Resumo de Harry Potter And The Half-blood Prince

Harry is now in his sixth book and his sixth year at Hogwarts. Both the series and his secondary education will be coming to an end soon. Voldemort is loose; the Death Eaters have rallied to him and people are dying everywhere. It?s even spilling out into the Muggle world.

But life must go on. It?s time for school to start again. Of course Hogwarts is one of the safest places to be, what with all its protections and counter-spells. Nonetheless many parents are afraid to send their children back to school. Then there?s that pesky class that goes through instructors like Brad Pitt through women: Defence Against the Dark Arts. This time, however, Dumbledore has the perfect instructor picked out.

So Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and the rest head back to Hogwarts - minus those who have graduated, or who died. Harry and company are trying for their A-levels, I?m sorry, their N.E.W.T.s. As usual, Harry is not the best student. He just cannot concentrate on class. Then he lucks into a used copy of a textbook in which the previous owner has made modifications - improvements - to the information covered in the book. There are also scribbled curses and spells that Harry has never seen before, and they are very effective.

The previous owner, who identifies himself only as ?the half-blood prince? is obviously very adept at magick. He is an unknowing help to Harry in a difficult subject. But is he too much help? And are his spells more dangerous than youthful pranks? Well, you all know which side Hermione is on and which one Harry is on. And you know which one is right. Right?

A More Mature Harry

The Harry in this new book is a lot more mature than he was in the previous. At 16 he is almost an adult (at least in the wizarding world as well as in the UK).

An aside
There?s a curious little across-the-pond sociology note. America has become a country of lost boys and girls who refuse to grow up. (I should know, I?m one of them.) Adolescence seems to reach past college and does not leave us until well over thirty. Adulthood is eschewed. In the U.K. people frequently leave school at 16 and go to work - or at least go on the dole. After they take their O-levels at 16 only the would-be Hermiones stay on for their A-levels. And college - that?s for eggheads.
Sure, there?s a lot for American teens to identify with; but in some ways Harry is now a lot more adult. He has, after all, seen more than his share of danger, destruction, and death. But he is also more confident in his dealings with adults and his fellow students. Only teenage girls shatter his self-confidence; or should I say, one 15-year-old girl in particular.

The Magic of Love

That is the real subject of this book: the Magic of Love. Dumbledore talks about it. We know it was how Lily Potter saved Harry. And we see it in bloom amongst the fifth- and sixth-year students at Hogwarts. Let?s just say that there is a lot of full-frontal snogging going on. All the ?shippers should be satisfied - except you Harry/Draco ?shippers. I don?t think that is in the cards. As happens often in fiction and in the real world - love blossoms in times of adversity.

The Real World

War has broken out in the Harry Potter universe. Hogwarts has become a fortress. Trips to Hogsmead are carefully controlled. Even with all that curses arestill striking down students, townspeople, and Muggles.

The comparisons to the post-9/11 world are facile - but not too wrong-headed. And they do fit the over-all theme of the series. As the main characters age, their world-view broadens. Classes and Quidditch, although important, are no longer the most important things in their lives. Even the Muggle world has become important. We learn in this book (in chapter one, so this is not too much of a spoiler) about the relationship between the Minister of Magic and the actual British Prime Minister.

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