Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince facts for kids
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the popular Harry Potter series. It was written by J. K. Rowling and first published on 16 July 2005.
In this book, Harry begins his sixth year at the magical school Hogwarts. His best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, are with him. During the year, Harry gets unexpected help in his Potions class from a mysterious person called the Half-Blood Prince. He also experiences his first romance. Most importantly, Harry learns many secrets about his enemy, Voldemort.
Contents
The Film Adaptation
The movie based on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was first planned for release on November 21, 2008. However, on August 14, 2008, it was announced that the release date would be moved. The film eventually came out on July 17, 2009.
On January 8, 2009, the movie received a PG rating from the MPPA. This was different from the two previous films, Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix, which were rated PG-13.
What Happens in the Story
The book starts at Severus Snape's house. Narcissa Malfoy is very upset because Voldemort has given her son, Draco, a dangerous mission. Voldemort is a very dark wizard who dislikes wizards and witches who are "half-blood" (meaning one magical parent and one non-magical parent) or Muggle-born (meaning both parents are non-magical). He wants to harm them.
Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix, joins her at Snape's house. Snape agrees to help Draco complete his mission.
Dumbledore's Request
Later, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, visits Harry Potter and asks him to come along on a trip. Harry agrees. They go to the home of Horace Slughorn. Slughorn used to be the Potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He doesn't want to return to teaching. But when Dumbledore shows Harry, Slughorn changes his mind and agrees to come back.
On the train to Hogwarts, Slughorn starts his old "Slug Club" again. Slughorn enjoys being friends with famous or powerful people. Since Harry is one of the most famous wizards, Slughorn wants to be close to him. When school begins, Slughorn immediately restarts his Slug Club, inviting students who are powerful or have important family names.
The Half-Blood Prince's Book
The identity of the Half-Blood Prince is a big mystery to Harry. Harry finds an old Potions textbook that has the name "Half-Blood Prince" written on it. The book contains many helpful tips for making potions. Harry follows these tips and becomes very good at Potions, impressing Professor Slughorn.
His friend Hermione is annoyed that Harry is getting praise for information he didn't figure out himself. Meanwhile, the old Potions professor, Professor Snape, is now teaching Defense of the Dark Arts.
Learning About Voldemort's Past
Dumbledore gives Harry private lessons. These lessons often involve looking into a Pensieve, which is a magical basin that holds old memories. Through these memories, Harry learns about Voldemort's early life.
Harry discovers that Voldemort's mother, Merope, was a witch from a very unhappy family. His father was a Muggle named Tom Riddle who didn't love her. Merope's older brother and father treated her very badly. A wizard from the Ministry of Magic eventually arrested her father and brother.
Merope left her home and used a love charm on Tom Riddle, the young man she liked. After she became pregnant, she stopped using the charm, and he left her. Soon after, she went to an orphanage and gave birth to Voldemort. She named him Tom Marvolo Riddle and died shortly after.
The memories show that Voldemort was a difficult child. He would steal things from other children and use magic against them. One night, Dumbledore visited him to tell him he had magic and invite him to Hogwarts.
Another memory shows Voldemort trying to get a job at Hogwarts much later. Dumbledore, who was the Transfiguration teacher at the time, had just become Headmaster. Voldemort wanted to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Dumbledore refused. Voldemort was very angry. Since then, no professor has kept the Defense Against the Dark Arts job for more than one year. Dumbledore believes this is because of Voldemort's anger.
Horcruxes and the Final Battle
Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort has created six "Horcruxes." These are pieces of his soul hidden inside objects. As long as Voldemort has these Horcruxes, he cannot be truly killed. Some of them have already been destroyed. In Harry's second year, he destroyed one by stabbing Riddle's diary with a basilisk fang. Before Harry's sixth year began, Dumbledore found and destroyed a ring that was another Horcrux, but he was badly injured in the process.
One night, Dumbledore and Harry travel to a cave. Dumbledore believes another Horcrux is hidden there. They find a goblet filled with a strange potion. Dumbledore drinks the entire potion, which makes him feel very weak and dizzy. They find a locket, which they believe is the Horcrux.
They return to Hogwarts and find that the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, and Malfoy have attacked the school. Harry and Dumbledore use broomsticks to land on top of one of the towers. Malfoy bursts into the room where Harry and Dumbledore are. Harry is hiding under his invisibility cloak. Soon, other Death Eaters arrive. However, Malfoy cannot bring himself to kill Dumbledore, even though Voldemort ordered him to.
Suddenly, Snape arrives and kills Dumbledore. The Death Eaters then escape. Harry tries to catch Snape, but Snape is too fast. When Harry tries to use some curses he found in the Half-Blood Prince's book, Snape easily blocks them. Snape then declares that he is the Half-Blood Prince. Later, Hermione confirms this. She finds an old newspaper article about a witch named Eileen Prince marrying a Muggle named Tobias Snape. This means Snape is indeed a half-blood wizard.
Hogwarts holds a funeral for Dumbledore. Harry opens the locket they found, only to discover that someone named R.A.B. was there earlier. R.A.B. had already found and destroyed the real Horcrux. Harry then decides that he will not be returning to Hogwarts next year.
Images for kids
-
Reproductions of artwork by Mary GrandPré (pictured) were available with the Scholastic Deluxe Edition.
See also
In Spanish: Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe para niños
