...okay, seeing it was already mentioned elsewhere, I am going to out myself: I have pre-ordered the book. Right now I am re-reading the other books, parallelly to some serious history and a bit Zola, which is a very strange reading experience. *gulps*
Who else awaits the outcome of the story? Out with you!
And: Is it too late to speculate geekily what will happen?

They're all going to realise that the world isn't round, it's flat, and carried by a big turtle and 4 elephants. That's wha'ts going to happen

I have pre-ordered it from Amazon, I'm mildly excited about finding out how it finishes, but not all that crazy either...

I pre-ordered it a while ago. I've re-read the other books recently, when I read them to Garner. I'm definitely looking forward to the final book, but I'm also sad that there will be no more.

These are the predictions I made before Book 4 came out that have not yet been proven or disproven:
Dumbledore will die - You could argue that this has been proven (and I think it has), but some people think he's not really dead or that he'll get resurrected. I say he's dead and he's staying dead.
Hagrid will die - I'm not 100% on this one, but I think it's very likely.
Snape is good, and will probably die - I've always been definite about the former (well, since the end of Book 1), but am less certain about the latter.
Draco will be redeemed - I've been arguing this since Book 1 and I still believe it.
Harry will ultimately beat Voldemort by feeling compassion for him - I think that the power of love is the main theme of the books.

Judging from the new cover, they will have to try to break into Gringotts, and will in some way experience what the Goblins described in book 1 (what happens to non-Goblins trying to enter) in one of the first chapters: They'll be sucked into a high security vault.
As to Buzzfloyds prediction number 3: In "The Goblet of Fire", Snape can see himself -along with the reflections of Dumbledore and McGonnagal- in Barty Crouch Jr.'s foe glass... I didn't find this mentioned anywhere, but he even stops there to ponder his reflection if i remember it correctly. As Barty Jr is not going to make another appearance, I deem this a yet unresolved clue.

Right, that makes sense. JKR's been setting up something big to do with the goblins ever since Book 1, with constant references to Goblin Rebellions, the way they control the wizarding financial system and so on.

Interesting point!

I think Snape will turn out to be good. I also rather suspect that Harry will cop it.

Really? I know she keeps threatening it, but do you really think she'd do it?

I can't really imagine it...

I agree that Snape has always been good. I hope what he said to Dumdledore, to gain such trust, is something really surprising. That has bugged me for a while!

JK cannot kill Harry because her fans would lynch her! I'd love it if she did though.

I wonder what she will write after the series is over. Perhaps she will retire since she's at the top, young enough & rich?!

I saw JK on the jonathan ross show last night and I got the impression that she'd killed harry off. Near the end of the interveiw he asked her if she'd write another harry poter book and she said the next book brings harrys story to a clear end but that she might write more about that world. I think the only way she could be sure of not writting anymore harry potter books is if she'd killed him off.

I'm not so sure. I rather imagine she feels just like the actor for the HP movies do by now - you think of yourself as an actor, and not as an Harry Potter impersonator, and from some point on, you just have to say "That's it, no more, that story is ended." Or you will end up doing nothing else for the rest of your life.
I think we'll be thinking she has to kill him until, at the end of the book, there's finally a way out. I somehow believe during the book, he will come to the conclusion that he is the last surviving horcrux, and has to die, and then... tadaaa! Whatever.

She's been saying ever since the first book was published that there would only be seven. She says she doesn't want to end up writing Harry Potter And The Midlife Crisis. It's about not wanting the thing to become overdone rather than plot necessity, I think.

It would certainly make a lot of narrative sense to kill Harry, but I don't think it would make thematic sense at all. The book, like so many, is about the triumph of love against all odds. We have already seen how it can overcome death. Killing Harry would actively work against the series main themes, thereby screwing up the message of the books. So it would be pointless. I am prepared to admit it could happen, but I would bet a modest amount that she won't kill him. She might go to good lengths to have us believe she will, but I don't think she will.

Does anyone feel like a challenge. The BBC has a comp to describe the series so far in 100 words.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Can you tell whole Potter story?

1. I have always STRONGLY believed Snape is good and I think Dumbledore understood something and something happened between the two of them when S killed him. Call me delusional. I think a suprise involving Snape is in the book.
2. I strongly hope Sirius will come back. I don't know how it's possible,but somehow Pleeeease.

Hum.
Now even my husband asked me who is going to die.
He pretended he was mocking me, but I bet he's dying to know and now he has no one to talk it over with because he always pretended to be too cool for the hype.
I told him I would have to keep myself from skipping through the last chapters instead of reading the book in its proper order. He said, "You won't have to. I bet someone will rent a zeppelin and paint the names on it, and have it cruising over the city."

Open questions besides those that have been mentioned already: What reason did she have to introduce Grawp? There has to be a reason. Or excuse. And Kreetcher? (I just now got the Kreetcher-creature thing.) She forbade the film makers to cross him out of the fifth film. Its two characters i could live without, but seemingly they'll get to play a role. Same goes for Crrokshanks.
I also wonder why it has never been really mentioned how much Wormtail must have learnt about the good guys during his time as Scabbers.

One of the last scenes hints that the horcrux stolen by RAB was still in the Black household, and has then been stolen by that petty thief, what was his name again? He was on the good side, actually, but cleptomanic... I bet he sold it to someone from whom retrieving it will take a few chapters.