Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Unfulfilled Expectations

It seems like it was only yesterday that we all met Harry Potter, “an unusual boy” who lived on Privet Drive with the detestable Dursleys.

Since then, the Harry Potter series has become quite a saga, and as some argue, perhaps even a timeless classic. So when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released on July 16 it caused a stir the world over, with book readings and theme parties scheduled at midnight. Potter fever was also high in Pakistan especially because for the first time, the book was being made available here on the same date as the rest of the world.

Of course, the pirated version also became available in the local market soon after the book’s release, for a paltry sum of 300 rupees. Many people – children and adults alike – had very high hopes pinned on The Half-Blood Prince which is the sixth book in the series, and more importantly, J.K. Rowling’s second last book. There were many speculations about the new book, especially since Rowling had disclosed that an important character would die. The main debate revolved around the identity of the Half Blood Prince – would he be a new character or was it an alias for Lord Voldemort, or even Potter himself? These were just some of the questions that many fans were dying to have answered.

The speculations reached an alarming stage in June when two armed men, who were suspected of having an unauthorised version of the book, tried to sell it to a British newspaper reporter for 50,000 pounds. When the reporter said he didn’t have the money, one of the armed men fired a gunshot in the air. Both men were arrested that same day but later released on bail. Rowling was granted a high court injunction against the two men.

The book begins with both the muggle and magic world in chaos, murders rampant everywhere and bridges being damaged. The Prime Minister of Britain is paid a visit by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. This is an interesting coincidence as the book was released post 7/7, that is after the bombings in London. One cannot help but wonder if Rowling is capitalising on terrorism and providing a supernatural explanation for it.

Meanwhile, Harry has grown up considerably. He is no longer a whiny adolescent or even the angst-ridden teenager that he was in the Order of the Phoenix. In fact, he is recovering from Sirius’ death in a very mature manner. What has also changed, for the better, is the fact that Harry is in the news again with the Daily Prophet wondering if he is indeed the chosen one who will destroy Voldemort. For someone who is usually in the news for having lost his marbles, this is indeed a welcome change.

Harry’s relationship with Dumbledore has also matured in this book, as they now treat each other as friends. Harry even has special classes with Dumbledore in the new school year, which will be about, according to Dumbledore, “a little bit of this, and a little bit of that”. The lessons actually consist of visits into the Pensieve where they can visit Voldemort’s childhood memories, as one of Harry’s main quests this year is to acquire important memories from other characters.

A number of new characters have been introduced, including one Horace Slughorn, the new Potions professor. He has taken over the slot previously occupied by the vile Severus Snape, since Snape has finally realised his ambition of becoming professor for Defence against the Dark Arts.

As for the existing characters, Rowling had paid some attention to their love lives but her attempts can be best described as awkward, even a little nauseating. Tensions between Ron and Hermione are high, but more amusing is Harry’s new found infatuation for his best friend’s sister, Ginny Weasly. But instead of actually doing something to further this romance, Potter chooses to let pragmatism prevail. In this the reader is reminded of the relationship between Spider-Man’s alter-ego, Peter Parker and his childhood love, Mary Jane.

In essence, this episode of Harry’s life has a bit of everything, romance, violence, and drama. The pace of the narrative is brisk for the most part and will keep readers occupied till the wee hours of the night. But the fact of the matter is, that unlike the previous books in the Harry Potter series which can be treated as independent entities on their own while being part of a larger theme, The Half Blood Prince is but a mere chapter. Rowling has fallen prey to the sequel syndrome that many authors suffer from. There are many unanswered questions, many unfulfilled themes, and ultimately, the reader feels cheated as there is really no conclusion. Readers will simply have to wait for another two years before the final book comes out and a conclusion is finally reached.