Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter Eleven:
Hermione's Helping Hand

Notes by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. Worley
Synopsis and links by John Kearns

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 217-236
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 205-222
Timeframe: Saturday, 14 September, 1996 [Y16]

In which Harry discovers his newfound popularity, learns that Stan Shunpike has been arrested, and holds a frustratingly massive Quidditch tryout that includes a run-in with Cormac McLaggen and Katie, Ginny, and Ron making the team.  They visit Hagrid and learn that Aragog is dying, Harry confronts Hermione about having confunded McLaggen during the tryout, and Slughorn invites Harry and Hermione to supper, but Harry is spared having to go when Snape refuses to let him out of detention.

No comments on chapter title yet.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

Still to come....

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• Robins, Demelza

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Buckbeak

• Fang

• Granger, Hermione

• Hagrid, Rubeus

• Hedwig

• McLaggen, Cormac

• Pigwidgeon

• Potter, Harry

• Slughorn, Horace

• Weasley, Ron

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Abbott, Hannah

• Abbott, Mrs.

• Aragog

• Arnold

• Bell, Katie

• Black, Sirius

• Bobbin, Melinda

• Borgin, Mr.

• Brown, Lavender

• Coote, Ritchie

• Crabbe, Vincent

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Dursley, Vernon

• Filch, Argus

• Flitwick, Filius

• Grawp

• Grubbly-Plank, Wilhelmina

• Lestrange, Bellatrix

• Lupin, Remus

• Malfoy, Draco

• Malfoys, the

• McGonagall, Minerva

• Midgen, Eloise

• Midgen, Mr.

• Norbert

• Patil, Mr. and Mrs.

• Patil, Padma

• Patil, Parvati

• Peakes, Jimmy

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (as Voldemort)

• Shunpike, Stan

• Snape, Severus (as the Half-Blood Prince)

• Umbridge, Dolores

• Vane, Romilda

• Weasley, Arthur

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Weasley, Ginny

• Zabini, Blaise

• (unnamed) students receiving mail

• (unnamed) anxious parents keen to hear from their children

• (unnamed) ten first-years, nine silly girls, ten without boomsticks, ten Hufflepuffs, two Ravenclaws, complainers, five lousy keeper applicants, and misc. others who try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team

• (unnamed) students who come to watch Quidditch tryouts after finishing breakfast

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

  • Great Hall

  • Gryffindor Tower common room

  • Hagrid's cabin

  • Quidditch pitch

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Clapham

• Diagon Alley

  • Flourish and Blotts

• Forbidden Forest

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

  • entrance hall

  • greenhouses

• King's Cross Station

• Malfoy mansion

• (unnamed) pub where Stan Shunpike was overheard talking about Death Eaters

Exceptional character moments:

• Still to come....

Spells:

• Aguamenti Charm

• Confundus Charm

• Diffindo

• Imperius Curse

• Reparo

• nonverbal spells

• (unnamed) nonverbal spells

• (unnamed) protective spells on Hogwarts

Links and Resources:

• Aurors

• Bestiary

  • acromantula

  • blast-ended skrewt

  • Dementor

  • doxy

  • dragon

  • flobberworm

  • hippogriff

  • owl

  • Pygmy Puff

  • veela

• books: Advanced Potion-Making

• classes

  • Charms

  • Defense Against the Dark Arts

  • Herbology

  • Potions

  • Transfiguration

• Daily Prophet, the

• Death Eaters

• detentions

• Gryffindor Quidditch team

• Knight Bus

• items and devices, magical

  • broomsticks

  • Secrecy Sensors

  • shrunken head

  • Time-Turners

  • U-No-Poo

• Venomous Tentacula

• Quidditch Handbook

Memorable lines:

• "Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione, suddenly impatient. "It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable."

• Hagrid looked stunned. "Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?"
  "Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"

Strictly British:

• bogey

• boarhound

• fanciable

• gormless

• innit

• kipper

• Knight Bus

• oi

• pitch

• post

• prefect

• pub

• rock cakes

• tuber

Timelines/Calendar:

After briefly touching on the second week of classes, the remainder of the chapter is devoted to the second Saturday of the term. Based on the dates of previous chapters (outlined in HBP08), this Saturday must be 14 September.