Two Horcruxes, Riddle's diary from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and a ring belonging to Voldemort's grandfather, have already been destroyed four others remain. Voldemort created six Horcruxes, which must be destroyed in order to destroy Voldemort himself. Harry uses Felix Felicis to retrieve the memory, in which Slughorn tells Riddle about the process of splitting one's soul and hiding it in Horcruxes, making the user virtually immortal. One of the memories involves Slughorn conversing with a young Tom Riddle, but it has been tampered with, so Dumbledore asks Harry to obtain the real memory from Slughorn. Meanwhile, to help Harry in his foretold battle with Voldemort, Dumbledore and Harry use the Pensieve to examine memories of people from Voldemort's past. Draco grows unhinged throughout the year, acting in increasingly shady ways. Harry develops feelings for Ginny, and the two later start a relationship with Ron's approval after a Gryffindor Quidditch victory. Ron and Hermione grow closer, but after learning from his sister Ginny of Hermione's history with Viktor Krum, Ron goes out with Lavender Brown, making Hermione jealous. Finding an old textbook that once belonged to "The Half-Blood Prince", an individual who wrote numerous spells and tips in the book, Harry excels at the Potions class, winning a bottle of Felix Felicis, or "Liquid Luck". Nymphadora Tonks finds Harry, fixes his nose and escorts him to Hogwarts, where Dumbledore announces that Snape will teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, while Slughorn will teach Potions. Draco catches Harry, petrifying him and breaking his nose. Harry eavesdrops on Draco, who brags to his friends about a mission Voldemort has assigned him.
On the Hogwarts Express, Harry suspects Draco has become a Death Eater. They detour to the home of Horace Slughorn, former Potions teacher at Hogwarts, and Harry unwittingly helps persuade Slughorn to return to teaching. Snape makes an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa, swearing to assist Draco.ĭumbledore picks Harry up to escort him to the Burrow, home of Harry's best friend Ron Weasley. Narcissa expresses concern that her son might not survive a mission given to him by Voldemort. Severus Snape, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, meets with Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, and her sister Bellatrix Lestrange, Lord Voldemort's supporter. The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released on 15 July 2009 by Warner Bros. The considerable character development of Harry and many other teenage characters also drew attention. Some considered the main themes to be love, death, trust, and redemption. Reviewers noted that the book took on 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 that was 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.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix