Life at Hogwarts in The Half-Blood Prince has gotten off to a very normal start. I always enjoy the first few chapters back at Hogwarts when the students are getting settled and things like classes and Quidditch get going.
Below are some thoughts from chapters 7-12 of The Half-Blood Prince.
The Slug Club
I don’t like Horace Slughorn that much. He seems like a capable wizard and teacher, however he only seems interested in exceptional students of whom he can take advantage. He’s also a total namedropper, taking every opportunity to say he knows this person and regularly corresponds with that person. If I knew anybody remotely famous, though, I’d probably namedrop all the time.
“I just had lunch with J.J. Abrams and he told me the plot of Star Trek Into Darkness.”
“I emailed Andy Stanley the other day and gave him some pointers for his sermon this weekend.”
“I ran into Chris Hemsworth at the yacht club and he let me brush his hair.”
Everybody wants to hang out with the popular crowd and social elite. However, when we make that our focus, we often lose sight of those who aren’t as popular or elite. Jesus concerned himself with the outcasts and the “losers,” often at the expense of spending time with the popular crowd. If we want to be like Jesus, we should follow his example instead of Slughorn’s.
The House of Gaunt
Looking at Voldemort’s family, it’s no surprise that the Dark Lord turned out as dark as he did. One of the most beneficial classes I took in seminary was a pastoral counseling class that focused on our families of origin. If we want to know why we’re screwed up and why there’s conflict in our lives, we need only look at the branches of our family trees. Our families don’t control our destinies, but they give a lot of input. I’ve received a tremendous faith legacy from my family; I can trace it back to my parents, to my grandparents and to their parents. It’s a legacy that I hope to pass on to my children and my grandchildren. We need to be intentional about the type of legacy we leave. Voldemort’s family was violent and destructive so he ended up violent and destructive. If our families can be Christ-centered and selfless, then we might produce children who are Christ-centered and selfless. Along with those Godly qualities, I also hope to produce some grade-a nerds. I’ll be crushed if my children would rather play outside than watch Star Trek and read comics with their dad.
Someone Text Me
Harry hasn’t been too whiny so far in The Half-Blood Prince. One morning at breakfast, though, Harry was upset that no one had sent him any letters. Harry hoped that someone would send him a letter even though he hadn’t sent a letter to anyone. Harry seemed to express the same attitude as a lot of our high school students. I always see tweets and Facebook post from my students saying, “Why won’t anyone text me?” I always wonder why, if they’re so desperate to text someone, don’t they just send the first text? I suppose that makes them seem needy but complaining about it makes them seem whiny. Every relationship requires a little give and take; we have to be givers, not just takers.
I’m enjoying The Half-Blood Prince and can’t wait to see what comes of Harry’s potions book and the spells it holds. I am getting a little sick of Harry accusing Draco of being a Death Eater, so hopefully that will find its end soon.
What thoughts do you have from chapters 7-12 of The Half-Blood Prince?
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