HP and the Half Blood Prince (Book 6)

[SwiftBiscuit]

She has an OBE.

 

[Sindatur]

What exactly is OBE, though? Is it the first step to Knighthood? I believe there are 3 or 4 steps or levels to becoming a Knight?

 

[Demon]

OBE stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. It is the second rung in a line of 5 ascending honours, which are as follows in descending order:

Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE)
Commander (CBE)
Officer (OBE)
Member (MBE)

Only the top two ranks come with titles, so JKR would need to take 2 further steps before she becomes a Dame like Judi Dench

Bob Geldof, Bill Gates and Stephen Spielberg are all Knights Commanders, but being Johnny Foreigners, their titles are honorary and they're not allowed to call themselves 'Sir'

 

[Sindatur]

Thanks Demon.

 

[Quagmire]

A Sorcerers Stone would be an imaginary item where the Philosophers Stone was something real people actually pursued. In the mind of a wackjob it's a meaningful distinction.

 

[hypatia]

I really don't know what you mean by that.

So, where is the rampant speculation in this thread?

Who's the next to die? Why doe Dumbledore trust Snape? Etc, etc, etc...

 

[Quagmire]

My guess would be he tipped off Dumbledore about Voldemort coming after the Potters due to the snipet of prophecy he learned. Snape could have been motivated in part by the life debt owed James. He could also have feared what an invincible Voldy would mean for his personal fortunes.