Mark Reads ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’: Chapter 9

In the ninth chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Snape continues to act suspiciously, Potions is actually enjoyable, and then everything changes. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Harry Potter.

CHAPTER 9: THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

Man, it’s like the one thing I complained about in the past chapter is only amplified here.

First off, I wanted to comment on the convenience provided by Slughorn taking over Potions: Now Harry and Ron are able to continue on with their N.E.W.T.s in the subject and Harry has a chance at becoming an Auror. (Prediction: Harry will become an Auror.) Despite it being a tad convenient, I do like the balance it provides, since they’re still forced to see Snape anyway.

Let’s just move on to Snape. I’m actually intrigued to see how he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts beyond this chapter. His first lesson actually answers a burning question I’d forgot to ask out loud: How on earth did all those wizards and witches fight in the Department of Mysteries without uttering a single word? I mean, when I read the scene, it seemed awesome. When I saw it on film, it looked even better than I imagined in my head.

And I am excited for these students to develop their skills so I don’t have to literally read every spell before they cast it, you know?

But on to Snape, who is making it so obvious he’s an evil piece of shit that it’s stressing me out. Of course, he picks on Harry in class and of course he chooses him to silently curse in front of all the students, provoking Harry on purpose.

Just…I’m over it. It’s so frustrating to read that it’s approaching the absurd. Surely Dumbledore knows Snape is doing this, year after year, right? Why does this still happen? I don’t get it.

Hopefully we’ll find out soon, because Harry gets his first letter from Dumbledore about PRIVATE LESSONS!!!! excite excite EXCITE.

Now, Slughorn proves to be a pretty interesting teacher himself and pretty much the exact opposite in terms of every Slytherin we’ve met to date. Not only is he a much more sympathetic person, but he is also very practical and hands-on with the way he approaches his subject.

But the way he deals with Hermione is the most fascinating to me:

• “May I ask your name, my dear?” said Slughorn, ignoring Hermione’s embarrassment.

  “Hermione Granger, sir.”

  “Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?”

  “No, I don’t think so, sir. I’m Muggle-born, you see.”

  Harry saw Malfoy lean close to Nott and whisper something; both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay; on the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to Harry, who was sitting next to her.

  “Oho! ‘One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she’s the best in our year!‘ I’m assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Harry.

  “Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger,” said Slughorn genially.

I know some of you brought it up in the comments of an earlier review about how I didn’t really talk about Slughorn and his prejudice against Muggle-born wizards and witches. I wasn’t sure what he intended to say by his dismissal of Harry’s anger at him and it seems a bit clearer here.

He’s not off the hook, by the way. Just because Hermione IS a fantastic Muggle-born witch only really means that Slughorn is still attracted to the successful. I’m not sure how he’d feel about someone else not as successful as her, but Muggle-born, and I think we’ll see more from Slughorn on this in the future.

Unsurprisingly, Harry does better in Potions when Snape isn’t humiliating him in front of the whole class, but a strange used textbook gives him a bizarre stroke of luck. (Which is also ironic, given the prize Harry wins.) The textbook, with handwritten corrections and instructions, allows him to produce a near-perfect Draught of Living Death. (This potion isn’t explained; what does it do? If it’s not spoilery, feel free to tell me.)

Later, Ginny makes a great point: Did Harry just trust random advice written a book that was oh-so-conveniently handed to him? Isn’t that…kind of stupid, given the past? When Hermione casts a Specialis Revelio charm on the book, nothing happens.

However, when Harry accidentally drops it, he notices something scrawled in the bottom corner:

• This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince.

BAM. END OF CHAPTER.

GODDAMN THIS BOOK. Oh god, I am being 100% honest when I say this: never have I so desperately wished to stop doing chapter-by-chapter reviews and just READ THIS ENTIRE BOOK IN ONE SITTING.

Drat.