Chapter 24 - Sectumsempra
Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the horcruxes during charms. Ron is so astounded that he makes it snow which leads to the first time JKR uses a non-aggressive adverb in describing Hermione talking to Ron. SCORE! Of course, Lavender can tell that Hermione is talking "patiently" instead of snapping, berating, or otherwise belittling Ron and she
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Snape returns and uses Legilemency (however you spell it) to see that Harry has the Half-Blood Prince's book.
I really got tired of every man and his dog being able to invade Harry's mind with impunity in this book. The lad had no privacy at all. Or am I exaggerating things? Snape does it multiple times (including making a total dunce of Harry in their final duel), Dumbledore I think (he's probably been doing it all along over the entire series, eyes twinkling madly as he discerns every one of Harry's lies), etcetera.
It is really lucky for Harry that Voldemort decided not to keep up those mental attacks.
Snape finds the wrong potions book
The book, the book, the bloody book. In the end, did it really matter who the hell "the Prince" was? I suspect it's a case of my not seeing the forest for the trees, but the whole "so who is the Half Prince anyway?" thread left me completely unexcited the whole time. So Harry learnt a couple of curses and got good potions marks ... was that about it? Or is there something in HBP that I totally missed? He'd learnt about bezoars from another source, hadn't he? Did he do something after this chapter with THE BOOK which was critical to the plot? And who cares that Snape was the one who scribbled in its margins? I guess I'll have to stay tuned to find out.
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Yes, you caught me. It's hard to get excited about such a poorly written book.
In the end, did it really matter who the hell "the Prince" was?
Word. Who is the Half-Blood Prince is a non-sequiter. The answer doesn't matter and really has no impact on the plot of the book. Is Harry's skill in Potions integral to the plot? No. Does Harry using Sectumsempra on Draco affect the plot? No. Does the Half-Blood Prince's book have any sort of impact on the plot of the book at all? No. The Half-Blood Prince is integral to one scene in the book when Snape kills Dumbledore. Using that requirement to name the other books, you'd come up with titles such as: Harry Potter and The Man with the Stinky Purple Turban. Or Harry Potter and the Big Slimy Snake of Doom. Or how about Harry Potter and the Werewolf who Loved Me. The title of this book relates very little to the actual plot, unlike Sorcercer's Stone (the central object) Chamber of Secrets (the central object), Prisoner of Azkaban (the central object), the Goblet of Fire (a representation of the Tri-wizard Tournament, the central object). Order of the Phoenix is a rather lame, unimportant title also, however it is more relevant when you consider that the DA, the Hogwarts version of the OotP was a central object of the book.
I guess Harry Potter and the Avalance of Backstory just didn't have the ring that the marketers were looking for.
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That's what I thought, too. But then over analyzing spiders and webs made me realize that Snape is entirely responsible for Harry's situation because he told Voldemort what he heard. And then there's the irony that Harry treasures Snape in writing.
I love your titles and sense of humor.
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I agree. This is one of the reasons I question the morality of characters like Dumbledore and Snape. They allow themselves to attack a person to get what they want. It seem most in the ww just don't care at all about human rights.
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