
February 05, 2025
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Summary, Recap, & Review
Check out Poggers' detailed summary and review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, including book and movie differences and FAQs.

8
Good
Despite the lackluster CGI and a reduced Voldemort origin story, Half-Blood Prince is a solid entry to the franchise.

Pros

Incredible music, as always

Higher stakes and increased tension

Excellent performances, especially from Dumbledore and Malfoy

Cons

CGI was not as good as previous installments

Truncated Tom Riddle history


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Table of Contents +
Harry returns for his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but the Wizarding World and the school are in more danger than ever. The world has finally accepted that Voldemort has returned and his influence is growing, finding its way into Hogwarts, where Harry and Dumbledore are taking trips down memory lane to discover the Dark Lord’s secret power. We’ll be taking our own trip down memory lane with a detailed summary of the sixth movie, a review, book and movie differences, and a FAQ.
Half-Blood Prince | Summary
Horace Slughorn
The movie begins with Death Eaters attacking the muggle world and kidnapping Ollivander from his shop. We then see Harry in a small shop in the underground train station, where he meets a pretty girl. Dumbledore appears, sweeping Harry away and taking him to a run down house in a non-magical neighborhood.
The house is in a state of ruin, but Dumbledore finds a perfectly good arm chair. He pokes it and it turns into a man. The headmaster introduces Harry to Horace Slughorn, former Potions teacher at Hogwarts. The older man reveals that the Death Eaters have been trying to recruit him and that he knew Harry’s mother. He refuses Dumbledore's offer to return to Hogwarts, but he runs after them as they're leaving because he's changed his mind.
The Unbreakable Vow
Elsewhere, Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister, Narcissa Malfoy, enter Severus Snape’s home. Bellatrix questions Snape’s loyalty to Lord Voldemort but Narcissa desires his help. The Dark Lord has chosen her son, Draco Malfoy, for a task. She wants Snape to protect him.
Bellatrix demands he make the Unbreakable Vow and he obliges. As part of the vow, not only does he agree to protect Draco, but to carry out whatever the Dark Lord has asked him to do should he fail. The consequence of breaking the vow? Death.
Diagon Alley
Harry and his friends are in Diagon Alley, visiting the new joke shop Fred and George opened, and it's thriving. But, apart from their store, the alley is a shadow of what it was years ago. Most of the shops are destroyed and closed down. The trio see Draco and his mother sneaking off down an alley and they follow them to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. They see him looking at a cabinet in the shop.
The Hogwarts Express
Harry reveals to his friends on the train that he believes Draco has become a Death Eater. Eager to prove that he is right, he sneaks off to Draco's compartment. He uses the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that he got from the twins' joke shop to sneak in. While wearing his Invisibility Cloak, he eavesdrops on Draco and his friends.
Draco notices the luggage move and is aware of Harry's presence. When the train comes to a stop and everyone departs, Draco uses the paralyzing charm against Harry and breaks his nose. Luna finds Harry and she fixes his nose with a spell.
Potions Class

The term begins and Harry and Ron are watching all the lost first years. McGonagall convinces Harry to go to Potions for his free period and he takes Ron with him. They fight over the last two potions books in the cabinet, one that is perfectly intact and a ratty old one. Harry gets the tattered one.
Professor Slughorn is the new Potions teacher and Snape finally got his desired position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The Potions teacher promises a small vile of Liquid Luck, Felix Felicis, to the person who brews the best Draught of Living Death. Everyone is struggling, but Harry’s old book has notes in it from someone called the Half Blood Prince that help him brew the perfect potion and win the prize.
The First Meeting
In his office, Dumbledore uses the Pensieve to show Harry the memory of the first time he met Tom Riddle at an orphanage. The adults at the orphanage tell the headmaster, who was only a professor at the time, that Tom is disturbed. The young boy admits he hurts people when they upset him and, as Dumbledore is leaving, he also admits he can talk to snakes too.
The headmaster tells Harry that he has been searching his memories for a way to defeat Voldemort. Harry realizes that he brought the old Potions teacher back to Hogwarts for an important reason and Harry might be the key to discovering Slughorn's secret.
Katie Bell
Winter has arrived and the trio visit the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. They see Ginny with her boyfriend, Dean Thomas, and Ron isn’t happy about it. They run into the Potions teacher, who invites them to a party. Harry sees Draco acting suspiciously.
On their way back to Hogwarts, they witness Katie Bell, a fellow student and Quidditch player, touching a cursed necklace. She's taken to the Hospital Wing by Hagrid and the trio are taken to McGonagall, who questions them and Katie’s friend. The friend reveals that Katie found the package in the restroom and was determined to deliver it to Dumbledore. Harry is convinced Draco is behind it.
Ron’s Lucky Day
The day of the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match arrives. During the tryouts, Ron won against Cormac McLaggen for the position of Keeper, but he is extremely nervous about the upcoming game. Harry pretends to have slipped Liquid Luck into Ron’s drink. His friend's confidence is returned and he performs phenomenally during their game.
Harry reveals to Hermione during the afterparty that he only pretended to use the potion, proving that Ron had it in him all along. Lavender Brown steals a kiss from Ron and Harry finds Hermione crying in the stairway later. They talk about Hermione's feelings for Ron and Harry's feelings for Ginny.
Attack on the Burrow
Harry attends the Slug Club party with Luna. He overhears Snape and Draco talking about an Unbreakable Vow. Harry spends Christmas with the Weasley family. Remus and Harry argue about Snape’s loyalty. Arthur reveals that the cabinet Draco was looking at in Borgin and Burkes is called a Vanishing Cabinet, and it’s still there. As the night ends, Death Eaters surround the house with fire.
Harry sees Bellatrix and runs after her, and Ginny runs after Harry. Harry, Ginny, Remus, Arthur, and Tonks have a stand off against the Death Eaters. As the enemies retreat, failing to capture Harry, they destroy the home of the Weasleys.
The Tampered Memory
Dumbledore shows Harry a memory that belongs to Slughorn. In the memory, the Potions teacher and a young Voldemort talk about a rare piece of magic, but the scene ends rather abruptly. The headmaster tells Harry that this memory has been tampered with and it may be the key to figuring out what magic is keeping Voldemort alive.
He tasks Harry with figuring out what it is, but his first attempt goes terribly wrong when he is too forward with the Potions teacher. He knows Dumbledore put him up to it and refuses to hold a conversation with Harry after.
Love Potion
Harry returns to his dorm to find Ron acting strangely. He ate the chocolates that were on Harry’s bed from Romilda Vane and they’re laced with a love potion. Harry takes Ron to Professor Slughorn for help and they talk things out.
After helping Ron, the Potions teacher opens a bottle and pours them all a drink. Ron takes the first sip and collapses, seizing. Harry uses a bezoar to save him. In the Hospital Wing, the teachers realize that the drink was laced with poison and it was originally a gift for Dumbledore. Lavender Brown shows up to check on Ron and is livid when she sees Hermione there. Ron mutters Hermione’s name in his sleep, and Lavender runs away, crying.
Sectumsempra
Harry sees Katie Bell, who has finally recovered, in the Great Hall. She doesn’t remember who cursed her, but her eyes lock with Draco Malfoy across the room. After seeing Draco’s terrified reaction, Harry follows him as he runs away.
They have a standoff in the bathroom and Harry uses a spell he found in the Half-Blood Prince’s book called Sectumsempra. The spell slices Draco’s torso, blood spurts from the open wound. Professor Snape runs in just in time to save the Slytherin boy.
Realizing the gravity of what he has done, Harry finally agrees to get rid of the book. Ginny takes him to the Room of Requirement, where they find a Vanishing Cabinet. They get rid of the book and Ginny kisses Harry.
Felix Felicis
Harry finally decides to put Felix Felicis to use as a last attempt to get the memory from Slughorn. He decides to go to Hagrid’s Hut instead, running into the professor on the way. He accompanies Harry to Hagrid’s where they find the gamekeeper mourning the death of his old friend, the Acromantula Aragog.
Slughorn and Hagrid get drunk and the Potions teacher tells them a story about the fish he received as a gift once. Lily, Harry’s mother, is the one who gave it to him and it disappeared the day she died. Harry uses this as an opportunity to convince the Potions teacher to give him the memory. He finally relents.
Harry takes the memory to Dumbledore and they watch it. Tom Riddle asks about Horcruxes, a type of dark magic that requires the user to split their soul and put it in an object, this way they can never die.
The Cave
Harry and Dumbledore travel to a cave. The headmaster believes one of these Horcruxes is hidden inside. They find an underground lake and travel to a dais in the center of the lake. It is filled with poison that someone must drink in order to reach the object at the bottom.
Dumbledore does so, demanding Harry ensure he drinks every last drop, even when he begs for death. They succeed and at the very bottom is a golden locket. When Harry tries to get Dumbledore some water from the lake, creatures called Inferi jump out and drag Harry underwater. Dumbledore manages to save them and they return to the castle.
Draco’s Mission and The Half-Blood Prince
The moment they return, they hear someone approaching. Dumbledore tells Harry to hide below. Draco appears and disarms the headmaster, revealing to Dumbledore that he has been tasked with killing him. If he doesn’t succeed, the Dark Lord will kill him instead. He let four Death Eaters, including Bellatrix, into the castle.
Harry sees Snape, and the professor tells him to keep quiet. Instead of saving Dumbledore, Snape does what he promised to do. He kills the headmaster and flees with the Death Eaters. Harry chases after them and catches up just as Bellatrix lights Hagrid’s Hut on fire. He tries to stop Snape, who easily repels his attacks. When Harry tries to use Sectumsempra again, Snape reveals that he is the creator of the spell and the Half-Blood Prince.
R.A.B.
The students mourn Dumbledore’s death in the courtyard and honor him by holding their wands high, casting out the Dark Mark in the sky. At the very end of the year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in Dumbledore's office when Harry reveals the locket was a fake. Inside, there is a letter from a person named R.A.B. who stole the real one.
Harry tells his friends that he doesn’t plan on returning to Hogwarts for his final year. Instead, he is going to search for the Horcruxes and finish what Dumbledore started. Hermione and Ron refuse to let him go alone. The movie ends with the trio admiring the beauty of Hogwarts before their search begins.
Half-Blood Prince | Review
CGI and Visuals | 7/10
Black and white tones are used as the color scheme to reflect the darker shift in the story as Voldemort gains power. While this visual approach is creative, the CGI in the movie isn’t as strong as it was in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The fire in the cave doesn’t look nearly as good as the fire from the previous movie. There are some moments where it is obvious the background, especially the bit of sky visible through windows, is a green screen. The Inferi, however, do look incredibly creepy and are well done. As usual, the castle looks amazing.
Storyline and Plot Development | 8/10

While every subplot introduced in the movie is tied up nicely by the end, the storyline with Slughorn and the memories felt a little rushed. There is plenty going on in between the scenes to show that time is passing, but there is so much more that could have been explored and expanded upon when it comes to digging into the Dark Lord’s past.
Character Development | 8/10
The characters develop a lot throughout the movies, with each one comes a new wave of emotions and struggles. In this movie, we see Ron overcoming his fears and insecurities both on and off the Quidditch field. Hermione, who used to view Ron as insufferable, has developed feelings for her friend and she is learning to accept them, even if it is painful.
Ginny, Harry’s love interest, gets more screen time, and we get hints of her boldness here and there. But her character is still the same awkward girl she used to be and it doesn’t feel like she has grown much since the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Sound and Music | 10/10
The sound and music in the sixth film is beautiful and suspenseful. It's possibly one of the best soundtracks in the Harry Potter series. There is a lot of build up happening as the stage for the final battle against Voldemort is set. The music brings it home in every scene. There is a magical and melancholy tone to it that brings the world to life.
Reception and Impact | 8/10
The sixth movie is rated roughly the same as the others and most of the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Without comparing the movie to the books, it tells a heart wrenching story of loss of life and self. The complaints remain the same across the board, that too much was left out from the books, especially when it comes to Voldemort’s backstory and the importance of each Horcrux.
Final Score | 8/10
Half-Blood Prince | Book and Movie Differences
The Dark Lord’s History
In the movies, we only get two scenes that show us what Tom Riddle was like as a child, the orphanage scene and his conversation with Slughorn about Horcruxes. In the book, we get much more. The books tell the story of the Gaunt family, dark witches and wizards who were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Voldemort's mother, Merope Gaunt, was a Squib and his father was a muggle named Tom Riddle.
Merope was so in love with Tom Riddle Sr. that she used a love potion on him. Voldemort was conceived during this time, stripping away his ability to love. Merope named her son after the father, but she died during childbirth.
Tonks and Remus
In the movie, Tonks and Remus are already shown as a couple during Christmas and the audience has no idea what led to this relationship. In the books, dialogue between the two show how deeply they care for one another as Tonks tries to convince Remus that his lycanthropy doesn’t matter and that she loves him.
Ginny and Harry’s Relationship
It is well known by fans of Harry Potter, whether they’ve read the books or not, that Movie Ginny and Book Ginny are not the same. At all. Therefore, Harry and Ginny’s dynamic is very different.
In the books, Ginny is much bolder and outspoken. She is the very essence of a Gryffindor and she isn’t afraid to show it. In the movies, however, Ginny is still soft spoken and awkward, even if she is the one to make a move on Harry first.
Death Eaters Invade Hogwarts
While the means in which Draco sneaks in the Death Eaters remains the same, the number that comes through and the battle that follows is different. In the movie, only four of Voldemort’s followers make it into Hogwarts and the only obstacle they face is Dumbledore and Harry.
However, in the books, the Death Eaters fight against the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Army after they gain entry to the school. Mostly everyone was unharmed except for Bill Weasley, who was injured by the partially transformed werewolf Fenrir Greyback.
Dumbledore’s Funeral
Dumbledore is laid to rest on Hogwarts grounds in the sixth book in the series and the somber gathering to honor one of the greatest wizards is never shown, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get to say goodbye to him in the movies. When his body is discovered by the faculty and students in the courtyard, everyone holds up their wands to honor him, lighting up the sky and removing the Dark Mark that the Death Eaters left behind. It still makes for a powerful farewell.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Half-Blood Prince?
+We learn in the seventh Harry Potter movie that R.A.B stands for Regulus Arcturus Black. He was Sirius’s younger brother and a follower of Voldemort. He betrayed the Dark Lord when he realized how evil he really was.
Why does Dumbledore have to drink the potion in the sixth Harry Potter?
+The potion, called the Emerald Potion, is a potion that can not be altered or penetrated in any way. Dumbledore had to drink it in order to reach the locket at the bottom. It causes immense despair, thirst, and delirium.
What is a Horcrux?
+A Horcrux is an object in which a piece of someone’s soul has been stored in, making them immortal. Only dark witches and wizards are known to do this because of the heavy cost of splitting one’s soul: murder.
Why is the Burrow burned down in the sixth Harry Potter movie?
+The scene was added by the director as a way to reflect the war going on between good and evil on screen. In the scene, the Death Eaters are trying to draw Harry out in order to capture him and they burn down the Weasley’s home after they fail.
How many Horcruxes does Voldemort have?
+At this point in the series, the trio does not know how many he has for sure. It is later revealed to be seven.
How long is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
+The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie is 2 hours and 33 minutes, or 153 minutes, long. The book with the same name is 672 pages with 30 chapters.
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