HP book 6: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[Stormfalcon]

Yeah, it's a pretty common complaint that Harry was a jerk in the fifth book. I've read some of John Granger's comments on the book, and looking back, I can see the points he made about Harry going through a lot of changes through the course of it (Harry being eclipsed in certain respects by Ron and Hermione, Harry learning of the bad aspects of his father and starting to step out of James's shadow, Harry being stripped of some of the things that made him stand out and beginning to stand on his own, realizing his looming destiny, etc.) It was a dark time for his soul indeed, and it left him a changed young man by the end. The book was a hard read, to be sure, but it was a very pivotal year for him in terms of his development.

It'll be interesting to see how the remaining two volumes unfold and to see how much of what Harry learned through his experiences in OotP actually hold.

 

[jester47]

I liked the fact that at many points he would have gotten information that would have saved the day for him if only he took the time to listen. Most of the plot seems to revolve around the fact that he is not paying enough attention or listening.

A

 

[Storm Raven]

I liked the fact that at many points he would have gotten information that would have saved the day for him if only he took the time to listen. Most of the plot seems to revolve around the fact that he is not paying enough attention or listening.

Damn Harry Potter for acting like a 15 year old!

 

[Enchantress]

Damn Harry Potter for acting like a 15 year old!

Yeah, heaven forbid that the characters should actually be human.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

I liked the fact that at many points he would have gotten information that would have saved the day for him if only he took the time to listen. Most of the plot seems to revolve around the fact that he is not paying enough attention or listening.

A

I got the feeling what happened to

Spoiler

Sirius

at the end of OotP was meant to be something of a cautionary tale for Harry.

Spoiler

Sirius

was something of a impatient "loose cannon" who also loved to play at being the hero.

 

[jester47]

Needless to say I do think it was a better story b/c he did not listen or give a damn when he should have. I kept finding myself thinking "have a little trust you little 15 year old $#!+ and everyone will get through this okay!"

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Hey! What about

Spoiler

the slavic Quiddich playing guy that Hermionie is pen-pals with?

Anyone know anything about him?

Spoiler

Viktor Krum - I have no idea if he's the prince referred to in the title.

Anyone else remember any details that can fuel this speculation?

 

[FireLance]

Spoiler

Viktor Krum - I have no idea if he's the prince referred to in the title.

Anyone else remember any details that can fuel this speculation?

Possible. I seem to recall that in Goblet of Fire

Spoiler

he invited Hermione to visit him in his castle over the summer

. I don't have the book with me, so I can't confirm that, though. It might also tie up another loose end:

Spoiler

What happened to Karkaroff?

 

[orbitalfreak]

Spoiler

What happened to Karkaroff?

IIRC, his whereabouts are unknown to the Hogwarts Gang. I think he ran away some time during GoF to avoid being caught or something.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I'd initially thought it was Hagrid, but these other names being thrown around are all very plausible.

Here's my question - is anyone important going to die in this book, and if so, who do we think it's going to be?