I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince late last night, and it was a worthy romp.

Perhaps “romp” isn’t the best term, as it is a downer of a tale, but an important setup for the seventh and final installment of the series.

In short: Harry and the gang now know what needs to be done.

For more (with spoilers), click the link…

As I mentioned, there are spoilers in this, so GO BACK NOW if you don’t want to know what happens. You can highlight the text with your mouse to reveal the text (not a very masterful “spell,” but I’m just a muggle).

Okay, so one of Harry’s closest confidants has met his end. And Harry learned more about himself, his friends, and his suspicions than he’d likely ever imagined.

  • When Dumbledore was cornered in the lightning-struck tower, with Harry petrified and unable to help, Harry’s worst fears were realized: Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater, and Severus Snape is still loyal to Voldemort.

    Or is he?

    There’s still a chance that Snape’s murder of Dumbledore was, indeed, part of the Order’s plan to defeat Voldemort. Maybe there was a bit of an “Obi Wan Kenobi” moment, where the master’s apprentice strikes down the old man and, in turn, creates and even more powerful force.

  • Draco Malfoy could be Harry’s secret weapon in toppling Lord Voldemort. He didn’t have the courage to strike down Dumbledore, and was very torn about committing murder. He’s not as evil as his father, but is quite legitimately angry about his father’s imprisonment.
  • What of Hagrid? The Forbidden Forest now has parts that he can’t enter, yet he’s the most steadfast defender of Hogwarts. I’m guessing that it wasn’t only Dumbledore’s power that was keeping Hogwarts safe, and that Hagrid is much more than he seems.
  • Harry will certainly reconvene the Order in book seven, and I think he’ll use it to overthrow not only Voldemort, but the Ministry of Magic. Note that Harry has serious issues with the current administration at the Ministry, and that he’s not convinced that their leadership has created a safe environment. He sees power-hungy people in the ranks (Percy Weasley, whose power-and-end-game are everything attitude is strangely reminiscent of Voldemort), he sees the hypocracy of the new Minister wanting Harry to shill for a failing organization, and Harry is also still one of “Dumbledore’s men.”

    Dumbledore was always at odds with the Ministry, yet seemingly was honour-bound to respect it as it seemed that the Ministry could keep evil at bay. But with the rise of Potter and the harrowing events that took place at the Ministry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore became increasingly wary of the Ministry – a feeling that Harry shared, as do other OotP members. As the Ministry becomes bogged down in mistakes, bureaucracy and smokescreens, it loses its credibility, and both the wizarding and muggle worlds lose safety.

    So perhaps his friends’ role will be to bring change to the Ministry from within.

Granted, this is all abject speculation, but you never know. But I do know this: I can’t wait for book seven!