Dow Jones’s Reviews > Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince > Status Update

Elf Tails was very funny. Lord Voldemort’s Request had great lore memories to visit & they told much of his afterschool activities. Loved it. So many memorable scenes. They figure out where Draco’s been & the Polyjuice covers. Herm & Harry have Apparated & Ron finally barely does. Kreacher has many funny lines. Snape’s retorts in class to H&R were actually funny for once. Is he using occlumency for comebacks?

Harry can’t brew an antidote but uses Prince’s bezoar tip. Slug horn denies knowledge of Horcruxes. They begin Apparition lessons & Susan Bones splinches. Ron’s birthday leads to eating Romilda Vane’s love potion cauldron cakes, getting antidote from Sluggy, & then poisoned from mead & saved by Harry’s bezoar. Rough b-day. Love Ernie’s pirouette into the hoop & Dean laughing.

I love Morfin’s memory of meeting Tom Riddle. This was a major scene that should’ve been in the films. Was the Riddle family his first murders? Then framing Morfin w/ wand and memory charms. Such an important scene. Stealing the ring. Slughorn’s altered memory is Harry’s first hw and I find it interesting that there are more Death Eaters in the room w/ Tom. One of my fave chapters.

Albus meeting Voldy for the first time was great, but poor Merope. Romilda Vane & co trying to slip Harry love potions was funny. Ron & Lavender are insufferable & Hermione was right to shoot canaries. Her Cormac invitation was perfect revenge. The girl who dropped the scales part happens on 7th floor corridor, Draco’s alarm. Christmas @ Burrow has funny dialogue & Harry tells Scrimgeour off well.

Their first Hogsmeade trip was a downer w/o Zonko’s. Slughorn’s denied attendance again as Harry’s next lesson w/ D is scheduled. Harry was pissed seeing Mundungus w/ Black goods for sale but he disapparated. Who confunded Katie into carrying the necklace since Malfoy was in detention w/ McGonagall? Hagrid carried her to safety and H&R are annoyed that Harry’s so insistent on Malfoy’s involvement.

Hermione’s confunding of McLaggen so Ron could get on the team was devious. I love the playfulness of tryouts and how people were there for Harry’s reputation. They finally visit Hagrid and make amends. I love he was in a flower apron and Fang drools all over Harry’s knee. Pretty lonely without Sirius’s letters. Slughorn tries to get Harry out of Snape’s detention for a dinner party to no avail.

Yessss “The House of Gaunt” is one of, if not, my favorite chapters in the whole series. Merope & Morfin w/ crazy eyes and Marvolo’s violent aggression. Trailer trash wizard “royalty”. Starts the deep lore into Voldy’s background.

Tonks finds Harry on the train & escorts him back to school where Snape’s happy to receive & torment him. Hermione fixes the blood & Harry tells Ron what happened. Hagrid makes small talk & says he’s looking forward to their first lesson tomorrow but no one is continuing his subject. Slughorn is intro’d & everyone gossips about Snape finally teaching DADA.

The gang goes shopping in a deserted Diagon Alley. I love Wizarding Wheezes and their creative goods. The meeting at Madam Malkin’s was intense & Narcissa was calm while Harry dissed Lucius. I forgot if Draco was branded. The necklace & vanishing cabinet. The train ride is fun and Harry defends Luna & Neville against Romilda Vane. Slughorn’s meeting and Zabini’s gold digger mom. Harry’s poor face.

Harry’s greeted by Mrs. Wesley and has a good chuckle at Arthur’s asking the identity question on her pet name, Mollywobbles. I think everyone wants to visit the Burrow, what a great family life! I think they’re too harsh on Fleur. Forgot the telescope punches Hermione w/ a black eye. Their OWLs went great but Harry thinks he can’t become an Auror anymore. Love this chapter, Phlegm!