Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Question: Why is Harry not punished by Snape for almost killing Malfoy in the bathroom?

bomberswarm2

Chosen answer: Snape wants to know how Harry knew Sectum Sempra. As shown by him using Occumelancy to see where his copy of Advanced Potion making is. But at the same time, if Snape punished Harry for a spell in a book, Harry could show it to Dumbledore, who would recognise Snape's handwriting. Additionally, Harry was certainly punished in the book - he got detention with Snape every Saturday for the rest of the term. The movie most likely had to cut this for time issues, and also perhaps because the scene is more dramatic if Snape only silently glares at him.

Ssiscool

Question: Instead of using the Pensieve to view Voldemort's and Slughorn's memories, wouldn't it have been much easier for Dumbledore to simply tell Harry of his first meeting with Tom and Harry simply asking Slughorn what he knew?

Answer: The purpose of the Pensieve is to preserve the memory exactly as it was recorded. Telling Harry something years after an event occurred is not as effective or as accurate as seeing. It is more impactful if Harry can watch events exactly as they unfolded. Regarding Slughorn, he had refused to give his complete memory because he was ashamed of the unintentional part he played in Voldemort's plan to create the Horcruxes. He was duped by Riddle, but he still did not want anyone to know how foolish he was.

raywest

Answer: Dumbledore went to great lengths to recover the modified memory from Slughorn and convince him to return to Hogwarts as a teacher. Asking Slughorn about the memory upfront would greatly reduce their chances of getting the rest of the memory. It was important for Harry to charm Slughorn because that was one of his weaknesses. He held Harry's mother in high regards, so Harry really was the only key to getting the memory.

Answer: It would have been pointless for Harry to simply ask Slughorn about Riddle because, as Slughorn previously did, he would react angrily, simply refuse, lie, or alter or delete facts as it was too painful and he was too ashamed to admit what he'd done. Even if Slughorn did tell him, memories are tricky, and, over time, people recall facts differently than what actually happened. Dumbledore needed the pensieve for both his and Slughorn's memories so Harry would have an accurate as possible picture of what happened. This is also J.K. Rowling's magical world. It would be pretty dull, literary-wise, to simply have Dumbledore or Slughorn tell Harry what happened.

raywest

Question: When Harry sees into the past of Dumbledore's meeting with young Tom Riddle, Tom admits that he hurts people if they are mean to him. Since Tom openly admits this with obviously no guilt or remorse, why would Dumbledore take him to Hogwarts to learn magic instead of leaving him at the orphanage?

Answer: Leaving an untrained young wizard, who obviously has some behavioral issues and has no idea he is magical, alone in the Muggle world would be extremely dangerous. Dumbledore does not yet know that Riddle will become evil, but like any teacher, he wants to give a troubled youth an opportunity to find a new path in life.

raywest

Question: When Ron, Hermione and Harry are in the Three Broomsticks, and Ron mentions to Hermione about how she has a bit of foam from her butterbeer above her lip, why does she seem so upset and embarrassed?

gcfreak5945

Chosen answer: Because she doesn't want to look silly in front of Ron, who she's in love with. Teenage romance, it's a minefield...

Tailkinker

Answer: Because at the start of the film, she gets all flustered when she has a bit of toothpaste on her mouth, and Ron leans over to wipe it from her face. She obviously thinks about this moment a lot because when she smells the love potion during Slughorn's class, she mentions spearmint toothpaste. In the Three Broomsticks she's upset because she has foam on her mouth and instead of maybe wiping it away like he had done at the Burrow, he just gestures to her that she has something on her mouth.

Answer: Hermione is a perfectionist and dislikes having anyone, particularly Ron, pointing out that she erred, slipped up, or did something embarrassing.

raywest

Question: What is the sole purpose of a Death Eater?

Answer: Their sole purpose is to serve Lord Voldemort. They are his most trusted and faithful followers and do his bidding without question or hesitation. They also make up his inner council, acting as advisors and gathering information that will help the Dark Lord conquer the wizard world. Once someone has entered the Dark Lord's service, there is no leaving it alive.

raywest

Question: How could first-year students buy wands this year if Ollivander closed his shop?

Answer: While Ollivander is regarded as the most skilled and revered wand maker, other wand makers did exist. The students obviously would have gone to a different shop that year.

Question: Anyone who's read the seventh book will know that Harry misses something very important in the room of requirement (I'm being vague here to avoid spoilers.) Is said item ever shown in this film?

Josman

Chosen answer: I have watched the film several times and specifically looked for the item you are mentioning (The bust of a warlock with an ugly wig, and the object you're referring to). I have not seen it. There ARE several Easter Eggs from previous movies, however, such as the harp and chess pieces from HP1.

Question: Is there a reason why the white bird in the cupboard died? Also, why did it turn black when it came back to life?

Answer: There are two birds, as we see in the cage early on. Draco uses them to test whether the link between the two vanishing cabinets is working - with the white bird, the link is unsuccessful, so the bird dies. After working on it further, he tests it again using the black bird, which survives, telling him that the link is up and running.

Tailkinker

Question: When Harry and Dumbledore find the locket horcux, why did Dumbledore drink the liquid instead of just dumping it out by using the bowl?

Answer: It was magically charmed so that the only way to empty the liquid from the bowl to retrieve the locket horcrux was by drinking it. Harry tried removing it using the ladle, but it would not remove any liquid at all.

raywest

Question: After the scene in which the death eaters attack Harry and Ginny, everyone runs back to The Burrow which is being burnt down. My question is why does everyone look so sad? It's not like they're going to be homeless. They could have used the spell aguamenti to extinguish the flames, and any further damage could be fixed with the spell reparo. I've heard of fiendfyre in the Harry Potter series, but this just looked like normal fire to me.

Answer: According to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, you cannot create all things with magic, so some things would definitely be lost in a fire - magical or otherwise.

kristenlouise3

Question: What was the reason for adding the attack scene at the Burrow during Christmas? My friend and I can't find a way to fit this scene in with the rest of the movie, as it does not happen in the book. It's obvious directors love to add scenes that aren't in the book, but something of this impact, it's just flying right over my head.

HulkObsessedChick

Chosen answer: In the book we are told of attacks by Death Eaters within the Wizarding community. In the film, when Arthur and Harry enter the shed, Arthur explains that they're all being followed and most days Molly doesn't leave the house. The filmmakers chose to expound on this by means of an attack by Bellatrix and Greyback, and the attempt to terrorize the family the viewers hold dear, the Weasleys.

Super Grover

Question: Why wouldn't Dumbledore let Professor Snape teach Defense Against Dark Arts before this year? Snape says in the book that Dumbledore was afraid of him being tempted to relapse into his Death Eater ways, but he says this to Bellatrix and Narcissa, who falsely think that he is on their side. Also, he probably wouldn't feel tempted to become a Death Eater again after Voldemort killed Lily. And Dumbledore repeatedly insists that he completely trusts Snape.

Answer: While Dumbledore did trust Snape, he knew that his being immersed in teaching the Dark Arts could have an effect on him. Also, many years before, Voldemort had placed a curse on the position of the Dark Arts instructor after Dumbledore turned him down for it. After that, no instructor lasted more than one year. He didn't believe that Snape could last any longer than the others had, and he couldn't risk losing his strongest ally.

raywest

Question: This question is for the book as well as the movie scene. I don't understand why Severus agrees to make the Unbreakable Vow. Narcissa and Bella did visit his house behind Voldemort's back and discuss a matter that Voldemort told Narcissa not to speak about. So if he had declined, they wouldn't be able to complain. In fact, he could have gone to Voldemort and reported what they did.

Answer: Like any secret society, the Death Eaters have their own internal politics and power games. By agreeing to the Vow, Snape is "proving" his loyalty to the cause, while gaining something on Narcissa and Bellatrix. (He also knows he's safe because he already knows Dumbledore is dying and the two of them have already set up their ruse to make it look like Snape killed him).

Captain Defenestrator

Question: In the Christmas party scene, when Harry and Cormac are behind the curtain talking, Cormac pops a dragon tart in his mouth then says something weird while his mouth is full. What did he say? I listened to that line over and over but couldn't make it out.

Answer: If I remember correctly, he says something along the lines of "what is this I'm eating?".

Cubs Fan

Question: Why is Professor McGonagall so shocked that Harry would accuse Draco of cursing the necklace? She knows that Draco's father is a Death Eater, as well as some of his friends' fathers. Professor Snape is there, but they are both in the Order of the Phoenix (and she has no reason to not trust Snape yet).

Answer: She's likely incredulous at the idea that Draco could perform a curse that well.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: Why does it seem like they used CGI on Daniel Radcliffe's face? Multiple times like on the train when he is talking you can see that his face is edited. What happened?

Answer: This is never explained, but a possible answer is to spend less time on his makeup. Also, he might've not had the look the crew were going for.

Question: In the movie when Harry, Ron and Hermione are sitting in the Great Hall and discussing how Ron and Lavender broke up, Hermione asks Ron if he remembered something from that night in the Hospital Wing. Ron says, "I did remember something, but no, it can't be". What was it that Ron remembered?

FirstQuote

Chosen answer: Ron remembers calling Hermione's name when he was in bed sick. Hermione asks if he remembered anything, which he lies about and says his mind was completely "boggled." He remembers, but he does not want to admit it since he likes Hermione and does not want her to know.

Tricia Webster

Question: Is Aragog smaller in this film, than in the Chamber of Secrets?

Answer: Yes, much smaller. I'd estimate that the Aragog in Half-Blood Prince is about one third the size of the spider in Chamber of Secrets.

raywest

Answer: Yes. They needed to make the effect that his body has dried out and has no life.

Question: Why did Draco want to gate-crash Slughorn's party? It seems to have something to do with his mission to kill Dumbledore, but Dumbledore was not there.

Answer: He wasn't gate-crashing. Draco was caught in the halls, where he should not have been. He was en route to the Room of Requirement where he was secretly working on repairing the vanishing cabinet. The "gate-crashing" was an excuse he came up with when Filch happened to catch him outside where Slughorn's party was being held.

raywest

Answer: Draco poisoned Slughorn's present for Dumbledore.

Question: I can't figure out why Draco wanted to go to Hogsmeade and give someone the cursed necklace there, then have them walk - under the influence of a curse - all the way back to Hogwarts. Why not hex someone in the castle (someone not old enough to be visiting Hogsmeade), closer to Dumbledore?

Answer: Filch used secrecy sensors on everyone entering Hogwarts at the start of the year, so Draco could not bring the necklace into Hogwarts as it would instantly be detected. We know from the books that the barmaid at the Three Broomsticks Rosmerta was under the imperious curse from Malfoy and she passed it onto the first Hogwarts student to enter the bathroom alone. Therefore it was likely sent to her directly from Borgin and Burkes.

Continuity mistake: In Potions class, when Hermione stands before the cauldron explaining what she is smelling in her closeup, we see Neville behind her with the broad space to his right (viewer's left), just as she says, "Spearmint toothpaste". In the instant cut to the wideshot, Harry is now shoulder to shoulder with Neville, too fast for him to suddenly be standing that close to Neville. (00:34:35)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Albus Dumbledore: Take my arm. That was fun. Most people vomit their first time.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Trivia: Christian Coulson, who played Tom Riddle in the second film, expressed interest in returning for this film, but David Yates felt Coulson was too old to convincingly play the role again. Ironically, Coulson was "too old" to begin with, being almost ten years older than the age group Chris Columbus had set for auditions.

Cubs Fan

More trivia for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.