Harry Potter and the Uninvited Guest

With exactly two months to go until the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fans like us are getting desperate for even the slightest whiff of plot spoilerage. The cover of the American edition, left, offers nothing useful: It’s Harry, looking noble, natch. (The back cover features Voldemort, looking ignoble.). But the U.K. cover image, on the right, offers very exciting hints of what’s to come: Ron, Hermione and a quite studly-looking Harry falling headlong into a room full of treasure. (In Gringotts, maybe?) Even if Ron does look as doltishly flabbergasted as ever, it’s still heartwarming to hope that the series will end as we have always dreamed it would: with our three beloved heroes, together for the final battle, battered but unbowed, facing the ultimate evil as a team, without any…

Jeez, now that we look at it, Ron’s arm holding that sword really does look weird. So scrawny and gray! And whose hand is that gripping Harry’s shoulder? And — is that an ear…?

DOBBY!!! You intrusive, annoying, shuffling, pidgin-speaking, Jar Jar Binks–as–house–elf bastard! GET OFF THAT BOOK JACKET!