Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth novel inJ. K. Rowling'sHarry Potter books. Set duringHarry Potter'ssixth year atHogwarts,Lord Voldemort is definitely back, and with a vengeance.Harry finds his world is yet again changing:wizards and witches andMuggles alike are dying, despite the efforts of theMinistry of Magic and theOrder of the Phoenix. Despite the danger, Harry and his best friends,Ron andHermione, return to the familiar life of Hogwarts for their sixth year. They find yet anotherDefence Against the Dark Arts teacher: Professor Snape. They begin theirN.E.W.T. classes in preparation for life after Hogwarts, and Harry gets some much needed Potions help from the mysteriousHalf-Blood Prince.Quidditch is as popular as ever, Harry is nominated as Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.

As well, this book sees the re-introduction of theSlug Club, along with the appointment of a newPotions teacher,Horace Slughorn. Romance again comes to Hogwarts and is a welcome balance to the grim happenings elsewhere. Harry deeply questions his own feelings forGinny Weasley, who is Ron's younger sister, while trying to understand the effect it is having on his friends. Yet, while life at Hogwarts continues, the deaths also continue, with several near-fatal incidents occurring at Hogwarts. Danger seems to lurk around every corner, and Harry is as determined as ever to unmask it.Albus Dumbledore takes Harry under his guidance and together they explore Lord Voldemort's past, to find a way to stop him before it is too late. Ultimately, Harry realises he must accept his role as The Chosen One, and his destiny to either kill or be killed by Voldemort, as neither can live while the other survives. They all must choose between what is right and what is easy.

When released on16 July2005,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the first book in the United Kingdom to have a simultaneous standard print, large print, and Braille edition release. Within the first 24 hours, it sold 6.9 million copies in the U.S. alone, roughly moving 250,000 an hour, making it the fastest selling book in history. It generated more than $100 million in sales out of the gate, outpacing even the combined take of the top films at the box office. Bookseller Barnes and Noble reported sales averaging 105 copies per second in the first hour of sales. It is also the first book in the series to be shorter than the book preceding it.

Book description[]

It isHarry Potter 's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. AsVoldemort's sinister forces amass and a spirit of gloom and fear sweeps the land, it becomes more and more clear to Harry that he will soon have to confront hisdestiny. But is he up to thechallenges ahead of him?

Raincoast Bloomsbury edition[]

It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the window panes.Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at theDursleys' house inPrivet Drive for a visit fromProfessor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw theHeadmaster was in a fierce one-to-oneduel withLord Voldemort, and Harry can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys' of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns toHogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds ofMuggle andmagic start to intertwine...

Dedication[]

Rowling became pregnant with her third child during the writing of this book and often joked about them racing each other into the world. For this reason, the book was dedicated to her:

To Mackenzie,

My beautiful daughter,

I dedicate

Her ink-and-paper twin.

Plot[]

Chapter 1: TheOther Minister[]

TheMuggle Prime Minister receives a notice thatCornelius Fudge is to meet him. He then recollects Fudge's earlier meetings with him: his first meeting with Fudge soon after he became the Prime Minister,Sirius Black's escape fromAzkaban, theQuidditch World Cup, theTriwizard Tournament and the 1996 Azkaban mass breakout. When Fudge finally arrives, he reveals a number of incidents which had occurred in the Muggle world and for which the Prime Minister is forced to owe responsibility: the collapse of theBrockdale Bridge, a supposed hurricane in the West Country, the deaths ofAmelia Bones andEmmeline Vance and the insanity of Junior MinisterHerbert Chorley which have all been caused byLord Voldemort, his followers theDeath Eaters and theirGiant allies. In short, theSecond Wizarding War has begun. Fudge also reveals that he has been sacked and replaced byRufus Scrimgeour asMinister for Magic. Scrimgeour too meets the Prime Minister and discusses security arrangements with him. He also reveals that Fudge will be a liaison between them.

Chapter 2:Spinner's End[]

Narcissa Malfoy and her sisterBellatrix Lestrange visitSeverus Snape atSpinner's End, a poverty-stricken neighbourhood in a northern mill town. Narcissa wants Snape to help her protect her sonDraco, who has been made aDeath Eater and has been assigned a mission byLord Voldemort himself. Bellatrix advises against this, distrusting Snape for not taking part in theBattle of the Department of Mysteries at theMinistry of Magic, and for his many suspicious actions through the years which make her doubt whether Snape is actually on their side. Snape explains his behaviour: He was at Hogwarts when Voldemort fell to be a spy for him, he didn't seek him out for the same reason her brother in law and the other deserters didn't look for him, he stopped Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone because he thought Quirrell wanted it for himself, he never tried to kill Harry Potter because Dumbledore would know about it, and he didn't take part in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries because Voldemort ordered him to stay at Hogwarts. Snape also tells Narcissa that he knows about Draco's mission. Bellatrix tells her sister she should be proud but Narcissa believes that Voldemort is sending him on a suicide mission as punishment for her husband's failure. Snape offers to help Draco. Narcissa asks him to make an Unbreakable Vow and he agrees. With Bellatrix as their Bonder, Narcissa asks Snape to agree to the following terms:

1. That he watch over Draco while he attempts to carry out his mission as a Death Eater.
2. That he protect him and make sure he comes to no harm.
3. That he do the job for Draco if he proves unable to do it himself.

Snape agrees to all three terms and the vow is made.

Chapter 3:Will andWon't[]

Albus Dumbledore comes to visitHarry Potter at4 Privet Drive to take him toThe Burrow, where he would spend the rest of his summer holidays. Dumbledore readsSirius Black's will: Harry inherits his deceased godfather's wealth, theBlack family house at12 Grimmauld Place, which Harry lets theOrder of the Phoenix continue to use as headquarters, and theHouse-elfKreacher, whom Harry sends to work at theHogwarts kitchens. Dumbledore then chastisesthe Dursleys for their neglect and mistreatment of Harry but asks that he be allowed to return to Privet Drive one final time, and he and Harry depart.

Chapter 4:Horace Slughorn[]

Harry notices Dumbledore has received a serious injury to his right hand, but the Headmaster dismisses it as unimportant. Dumbledore then asks Harry's help in convincing an oldHogwarts teacher,Horace Slughorn, to come out of retirement. They pay him a visit, but Slughorn is reluctant to return to the school, fearing it may put his life in danger from Death Eaters. Harry tells him that no teachers have died since Dumbledore became Headmaster, exceptProfessor Quirrell, who was working for Voldemort, and reassures him that teachers at the school do not have to be members of theOrder of the Phoenix. This dubious comfort, and the opportunity to get Harry to join hisSlug Club, persuades Slughorn to return toHogwarts. Dumbledore then drops Harry off atThe Burrow, praising him for the way he has handled his godfather's untimely death and reveals that he would take private classes for him in the forthcoming academic year.

Chapter 5: An Excess ofPhlegm[]

Harry is warmly received at The Burrow by theWeasley family, who offer himFred and George's bedroom to sleep in. Harry meets his best friendsRon Weasley andHermione Granger and Ron's younger sisterGinny Weasley the following morning. He also meetsTriwizard ChampionFleur Delacour, who is now working atGringotts and is engaged to Ron's oldest brotherBill Weasley, which is not liked by Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasleys (except Arthur and Ron). Later in the day, the trio receive theirO.W.L. results; Harry and Ron receive 7 O.W.L.s while Hermione receives 10. However, Harry is slightly disappointed as he has only achieved 'Exceeds Expectations' inPotions, meaning he can no longer realise his ambition as anAuror as Snape only takes students who have achieved 'Outstanding' into hisN.E.W.T. Potions class.

Chapter 6:Draco'sDetour[]

After spending the next few weeks at The Burrow, Harry and Hermione go with the Weasleys toDiagon Alley to get school supplies.Rubeus Hagrid is entrusted with providing security to the group. After a fight with Draco Malfoy and his mother atMadam Malkin's, the entire group go toWeasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George's successful joke shop. Harry insists on paying for the merchandise, but Fred and George refuse his money as he was the one who gave them the money to start the joke shop, and Ginny buys aPygmy Puff as a pet. While still in the store, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spot Malfoy walking through Diagon Alley without his mother and follow him under theInvisibility Cloak toKnockturn Alley and see him enterBorgin and Burkes, a shop that sells dark artefacts. The trio wait outside, listening to Draco byExtendable Ears and watching him through a window. They hear Malfoy talking with the ownerBorgin, about repairing an object and keeping another object safe. Malfoy also shows Borgin something which Harry suspects is theDark Mark (a mark branded on the left forearm of each Death Eater) and threatens Borgin by referring to thewerewolfFenrir Greyback. Harry comes to the conclusion that Malfoy has become a Death Eater and is up to no good, a theory which is dismissed by Ron and Hermione.

Chapter 7: TheSlug Club[]

On the Hogwarts Express, Harry meets his other friendsNeville Longbottom andLuna Lovegood and shares a compartment with them, as Ron and Hermione are in thePrefect Carriage. By now, Harry finds himself attracted to Ginny, although she appears to have long given up on her crush on him and is currently dating Harry's classmateDean Thomas. Harry and Neville are invited for lunch to Slughorn's compartment on the train along with Ginny and some other students with connections to well known or influential people. Before reachingHogsmeade station, Harry enters Malfoy's compartment using hisInvisibility Cloak to prove his suspicions about Malfoy. His suspicions are proven correct: Malfoy tells his friendsVincent Crabbe,Gregory Goyle,Pansy Parkinson andBlaise Zabini that he has become a Death Eater and he may not return to Hogwarts for his final year if the mission he was assigned by Voldemort is successful. Unfortunately for Harry, Malfoy notices Harry spying on him and once his friends have alighted from the train, heparalyses Harry, breaks his nose, covers him with the Invisibility Cloak and leaves him on the train.

Chapter 8:SnapeVictorious[]

Nymphadora Tonks, who is assigned by the Ministry of Magic to guardHogsmeade, comes to Harry's rescue. She takes him to the school, where he is received by Snape. At theStart-of-Term Feast, Dumbledore announces, to Harry's shock, that Snape is taking over the post ofDefence Against the Dark Arts teacher, while Slughorn will be taking Snape's vacated job as Potions Master. This allows Harry and Ron to continue with Potions, as Slughorn takes students who have received 'Exceeds Expectations' in their Potions O.W.L.

Chapter 9: TheHalf-Blood Prince[]

Harry and Ron takeCharms, Defence Against the Dark Arts,Herbology, Potions andTransfiguration as their N.E.W.T. subjects. During the first Defence Against the Arts class of the year, Harry receives a detention from Snape as he had talked back to him following Snape trying to use him as a guinea pig to show how anonverbal spell works. Later that day, they attend Potions, where Harry and Ron receive old copies ofAdvanced Potion-Making from Slughorn as they did not buy the book. Harry's book, previously owned by someone namedThe Half-Blood Prince, contains a large number of shortcuts on making various potions, which prove useful in brewing theDraught of Living Death. To everyone's surprise, Harry's potion is judged the best by Slughorn and is awarded a bottle ofFelix Felicis as a prize. When Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the book, Ginny overhears them and angrily confronts Harry about following the directions of this mysterious book in fear that it may be cursed likeTom Riddle's diary. A jealous Hermione then tries various spells to reveal the true nature of the book, but the book proves to be a normal one, allaying Ginny and Hermione's fears.

Chapter 10: TheHouse ofGaunt[]

As promised at The Burrow,Albus Dumbledore begins the private series of lessons with Harry concerning Lord Voldemort. In the first lesson, Dumbledore shows Harry the first of a number of memories he has collected concerning Voldemort's past usingThe Pensieve. It shows a former Head of theMagical Law Enforcement Patrol,Bob Ogden visiting a man namedMarvolo Gaunt in order to summon his sonMorfin to a Ministry hearing in connection with an attack on aMuggle namedTom Riddle. A huge commotion occurs: Morfin attacks Ogden, with Marvolo stoutly defending his son's actions. Marvolo also tries to attack his daughterMerope after finding out that she has a crush on Riddle. After viewing this memory, Dumbledore tells Harry that both Marvolo and Morfin were sentenced to six months and three years' imprisonment respectively inAzkaban due to their behaviour to Ogden and other Ministry officials. He also reveals that Merope Gaunt was Voldemort's mother and Riddle was his father, thus making Marvolo Voldemort's maternal grandfather and Morfin his maternal uncle. He then speculates that following Marvolo and Morfin's arrest, Merope may have offered alove potion to Riddle or used theImperius Curse, as a result of which they fell inlove and got married. Later, when Merope was pregnant, she may have stopped giving the potion to Riddle, which may have led to Riddle, who had no love for Merope, leaving her and returning tohis village.

Chapter 11:Hermione'sHelping Hand[]

Harry, the newGryffindor QuidditchCaptain, holds trials to select the team for the annualQuidditch Cup. Due to Harry's popularity, it proves to be extremely taxing and difficult, with even first-years,Ravenclaws andHufflepuffs turning up for the trials. In the end, Harry selects a team which includes among others, seventh-yearKatie Bell, the only member remaining from the Quidditch team Harry joined in his first year, Ginny, who returned as a chaser, and Ron, who returned to his position asKeeper, staving off competition from another seventh-year and Slug Club memberCormac McLaggen. Later Harry, Ron and Hermione go visit Hagrid, who is upset at them as they had dropped his subject,Care of Magical Creatures. After lying to Hagrid that they had dropped Care of Magical Creatures as they could not fit it into their timetables, Hagrid reconciles with them. When the trio return to theGreat Hall for dinner, Harry finds out that Hermione had used theConfundus Charm on McLaggen so that Ron would become Keeper, but he does not tell Ron this. Slughorn then invites Harry and Hermione for dinner with the other Slug Club members in his office, which Harry declines as he has to do his detention with Snape.

Chapter 12:Silver andOpals[]

Harry finds a couple of spells scribbled on the Half-Blood Prince's textbook. He tries one of them (Levicorpus) in hisdormitory, but points his wand at Ron by mistake, which results in Ron hanging by his ankle from the ceiling. Later that day, Harry, Ron and Hermione go toHogsmeade, where they witness Katie being cursed after touching a strangenecklace. Remembering seeing the same necklace in Borgin's shop, Harry voices his suspicions of Malfoy toProfessorMcGonagall, but she, like Ron and Hermione, rubbishes his theory, stating thatMalfoy did not go to Hogsmeade as he had a detention with her, and that there is no proof that he bought the necklace.

Chapter 13: TheSecret Riddle[]

In his second lesson with Dumbledore,Harry first seesCaractacus Burke talking about a locket ofSalazar Slytherin's that a pregnant and desperateMerope Gaunt had sold him, Riddle having abandoned her when she stopped bewitching him, then goes into a memory of Dumbledore's to the orphanage that Riddle had grown up in.Harry learns that Merope had later died in childbirth, and that even at an early age, Riddle had developed his powers, which he used to punish people who annoyed him and had a sadistic, cruel and independent nature, just like the adultVoldemort. Dumbledore also reveals to Harry that Voldemort likes to collect trophies.

Chapter 14:Felix Felicis[]

During aHerbology lesson,Ron expresses his jealousy of not being invited to Slughorn's upcomingChristmas party, to the point of teasingHermione about it. When she tells him that she was planning to invite him, however, his attitude changes, and they begin to show signs of attraction to each other. Harry is unsure how he feels about this, remembering his unsuccessful relationship withCho Chang during his fifth year. With Katie unable to play,Harry recruitsDean Thomas onto theQuidditch team, which continues to improve. On their way back from practice however,Harry andRon come across Dean andGinny kissing behind a tapestry.Harry feels a huge surge of jealousy toward Dean, while Ron and Ginny have a heated argument.Ron states that he doesn't want to see his sister "snogging" (kissing) people in public, while Ginny tells him that herlove life is none of his business, and that he's only upset because he's never kissed anyone, referencingHarry and Cho's relationship and revealing thatHermione had once kissedViktor Krum. This piece of information wrecks Ron's relationship withHermione, as well as hisQuidditch skills, and badly alters his personality.Harry meanwhile tries to convince himself that his feelings forGinny are entirely elder brotherly but eventually realises that he has fallen in love with her. To improve Ron's Quidditch and mend his friendship with Hermione, Harry pretends to slip Ron some Felix Felicis on the day of the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Feeling lucky, Ron goes on to save everything the Slytherin chasers throw at him, and Gryffindor hammers Slytherin. However, the plan backfires. After the match, Ron accuses Hermione of not having faith in his Quidditch abilities, because she thought he really had taken Felix Felicis and starts going out with Lavender Brown to spite her, and Hermione in response, uses theOppugno Jinx to have a flock ofconjured birds viciously attack him.

Chapter 15: TheUnbreakable Vow[]

As Slughorn's Christmas party approaches,Hermione warnsHarry that a number of girls, particularlyRomilda Vane, plan to slip him a love potion, to get him to invite them.Harry gets around this by going to the party with Luna, while Hermione goes withCormac McLaggen to get back atRon (which she regrets very much later). During the party,Malfoy is dragged in, in trouble for lurking in a certain deserted corridor and claiming to be gatecrashing; Slughorn lets him off the hook.Snape, however, takesMalfoy out of the party and into a deserted classroom.Harry follows them both and overhearsSnape offering to help Malfoy with his mission, which Malfoy flatly refuses, accusingSnape of trying to interfere and steal his glory.

Chapter 16: AVery FrostyChristmas[]

During theChristmas holidays atThe Burrow,Harry tellsRon, his fatherArthur Weasley andRemus Lupin what he overheard, but they believe thatSnape was trying to find outMalfoy's plan so he could tellDumbledore. Later,Rufus Scrimgeour visitsThe Burrow, and requests thatHarry appear to work alongside theMinistry, to boost the morale of the public.Harry turns it down, knowing that the Ministry is arresting and imprisoning innocent people and remembering how they persecuted him last year.

Chapter 17: ASluggishMemory[]

On their return toHogwarts,Harry noticesGinny is not enthusiastic about meeting Dean, and tellsHermione about what he heard betweenMalfoy andSnape, but she also believesSnape was working onDumbledore's orders. WhenHarry mentionsFenrir Greyback, awerewolf Lupin had told him about during the holidays and the werewolf that bit him, she recallsMalfoy threatening Borgin with him, andHarry states that this provesMalfoy's aDeath Eater. Hermione, however, got past this one, saying that it might have been "an empty threat." In his third lesson withDumbledore,Harry learns that during his time atHogwarts,Voldemort had gathered a mixture of friends who became the forerunners of theDeath Eaters and researched his family. He first investigated his father, and later assumed the nameLord Voldemort upon discovering his father was aMuggle and never attended Hogwarts. Dumbledore and Harry then go intoMorfin Gaunt's memory, where he reveals to his nephew,Voldemort how he was conceived. After hearing this, Voldemort went on to murder hisMuggle ancestors, taking revenge on them for abandoning him, eliminating the last of the "unworthy" Riddle line, stealing Morfin's father's ring and implanted false memories into Morfin, framing him for the murders. In the next memory, Voldemort asks Slughorn aboutHorcruxes, which results in Slughorn yelling that he knows nothing about them. Dumbledore is confident that the memory has been tampered with, however, noting patches of grey fog that came up when Slughorn was shouting, and asks Harry to retrieve the true memory. Realising Harry is on to him after a botched attempt from Harry to get the memory, Slughorn starts avoiding him, and Harry instead chooses to focus on investigating Malfoy, using theMarauder's Map, noticing that Malfoy disappears off it at certain times.

Chapter 18:BirthdaySurprises[]

Harry is still doing the Apparition lessons and has no luck of apparating. HereWilkie Twycross, Ministry of Magic official and Apparition Instructor, tries the sixth year batch to teach Apparition and according to him, one has but to recall 'The Three D's: Destination, Determination and Deliberation'. One must be completelydetermined to reach one'sdestination, and move without haste, but withdeliberation.

March has arrived and on Ron's seventeenth birthday (first of March) he consumes a number ofChocolate Cauldrons containing alove potion (courtesy ofRomilda and intended for Harry). Harry takes him down to Slughorn for an antidote, and the three of them decide to have some of Rosmerta'sMulled Mead, originally meant for Dumbledore. However, Ron drinks it and discovers (too late, of course) that it is poisoned. Thankfully, Harry manages to save him with aBezoar.

Chapter 19:Elf Tails[]

Ron reconciles with Hermione and Ginny. Some time afterwards,Hagrid tells Harry that he overheard Dumbledore and Snape arguing, andCormac McLaggen confronts Harry to ensure he can play in Ron's place in the upcoming Quidditch match. Harry also finds out that Ron has been avoidingLavender. Later, at the Quidditch match, with Luna commentating, McLaggen grabs a beater's bat to show the beater how to hit the bludgers, and accidentally cracks Harry's skull. Finally, in the hospital wing, Harry summons Kreacher and Dobby and orders them to tailMalfoy.

Chapter 20:Lord Voldemort's Request[]

In their fourth lesson, Dumbledore is disappointed that Harry failed to obtain Slughorn's true memory. Harry apologises and promises to try harder, which Dumbledore is happier about. Dumbledore shows him two memories: one of Tom Riddle being shownSalazar Slytherin's Locket andHelga Hufflepuff's Cup by a wealthy woman namedHepzibah Smith, the other of Riddle applying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching post at Hogwarts, which Dumbledore rejects as he felt that it was an attempt by Riddle to further search the school for secrets and recruit followers. Dumbledore explains that Smith was murdered by Riddle and stole the locket and cup. The post for Defence Against the Dark Arts was jinxed by Riddle out of spite; teachers never held the post for more than a year, suffering some terrible fate or humiliation which caused them to leave the position.

Chapter 21: TheUnknowable Room[]

Ron wants to break up with Lavender but doesn't know how. Harry learns from Kreacher and Dobby that Malfoy is regularly visiting the Room of Requirement (which doesn't appear on the Marauder's Map) and spends the next few days trying to get inside. Not knowing what Malfoy is using it for, he has no success. Ron and Hermione come back from the Hogsmeade Apparition test, in which Hermione is successful but not Ron, who will take the exam with Harry again.

Chapter 22: After theBurial[]

Harry again fails to convince Slughorn to share his true memory, and Ron suggests he use the Felix Felicis. Harry takes the Felix Felicis and goes down to Hagrid's hut because Aragog died, and Hagrid wanted Harry to go to the burial. On the way to Hagrid's hut, Harryluckily meets Professor Slughorn on the way and goes with Harry to Hagrid's because he wants to collect Aragog's venom (Acromantula venom is very rare and expensive). Aragog is buried and the adults get drunk, so Harry has a good opportunity to get the memory. As a result of the Felix Felicis, Harry is able to get the memory with ease.

Chapter 23:Horcruxes[]

It turns out that in reality, Slughorn told Riddle everything he wanted to know about Horcruxes. He reluctantly explains that Horcruxes are extremely dark objects which a person conceals a piece of soul in, to achieve immortality. Riddle questions Slughorn if it was possible to have multiple Horcruxes, something that horrifies Slughorn. This explains how Voldemort was able to survive his rebounding killing curse. Dumbledore believed that Voldemort made six Horcruxes: his diary (which Harry destroyed four years earlier), the Gaunt's ring (which Dumbledore destroyed the previous year, greatly injuring his hand in the process), he theorises that the other four are important artefacts to Voldemort; the locket, the cup, an object pertaining toRowena Ravenclaw's and the snakeNagini.

Chapter 24:Sectumsempra[]

Harry learns the next day that Ginny and Dean have split up. He is unwilling to ask her out though, fearing Ron's reaction. Meanwhile, a recovered Katie Bell has returned to the school, and Harry asks who gave her the necklace. She states that someone Imperiused her in the girl's bathroom at Rosmerta's Pub in Hogsmeade. Shortly before the final Quidditch match of the year, Harry finds Malfoy crying over how his mission is failing. When he sees Harry, he attacks him. During the ensuing duel, Harry usesa spell written in The Half Blood Prince's book, which badly injures Malfoy. Snape witnesses the event, heals Malfoy, and gives Harry a large number of detentions that cause him to miss the match. Upon returning to the Gryffindor common room after his first detention, he discovers that the team had won the Quidditch Cup in his absence, and Ginny runs up and hugs him. At this point, Harry finally reveals his feelings for Ginny and kisses her. Both of them are ecstatic and start dating.

Chapter 25: TheSeer Overheard[]

Sometime later, Dumbledore asks Harry to come to his office. On the way, he runs into his oldDivination teacherProfessor Trelawney, who was trying to hide sherry bottles in the Room of Requirement before being thrown out. She tells Harry that she heard a male voice (which Harry suspects to be Malfoy's) whooping before she was ejected and also reveals that Snape had told Voldemort about the prophecy concerning him and Harry, which caused him to murder Harry's parents. Harry expresses outrage that Dumbledore later gave Snape a job at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore states that Snape felt great remorse for what he had done. He then asks Harry to join him in finding a Horcrux, Slytherin's locket, which Harry agrees to. Before leaving, Harry tells Ron and Hermione that Malfoy's almost certainly going to try something tonight and gives them the remainder of theFelix Felicis.

Chapter 26: TheCave[]

Dumbledore and Harry travel to a cave in which Voldemort had tormented two children in his youth. They proceed through the cave, coming to an island in the middle of a lake. On the island, they find a basin ofemerald green potion, with the locket at the bottom. On Dumbledore's orders, Harry reluctantly force-feeds him the potion, which badly weakens him and causes extreme thirst. In an attempt to save him, Harry gives himwater from the lake, awakening dozens ofInferi Voldemort had placed to guard his Horcrux. Harry attempts to fight, but there are too many of them. Just as he is about to be overwhelmed, Dumbledore creates a ring of fire around them, which fends off the Inferi, and allows them to escape with the locket to Hogsmeade, where they discover theDark Mark above the astronomy tower at Hogwarts.

Chapter 27: TheLightning-StruckTower[]

Borrowing broomsticks, the pair fly to the tower. Upon hearing someone approaching them, Dumbledore uses a charm to paralyse Harry and hides him under his Invisibility Cloak, before being disarmed by Malfoy. Malfoy reveals that he had let Death Eaters into the school through a pair of vanishing cabinets, which were the objects Harry had overheard him questioning Borgin about. Malfoy also explains that he was behind the cursed necklace and poisoned mead incidents, which were really assassination attempts on Dumbledore. Dumbledore reveals that he had known Malfoy was attempting to kill him, but allowed him to remain at Hogwarts because he knew that Voldemort would have murdered Malfoy once his cover had been blown. Dumbledore tries to persuade him to change sides, but the other Death Eaters join the scene and urge Malfoy to finish his mission. Then Snape appears, and with Malfoy still reluctant to finish off the unarmed Dumbledore, Snape kills Dumbledore.

Chapter 28:Flight of thePrince[]

Released from the spell after Dumbledore's death, Harry pursues Snape through battle in the halls of the school and out onto the grounds. Near the entrance to Hogwarts, Harry attempts to curse Snape, who repels his attacks with ease and reminds the other Death Eaters they are not to harm the boy. When Harry tries one of the Half-Blood Prince's spells, an enraged Snape reveals that the spell is his own. He is the Half-Blood Prince, having taken the title when he was a student as a pun on his mother's maiden name. (Hermione's research later reveals that Snape's father was a Muggle namedTobias Snape and his mother a pureblood witch namedEileen Prince.)Buckbeak theHippogriff attacks Snape, who leaves Harry behind and escapes with Draco Malfoy. When he returns to Dumbledore's body, Harry finds thatthe locket was a fake: the real horcrux was already stolen bysomeone with the initials R.A.B.

Chapter 29: ThePhoenix Lament[]

After the battle, Ginny accompanies Harry to the hospital wing, where he learns that the only other person who died was a Death Eater. None of Harry's friends are badly hurt, apart fromBill Weasley, the Weasleys' oldest child who was attacked by an untransformed Greyback, although the only side effects are permanent scars across his face and a liking for rare steaks.Fleur expresses her desire to marry Bill despite his potential transformations, and she and Mrs. Weasley reconcile.Tonks reveals her love forLupin, who had refused her because he was a werewolf and felt that she deserved someone young and whole, unlike himself. Professor McGonagall questions Harry about what he and Dumbledore were doing, but Harry, under orders from Dumbledore not to tell anyone except Ron and Hermione, refuses. The teachers then discuss the future of Hogwarts, and plans for Dumbledore's funeral. Harry turns his back on the Half-Blood Prince's book, and regrets ever possessing it, although Hermione and Ron comfort him, stating that while the Prince may have had a mean sense of humour, nothing in the book ever indicated that he was evil, or capable of murder.

Chapter 30: TheWhite Tomb[]

The funeral is attended by many witches and wizards, including a number of minor characters in the series. During the funeral, Harry ends his relationship with Ginny to protect her from Voldemort. She reveals that she had never given up on him; Hermione had advised her to go out with other people so she could relax around Harry, as previously she had trouble talking to him. As a result, he fell in love with her upon seeing who she really was and regrets not asking her out sooner. Harry then meets Scrimgeour, who again makes the offer he'd made to Harry at Christmas, which Harry again turns down. He then tells Ron and Hermione of his intention to leave Hogwarts to destroy the Horcruxes and then Voldemort himself. His two best friends agree to travel with him on his quest, and Harry happily acknowledges that there is "still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione".

List of deaths[]

Controversies[]

In May, 2005, bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high value bets were made on the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where, it was believed, the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened.bbc

In early July, The Real Canadian Superstore, a big-box grocery chain in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fifteen copies ofThe Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher,Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or of discussing the contents. Purchasers were offered a Harry Potter T-shirt and an autographed copy of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.

On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone, Raincoast warnedThe Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the anti-reading injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles questioning the injunction's restriction on fundamental rights.thestarcanada.com Canadian law professorMichael Geist] has posted commentary on his weblog.michaelgeistRichard Stallman has posted on his weblog calling for a boycott until the publisher issues an apology.stallman The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9 am that morning.globeandmail

In the same week, a Chicago Walgreens mistakenly sold a copy of the book. When the purchaser read about the Canadian incident on the Internet she said she would not turn herself in, but that she would not read the novel until the U.S. release date.

Editions[]

English-language British (and Canadian) Children's Edition, published by Bloomsbury (and Raincoast) British Celebratory Edition British Special Edition British Signature Edition British (and Canadian) Adult Edition British 2013 Adult Edition British 2014 Children's Edition American, published by Scholastic American back cover American Deluxe Edition American 15th anniversary edition American 20th anniversary edition Translations (cover based on Scholastic's) Arabic edition Czech,Harry Potter a Princ dvojí krve, published by Albatros Faroese,Harry Potter og Hálvblóðsprinsurin, published by Bókadeild Føroya Lærarafelags Hebrew edition Hungarian,Harry Potter és a félvér herceg, published by Animus Lithuanian,Haris Poteris ir Netikras Princas, published by Alma Litte Brazilian Portuguese,Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe, published by Rocco Serbian,Hari Poter i Polukrvni Princ, published by Evro Giunti Slovenian first translation,Harry Potter in polkrvni princ Slovenian second translation,Harry Potter in princ mešane krvi Translations (alternative covers) Bosnian,Harry Potter i princ poluplave krvi, published by Buybook Bulgarian 20th anniversary edition,Хари Потър и Нечистокръвния принц, published by Egmont Bulgaria Danish,Harry Potter og Halvblodsprinsen, published by Gyldendal Danish 2012 paperback Dutch,Harry Potter en de Halfbloed Prins, published by Standaard and De Harmonie Dutch (the Netherlands) 2010 pocket edition, published by Uitgeverij De Harmonie Finnish,Harry Potter ja Puoliverinen prinssi, published by Tammi French hardback,Harry Potter et le Prince de Sang-Mêlé, published by Éditions Gallimard French 2011 paperback French 2016 edition German,Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz, published by Carlsen Verlag German adult edition (hardback) German 2013 Anniversary Pocket Edition (paperback) German 20th anniversary edition Indonesian,Harry Potter dan Pangeran Berdarah Campuran, published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama Italian,Harry Potter e il Principe mezzosangue, published by Adriano Salani Editore Italian 2021 redesignra Lithuanian 20th anniversary edition Brazilian Portuguese collector's edition Russian 2008 Black Deluxe Edition,Гарри Поттер и Принц-Полукровка, published by Росмэн Slovak 20th anniversary edition,Harry Potter a Polovičný princ, published by IKAR Spanish,Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe, published by Salamandra Spanish 15th anniversary edition Swedish,Harry Potter och Halvblodsprinsen, published by Tiden Thai 20th anniversary edition,แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับเจ้าชายเลือดผสม, published by Nanmeebooks Ukainian,Гаррі Поттер і Напівкровний Принц, published by А-БА-БА-ГА-ЛА-МА-ГА

Hogwarts House Edition[]

Bloomsbury (United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada etc.)

• ISBN 0747581088 Hardcover
• ISBN 074758110X Hardcover (adult edition)

Raincoast (Canada etc.)

• ISBN 155192756X Hardcover
• ISBN 1551927608 Hardcover (adult edition)
• ISBN 0747581525 Hardcover (large print edition)

Scholastic (United States etc.)

• ISBN 0439784549 US Hardcover
• ISBN 0439791324 Deluxe Edition

Before and after the release of the book, the environmental organisationsGreenpeace and theNational Wildlife Federation urged consumers in the United States who planned to buyHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to do so from the book's Canadian publisher,Raincoast Bookscbc, which published on 100% recycled, chlorine-free, ancient forest-free paper. The American edition of the book, published byScholastic Press, was printed with a percentage of recycled paper that Scholastic declined to make public.

Translations[]

Various publishers have announced release dates for local translations of the bookworldrelease:

Behind the scenes[]

• Along withHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, this is one of the books in the series where the cover art for the UK and US editions depicts the same subjects.
• This, along with Chamber of Secrets, was the only book that did not end in King's Cross. (Chamber of Secrets ends in Platform nine and three quarters and the final sentence is going to King's Cross which does not count because no dialogue was shown in King's Cross).
• Before its release, a rumour circulated a chapter was to be entitled, "Lupin's Papers." Rowling responded that this was not the case, "nor will there be chapters entitled 'Pettigrew's Pamphlets,' 'Sirius' Circulars' (which would make no sense anyway, as the character is dead during this book) or 'The Pocket Crosswords of Severus Snape'."^[1]
• Between the release ofHalf-Blood Prince andDeathly Hallows, fans wondered who "R.A.B." could be; many people believed it to beRegulus Black.J. K. Rowling would not explicitly say it was Regulus, but commented that he was a "good guess." Between the releases of the two books, she would drop hints about R.A.B.'s identity; one such hint was that the final book would introduce no new characters: this led many fans to believe it had to be a character introduced in a previous book.
• When Harry is hiding the Half-Blood Prince's book in the Room of Requirement, he opens a cupboard and inside issomething in a cage that had long-since died; its skeleton had five legs; this could possibly be the skeleton of aQuintaped.
• Many readers believed that Dumbledore was not actually dead, and postulated many theories to explain how his death had been faked. A website was even created entitled "Dumbledoreisnotdead.com". J.K. Rowling later stated in an interview that "Dumbledore is definitely dead." This was definitively confirmed inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
• In theSimpsons episode "The Bob Next Door", Sideshow Bob spoils the book's ending by revealing that Snape killed Dumbledore, to which Bart complains he hadn't gotten to that part yet and Sideshow Bob responds "It's a four year old book!".
• Also, in theBig Bang Theory episode "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation", Sheldon reveals Dumbledore's death to Leonard while he reads it, much to his anger (though the book would have been seven years old at the time).
• This is the first book in the series where Harry was right about who the enemy was. InPhilosopher's Stone they thought Snape was after the stone when it was Quirrell; inChamber of Secrets they thought Malfoy opened the Chamber of Secrets, and that Hagrid opened it the first time, when it was really Riddle on both occasions; inPrisoner of Azkaban, everyone thought Sirius was a mass murderer and follower of Voldemort, when it was really Pettigrew; and inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, they thought Karkaroff put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire when it was really Barty Crouch Jnr.
• Snape is revealed to be the Half-Blood Prince. This marks the second time someone at Hogwarts is revealed to be a wizard under a different name. The first was Tom Riddle when he was revealed to be Voldemort in Chamber of Secrets.
• This also marks the second time Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy duel.
• This marks Draco Malfoy's first trip to Diagon Alley, and Knockturn Alley, sinceChamber of Secrets (although it is very likely that he visited each year in between, but did not meet Harry there).
• TheSpanish version, the name isHarry Potter y el Misterio del Príncipe, which means Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Prince. Something similar happens in thesecond book.
• Slughorn called Ron Rupert during Aragog's funeral, ironically, the actor that plays Ron in the films is called Rupert Grint. J.K Rowling may have intentionally done this, as she would obviously be aware that Rupert Grint played Ron Weasley in the film adaptations of the books.
• Cheryl Klein served as the title's continuity editor.
• The first chapter, "The Other Minister," is a re-purpose of an early draft for the first chapter of the first title,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In this draft, Rubeus Hagrid visited Cornelius Fudge, who was the Prime Minister of muggles, to inform him of Voldemort being responsible for a number of disappearances and to ask him to alert the public of certain facts. Fudge fears that Vernon Dursley, his political opponent, will try to take his position, only to learn that Dursley is already aware of the existence of wizards. The chapter ends with Hagrid informing Dursley of Voldemort's disappearance, due to Voldemort's attempt to kill Harry. This draft can be read inHarry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic.
• Although Lord Voldemort (as well as the previous Tom Riddle) appear in numerous memories, he never appears in person. This makes it one of only two books, after the Prisoner of Azkaban, where he does not make an appearance. However, he is still the primary antagonist, unlike the Prisoner of Azkaban where he is almost completely irrelevant to the plot.

Mistakes[]

Main article:Mistakes in the Harry Potter books#Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Film adaptation[]

Main article:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

The book was also adapted into a film, the sixthHarry Potter film of the series. The filmHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released on15 July2009. It was directed byDavid Yates and the trio was portrayed byDaniel Radcliffe,Rupert Grint andEmma Watson.

See also[]

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (soundtrack)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (character index)
• 1996–1997 school year
• Sixth year

Notes and references[]

1. ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-071805potter_lat,0,4363703.story?coll=la-home-headlines
2. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20050714043333/http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/07/12/Arts/potterrecycle050712.html
3. ^ http://www.veritaserum.com/books/book6/releasedates.shtml
4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4578463.stm
5. ^ http://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.html?id=9badf853-c1c3-4786-bf4f-75a5071e5c07
6. ^ http://michaelgeist.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=889
7. ^ http://stallman.org/harry-potter.html http://stallman.org/harry-potter.html http://stallman.org/harry-potter.html
8. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20050716.POTTERNOTE16/TPStory.
9. ^[HP2]Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets byJ. K. Rowling (1998), UKISBN 0747538492/USISBN 0439064864
10. ^[HP6]Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince byJ. K. Rowling (2005), UKISBN 0747581088/USISBN 0439784549

External links[]

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince onWikipedia
• Chapter-by-chapter analysis
• Rowling's responses to various rumours
• Veritaserum's "HBP" section: information and theories
• Greenpeace's Save Muggle Forests Campaign
• National Wildlife Federation's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince campaign website
• Press release on PRNewsWire
• National Public Radio discusses Braille publication
• New York Times review
• Spoiler about character death