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Suggest pagesMuggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Half-Blood Prince/Chapter 24
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Chapter 24 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Sectumsempra
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[edit] Synopsis
In Charms class the next day, Harry shares with Ron and Hermione what he and Dumbledore learned from Slughorn's memories. Ron, in return, mentions that as Lavender was unable to see Harry, she thought Ron and Hermione were upstairs alone, and they have broken up. Hermione comments that Ginny and Dean have also split. Harry tries hard to conceal his elation at this last bit of news, but Hermione senses he is hiding something.
Ginny and Dean's silence with one another creates a problem for the Quidditch team; Harry worries whether they can Chase together if they are at daggers drawn. Luckily, Katie Bell returns from the hospital and can resume playing. Unfortunately, she cannot recall who gave her the necklace.
Quidditch practice, now that McLaggen is gone and Katie is back, is wonderful. Ginny becomes the life of the team, cracking jokes and doing marvellous imitations. Harry is glad to have a reason to look at her, glad to have the chance to walk alongside her, but he is still seriously worried about what could happen to his friendship with Ron if he started dating her. Harry remembers Ron's expression when he caught Ginny and Dean together; what would he think of Ginny and himself? Meanwhile, there is much interest in the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw; the outcome of the Quidditch championship is still in doubt. Though Gryffindor would have to win by three hundred points to get the championship, that is still possible; if they lose by as much as a hundred points, they will still be in second place.
Harry, making his usual pass by the Room of Requirement, sees on the Marauder's Map that Draco is in a bathroom one floor below with Moaning Myrtle. Harry investigates and finds Draco sobbing: whatever he is planning, he is frightened that he is unable do it and fears for his parents' lives (and his own) if he fails. Malfoy spots Harry and casts a Cruciatus curse; Harry, defending himself, uses the Sectumsempra spell from the Half-Blood Prince's book, not knowing its effects. The spell slashes Draco, spilling his blood everywhere. Moaning Myrtle flies off, screaming; Professor Snape responds swiftly and saves Draco's life, rushing him to the Hospital Wing.
Returning, Snape demands to know whence Harry learned the spell, and despite Harry's attempts at occlumency, Snape apparently gleans some information that Harry's potions book is the source. Snape demands to see his textbooks. Harry runs to the Common room and borrows Ron's books including the Potions textbook, and, asking the Room of Requirement for a place to hide something, enters and finds himself in a vast warehouse filled with broken and discarded objects. Passing the broken Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had run into trouble the previous year, Harry hides his annotated version in a large cupboard, placing an old stone bust, a wig, and a battered tiara on top to locate it again.
Snape seems unconvinced that these textbooks, especially the Potions book, are actually Harry's, particularly since the Potions book is signed "Roonil Wazlib". Having used Dark Magic to cause serious harm (albeit unknowingly), Snape gives Harry detention (and with McGonagall's concurrence) every Saturday for the rest of the year. Hermione, of course, says she always knew that the Prince was involved in Dark magic; Harry says that it proves nothing of the sort, the Prince may have just copied the spell down. Hermione is upset that Harry intends to go back and retrieve the Prince's book, but Ginny tells her to leave Harry alone.
Ginny replaces Harry as Seeker, and Dean Thomas replaces her as Chaser. That Saturday, as ordered, Harry reports to Snape's office for detention and is assigned copying over old detention files for Filch. Snape suggests Harry start with the boxes detailing his father's misbehaviour. When Harry returns to the Common room, he learns that Gryffindor won the match 450 to 140, and thus the Quidditch Cup. Ginny runs towards him; without thinking, he catches her in his arms and kisses her. When the kiss is over, he looks around: Dean Thomas is holding a broken glass, Romilda Vane looks angry, Hermione approving. Ron appears stunned, but gives a small nod, as if bowing to the inevitable. Harry suggests, wordlessly, to Ginny that they should go for a long walk.
[edit] Analysis
This is the first time Draco is seen attempting an unforgivable curse, though his familiarity with it suggests he has been practicing privately. Although Harry was justifiably defending himself against Malfoy, who was about to cast the Cruciatus Curse against him, using an unknown spell was dangerous and reckless. However, despite this grievous action that could have permanently expelled him from Hogwarts, Snape only assigns Harry detention. It is also the first time Draco is seen as anything but a swaggering, obnoxious bully, and his uncontrollable sobbing shows he possesses a more humanistic side. Draco is obviously terrified for his and his family's safety should he fail in his task, indicating he is under extreme emotional duress. Harry catching him in such a vulnerable state prompted his severe reaction, which, in turn, caused Harry to react just as rashly.
Ginny defending Harry when Hermione is chastising him for wanting to retrieve the Half-Blood Prince's book serves several purposes. First, Ginny reminds Hermione that Draco was about to cast an unforgivable curse, and shows that there is a definite possibility that Harry was acting on impulse, not rational thought. Second, this is the first time that someone other than Ron or Harry has defended the Half-Blood Prince, though in this instance, it is more to justify Harry's actions; Hermione's long-standing animosity toward the Prince seems to be based on jealousy, rather than on her concern that the Prince might be a Dark wizard. In particular, Hermione sees Harry's use of the text as not his own work, but instead as using the Prince's work and claiming it as his own. For Hermione, it seems that this is an issue that is about more than the Prince's spells possibly having Dark aspects, though she does use the Dark nature of the Sectumsempra spell as justification for her excoriation of the Prince. And finally, this helps set up the scene where Harry and Ginny kiss. By seeing that Ginny is willing to stand up for him, Harry now knows that Ginny is not angry with him, and this gives Harry hope that she may still have feelings for him.
While Ginny and Harry's relationship has been gradually building almost from the the series' beginning, this is the first time it has been declared openly. It took so long because they were often at cross purposes. At first, Harry simply had no romantic interest in Ginny, having first set his sights on Cho Chang and considering Ginny only as Ron's little sister. It is only later that Harry realized that he and Cho were incompatible and that he not only had feelings for Ginny, but that they were suited to each other in nearly every way. She, however, appeared to have moved on and became involved with someone else, although she never actually lost interest in Harry; she simply gave up. Harry need not have worried about what Ron thought, however. In fact, when Ginny announced that she had broken up with Michael Corner at the end of the previous book, Ron subtly hinted to Harry that he was a better choice than Michael, even if Harry was oblivious about what he meant at the time.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- What task has Draco Malfoy been asked to perform?
- Why does Malfoy fear for his and his family's lives should he fail to complete his task?
[edit] Extra Study
- Why would Harry cast a spell without knowing what it does? Was he justified in using it? Explain.
- Why does Snape only assign Harry detention for such a serious offense, rather than recommend he be expelled?
[edit] Greater Picture
Harry and Ginny's relationship, which begins publicly here, will be thrown into turmoil nearer the end of this book. Harry knows Voldemort will attack anyone close to Harry, causing him to end his and Ginny's relationship in order to protect her.
While inside the Room of Requirement, Harry unknowingly touches another Horcrux and puts it on top of the dresser that he hides his Potions book in. This is something that he will need to remember in the next book.
This will not be the last time Snape gives a light sentence for a student's serious offense. In Deathly Hallows, when Ginny, Neville, and Luna attempt to steal Gryffindor's Sword from the Headmaster's office, Snape, the then-Headmaster, catches them, but he only assigns them detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid.
