Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

For general information on this book, please see the Wikipedia article Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

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Chapters edit

Beginner warning: Details follow which you may not wish to read at your current level.
Chapter 1: The Other Minister
Chapter 2: Spinner's End
Chapter 3: Will and Won't
Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn
Chapter 5: An Excess of Phlegm
Chapter 6: Draco's Detour
Chapter 7: The Slug Club
Chapter 8: Snape Victorious
Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince
Chapter 10: The House of Gaunt
Chapter 11: Hermione's Helping Hand
Chapter 12: Silver and Opals
Chapter 13: The Secret Riddle
Chapter 14: Felix Felicis
Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow
Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas
Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory
Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises
Chapter 19: Elf Tails
Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort's Request
Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room
Chapter 22: After the Burial
Chapter 23: Horcruxes
Chapter 24: Sectumsempra
Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard
Chapter 26: The Cave
Chapter 27: The Lightning-Struck Tower
Chapter 28: Flight of the Prince
Chapter 29: The Phoenix Lament
Chapter 30: The White Tomb

Overview edit

We join Harry Potter as he enters his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This volume is written from the point-of-view of the now 16-year-old Harry, as he takes advanced courses to prepare for the NEWT-level exams required for his chosen career. A darker book than the preceding volumes, it reveals more about Lord Voldemort's history and his impact on the Muggle world. Voldemort has emerged into the open, and his presence is beginning to have an effect on the day-to-day life of the Wizarding world.

While the series progressively covers seven years in Harry Potter's life, each of the first five volumes is largely self-contained. This book is written more as the first half of a two-part novel, and, as such, the ending feels rather incomplete.

Note: While this book is one of the longer ones in the series, at 607 pages (Bloomsbury / Raincoast edition), it is also set in significantly larger type. If it were the same size type as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it would be 414 pages (approximately) to 223 for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Book Highlights edit