Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Chapter Notes

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter 27: The Lightning-Struck Tower

• This chapter contains perhaps my favourite Draco moment; I lost count how many times I have read the dialogue between Draco and Dumbledore. I think that this is the most closet look we get on who Draco really is, the most honest and genuine version of him. Of course even now he still tries to play a role, but Dumbledore sees right through him and for a moment Draco lets his mask fall. This is where my view on Draco changed. I was never particular interested in his character before book 6 because he was nothing more than a bully. Book 6, and especially his conversation with Dumbledore helped to make him a much more rounded, complex character, that I would have liked to see more of in the final book. And it is not just my view that changed, after this evening Harry saw Draco in a different light as well.

• “How long had they been away? Had Ron, Hermione and Ginny’s luck run out by now? Was it one of them who had caused the Mark to be set over the school, or was it Neville, or Luna, or some other member of the DA? And if it was … he was the one who had told them to patrol the corridors, he had asked them to leave the safety of their beds … would he be responsible, again, for the death of a friend?” – Survivor’s guilt at its best. And of course after the events of this evening Harry will feel responsible for Dumbledore’s death as well, just as he had felt guilty for Sirius’s death, ignoring that both men (and his parents as well) were completely aware of the danger they put themselves into while fighting Voldemort, always knowing they might die. They all tried to protect Harry, but they didn’t gave their life for him, but because they believed in something bigger, because they wanted to do the right thing.

• “Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore’s wand flying in an arc over the edge of the ramparts and understood … Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilised Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the chance of defending himself.” – Dumbledore knows that Harry would never just stand by without taking action. He knows that the only way to keep him safe, to keep him hidden, is to immobilise him, to force him to silently watch. And that in itself is yet another nightmare: to be trapped in your own body, forced to watch Death Eaters infiltrate the school, forced to watch Dumbledore die.

• “Malfoy stepped forwards, glancing around quickly to check that he and Dumbledore were alone. His eyes fell upon the second broom. ‘Who else is here?’” – We know that Draco was communicating with Madame Rosmerta. She told him Dumbledore left the school (though seemingly alone) and she probably told him about his return, though the question is if she also told him that Harry was with Dumbledore. Perhaps Draco assumes that Harry has already left the tower to get help, despite knowing that Harry owns the Invisibility Cloak. But then Draco knows Harry well enough to know that he would never just stand by, invisible or not. What he does not calculate is that Dumbledore is not as defenceless as he seems, but used the moment when Draco attacked to protect somebody else instead of defending himself. Dumbledore immediately distracts Draco with a counterquestion, again to keep Harry safe. None of the other Death Eaters seems to notice or care about the second broom, though I’m pretty sure that Snape knows/suspects enough to figure out the situation.

• “‘Draco, Draco, you are not a killer.’ […]I don’t think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe … […]” – Draco is not a good person. His actions almost resulted in the deaths of Katie Bell and Ron, foreseeable casualties given how reckless his plans to kill Dumbledore became. Just this night he let Death Eaters into this school, despite knowing that those people show no mercy and will kill teachers as students alike. But he is also not an evil person either. Dumbledore openly wonders if Draco’s heart had been really in the task he had been given (killing Dumbledore) and Draco makes clear that he had no idea Fenrir Greyback would be among the Death Eaters as well and how repulsive the idea of Greyback at Hogwarts is to him. Dumbledore sees Draco for who he is: a terrified 16 year old boy, put under an unbearable pressure, afraid that Voldemort would kill him as well as his family if he does not succeed. Draco is yet another victim of Voldemort. Yes he chose to become a Death Eater, but then again was it really a choice? Did he really have other options? Refusing Voldemort would have been his death sentence. I don’t want to excuse what Draco did or justify his actions, but people are more complex than just good or evil. Dumbledore knows that better than anyone else, so he does the only right thing now: he offers Draco his help.

• “‘Enchanted coins,’ said Malfoy, as though he was compelled to keep talking, though his wand hand was shaking badly. ‘I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages –’ ‘Isn’t that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore’s Army used last year?’ asked Dumbledore.” – Hermione, who came up with the idea of the Enchanted Coins, was inspired by the Dark Mark, which Voldemort uses to summon his followers. Now the method is used by Draco. He also used Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, which was meant to protect, in order to attack and infiltrate. Magic and magical objects are neither good or evil, they can work either way, depending on the person who uses them and their intention.

• Madame Rosmerta told Draco that Dumbledore went out for a drink, so he decided to use a trap (the Dark Mark) to lure Dumbledore back to school. It was really a coincidence then that Dumbledore and Harry would return from the cave shortly after the Mark had been cast.

• “‘I haven’t got any options!’ said Malfoy, and he was suddenly as white as Dumbledore. ‘I’ve got to do it! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my whole family!’ ‘I appreciate the difficulty of your position,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realised that I suspected you.’” – Dumbledore must have been in an incredible dilemma all year. He knew that if he talked to Draco or even stopped him it would have been a death sentence for both Draco and his family. But the more desperate Draco got the more dangerous he became, putting other students with his actions at risk. And now, with the arrival of Death Eaters at Hogwarts, it is again not just Dumbledore’s life that is at risk.

• “‘But I got this far, didn’t I?’ he said slowly. ‘They thought I’d die in the attempt, but I’m here … and you’re in my power … I’m the one with the wand … you’re at my mercy …’ ‘No, Draco,’ said Dumbledore quietly. ‘It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.’ Malfoy did not speak. His mouth was open, his wand hand still trembling. Harry thought he saw it drop by a fraction –“ – I don’t think Draco could have ever imagined that Dumbledore would offer him help. He suspected Snape’s attempts to help him as a way to steal his glory. Draco is not used that people (apart from his parents) genuinely care about him. He had always looked down on Dumbledore, never showed any kind of respect for him. And yet Dumbledore, despite the things Draco had done, offers him help. Dumbledore still sees him as an innocent, as someone who deserves his mercy. Despite the fact that Harry saw Draco crying, saw the pressure he is under, he never thought that way. Dumbledore’s view on Draco is what changes Harry’s view on Draco. And finally the one small moment where it seems like Draco was about to drop his wand. I have often wondered how this story would have changed if Draco had changed sides. In book 7 it is clear that he no longer wants to be a Death Eater, but he does not work actively against Voldemort either, paralyzed by his own fear, forever stuck.

• “‘Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little,’ said Dumbledore. ‘And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live …’ ‘I didn’t,’ breathed Malfoy. He was not looking at Greyback; he did not seem to want to even glance at him. ‘I didn’t know he was going to come –’” – First of all Draco does not have any friends, but that is beside the point. What is important is that he talks to Dumbledore here, that despite his fear he wants to make clear that he had no idea Greyback would come. He wants to confirm the image Dumbledore has of him: that he is not a killer, that he is still an innocent after all.

• “‘Severus …’ The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. […]Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. ‘Severus … please …’ Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. ‘Avada Kedavra!’” – I wonder how much of this was planned. We know that Dumbledore’s time was already limited, that the curse of the Horcrux-ring would slowly kill him. We also know that Draco had been given the task to kill Dumbledore and that it was very unlikely he would be able to do it. And on top of that is the Unbreakable Vow Snape made with Narcissa, forcing him to complete the task should Draco fail. So Dumbledore knew he would die, knew what Draco was up to, and knew about the Vow Snape had made. So it was clear that at some point Snape would have to kill Dumbledore in order to keep his cover, and his life and Draco safe. The question was just when. It is possible that Snape read Dumbledore’s mind, or perhaps he simply knew. But there is also the revulsion and hate in Snape’s face. This is not a mercy kill, but I think because this is not how the Avada Kedrava Curse works. Unforgiveable Curses need intent; you have to mean them. Which is why Draco could have never killed Dumbledore. But I think a part of Snape had hated Dumbledore enough in order to do it and I think Dumbledore was aware of that.