Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[karen2205]

Cutting for major spoilers

I read it for the first time on Sunday afternoon/early evening. I think it took me about three and a half hours in total.

It was good. But the characters have had so long to grow in my mind that it feels wrong in places. Hermione is now 17 - she should be mature enough to not be making that very visible fuss over Harry's success at potions. The relationships between the teenagers don't feel right for them being 16-17 - they feel like they're much younger children/much less intelligent than their other actions show.

I'd guessed Snape was the Half Blood Prince very early on in the book - who else is so good at potions? But why would he allow a book containing such valuable information to fall into Harry's hands? Snape is not careless. He is methodical and thorough so I think that was entirely deliberate. I also tend to think that Snape is loyal to the Order - but he (a) had to kill Dumbledore because of the Oath and (b) has to conceal his loyalty from Harry because of Harry's lack of skill at Occlumency. Yet why give Harry a book containing dark magic that he uses? Dumbledore says that Harry is so special because despite everything he's not been attracted to the dark magic, but Harry *has* used/attempted to use Unforgivable Curses - ie. Crucio on Bellatix during book five.

Harry's lessons with Dumbledore were frustrating - Harry wanting to know why Dumbledore's hand was blackened and Dumbledore refusing to tell him.

I'm surprised at the lack of discussion of their lessons - I was expecting more about how horrible Snape was at teaching Defence (incidentally why allow Snape that job now?).

Why isn't Ginny a Prefect?

Why didn't Harry confide in McGonogall? Would Hermione really miss her last year at school (and thus top grade NEWTs) to help Harry?

I suspect book seven will open with Harry staying with the Dursleys until the day before his 17th birthday when he'll leave to go to the Burrow for the wedding(s). He'll take his Apparation test as soon as he can because Apparation might be useful to him even though he prefers a broomstick.

Comments

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

Ginny's too young isn't she?

As for Snape's book - he probably just forgot it was sitting in that cupboard. He might not be careless but it's an easy thing to do with a book many years old and if you've had to change classroom very recently and unexpectedly.

[crschmidt.livejournal.com]

Or he might have done it on purpose: if Harry hadn't gotten his hands on that book, Ron would be dead. That certainly would have put a crimp in the trio.

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

That requires unbelievable foresight and a number of lucky coincidences.

[karen2205]

Though it does provide Harry/Ron with a similar situation to that faced by James/Sirius.

James saved Snape's live and Snape could never forgive him, now Snape has saved Ron's life - will Ron/Harry ever be able to forgive him?

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

Harry's quick thinking saved Ron's life. Snape can't have that much credit for it.

[crschmidt.livejournal.com]

Incredible Foresight: Not so much as you'd expect, I think. Snape certainly couldn't have guessed the exact method of what would happen, but assuming he *is* a good guy (which I strongly believe), he could have known that the book could be helpful in any number of ways, whether it was teaching him the spells (like the slashy S one) or simply improving his potions skill, which Snape knows from experience is none too great.

Number of lucky coincidences: since when would that be odd in an HP book? :p

Re:

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

It could have been helpful but it depends on Slughorn giving him the right textbook. Far easier for Snape to provide it in some more reliable way.

The fact is there are many easier and more reliable ways for Snape to achieve this goal than hoping Harry will chance upon this textbook.

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

No, she's a year below the others.

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

See answer below.

[karen2205]

No, Ginny's a year younger than Harry, Ron & Herminone (ie. the same age Ron & Hermione were when they became prefects).

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to the start of the book, not the end.

[eiramanit.livejournal.com]

Nope, Ginny is in 5th year during this book. So, presumably two prefects were chosen in her class. We don't know who, just that Ginny doesn't seem to be one of them.

[cultureofdoubt.livejournal.com]

Ah, I must have forgotten which book Hermione and Ron were made prefects.

[angelsk.livejournal.com]

There was no mention of new prefects.

[karen2205]

But there was mention of Ron & Hermione having to go and sit in the prefects' carriage on the Hogwarts Express while Ginny went off with Dean Thomas.

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore allowing Snape to teach defence is one of the major reasons I think his death and Snape's leaving was planned/forecast. After all, he explicitly acknowledged during the book that Voldemort had cursed the defence position so that nobody ever lasted more than a year.

[karen2205]

Yep and his careful mentoring of Harry also suggests that he knows he's not going to be around when Harry and Voldemort finally meet.