Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the yet-to-be released sixth book in the Harry Potter series of children's books by J. K. Rowling .

Spoiler warning : Plot or ending details follow.

Rumours

On jkrowling.com ( http://www.jkrowling.com ) from June 2004, the author of the series responded to many recurrent rumours, creating a clearer picture for fans of where the series will not go in the next two books.

It was reported on Mugglenet that some rumours of the release date of the release of HBP is sometime in January 2005. This spurred yet another rumour saying the release of HBP could possibly be June 2005. In December 2004 some fans spotted small change in the "Welcome article" on jkrowling.com ( http://www.jkrowling.com ) . The sentence 'This is the place where (...) I can announce the book six' changed to 'This is the place where (...) I can announce the book seven' . This could mean that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is now finished.

Title of the book

Hundreds of sites quoted Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch or Harry Potter and the Mountain of Fantasy as the title of this book, although J. K. Rowling said, "Not even close."

In June 2004, there were reports that a person hacking into Rowling's personal website ( http://www.jkrowling.com ) found a pending announcement that the title of Book Six is Harry Potter and the Pillar of Storgé . However, in the next monthly update to her website, Rowling scoffed at this hoax, saying "I am trying very hard not to feel offended that anyone thought this was possible". She jokingly suggested that her book would have the deliberately absurd title of Harry Potter and the Toenail of Icklibõgg .

In the same update to her website, the title Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was revealed as the title for the book. This had been a working title for the second book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . Rowling went to the trouble of posting a confirmation message ( http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/news_view.cfm?id=77 ) on her official web site, noting her regret that the "Storgé" hoaxer had struck on the same day.

The Half-Blood Prince

J. K. Rowling announced in the title confirmation message that the Half-Blood Prince referred to in the book's title is neither Harry nor Voldemort.

There has been wide speculation about the identity of this character, with suggested names including every male character of any significance whatsoever in the book that is not a pure-blooded wizard (or whose lineage is not known).

The character Mark Evans —mentioned briefly at the beginning of Order of the Phoenix —had been suggested, largely because Lily Potter 's maiden name was "Evans" and fans could not believe that his name could be a coincidence. Rowling responded to this ( http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/faq_view.cfm?id=49 ) by saying his name is simply a coincidence and he will not play a significant part in the story.

Some even suggested Tom Riddle was a candidate, arguing that he has already been referred to separately from "Voldemort" in the books. However, this was dispelled by Rowling.

Following her appearance at the Edinburgh Book Festival it was reported on Mugglenet that Rowling revealed to two separate attendees that Hagrid is not the HBP.

Such rumours are unlikely to be quelled until the publication of the book, as Rowling has indicated she will reveal no more information on the character.

Assistant Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts

A rumour was that Dumbledore will make Harry Assistant Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, infuriating Snape. Malfoy is maybe even more furious, since it was Harry who put his father in prison.

Rowling responded: "I'm not sure I see Harry in an academic career, he's seen so much action."

Revelations on relatives

• Rumour was that his late mother, Lily Evans , is still alive. Rowling commented "No, afraid not."
• Rumour was that Professor McGonagall was going to become headmistress of Hogwarts. Rowling replied "Where did they get that idea?"
• Rumour was that Professor Dumbledore is Harry's real grandfather. Rowling responded "Why on earth would he have been sent to live with the Dursleys?"
• Rumour was that Mark Evans ( Order of the Phoenix ) is a relative. Rowling initially refused to comment either way on this rumour, but later revealed on her personal website that "Mark Evans is... nobody".
• Rumour was that Voldemort is Harry's real father (in the same tradition as Star Wars ). Rowling wrote "No, no, no, no, no ... James is DEFINITELY Harry's father."

There will not be an "Icicle"

"I have been told that I once promised a character with this name during an interview. I can only think that somebody misheard what I said because at no stage have I ever planned a character called 'Icicle.'"

Then on her official site, Rowling joked that "Professor Bicycle, on the other hand, will be a key figure in books six and seven."

New Minister for Magic

Rowling has said that there will be a new Minister for Magic . The most popular candidate among fans was Arthur Weasley until she contradicted this possibility in her Web site.

Other information

J. K. Rowling has said in an interview given as Book 5 (Order of the Phoenix) was first published that this book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will not be as long as the previous two; she did however add that the final book in the series would be the longest, as she dreads having to finish writing the series, and will probably just keep "writing and writing" it.

Assuming that things take their usual course, here's some of what we can look forward to in the book:

• Harry will be in his sixth year at Hogwarts in book six. The events of book six will presumably take place between July, 1996 and the end of June, 1997.
• Neville will need another wand to replace that which was broken in the Department of Mysteries.
• At the end of June 1996, Hermione's year-long ban on Rita Skeeter's writing will end.
• "Ministry...guides to elementary home and personal defence...will be delivered free to all wizarding homes [by the end of July] (OP38)." Depending on the definition of "wizarding home", this may come as a bit of a shock to the families of Muggle-born students such as Dean Thomas, who hasn't kept his family informed about the various dangerous happenings at Hogwarts in the last few years (OP11).
• In July 1996, each of the returning sixth year students will receive an owl with their Ordinary Wizarding Level results (OP31).
• If the Quidditch season takes place as usual, the Gryffindor team will hold tryouts for at least two Chaser positions. If Harry has been reinstated as Seeker by then, Ginny Weasley plans to try out for Chaser at that point (OP). Gryffindor will also need a new team captain.
• Hermione will turn seventeen in September, becoming of age in the wizarding world and old enough to obtain a licence to Apparate . Ron's seventeenth birthday will come the following March; Harry's likely won't appear until Book 7. (Each of his previous birthdays has come at the beginning of a book, rather than the end.)
• According to Rowling, there will be a new Minister of Magic.
• This book, Rowling has stated, will be almost part one of a two-part book, the second half being book seven. The war has begun and the saga is now moving toward the ultimate confrontation.
• There will be a new character called McClaggan; role and occupancy remain unknown. He might be the new Minister of Magic.
• Grawp, Hagrid's half brother giant will be more controllable, as revealed by Rowling.

The Harry Potter books follow a fairly predictable pattern. If HBP sticks with this pattern (and there is no guarantee that this will be the case), we'll see the following happen:

• Harry will spend some time in Privet Drive, but JKR has said that this will be his shortest stay yet. Harry's time spent with the Dursleys have been increasingly shorter from book to book. In addition, the Dursleys will likely be happy to see him go due to their intimidation by various Order members at the end of book 5.
• Harry will receive his OWL grades in July and turn 16 on July 31. ( Ron is already 16 years old at the end of OP and Hermione will turn 17 shortly after school begins, on September 19).
• Before classes begin, Harry will encounter or hear about someone who will be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (this has happened in each book so far).
• On September 1, Harry and his friends will travel to Hogwarts aboard the Hogwarts Express.
• At the Welcoming Feast, Harry and his friends will meet their new DADA teacher, find out if both Firenze and Trelawney will teach Divination, and hear a new Sorting Hat song
• Harry will start NEWT-level classes, which will include Potions (if his OWL grades permit or Professor Snape's refusal to teach NEWT Potions to any without the highest OWL grades is somehow circumvented), but not Divination. We'll also learn what career paths Hermione and Ron have chosen.
• In Transfiguration, the sixth years will start learning human transfiguration spells (GF26).
• The Gryffindor Quidditch team will probably include Harry (Seeker), Ginny (probably Chaser), Ron (Keeper), and Katie Bell (Chaser). The other players who were added last year might be back, although new players may need to be recruited. A new captain will be assigned.
• As June rolls around, Harry will find himself once again in a one-on-one confrontation with Voldemort or the Death Eaters.

Lucius Malfoy and the others will probably escape from Azkaban. This may be the only thing Draco and Harry have ever agreed upon.

Excerpt

From J.K. Rowling's official website ( August 16 , 2004 ) :

[He] looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp. [1] ( http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrcom/jkrdooropening2.shtml )

Chapter titles

From J.K. Rowling's official website ( October 31 , 2004 ) :

• Chapter two: Spinners End (Widely speculated to be a reference to a location or street)
• Chapter six: Draco's Detour
• Chapter fourteen: Felix Felicis

J.K. Rowling has not yet explained the meaning or significance of these chapters.

Reference: MuggleNet archive ( http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrcom/jkrdooropening3.shtml )

External links

• J.K. Rowling's responses to various rumours ( http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/rumours.cfm )
• Archive of mysterious door openings

 

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