Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter Twenty:
Lord Voldemort's Request

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

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 423 - 446
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 396 - 418
Timeframe: Monday, 10 March, 1997 [Y17]

In which Ginny fights with Dean and Ron with Lavender, Luna delivers a message to Harry of a lesson with Dumbledore, and Harry arrives at the lesson to find Trelawney being asked to leave. Dumbledore makes Harry feel guilty for not procuring Slughorn's memory, but they view two new memories: in the first, Riddle visits Hepzibah Smith and sees Slytherin's locket days before her death; in the second, Riddle asks Dumbledore for the D.A.D.A. post at Hogwarts, which Dumbledore admits began the curse on the position.

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Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

Dumbledore had not raised his voice, he did not even sound angry, but Harry would have preferred him to yell; this cold disappointment was worse than anything.

a very old, very rich witch by the name of Hepzibah Smith

"You see, we have never been able to keep a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Voldemort."

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• Hokey (in Pensieve)

• Smith, Hepzibah (in Pensieve)

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Brown, Lavender

• Dippet, Armando

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Granger, Hermione

• Lovegood, Luna

• Potter, Harry

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (in Pensieve, and as Voldemort)

• Trelawney, Sybill

• Weasley, Ron

• (unknown) either Crabbe or Goyle, having taken Polyjuice Potion

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Burke, Caractacus

• Coote, Ritchie

• Dolohov

• Dumbledore, Aberforth (as the local barman)

• Fawkes

• Firenze

• Gaunt, Morfin

• Hufflepuff, Helga

• Malfoy, Draco

• McLaggen, Cormac

• Merrythought, Galatea

• Mulciber

• Nott

• Peakes, Jimmy

• Pomfrey, Poppy

• Riddle, Merope Gaunt

• Rosier

• Slughorn, Horace

• Slytherin, Salazar

• Thomas, Dean

• Weasley, Ginny

• (unnamed) relatives of Hepzibah Smith

• (unnamed) children at Riddle's orphanage

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Hepzibah Smith's living room (in Pensieve)

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

  • Dumbledore's office (including in Pensieve)

  • Great Hall

  • Gryffindor Tower common room

  • seventh-floor corridor

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Borgin and Burkes

• Hog's Head Tavern

• hospital wing

Exceptional character moments:

• Still to come....

Spells and Potions:

• Apparition

• conjured items: roses

• Polyjuice Potion

• Reparo

• (unnamed) spell Riddle uses to conjure flowers (but c.f. Orchideus)

• (unnamed) spell Dumbledore used to light Riddle's wardrobe on fire (possibly a non-verbal Incendio)

Links and Resources:

• Bestiary

  • centaur

  • Gulping Plimpy

  • house-elf

• Death Eaters

• items and devices, magical

  • armor, goblin made

  • celestial globes

  • Horcruxes

  • cup, Hufflepuff's

  • Pensieve

  • locket, Slytherin's

• Minister for Magic

• passwords

• Gurdyroot

Memorable lines:

• "Divination is turning out to be much more trouble than I could have foreseen, never having studied the subject myself."

• "Lovely, madam," squeaked Hokey.
  Harry could only assume that it was down in Hokey's contract that she must lie through her teeth when asked this question, because Hepzibah Smith looked a long way from lovely in his opinion.

• "I know what you are known as," said Dumbledore, smiling pleasantly. "But to me, I'm afraid, you will always be Tom Riddle. It is one of the irritating things about old teachers. I am afraid that they never quite forget their charges' youthful beginnings."

• "The time is long gone when I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes. But I wish I could, Tom.... I wish I could...."

Strictly British:

• post

• pot plant

• pouffe

• wardrobe

Timelines/Calendar:

The entire chapter takes place on the Monday following the previous chapter. Since that chapter ended on Saturday, 8 March, this one must be on Monday, 10 March.