Sectumsempra
Ginny and Dean's silence with one another creates a problem for the Quidditch team; Harry worries whether they can Chase together if they are at daggers drawn. Luckily, Katie Bell returns from the hospital and can resume playing. Unfortunately, she cannot recall who gave her the necklace.
Quidditch practice, now that McLaggen is gone and Katie is back, is wonderful. Ginny becomes the life of the team, cracking jokes and doing marvelous imitations. Harry is glad to have a reason to look at her, glad to have the chance to walk alongside her, but he is still seriously worried about what could happen to his friendship with Ron if he started dating her. Harry remembers Ron's expression when he caught Ginny and Dean together; what would he think of Ginny and himself? Meanwhile, there is much interest in the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw; the outcome of the Quidditch championship is still in doubt. Though Gryffindor would have to win by three hundred points to get the championship, that is still possible; if they lose by as much as a hundred points, they will still be in second place.
Harry, making his usual pass by the Room of Requirement, sees on the Marauder's Map that Draco is in a bathroom one floor below with Moaning Myrtle. Harry investigates and finds Draco sobbing: whatever he is planning, he is frightened that he is unable do it and fears for his parents' lives (and his own) if he fails. Malfoy spots Harry and casts a Cruciatus curse; Harry, defending himself, uses the Sectumsempra spell from the Half-Blood Prince's book, not knowing its effects. The spell slashes Draco, spilling his blood everywhere. Moaning Myrtle flies off, screaming; Professor Snape responds swiftly and saves Draco's life, rushing him to the Hospital Wing.
Returning, Snape demands to know whence Harry learned the spell, and despite Harry's attempts at occlumency, Snape apparently gleans some information that Harry's Potions book is the source. Snape demands to see his textbooks. Harry runs to the Common room and borrows Ron's books, including the Potions textbook, and, asking the Room of Requirement for a place to hide something, enters and finds himself in a vast warehouse filled with broken and discarded objects. Passing the broken Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had run into trouble the previous year, Harry hides his annotated version in a large cupboard, placing an old stone bust, a wig, and a battered tiara on top to locate it again.
Snape seems unconvinced that these textbooks, especially the Potions book, are actually Harry's, particularly since the Potions book is signed "Roonil Wazlib". As Harry had used Dark Magic, albeit unknowingly, to cause serious harm, Snape gives Harry detention every Saturday for the rest of the year. Though Harry protests, Snape dismisses his concerns, as does McGonagall in a later meeting in her office. McGonagall also says Harry was very lucky not to be expelled. Hermione, of course, says she always knew that the Prince was involved in Dark magic; Harry says that it proves nothing of the sort, the Prince may have just copied the spell down. Hermione is upset that Harry intends to go back and retrieve the Prince's book, but Ginny tells her to leave Harry alone. Ron and Harry are both amazed at this open breach between Ginny and Hermione, given how close they have been, but Harry can't help feeling cheered that Ginny is defending him.
Ginny replaces Harry as Seeker, and Dean Thomas replaces her as Chaser. That Saturday, as ordered, Harry reports to Snape's office for detention and is assigned copying over old detention files for Filch. Snape suggests Harry start with the boxes detailing his father's misbehaviour. When Harry returns to the Common room, he learns that Gryffindor won the match 450 to 140, and thus the Quidditch Cup. Ginny runs towards him; without thinking, he catches her in his arms and kisses her. When the kiss is over, he looks around: Dean Thomas is holding a broken glass, Romilda Vane looks angry, Hermione approving. Ron appears stunned, but gives a small nod, as if bowing to the inevitable. Harry suggests, wordlessly, to Ginny that they should go for a long walk.
Ginny defending Harry when Hermione is chastising him for wanting to retrieve the Half-Blood Prince's book serves several purposes. First, Ginny reminds Hermione that Draco was about to cast an unforgivable curse, and shows that there is a definite possibility that Harry was acting on impulse, not rational thought. Second, this is the first time that someone other than Ron or Harry has defended the Half-Blood Prince, though in this instance, it is more to justify Harry's actions; Hermione's long-standing animosity toward the Prince seems to be based on jealousy, rather than on her concern that the Prince might be a Dark wizard. In particular, Hermione sees Harry's use of the text as not his own work, but instead as using the Prince's work and claiming it as his own. For Hermione, it seems that this is an issue that is about more than the Prince's spells possibly having Dark aspects, though she does use the Dark nature of the Sectumsempra spell as justification for her excoriation of the Prince. And finally, this helps set up the scene where Harry and Ginny kiss. Seeing that Ginny is willing to stand up for him, Harry now knows that Ginny is not angry with him, and this gives Harry hope that she may still have feelings for him.
While Ginny and Harry's relationship has been gradually building almost from the series' beginning, this is the first time it has been declared openly. It would seem that it took this long because they were often at cross purposes. At first, Harry simply had no romantic interest in Ginny, having first set his sights on Cho Chang and considering Ginny only as Ron's little sister. It is only later that Harry realized that he and Cho were incompatible and that he not only had feelings for Ginny, but that they were suited to each other in nearly every way. She, however, appeared to have moved on and became involved with someone else, although she never actually lost interest in Harry; she simply gave up. Harry need not have worried about what Ron thought, however. In fact, when Ginny announced that she had broken up with Michael Corner at the end of the previous book, Ron subtly hinted to Harry that he was a better choice than Michael, even if Harry was oblivious about what he meant at the time.
Quidditch practice, now that McLaggen is gone and Katie is back, is wonderful. Ginny becomes the life of the team, cracking jokes and doing marvelous imitations. Harry is glad to have a reason to look at her, glad to have the chance to walk alongside her, but he is still seriously worried about what could happen to his friendship with Ron if he started dating her. Harry remembers Ron's expression when he caught Ginny and Dean together; what would he think of Ginny and himself? Meanwhile, there is much interest in the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw; the outcome of the Quidditch championship is still in doubt. Though Gryffindor would have to win by three hundred points to get the championship, that is still possible; if they lose by as much as a hundred points, they will still be in second place.
Harry, making his usual pass by the Room of Requirement, sees on the Marauder's Map that Draco is in a bathroom one floor below with Moaning Myrtle. Harry investigates and finds Draco sobbing: whatever he is planning, he is frightened that he is unable do it and fears for his parents' lives (and his own) if he fails. Malfoy spots Harry and casts a Cruciatus curse; Harry, defending himself, uses the Sectumsempra spell from the Half-Blood Prince's book, not knowing its effects. The spell slashes Draco, spilling his blood everywhere. Moaning Myrtle flies off, screaming; Professor Snape responds swiftly and saves Draco's life, rushing him to the Hospital Wing.
Returning, Snape demands to know whence Harry learned the spell, and despite Harry's attempts at occlumency, Snape apparently gleans some information that Harry's Potions book is the source. Snape demands to see his textbooks. Harry runs to the Common room and borrows Ron's books, including the Potions textbook, and, asking the Room of Requirement for a place to hide something, enters and finds himself in a vast warehouse filled with broken and discarded objects. Passing the broken Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had run into trouble the previous year, Harry hides his annotated version in a large cupboard, placing an old stone bust, a wig, and a battered tiara on top to locate it again.
Snape seems unconvinced that these textbooks, especially the Potions book, are actually Harry's, particularly since the Potions book is signed "Roonil Wazlib". As Harry had used Dark Magic, albeit unknowingly, to cause serious harm, Snape gives Harry detention every Saturday for the rest of the year. Though Harry protests, Snape dismisses his concerns, as does McGonagall in a later meeting in her office. McGonagall also says Harry was very lucky not to be expelled. Hermione, of course, says she always knew that the Prince was involved in Dark magic; Harry says that it proves nothing of the sort, the Prince may have just copied the spell down. Hermione is upset that Harry intends to go back and retrieve the Prince's book, but Ginny tells her to leave Harry alone. Ron and Harry are both amazed at this open breach between Ginny and Hermione, given how close they have been, but Harry can't help feeling cheered that Ginny is defending him.
Ginny replaces Harry as Seeker, and Dean Thomas replaces her as Chaser. That Saturday, as ordered, Harry reports to Snape's office for detention and is assigned copying over old detention files for Filch. Snape suggests Harry start with the boxes detailing his father's misbehaviour. When Harry returns to the Common room, he learns that Gryffindor won the match 450 to 140, and thus the Quidditch Cup. Ginny runs towards him; without thinking, he catches her in his arms and kisses her. When the kiss is over, he looks around: Dean Thomas is holding a broken glass, Romilda Vane looks angry, Hermione approving. Ron appears stunned, but gives a small nod, as if bowing to the inevitable. Harry suggests, wordlessly, to Ginny that they should go for a long walk.
Ginny defending Harry when Hermione is chastising him for wanting to retrieve the Half-Blood Prince's book serves several purposes. First, Ginny reminds Hermione that Draco was about to cast an unforgivable curse, and shows that there is a definite possibility that Harry was acting on impulse, not rational thought. Second, this is the first time that someone other than Ron or Harry has defended the Half-Blood Prince, though in this instance, it is more to justify Harry's actions; Hermione's long-standing animosity toward the Prince seems to be based on jealousy, rather than on her concern that the Prince might be a Dark wizard. In particular, Hermione sees Harry's use of the text as not his own work, but instead as using the Prince's work and claiming it as his own. For Hermione, it seems that this is an issue that is about more than the Prince's spells possibly having Dark aspects, though she does use the Dark nature of the Sectumsempra spell as justification for her excoriation of the Prince. And finally, this helps set up the scene where Harry and Ginny kiss. Seeing that Ginny is willing to stand up for him, Harry now knows that Ginny is not angry with him, and this gives Harry hope that she may still have feelings for him.
While Ginny and Harry's relationship has been gradually building almost from the series' beginning, this is the first time it has been declared openly. It would seem that it took this long because they were often at cross purposes. At first, Harry simply had no romantic interest in Ginny, having first set his sights on Cho Chang and considering Ginny only as Ron's little sister. It is only later that Harry realized that he and Cho were incompatible and that he not only had feelings for Ginny, but that they were suited to each other in nearly every way. She, however, appeared to have moved on and became involved with someone else, although she never actually lost interest in Harry; she simply gave up. Harry need not have worried about what Ron thought, however. In fact, when Ginny announced that she had broken up with Michael Corner at the end of the previous book, Ron subtly hinted to Harry that he was a better choice than Michael, even if Harry was oblivious about what he meant at the time.
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