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Veritaserum | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Theories | Book Covers
Theories About the Book Covers
The three "Half-Blood Prince" covers that have been released so far can be viewed at our HBP section.
U.S. Cover Theories
The Ghost of Halloween Past
Maybe they are using a Pensieve to look at Harry’s earliest memories to try and figure out why Voldemort survived when his Avada Kadavera Curse rebounded upon him.
Notice how it’s a green mist surrounding them? The connection between Harry and Voldemort has always been represented by green; green when Harry defeated Voldemort; green whenever his scar hurts; green whenever Voldemort gets too close. . . I think the green mist means that Dumbledore and Harry are looking at the night Voldemort attacked Harry in a Pensieve. Maybe they even gather thoughts from everyone associated with that night - Hagrid, Dumbledore, Harry, maybe even Wormtail - and we finally get to see a full picture of what happened, even during the "lost hours" between when Voldemort was destroyed and Hagrid delivered Harry to Dumbledore at the Dursleys. If he were watching someone cast the Avada Kedavra Curse, there would definitely be a green light coming from the basin.
If you think about it, this is a logical step in the progression of the story. The only way to fight Voldemort is to find out why he didn’t die when the curse rebounded on him. The only way to find that out is to be there. The only person that was there was too young to really understand what he was seeing . . . but now that he is older, has training, and has the most powerful wizard of this age by his side, all they have to do is view his memories of that night. I’m sure they’ll be able to interpret what happened.
When Voldemort lost his body, we all know he passed on some of his traits to Harry. The Parselmouth ability, the scar, the mental connection with Voldemort… what if Voldemort passed Harry some of his memories? A faint imprint of his early childhood and adulthood. Harry and Dumbledore might find these memories locked away somewhere in Harry’s brain, empty them out into a Penseive, and then watch Voldemort’s life story. How would that be for a twist?
- A compilation of reader Kelly Potter’s comments.
The Pensieve is a tool. It stores memories so that they may be looked at from a different angle. The question I have always asked myself was, “Does it show how events actually occurred? Or how you remember them?”
That Harry could move about the memories freely in his trips within the Pensieve (and Riddle's diary) leads me to believe they are using the memory to recall a past event and show you what really happened. This would make the Pensieve an extremely useful tool indeed, as it would allow you to look at things in your past as they actually occurred, and not how your mind remembers them taking into account the emotions you were feeling at the time, which can alter our perception of reality. This seems likely because of Snape's memory. Snape was completely unaware of what the Marauders were doing, he could not have heard them, but Harry was able to view them and listen to their conversations anyway, while completely ignoring Snape.
If that were true it means that Harry could use the Pensieve to look at the night Voldemort attacked him. Since Harry was there (even if he does not remember it well) he could see what occurred after the curse hit Voldemort, and watch events all the way until Hagrid came to get him, even hear Hagrid’s conversation with Sirius.
- A comment by Long Live the Weasel King! Posted on 03/13/05 at 23:30:36.
I like the idea that the Pensieve will show Harry the night that his parents died so he can see what went wrong with Voldemort the first time around. The big problem with this is that if Voldemort has a Pensieve, why on Earth would Dumbledore or Harry have access to it? I personally wouldn’t leave mine lying around.
- A comment by Wenderric Posted on 03/09/05 at 11:08:30.
With the connection between Voldemort and Harry it is possible that if one of them uses a Pensieve some of the other person's thoughts may drift into it. If, we've got both Harry and Voldemort's thoughts mixed together in one Pensieve and they looked for the specific night in which Harry was attacked, they could see it both from Harry and Voldemort's point-of-view. In doing this, Harry could probably also figure out how Wormtail betrayed his parents, what exactly happened in Godric's Hollow, what exactly happened to Voldemort when the curse rebounded, and where Voldemort went before possessing Quirrell's body. It would be an information bonanza and Harry would be able to watch it whenever he liked.
- A summary of Cockroach Clusterboy’s comment from 03/12/05 at 14:45:41.
History Preserved
I’ve always found the Pensieve one of my favorite magical objects in the Harry Potter series. You can store up as many memories as you need, so no one can find them while using legilimency on you. Here’s a theory that hit me when I saw the U.S. Cover of the Half-Blood Prince. Technically, I believe, when you store a memory inside a Pensieve, and then die without taking it out, it remains there for others to view. So, what if the four Hogwarts founders used one to store their memories in for other Headmasters to see? They wouldn’t just die without leaving any information about how Hogwarts was created, important events that had occurred, etc. The Pensieve would be left for one Head to pass on to the next. But where would this Pensieve be? For those who may not know, while visiting the set for one of the Harry Potter movies, JK Rowling let it slip that there would be a graveyard in one of the future books. One that Harry would pay a visit to. I’ve been wondering why we never heard about it before. The Hogwarts Grounds have been covered very well in the books. This graveyard was never even shown on the Marauders Map, and you would think Fred and George may have stumbled onto it. Perhaps only Dumbledore would be able to visit the graveyard, and for some reason he shows it to Harry in the sixth book. Perhaps the description of Character X could be Godric Gryffindor, as viewed within the Pensieve . . .
-Submitted by Ruby
Since the title was announced I thought that this book was going to be about the founders, particularly Gryffindor. He seems to be royalty, he had no problem with half-bloods, and his enemy, Salazar Slytherin, loathed them. JK Rowling said that there is a lot of history in this book. I thought that, in this book, we were going to see the beginning of Hogwarts and the four founders, and that my biggest question was going to be answered: “Why did Gryffindor and Slytherin become enemies?” I don't think it's only Slytherin's "Pureblood complex,” there must be something else. Then I thought: "How will Harry see that?" and the first thing that came to my head was the Pensieve. The Pensieve on the cover looks old, and it’s not in a desk, it's in a pillar, so it doesn't seem to be Dumbledore's.
-A comment by FACT on 03/09/05 at 16:48:47.
There are three things I find very odd about the US version. One, is that the Pensieve is on a column. The second is that it appears rather more battered than how Dumbledore's Pensieve is described. Third, the fact that Harry has his wand at the ready and Dumbledore appears to be trying to fend off whatever lies within. These three points make me wonder if it is not some other Pensieve, filled with some unknown person’s memories. The Half-Blood Prince, perhaps?
-A comment by Long Live the Weasel King! on 03/12/05 at 00:54:35.
With the release of the Half Blood Prince standee that is going to be placed in book stores fifty days before the release of JK Rowling’s sixth book (and can be seen here), it would appear that the assumption that this is not the Pensieve Dumbledore keeps in his office is correct. This other Pensieve is in some unknown outdoor location, atop a pillar that stands at least twice the height of a man. Harry and Dumbledore are accompanied by three characters that are presumably Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They are standing amidst green tinged fog - perhaps reflecting the light of the Dark Mark that hovers above the heads of Ron and Hermione on Dumbledore’s side of the pillar - and stylized buildings can be seen in the background.
Many have theorized that the memories contained within this newfound Pensieve are ancient memories left by the founders of Hogwarts. In particular, Godric Gryffindor, who may have been called the Half-Blood Prince. More information on that theory can be found here., in addition to a Salazar Slytherin Half-Blood Prince theory.
Several theories as to where this Pensieve may reside have arisen as well. One is that it lies in the burial place of Godric Gryffindor. However, there are two theories as to where Godric may be buried. One is that the village James and Lily Potter hid in with Harry, the place where Voldemort attacked them that fateful Halloween night, was named Godric’s Hollow because that is where Godric Gryffindor was from, and that he was later buried there. The other is that it is in the mysterious graveyard which Cuaron, director of the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, referred to in an interview. He wanted to put the scene where Hermione punches Malfoy in a graveyard, but JK Rowling would not let him. She told him the graveyard was near another part of the castle, had not been revealed yet, and would be important in a “later” book. As the graveyard where Tom Riddle, Sr. was buried is far from Hogwarts, it can only be assumed she is talking about a graveyard somewhere on Hogwarts grounds that has yet to be discovered. Perhaps the secret resting place of the three Founders who remained after Salazar Slytherin left the school, never to be seen again . . .
Posted on 05/03/05 |
The U.K. Children's Cover
One thing agreed upon by every reader to comment is that this cover depicts a battle scene. However, there are some unanswered questions:
Fire Fight
That fire makes me remember something in Order of the Phoenix. ". . . before the fragments had even hit the floor, Dumbledore had back his wand and waved it as though brandishing a whip. A long thin flame flew from the tip; it wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all. . .” The flame on the cover is not thin, but maybe the cover isn't exactly accurate. The duel in the end of Order of the Phoenix is interesting. Voldemort uses Avada Kedavra and Serpents, Dumbledore uses strange powerful curses we haven't seen before, and we know that they are not used to kill. "We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom.” I wonder if someone is trying to use this "ways of destroying a man" against Harry and Dumbledore.
I can only guess that Harry will be with Dumbledore in the climax of The Half-Blood Prince. It is a perfect moment for sacrificing himself for Harry. If Dumbledore dies, he must die to keep Harry alive.
-A comment by FACT on 03/09/05 at 16:48:47.
Harry and Dumbledore will both be in a climatic battle with Voldemort, and maybe the Death Eaters. Dumbledore will save Harry from Voldemort's Killing Curse by using that circling fire spell. In doing this, Dumbledore will sacrifice himself somehow. This will give Harry the additional strength he needs to face Voldemort for the final battle in Book 7.
-A comment by avindra =) on 03/09/05 at 17:44:48.
Obviously the question remains whether the fire encircling Dumbledore and Harry is being used to attack or defend. Another question is whether Dumbledore is casting the fire, or protecting against it. If he is casting it, it may be swirling about them like a whip, about to be snapped at the unseen enemy they are facing, or swirling about them like a cage to defend them from physical or magical attacks. If it is being cast at them, it could be wrapping itself about some invisible, spherical shield which Dumbledore has conjured. Either way, this does not bode well for our two heroes.
Posted on 05/03/05 |
The U.K. Adults' Cover
At first glance, the U.K. Adults’ Cover seems to be pretty straightforward: a book entitled Advanced Potion- Making, by Libatius Borage. However, there are several factors that make this the most enigmatical cover of them all.
Veritaserum reader Glen wrote:
I have the British adult collection, and on each cover is something relating directly to the title of the book. Philosopher’s Stone has a picture of the Philosopher's Stone on it, Chamber of Secrets has the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban has Azkaban Prison, Goblet of Fire has the Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix has a gold phoenix on fire. The British adult version of Half-Blood Prince has a book for advanced potion making?
Libatius Borage?
Several readers have researched the meaning of the author’s name, Libatius Borage:
Ez: ”I believe Libatius comes from ‘libation,’ which I looked up in the dictionary: 'the pouring-out of wine, etc., in honour of a deity.’”
Sam: ”Borage is the name of plant which is very useful! The plant’s Latin name, Borago, is thought to be a corruption of corago, meaning ‘I bring heart’, although it may also be derived from the Italian borra or French bourra meaning ‘rough hair or wool,’ and perhaps referring to the short hairs covering the plant. A third derivation may be the Celtic barrach, meaning ‘man of courage’. John Evelyn, a seventeenth century diarist, wrote that borage ‘was of known virtue to revive the hypochondriac and cheer the hard student.’ Gerard recommended its use ‘to exhilarate and make the mind glad ….. and drive away all sadnesse, dulnesse and melancholy’ and said that ‘a syrup made of the flowers of borage comforteth the heart, purgeth melancholy, and quieteth the phreneticke or lunaticke person.’”
Theorist1: ”The author of the book on the U.K. Adult cover is ‘Borage,’ which is a plant that was used to make a 'potion' in the 1600's. ‘Europeans mixed borage leaves and flowers into a wine that was renowned for relieving boredom and dispelling melancholy.’”
Firebird: “Libatius Borage - Latin: ‘I bring the heart.’ Celtic: ‘a man of courage.’
Ancient Celtic warriors drank wine with borage to give them courage before going into battle. In medieval times, borage tea was given to competitors in tournaments as a morale booster. It is credited with antidotal effect against poisons. Useful in nervous and heart conditions.”
Whether the name of the author or the book itself has any importance is unknown.
Firebird had several ideas, as well as several poignant questions.
“Is the author the new DADA professor? Are they famous for working with that plant and Snape teaches them an interesting potion in NEWT Potions? Was the old book found in the library, Knockturn Alley, or where? Maybe the author was famous for working with this plant and they devise a plan to brew a potion of joy, courage and heart for the troops in the fight against Voldemort? Could that be the ‘power the dark Lord knows not?’ The potion the author was famous for could save someone from a bite from Voldemort’s snake, or some other fun beast. It could be an ingredient in a Pensieve potion. (Far fetched, I know.) There could be a protection potion from the killing curse. It could be found by Hermione in the back of the Library. Does anyone know if the killing curse sucks out your soul, like a Dementor, or does it make your heart stop? There could be a potion which may help save Ron from the neurological effects of being attacked by brains or Hermione, since the effects of Dolohov’s curse took 10 potions to save her, or maybe help save someone else from something not yet known. Finally, this is far fetched, I know, but what if the author had something to do with the ‘force at once more wonderful and terrible than death’ that lurks behind that door in the Department of Mysteries? Maybe he figured out how to store it.”
N.E.W.T. Potions
The thought that immediately sprang to many reader’s minds upon first viewing the Advanced Potion Making book on the cover was that Harry somehow achieved an O on his Potions O.W.L. – despite his own misgivings at the end of the exam - enabling him to take Snape’s N.E.W.T. Potions class. Yet, there is an alternative to taking Potions with Snape . . .
The adult cover supports a theory I've had for a long time now . . . The book is not anyone else's old potions book, but Harry's new potions book. I think Snape will finally get the Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) job, and a new Potions teacher will be brought in, who doesn't require their students to have gotten the top marks on OWLS, but teaches those with the second-highest marks, or even anyone who has passed the Potions OWL. I've thought this for a long time because 1) it's the only way that makes sense for Harry to become an Auror, 2) Dumbledore will want to prove to people once and for all that he trusts Snape, and 3) McGonagall promised Harry she would help him become an Auror if it were the last thing she did. Perhaps she will convince Dumbledore to let Snape teach DADA? 4) JK Rowling has repeatedly reminded her readers that Snape's been vying for the DADA job for years.
I really think that the Potions book on the adult cover is a sign that Harry will be in Potions and will become an Auror, and this is the most logical way that I can think of for that to happen.
-A comment by anony-mouse
Advanced Potion Making, by Libatius Borage. I think this one is pretty obvious: NEWT level potions. However, how Harry goes about getting into Snape’s NEWT class is beyond me. Unless the Ministry give him all O's to make up for Fudge's slander of Harry Potter, I don't see it happening.
However, that book looks rather old and tattered. My theory is that Snape will take the DADA post, and that book belongs to the new Potions Master. An old book from their own school days. It would also make more sense to have that as a clue on the covers. It's pretty easy to guess that JK Rowling would have Harry continue taking lessons from Snape. Yet, she confused the issue by making it difficult for Harry to get into his NEWT Potions class. By putting that book on the cover, we all immediately assume that Harry achieved an O on his OWL and will be taking Potions with Snape. Why would JK allow them to give that away?
The potions book is a red herring, designed to make us think something is certain, so that when we learn it comes about in a different manner, we are surprised at the "twist."
-A comment by Long Live the Weasel King! on 03/12/05 at 00:54:35.
Posted on 05/03/05 |
General Theorizing
Feel free to send in your theories about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince covers, but in the meantime, you can use the comments on this item to discuss any theories you may have.
Posted on 03/09/05 |
Submit your own Theory | Back to Theories
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