As soon as I finished The Order of the Phoenix I got right back into the wizarding world and started reading The Half-Blood Prince. Now that Voldemort has fully returned, it’s interesting to see how the wizarding world has responded. I’m also excited to see how Harry will end up confronting the Death Eaters again.
No exciting showdowns have happened yet, but below are some thoughts from the first six chapters of The Half-Blood Prince.
Narcissa Malfoy
I really don’t like Draco Malfoy and my less sanctified parts hope he meets his end before the series does. My disdain for Draco also applies to other members of his family, including his father, Lucius, and his mother, Narcissa. My disdain hit a wall, though, when Narcissa plead with Snape to protect her son. I had always thought of the Malfoys as bad guys and nothing else. I lost some of those preconceived notions, though, when I saw Narcissa as a mother, wanting nothing more than her child to stay safe. It’s too easy to judge people based on preconceived notions or stereotypes; it’s easier to separate people into preexisting boxes instead of allowing them to be individuals. I still kind of want Draco to die, but maybe I’ll feel bad for his mom amidst the celebration.
Family
I’m glad that the Dursleys have been playing a smaller role in the story with each subsequent book. How badly they treat Harry, though, is still disappointing. I enjoyed when Dumbledore showed up to the Dursleys and told them as much: that they had treated Harry poorly, doing the bare minimum for him to qualify as a member of their family. Thankfully Harry found his true family in his friends and the Weasleys. Whether we have a great family or not, we can always find a place to belong in the body of Christ. God can be our heavenly Father and his church can be the place where we find love, encouragement and support.
Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes
Man, I want to spend some time in Fred and George’s shop; it seems like it would be a lot of fun. I always liked Fred and George even though I would be scared if they were in my youth group. It’s great to see their dream of owning a joke shop become a reality. Fred and George seem perfectly suited to run a wizarding joke shop; it’s what they were made to do. Like the Weasley twins, we all have a purpose, something for which we were created. There’s a good chance God didn’t create us to run a magical joke shop, but he’s definitely got something better in store. To discover that purpose, which isn’t necessarily connected to our careers, we just need to spend time with God. Moses spent time with God in the solitude of Midian and discovered his purpose. We need to spend time with God in the solitude of our couches or cars to discern our purpose. We were all created to do something for God and he’s just waiting for us to spend time with him so that he can show us that purpose.
I liked these first six chapters but I can’t wait for school to start. I always like when Harry makes it back to Hogwarts, things tend to pick up and get a little more intriguing. The Half-Blood Prince is off to a great start and I can’t wait to find out who this prince is and what he has to do with Harry.
What thoughts do you have from the first six chapters of The Half-Blood Prince?
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