Revealing mistake: It is not what is seen here that is the problem, but what we don't see on the Hogwarts Express; first on the way to Hogwarts when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in their compartment talking about Draco, and second, during holiday break, when Harry and Ron are talking about Unbreakable Vows. As the camera faces the large compartment window, we see the scenery out the window, but as the train speeds along, the scenic reflection of the windows opposite it, in the corridor, should be seen but isn't. What is reflected is the light colored wall of the compartment beneath the blacked-out window. The camera filming the shots from this angle is positioned at that window, and to hide the camera/crews' outline, the window was covered.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Trailers
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Timothy Spall, Julie Walters, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint, Warwick Davis
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Harry Potter, Mystery, Romance
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Ron: [Talking about Lavender] All she wants to do is snog me. My lips are getting chapped. Look!
Harry: I'll take your word for it.
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: 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.
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.
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