Jane's Great Re-Read: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Review

I always felt smug about this book, mainly because I worked out who the Half-Blood Prince was prior to it being published. I also guessed that Dumbledore would not make it to the final book. Although that was rather more obvious. This is a wild ride of a book, I loved all the sequences between Harry and Dumbledore. Dumbledore diminishing, though having learnt important lessons in the Order of the Phoenix. Also Snape you can’t talk about this book without thinking deeply about Snape stuck between a rock and a hard place and with no choice to his actions. And the questions about who is he actually loyal to?
And then there’s Draco, in well over his head and feeling every inch the frightened child that he is. I adore Dumbledore in the sequence, when facing down someone who charged with killing him, he tries to reason with him and even this darkest of moments he offers Draco a way out.
I cried at Dumbledore’s funeral I couldn’t help it. The huge protective presence in the novels is gone as it needs to be for Harry to realise his true potential and defeat Voldemort.
So my five things:

Horace Slughorn a collector of people and the one Slytherin who doesn’t seem completely dark and evil.
Felix Felicis. I would love to have a small vial of that potion just for once.
The confrontation between Snape and Harry when Harry goes after him after killing Dumbledore.
The opening sequence with the muggle prime minister I like to imagine its Tony Blair because I’m a bit weird like that.
The order being bad ass.