The mysteries of J.K Rowling's seventh and concluding book in her Harry Potter series, The Deathly Hallows, are unknown even to the young actors who have been bringing her magical tales to life since 2001. So it is with great curiosity that Rupert Grint, who plays Harry's wizard chum, Ron Weasley, awaits the book's Saturday release.

"It has been really, really secretive," says the carrot-topped 18-year-old Brit.

With it all wrapping up, "it feels really different this time," he adds.

Making matters worse, Grint says that in the past he has received no specially messengered early advance copies. 'Sometimes," he says, "we just have to go out and get it like everyone else."

On Sept. 20, Grint and his co-stars will begin shooting the sixth Potter film, The Half-Blood Prince. By then, he — like the rest of the world — will have learned his character's fate.

1. Who will live, who will die?

A. Grint guesses that Harry and evil Lord Voldemort meet their maker. (As for fans on the site, the vast majority think both live.)

Explains Grint: "I think Harry will die because of the prophecy in (Order of the Phoenix) that Harry or Voldemort will die." But believing that Rowling couldn't allow Harry to die in vain, Grint goes on to guess that "if Harry does die, Voldemort can't live, can he?" For his part, Grint is willing to take one for the team. "I wouldn't mind dying," he says. "It would be a cool scene to shoot."

2. Is Snape good or evil?

A. Grint thinks Severus Snape — a Hogwarts potions professor/Death Eater/Order of the Phoenix member — is good, but in too deep with Voldemort (34% of fans agree; an equal number say he's good and a Phoenix spy).

"I'm really uncertain," admits Grint, who has been flip-flopping on this very issue since the beginning. "I've got a funny feeling that he's good. He is quite nasty, but he saved Harry's life, so that shows he's a little more human."

3. Will Hogwarts reopen?

A. "Definitely, I think," says Grint of the school of witchcraft and wizardry, the site of a heartbreaking murder in the sixth book (95% of fans agree).

"It just has to," Grint says. "The school and all the history is what the books are all about."

4. Who winds up with whom?

A. It'll be a family affair, Grint believes, with his Ron cuddling up to pal Hermione, while Harry hooks up with Ron's sister, Ginny (37% of fans have picked Ron and Hermione; 28%, Harry and Ginny).

"Harry's sort of a Weasley anyhow since my parents have taken him in," says Grint. "And there's definitely something there between Ron and Hermione," adds Grint, who in real life is currently uncoupled. But kissing co-star Emma Watson (Hermione), he hypothesizes, "is going to be a little bit awkward because we've known each other so long."

5. Where are the Horcruxes?

A. Grint believes the mysterious fragmented bits of Voldemort's soul that help him attain immortality may be hidden somewhere within Hogwarts (top fan choice: Godric's Hollow, 23%).

"They could be in Azkaban (prison)," Grint theorizes, "but every year something crazy happens at Hogwarts. First there was Fluffy the three-headed dog, and in The Chamber of Secrets there was the massive basilisk (snake)." So, theorizes Grint, the possibility of even more evil lurking within Hogwarts' walls is highly likely.

6. Will Voldemort be defeated?

A. Having already guessed in Question 1 that Voldemort will perish, Grint goes on to explain that "Voldemort sort of always dies and comes back to life. He has been surviving, but I think this time he's going to die for good. It just makes sense." (80% of fans agree.)

7. What are the Deathly Hallows?

A. Grint hasn't a clue as to the meaning behind Rowling's cryptic title. He believes (and 60% of fans agree) that readers will find out "somewhere in the middle" of the book. "I'd guess it's something very scary that has a strong connection to how it all ends."

[William Keck || USA Today, 16 July 2007 || Original article found here]