Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter Twenty-Seven:
The Lightning-Struck Tower

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

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 579-596
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 541-556
Timeframe: an evening in June, 1997 [Y17]

In which Harry and Dumbledore return to Hogsmeade and see the Dark Mark over Hogwarts. They fly to the top of the Astronomy Tower, where Draco appears and disarms Dumbledore, but can't bring himself to kill him and Dumbledore tries to convince Draco to come to the good side.  Before Malfoy can decide, though, other Death Eaters show up - including Snape, who kills Dumbledore himself, blasting the body off of the tower.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

"The Lightning-Struck Tower", also known as "The Tower", is the name of one of the cards of the Major Arcana in a Tarot deck.

You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley.

I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years.

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• (surname unknown) Alecto

• (surname unknown) Amycus

• Greyback, Fenrir (first appearance)

• (unnamed) fourth Death-Eater

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Malfoy, Draco

• Potter, Harry

• Rosmerta, Madam

• Snape, Severus

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Bell, Katie

• Borgin, Mr.

• Filch, Argus

• Granger, Hermione

• Longbottom, Neville

• Lovegood, Luna

• Malfoy, Lucius

• Malfoy, Narcissa Black

• Montague

• Pomfrey, Poppy

• Riddle, Tom Marvolo (as Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort)

• Slughorn, Horace

• Weasley, Bill (as the one Greyback bit)

• Weasley, Ginny

• Weasley, Ron

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• High Street, Hogsmeade

• Astronomy Tower

• seaside cave

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Azkaban

• the Three Broomsticks

• Room of Requirement

• Borgin and Burkes

Exceptional character moments:

• Still to come....

Spells and Potions:

• Accio

• Apparition

• Avada Kedavra

• Dark Mark, the

• Expelliarmus

• Felix Felicis

• Freezing Charm

• Imperius Curse

• Legilimency

• Protean Charm (cast by Malfoy on coins)

• Reducto

• (unnamed) potion Dumbledore drank in the cave

• (unnamed) enchantments protecting Hogwarts, and counter-spells Dumbledore performs to undo them

Links and Resources:

• Inferius

• D.A., the

• Death Eaters

• items and devices, magical

  • broomsticks

  • Cloak, Invisibility

  • Horcruxes

  • necklace, opal

  • Vanishing Cabinet

• Order of the Phoenix

Memorable lines:

• "No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."

  

Strictly British:

• afters

• battlements

• crenellated

• pub

• ramparts

Timelines/Calendar:

This chapter continues where the previous one left off, on an undetermined evening in June.