Thoughts and reflections about the sixth Harry Potter book

Who is the Half Blood Prince?


A/N: This text is un-beta-ed. So, all mistakes are mine. And before you flame me because of my English, please consider that English is not my mother tongue. (But you are welcome to correct my grammar in a polite way.)

Now it is official. The title of the sixth book is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. There are a lot of speculations about the identity of this mysterious Half Blood Prince and I am tempted to add my own thoughts about his identity.

Before I am going to develop my theory, I would like to list some of the known and proved facts. Well, what do we know? What has been said in the first five books? Which statements have been made by Joanne Rowling on her web-site or in miscellaneous interviews?

Ms Rowling's universe distinguishes between pure bloods, half bloods and muggles. While the first two terms are easy to define, the definition of a half blood is more difficult. So I will start easy.

Muggles are non-magical people, like Hermione's parents. In Joanne Rowling's terminology Hermione is a muggle born witch, so she is neither a pure blood nor a half blood.

Pure bloods are wizards (or witches), in whose line of ancestors no muggle could be found (or the relationship was so long ago, no one would reckon it). The best examples are the families Malfoy and Black.

Based on these two definitions half bloods are all the other magical people with one or more muggle(s) in their kinship (parents, grandparents, maybe great-grandparents) while all the other family members are witches or wizards. Harry Potter is a typical half blood, because his maternal grandparents were muggles and his mother Lily was a muggle born witch.

On her web-site Joanne Rowling made it clear that Half Blood Prince doesn't refer to Harry Potter (it would be a silly title: Harry Potter and Harry Potter) nor Voldemort (and consequently not Tom Riddle)

Unfortunately the term prince is the masculine form, so all the females of the Harry Potter universe are on the safe side. They can't be the Half Blood Prince.

The story line, in which the Half Blood Prince appears, is the main part of the sixth book, but there are also other strands.
The Weasley family are an old wizarding family. This statement, I think, in combination with the talk Sirius and Harry had in Grimauld Place, is the same as if you say they are pure bloods. Another point is: Draco would certainly like to wind Ron up with the fact Ron being a half blood, wouldn't he? So that is why I have the opinion the Half Blood Prince is not a member of the Weasley family.

The same points count for the members of the Malfoy and Black families. Surely Lucius would hex anybody into Nirvana, who even thinks about the possibility that he or his son is a half blood.

Based upon these facts I would like to develop my theory about the identity of the Half Blood Prince.

The only book, which has a person in its title, is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And this person, Sirius Black, has a leading role in this book. This leads me to the assumption that this Half Blood Prince will have a similar important role in the sixth book, because this story line covers the main part of this book.

But who is it? Who will turn out as the Half Blood Prince?

There are two possibilities.

The first possibility is: Joanne Rowling creates a new character.

In the other five books the new characters Ms Rowling established and that play an important role were restricted to the part of the teachers for Defence against the Dark Arts. The only exception was Sirius Black, but as Harry's godfather he had a special part. Even if the description of his death raises a lot of questions, I don't think that Joanne Rowling let him die, only to revive him and put him in the role of the Half Blood Prince. It would be absurd and it is not her style. And above all: Sirius is a pure blood.
This is why I am going to focus on the new teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts for now. Joanne Rowling has to create a new character here because since Umbridge's trip in the forbidden forest this position is vacant.
But is Ms Rowling going to create a new teacher with a strong personality? In my opinion the answer to this question is reflected in the personalities of the other teachers, who kept this position.
Apart from Remus Lupin (his part in the third book is strongly connected with Sirius Black) you could call every teacher a flop.
Quirrell was obsessed with Voldemort and died in the attempt to get the Philosopher's Stone. Gilderoy Lockhart doesn't know any longer who he is, and he has to stay in the closed ward in St. Mungo's for the time being. Moody wasn't Moody and Umbridge... well, she was Umbridge.
Would Joanne Rowling really start now to create a strong character for the position of the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher? I don't think so.
I don't think either that Ms Rowling would put an unknown character, she never mentioned, in such a centre role. Even Sirius Black was mentioned in the first book in a subordinate clause. (His was the motorbike Hagrid drove). And in the sixth book the story of Harry Potter is (alas!) close to the end and to create a new and distinctive character for two books (at most) seems to me a little wasted.
Furthermore there is the statement that the title (and the story line) originally should have appeared in the second book. In my eyes an unmistakeable sign that it is not going to be a new and unknown character who will turn up as the Half Blood Prince.
The possibility of a new character could be filed away as very unlikely.

So this leads to the second possibility: Joanne Rowling extends the part of a known character.

But which character this could be?
Surely none, whose name was mentioned by the way. True, Ms Rowling has a fable for such supporting characters (e. g. Arabella Figg), but the story is to much advanced, that in this book such a trick could work without long explanations. I think she will concentrate on a known, maybe well know character.
So, which known character could it be?
Foremost there are Harry's class mates. There are some, who had a larger part in the story. Let us focus on them first.
Colin and Dennis Creevey could be candidates. But they are muggle born wizards and so they are out of the run.
The next possible candidates are Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. Finnegan's mother is a witch, he told this his friends in the first book. But even with all the equal rights in the muggle world, I believe the wizarding world of Joanne Rowling is conservative (a fact which Ms Rowling reflects critical). So the inheritance of a title from mother to son is in my eyes unlikely. Dean Thomas is another case. As you can read on Joanne Rowling's web-site she created a background for him (his biological father has been a wizard), but she dropped this for Neville's development. Therefore Dean is no longer an aspirant. Why should Joanne Rowling drop this story part at first and then implement it again? This would be illogical.
Would Neville Longbottom a contender? No. Because in the fifth book Dumbledore points out to Harry that Neville is a pure blood.
The other pupils of Hogwarts - in my opinion - are not established well enough to become the Half Blood Prince, albeit Joanne Rowling confirmed at the Edinburgh Book Festival that the readers will hear more about Blaise Zabini, a male Slytherin student.
To tell the truth I don't like this statement very much, because it makes him a first grade nominee for the part of the Half Blood Prince. But if you consider what I wrote so far and Ms Rowling's statement that she hat planned the story line in the second book, I believe this is a red herring. On the other hand it wouldn't do any good to the story flow.

(Annotation: There are speculations that Mark Evans, a boy, which Dudley used as a "punching ball", could anything but a muggle. Alas, Ms Rowling made clear that the name "Evans" is just a coincidence, Mark Evans is just a back-ground character that needed a name. Therefore he is not an option either. )

What about the remaining adults? I think this is the most promising possibility.
On one side there are the members of the Order of the Phoenix: Mundungus Fletcher, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt.
If you judge based on the descriptions and characterisations in the books, only Kingsley Shacklebolt is an option. But even if he is described a little bit more detailed as the others, in my opinion his characterisation is too uncertain, as Joanne Rowling would make him the Half Blood Prince. All the other characters are not well enough introduced to appear as the Half Blood Prince.
Besides Mundungus and Dedalus, Joanne Rowling never mentioned one of these characters before the fifth book. And the fact that this story line was planed for the second book is another reason for exclusion.
The opposite side to the order members are the Death Eaters: Pettigrew, Nott, Rockwood, Lestrange etc. The main point in my opinion against the theory one of them could turn up as the Half Blood Prince is the role the things in the former titles had for Harry Potter or the story. The Death Eaters haven't been characterised or are to negative described to have a positive or supporting role for Harry. Above all why should Joanne Rowling create a negative and evil Half Blood Prince if Lord Voldemort is at hand?
The Weasleys, Malofys and Sirius Black are no candidates because of the before mentioned reasons.
We can exclude, I think, Hagrid and Dumbledore, because their personality is too well known, compared to other characters in the book. Their influence on Harry is too great and too important as it is likely that Joanne Rowling is going to change it for a new appearance.
There are only two important characters left, who are well introduced, but who are not yet fixed in their importance for Harry. These characters are Remus Lupin and Severus Snape.

The most interesting thing with the part of Remus Lupin is that his part changes during the fifth book. While in the third book Remus is mainly the link between Harry and Sirius Black (and to Harry's parents), he is now the calming influence and the link between Harry and Severus Snape. Remus Lupin really has the potential to be the Half Blood Prince, but...
In my opinion Joanne Rowling has planed a different part for him. To be a prince means to radiate a certain air. Unfortunately she gave him a woeful appearance, not only due to the fact that he is a werewolf, but also he appears to be a "knight of a mournful countenance". As well the reputation of a werewolf in the magical community is bad, so Lupin couldn't develop the influence the Half Blood Prince ought to have.
Well, Joanne Rowling might be capable of changing a character like Remus Lupin und present him as the Half Blood Prince, but in my opinion this change already took place when he became the link between Harry and Snape. Another argument against Remus Lupin being the Half Blood Prince is the fact that he wasn't introduced to the story until book three.
These are the reasons why I think, he is not the Half Blood Prince.

The only one left is Severus Snape, potions master and greasy git. Could he be the mysterious Half Blood Prince?
I remember that I have read an article somewhere (I don't know where) with the title "Alan knows". The content was that Joanne Rowling had told Alan Rickman (who plays Severus Snape in the films) how the personality of Snape was going to develop. Among other things there is also the discrepancy between the Severus Snape in the books and in the films. But before I get lost in further speculation, I would like to gather some facts about Snape.

He is a former Slytherin student and now he is head of Slytherin-House.
He teaches potions since 14 years, but he had applied for the position of a teacher for Defence against the Dark Arts.
He is a former Death Eater spying for the Order of the Phoenix.
Joanne Rowling doesn't write much about his personal background. Because of the incident with the pensive we know that he had a sad childhood.
He has to be a very talented wizard. He is a good legilimens, when he arrived at Hogwarts he knew more curses than a seventh year, he is good at duelling and he loves logic puzzles.
All other descriptions of Ms Rowling's potion mater refer to his character and appearance, but they are not relevant to judge about the possibility 'Could Snape be the Half Blood Prince?'.

On closer examination Severus Snape turns up as the mystery man.

A point against the theory Snape could be the Half Blood Prince is that he is a Slytherin. But Tom Riddle was a Slytherin as well and he is a half blood. So this is not an argument.
Another reason against this theory is the fact of Severus Snape's friendship with Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy would never befriend himself with an "unworthy" person (if there isn't an advantage for him in it). But is it a friendship? There is an age gap of five or six years between them. Joanne Rowling mentioned in an interview about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that Snape would be 34 or 35. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Lucius Malfoy's age is stated with 41. So they haven't been class mates. And Ms Rowling never wrote a word about a friendship between them. This is an interpretation by her readers not herself.
The last argument is the fact that Severus Snape is or was a Death Eater. The conclusion that a Death Eater has to be a pure blood also originates from the readers.
At the Edinburgh Book Festival Joanne Rowling answered the question, if Severus Snape was a pure blood wizard, indirect. She only made it clear that he is not a muggle born wizard because they only are allowed joining the death eaters under certain circumstances.

It could be possible.

But, if Snape is a half blood, why don't the other death eaters and pure bloods refuse him, as they detest muggle born wizards and other half bloods?
As I mentioned before, I believe Joanne Rowling's wizarding world is conservative. And the title prince implies that the family and the head of such a family have a high rank in the magical world. The Half Blood Prince is too important to be ignored or slighted. It is this influence, which could cover a misalliance between a pure blood and a muggle born. It is also an explanation for Snape's sad childhood. When his father's love for Severus's mother died, her origin became over-important.
Snape's position is, because of his descent, important enough that he – also with Dumbledore vouching for him – is not judged guilty being a death eater. His position has enough influence to grant Voldemort's acceptance.

And there are Joanne Rowling's statements that she likes to write about Snape (even if she wouldn't want to meet him) and she thinks that this figure is gift. If you compare the share Snape has in the last five books to this statement, he comes of badly.

What could be more interesting as Severus Snape turns out to be Joanne Rowling's Half Blood Prince?

Now you know my theory and I would like to know, what do you think about it? Are my wishes running rampant or could my speculations hide a true possibility? I would be happy to read some of thoughts in a review.

20.08.2004 Chalebh

Addition: There are a lot of speculations, if the extract of book six, which appeared a while ago behind the closed door on Joanne Rowling's web-site, refers to the Half Blood Prince. The excerpt is: "He looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp."
I think, Joanne Rowling placed a red-herring. The description doesn't fit to any known character and a completely new character – as I mentioned before – is unlikely. Besides, would Ms Rowling really reveal so many facts about the Half Blood Prince? If we are lucky, we will find out in early summer 2005.

09.09.2004 Chalebh