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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Discussion *Spoiler Alert*

Well, finished it today and a little disappointed really. The biggest shock was Snape killing DD, as i already knew DD died. But the way they did it was a bit pathetic. Im glad Harry and Ginny got together, but why oh why did Harry have to do the 'we cant be together because itl make you in danger' thing! If he's thinking like that he should disown all his pals too.

Also Harry cant not go back to school next year. It wouldnt be much of a book if its all Harry and not so much Hermione and Ron, if they are at school.

I think i need to read it again. I read it too fast to take it all in :)
 
He problably should disown all his pals. I don't think it will matter because I don't believe he'll set out on his own.
 
i agree with the "need to read this book again" i think i read it too fast for my own good. Actually i dont know if this is just want i want or really what i think happened (lol) i suppose i want to think that DD wanted snape to go ahead and kill him. i mean snape has already done that unbreakable vow and if he did break it he would die. DD knows that he is weakening and really would not be much of an asset to harry in the time to come. PLUS why was DD looking for snape so badly in the end? i really think that snape had to kill DD at his request. well its either that or DD wanted to believe that snape reformed so much that it caused him to be aggravated at harry pestering him with questions regarding snape's loyalty. i know that snape is not much of a fav character with many people but i really like him. he's good to keep in the books and you never know what side he is really on. i hope he's on the good one at any rate...
 
Yeah, I think that it was too suss that Snape was shouting out at the end to use non-verbal spells in order to hurt him, because surely Snape would not want his enemy to know how to hurt him? This was,as someone else said, a way of showing him what he must do to defeat Voldemort. Also I remember reading a part when he /screamed/ "Potter, No!" or something like that when he was running away , and it seemed to me when I read it that it was almost like a plea, like "Don't hurt me - I'm on your side!" just because of the way that he /screamed/ rather than taunted or something more sinister.
 
Robert said:
Oh, I don't know. I think Umbridge is foulest by far.
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Speaking of Umbridge. Didn't the Centaurs kill her in Goblet of Fire? I'm sure it even mentions that near the start of Half Blood Prince. Then we find out she is still working for the Ministry. Just another plot hole methinks!
 
Puddleglum said:
Speaking of Umbridge. Didn't the Centaurs kill her in Goblet of Fire? I'm sure it even mentions that near the start of Half Blood Prince. Then we find out she is still working for the Ministry. Just another plot hole methinks!
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No, she was in the hospital wing at the end of Phoenix and quite alive. In fact Ron made her jump by making horse noises.

As for the locket and Regulus Black...

In Order of the Phoenix it says that while cleaning out the house they found "a heavy locket that none of them could open."

And the note from R.A.B. doesn't say that the locket was destroyed, instead "I ... intend to destroy it as soon as I can."

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't think Snape is evil. I was having a really hard time with that!
 
Now you mention it I remember Ron making horse noises.

I don't think Snape is evil either. I would agree that the reason he killed Dumbledore is because of the Unbreakable Vow. I still think that he won't be able to convince Harry of that though in the next book no matter what he does to try and gain Harry's trust. Snape and Harry have disliked each other right from Harry's first potion's lesson.
 
Snape

I was dissapointed in Snape's role. I always figured him to be strict, stern, but inherently a good guy. I hope this is cleared up in the next book. It's hard for me to see teachers as villians. Enjoyed the comments by Ice. This is my first visit to this site.
 
Banjo said:
I was dissapointed in Snape's role. I always figured him to be strict, stern, but inherently a good guy. I hope this is cleared up in the next book. It's hard for me to see teachers as villians. Enjoyed the comments by Ice. This is my first visit to this site.
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Welcome to the site!
 
Another thing about Snape that I've been trying to work out goes back to OotP when Umbridge had Harry in her office and demanded Snape provide the truth potion (don't remember its name..something with a V). Harry realized that Snape could help and shouted out to him that Voldemort had Sirius at the Ministry. If Snape were indeed evil and on the black hat side, would he have notified the other members of the order to go to Sirius' rescue? I think that has to prove his allegiance to DD and the Order.

Also, going back to the locket being the one at the Black house, I'm wondering if it was the same locket they found while cleaning the house, and was it in the bag of items Mundungus tried to steal from the house?
 
Since The Prime Minister was waiting for The President in the first chapter it reminded me of Blair&Bush. Seriously not my fault! Plus Scrimgeour putting Shunpike and a few other innocent people in jail, for raising everyone’s morale, made me think about the US and their politics (especially after 9/11). Again, really not my fault, my thoughts starts drifting elsewhere. ;)

I didn’t like this book as much as I liked “Order of the Phoenix” and “Prizoner of Azkaban”.
Especially Dumbledore’s death! What a huge disappointment. I felt nothing when he died, I just thought “Oh well, he was old anyway.” (No Dumbledore-fan, myself by the way). She rushed it! Plus since we knew someone would die, I was thinking it would be Dumbledore, so that wasn’t any surprise-surprise! It was more like “Oh, yeah? Well, Finally!”
Plus I agree with Ice, Harry seems to forget things quite rapidly. What happen with his “issues” with Dumbledore?

I still don’t believe Snape is “evil”, and on “the other side”. I kind of feel for him and Malfoy. I’m actually starting to like Snape. Almost as much as Sirius (which means more than Harry & the gang). I like his role. And as some others pointed out, I’d have liked to see more of him, than just the “Half-Blood Prince”.

I did like Ron’s character-development though, not that it was any huge deal. Still wondering when some changes occur in Hermione. She and Harry went back to becoming dull and a little annoying, and just like always. Blah! That can become boring you know. I liked the angry Harry far better!

Plus what was up with the crap about Ginny and Harry? Especially when it’s ok by her that they split up in the end? Please! That was dumb! Isn’t he scared Hermione or Ron’s funeral is the next he’ll be attending? Since that’s the reason he has to stay away from Ginny, but can stay with them? If Rowling was gonna end it like that, they would have been far better separate, since it obviously didn’t matter much to Ginny if they stayed together!!

Another thing... didn’t people learn anything from their previous mistakes, when Harry told everyone Voldemort was back, and no one believed him? I was quite surprised they still didn’t believe any of the things he suspected. (I know Dumbledore knew about Malfoy, speaking of which, why couldn’t he tell Harry he knew what Draco was up to?)

In regard to Sirius... seemed like he was forgotten very easily. No one (including Harry) wanted to talk about him! I know, I know, it was too hard for Harry (& Tonks) to think about it and all, but really!!! It’s like we’ve really finished him up in book 5. I’m really hoping Harry is as sadder (or much more) in the next book, so that I won’t need to read more about Dumbledore!!!

That’s all for now. :)
 
Wow, that was really cool! :) Think it's my joint second favourite with the 4th one (after the 3rd one).

As for my random thoughts (in the usual style of all my posts), I agree there are several plot holes, but feel some of that detail needs to be sacrificed to make it such a page turner, otherwise it would end up like the last one (which was ok but a bit wafferly).

I was talking about this in the pub last night (at which point I hadn't finished it) and my friends were saying they were dissapointed by the end, they didn't like what she had done, meaning Snape, but although i didn't see it coming either I thought it was a good twist, it adds to the layers of the book (and makes you wonder whether that is it or whether that will twist again in the final book. I think it adds an element of mystery and uncertainty.

Dumbledore's death didn't come as much of a surprise, it fits in with what most children's books try to do - have children saving the world. In the end it has to be just little harry and his little friends going it alone. Major Star Wars/ LOTR overtones I feel.

Someone's probably said this somewhere else but the 'fake' Horcrux? Do we really think so? Or could this be another one of Voldemort's tricks?

Also, I've been wondering about the portraits as well. Think Ice said it originally. How come some can pass on messages and act independantly and others just snooze or wave. Are they conscious beings or just copies? I feel that hasn't really been properly explained yet.

Hopefully all these loose ends will be tied up in the last one. Ooh scary thought - what will we all be doing in 2007/8/9???

Anyone know when the next film's coming out?
 
blue_smartie said:
Also, I've been wondering about the portraits as well. Think Ice said it originally. How come some can pass on messages and act independantly and others just snooze or wave. Are they conscious beings or just copies? I feel that hasn't really been properly explained yet.
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I was just thinking about this as I read your post. I always got the impression that the portraits of the former headmasters could definitely communicate a great deal, at least with the current headmaster. There was a passage in Phoenix I think when Harry is standing outside the office door and hears a lot of voices in conversation, but when he goes in it is only Dumbledore and all the portraits suddenly pretend to be asleep. It will certainly be interesting to see how JKR uses this in book 7.
 
blue_smartie said:
Also, I've been wondering about the portraits as well. Think Ice said it originally. How come some can pass on messages and act independantly and others just snooze or wave. Are they conscious beings or just copies? I feel that hasn't really been properly explained yet.
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I believe any of the people in the portraits can come and go as they please. The only difference I've noticed is that those portraits that are being used to for passing message have an emply portrait to go so they can go back and forth.
 
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