Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth novel in J.K. Rowling‘s seven-part Harry Potter series. It was published in 2005.
Summary Of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Voldemort has regained his power, and his fury is felt in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Severus Snape meets with Narcissa Malfoy, who is long considered an enemy of Voldemort and a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore’s anti-Voldemort coalition. Narcissa is Draco’s mother and the wife of Lucius (an imprisoned Death Eater). Snape makes an unbreakable vow to Narcissa, promising to protect Draco.
Dumbledore goes to 4 Privet Drive to take Harry from his aunt and uncle. On the way to the Burrow, Harry Potter and Dumbledore stop to convince Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts to teach. Harry reunites with his best friends, Ron and Hermione. While shopping for school books, Harry encounters Draco and follows him to Borgin and Burkes, where he overhears Draco threatening Borgin and asking him to repair an unknown object. Harry immediately suspects Draco, thinking of him as a Death Eater like his father. The students return to school, and Dumbledore announces that Snape will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, which surprises Harry.
Harry Potter acquires a used Potions book that once belonged to someone called the “Half-Blood Prince.” The book is filled with spells and corrections written in the margins, and Harry uses the Prince’s notes to excel in Potions class. Dumbledore holds regular meetings with Harry, during which they use Dumbledore’s Pensieve to view memories of people who had direct contact with Voldemort. Dumbledore believes that Harry gaining enough knowledge about Voldemort’s past will help him when they finally face each other, as foretold by the prophecy concerning Harry.
Harry learns about Voldemort’s family, including his grandfather Marvolo, his uncle Morfin, and his mother Merope. Merope cast a love spell on a Muggle, who abandoned her when the spell wore off. Voldemort was left in an orphanage and became a hostile and aggressive child. Harry also learns that Voldemort split his soul into seven Horcruxes. Two of these, Tom Riddle’s diary and Marvolo’s ring, have already been destroyed. One is inside Voldemort, one inside a snake, one is Merope’s locket, and the other two are hidden in objects belonging to Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor.
Ron begins dating Lavender, making Hermione quite jealous. Harry feels caught in the middle of his friends’ quarrel. Eventually, Harry falls in love with Ginny, Ron and Lavender break up, which pleases Hermione. Harry also serves as Quidditch team captain, spending much of his time fulfilling his captain duties and tracking Draco Malfoy. Harry uses the Marauder’s Map to follow Draco but often cannot find him on the map. Harry realizes Draco uses the Room of Requirement when he is not on the map.
The Room of Requirement is on the seventh floor of Hogwarts and changes according to the user’s needs. Without knowing exactly what Draco is doing, Harry cannot enter the room.
Finally, Harry and Dumbledore leave Hogwarts together to retrieve and destroy Merope’s locket, bringing Voldemort one step closer to mortality. They must overcome many traps and challenges before reaching the basin where the locket is hidden beneath a toxic potion. Dumbledore drinks the potion, and Harry fights off Voldemort’s Inferi. They take the locket and return to Hogwarts as quickly as possible. Dumbledore is greatly weakened, and as they arrive in Hogsmeade, they see the Dark Mark above the Astronomy Tower.
Harry Potter and Dumbledore rush to the tower. Upon arrival, Dumbledore uses a spell to freeze Harry in place, and Harry, under his Invisibility Cloak, is hidden. Draco Malfoy bursts into the room and threatens Dumbledore’s life. Weak and disarmed, Dumbledore tries to stall Draco, telling him he is not a killer and that the Order of the Phoenix can protect his mother and himself from Voldemort. Draco lowers his wand as Snape is pushed into the tower. Harry, unable to move or speak, hears the battle between the Order of the Phoenix members and Death Eaters below.
Snape raises his wand and kills Dumbledore, sending him flying off the tower. When Dumbledore dies, the spell on Harry is broken, and Harry chases Snape, determined to avenge his friend and headmaster’s death. Snape escapes, and Harry is devastated. He realizes the locket they retrieved is not a Horcrux and finds a note inside from someone named “R.A.B.” Harry tells his friends that he will not return to Hogwarts next year and will instead seek out and destroy all the Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort. Ron and Hermione promise to join him.