Close-up on HBP artwork
 

A few days ago the sleeves and back cover images on the UK Children's edition of 'Half-Blood Prince' were released.

A screensaver on the Bloomsbury website gives us a closer look at the lightening-bolt ring that featured on the spine of the cover.

The image can be seen here.

Source: Mugglenet

Look more like a symbol behind a crack rather than a "lightening bolt." I do wonder what it could mean.

this requires deep thought
 

hmmm :blink: that's a thinker.

I've just had a thought that the two hands that are binded with a ring of fire around it could be harry and malfoy. it's a long shot i know, but it could be unity of the two to truly fight against evil :glomp: :poke:
The arms appear young looking, don't you think?

The ring has got me split on it being just a crack or a further meaning of the lightening bolt connection to harry's forehead.
The ring could belong to voldermort and when he cursed harry a mimic indent from harry's forehead occured on his ring.

I know i'm thinking about this too much, but hey (!) they wouldn't release it if they didn't want hp fans to ponder about it ^_^

The shape looks like a lightening bolt but I do think it's a crack in a pensieve. The shape on either sides of the cracks looks like a pillar - the same shape we've seen on both the UK and US covers.

To me, one looks young and the other looks old.

I've been thinking perhaps there's someone else with a scar like Harry's. We know, after all, that DD has a scar which is the map of the London Underground, on his leg. Could he have another? Or someone else ... *ponders*

I thought that too.

possibly it was once Voldemorts ring that got damaged when the curse backfired on him. this could be far fetched but we will see

edit: Also the hands that are locked. the older hand that is being grasped by the younger one(harry's) doesnt look like it is grasping back. the fingers are not wraped around like they should be.

wow thats amazing! i wish i could draw like that

I first thought that the hand looked old...then I thought it just looked defined. Perhaps by someone of a different race?

To me, it looks old. The veins are defined and the skin looks stretched.

woulde the hands not be of dumbledore and harry?

hmmm??...interesting :)...wonder what the ring with the lightening symbolises...does anyone know or is it another mystery for us to debate over?

Well, it's some sort of spell because it comes from Dumbledore's wand on the front cover. And I think it's fairly certain that the hands are of DD and Harry, considering they're on ALL the covers.

Well except the UK Adult. I don't necessarily think it has to be Harry and DD. That wouldn't include enough variety if the only things on the cover involved Harry and DD, unless DD is the HBP.

Too many Abbrev.? I think so...ZOE!
(sorry SNL...)

I actually think Dumbledore could be the HBP. He's on all the covers. It is Dumbledore and Harry locking hands, and I think the ring is Lily's old wedding ring.

Harry and Dumbledore arm wrestling on the spine may symbolise that harry is going to turn to Voldemorts side, or it could mean that Dumbledore wants to deal with Voldemort and the battle in one way, and Harry wants to take measures into his own hands?

the ring looks good.
is dat a lightnin bolt or harry's scar???

hmmm makes you wonder, doesn't it?

very interesting...wonder what it could mean

That really makes you think about what the actual book will be about. What does the ring stand for or whats its power. i can hardly wait to find out.

I think the hands mean Dumbledore and Harry are working toghther. Also, I feel Harry might save Dumbledore's life. The ring is black, Maybe it's James's wedding ring. I did say Lily last time, but after getting a good look at the ring. It looks like a ring that would be wore by a male. :ballcap:

It's quite interesting... the hands clasped seem to have a power together and that's why there is all that lighting around them. Like together they're stronger. The one hand is definitely Harry's, but is the other Dumbledore's? It can be a bit debatable. It looks older, but how old? To me it doesn't look that of an old man's, but of an older man... one older than Harry, but much younger than Dumbledore.

The ring... I didn't think it looked like the penseive cracked. But is interestingly cracked. Almost like a lightening bolt... hmm.

thats interesting at first I thought that the ring may belong to the HBP but after thinking about it I realised that it can't be because the stone has a lightening shape in it like Harry's scar and J.K has already said that Harry is not the HBP.
On the other hand it may be Harry's, we will unfortunately just have to wait and see won't we??? :blink:
Thanks for the pic!!! :)

errr very intersting,idk if it be harrys, i must agree it does look oldish anyway we will find out eventually-not soon enough :(

wow!! thatz very interesting!

The two hands seem to belong to a child and an adult. A conection of some form.
And about the ring, I think is conected to Harry\'s loghtening on his forehead.