That and the fact that it all just seems too pat, if you see what I mean. Chapter 1, Snape being revealed as a bad guy. Chapter later, Snape doing in Dumbledore? Maybe it's true and J.K. is losing her steam or her muse and this is just what it is at this point. I'd like to believe that book six is not as obvious as it seems.

It appears to me to be a huge leap to thrust a relatively unexplored (in book six) character (MacGonagal - another of my favorites) into the position of Headmistress without so much of a peep as to what she's done or thought that year, aside from the usual grumbling at students. I mean, we don't even get a hint of what she thinks of Harry beyond her discussion of his classes in the beginning of the book. Suddenly she's in charge? I think not, but if so, that's another disappointment to me.