Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Half-Blood Prince/Chapter 9
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Chapter 9 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Half-Blood Prince
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[edit] Synopsis
The next morning before breakfast, Harry tells Hermione what he overheard on the train. Ron repeats that Draco was probably just showing off to Pansy, but Hermione thinks that is an awfully big lie just to impress a girl. Hermione confiscates a Fanged Frisbee from a passing fourth-year. Ron takes it, saying he has always wanted one. Lavender Brown, passing by, giggles loudly and appreciatively at Ron's comment.
Professor McGonagall hands out schedules, a complicated process for sixth year students because OWL results determine which classes students qualify for. Hermione gets her courses straight away, but Neville's Acceptable OWL grade is too low for Transfiguration, but his Charms grade is high enough for that course. McGonagall informs Parvati Patil that Firenze and Professor Trelawney are splitting Divination classes, and that Professor Trelawney is teaching sixth year. Harry's lost hope to become an Auror is revived when he learns that Professor Slughorn accepts a lower OWL grade than Professor Snape for NEWT-level Potions classes. Both Harry and Ron sign up, although Harry worries that Hagrid will be upset that they are not taking Care of Magical Creatures. Professor McGonagall also hands Harry a list with new Quidditch recruits to conduct trials with.
In the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Snape reviews the many forms the Dark Arts can take, using gruesome examples. He demonstrates how to cast nonverbal spells (performing magic without using a spoken incantation), and chooses Harry to play a victim of a nonverbal spell; Harry instinctively reacts by blasting a spoken Shield Charm at Snape, and (after giving him cheek) earns a detention. Harry is momentarily reprieved by Jack Sloper, who inquires about Quidditch tryouts, and a message from Professor Dumbledore regarding their private lesson, which is scheduled at the same time as the detention. Harry, eager to read Dumbledore's message, leaves Sloper in mid-sentence.
Harry finds Potions far more enjoyable without Snape. Hermione, as usual, excels and earns Gryffindor thirty points for correctly guessing three cauldrons' content, Veritaserum, Polyjuice potion, and a Love potion, and for accurately identifying the effects of Felix Felicis. Slughorn is impressed by her abilities, even though she is Muggle-born. Another Muggle-born student, Lily Evans (Harry's mother), was another favorite, although he is inclined to favor purebloods. That he is the former Head of Slytherin House further supports this tendency.
As the name suggests, Felix Felicis is liquid luck. One tablespoon at breakfast will provide a perfect day. It is dangerous if made improperly and is banned in competitions, examinations, and elections. Excessive consumption can cause giddiness, recklessness, and even death. For the first lesson, whoever brews the best Draught of Living Death will win a tiny flask of Felix Felicis from Slughorn, enough luck for twelve hours.
Harry brews his potion using a second-hand textbook, Advanced Potion Making, that Slughorn loaned him. Handwritten into the book's margins are many new spells and jinxes, as well as revisions to standard potions. Harry finds the revisions more effective than the original instructions. With it, Harry brews the best Living Death draught in the class, winning the Good Luck potion.
When Harry later admits to Ron and Hermione that he was using the mysterious book's instructions, Hermione becomes furious by his ill-gotten success. Ginny, overhearing this, asks if Harry is using instructions from a book. Remembering Ginny's nearly-fatal experience with Tom Riddle's diary, Hermione tests the textbook with her wand for any hidden magical properties, but is unable to detect any. Harry notices writing on the back cover: This book belongs to the Half-Blood Prince. Whoever the "Prince" may be, Harry is grateful to this talented unknown student.
[edit] Analysis
Harry is a naturally intelligent and talented wizard, but academically he is a rather lazy student, usually getting by on average or just-above average grades and often relying on Hermione's help. Potions, in particular, has always proved tedious and difficult for him, partially due to his strained relationship with Professor Snape. It is only when a particular subject, like Defence Against the Dark Arts, interests Harry that he works hard and excels at it. For the first time, he is challenged to learn about Potions after discovering a talented former student's innovative methods to brewing standard potions more efficiently. Harry is a non-traditional learner, and while Snape has ineffectively taught him Potions, the Half-Blood Prince, in a brief time period, has inspired him to learn more than he has over the past five years, even though it is with unorthodox, short-cut methods. Harry may also be feeling somewhat pressured to live up to his mother's reputation in Slughorn's Potions class. And though Hermione is outraged that Harry ignores official potion-making instructions, an action she feels is equivalent to cheating, the Prince's book has given Harry an alternative learning avenue that has aroused his academic curiosity and will serve him later in the story. Hermione's negative reaction may also be tinged by jealousy and resentment. She has always earned the top grades in her classes (except Defense Against the Dark Arts), and she revels in the accompanying accolades; now, Harry is outshining her in Potions, something she may have difficulty accepting, especially considering that she feels Harry has done so with illicit methods compared to her diligent studying.
As a side note, even though Hermione correctly identifies the three cauldrons' contents in Slughorn's class, winning her high praise and House points, it is hardly surprising that she recognizes the Polyjuice Potion, having brewed it herself during her second year (in Chamber of Secrets). Unfortunately, for Hermione at least, the results were less than successful when she accidently added cat hair rather than human to her portion, landing her in the infirmary for weeks.
This chapter drops another hint that Harry has growing feelings for Ginny. In the first Potions class, when Harry sniffs the love potion, he detects "treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle, and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow". And later, when the Trio meet Ginny, Harry, "caught a sudden waft of that flowery smell he had picked up in Slughorn's dungeon". Hermione mentions that a love potion contains the scent of what it is that attracts a person to someone, and it is different for each individual; she runs off the scents she detected, but stops short before mentioning the third, possibly afraid that it would identify someone she cares about. By this stage in the series, we should certainly know Harry's feelings about broomsticks and treacle tart, and it is hardly surprising that Hermione characteristically identifies one odor as fresh parchment. Harry's noticing Ginny's scent in the potion, even though he does not yet recognize it, shows his attraction to her while being oblivious to that fact.
[edit] Questions
- If the Half-Blood Prince was possessive enough to put his name on his book, why was it left in the Potions classroom?
- Why does Hermione accuse Harry of cheating at Potions? Are her accusations valid? Explain.
- Does it ever occur to Harry that the suspicious textbook might contain Dark Magic? Why or why not?
- Why does Harry react as he does during the demonstration in Snape's class? Why did Snape choose Harry for the demonstration?
- Why are Hermione and Ron so dismissive about Draco's boasts that he is on a mission for Voldemort? Why is Harry so convinced that Draco's claims are true?
- When Harry sniffs the Love Potion, he detects treacle tart, a broomstick handle, and a flowery scent. Who or what might these three items refer to?
[edit] Greater Picture
It is interesting to learn that Harry's mother was so talented at Potions. Particularly given that Snape was in her class, one would expect that Snape would have used Lily as a counter-example to Harry's apparent ineptness. One can almost hear Snape sneering, "Unable to brew a simple Strengthening Solution? Your mother could have done that with one hand tied behind her back. Clearly this apple has fallen far from the tree..." And yet, Snape never once mentioned Lily. There is a reason why not, of course, but it is not revealed until the final book in the series.
