Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series, and takes place during Harry Potter's sixth year at the wizard school Hogwarts. The novel reveals events from the early life of Lord Voldemort, and chronicles Harry's preparations for the final battle against him.

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. It sold almost seven million copies in the first 24 hours after its release, a record eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There were many controversies before and after it was published, including the right-to-read copies delivered before the release date in Canada. Reception to the novel was generally positive, and it won several awards and honours, including the 2006 British Book of the Year award.

Reviewers noted that the book had a darker tone than its predecessors, though it did contain some humour. Some considered the main themes love, death, trust, and redemption. The considerable character development of Harry and many other teenage characters also drew attention.

After his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry has spent two weeks mourning the loss of his godfather, Sirius Black. As Albus Dumbledore escorts him to the Weasley home, they visit the retired Hogwarts professor Horace Slughorn, who agrees to resume teaching. Meanwhile, Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister Narcissa Malfoy convince Severus Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow to protect Narcissa's son Draco at Hogwarts.

While out shopping for school supplies, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger observe Draco making inquiries at Borgin and Burkes, a shop known for its connection to the Dark Arts. At Hogwarts, the students learn that Slughorn will be teaching Potions, while Snape will be taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts. For Slughorn's first class, Harry and Ron borrow a pair of old textbooks. Harry's textbook previously belonged to someone known as "The Half-Blood Prince", and it contains many helpful tips. Following the instructions of the Prince, Harry becomes an expert potion brewer. He rises to the top of the class and wins a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis.

Dumbledore prepares Harry for his eventual battle with Voldemort by educating him about Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle. While a student at Hogwarts, Riddle had asked Slughorn about objects called Horcruxes, which can grant immortality by encasing fragments of a wizard's soul. Dumbledore wants to see the memory as it appears in Slughorn's mind, and asks Harry to retrieve it from him. Harry joins the Slug Club, a group of Slughorn's famous, talented and well-connected students. Hermione and Ginny also attend the club, which causes Ron to feel left out. He accepts an invitation from Hermione to Slughorn's Christmas party, but upsets her when he kisses Lavender Brown. Meanwhile, Harry develops a crush on Ginny.

When Ron is poisoned and admitted to the infirmary, Hermione visits him. Harry discards his Potions textbook after he ends up nearly killing Draco with one of the Prince's scribbled spells when he was about to cast the Cruciatus Curse on him. Later, Harry's luck potion helps him obtain Slughorn's memory and causes Lavender to break up with Ron, and Ginny to break up with her boyfriend Dean Thomas, which allows Harry to start seeing her instead. Slughorn's memory suggests that Voldemort created six Horcruxes, though Dumbledore explains that two are already destroyed: his diary and a ring his grandfather owned. He asks Harry to accompany him to retrieve another.

In a remote cave, Harry and Dumbledore overcome many obstacles before seizing the Horcrux, the locket of Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin. Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore unexpectedly immobilises Harry under his invisibility cloak. A group of Death Eaters arrive with Draco, who falters in an attempt to kill Dumbledore and only disarms him. Snape then casts the killing curse on Dumbledore and sends him falling to his death. Harry tries to fight Snape as he flees, but is overpowered. Snape reveals himself as the Half-Blood Prince and brags about creating the spells Harry is using. After Snape escapes, Harry discovers that the Horcrux he obtained is fake. He resolves to find and destroy all the remaining Horcruxes, and Ron and Hermione pledge to join him.