Having got to page 289 I'm pleased to say I was right about everything except Regulus' middle name, which I guessed was Alphard (after his uncle) rather than Arcturus. The locket was indeed the one 'which none of them could open' that they found at Grimmauld Place in Order of the Phoenix, it certainly was saved from the rubbish sack by Kreacher and it was, as predicted, subsequently nicked by Mundungus Fletcher.

Talking of Order of the Phoenix, JKR obviously wanted to avoid writing another book with a long slow start. Deathly Hallows positively explodes with action early on. I haven't been so beset by so many catastrophes in such a short time since I first watched Buffy episode 5.20, Spiral, where Buffs' plan to hide from Glory goes awry in successively more dreadful ways.

Still room for some humour though. Uncle Vernon obviously still reads the Daily Mail, as his suspicions that Harry wants to get his hands on the equity in 4 Privet Drive show. Interesting, btw, to see that Rowling avoids the easy option of showing the Dursleys as Muggle racists. You'd've thought a black wizard would be a Mail reader's worst nightmare.