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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by the British author J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth novel in the Harry Potter series, and takes place during Harry Potter's sixth year at the wizard school Hogwarts.
- J. K Rowling
- 2005
- Overview
- Dedication
- Plot
- Controversies
- Editions
- Translations
- Behind the scenes
"I really like how the sixth book is going. A lot happens in the sixth book and a lot of questions are answered. I really have a sense that we are nearly there and it is time for answers, not more questions and clues, although obviously there are a few clues as I am not quite finished yet."
— J. K. Rowling
is the sixth novel in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort is definitely back, and with a vengeance. Harry finds his world is yet again changing: wizards and witches and Muggles alike are dying, despite the efforts of the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix. Despite the danger, Harry and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, return to the familiar life of Hogwarts for their sixth year. They find yet another Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher: Professor Snape. They begin their N.E.W.T. classes in preparation for life after Hogwarts, and Harry gets some much needed Potions help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. Quidditch is as popular as ever, Harry is nominated as Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.
As well, this book sees the re-introduction of the Slug Club, along with the appointment of a new Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn. Romance again comes to Hogwarts, and is a welcome balance to the grim happenings elsewhere. Harry deeply questions his own feelings for Ginny 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 accepts 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.
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:
Chapter 1: The Other Minister
"The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister." — Rufus Scrimgeour, to the Muggle Prime Minister. The Muggle Prime Minister receives a notice that Cornelius 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 from Azkaban, the Quidditch World Cup, the Triwizard 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 the Brockdale Bridge, a supposed hurricane in the West Country, the deaths of Amelia Bones and Emmeline Vance and the insanity of Junior Minister Herbert Chorley which have all been caused by Lord Voldemort, his followers the Death Eaters and their Giant allies. In short, the Second Wizarding War has begun. Fudge also reveals that he has been sacked and replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour as Minister for Magic. Scrimgeour too meets the Prime Minister and discusses security arrangements with him. He also reveals that Fudge will be a laison between them.
Chapter 2: Spinner's End
"Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?" — Snape, to Bellatrix Lestrange. Narcissa Malfoy and her sister Bellatrix Lestrange visit Severus Snape at Spinner's End, a poverty-stricken neighbourhood in a northern mill town. Narcissa wants Snape to help her protect her son Draco, who has been made a Death Eater and has been assigned a mission by Lord Voldemort himself. Bellatrix advises against this, distrusting Snape for not taking part in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry 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.
Chapter 3: Will and Won't
""It is a long time since my last visit... I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing." — Dumbledore, to the Dursleys. Albus Dumbledore comes to visit Harry Potter at 4 Privet Drive to take him to The Burrow, where he would spend the rest of his summer holidays. Dumbledore reads Sirius Black's will: Harry inherits his deceased godfather's wealth, the Black family house at 12 Grimmauld Place, which Harry lets the Order of the Phoenix continue to use as headquarters, and the House-elf Kreacher, whom Harry sends to work at the Hogwarts kitchens. Dumbledore then chastises the 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.
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 of The 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 warned The 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 professor Michael 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.
English-languageTranslations (cover based on Scholastic's)Translations (alternative covers)Hogwarts House EditionBloomsbury (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 EditionVarious publishers have announced release dates for local translations of the book worldrelease:
•Along with Harry 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' or 'The Pocket Crosswords of Severus Snape'."
•Between the release of Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows, fans wondered who "R.A.B." could be; many people believed it to be Regulus 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 is something in a cage that had long-since died; its skeleton had five legs; this could possibly be the skeleton of a Quintaped.
•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 in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
J. K. Rowling. Joanne Rowling (/ ˈroʊlɪŋ / ⓘ ROH-ling; [ 1 ] born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of Harry Potter, a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007.
- The Other Minister. In which the Muggle Prime Minister recounts his encounters with Cornelius Fudge, Fudge visits him again with Scrimgeour, and we learn that Scrimgeour is the new Minister of Magic.
- Spinner’s End. In which Narcissa goes to visit Snape in secret against Voldemort’s orders, and Bellatrix tries to stop her but joins her at Snape’s house anyway.
- Will and Won’t. In which the Daily Prophet tells us about the wizarding public’s perception of Harry and the steps the Ministry has taken to provide safety in the war, and Dumbledore returns to Privet Drive.
- Horace Slughorn. In which Harry and Dumbledore apparate to Budleigh Blabberton – discussing Voldemort, Inferi, and Dumbledore’s injured hand along the way – and meet Slughorn, shortly after he has faked his own demise.
Jul 16, 2005 · Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series. Set during protagonist Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores the past of Harry's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, and Harry's preparations for the final battle against ...
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Sep 28, 2024 · As a half-blood wizard and, through his mother, half a Prince, Snape chose to call himself the Half-Blood Prince, writing it in his potions book for Harry to later find.
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Harry is convinced that Malfoy bears the Dark Mark: could there be a Death Eater amongst them? He will need powerful magic and true friends as, with the help of Dumbledore, he investigates Voldemort’s darkest secrets. Publishers: UK Print – Bloomsbury US Print – Scholastic Ebook – Pottermore Digital Audiobook – Pottermore
