Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince-SPOILERS!!!!

[billd91]

I just finished Half-Blood Prince and then read this thread.
I think people may be onto something about Snape still working against Voldemort. But I don't think it's too certain. Snape stops a death eater from hurting Harry further by saying that it's Voldemort's orders. Even a Voldemort loyalist might accept that, given the brutality of the certain punishment. So you kill Harry Potter? You WILL live to regret it (for a while).
The best evidence for Snape not being a Voldemort loyalist is his involvement with Draco's task and how much Dumbledore knew about it.

Malfoy being unable to go through with the killing doesn't surprise me. From the movie commentaries about the screenplays, we know that Rowling has revealed future elements of the story to the actors and screenwriters. The cut scenes in Chamber of Secrets show Draco being significantly bullied by his old man. From that point, I started to figure that Draco might be a weak link in the Malfoy chain of evil. Bullied and a bully in turn, but perhaps not as evil as he wants to portray himself.

I thought the pacing of HBP was very different from others in the series, but found it a welcome change. Even though chaos is in the background, the events of the main characters' lives are comparatively normal. Harry's teen angst and anger is replaced by a generally wiser and less head-strong temperament because he learns the lessons of adolescence in a very hard way. His teenage certainty and outrage is shattered when the cost of his mistake is the death of Sirius. Notice that he doesn't easily make the exact same mistakes, though he remains headstrong and stubborn to some degree.

I do not think that Harry is the 7th horcrux. Dumbledore dismisses it and besides, how would he have done it with the spell rebounding on him like that? That would get Nagini off the hook with respect to being horcrux and I don't think that's what's going on.

 

[Numion]

About Harry being the 6th Horcrux (remember, Albus corrects harry that there are only 6 Horcruxes even though the soul is in 7 pieces - one part of the soul is always in the body or as a spirit): that would make sense on Voldies part. Thats a direct way of negating the prophecy. If Harry lives, so does Voldie. Voldie dying so that Harry could live wouldnt be possible. Thats against the prophecy.

This presents a dilemma though - why would Voldie work against the prophecy, if he believes it can be negated, and thus patently not true? Why not just forget about it?

After reading this thread I think though that Snape is still an undercover for the OotP

 

[Desdichado]

"I am good-looking enough for the both of us I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!"

This is a stand up and cheer kinda line.

Really? I didn't think much of it--in fact, I actively disliked that line. Made me roll my eyes.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

On a somewhat on topic note, killing in the HP universe tears your soul apart, in the D&D universe it strengthens it.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I think its very hard to say that Snape is working for the Order of the Phoenix - I don't think anyone in the Order will accept him - but he is still working against Voldemort. He'll end up helping Harry in some way.

If Hogwart's does open next year (and the book WILL almost certainly be partially set there, I'd think), who would be the next Headmaster? I can see a subplot of Harry trying to get into Dumbledore's office to see Dumbldore's portrait, but not being allowed to.

And I think it is more accurately said that murder tears your soul apart, not simply killing.

 

[Hijinks]

Neville, despite himself, grows into being a real bad motha (shut yo' mouth) (just, talkin' 'bout Neville).

Neville is probably my favorite character in all of the books.

I think that, in part, he reflects what Harry could be - for example, sometimes he says 'Why do these things always happen to me?!?" and the others comfort him. Harry, for various reasons, doesn't always have the option of whining, and if he does, he certainly doesn't get comforted. No one has time for Harry to feel sorry for himself. Also, others stick up for Neville (and, to some degree, he lets them by continuing to be weaker than he could be), whereas Harry doesn't always get people to stand up for him when he's being weak - usually, he's told he HAS to be stronger or people will die. Neville never hears that.

Neville's also found something he's really good at - Herbology - and he's getting set to be a nice, normal boy with decent wizarding powers, a niche in the wizarding world, and eventually a nice, normal life - nothing like what Harry has or will have. Neville is like the alternate Harry - what Harry's life would have been like if Voldemort had decided that Neville was the threat to him, not Harry.

I want Neville to kick some arse and take down some names.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

I want Neville to kick some arse and take down some names.

Same here. And it's certainly hinted at in "Order of the Phoenix" that he has the potential to do so.

So, here's to Neville giving a good kick in the junk--or worse!--to Bellatrix Lastrange in book 7!

 

[TanisFrey]

My brother made a good point. Why did Harry push Ginny away at the end of the book? Dumbledore said repeatly that Love is the power Harry has that Voldemort can't know. She is still a target being the sister of Harry's Best friend, why bother pushing her away?

Did anyone else cringe when the red harring of Harry takeing out Luna happened??

As for Snape he was still being a teacher to Harry during the chase. He still has not made up his mind whom he works for, the Death Eaters or the Order of the Phoenix. I think that Harry will not go out of his way to kill Snape. But he would not mind if Snape got in the way.

 

[jasper]

Horcruxes*
the book
the ring
hufflepuff icon
ravenclaw icon
???
harry

 

[Demmero]

My brother made a good point. Why did Harry push Ginny away at the end of the book? Dumbledore said repeatly that Love is the power Harry has that Voldemort can't know. She is still a target being the sister of Harry's Best friend, why bother pushing her away?

Very interesting point. I wonder if James did something similar to Lily just before they died.