Reread: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
This summer, I’ve decided to finally reread the Harry Potter series. I’ve reread most of the books a few times, but this will be my first time reading the whole series, beginning to end, since the 7th book came out. After each book I’ll to do a quick post highlighting things that stood out to me in that reread. It’ll be my own little Harry Potter reading challenge :) Note: There will most definitely be series-wide spoilers in these posts.
Just a few observations to share from this reread.
Harry’s attitude towards Dumbledore in a number of scenes annoyed me. First of all, Harry, he’s on your side! You’re both working towards the same goal. Second, Dumbledore’s not going to be around much longer! You are going to regret that thing you just said. But alas, Harry you just a teenaged boy with no psychic abilities (much to the distress of Professor Trelawney).
I forgot that Rowling revealed in this book that the Defense Against The Dark Arts job was actually cursed after all. After much speculation from many of the characters right from the beginning of the series, it turns out that Voldemort decided that if he can’t have the job, nobody can have it for very long. I had forgotten that Voldemort had even wanted the job to begin with.
Again, even though I knew it was coming, the end made me cry. Not right when Dumbledore died, but when Harry found his body below the tower. And when Hagrid and Ron were like ‘Oh, Dumbledore can fix this’ and had to be told ‘No, actually, he’s dead.’ And at his funeral when Harry realized that his final protector was gone. Finishing Half-Blood Prince always leaves me feeling so dejected both because of Harry’s state of mind and because now I only have one more book left in the series.
Related:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Soundtrack Saturday
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Movie
The ending of this one gets my every time. Not just the specifics of what happens, but the fact that the tone of the whole thing is just so desperate.
Yeah, the ending of this book kills me. I didn’t realize how attached I was to Hagrid until the sixth and seventh books, when his being so sad about Dumbledore and then about Harry made me cry A LOT. I wanted Dumbledore to live forever.
This one is so sad. Harry is playing up his angst to the fullest and I want to tell him to knock off and not everyone is against you but I guess I’d be bitter too at this point.
I’m about to open book 3 and can’t wait since it’s my favorite. Thanks for the idea for the re-read; I’m thoroughly enjoying my time again at Hogwarts. :-)