dragon can fly... could it leave Great Britain at sunrise and be in Rome, Italy before sundown? Update 6/11/07: The time is sunset, as stated by Scholastic. Update 6/19/07: And what if they are in New Zealand? Well, they'd be headed north at sunset. But, oh my, if they are that far away from the UK, how long will it take to get back to the UK, or even to Italy, by dragon?

What's with all the mist? Is this Dementor spawn? It would help explain why the trio look like they are wearing layered clothing. It must be quite cold... unseasonably cold.

The Missing 24hrs!! Maybe....

Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape is the one to go to when you need help regarding the Dark Arts, like if you have been injured by a curse....

Dumbledore goes to Snape sometime during the summer between Harry's 5th and 6th years. He's injured while destroying the ring horcrux, and he goes to Snape (still at Hogwarts, possibly about to leave for Spinner's End) for help.

When Katie Bell is injured by the opal necklace, a cursed object, McGonagall has Filch take the necklace to Snape for inspection.

What if this is a clue about the missing 24hrs after the attack on the Potters?

Imagine this senario:

• Voldemort attacks the Potters. James dies from an AK, Lily makes her choice and dies by AK, and the AK cast at Harry backfires. Other things happen, too, like the house falling to ruins.
  
• Someone is there to witness the attack and quickly informs Dumbledore.


• Dumbledore sends Hagrid to get Harry out of the house and tells him to take Harry to Snape for inspection. (We're definitely dealing with a dark curse here.)


• Hagrid shows up at Godric's Hollow, meets up with Sirius and borrows the bike, then takes Harry away from the crime scene before the Muggles show up .


• This brings Harry out of Godric's Hollow (wherever it is) and takes him to...well, Spinner's End, perhaps? The clues about Spinner's End suggest either Wales or the environs around Manchester... However, Snape tells Bellatrix he was at Hogwarts, and since it was the middle of term at school, it makes sense for Snape to be at Hogwarts, not Spinner's End...unless Dumbledore asked Snape to leave the castle and go to Spinner's End (or elsewhere) to help him....


• Snape observes Harry for several hours and possibly performs some tests (like a healer or doctor would), then he contacts Dumbledore to say that, except for a nasty cut on his forehead, Harry seems healthy and can be placed with his relatives. (I'm assuming here that Snape has at least some idea of Dumbledore's plans to place Harry with his aunt... and might know about the blood magic Dumbledore uses to seal Harry's protection at #4 Privet Drive.) Alternate senario: Harry's injuries are more severe than a cut on the forehead, and Snape stops the spread of something, much like he later does for Dumbledore and Katie Bell....


• Hagrid then takes Harry from wherever Snape was to Surrey. Like Moody in OotP, Hagrid might take a winding route, trying to throw off the enemy....

Freaky idea, but plausible. Nowhere in canon does it say Hagrid went directly from Godric's Hollow to Privet Drive in Surrey.