Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter Five:
An Excess of Phlegm

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

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 81 - 104
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 81 - 102
Timeframe: Saturday, 13 July, 1996 [Y16]

In which Harry talks with Mrs. Weasley (and later Mr. Weasley) about the Ministry, we see Fleur and learn that she and Bill are engaged to his family's dismay, and Harry tells Ron and Hermione about Slughorn, his private lessons with Dumbledore, and the prophecy, while they tell him about Fleur and Tonks. O.W.L. results then arrive, with Harry earning seven O.W.L.s but realizing that Snape won't allow him to take N.E.W.T. potions, and therefore he won't be able to become an Auror.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation

He said he'd be back around midnight

"What is your dearest ambition?"
"To find out how airplanes stay up."

all for ten Galleons!

"Wuzzgoinon?"

"About one o'clock this morning."

"Today?" shrieked Hermione. "Today? But why didn't you - oh my God - you should have said - "

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

"Seven OWLs, that's more than Fred and George got together!"

"Yep - ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• none

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Crookshanks

• Delacour, Fleur

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Granger, Hermione

• Hedwig

• Potter, Harry

• Tonks, Nymphadora

• Weasley, Arthur

• Weasley, Ginny

• Weasley, Molly

• Weasley, Ron

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Black, Sirius

• Crouch, Jr., Bartemius

• Delacour, Gabrielle

• Fletcher, Mundungus

• Lestrange, Bellatrix Black

• Lupin, Remus

• Malfoy, Lucius

• McGonagall, Minerva

• Moaning Myrtle

• Moody, Alastor (Mad-Eye)

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (as Voldemort, You-Know-Who)

• Scrimgeour, Rufus

• Slughorn, Horace

• Umbridge, Dolores

• Weasley, Bill

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Weasley, Percy

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Burrow, the

  • Fred and George's bedroom

  • kitchen

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Azkaban

• Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

• Diagon Alley

  • Gringotts' Wizarding Bank

  • Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

• Elephant and Castle

• Ministry of Magic headquarters

• St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Exceptional character moments:

• Still to come....

Spells:

• Apparition

• Backfiring Jinx

• Stretching Jinx

• (unnamed) misc. nonverbal cooking spells Mrs. Weasley performs

• (unnamed) supposed defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off

• (unnamed) charms Mrs. Weasley tries for fixing Hermione's black eye

Links and Resources:

• Aurors

• owls

• The Healer's Helpmate

• Daily Prophet, the

• Death Eaters

• N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s

• food and drink

• Hogwarts classes

• items and devices, magical

  • cauldrons

  • Metamorph-Medals

  • Mrs. Weasley's clock

  • Puking Pastille

  • Sneakoscopes

  • telescope, punching

• Ministry of Magic

  • Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects

• bubotuber

• prophecies

• Triwizard Tournament

• Metamorphmagi

Memorable lines:

• Mrs. Weasley ended her speech with a stern look, as if it had been Harry suggesting that it was natural to miss spark plugs.

• "What is your dearest ambition?"
  "To find out how airplanes stay up."

• "Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right."

• But when Harry arrived downstairs... it was to find Hermione sitting at the kitchen table in great agitation, while Mrs. Weasley tried to lessen her resemblance to half a panda.

Strictly British:

• blimey

• bloke

• drawn

• flat

• lot

• mental

• sickening

• sitting room

• sweet

• Wellington boots

• Wotcher

Timelines/Calendar:

Ron says "it's been a month" since O.W.L.s finished, and the exams probably finished on 18 June (OP31). We also know from HBP06 that Harry spends "a few weeks" at the Burrow prior to his birthday on 31 July - so it's likely that it's been a little less than a month, rather than a little more. That, plus our date reference from HBP18, means that this is most likely Saturday, 13 July.