The Scarlet Pimpernel—An Angel in A Human’s Body

Hello friend!

I have brought you a new blog post today. Happy reading!

[WARNING: this contains MAJOR spoilers]

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a historical fiction novel by Baroness Emma Orczy. It’s set during the gory French Revolution; just when it looks like Madame Guillotine is going to wipe out the entire aristocracy, a dashing knight in shining armour appears to save them [ No, I’m exaggerating.  The “dashing” part is true, though. To the majority of the aristocrats, their saviour is an angel, not a knight.] I’ve read loads of books, and I gotta say—I absolutely love this book. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction in general, since some authors take it a bit too far, but this rule doesn’t apply to Scarlet Pimpernel [hahaha.] The characters and plot are extremely well developed; Marguerite Blakeney [nee St. Just], the lead female, is my favourite character. Initially, she’s portrayed as superficial, bitingly sarcastic, and a little snobbish, but her interactions with her brother Armand, the main antagonist Chauvelin, and her husband Sir Percy Blakeney reveal a much softer, more vulnerable side of her. She comes off as a strong, intelligent, loyal woman; after all, she saves the day in the climax! The cunning and ruthless Chauvelin is also one of the author’s greatest creations. Oh, and how can I forget Percy? He’s my second favourite character.

Marguerite St. Just, who has been dubbed “the cleverest woman in Europe”, is now married to the biggest fool in England, the foppish, lazy Sir Percy Blakeney, a baronet. Just a day before their marriage, Marguerite took revenge on the Marquis de St. Cyr, who had ordered her brother, Armand, to be beaten for his romantic interest in the Marquis’ daughter.  Marguerite revealed the Marquis’ location to some republicans; this, of course, led to his and his family’s deaths at the guillotine. This shocked Marguerite, who’d never expected something so gruesome to happen; the republicans had promised her that they wouldn’t harm the Marquis. How naïve she was! When Percy found out about her role in the Marquis’ death, he lost every bit of affection he had for her, and refused to speak to her. Marguerite, for her part, began treating him with outward contempt.  In the present, Marguerite and Percy arrive at the Fisherman’s Rest, a small inn in Dover. Two aristocrats discuss the daring exploits of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the man whose name causes the republicans to shudder.  Marguerite is entranced by their stories. Shortly after, she meets with her brother, Armand St. Just, who has defected from the republican side. This is where I started liking her; she clearly loves and respects her brother, but also establishes the fact that she’s her own person.  It is revealed that the Scarlet Pimpernel commands a band of nineteen men, two of whom [Sir Andrew Ffoulkes and Sir Antony Dewhurst] are also staying at the Fisherman’s Rest. The Scarlet Pimpernel takes his name from the small red flower he draws on his messages. Despite being the talk of London society, only his followers and the Prince of Wales [lucky man!] know his true identity.  At a ball attended by the Blakeneys, Marguerite runs into an old acquaintance, Chauvelin, a prominent figure in the French Revolution; she is repulsed by him and refuses to talk to him, but he arrests her by quietly insinuating that he is aware of Armand’s treachery and, if she wishes to save her precious brother’s life, she must find the Scarlet Pimpernel and hand him over to Chauvelin. With her brother’s life in her delicate hands, she reluctantly agrees; she does not want to place the Scarlet Pimpernel in mortal peril, but has no other choice.

She manages to pass on crucial information about the Scarlet Pimpernel, which helps Chauvelin learn the man’s identity.  Horrified at the danger that has been wrought by her, she turns to Percy for comfort, hysterically stating that she has sent an incredibly brave and selfless man to his death. After putting all the pieces together, Percy promises to save Armand’s life.  He reveals that his love for her never died; it was simply asleep. She quietly responds that she was too proud to express her own affection for him [ I have mixed feelings about these two fools. They really need to look up the exact meaning of “communication”.]  The next morning, Percy unexpectedly leaves for France; soon after, Marguerite discovers to her great consternation [and simultaneous delight] that Percy Blakeney, the long-legged, droopy-eyed Englishman, is the Scarlet Pimpernel. [Are you surprised? I wasn’t. To be frank, I’d expected this kind of earth-shattering revelation. She literally sold her own husband to the devil, but I don’t exactly blame her, considering her circumstances. I wasn’t a bit pleased with her, though. It’s what she does next that impressed me.] Desperate to save her husband, she impulsively decides to pursue Percy and warn him of the impending danger [Chauvelin knows his identity and his purpose.] She persuades Sir Andrew Ffoulkes to accompany her, but due to bad weather, neither they nor Chauvelin can leave England immediately. [See? She’s impressive, right? Her plan is poorly thought out, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. She’s the true star of this book.]

Chauvelin reaches France [Calais, in particular] ahead of Marguerite and Ffoulkes, and takes up residence in a filthy inn, Chat Gris. Percy openly approaches him there, offering him a pinch of snuff; the unsuspecting Frenchman willingly accepts. Unbeknownst to him, Percy had actually given him pure pepper [oh, dear. Oh, dear. I loved this scene.] Poor Chauvelin begins sneezing violently; Percy calmly walks out of the inn. Chauvelin’s secretary informs him that the Scarlet Pimpernel was spotted near a hut called Pere Blanchard’s Hut; however, when the republicans reach there, they discover [to their horror, shock and rage] that Percy has freed all their hostages [including Armand St. Just and Comte de Tournay, the father of Marguerite’s childhood friend, Suzanne.] Meanwhile, Marguerite resolutely pursues Percy till the end, determined to save him even if it means sacrificing herself for his sake. Ffoulkes, who has never seen Lady Blakeney all fired up, compliments her, stating that he has never met a more courageous and devoted woman. Percy, disguised as an old Jew, Reuben, is captured by Chauvelin. However, the “wily” republican does not recognise him [wily, sure. He doesn’t recognise an enemy when he sees one, huh?]. Percy slips right through his slimy fingers.

With Marguerite’s love and courage amply proven, Percy’s ardour is rekindled. Safely back on their yacht, the Day Dreamer, the happily reconciled couple return to England. Ffoulkes marries Suzanne.  Happily ever after!  It’s a matter of opinion, but I find Marguerite to be more heroic than Percy. It’s a well-known fact that the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues aristocrats, but a woman who has been in the lap of luxury all her life and doesn’t know much about combat and rescue missions and complicated stuff like that clashing with a merciless enemy in order to rescue an innocent man—now that’s what I call true heroism.  That’s all for now. See you next time…

Thank you!

I hope you liked my article!

Thank you! I hope you liked my article!

The Unification of Germany and Otto von Bismarck’s alliances

Hello friend!

I have brought you a new blog post today. Happy reading! This one’s about Germany in the 19^th century!! This is one of the topics in my AS Levels International History textbook. 

The birth of a new country

The Second German Reich [empire] was established on 18 January 1871, at the Palace of Versailles in France. The North German Confederation and the South German States were unified to create a single country—Germany. The key figure in this unification was Count Otto von Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia. During the 19^th century, Austria was the dominant German-speaking power on the continent; however, in 1866, Bismarck’s Prussian troops defeated Austria and destroyed its position. In 1867, Austria formed a monarchic union with Hungary, but its ruling family, the Hapsburgs, “ruled” [what a farce, the Hapsburgs weren’t a very strong dynasty at all] over a multinational and chaotic empire. The Franco-Prussian War enabled Bismarck to complete his plans to unify Germany, leaving a bitter and vengeful France in the dust. By the terms of the Treaty of Frankfurt [1871], Germany seized the French provinces of Alsace-Lorraine and forced France to pay a vast sum of war reparations. Resentment at the loss of its land, coupled with a deep-rooted fear of this new, powerful German nation, influenced French foreign policy for many years to come.

The unification of Germany in 1871 marked the start of some relatively peaceful and stable years in Europe. Germany was now one of the continent’s major powers, alongside Britain, France, Austria-Hungary and Russia. None of these countries wanted war with one another, so their rivalries were played out not in Europe, but in the distant lands of Africa and Asia.  As expected of sly Bismarck, his policies played a significant role in maintaining this stability within Europe. Although Germany was now the dominant power on the continent—economically as well as militarily—he understood that, situated at the very heart of Europe, it was susceptible.  The country was surrounded by potential enemies—by France to the west, By Russia to the east and by Austria-Hungary to the south.  The count’s main concern was to isolate France, which he knew would be looking for revenge after its hands-down defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. To this end, he began entering into uneasy alliances with other countries.

Bismarck’s alliances

The Three Emperors’ League [Drekaiserbund], 1873

In 1873, Bismarck negotiated a meeting between Kaiser Wilhelm the First of Germany, Tsar Alexander the Second of Russia and Emperor Franz Joseph the First of Austria-Hungary. In addition to isolating France, Bismarck fervently hoped that regular meetings between the three supreme rulers would help reduce friction between Austria-Hungary and Russia; however, this was just wishful thinking. The alliance was largely unsuccessful, as Austria-Hungary and Russia remained at loggerheads. By 1879, the league had effectively collapsed.

The Dual Alliance, 1879

This was a defensive alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary. The agreement stated that each country would come to the other’s aid in the event of an attack by Russia. The two countries also agreed to remain neutral in the event of an attack by another country, such as France.  Well, about this alliance… it was pretty successful— until Italy came along, that is.

The Triple Alliance, 1882

This was basically an extension of the Dual Alliance. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy pledged to offer each other mutual support in the event of an attack by any one of the great powers. Italy’s ulterior motives for entering into this alliance—it wanted to protect itself from the great powers and knew that it did not have the military strength to do so; besides, it was mad at France for seizing Tunisia the previous year. Italy had harboured its own aspirations for taking control of this area. Oh well, first come first served, I guess. Anyways, this alliance didn’t work out at all! Poor Bismarck. Austria-Hungary and Italy were traditional enemies, and neither could boast a strong army to come to Germany’s aid in the event of a French attack. I won’t pretend to sympathise with Bismarck, but I have to say—he’s one of my favourite historical figures.

The Reinsurance Treaty, 1887

Despite the existence of the Triple Alliance, Bismarck’s plan to isolate France had not been effective. The fact that France and Russia seemed to be forming an alliance of their own was a major cause of concern for our dear count. Germany would be caught up in a two-pronged attack if France and Russia led an assault on it. In a desperate attempt to avoid this probability, Bismarck signed the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia in 1887.  This guaranteed German and Russian neutrality in any war, as long as Germany did not attack France, or Russia attack Austria-Hungary. This alliance was quite effective until the First World War [or the Great War as it was known at the time], when all hell broke loose and Germany and Russia morphed into bitter enemies. Seriously, national politics! It’s just a huge board of chess, and no one knows when their piece will be knocked off the board.

All these alliances, so carefully negotiated by Bismarck, were entirely defensive in character and were intended to preserve peace. However, they were formed by treaties whose terms were secret, and this naturally gave rise to suspicions amongst the other powers. These suspicions grew when Germany began to adopt a more aggressive foreign policy. That’s all for now! 

See you next time…

Thank you! I hope you liked my article!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Hello friend!

I have brought you a new blog post today. Happy reading!

[WARNING: This contains MAJOR spoilers]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series.  It’s extremely well written, and some parts are, to be honest, astounding. I was really enthralled by this book! It’s one of my favourites! It feels sadly empty without Dumbledore, but the dynamic trio are as courageous and resourceful as ever. Moreover, Neville’s transition from a clumsy and introverted boy to a sassy, brave and powerful wizard is amazing. My feelings toward Snape changed a lot, too [I still don’t particularly like him, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t admire him.]

Voldemort capitalises on Dumbledore’s death by gathering more loyal followers and finishing off the current Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour ( a puppet Minister for Magic, Pius Thickness, is appointed in his place). Harry Potter is about to turn seventeen, losing the protection he had as long as he stayed under the Dursleys’ roof.  The Order of the Phoenix move Harry to a new location before his birthday, but the Death Eaters, who have seen through their plans, launch a surprise attack on them; Mad-Eye Moody is killed (much to Tonks’ horror and rage. He was her mentor, after all. I have to admit, I didn’t expect old Moody to die so unceremoniously.) George Weasley loses his ear (Snape, who was aiming for a Death Eater behind Lupin, ended up cutting off George’s ear.) Voldemort himself arrives to kill Harry, but Harry’s wand fends him off of its own accord. Harry, Ron, and Hermione make preparations to abandon Hogwarts and ferret out Voldemort’s hidden Horcruxes; their resolve is impressive, but they have few clues to work with (yeah. Sad, right? Don’t worry, Dumbledore continues to guide them from beyond the grave.)  They know that one of the Horcruxes is Salazar Slytherin’s locket, but they don’t know its location ( the locket with the initials “R.A.B.” is a fake). Another Horcrux is a cup belonging to the founder of Hufflepuff, Helga Hufflepuff (one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts.)  Based on what Dumbledore told him during their private lessons, Harry deduces that the third Horcrux is connected to Ravenclaw’s founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, while the last one is probably Voldemort’s snake familiar, Nagini.  The trio also inherit strange bequests from among Dumbledore’s possessions; a Golden Snitch ( a ball used in Quidditch) for Harry, a Deluminator ( a device that can magically turn the lights off) for Ron, and a book of fairy tales for Hermione. (She proves to be extremely worthy of it!]

The trio attend Bill Weasley (the eldest  Weasley brother) and Fleur Delacour’s wedding (I know this is sudden, but their relationship has been blooming for a year. Tonks and Lupin are married, too.) There, they learn that the Ministry has fallen to Voldemort completely,; terrified, they flee to Grimmauld Place, Sirius’ old house (which, according to his will, belongs to Harry.)  The house elf, Kreacher (the selfsame horrid creature, pun intended, who lied about Sirius being held hostage at the Ministry of Magic) informs them that “R.A. B.” was actually Sirius’ younger brother, Regulus Arcturus Black, an extremely loyal Death Eater (for a while, that is. He soon became disillusioned with Voldemort’s extremist philosophy and mistreatment of house elves — particularly of Kreacher. ) He stole the locket and intended to destroy it, but his untimely demise prevented him from doing so; shortly after, it was seized by the Evil and Ugly Dolores Umbridge (that’s what I call her. Heh.) They infiltrate the Ministry in disguise (Polyjuice Potion is ever so reliable) and take the locket, but in doing so, accidentally break the protection of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, and are forced to go on the run. They’re absolutely blank as to how that evil object should be destroyed; under the locket’s evil influence, Ron, the most insecure of the three, abandons Harry and Hermione after a massive row. As these two continue their quest, trying to drown their grief, they discover a lot of things about Dumbledore’s past, including his connection to the infamous Dark Wizard, Gellert Grindelwald, and the death of his little sister, Ariana Dumbledore.Hankering for more clues,Harry and Hermione journey to Godric's Hollow. (Harry’s birthplace. His parents sacrificed their precious lives here.)There, they meet the famous historian Bathilda Bagshot, but she turns out to be Nagini in disguise (no, the damned snake can’t change her appearance at will. She killed Bathilda and entered her corpse. Disgusting and horrifying!!)  ...I’m going off topic here. She attacks Harry; Hermione rushes to his rescue, but accidentally damages Harry’s wand. They barely escape with their lives.

Lady Fortune finally smiles on them— a mysterious doe Patronus appears and guides Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor (which, for reasons not yet known, is stuck in a frozen pond in the Forest of Dean.) Discovering that the Sword is able to destroy Horcruxes, Harry plucks it out and attempts to stab the locket, but the cursed object wraps itself around his throat. Ron ( I almost cried at the time) appears at that precise moment and destroys the locket with the Sword. He explains that the Deluminator guided him to the two (he heard Hermione’s voice coming from it.) Hermione notices a strange symbol in Dumbledore’s book, recalling that it was worn by Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna’s father, at the wedding. They go to meet him. He tells them that the symbol represents the titular Deathly Hallows, which are composed of three objects (an unbeatable wand “the Elder Wand”, the “Resurrection Stone”, which is said to have the power to bring back dead people, and the infallible “Invisibility Cloak.”) It is revealed that the Elder Wand was in Dumbledore’s possession; Harry suspects that Voldemort is trying to steal the wand. His suspicions are confirmed when he has a vision of Voldemort removing the wand from Dumbledore’s tomb (how can you steal from a dead man?!?!]

Shortly after, the trio are captured by mercenary wizards and taken to Malfoy Mansion, where Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Hermione to learn how the three acquired the Sword, which she believed was in her vault at Gringotts (I hated her so much in this scene!! ) With Dobby’s help, they escape with fellow prisoners Luna Lovegood (that’s right. The brave girl is enduring every torment the Death Eaters inflict on her) and famed wand maker Ollivander; however, Dobby is killed by Bellatrix ( I don’t know what you think, but poor, cheerful, adorable and selfless Dobby’s death was the saddest for me) and Harry ends up taking Draco’s wand, as his own is broken. Oh, and the traitorous rat, Pettigrew, is forced to strangle himself due to an enchantment set on him by Voldemort ( he knew he owed Harry his life, so he was beginning to have mixed feelings (sorta) and considered letting Harry, Ron and Hermione escape.) There’s something that I forgot to mention. Among the prisoners are Dean Thomas (a seventh year Gryffindor student), and Griphook, a goblin who works at Gringotts. Bellatrix’s insane rage when she assumed that the trio had broken into her vault leads Harry to suspect that there is something precious stowed away in her vault; Griphook confirms that she does, indeed, have a gold cup in her vault. The trio infiltrate Gringotts with Griphook’s help, but that horrible goblin steals the Sword of Gryffindor and abandons them. After much trial and error, the three manage to escape. The cup is actually a Horcrux (it’s Helga Hufflepuff’s.) Harry has a vision confirming that the unidentified Horcrux is at Hogwarts. 

They enter the school through an undiscovered secret entrance in the “Hog’s Head”, a bar in Hogsmeade owned by Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth. Harry tips the teachers off about Voldemort’s planned assault on the school, and Mcgonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick (the Head of Ravenclaw and Charms Professor) attack Snape (who has now assumed the mantle of Headmaster. I was really upset at the time.) While he holds his own against the three skilled wizards for a while, a particularly powerful spell from Mcgonagall sends him packing.  The Order of the Phoenix (Fleur’s not an official member of the Order, but she’s skilled and wants to fight, so she comes alongt too) arrive to prepare for the battle that is drawing ever closer. They manage to buy enough time for Harry to locate the Horcrux; Voldemort had set a guard in the Ravenclaw tower, confirming the boy’s suspicions that Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem is the Horcrux. It’s hidden in the Room  of Requirement. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione destroy the cup with a basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets ( this echoes the destruction of the diary Horcrux, remember?). Voldemort and his creepy followers invade Hogwarts; Harry (who has been joined by Ron and Hermione) finds the diadem, but the trio are confronted by Draco and his boorish cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe attempts to finish them off using Fiendfyre, a deadly curse, but since he can’t cast it properly, he ends up being consumed by his own flames (The trio leap up on broomsticks; Harry grabs Draco’s cloak; Draco grabs Goyle’s arm. That’s how they escape, coughing, choking, with minor burns on their faces and arms. In the process, the diadem is destroyed.)

Several major characters are killed in the ensuing battle, including Remus Lupin (!!!), Nymphadora Tonks (!!!), and Fred Weasley (!!!). In his encampment, Voldemort wonders why the Elder Wand is not performing as per as his expectations; believing Snape to be the rightful owner of the Elder Wand as he was the one who killed Dumbledore, he instructs Nagini to kill him— which she does with unholy fervour. Harry, who is watching with eyes as wide as saucers, rushes to the dying Snape’s side as soon as Voldemort leaves. Snape hands him a bottle containing a few of his extracted memories, tells him that he has his mother’s eyes (a brilliant green) and dies. I was really horrified! I disliked Snape, but I never wanted him to die in such a horrible manner;I’ve always been repulsed by Nagini, but never did I hate her so much as then. She gets her comeuppance soon, don’t worry.  The memories reveal that Snape had a lifelong love for Lily (Harry’s mother), but these feelings were unrequited. She initially viewed him as a friend, but after he accidentally called her a “Mudblood”, she turned her back on him forever (of course she did.) After joining Voldemort’s army, Snape discovered, to his horror, that Voldemort was targeting the Potters, whose child was supposedly destined to destroy him. Snape begged him not to kill Lily, but Voldemort went ahead and did so anyways, leaving him heartbroken. He joined Dumbledore and began operating covertly, pretending to be on Voldemort’s side.  I know, I know, it’s almost unbelievable. Still, like I said, I really admire Snape’s bravery and determination (whatever his motivation was. We already know that.) Also, Dumbledore “planned” his murder with Snape (he was slowly dying from the effect of the ring Horcrux.) The memories also reveal that Harry is a Horcrux, too (I was like “HUH?! WHAT?!”) and must be destroyed in order to kill Voldemort. Voldemort gives him about an hour to surrender; Harry reluctantly decides to surrender himself. When he enters the Forbidden Forest, he discovers that the Resurrection Stone is hidden inside the Snitch (he now possesses two of the three objects that make up the Deathly Hallows— the Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone.) Voldemort strikes him with a Killing Curse, and the reader is led to believe that he’s dead; however, only the Horcrux part of him has been destroyed.

Refusing to surrender just because Harry is dead, Neville draws the Sword of Gryffindor and cleanly slices off Nagini’s head, destroying the final Horcrux. Bellatrix Lestrange gets her comeuppance when she’s killed by Mrs Weasley. Harry, who is now seen to be alive, faces Voldemort for the final time and reveals himself as the true owner of the Elder Wand; he Disarmed Draco, who Disarmed Dumbledore. As Voldemort attempts to kill him, his spell rebounds (Ha! Evil always destroys itself!) Harry returns the Elder Wand to Dumbledore’s tomb, as it corrupts its owner and causes said owner to come to a sticky end. 

In the epilogue on King’s Cross Station 19 years later, Harry and Ginny are a couple with three children— James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. Ron and Hermione also have two children, Rose and Hugo. Draco has a son called Scorpius; Neville is a Hogwarts Professor; Harry’s scar has not hurt for 19 years. Happy Ending! The Harry Potter series has finally come to an end! It was really long, wasn't it? See you next time... 

Thank you! I hoped you enjoyed my article!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Hello friend!

I have brought you a new blog post today. Happy reading!

[WARNING: this contains MAJOR spoilers]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth and penultimate book in the Harry Potter series.  This book, which is considerably darker and grittier than the previous ones, is so enchanting it’s my absolute, undisputed favourite. It held me in thrall till the very end; I was literally flowing with the plot [ the plot is like a torrential river that swirls and whirls and drags you along with it.] I was drinking in every word! I was only 14 when I read it, so there were a few crucial things I missed, but I understand them better now. Half-Blood Prince reveals some very interesting [ a huge understatement] things about Voldemort’s past. Draco Malfoy, who was nothing but a prat in the earlier books, plays a crucial role in this book [ I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.] Oh, and Fudge has been sacked [ no surprise there, after he completely ignored the threat posed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.] There’s a new, much more efficient Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

Harry Potter is spending his days at the Dursleys’ as usual, trying –and failing—to cope with Sirius’ death. However, he brightens up considerably when Dumbledore arrives to take him to the Burrow [ Harry’s second favourite building in the world, the first being Hogwarts]; on the way, they make a  detour to the temporary home of Horace Slughorn, former Potions teacher at Hogwarts. He is in hiding because the Death Eaters are trying to recruit him. Harry unwittingly persuades the geezer to come out of retirement and begin teaching again [ though the boy assumes he’s going to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, as Snape teaches Potions.] [I forgot to mention Umbridge left the school in disgrace.] Harry and Dumbledore then proceed to the Burrow, where Hermione has already arrived. Dumbledore informs him that he will not be taking Occlumency lessons this year; instead, the Headmaster and the Chosen One will explore some areas that will help the latter to survive.  Meanwhile, Snape meets with Narcissa Malfoy [ you guessed right. She’s Draco’s mother] and her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort’s most enthusiastic and powerful followers. A hysterical Narcissa expresses her extreme concern that her sixteen-year-old son might not survive a dangerous mission given to him by Voldemort. Bellatrix, who feels that Voldemort’s trust in Snape is misplaced, feels that he will be of no help until he surprises her by making an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa [ he promises to assist and protect Draco in his mission. If he breaks this promise, he’ll die.]

The next morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione get their Ordinary Wizarding Level results [ these exams are very crucial in a wizard’s fifth year], along with a list of school supplies. When they journey to Diagon Alley along with Mr and Mrs Weasley [and Ginny, who’s now in her fifth year], Harry spots Draco and is instantly suspicious of him [ he’s walking faster than usual and keeps looking around furtively.] The trio follow him to Dark Arts supplier Borgin and Burkes. Harry believes him to be a Death Eater. On the Hogwarts Express, Harry discusses his suspicions of Draco’s allegiance with Voldemort with Ron and Hermione, but Ron dismisses this allegation and Hermione is doubtful due to the lack of evidence. Harry wears his Invisibility Cloak and hides in the same carriage that Draco is seated in. Draco’s vague [but boastful] comments suggest that he is, indeed, a Death Eater. Before Harry can find out something of real importance, Draco discovers him, restrains him and stamps on his face. Harry is worried because he can’t move, but Nymphadora Tonks shows up [she’s so awesome!] and escorts him back to the castle. During the opening feast, Dumbledore announces that Slughorn will be teaching Potions, and Snape will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Though Harry has never displayed extraordinary skill when it comes to Potions, he now excels in it, thanks to a book that once belonged to someone called the Half-Blood Prince, a mysterious former student who wrote numerous tips and spells in his Potions textbook. Slughorn is very impressed by what he believes to be “natural talent”; on the other hand, Hermione is suspicious of the Prince and repulsed by Harry’s cheating. During a class contest, Harry wins a bottle of Felix Felicis, otherwise known as Liquid Luck.

Dumbledore keeps his word. Believing that Harry needs to learn Voldemort’s past in order to gain an advantage in the upcoming battle, he schedules regular meetings with Harry in his office. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione refuse to speak to each other after Ron starts dating a girl called Lavender Brown, who is also a sixth-year Gryffindor student. Dumbledore and Harry use the former’s Penseive [ a basin which contains a lot of shimmering silver stuff; this stuff is actually extracted memories. Memories can be collected and removed as per the user’s wish. One can also enter this basin.]  No one wishes to speak about Voldemort, so these memories have been painstakingly collected. Harry learns about Voldemort’s family and his evolution into a homicidal maniac obsessed with eternal life. He sees a memory involving Slughorn conversing with the young Tom Riddle [he had not discarded his identity at the time], which has clearly been tampered with. He is tasked with retrieving the true, unedited memory from Slughorn; this memory proves crucial in defeating Voldemort. Harry uses his Felix Felicis [and a little emotional blackmail] and successfully retrieves the memory. In this unedited version, Slughorn tells Riddle about Horcruxes, objects that can be used to house one’s soul [the soul is split into several parts. However, one must take a life in order to encase one’s soul in a Horcrux.] Voldemort has created six Horcruxes; making himself virtually immortal by placing a piece of his soul in each one, and keeping the seventh and last one within his body. Dumbledore declares that each Horcrux must be destroyed if Harry is truly serious about finishing Voldemort; two Horcruxes—Riddle’s diary [the one which possessed Ginny], and a ring belonging to Riddle’s grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt—have already been destroyed, but four others remain. Meanwhile, Harry begins developing guilty feelings for Ginny [he keeps reminding himself that she’s Ron’s sister.] After Ron is poisoned in an attempt on Dumbledore’s life, he reconciles with Hermione and breaks up with Lavender, much to Harry’s relief.

Following a wild Quidditch victory, Harry and Ginny act on their mutual feelings [Ron reluctantly gives them his consent.]  Near the end of the year, Harry and Dumbledore journey to a cave to retrieve a suspected Horcrux, Slytherin’s locket. Dumbledore discovers a secret passageway to a large, pitch black lake; the two of them cross the lake in a boat. The locket is cunningly placed at the bottom of a basin, and can only be reached by drinking the potion, the Drink of Despair, above it. Dumbledore orders Harry to give him the potion; Harry does so with several misgivings. The potion causes Dumbledore hallucinations and severe [ too soft a word for what he’s really going through, actually] pain. Though Dumbledore is greatly weakened, he manages to fight off several of Voldemort’s Inferi [ dead bodies that have been enchanted to make them move.] Seriously, Dumbledore is super amazing; no wonder even Voldemort is scared of him! They take the locket and return to Hogwarts, only to find that the Dark Mark has been placed over the Astronomy Tower. They rush to the Tower [Harry is under his Invisibility Cloak]. Dumbledore shoves Harry behind the door and places a Body-Bind Curse on him; Draco rushes in and Disarms Dumbledore [if Dumbledore hadn’t used his wand to restrain Harry, he’d have been able to defend himself, but he did it with zero regrets. Saving himself was not his priority.] It is revealed that Draco’s task was to dispose of Dumbledore, and that he was repairing the Vanishing Cabinet [ an ancient cabinet that can transport one anywhere they choose to go; this allowed a bunch of Death Eaters to infiltrate Hogwarts.] Though he insists he’ll kill Dumbledore without hesitation, his shaking hand gives him away [and rather ruins the effect of his sneering speech]. He’s unable to kill Dumbledore. After all, he’s only a sheltered, cosseted sixteen-year-old who was suddenly forced into the dangerous, stormy world of Dark Magic, and instructed to kill his Headmaster. Dumbledore kindly states that Draco can think of all this as a nightmare if he likes, and offers to help him; just as Draco lowers his wand a fraction of an inch, the Death Eaters who came through the Vanishing Cabinet burst in. As they argue over who gets to kill Dumbledore in Draco’s stead, Snape marches in. Dumbledore imploringly says, “Severus [Snape’s first name]… please…” and Snape kills him.  I will never, ever forget these two words. I was horrified; of all people—Dumbledore—I really wasn’t expecting this. “I won’t forgive you, you murdering snake!!!” is what I thought at the time. Harry can only watch in shock as Dumbledore falls backwards. Draco and the Death Eaters—including Snape—leave the Tower. Shaking off the Body-Bind Curse, Harry chases after Snape, determined to avenge Dumbledore’s death; he’s no match for Snape, who defeats him before departing with a parting shot—he is the Half-Blood Prince.

After Dumbledore’s funeral, Harry decides to break up with Ginny, saying it is too dangerous for her if their relationship continues. He discovers that the locket is a fake; it contains a note from someone known as “R.A.B”. Fighting back tears of rage and hatred, Harry resolves to destroy Voldemort before he can take the life of another precious person. Voldemort has left so many scars on him that won’t heal. He informs his friends that he won’t be returning to Hogwarts next year; instead, he’ll spend the entire fishing out Voldemort’s Horcruxes.  Ron and Hermione insist on joining him in his quest.

The book ends on this note. The climax was so horrible, wasn’t it?! If the reader can find Cedric, Sirius and Dumbledore’s deaths devastating, imagine the pain Harry must be going through. Still, he soldiers on resolutely, hiding his wounds and striving to get stronger. See you next time…

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