Half-blood Prince Spoilers!

[Oldie Black Witch]

If ever a book needed discussion this is it.
Betrayal and girlfriends and horcruxes, oh my!

And if you don't want to know spoilers, don't click on the thread.

You have been warned.

[Oldie Black Witch]

The choice of teachers was unexpected. So was the fact that Voldemort has cursed the DADA professor position since Dumbledore refused to let Tom have it.

Then Snape becomes the DADA professor. Did Snape know of the curse? And could he do anthing to prevent something major from happening that would cause him to have to leave Hogwarts?

[Oldie Black Witch]

I'm having to seriously reassess my opinion of Snape. I suspect Dumbledore knew this was coming and spent the entire year teaching Harry everything he'd discovered about Tom Riddle's life to prepare him. However, Snape is (as usual) an interesting position. In chapter 2 he made an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa. He hesitated just a moment before taking the third vow, probably trying to figure a way out without revealing anything. There was no way out, so Snape took the Vow knowing the position it put him in.
When Snape came across Draco and Dumbledore in the Astronomy tower, he was forced to fulfill the Vow. Snape saw that Draco couldn't do it, and rather than forfeit his own life, Snape raised his wand at a pleading Dumbledore and performed the Killing Curse. Ordinarily, that would be enough to convict him in my mind. However, Harry ran after Draco and Snape to catch them before they left the grounds to Apparate. Harry caught them, but Snape very easily disarmed every one of Harry's spells. I have no doubt that Harry's Unforgivables he was trying to hurl at Snape would have worked much better against Snape than Bella, but Snape merely waved each curse, hex, and jinx aside. It would have been simple while Harry was blinded by rage and unable to even finish a spell for Snape to have attacked and succeeded in killing Harry.

But he didn't.

There's the usual "He's for the Dark Lord" stuff, but surely Voldemort doesn't need Harry alive anymore. So why didn't Snape just finish the job?

I think Snape was hoping for a way out of Voldemort's service without ending up in Azkaban or dead. While under Dumbledore's protection, Snape was relatively safe and had secret hopes that someday Voldemort may be defeated. Remember that Snape is the only person accomplished enough in Occlumency to be able to lie to Voldemort. (Or was he really lying?) When he was forced to fulfil the Vow, Snape was forced to choose between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Dumbledore was obviously in no position to defend Snape. I think that when Dumbledore's and Snape's eyes met, Dumbledore knew the inevitable. Snape was forced to act the part of a loyal Death Eater, and flee. But he left Harry alive when he had the chance to finish the job.

I think in book 7, Snape will openly act as a Death Eater from now on, but he'll have the burining sense of guilt from killing Dumbledore that will hopefully allow him to perform the "redeeming act" JKR has mentioned.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I think it will give Alan Rickman some fabulous acting opportunities in the future.  Personally, I don't know. I'll need to read the last book and then reread the whole series more before I can really pass judgement on Snape. Right now I'm upset with him.  In the old memory where James and Co. were tormenting him, my heart just broke.  It was a huge, huge turning point for me. And he turns out like this... I don't know.  
I do love that JKR can incorporate such complexities into her characters.  Good and evil... sometimes it's cut and dried what you need to do to do the right thing.  Sometimes it's not.   Oh it's 3am and I'm too tired to think.

Oh, and I try to stay out of harry potter internet fandom, and I'm glad because all of the ship-ers are going to be going nucking futs over this book.  The Ron/Hermione ship-ers as well as the HUGE Ginny/Harry fandom.  

Us speed-readers gots to stick together, Oldie Locks, yes yes.

I really need to go back and read at least 4 and 5 again. I've read 1-3 so many times, but I never got through Order of the Pheonix more than once.  

[Sigyn]

I think Dumbledore and Snape had planned it out before hand. I think Dumbledore knew he needed to die, and he set things up with Snape. That way, Draco didn't kill him and then irrevocably put himself on the side of the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Maybe I'm too sympathetic toward Snape, but I think there is a lot more going on here then we know about. Plus, Dumbledore was asking for Snape, not Pomfrey, and kept telling Harry to go get Snape for him. And I think that Rowling created Dumbledore as a wizard who knew exactly what he was doing.

[Archon]

Normally I would agree that Dumbledore is a wizard who knows exactly what he is doing, and what is going on, but this book rid me of that illusion for the most part. For one thing, in this book, we see exactly how much Dumbledore knew about Voldemort, and, more to the point, how much he didn't know. He also failed to predict that the Horcrux had already been taken. And, if he was as omniscient as he seemed in previous books, then he would have figured out a way to avoid being killed. Even if he needed Voldemort to believe that he was dead, Dumbledore was smart enough to do so.

Now, onto Snape the Spineless. I considered the fact that he might have been acting under Dumbledore's orders, but I find it unlikely, because if he were going to do so, it would be far more practical to use a different curse. It is doubtful that the other Death Eaters would be suspicious if he used something like Sectumsempra. Dumbledore could survive such an ordeal, and still make it look as if he had died. I doubt that the Death Eaters would bother to check a pulse, they were in too much of a hurry to get out of the castle. Given how much magic Dumbledore and Snape know, there are doubtlessly countless ways in which Dumbledore could have survived, and still appeared dead. So, I am much more inclined to believe that Snape actually killed Dumbledore independent of Dumbledore's will. Hence his nickname. He did not have to make the Unbreakable Vow with Malfoy's mother. That was his choice. And when the time came, he should have died instead of killing Dumbledore, who had done so much for him. He didn't, because he is a coward, and he feared death. As he was running away from Harry, he said something interesting, that I think contributes to my point. He screamed, "DON'T CALL ME COWARD!" He seems to be overly sensitive in that area, which usually means that he was thinking that same thing about himself. Therefore, I assume that he thought that he had acted like a coward when he had faced Dumbledore. Not facing the Death Eaters, killing Dumbledore rather than face the consequences of his decisions, all of these could easily be considered cowardly actions. Which leads me to think that Snape was just caught in a tight spot, and he did what any person without a spine would do.

Oh yeah, and I would like to join the speed-readers club. I finished it today, and I have had an extraordinarily busy couple of days since I got the book. I also finished the last one in about a day, without a late night.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I'm more with Oldie Locks.  I think it was improvisation.  I don't think that they knew for certain any of it was going to happen.

[Chimera]

Just finished. Great, but sad, book! Who would've thought about Tonks and Lupin--I must say, I'm quite pleased. There are far too many loners among the adults--it's nice to see some appropriate pairing off. And I was glad that Fleur pulled through and showed her true colors. I would have been more disappointed if she left Bill and he ended up with Tonks (which is what I predicted as soon as Ginny said Bill had been mauled, so I was pleasantly surprised that JK didn't do that)--it seemed cliche, and this I liked more.

I have been pulling for Ginny and Harry since book two, I didn't know there were other people on the Internet doing that like Fuzzy said (which makes me resentful--I thought I was original), but I was ecstatic when it mentioned the love potion smell and connected it with Ginny. However, I just hate that Harry turns her away at the end--if Hermione and Ron get to come along, Ginny should too. I hope he changes his mind, or Ginny follows them or something, in the last book.

I have found myself a loner in that I have never liked Snape, and never trusted him. I felt a little like Harry, and would grudgingly accept that there must be some reason to trust him--since Dumbledore said so, I tried to believe it--but deep down I still disliked and distrusted Snape. I have found myself in the minority in this. EUOL always maintained that he found Snape to be the most interesting character because he was complex and you're not sure if he is good or bad, but I am not one of those people who is very fascinated by dark maybe, mabye-not characters. (This is why I think I liked Hrathen in Elantris least, and still have a hard time seeing why he is people's favorite.) I like characters who are predominantly good but flawed--THAT kind of maybe, maybe-not character. I can never sympathize with someone who is purposely cruel. Snape was always purposely cruel to Harry, particularly when Dumbledore wasn't around. So he saved Harry's life--so what? He made it so hellish whenever he had the chance--so Snape saved his life so he could make it more miserable more often? That doesn't fly with me. Snape was always too evil and vindictive towards Harry--since I sympathized with Harry, I could never completely sympathize with Snape. (Though, admittedly, the time I felt the most sympathy was in the memory where Harry saw his father torturing Snape. It still didn't justify him being repeatedly cruel, though it did explain it a little more.)

I had a feeling this was going to happen after I heard an interview with JK Rowling where she said something about Snape to the effect that she was surprised at how many people sympathized with him and she wouldn't recommend sympathizing too much. Which gave me the hint that something like this was going to happen--that Snape would turn out bad in the end. I guess there is the possiblity he can do something good in book seven, but that was a horrible way to kill Dumbledore, and he was described thus: "Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face." That is no act. It is as if Snape has been waiting for this. I DO NOT think it was planned between Dumbledore and Snape--not at all. Dumbledore trusted Snape and Snape betrayed him and enjoyed it when he killed him.

So I can't say I was surprised. Just a little disappointed, nonetheless. I would have been happy if Snape redeemed himself. But I wasn't expecting it--I was expecting something more like this.

And I DO think that the only reason Snape did not kill Harry was because of express orders from The Dark Lord not to. Voldemort is not one to be crossed, and I think it like him to reserve Harry Potter for himself--Harry has became far too interesting, with the prophecy and the many excapes and "The Chosen One"--Voldemort would want to kill him himself. Otherwise, I think Snape would have relished killing Harry himself--he certainly has expressed his hatred towards Harry and his father many times.

I was also expecting Dumbledore's death, especially since I couldn't help myself and I read the chapter headings in the Table of Contents and I read "Phoenix Lament" and "The White Tomb" and said to myself, "Shoot, that has to be Dumbledore." Besides, lots of people had been predicting it--Harry's mentor and all, and he has to die before the final battle to really give Harry a motive, like Obiwan Konobi in Star Wars.

The fake Horcrux really does suck. It had to be found out, but it does add a certain element of pointlessness to Dumbledore's death.

[42]

Finished it last night. Fortunately, my job gives me hours of reading time, usually. (Stupid drunk third-graders trying to get hotel rooms at 2 a.m. so that they can get high on Harry Potter and Pixie Stixs.)

I'm not sure what to think of Snape. I really was sympathizing with him at the end of the last book. Yet, the more I think about what he's done, he really must be evil. I did figure out he was the Half-Blood Prince early on, but I was speculating that it was him before I started the book.

As to why he didn't kill Harry. Well, rampantly speculating here, isn't Harry, himself, one of the horcruxes. I mean come on, the death-eaters are forbidden to kill him. He could read the thoughts and intentions of Voldemort. Voldemort wants to kill Harry, himself. Why not because Harry harbors part of Voldemort's soul? Perhaps, Voldemort placed part of his soul in Harry when he killed Harry's parents and he was about to die himself? Perhaps that is why Harry has the scar?

Anyways, it a great book. I was getting a little miffed at all the stupid love-triangles and dating stuff. It reminded how I hated all "so-and-so is going out with what's-her-face" kind of gossiping happened so much during high school. However, the ending more that made up for everything. I'm not really surprised at all that Harry broke-up with Ginny. It would have been rather un-noble of him not to.

Also, wasn't there a lot of under-age drinking in this book? I know it's set in Britain, so chances are that they aren't really breaking any laws, but still.

[42]

Also, I'm not sure what to think about Draco. I kind of have some hope for him now, but he's still evil.

And, I want the seventh book NOW!
I'm hoping we don't have to wait too long for it to come out.

[Chimera]

As to why he didn't kill Harry. Well, rampantly speculating here, isn't Harry, himself, one of the horcruxes. I mean come on, the death-eaters are forbidden to kill him. He could read the thoughts and intentions of Voldemort. Voldemort wants to kill Harry, himself. Why not because Harry harbors part of Voldemort's soul? Perhaps, Voldemort placed part of his soul in Harry when he killed Harry's parents and he was about to die himself? Perhaps that is why Harry has the scar?

What an interesting idea! I never would have thought of that. But if that's true, then doesn't Harry have to kill himself before Voldemort can be killed?

(Actually, the first time I heard the lines of the prophecy I thought it meant that both of them had to die--that Harry must die for Voldemort to die, and vice versa. I need my copy of book 5 to look at the exact words again. But then Dumbledore and Harry interpretted that it meant that one of them had to kill the other, not that they both had to die. But what if they interpretted it wrong? They have made mistakes before.)

[Sigyn]

If Harry dies in book 7 then I will probably burn the book. That would be such a stupid way to end the series. First chapter, The Boy Who Lived; last chapter, The Boy Who Died. It would make the whole seem thing rather pointless.

[Tekiel]

Just finished it today!  I've had it since Saturday and it's been killing me not to read it non-stop.

My mom actually mentioned something that made me also think that Harry is a horcrux.  I'd just finished reading about what a horcrux was when we started discussing Harry, and she said something to the effect that Voldemort put something of himself in Harry when he died.  And Dumbledore agreed, when he told Harry why he could speak Parsletongue.  Maybe that's why he was sad (aside from knowing that he would probably die) - he thought that Harry would have to die to kill Voldemort.  
Dumbledore's death actually didn't surprise me, and I'm glad.  After all, why would Draco's mom be afraid of him trying to kill Harry?  Why not someone stronger that no one else could get to?   If I hadn't been preparing myself for his death, I'd be writing hate mail for JKR right now.

[42]

I kind of wonder if the next book will have Harry knowing that he will have to die to kill Voldemort from the start. Then he spends a lot of the book trying to figure out a way to destroy Voldemort without killing himself.

I'm also a little curious as to what will happen to the Dursleys. I'm assuming there is more to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia than previously explained.

Unfortunately, it looks at though J.K. Rowling is looking to take a year off before starting the next book.

Also, seven million copies were sold in the first 24 hours. If I'm thinking about this correctly, assuming that many people will share copies with friends and family, a sixth of the U.S. population could have easily read this book in a few months. That is insane.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I honestly don't think that Rowling is stupid enough to kill Harry.  
That being said...
I had never considered the idea that HARRY is a horcrux.  But if he is... wow.  

Since you have to kill to create a horcrux, perhaps one can disenchant it with a special power.
A special power like the one Dumbledore has been telling Harry he has.

Love.