Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter Seven:
The Slug Club

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

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 129 - 154
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 124 - 147
Timeframe: Saturday, 31 August - Sunday, 1 September, 1996 [Y16]

In which Harry thinks Malfoy might be a Death Eater, everyone departs for King's Cross, and before getting on the train Harry tells Mr. Weasley his suspicions. On the train, Harry finds he is more famous than ever, but sits with Neville and Luna until Slughorn invites him to tea. After hours of boring conversation, Harry sneaks into the Slytherins' compartment, invisible, and listens to Malfoy brag about working with Voldemort, but when the train stops Malfoy freezes Harry and leaves him behind.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

pink would of course be 'orrible with Ginny's 'air -

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• Arnold (though Ginny spoke about him in the previous chapter)

• Belby, Marcus

• McLaggen, Cormac

• Vane, Romilda

• Zabini, Blaise (speaks for the first time)

• (unnamed) Aurors escorting Harry through King's Cross Station

• (unnamed) Romilda Vane's giggly friends

• (unnamed) third-year who delivers Slughorn's notes to Harry and Neville

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Crabbe, Vincent

• Delacour, Fleur

• Goyle, Gregory

• Granger, Hermione

• Longbottom, Neville

• Lovegood, Luna

• Malfoy, Draco

• Parkinson, Pansy

• Potter, Harry

• Slughorn, Horace

• Weasley, Arthur

• Weasley, Ginny

• Weasley, Molly

• Weasley, Ron

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Borgin, Mr.

• Chang, Cho

• Crookshanks

• Crouch, Bartemius Jr.

• (surname unknown, possibly Belby) Damocles

• Delacour, Gabrielle

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Edgecombe, Marietta

• Hagrid, Rubeus

• Hedwig

• Higgs, Bertie

• Jones, Gwenog

• Lestrange, Bellatrix

• Lestrange, Rabastan

• Lestrange, Rodolphus

• Longbottom, Alice

• Longbottom, Augusta (Gran)

• Longbottom, Frank

• Malfoy, Lucius

• Malfoy, Narcissa

• Malkin, Madam

• Nott, Mr.

• Nott, Theodore

• Ollivander, Mr.

• Pigwidgeon

• Potter, James

• Potter, Lily

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

• Scrimgeour, Rufus

• Smith, Zacharias

• Thomas, Dean

• (surname unknown, possibly McLaggen) Tiberius

• Tonks, Nymphadora

• Trevor

• Umbridge, Dolores

• Voldemort

• Weasley, Bill

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Zabini, Mrs.

• (unnamed) students in the train corridors who stare at Harry

• (unnamed) Mrs. Zabini's seven husbands

• (unnamed) second-years Goyle shoves out of the way

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Burrow, the

  • Fred and George's bedroom

  • kitchen

• Hogwarts Express, the

  • Harry, Neville, and Luna's compartment

  • Compartment C (with Slughorn)

  • Malfoy's compartment

• King's Cross Station

  • Platform 9 3/4

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Azkaban

• Hogsmeade station

• Hogwarts Express: prefect's carriage

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

• London

  • Borgin and Burkes

  • Diagon Alley

    • Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions

    • Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

  • Ministry of Magic Headquarters

• Norfolk

Exceptional character moments:

• Still to come...

Spells and Potions:

• Anapneo

• Bat-Bogey Hex

• Petrificus Totalus

• Wolfsbane Potion

• (unnamed) cooking spell Molly uses to peel sprouts

Links and Resources:

• Aurors

• Wrackspurt

• books: Advanced Rune Translation

• D.A., the

• Daily Prophet, the

• Death Eaters

• Holyhead Harpies

• Inquisitorial Squad

• items and devices, magical

  • cars, Ministry of Magic

  • Cloak, Invisibility

  • Hand of Glory

  • Spectrespecs

  • Vanishing Cabinet

• Order of Merlin

• Quibbler, The

• Slug Club, the

• wands

Memorable lines:

• "Au revoir, 'Arry," said Fleur throatily, kissing him good-bye. Ron hurried forward, looking hopeful, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell, sprawling in the dust at Fleur's feet.

• "Harry, please. You're talking to the man who raised Fred and George."

• "I enjoyed the meetings too," said Luna serenely. "It was like having friends."

Strictly British:

• holiday

• prefect

• trainer

Timelines/Calendar:

Even though the last chapter finished off on the Saturday immediately following Harry's birthday, this chapter implies that there is only a week between the trip to Diagon Alley and 1 September, even though there should be almost a month ("Harry spent a lot of the last week of the holidays...."). We do know that most of the chapter takes place on Saturday, 31 August and Sunday, 1 September, because this is the day the Hogwarts Express always leaves for Hogwarts; additionally, this aligns with the one hardfast date we are given in this book - Ron's birthday on Saturday, 1 March (HBP18)