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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!
by Farah Weheba
July 2, 2004
J.K. Rowling announced that the official title of book six is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. She revealed this news three days after the convincing rumor struck that the book was titled Harry Potter and the Pillar of Storgé. This hoax baffled and annoyed many fans. Rowling said, "Information you take directly from this site will be truthful and accurate (I might occasionally joke, but as time goes on, you'll learn to tell when I'm joking). Do not trust anybody else claiming to have found information on this site that you cannot access, however seemingly convincing the images they provide to support their story." She claims she never posts information on the site until she wants it to be known.
Rowling also explains that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince contains information that was originally going to be placed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She also keeps referring to some clues in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that link to the end of the series. Rowling clearly states that the Half Blood Prince (HBP) is neither Harry nor Voldemort.
Some of the events that will probably take place in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince include: the purchasing of Neville's much-needed new wand, and the receiving of each sixth year student's Ordinary Wizarding Level results. Something else to look forward to will be the assigning of a new Gryffindor Qudditch team captain, and two chasers. In March, Ron will be old enough to Apparate. Mischief is bound to occur if when he takes advantage of that new capability. Many fans are skimming through the current five books, searching for clues as to who the HBP might be. Many are speculating Dean Thomas, for as Rowling has recently told us on her site, his mother is a muggle and did not know that Dean's father was a wizard.
Other possibilities, I repeat, possibilities, for the title of HBP include Seamus Finnigan, one of Dean's closest friends, Mundungus Fletcher, Mark Evans, Kreacher (although unlikely because he is not technically a person), and the Bloody Baron (again, not a person). These are strictly theories and speculations. Rowling has not yet disclosed any further information about the prince. It seems unlikely that it is Dean, because Rowling would not have mentioned his history so obviously on her site if he were the HBP. Many have thought about Mr. Ollivander because not much is known about him. What about Hagrid or Professor Lupin? Professor Trelawney is half Seer. She could be the "half blood" Rowling refers to in the title. The prince is not necessarily a male, and is not necessarily half wizard and half muggle. The prince could be half giant, half wizard, half veela (Fleur Delacour)... the possibilities are endless! Pretty much anyone not included on Sirius Black's "pure-blood" family tree could be the half blood prince. Rowling has a way of twisting things. The identity of the prince should be a shocking surprise!
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is not longer than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Rowling has not said how long the book is, only that she keeps adding tiny details here and there that are slowly lengthening the newest book. Her editor is anxious, and so is Stephen Fry. Fry, the narrator of the books on tapes and CDs, is having quite a different reaction to the suspenseful wait of the sixth book. He said, "whenever I see Jo Rowling, I've just become completely banal and vulgar - I'm not at all interested. I don't care what the story is, who lives, who dies, just 'How long is it going to be?'" Potter fans, go ahead and gasp. Fry doesn't seem to be very loyal to the storyline, or to the much-loved characters that Rowling has created. Most of us actually have the exact opposite priorities. Not many really care how long the book will be, or how long it will take them to read it. Fry did reveal, however, that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will require less time to listen to than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, approximately 29 hours of listening if one were to purchase the tapes or CDs.
Whoever the half blood prince may be, and whatever the final length of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will be, Rowling has every Potter fan on the edge of their seats, desperately awaiting more news and clues about the highly anticipated book and its release date. She did say that the door labeled "Do Not Disturb" on her site will open several more times, revealing new information about the sixth edition to the series. Until then, fans around the world will continue to marvel at the title of the sixth book, and roll in the excitement Rowling has generated.
Back to Rowling Stone
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