Reliving The Magic: The Half Blood Prince

“Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.”
Hermione Granger
The Half Blood Prince

Before we begin, allow me to apologise for the severe delay on this post. What with starting a new job, my reading speed has gone up (thanks to an hour long bus journey each way to and from work) but my time for writing has dropped immensely. In fact, any and all writing time I've had recently has gone into either writing articles for His Vintage Life (available now at W. H. Smiths) or into planning my campy 50's style sci-fi parody "The Man With The Cosmic Quiff: The Adventures of Captain Dirk Hero" (stay tuned for more on that!). So yes, Reliving The Magic has fallen somewhat by the wayside, though, without further delay, here are some of my thoughts on 'The Half Blood Prince'.

To begin with, dear reader, I must be honest with you. While I'd read the first four books in their entirety and had vague memories of making a valiant attempt at book number five, I never even attempted number six. A shameful admission, I know, but by this time I had more important things to worry about, such as how best to create a perfect quiff and how to get girls to notice me. So yes, this book was entirely new to me, which, in all honesty, made it even more exciting.

Obviously, I was familiar with the story thanks to the films, but, as I've said before, it's Rowling's details which make the books so deliriously believable. Once again, she's built upon her previously established Wizarding lore and made her world richer and more colourful with each deft keystroke. Indeed, her use of well-known and well-loved characters is masterful and the addition of new spells, back-stories, myths, legends and monsters makes the whole thing a joy to behold.

Dumbledore and Harry at the pensieve.

Indeed, within this book, some of my favourite Potter moments appear. From Harry's one-on-one extra-curricular lessons with Dumbledore (try getting that past Ofsted!) to the hauntingly tangible horcrux adventure, to the final instalments of the story wherein we find our beloved headmaster entombed in white marble, Rowling creates a narrative which sees our favourite students go from teenagers to adults in the space of a few chapters.

It is, in fact, Harry, Ron and Hermione's determination to carry on the work started by Dumbledore which makes this particular reader finally feel like the trio are maturing and growing into the successful adults they were, undoubtedly, destined to be. What's interesting to note here, is that for the first time in Potter history, I feel like our protagonists have a plan; that when they finally face down Lord Voldemort that they will do so deliberately, confidently; with the wealth of experience and knowledge of magical power befitting a much older generation than they themselves are.

Indeed, Harry seems spurred on, determined, to become the great wizard that Dumbledore believes him to have always been. He is, as the prophecy states, the chosen one, and Harry seems unwilling to let that title mean nothing.

The Dark Mark appears above Hogwarts.

This is particularly poignant since Voldemort essentially created his own worst enemy. His own determination to become the ultimate master of the dark arts leads him to cause the young Harry Potter to have protection against even the darkest spells Voldemort has at his finger tips.

It's the inclusion of this detail, I believe, that cements Potter's inclusion amongst the greatest literary works of all time, indeed, this twist seems almost Shakespearean in nature, execution, and sheer hubris inducing loveliness.

Of course, I'm also furious with Rowling for killing off my absolute favourite character in the saga, but unfortunately, it needed to be done. Harry, Ron and Hermione needed this gut-wrenching shock to inspire them to become something great. This, of course, is something Dumbledore seems to have understood.

The moment that broke my heart. Dumbledore's death.

In fact, it is this sage, Jedi-like ability which causes one to draw comparisons between the Harry/Dumbledore relationship and the similarly wondrous Luke/Obi-Wan relationship of the Star Wars universe.

Yes indeed, Rowling seems to have gone strength to strength with her masterpiece thus far. She succeeds in maturing her characters as time progresses and you can see her writing style ageing with her audience which, I'm sure you'll understand, is no mean feat.

Until next time.

Concept artwork for Dumbledore's Funeral by Adam Brockbank.