Hermione and Ginny are also invited, though Ron is excluded. Harry begins attending meetings of the Slug Club, an informal group of Slughorn's favourite students. The memory has been altered, and Dumbledore wants Harry to retrieve the real one from Slughorn. He shows Harry memories of people who met Riddle, including one of Slughorn when he was a professor. Meanwhile, Dumbledore educates Harry about the past of Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort, to prepare him for their foretold battle. He rises to the top of the class, with Slughorn attributing his Potions skill to be a trait inherited from his mother Lily. He finds an old, tattered book bearing the inscription 'The Half-Blood Prince.' Harry notices that the scribbled tips inside the book yield better results than the printed instruction and continues to use the book afterward. Harry, who had neglected to buy Potions supplies, must borrow an old textbook to attend Slughorn's class. Slughorn is reluctant but agrees after realising he will teach the famous Harry Potter.Īt Hogwarts, Severus Snape is announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor. They take a detour to meet Horace Slughorn, whom Dumbledore wishes to return to Hogwarts school to teach Potions. The considerable character development of Harry and many other teenage characters also drew attention.įollowing his godfather Sirius Black's death, Harry is visited by Dumbledore, who escorts him to the home of the Weasleys. Some considered the main themes love, death, trust, and redemption. Reviewers noted that the book had a darker tone than its predecessors, though it did contain some humour. Reception to the novel was generally positive, and it won several awards and honours, including the 2006 British Book of the Year award. There were many controversies before and after it was published, including the right-to-read copies delivered before the release date in Canada. It sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours after its release, a record eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury and in the United States by Scholastic on 16 July 2005, as well as in several other countries. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores the past of the boy wizard's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, and Harry's preparations for the final battle against Voldemort alongside his headmaster and mentor Albus Dumbledore.

Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by British author J. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry potter and half blood prince