Dear Class,
Recently I finished reading a great and well known book by the name of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. This book is great because J.K Rowling has the ability to portray many different characters with different personalities so well. I chose to write about this book because it was one of the books that I couldn’t stop reading until the very end. In this book you come to think of the characters as real people. For example, when Dumbledore died it was sad for me when I read it because when reading this book you tend to think of the characters as people who actually exist.
This novel is about a young boy by the name of Harry Potter who is in his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry as returned to Hogwarts from his aunt and uncles house, where he spent the summer trying deal with the tragic death of his godfather, Sirius Black, and deal with the fact that he is the chosen and the only one who can destroy Lord Voldemort. He has returned to Hogwarts to help the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, destroy the powerful dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. Harry meets some interesting situations such as he finds a mysterious old potions book previously owned by the “Half Blood Prince.” He also has to look at memories to find out who Lord Voldemort, then known as Tom Riddle, was so he can destroy him. There was one particular memory that Harry had to get from Professor Slughorn, the Potions master. Harry had drank the lucky potion, Felix Felicis, to get it from him. The following is an excerpt from that part.
“Sorry,” said Slughorn in a hiccup. “Can’t carry a tune to save my life.”
“Hagrid wasn’t talking about your singing,” said Harry quietly. “He was talking about my mum and dad dying.”
“Oh,” said Slughorn, repressing a large belch. “Oh dear. Yes, that was - was terrible indeed. Terrible…terrible…”
He looked quite at a loss for what to say, and resorted to refilling their mugs.
“I don’t - don’t suppose you remember it, Harry?“ he asked awkwardly.
“No - well, I was only one when they died,” said Harry, his eyes on the flame of the candle flickering in Hagrid’s heavy snores. “But I’ve found out pretty much what happened since. My dad died first. Did you know that?”
“I -I didn’t,” said Slughorn in a hushed voice.
“Yeah… Voldemort murdered him and then stepped over his body toward my mum,” said Harry.
Slughorn gave a great shudder, but he did not seem able to tear his horrified gaze away from Harry’s face.
“He told her to get out of the way,” said Harry remorselessly. “He told me she needn’t have died. He only wanted me. She could have run.”
“Oh dear,” breathed Slughorn. “She could have… she needn’t… That’s awful….”
“It is, isn’t it?” said Harry, in a voice barely more than a whisper. “But she didn’t move. Dad was already dead, but she didn’t want me to go too. She tried to plead with Voldemort… but he just laughed….”
“That’s enough!” said Slughorn suddenly, raising a shaking hand. “Really, my dear boy, enough… I’m an old man… I don’t need to hear… I don’t want to hear…”
“I forgot,” lied Harry, Felix Felicis leaning on him now. “You liked her, didn’t you?”
“Liked her?” said Slughorn, his eyes brimming with tears once more. “I don’t imagine anyone who met her who wouldn’t have liked her… Very brave… Very funny… It was the most horrible thing…”
“But you won’t help her son,” said Harry. “She gave me her life, but you won’t give me a memory.”
Hagrid’s rumbling snores filled the cabin. Harry looked steadily into Slughorn’s tear-filled eyes. The Potions master seemed unable to look away.
“Don’t say that,” He whispered. “It isn’t a question… If it were to help you, of course… But no purpose can be served…”
“It can,” said Harry clearly. “Dumbledore needs information. I need information.”
He knew he was safe: Felix was telling him that Slughorn would remember nothing of this in the morning. Looking Slughorn straight in the eye, Harry leaned forward a little.
“I am the Chosen One. I have to kill him. I need that memory.”
Slughorn turned paler than ever; his shiny forehead gleamed with sweat.
“You are the Chosen One?”
“Of course I am,” said Harry calmly.
“But then… my dear boy… you’re asking a great deal… you’re asking me, in fact, to aid you in your attempt to destroy -”
“You don’t want to get rid of the wizard who killed Lily Evans?”
“Harry, Harry of course I do, but -”
“You’re scared he’ll find out you helped me?”
Slughorn said nothing; he looked terrified.
“Be brave like my mother, Professor….”
Slughorn raised a pudgy hand and pressed his shaking fingers to his mouth; he looked for a moment like an enormously overgrown baby.
“I am not proud…” he whispered through his fingers. “I am ashamed of what - of what my memory shows…. I think I may have done a great damage that day….”
“You’d cancel out anything you did by giving me the memory,” said Harry. “It would be a very brave and noble thing to do.”
I chose this passage because it really describes Professor Slughorn and even Harry. It shows that Slughorn would go to great lengths to prevent himself from embarrassment and shame. And it shows that Harry is very determined to get what he wants, when he wants it. I also chose this passage because I think it kind sums up the book. I think it means that you have to be brave and you can’t be afraid of embarrassment or shame. I like how J.K Rowling put that.
I think that theme of this book is the importance of friendship and the power of self-sacrifice. Throughout the book and throughout the whole series Harry has gotten himself into things that he couldn’t have done alone. But he was almost always able to rely on his friends to help him. He could always trust Ron and Hermione, especially in this book, to listen to him and he could always confide in them. And as much as Harry wants to live a normal life, he understands that he must destroy Lord Voldemort and he is the only one that can do it. He shows strong self sacrifice in that. He is also willing to do whatever it takes to protect his friends from harm. For example, when he left to go get the horcrux with Dumbledore he left the rest of the vial of Felix Felicis with them so that they could use it if it became necessary and it did. This shows that Harry would do whatever it takes to make sure his friends were safe which is strong self-sacrifice.
I read this book fairly quickly. I think this is because it was a good book and I liked reading it. If it had been a book that did not interest me I probably would have taken more time to finish it because I probably would have been putting off reading it. I think I also read it pretty fast because I was really interested in what would happen next. After every chapter I had to read the next one because I was so intrigued as to what would happen next.
After each of the Harry Potter books I had to read the next one. The reason for this is that when you read Harry Potter books it’s hard to just stop. Your engrossed in the story and you have to read what happens next. I’m finally reading the last one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and I’m really excited to see how it will end. I’m also kind of sad to know that there will be no other books. But I wouldn’t want to extend the ending either. Everything has to end at some point. I would definitely recommend the Harry Potter series to anybody who needs something to read. I guaranteed you will find yourself feeling that it is essential that you finish the series.
Sincerely,
Abby Smith
Abby Smith
