As with "The Death" topic, you should read no further if you have not completed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as the below discussion will give away quite a lot.

And for those of you whose eyes wander down the page before reading the opening paragraph, here's a few large warnings:




MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE BOOK!









That should be enough warnings, no? Here we go...

Snape is the Half-Blood Prince. I was unfortunate enough to have this spoiled for me at 7 PM on Friday night, which didn't make for an entirely mystifying plot, but it still had quite a few unforeseen points.

Snape being the Half-Blood Prince was hardly explained; he simply shouted at Harry "la la la, I, the Half-Blood Prince, la la la," and then Disapparated. So he's evil and practices the Dark Arts and also happes to be a Potions wiz. This culminates into ... what, exactly?

I was expecting, at the very least, an explanation of the significance of Snape being the HBP, but it never came. Surely it'll come in book seven, I tell myself, but I was so sure that we would be given a proper explanation of Sirius's death, the mirror, the veil, etc. in this book, but the mirror wasn't mentioned once.

So what is the significance of Snape being the HBP? Any ideas?

Oh, and just a funny note (this talks about the death, too, by the way): the "Today" show was right on both counts. If you recall, editor Arthur Levine was interviewed by co-host Al Roker in early March (when the book covers were released). Al was trying to get Arthur to talk a bit about the book's contents, but he was pretty tight-lipped. He said there'd be a new Minister of Magic (we already knew that) and that the HBP isn't Harry or Voldemort (we already knew that as well). At that point, Al Roker asked Arthur Levine: "Is it Snape?"

Levine said nothing, of course, but then Al Roker became quite heated (in a joking manner) and started screaming about Snape being the HBP.

Then, Jim Dale came on the "Today" show sometime last week to read from OotP. Katie Couric was asking him about the book (he said it was Rowling's best yet), and then she asked him: "Does Dumbledore die?" Dale was just as tight-lipped as Levine and said "I'm not saying a word!" ... but it's an interesting coincidence all the same.

I don't think that there is meant to be any more significance then was stated in the book. Snape called himself the Half-Blood Prince because technically that's what he was - a half blood whose mother's maiden name was Prince. I don't think more will come of this particular nickname in book seven - particulary shown in part by the way it was revealed that the book was, in fact, Snape's.

Hey! I did read the book already, and was very upset when i found out Snape was tha HBP. And then he killed Dumbledore! That really pissed me of. i was sad. But i hope things get explained in the next book.But im happy that Ginny and harry ended up together. Cant wait for book 7!

How did snape get so good at potions? I mean, he's got dark arts written all over him, although the two arguably go hand in hand, I think Im missing something. He's positively brilliant at it (grudginly), as snape is now... thank god this is censored. I can't believe it. But anyway, There is something more to his prowess than meets the eye... or perhaps Im reading to far into things.

I think there's more to The Half-Blood Prince. Snape had a reason for giving himself the title. Maybe he too was quite arrogant. Or he wanted something to feel special about. He had no friends during school, and was tormented by the other students.

Even if Snape has indeed turned back over to the Dark Side, or remains there, I felt bad for him during his childhood. Maybe if he would have had friends to keep him out of the Dark Arts he wouldn't have become a Death Eater.

I think that the big connection is that Snape is like Voldimort. Both are Halfbloods through their pure blood mothers. Voldimort knows this about Snape, so I think that is why Snape is Voldimorts most trusted advisor(this is said by narsissa sometime in sninners end... dont have my book infront of me) I was a little disapointed but as I think about it more I think that Snape is going to be a major advisary in the seventh book... Though I think that making Snape an enemy was a mistake on JK's part (but who am I to judge). I personally liked how Snape was... how can I say... Complicated... for lack of a better word... He always provided an great internal struggle inside Hogwarts for Harry.

First I'd like to point out to two posts I made WAAY back in Janurary. Half-Blooded Snape 1 and Half-Blood Snape 2

I think he gave himself the name not just because his mother's name is Eileen Prince, but because of the sheer Irony of it. Here is this 15-16 year old Snape. From a home in the Muggle Ghetto. With a mother who was being abused by a MUGGLE. He was poor, and a half-blood, and trying to find his way within his house (Slytherin). I think he found it quite funny to call himself a prince, given the circumstances that he found himself at home.

Then come to think of it his house were full of people who wore their pure-blooded status on their sleeves and her he was the second half-blood to enter into Slytherin since Tom Riddle himself. He would get more embittered and without the support of his family (they were too busy abusing each other) and obviously no friends or family, and with an increasing intellect (which coming from personal experience can seperate and cause tourmenting from your classmates) would just put him out.

Snape could have gotten jaded. He had the ambition to get into slytherin. He found out how to play the game quickly for his own sanity. There are huge parallels between him and Riddle. More needs to be thought on.

Snape being the Half Blood Prince, a title given to him by himself, is just like Tom Riddle in CoS ditching his father's dirty muggle name for a more proper wizarding name, therefore Hermione's deductions were correct and thusly, there should be no more mention or explanation of why Snape is the HBP, as I have just explained it... or tried to...

I don't understand one thing. Ok, Snape is Half-Blood Prince but what differents does it makes? It had been clear that in his school times he had been good at potions and dark arts but it doesn't really means that he's on Voldemort's side, right?

Personally, I think that he's good. It's like mirror. I mean, In 1st book Harry, Ron and Hermione thougt that he tried to steal the philosopher's stone, so they thought he's evil. And in 7th book it will be the same. Everybody will think he betrayed them but he really will be spying on Voldemort.

Ok, I don't have the book to hand so forgive me if I'm misremembering. While Dumbledore is talking to Draco and to Snape isn't he rummaging in his robes? At the time I thought he'd get what he thought was a true Horcrux out and hope that any death curses could be directed at it and not him and potentially save his life.

I think Snape was bound by the unbreakable vow and that Snape had at least some knowledge of the Horcrux. This could explain the hatred on Snapes face as he cast the aveda curse believing he was attacking a fragment of Voldemort's soul.

Even if this is true I'm not sure wether Harry will belive it!

I just think that the reason J.K. Rowling gave the book the Half Blood Prince was beacsue so much of it had to do about Sanpe this time around, and he was the one (we eventually find out) that is the Half Blodd Prince. So the title seems ver approriate since The book has Alot to do with Snape. Just like har potter and the S.S. It has to do with the Sorcerers Stone so the was what the title was(so forth and so on) Of course that is just my oppionion and it may not be that and hopefully there will be a bit more of about this in books to come. Or maybe J.K. will explain more about it. Not sure if any of this made sense. i sure hope so.

i was dissappionted in the way jkr revealed snape as the hal-blood prince. i was also upset at the fact that the book says the prince went to school fifty years ago this is how harry knew neither his father nor his father's friends were the hbp. We know that Snape was at school with harry's father so this doesn't make any sense to me. for most of the book i had myself convinced that tom riddle was the hbp.

After finishing the book i thought maybe snape was under the impervious curse. its a long shot but come on. Riddle was at school fifty years ago he thought himself like royalty(being Slytherin's heir ad all). It could be true but like i said i'm going out on a limb.

The book was as far as i can remember published "50 years ago" but what if that was just when it was published and Snape got his hands on a rather old copy of the book when he was at hogwarts???
The thing is that as soon as i saw "50 yrs ago", i felt sure that it was Voldemort. but we already knew that he was half blood.

Anyway one of my friends thought that it was NEVILLE.
Don't you think that he has been neglected in this book seeing as how he was the other boy the prophecy could have referred to???

Hi. I just wanted to say that it could be that Snape only killed Dumbledore because he was bound by the Unbreakable Vow, which could explain his anger and the fact that he stopped Fenrir from killing Harry. Regardless of what he said, I don't think a true Death Eater would have let a defenseless, wandless Harry Potter go free.

Also, Snape's a master of the ol' spells without speaking, so he could have said Avada Kedrava, but actually performed a different spell, with Dumbledore twigging as he fell down the tower and conjuring up a fake body. This would give them an advatage, as now Snape is "bosom buddies" with Voldemort, but Dumbledore is still alive.

Unlkely though. Just my $0.02.

Snape being the HBP was really surprising. I was not expecting that and when Snape told Harry about being the HBP, that was also surprising because I was expecting there to be a discussion in the book over the Half-blood prince concept, but the Half-blood prince just fled. I am expecting there to be an explanation of such short information about the HBP in the 7th and last book. I mean, at some points in the book, I forgot that Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince was named Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because the Half-blood prince was mentioned only a few times through out the book, which makes me curious about the plots in the next and last book. Although I do wonder, I don't have a good enough answer, anyone have one?

[/QUOTE] I was expecting, at the very least, an explanation of the significance of Snape being the HBP, but it never came.[QUOTE]

i agree with you. i though like jk would show harry telling ron and hermione about how snape was the half-blood prince. i dont fully understand WHY it was called half-blood prince when he didnt have a HUGEE part in this book. it was just like "oh yeah im the half-blood prince", then it ended.

From the moment I saw the cover of the british adult edition, I knew Snape was the half blood Prince, I just knew it!

I think that Jo titled the book well, because it does deal a lot with Snape.. Snape and Potions is mentioned a few times, Harry mistrusts Snape, the Spinner's End chapter.

And what about the fact that Snape finally became DADA teacher. After all those years! There was bound to be something fishy about that.

about the book being 50 years old the book belonged to snapes mother before snape got it.

I must admit I thought The Half Blood Prince would be more involved as well... Have a big connexion with the plot, especailly as he was in the title... The main thing was Draco, and Snape's vow.

I thought that it was going to be Harry's mother who was the Half-Blood Prince. Hey...it could happen! It just seemed so intelligent and he had like a woman's handwriting, so...ya know.

Though, when I found out it was Snape, it made total sense. I mean, maybe he knew that Harry was going to find the book and didn't want to teach Potions any more for that fact. I can't believe that Snape made up such gruesome and intelligent spells and found all those cheats to making Potions! I wonder if that's how he convinced Dumbledore to let him have the post...you know, charming him with the quick creation of potions in front of his eyes. I think that Snape should've taught his classes the cheats. Does anyone else?

Yes, actually. I did kind of wonder why, if Snape knew better ways of making the potions than what was in the books, he didn't teach them to his students. It's not really cheating like Hermione thinks it is - it's just something that works better.

I am beginning to think that the signifigance of the half blood prince ties into more than just Snape.

Snape is the HBP, but now we also have possibly the three main characters in book 7 who are all half bloods...

Maybe that is the importance of the title?

The major revelation in this book is Snape's apparent betrayal of Dumbledore (I only say apparent because there's an off chance that JKR is trying to really surprise us with book 7 in this regard), so it is appropriately titled after Snape.

It may also be titled the Half-Blood Prince to establish in our minds what Snape's status among dark wizards is. Even though the title is a play on his mother's maiden name, it seems now that Snape is the second most dangerous wizard alive, and the title is fitting for someone with that reputation. An obvious story line for the next book would be that Harry will have to defeat Snape on his way to challenging Voldemort.

On the other hand, as someone has already pointed out, Snape does flaunt the fact that he is a half-blood, which neither Voldemort nor any other dark wizards do, so Snape may have simply been following through on his unbreakable vow--after all, Narcissa just slipped in the part about finishing the job for Draco should he prove unable to complete the task. Snape didn't know that was going to be part of the vow. There is still a chance that Snape will help defeat Voldemort.

I was still waiting for Snape to jump up and say 'just kidding' then run over to Dumbledore and hug him(maybe not that extreme ) , but he never did. There was no plot twist, which I was sure JK would have done since she put the second chapter as an obvious 'Snape has been on the dark side this entire time and now he's best buds with Voldemort'. I didn't really think that was what Snape was up to...but apparently I was wrong ...
I'm still trying to figure why JK named an entire book after a traitor, that really disgusts me to the point of scowling everytime I see his name ...but I suppose there's more to this HBP than meets the eye...as usual with JK ...

No, i just think that the Half-Blood Prince did not have much to do with the plot, but was something interesting the look into. Well, you could look at it in the way that the Half-Blood Prince gives us insight into Snape. The Dark Magic in the potions book kind of reinforces the idea that Snape is on Voldemort's side, but yet he is still shown as a genius and could be playing Voldemort.

Remember, that this book is part one of the final story arch. Of course, there was no real Red-Harring. Suprise? Yes, with the reveal of who the Half-Blood Prince was. Now, Severus is in too deep. I have a feeling that Dumbledore knew that this was going to happen, he gave Severus his blessing, and dare I say if anyone was going to murder him it would be Severus.

If we take the Loyal!Snape theory. Then look at everything that Snape would have given up.

• A whole Soul, it would have ripped as soon as he killed Dumbledore
• The respect he so craves from the Wizarding World.
• His teaching position, I think he liked it
• A father figure, the only one he could have had
• The ability to lead a normal life.

Snape plays more of a role then many realize. He served as a sort of guide to Harry the entire year. Harry called it a sort of "friend" he was indirectly calling Snape a friend. Harry even hid the book. Is this foreshadowing? Will Harry come through for Snape in his hour of need?

One thing I don't get is that Snape seems to look down on pople with Muggle parents, calling them mudbloods. However, he's half muggle. So why does he insult other people? Isn't that like insulting himself? Or is he just putting on an act so that people think he's a pure-blooded wizard?

I accidently posted again because my computer's so slow, so I just pressed submit too many times. So since I have no clue as how to delete this post, I'll just add another thought here. I didn't think that Snape would be hbp since Harry's dad used one of the spells on Snape. How did he get that spell if Snape invented it?

I don't remember is in the present time that he's explicitly insulted half-bloods or muggle-borns. Perhaps a bit, but you're right it was to make himself out to be a pure-blood wizard. It would have helped him into the crowd that he ended up in.

I see the senario that James either looked over his sholdier, or stole the book and before handing it back to him learned the spell...

i dont get how you people are saying how snape became so good at potions. HE WAS ONLY THE TEACHER OF POTIONS FOR QUIT SOME TIME NOW! please i dont think half blood prince means muggle blood. it'll all be in the seventh book i hope. and i hope rowling would hurry up im desperate!!!! but it is the last book i think

MOD EDIT: Watch put for the netspeak and excessive characters, please. Thanks.

Uh, it specifically said that Tobias Snape, Severus' father is a Muggle.

We no that Snape is or was a death eater (still think he is one and a
$%$^#$@#$#$@#$2)

But maybe does any one think he might have been also a Descendent of Slitharin thats why he thinks he is the prince and the dark lord the king

or that he always love the dark arts and created spells on his own and was the best at potions that he was doing all this at school so one day he would be the right hand to the dark lord

I think that it will come up again in book 7. It felt like there was more to it than just that.

[COLOR=blue][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1] [B]dumbledore was never afraid of death, he told voldemort there are many worse things than death, so it doesnt seem right that he would end his life begging for someone not to kill him..that's not what dumbledore would do...i think he was sacrificing himself..he was asking snape to kill him to save draco. so snape could still be on their side..he didn't try to hurt harry and he told the death eaters not to hurt him either..i still think snape is on their side

Harry is also described as being like Snape (it's either Hermione or Ron) who says Snape sounded just like Harry at the DA meetings when he talked about the dark arts.

[/QUOTE] I was expecting, at the very least, an explanation of the significance of Snape being the HBP, but it never came.[QUOTE]

Sometimes I think these forums set up an unreasonable expectation for JKR to meet. The most likely event is that Harry may find some clue in this potions book where Snape has gone or to a horcrux. Snape's mother & Voldy may have even gone to the school together (let's start a prince/voldy shipper thread.)

There may be very little mention of HBP in the last book -- look at the order of the phoenix in HBP.

I would like to think there is some charm in the book that Harry needs to get past an obstacle.

....

I can picture Snape in his first day of NEWT potions opening his hand me down book with "Prince" written in it already. You can imagine him writing "the half-blood" in front of his mother's maiden name.

It does make you wonder whether Snape wrote all of those changes or if his mother did.

The importance of Snape being the Half-Blood Prince...Well. I think there is one huge importance. Harry could relate to him. He was his friend for quite a while. A helper. A person who he turned to with his problems. Maybe that shows the reader the HUMAN side of Snape. The side that even Harry could value. I still believe in Snape's innocence.

Snape was his friend. Ironic, isn't it...

It does appear to be relevant, as some have mentionied, that Harry had found a certain friendship with Snape. When Harry was unaware of who he was, he felt a friendship with Snape, which suggests that Snape and Harry are more alike than either would care to admit.

Another connection to Snape/Harry connection through the HBP that hasn't been mentioned yet is Lily. All through the book whenever Harry did well at potions because of his book, Slughorn would announce how much like his mother he was in regard to his talent with potions.

Is this another hint at some sort of relationship between Snape and Lily? Did Snape and Lily work together? Who helped who more? Maybe Snape put the notes in the book because the ideas weren't his--they were Lily's.

I think Dumbledore will come back as a Ghost to help Harry get the Hor w/es. Because he knows how important it is to help Harry save the Wizarding World.

The way I see it, the title 'half blood prince' relates more to the fact that Harry got a lot out of the book that used to belong to the HBP (who happens to be Snape). It is similar to the fourth book, goblet of fire. It wasn’t the center of the story, but was a major part nonetheless. Harry got the Felix Felicis because of what was in the book, he saved Ron from what he read from it, learned sectumsempra out of it, and Slughorn like him more because he thinks Harry inherited Lily’s (Slughorns favorite student) knack for potions.

Snape did not seem proud to be the half-blood prince, he simply stated it so that Harry would know that it was his spells. I do not think that Snape would be proud to be half blood. He hated muggles. I think it is what made Snape play both sides of the fence for so long because he did not really fit right on either side.

And something that bothers me is the fact that the Malfoys hate muggles and non-pure blood wizards. Yet they are friends with and put the life of their son in the hands of a half blood?

Oh, and if Sanpe was poor when he entered the school, could it have been his mothers book that she passed down to him and wrote the name for him since the book was 50 years old?

Snape must be good. If not, then Dumbledore was wrong to trust him, and I don't think JKR intends to send the message to her young readers that people cannot be trusted or that someone who was once bad will always be bad. She already has a much better traitor in Pettigrew.

It seems obvious that Dumbledore was pleading for Snape to kill him. It would be out of character for him to plead for his life. The question is: did Snape, and therefore Dumbledore, know that Malfoy's mission was to kill Dumbledore when Snape vowed to help him?

I agree with the Snape/Lily theory. Too much was made of Lily being so good at potions for it to be just a red herring. As I recall, Lily and James didn't get together until after Hogwarts, and she found him to be somewhat of a jerk while there, so it wouldn't be impossible for her to be friends with his enemy Snape. She was a good person and would have seen the better half of him, as Dumbledore did. Also Dumbledore testifies that Snape's remorse about his roll in the Potters' death was real, and would he have felt that much remorse about James's death? I think it was Lily's death he was most guilty over. Perhaps he loved her, but she didn't return the feeling.

There is a memory in a previous book where Snape calls Lily a mudblood, but it could have been before or after they were friends. And I think her bloodline would have meant that Snape kept their friendship a secret from his fellow Slytherins.

Snape may have forgotten that the book was in the cabinet in his excitement about finally teaching DADA. He remains secretive about it after he discovers that Harry has it and seems to desperately want it back. Why, if it's just his old textbook?

What if the handwritting is Lily's? It looks feminine. Could that be why Harry feels so friendly toward the Half-Blood Prince? I doubt Snape would have put an enchantment on the book to charm whoever read it. Could Lily have given Snape the nickname, knowing how ashamed he was of his parentage?

The fact that the book remains hidden at the end of HBP to me indicates that it will figure into the plot of Book 7.

One thing I can't figure is what Lily would have had to do with a spell like Sectum etc.

I do not believe for one minute that Snape has turned back to Voldemort. It would undermine everything we've seen so far, at least as far as relations between Snape and Dumbledore are concerned. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out in Book 7 that there was some kind of fake identity or other such screwiness going on. Also, I didn't quite buy the death scene--even in a weakened state, could Albus #@&* Dumbledore really be killed with one killing curse?! . . . Nevertheless, I have unshakeable trust in Severus Snape.