Chapter 57. The Half-Blood Prince
It was a warm September night. Harry stepped onto the platform in Hogsmeade with his friends. The air was filled with the aromas of autumn - the smell of cut grass, the freshness of pine needles, and the crispness of fallen leaves. Stars twinkled overhead, and in the distance, the lights of Hogwarts could be seen.
Usually, this sight filled Harry with joy, but now his soul was troubled. "This is the last time I'll see all of this so peaceful," he thought. Ron and Hermione chatted happily about something, while Harry walked alongside them in silence, enjoying the calm before the storm.
Soon, the travelers reached the carriages pulled by Thestrals. Harry patted one on the withers and climbed inside with his friends. The carriages set off, and through the window, they could see Hogwarts approaching - huge, cozy, and glowing with thousands of lights. "I love this place," Harry thought. "If only I could spend another year here peacefully."
The carriages stopped at the grand entrance, and Harry and his friends entered the castle. The students had already gathered in the Great Hall - first-year students sat at the tables with timid and amazed expressions, while the older students cheerfully greeted each other after being apart for the summer.
Harry spotted familiar faces - Neville was sitting next to Luna Lovegood, discussing a plant fervently. In the corner, Ginny and her friends giggled about something. And there was Agatha Sunspark - a cheerful girl waving her hand at Harry, while Katie Mallowhate shyly smiled beside her.
Behind the teacher's table sat the strict Snape, the diminutive Flitwick, and other familiar faces. Harry looked at Dumbledore and felt a pang of anxiety - their world, which relied on this wise man, seemed so fragile now...
Harry tried to push away the dark thoughts and focus on the feast. How wonderful it was to be here again, among friends! He savored the delicious food and the joyful atmosphere, trying to remember every moment.
Just as Harry was enjoying pumpkin juice, the doors of the Great Hall creaked open slightly, and Ritsuka Fujimaru entered. He invisibly slipped behind the teacher's table and sat next to Hagrid.
Ritsuka warmly smiled at Harry and nodded slightly. Harry smiled back - his soul became a little calmer. He was glad to have the presence of this mysterious person, who had come to their aid in the most difficult moments.
For a while, Harry simply watched as Ritsuka quietly conversed with Dumbledore. His presence instilled confidence that they were not alone in the upcoming battle. Harry sighed and continued the feast - at least today, they would enjoy peace and friendship within the beloved walls of Hogwarts.
When everyone finished their desserts, Dumbledore stood up and spoke:
"Welcome, old and new students! I am pleased to welcome you to the new school year. First and foremost, I want to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest on the school grounds is still off-limits for visits."
I also want to introduce you to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher - Professor Snape. Instead, Potions will now be taught by the newly arrived Professor Slughorn. However, we are happy to welcome back Professor Fujimaru, who will be teaching a special elective on magical anomalies.
Dumbledore paused and continued more seriously, "I will not hide the fact that these are anxious times. The threat we all know of is becoming stronger. But as long as we stand united, there is nothing to fear. Remember, you can all rely on the help of the Hogwarts professors. And of course, you can always come to me."
Harry listened with mixed emotions - on one hand, Dumbledore's words instilled hope, but on the other hand, Harry couldn't shake off the worry of the upcoming challenges.
Dumbledore smiled and added, "And now, good night and a good start to your studies!"
After Dumbledore's speech, the students began to rise from their seats and disperse to their common rooms.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with the other Gryffindors, headed towards their tower. On the way, they discussed the upcoming school year.
"We should definitely resume Dumbledore's Army meetings," Hermione said. "The Room of Requirement is still at our disposal."
"And I want to try out for the Quidditch team this year," Dudley added eagerly.
"I think you have a good chance," Harry encouraged him. "You trained hard all year."
They entered the Gryffindor common room, where they were greeted with joyful cheers and greetings. Everyone was happy to reunite after the summer holidays.
Harry looked around at the familiar faces and couldn't help but smile. It felt so good to be back here, at home, at Hogwarts! He decided to savor every moment of this last calm year before the storm.
In the morning, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors descended to the Great Hall for breakfast. Schedules for the new school year were being distributed.
"Alright, Potter, Potter..." Professor McGonagall said, turning to Harry and looking at her notes. "Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration... Everything looks very good. I must say, Potter, I am pleased with your Transfiguration exam grade, very pleased. Why didn't you include Potions in your application? Didn't you dream of becoming an Auror?"
"Yes, professor, but you said that to achieve that, one needs to get an 'outstanding' on the exam."
"That was the case when Professor Snape taught potions. However, Professor Slughorn is perfectly happy to accept N.E.W.T. s students with "Exceeds Expectations." So, would you like to continue with the potions course?"
"Yes," Harry said, "but I haven't bought textbooks, ingredients, and everything else..."
"I'm sure Professor Slughorn can lend you everything you need," Professor McGonagall said. "Excellent, Potter, here's your schedule. By the way, nineteen people have already joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I'll pass you the list later, and you can schedule the tryouts at your convenience."
Several minutes later, Ron received permission to continue with the same subjects as Harry, and both of them left the table.
"Look, we have double potions with the Slytherins today," Ron said, looking at his schedule. "I wonder how Malfoy is doing? Haven't seen him since the feast."
"Yeah, me neither," Harry replied. "I hope he hasn't changed his mind about being friends."
The students entered the potions classroom, talking animatedly.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together at one desk. Hermione immediately took out her quill and parchment, ready to take notes on every word the teacher said.
Luna and Neville settled in nearby. Luna was contemplatively staring at the ceiling, while Neville nervously fiddled with his robe – potions was his weak subject.
Jeanne sat a little further away, with a perfectly straight back and crossed arms. Her neighbor was Agatha Sunspark, who was energetically telling a story, gesturing with her hands.
Draco sat at the adjacent desk, briefly glancing at Harry. Sam Brightwood sat next to him, gripping the edge of the desk tightly with his large hands.
Lastly, Mash Kyrielight entered. She timidly smiled and sat at a desk in the far corner.
Once everyone was settled, Professor Slughorn glided into the classroom.
"Good morning, young potion-masters!" he said cheerfully. "Today, I have prepared an exciting lesson about the properties of the rarest ingredient – phoenix tears!"
He snapped his fingers, and several crystal vials with shimmering liquid appeared on his desk. Hermione leaned forward with interest, studying them.
"And now let's get to work," announced Slughorn. "You will find the potion recipe on page 27 of the textbook. Prepare it within an hour, and I will evaluate the results."
The sound of parchment rustling filled the room as the students flipped through their textbooks in search of the required page. Neville accidentally dropped his book on the floor and bent down to pick it up with a sheepish smile.
Soon, everyone started working. The classroom filled with the sounds of ingredients being chopped, liquids bubbling, various smells, and whispered instructions. Slughorn walked between the desks, looking over their shoulders and giving advice.
When Slughorn gave the assignment, Harry and Ron exchanged awkward glances - they didn't have potions textbooks.
"Professor, Ron and I don't have books," Harry said.
"Oh well, let's see what extra books I have here," mumbled Slughorn, rummaging through the cupboard.
He pulled out two tattered textbooks and handed them to Harry and Ron. Harry opened his and saw a signature on the title page: "Property of the Half-Blood Prince." It was a terribly dirty textbook, filled with annotations. Moreover, numbers, words, and whole sentences were crossed out in the text, with the previous student's own recommendations written over them. Harry stared at the textbook in surprise for a minute, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he caught Ron's disapproving look - his friend didn't want to switch textbooks.
"Page 27, you said? Let's get started," Harry said to Ron.
Harry occasionally glanced at Ron's textbook, but soon discovered that the recipe written in it didn't allow him to achieve the results described in the textbook itself. So he decided to follow the recipe from the Prince's textbook at his own risk. To his surprise, Harry achieved the desired consistency and color of the potion almost immediately. By the end of the lesson, his brew unexpectedly received the highest grade from Slughorn, who had peered into his cauldron.
"The previous owner left many useful tips in this book," Harry thought, admiring the perfect result. But who is this Half-Blood Prince who dared to correct the text in the textbook and leave notes in it?
Surveying the classmates' results, Harry noticed that only his potion had the perfect deep emerald color described in the textbook.
Hermione's liquid was slightly paler, and the rest were far from the desired result. Ron's cauldron contained a suspicious purple liquid, and Malfoy's potion was a murky green.
Sam Brightwood looked mournfully at his concoction, which bubbled and resembled swamp mud. Agatha seemed to be experimenting altogether, judging by the pink glow of her potion.
"Time's up! Hand in the flasks," said Slughorn.
As Slughorn evaluated the results, he praised Harry's potion:
"Great job! You followed the instructions perfectly and achieved a perfect result. As a reward, here's a small vial of Felix Felicis potion. It will bring luck to whoever drinks it!"
Beaming with pride, Harry accepted the small vial of golden liquid from Slughorn. He thanked him and carefully hid it in his bag.
"Thanks to you and your invaluable advice, Prince," Harry thought, stroking the cover of the textbook.
After class, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed to the Gryffindor common room.
"Unbelievable, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "How did you manage to brew such a perfect potion?"
"It's all thanks to the Prince's textbook," Harry explained. "There are really useful brewing tips in there."
"Hmm, I don't know," Hermione frowned, flipping through the textbook. "These recommendations seem strange. Are you sure we should trust them?"
"Oh, come on, he helped Harry!" Ron interjected. "The main thing is that it works."
"Maybe..." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Just be careful, Harry. And let us know if the textbook suggests anything suspicious."
Harry nodded. Of course, the Prince's advice seemed unusual. But as long as they helped him, was that a bad thing? He decided to observe the textbook before drawing any conclusions.
After brewing potions, the Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Snape. He decided to start teaching non-verbal spells.
"Today, we'll begin with non-verbal magic," Snape announced. "It's a challenging but necessary topic for any wizard."
He explained that non-verbal spells required strong concentration and mastery of magic without the use of words.
"Potter, show me Expelliarmus without saying the incantation," Snape ordered. "Stand opposite Malfoy."
Harry concentrated with all his might, but Draco's wand merely twitched weakly. Draco even looked at Harry sympathetically. However, when Draco tried to do the same, he couldn't achieve a similar result - Harry's wand didn't budge at all. Now it was Harry's turn to sympathize with Draco. Ron and Hermione also failed to demonstrate the desired result. Only Jeanne Alter managed to produce something similar, but Snape conveniently chose not to notice.
"A pitiful sight," Snape commented. "Clearly, you neglected practicing spells this summer."
At the end of the lesson, he assigned them to write an essay on "Non-Verbal Spells: Basics of Application and Significance."
"This is just unfair!" Ron protested after class. "How are we supposed to be good at something we've just started learning?"
But Harry knew they truly needed more practice. He decided to train properly so that he could perform better in Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
"Tell everyone," he told Hermione after class. "We'll resume practicing in the Room of Requirement. Let's meet there, as usual, at 8 p.m. after classes."
Hermione only nodded in agreement - they needed practice now more than ever, as no one knew what awaited them ahead.