Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The mystery of the half-blood prince revealed

The cast of the last Potter series became the author new series. David Yatis, who directed the film “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” which was released in the summer of 2007, is also directing the next part of the film series, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Heyman, producer of all previous Harry Potter films, produced new picture with David Barron. Screenwriter Stephen Cloves, who adapted the first four episodes for the silver screen, also wrote the script for a new film based on another book by J. K. Rowling.

For the first time, two more renowned actors have joined the star-studded cast of the new Harry Potter film. Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (Iris, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) has been cast as potions professor Horace Slughorn. British Academy Award winner Helen McCrory (“Jane Austen,” “The Queen”) plays Narcissa Malfoy, mother of Draco Malfoy and sister of the evil Bellatrix Lestrange.

Light and darkness

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince represents not only a new chapter in the life of Harry and his friends and enemies, but also one in which the funny and sad, romance and forgiveness are woven together, and the fragile line between past and present has become important. like never before. And with Voldemort's return, the choice between good and evil has never had so many consequences.

As film producer David Heyman notes: “One of the central themes of the Harry Potter books is that we are defined by the decisions we make. This is exactly the topic that we have already touched upon in previous films and continue to explore in subsequent ones. Each of the books, like the corresponding film, describes a certain year in the life of Harry Potter, and the sixth film adaptation of the book was no exception in this sense. In the last film, we watched as Harry had a very difficult stage in his life - he was tormented by nightmares, he doubted his own abilities and was overcome by internal demons. Now he is a year older, and this, of course, is reflected in his actions and sense of responsibility.”

“A new school year brings new worries and problems into the lives of Harry, Ron and Hermione, and the older they become, the more eventful and complex their lives become,” continues David Hayman. “I really enjoyed exploring in more detail the hidden personalities of the main characters in the film with the help of Dan, Rupert (Grint) and Emma (Watson). "They work hard to perfect their characters because we all want to see these characters grow and develop spiritually as they live through their epic stories and as fans of the series mature."

Professor Slughorn

Director David Yatis says of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: "It's a very stressful time for the entire wizarding community because Voldemort is back."

And the Death Eaters, inspired by the return of the Dark Lord, launch attacks on ordinary people completely openly and of their own free will, and now even the world of magicians is feeling the consequences of their terror. Clouds are gathering over London, and people with all their souls feel a previously unfamiliar danger that is gaining momentum every day. Three Death Eaters suddenly appear from behind the clouds and sweep through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Remaining invisible to ordinary people, they circle around London's Millennium Bridge, causing it to bend in the middle and then completely collapse, forcing pedestrians to flee.

Michael Gambon, reprising his role as the Honorable Professor Dumbledore, notes: “In this film, the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore goes beyond the formal teacher-student relationship. While Harry grew from a young student into a very smart and quick-witted young man“, their relationship with Dumbledore also grew into something more like friendship.”

When everyone believed that Voldemort was dead, his childhood memories were of little interest. But now that the proof of Voldemort's return is undeniable, the story of Tom Riddle's rise to the Dark Lord may contain important clues about the nature of his power. And Dumbledore is convinced that it was Horace Slughorn who remembers Tom Riddle very well, since Tom was one of his favorites.

Acclaimed actor Jim Broadbent, who plays Horace Slughorn, describes Horace as “a very charming and colorful character. He is very passionate about his work and excels in the art of potions. He is a professional upper class, but it is far from ideal. One dark secret lurks in his past, and it weighs heavily on him to this day. Horace is ready to do anything to ensure that the truth is never revealed... and then Harry Potter appears on the horizon. "Harry becomes bait for Slughorn to force him back to Hogwarts."

Bewitched and Baffled

Students at the school of magic in the new school year are notified that the school has increased security measures, which, according to Dumbledore, will help protect both the students and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from rampaging Death Eaters. However, students also have to understand that no magic spell will protect them from teenage problems, as well as from the intricacies of romantic feelings, from jealousy, from disappointment, unrequited love and from love rivalry - in general, from everything that is so familiar any magician who is - or has ever been - a teenager.

David Barron explains it this way: “In this film, we learn for the first time that Harry has feelings for Ginny Weasley, who, to the great regret of her brother Ron, is dating Dean Thomas, while Ron himself falls in love with Lavender Brown, causing Hermione, who is secretly in love with Ron, to jealously watch the development of their relationship and therefore decide to start dating Cormac McLaggen, even though she can't stand him, but this is necessary to make Ron jealous... Anyway, welcome to the familiar world of a teenager,” the producer notes ironically.

Emma Watson, who reprises her role as Hermione Granger, notes: “For me, this film was more of a romantic comedy than all the previous ones because here we see how the main characters have to cope with their first crush, jealousy and feelings of insecurity, as well as all the other immutable attributes of a romantic relationship.”

Distant Memories

In fact, Harry has no idea who this Half-Blood Prince is. All he knows is that it is the previous owner of the textbook that Professor Slughorn gave Harry for his Potions class. Film director David Yatis notes: “The textbook says that this is the “property of the Half-Blood Prince,” and there are no other names or inscriptions, so who this Half-Blood Prince is is a mystery shrouded in darkness. But whoever he is, he is definitely very smart; He managed, taking ordinary recipes for magic potions as a basis, and bringing them to perfection by adding some special ingredients. This man is very original, but there is also something dark, demonic about him. The knowledge that Harry gained from this book allowed him to learn a lot about the Dark Arts."

The Half-Blood Prince's notes in the margins of the Advanced Potions textbook help Harry become the most outstanding and talented student in Professor Slughorn's classes, which perfectly suits Dumbledore's plans. He is convinced that the Potions teacher will try to "add Harry to his collection", so Dumbledore directly tells Harry that this is what he should be allowed to do. As Dumbledore actor Michael Gambon explains: “Dumbledore knows that Slughorn is hiding something very important information from the life of young Tom Riddle, and only Harry can force Slughorn to tell him the truth."

Dumbledore is confident that the key to destroying Voldemort lies in his past, and that is why he has been collecting all sorts of memories about Tom Riddle for a long time, carefully selecting facts that indicate when and how exactly Riddle acquired the knowledge that allowed him to become, as he likes to say, "the most dangerous Dark wizard who lived on Earth." Every memory he manages to obtain, he carefully places in a glass jar, including his own memories from the past. Then, to show Harry a memory, he pours the contents of the glass jar into the Pensieve, thus showing Harry his first memory of Tom Riddle when he was still a simple child living in a shelter.

Later, Dumbledore shows Harry another memory, this time about 16-year-old Tom Riddle, who became one of Professor Horace Slughorn's most beloved students. Frank Dillane, who plays teenage Riddle, says: “Tom is very charming but manipulative. His relationship with Slughorn is a bit unusual. What I mean is that in a teacher-student relationship, it is the teacher who should have the power. But from what we see, Tom is the one pulling the strings.”

One evening, Tom, lingering after one of Slughorn's traditional gatherings, begins to ask the professor about one of the types of "rather rare magic." To which Slughorn menacingly says that he will not discuss anything with him, refusing to explain anything and pushing Tom out the door.

It is understandable that Harry is very surprised by this behavior of Slughorn, but then Dumbledore explains to him that this memory is a lie. And that it was changed by its owner, namely Horace Slughorn himself. Horace's actual response to Tom may help them figure out how to defeat Voldemort. And somehow Harry needs to get these memories, forcing Slughorn to overcome his feelings of guilt and fear, and still tell Harry what he actually said to Tom on that fateful evening.

“Killing Voldemort is the main goal that drives Harry, so Slughorn becomes for him only a means to achieve his main goal. To see how Harry Potter tries with all his might to get what he needs from this person, in pursuit of a certain goal, is something new,” the director concludes.

Maria Tokareva,
based on materials from Kinomania LLC

« Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"(English) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) is the sixth book in J. K. Rowling's series of novels about the teenage wizard Harry Potter. The book describes the heroes' sixth year at Hogwarts.

The book was published on English July 16, 2005, the official Russian paper edition was published on December 3, 2005. Alternative translations of the book appeared on the Internet in the summer of 2005.

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✪ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Audiobook chapter 16 30

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Plot

The beginning

Happening in England mysterious incidents, which even Muggles notice. All accusations are addressed to the Government of the country. Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge meets with the Muggle Prime Minister and explains to him that the cause of these incidents is the Second Wizarding War, which began after Voldemort was revived. Fudge also introduces him to the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

Severus Snape makes an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa Malfoy to protect her son Draco Malfoy and look after him at school: he promises to carry out the task that Voldemort gave the young man if Draco himself cannot do it.

Albus Dumbledore takes Harry Potter from the Dursleys' house. Harry learns that the house on Grimmauld Place, along with all its property, including the house elf Kreacher, became his property by inheritance from Sirius. Dumbledore and Harry go to the house of former Hogwarts teacher Horace Slughorn and persuade him to take the vacant teaching post at Hogwarts. Harry then goes to the Weasley family at their home, The Burrow, where he remains until the end of the summer. He finds out his grades on the OWL exam.

While visiting Diagon Alley, the heroes see Draco Malfoy visiting the dark artifacts store, Gorbin and Burke, and negotiating something important with the seller. While traveling to school, on the Hogwarts Express, Harry tries to find out what Malfoy is up to after overhearing his conversation with other Slytherins. However, he fails to learn anything important; in addition, Malfoy, having discovered Harry and left alone with him, immobilizes, beats and leaves him on the floor of the compartment. Harry discovers Nymphadora Tonks.

At Hogwarts

After the start educational process At Hogwarts, Harry receives for temporary use an old textbook, “Advanced Potions Course,” which was kept at the school and signed as “Property of the Half-Blood Prince.” Its mysterious former owner made a lot of notes in the book, and following them, Harry becomes the best in potions classes, and even wins a very rare and complex Felix Felicis luck potion at a competition. From the newspapers, Harry learns of new attacks and murders by the Death Eaters: they killed their former member Igor Karkaroff and kidnapped the wand maker, Mr. Ollivander. Harry begins private lessons with Dumbledore, in which the Hogwarts headmaster tells him all the important knowledge regarding Voldemort and his immediate family. Harry notices that there is a serious injury on Dumbledore's hand.

While going to Hogsmeade, Harry, Ron and Hermione witness a curse placed on Katie Bell with a silver necklace, which she was supposed to give to Dumbledore. Harry is sure that Malfoy gave this necklace to Katie, but he has no evidence.

Having become the captain of the Quidditch team in the new school year, Harry coaches the new Gryffindor team, which also includes Ron Weasley (goalkeeper), who, due to his complexes, brings a lot of problems to the team, and Ginny Weasley (hunter), with whom Harry gradually begins to fall in love . At the Slug Club party, Harry overhears Snape talking to Malfoy, where Snape condemns Malfoy for his actions, offers to help, and talks about the Unbreakable Vow to his mother.

During one of the following classes with Dumbledore, Harry, using the Pensieve, watches a conversation between Slughorn and Riddle about Horcruxes, but this memory turns out to be clearly corrected. Dumbledore instructs Harry to obtain Slughorn's real memories. Harry attempts to question Slughorn, but Slughorn understands that this is Dumbledore's task. After this conversation, Slughorn and Harry's previously good relationship worsened.

The mead specially prepared for Dumbledore turns out to be poisoned. The victim this time is Ron Weasley. Kreacher and Dobby are sent to monitor Malfoy on Harry's orders because he suspects that Draco is up to something bad. At the next meeting, Dumbledore shows Harry two more memories associated with Voldemort.

Harry decides to use the Felix Felicis luck potion to get Slughorn's true memory of his conversation with Voldemort. He succeeds. According to the memory, Slughorn told Riddle about horcruxes - things in which you can enclose a piece of your soul, and then if a person’s body dies, his soul will not die, and the person will live. According to Dumbledore, one of the few wizards who decided to do such a thing dark magic, and there was Voldemort. He decided to create seven horcruxes, and did so. Moreover, he did not want to use ordinary things for horcruxes, he wanted to use magical, rich and historical artifacts. It was thanks to the Horcruxes that Voldemort survived the attack on one-year-old Harry. To kill the Dark Lord, all seven Horcruxes must be destroyed. And Dumbledore, in his own words, knew approximately what objects the Horcruxes were contained in and where they were located. Two of them have already been destroyed - Tom Riddle's diary and the ring of the Glooms (Dumbledore's hand suffered from the latter). The director suggested about the remaining five Horcruxes: Voldemort probably wanted to use the relics of the four founders of Hogwarts as Horcruxes. One of them is known - the Slytherin medallion, which was kept in the Gloom family. Another one is the Hufflepuff cup, which Riddle stole from an old witch. It was also some kind of Ravenclaw thing. But Riddle failed to obtain the Gryffindor relic - Gryffindor's sword is kept in Dumbledore's office. Voldemort can also use his snake, Nagini, as a horcrux.

Potter continues to monitor Draco and witnesses his hysterics in the toilet. Having discovered Harry, Malfoy begins a duel with him, but with the help of the spell “Sectumsempra” (the terrible effect of which Harry did not know), read in the book of the Half-Blood Prince, Potter severely wounds Malfoy. Snape immediately appears, takes Malfoy to the hospital wing and, returning to the toilet, demands that Harry show him all his textbooks. Harry manages to hide the Half-Blood Prince's textbook from Snape. The teacher assigns Harry a weekly punishment on Saturdays for the rest of the school year. In the final inter-house Quidditch match, which Harry misses due to punishment, Gryffindor wins.

From Professor Trelawney, Harry learns that it was Snape who overheard part of her prophecy about Harry and Voldemort, which means that because of him, Voldemort was hunting for the Potters and because of him he killed Harry's parents. However, Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape repented of what he had done and therefore switched to the right side, remaining with Voldemort as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix.

During their next meeting, Dumbledore and Harry go to a cave on the sea coast in England, where he once discovered his magical powers Riddle, who was here on an excursion with the shelter. Voldemort placed one of the Horcruxes here. He carefully protected it: the Horcrux was placed in the middle of a lake full of infernals (living corpses carrying out the orders of Voldemort, in in this case they were guarding the horcrux). To achieve a horcrux, you have to drink a potion that causes pain to the drinker. Dumbledore takes on this task, it takes away his strength. The horcrux turns out to be a medallion. Harry takes him and they return to Hogsmeade. There, Harry sees that above one of the towers of Hogwarts there is a sign of Voldemort - a black mark. Despite the fact that Dumbledore is very weak, both wizards fly towards the school using brooms.

Arriving at the Astronomy Tower, they hear some footsteps. Harry under the Invisibility Cloak. Dumbledore paralyzes Harry with a spell, which is why, being in very bad condition, he does not have time to confront Draco Malfoy who has entered the top of the tower. He knocks his wand out of Dumbledore's hands. Next, Malfoy tries to kill the director (this was Voldemort’s task), and also reports that, with the help of the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, he led the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, who are fighting below with the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Squad. But Malfoy doesn't have the heart to kill Albus. At the top of the tower, four Death Eaters appear - the werewolf Greyback, Yaxley and brother and sister Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They hurry Malfoy. Then Snape climbs into the tower and does Malfoy’s job himself - kills Dumbledore.

Harry is able to move again. He tries to stop Snape using spells from the Half-Blood Prince's book, but Snape quickly deflects them, after which he says that he is the Half-Blood Prince. Once outside Hogwarts, Malfoy, Snape and other Death Eaters transgress.

The whole next day the phoenix Fawkes sings his sad song. Hogwarts teachers and students mourn the death of Dumbledore. Harry discovers that the Horcrux is a fake, despite the fact that the original was stolen by someone with the initials R. A. B. Hermione tries to find out who it is, but to no avail. They decide to bury Dumbledore right on the school grounds. See Dumbledore off last path Many ministry employees, Dumbledore's friends, and many wizards come. Academic year ends. The students are preparing to go home. Harry believes that he will not return to school next year because he must find all the Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione are also ready to drop out of school and help Harry in his search. In the meantime, until his seventeenth birthday, Harry returns to the Dursleys.

- Why didn't the Ministry send an owl to Sirius in Prisoner of Azkaban and catch him by following it?

- Why was Harry able to see the Thestrals in Order of the Phoenix? Shouldn't he have seen them much earlier, because he saw the death of his parents, Quirrell, Cedric?
— People asked me a lot about this. Harry didn't see his parents die. He was in a crib at the time (he was only about a year old), and, as I wrote in The Philosopher's Stone, all he saw was a flash of green light.
Well, I didn't want to create a new mystery at the end of book four that wouldn't be solved for a long time. Therefore, I decided that until Harry recovered from the initial shock and really experienced what death really meant (that is, until he finally realized that Cedric was gone forever and would never return - for it takes time, no matter what age you are), he was not able to see the Thestrals.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section consists of 3 subsections:
About books
About me
Others

Subsection “About books”

Will Arthur Weasley be the new Minister of Magic?
- Alas, no.

Why are some people in the wizarding world (like Harry Potter) called half-breeds even though both of their parents are wizards?
“The expressions 'half-blood', 'pure-blood', and 'muggle-born' only have meaning to people who take these differences seriously, and these are their personal prejudices. Such Lucius Malfoy types believe, for example, that “Muggle-borns” are just as “bad” as Muggles. Thus, Harry can only be considered a "half-breed" due to his mother's parents.
If you think this is far-fetched, then look at the existing charts that the Nazis used to determine "Aryan" and "Jewish" blood. I saw one of these at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, when I had already come up with these terms “half-blood”, “pure-blood”, and “muggle-born”, and I literally got chills when I saw that the Nazis used exactly the same twisted logic as the Death Eaters Death. One Jew from the second generation (grandfathers and grandmothers - approx. transl.) is dirtying the family tree, according to this paranoia.

Is the Half-Blood Prince Tom Redll?
“Well, since Tom Riddle is the same person as Voldemort, and Voldemort is not the Half-Blood Prince, is it worth answering this question?”

How is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince related to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?
“I was literally bombarded with questions about how “Half-Blood Prince” almost became the headline of “Chamber of Secrets.” Therefore, I will try to answer this question, and at the same time, I think, most of its variations (questions like “Who is the Half-Blood Prince”, “What will happen in the Half-Blood Prince” and “What does the Half-Blood Prince mean”) will remain unanswered).
The sketches for The Prince are in no way the same as those for The Room. Also, these are not pieces cut out from there. The story of "The Prince" picks up from the end of "Phoenix" rather than going back four years. Indeed, there are references to what happened in "The Room", but just as there are references to what happened in "The Stone", "Azkaban", "The Cup" and "The Order".
Half-Blood Prince can be seen as one of the threads that make up the overall plot. It could have been done in a lot of different ways, and going back to 1997, I had to say that I was going to weave it into the story of The Room. I don't think that would be successful. This was not part of the story with the Basilisk and Riddle's diary, and without hesitation I decided that it would be better to assign it to the sixth book. I held on to the title for a while, even though all the plot lines associated with "The Prince" completely disappeared, because I liked it (I really like it.). I renamed the book Chamber of Secrets when I started the second draft.
The connection between books 2 and 6 that I mentioned doesn't really have anything to do with Half-Blood Prince (since there's no sequel to The Prince storyline"Rooms") More precisely, they are connected by a discovery Harry makes in "The Room" that predicts something he learns in "The Prince."

What is he, after all, this Mark Evans?
“I couldn’t answer this question until now, because I had to take measures to transfer my family to a shelter. It took time to organize false passports, tickets to Bolivia and round-the-clock armed cover.
Why did I take such unprecedented measures? Because once you know the answer to this question, my safety will be in serious question.
Well, before I do this (you already suspect what will happen, don't you?) I had to make a feeble attempt to defend myself. First of all, you've all been coming up with witty theories about Mark Evans, so I think we should give you the opportunity to find out the truth about him. Secondly, I try very hard not to give hopes and promises by adding significant words “And if someone…” Thirdly... Oh well, I just want to close the topic.
(With bated breath)
Mark Evans... no one. He's as nobody as Mr. Prentice, Madame Marsh, and the punks from the Gordon-Dursley gang. An ordinary background character who needs a name, but who will not play any role other than what is intended for him in this scene.
(I'll check to see if Neil has vaccinated the dog and if Jessica has packed Gemboy, and move on.)
I have no one to blame but myself. Sirius Black, Miss Figg, Mandengnus Fletcher were all mentioned in passing, before at a certain stage they became full-fledged characters, so you were quick-witted in this, but not to your benefit, but to me. You've really caught my attention, and I realize that Mark Evans looks like one of those "there, just passing through, undisturbed, barely noticeable characters who suddenly, in the middle of book 7, "Ha-ha! Exactly! Mark Evans is back, the patsy, and he's the key to it all! He is the Half-Blood Prince, Old Uncle Harry, the Head of Gryffindor, he has the Stronghold of Storge and he has the Magic Teapot Nakledirk "(possible title of the seventh book - put it in your notebook!)"
But then why WHY (I hear this cry) did I give him the last name “Evans”? Believe me, there is nothing more upsetting than the truth. "Evans" is a common surname. I didn't think anything else about it. I didn't mean to bury any dogs here. I could just as easily call him Smith or Jones.
What more can I say? Many of your theories were quite plausible. If you know how often I check the FAQ POLL section, you can hope that one of the other questions will make it to the top. (In the FAQ POLL section, a vote is being taken to determine which question Rowling will answer next—approx.)
Well, that's all, a car with fake license plates is parked at the door and I glue on a spy beard. Goodbye.

How do you pronounce the word Hermione?
(And here Rowling gives an example of phrases where the corresponding sounds occur, and you need to know how they SOUND english words. Translating their MEANING is pointless. — Approx. trans.)
- Something like this: Hea + may + ou + ni
This is usually the most frequently asked question, but it's getting less and less common now that I specifically had Hermione teach Krum how to say her name in Goblet of Fire.

Will you write more about Harry Potter after the seventh book is finished?
— If you mean additional plots, I highly doubt it. I have enough stories for seven books, and I never planned to continue them beyond the seventh book. I might write an eighth book for charitable organizations, like an encyclopedia with explanations of words and additional materials, not included in the books. Let's see…

The prophecy that Harry heard in Dumbledore's office suggests that both he and Voldemort will die, right?
“Professor Trelawney and I believe that prophecies should be treated with great caution.” That's all I can say about this.

Under the sign "spoiler danger"
Why did Harry forget about the mirror that Sirius gave him in Order of the Phoenix?
I cannot give a complete answer to this question, since this information plays a significant role in the sixth and seventh books. Regardless, the short answer is that Harry had decided in advance not to use the mirror, as is clearly stated in Chapter 24: "He knew he couldn't use it under any circumstances." This is the only time in Harry's life when he did not succumb to curiosity, he hid the mirror and fought the temptation, throwing it out of his head. And then, when the mirror could be used, I simply forgot about it.
The mirror might not help as much as you think, but on the other hand, it might help more than you can imagine. Must read latest books, and everything will become clear!

Under the sign "spoiler danger"
Why was Harry able to see the Thestrals in Order of the Phoenix? Shouldn't he have seen them much earlier, because he saw the death of his parents, Quirrell, Cedric?
— People asked me a lot about this. Harry didn't see his parents die. He was in a crib at the time (he was only about a year old), and, as I wrote in The Philosopher's Stone, all he saw was a flash of green light. He also did not see Quirrell die. Harry lost consciousness before Quirrell died, and he only found out about her from his conversation with Dumbledore in the last chapter.
However, he witnessed Cedric's death, which is why he was eventually able to see the Thestrals. Why didn't he see the Thestrals during the trip to the station? [as they were leaving Hogwarts]? Well, I didn't want to create a new mystery at the end of book four that wouldn't be solved for a long time. Therefore, I decided that until Harry recovered from the initial shock and really experienced what death really meant (that is, until he finally realized that Cedric was gone forever and would never return - for it takes time, no matter what age you are), he was not able to see the Thestrals. After two months away from school, during which he endlessly replayed the memory of this murder in his mind and had nightmares about it, the Thestrals took shape, and now he can see them quite clearly.

How did Harry get Harry's Marauders map back at the end of Goblet of Fire?
“He could just have taken it from the fake Moody’s office, but I didn’t show him how he did it.” Maybe I will introduce this detail in the next edition. I'm afraid I will describe it - so that next time everyone will be happy - how he will walk through a famous office, approach and take it.

At the end of Goblet of Fire, in what order did Harry's parents emerge from the wand?
- First Lily, then James. This is the order in which they appeared in the original manuscript. But we were under a lot of pressure from limited editing time, and my American editor thought it was wrong. And since he always notes such little things very accurately, I corrected it completely mechanically. We all really wanted to sleep off then.

In Prisoner of Azkaban, why didn't the Ministry send Sirius an owl and catch him by tracking it?
“Just as wizards can make a building undetectable, they can make themselves undetectable.” Voldemort could have been caught years ago if he could have just been sent an owl!

About the "Chamber of Secrets". What would happen if Ginny died and Tom Riddle left the diary?
I won't answer this question fully until I finish book 7, but it would greatly speed up the day of Voldemort's rebirth.

How did it happen that Marcus Dodger spent an extra year at Hogwarts?
Either I was mistaken, or he failed the exams. I prefer to think that I was wrong.

Who heads the Ravenclaw [Ravenclaw] house?
- Professor Flitwick, of course.

Where do you find names?
I always “collected”, memorized unusual names, and finally found a use for them. I like names. I love reading lists of names; for me it's even more interesting than a pile of unopened gifts. Each name represents a personality. War memorials, phone books, shop signs, memorials, criminal lists, books to pick names you were called by, I get names from everywhere! Of course, I come up with names myself. The most famous is Quidditch.

Where do you find ideas?
— This is the question every writer is asked most often. Answer: “out of my head.” But most often people are not satisfied with this, they find it boring, even if it really is. I think an idea can come from hearing or seeing something, something I may not remember for example, but it has happened to me before. For me, the most productive situation is to sit in a nice corner of a quiet cafe, looking at blank slate paper, keep in right hand a new pen and a large cup of tea on the left.

Can prefects deduct points or not? The prefect took points from Gryffindor in Chamber of Secrets, and then it turned out that they couldn't take points. Which is correct?
“Ron made such a mistake in the Order of the Phoenix, from which we can conclude that he was not a very authoritative prefect.” He never got the points deducted.

Is Hermione in love with Harry or Ron?
“I don’t believe that any of you haven’t thought about this question, but I won’t answer it, because it benefits the debate that I like.”

Will there be a book of Hogwarts spells?
- Hmmm... okay. I'm afraid I'm not going to write anything like that. In reality, there are no special "Hogwarts" spells. There are only general spells that any wizard or sorceress who wants to improve can master if they turn to the appropriate text.

Will there be a Harry Potter themed magazine?
- Sorry, but this won't happen. I think books and films are enough.

What will the seventh book be called?
- Most of you won't calm down? It seems to me that you think that one day I will crack under this pressure and blurt out that the seventh book will be called... Oops! I almost spilled the beans.

Will each subsequent book be thicker than the previous one?
- Of course not. Otherwise, the seventh book would be the weight of a hippopotamus. According to the plan, the sixth book will be slightly shorter than Order of the Phoenix. I cannot swear on the lives of my children that this will happen, but I am 99.9% sure of it.

Translation: Refroz (pyan). Quoted from here:http://hpforum.ru/viewtopic.php?p=5394#5394

What does Dumbledore's letter to Aunt Petunia mean?
- Yes, this is a step forward after the fiasco with Mark Evans. Of the three questions that come in, two are interested in exactly this (or so it seems to me) and thank God, you chose one of these two.
So Dumbledore refers to his last letter, apparently referring to the letter he left on the porch when Harry was one year old. But then why didn't he (and you might wonder about this) just say “remember my letter”? Why did he write “my last letter”? Because, obviously, there were letters before...
So, food for thought is given, think carefully, and I will follow the results with interest...

Also added answers to the following questions:

Are you going to kill off any more characters?- Yes. Sorry…

Will there be two chapters in the sixth book called "The Lupine Papers" and "The Lovegoods in Court".
- No, I’m afraid this is from a series of stories about Storge...

Translation: Refroz (pyan). Quoted from here: http://hpforum.ru/viewtopic.php?p=100767#100767

In Philosopher's Stone, Aunt Petunia said that Lily returned from Hogwarts with her pockets full of frogs and turned cups into rats. If this is the case, then why wasn't Lily expelled?
“Aunt Petunia is exaggerating a bit.” You must remember her state when she started shouting this phrase. On the other hand, just like her son, Lily was willing to explore the confines of the Statute of Secrecy, so you can safely assume that she received a few warnings, but nothing serious.

Did H. Ibsen's character influence Hedwig ( Wild duck) to choose the name of the owl Harry?
- No, I found St. Hedwig [that’s right, St Hedwig is Saint Hedwig, Princess of Poland, wife of Henry the Bearded] in the book of medieval saints a year earlier, and this name stuck in my memory.

[This is important]

You said that people cannot Appear/Disappear [Apparate/Disparate, other translations to taste] from Hogwarts. But how is it that even Dobby can do this?
- House elves are different from mages, they have their own magic and the ability to appear/disappear from the castle is necessary for them to do their job if they want to remain invisible, like house elves should.

How did Fred and George get their names, and are they related to the twins from " Gone with the Wind", both couples are red-haired boys.
“Until I received this letter, I did not know that the actors who played Stuart and Brent Tarleton were named Fred Crane and George Reeves. No, that's not where I found the names (I just called Fred and George "Fred and George" because I like those names and they fit the rest of the Wesley brothers' names). This is a funny coincidence.

Why did you make leprechaun gold in the Fire Chalice? [important, I don’t remember the translations yet] disappeared without Harry noticing.
I wrote this with a sad smile. Harry doesn't worry about money because he has enough. Ron, on the other hand, is poor, and he can't imagine how anyone could miss the disappearance of a whole handful of gold. I think I just remember what it was like to be in Ron's shoes, certainly at that moment I had more sympathy for Ron than for Harry; to my past rather than to the present, if you like. If Harry had noticed that the leprechaun's gold had disappeared during the World Cup, the sniffing scene would have been less poignant, and I wanted to show Ron how hard it is to have no money when other people have it.

Peeves [Gruzg] chews gum. How does he do this, because he is a ghost? (Almost headless Nick can't eat)
Peeves is not a ghost, he was never a living person. He is an indestructible spirit of chaos and is material enough to unscrew chandeliers, throw canes and, yes, chew gum.

Why can't audio/translations into other languages ​​be released at the same time as the English edition?
Because you need to wait until the English edition is edited, only after that the translators can get to work. If everyone were willing to wait at least a year (and some languages ​​will require more), we could have simultaneous publishing, but I'm afraid this idea won't be very popular.
In the case of audio books, the poor narrators need to be given time to record the book, bearing in mind that they often have other jobs (Stephen Fry, for example, is an actor, director and TV presenter, and is the British voice of Harry Potter). .

Why didn't Fred and George notice Peter Pedegrew on the Marauders' map? (Prisoner of Azkaban)
It doesn't really matter whether they noticed him or not. It's hard to expect that Fred and George aren't doing too well knowledgeable about history Sirius Black (and Sirius was not best friend Mr. and Mrs. Weasley - moreover, they did not know each other before his escape from Azkaban) remembered that Peter Pedigrew was the person whom Siruis (supposedly) killed. And even if Fred and George HAD heard about this story, why would they assume that the "Peter Pedigrue" they occasionally saw moving around on the map was the man who was killed?
Fred and George used the map in their pranks, so they paid attention, naturally enough, to those parts of the map on which they planned their next prank. After all, you shouldn't forget that there are hundreds of little dots moving across the map at the same time... Fred and George didn't know everyone's name at school, so one unfamiliar name didn't bother them.

How could Colin's camera work within the walls of Hogwarts, since it was a Muggle camera (Room of Secrets)?
Who said it worked? Colin didn't develop the film, so he didn't know if he was getting the pictures or not. All we know is that the insides of the camera were mangled when the basilisk looked into the lens.
(A day later, a refutation of this answer appeared; see just below. - Approx. Actani)

You recently said that Charlie is two years older than Percy. If that was the case, then he should have been Seeker in Harry's first year. Can you clarify his age and Bill's age?
I know I confused this question when I answered it, but web chats happen quickly and I want to answer as many questions as possible. Bill is two years older than Charlie, who is three years older than Percy, and he is two years older than Fred and George, and they are two years older than Ron, who is years older than Ginny. Sorry. Math is not my thing strong point(although it's better than geography, as those who have found the newest secret know).
.

[Cognitive]
If a teacher is head of a college, can we assume that he attended that college when he was a student at Hogwarts? If this is true, is this also true about ghosts? Was Snape a Slytherin?
This is a question from A Mugglenet/Harry Potter Lexicon Open Letter Question (I can't promise I'll answer all of these questions, but I'll try and I'm working on it). Yes, if a teacher is the head of a college, then you can assume that he was a student of that college. So Snape, of course, was a Slytherin and, yes, this is true about the signs.

Do you like Sirius Black?
I received several emails asking this question, which surprised me a little. The answer is yes, I like it, although I don't think it's absolutely wonderful (oooh, I can already hear them sharpening their knives on Immertus [this is a site, see Fansites]).
Sirius is very good at spouting great personal philosophies, but he doesn't always follow them. For example, he says in The Bowl of Fire that if you want to know what a person is really like, “look at how a person treats subordinates rather than equals.” But Sirius cannot stand Kreacher, the house elf he inherited, and treats him only with contempt. Also, Sirius states that no one is completely good or evil, but at the same time, his actions against Snape show that he [Snape] cannot have hidden good qualities. Undoubtedly, these double standards are present in most of us, we may know how we should act, but actually acting as we should is a completely different matter!
Sirius is brave, loyal, rash, angry and somewhat unstable after his long stay in Azkaban. He never had the chance to grow up, he was about 22 when he was put in Azkaban, and he had almost no normal adult life. Lupine, although the same age, looks much older and more experienced. Sirius's most endearing quality is how strongly he can feel affection. He loved James like a brother and he transferred that feeling to Harry.

Is it possible that James and Lupine swapped bodies before James was killed?
An ingenious theory, but no, James never saved himself and left his wife and son to die.

October 6, 2004.
You will laugh, but today two answers have been updated. Firstly, the following postscript was added to the question about the “last letter”:

P.S. It has been suggested that I am mistaken in thinking that Dumbledore's last letter was the one he left on baby Harry's doorstep, as he was sending a letter regarding Harry's illegal arrival at the school [it's in the Room]. However, both Dumbledore and I make a distinction between letters sent to the Dursleys as spouses and letters addressed ONLY to Petunia. And it's mine last word on this topic - although I believe it’s your turn now.

Over the past 24 hours, a huge number of people (some of whom are related to me by blood [this is probably a reference to children]) have pointed out to me that Colin did develop the film - the photograph taken with his camera is present in the Room of Secrets (my previous answer assumed he didn't do it).
Cameras, like radios (as wizards call them, wireless communication - they are somewhat behind Muggle technology) exist in the magical world (there is a radio in the Weasleys' kitchen, and we know there are cameras because we see moving pictures everywhere). Wizards don't need electricity to make them work, they are powered by magic, but in such cases wizards prefer Muggle inventions enough to accept the idea of ​​adding auxiliary batteries.
I have an old notepad with the entry: “dev sol (potion) magic [undeciphered word] photos move.” As an expert in interpreting my old writings, I can tell you that the original idea was that sorcerers use a magical developer potion to make photographs move.
So... Since Colin's batteries cannot work in Hogwarts, it is obvious that his camera was operating in a magical atmosphere, and then he developed the photographs using a magical potion that allows the characters to move. All this shows that Colin was more resourceful than I suspected.

Translation: Derfflinger
Quoted from here: http://hpforum.ru/viewtopic.php?p=100810#100810

Subsection “About me”

What do your children think of Harry Potter?
“Jessica loves these books, and it’s very nice of her to distract me from Harry.” David has no idea who Harry Potter is, so it's great to hang out with him.

Which faculty would you like to attend?
- Gryffindor, I hope. I value courage above all else.

Who are your favorite characters?
— I like Harry, Ron, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Ginny, Fred, George and Lupin. I enjoy writing about Snape (even though I wouldn't want to meet him). Of the new ones, my favorite character is Luna Lovegood (Luna).

Do you have any other work?
— I was a research assistant at Amnesty International for a while, but I don’t think I was able to make a worthy contribution to the work because I’m completely disorganized (just look at my desk on the start page). The longest job I had before becoming a writer was teaching. I taught French in Scotland and English in Portugal.

When did you want to become a writer?
— Always... As soon as I found out that there were female writers, I immediately wanted to become one of them. I have the right personality. I'm completely happy when I'm alone in a room and making something up.

Do you write anything other than Harry Potter?
- Yes, and a lot. I don't think this will ever be published (but you won't lose much, I assure you). The first thing I wrote were rabbit stories about a rabbit named Rabbit. I wrote it between the ages of six and nine. Then, when I turned eleven, I wrote a story about the seven damned diamonds and the people who possess them. Since then I have written a lot: stories, pieces of stories for adults and the like.

Can I be your pen pal?
— I have made several pen pals over the years. recent years(I'm afraid I was a little unreliable when I worked hard on the books) and although I really like it, I'm afraid I can't do it anymore. Jessica and David came out on top: You may have millions of pen pals at your disposal, but those millions will never replace a mother's attention, and that's what matters to me.

What advice do you have for those who want to get published?
— First, you must write something that the publisher wants to publish. (That's just it. It may take time, though. If you're being turned away by all the existing publishers, you'll have to consider the possibility that you've written something unprintable.) Then, you need to go to the publisher directly, or (which is much more useful , if possible) through an agent who will represent you. The best way to find an agent or publisher - consult the Artists and Writers Yearbook, which is constantly updated. (Check whether you wrote to the right person. You should not send science fiction in a medical publication). Wait. Pray. This is how Harry Potter was published.

Will you introduce Americans or any other nations into the story?
“I'm afraid the answer is no, although you did catch a glimpse of the Americans and other nations at the Quidditch World Cup.” The reason is obvious: I write about Britain and British school and I see no reason why foreigners should be brought in here. I feel like they would look out of place here. I get a lot of advice on what to include in the Harry Potter books, but these are my stories and mine alone. If anyone wants to write about American wizards, they can certainly write their own book.

How often do you travel?
“I've traveled around Europe a bit, and been to the States a few times, unfortunately mostly on book trips, which means I've seen mostly hotel rooms, bookstores, and television studios with brief bursts of sights in between. With the exception of New York, which I visited as normal person, and which I liked. Last year I went on safari to Africa for the first time. It was a challenge (apparently to fate) since David was only five months old, but it was truly wonderful.

Can I help you to gain experience?
“I really feel like someone would want to help me, but honestly, they wouldn’t have to do anything.” I just sit in a room or in a cafe and write, and it’s better for me to do it myself, without assistants.

Translation: Refroz (pyan).
Quoted from here: http://hpforum.ru/viewtopic.php?p=5394#5394

Do you believe in fate?
- No, I believe in hard work and luck, that the former often leads to the latter.

Do you write every day?
- No. I write almost daily when I'm working on a book (like now), but working daily is not good for my kids. I love spending time on them too.

Translation: Derfflinger
Quoted from here: http://hpforum.ru/viewtopic.php?p=100810#100810

Subsection "Other"

You can use some of my ideas in next books about Harry Potter?
“The books are already planned so thoroughly that there is simply no room left for new ideas. Fanfiction is truly a wonderful thing, and it makes me proud when I think of how much ingenuity Harry Potter sparked.

Where should I send a letter for you?
- To my publisher, he will forward it to me.

Can I act in a film?
— I'm afraid that I have no influence on the selection of applicants. Write to Warner Bros.

Will you sign the book for me?
“Every one of my sixty-something publishers, my agent, my friends, my relatives and my neighbors are constantly bombarded by people who want me to sign their book. Honestly, I couldn’t sign all these books even if I stopped working, eating and sleeping. Today I only give autographed books to charities or on very special occasions. I'm truly sorry, but I think it would be better for you if I wrote books six and seven than spend the rest of my life signing books one through five. So please, please, please don't send me books to sign. I cannot look without regret at the books sent, which will still be returned to the recipients.

Facts:
- The book will be called "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"
- Harry is 16 years old.
- Harry's discovery in the second book foreshadows what he finds in the sixth.
- In a recent chat (World Book Day 04), Rowling said that work on the book is underway in full swing, so most likely the book will come out sometime in 2005 or even 2006. Considering that the title is already known, there is a chance that the book will be released in mid-2005
- The Half-Blood Prince is the main plot thread of the entire series. In 1997, Rowling wanted to weave this thread into the story of The Room, but it didn't fit. The Half-Blood Prince has no relation to the story of the basilisk and Tom Riddle's diary. Without hesitation, JK decided to save the story for later.
- Arthur Weasley will NOT become the new Minister of Magic
- The Prince is neither Harry nor Voldemort. Rowling explained the meaning of the concepts "half-blood", "pure-blood" and "muggle-born" as a kind of reflection of the Nazi concepts of "Aryan" and "Jew". In order to be a half-breed, it is enough to have one Muggle ancestor.

Rumors:
- We learn more about the locked room in the Department of Mysteries
- We will learn more about the Veil
- Maybe Harry will see Sirius again
- The group will be more obedient
- There will be a new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team
- Sirius' two-way mirror may reappear
- Peter Pettigrew will return
-Harry will inherit Sirius's fortune and house
- Tonks will be the new DADA teacher
-Harry will be in big trouble

Half-Blood Prince: who is he?
- Albus Dumbledore. He is from a royal family who had to hide for many years. Maybe that's why he's so powerful and Voldemort is afraid of him
- Hagrid. He is a half-breed: half-giant - half-man! (that everyone is generally obsessed with Muggle-bloods!). It seems that in the 4th book it is said that his mother was not an ordinary giantess at all. So why shouldn't she be some kind of queen? Why did Hagrid's brother appear in book 5? Rowling doesn't just make things happen... Hagrid was even very involved in the second book. And there is one point that doesn’t quite fit in my head - why did Dumbledore leave it with him? Out of the kindness of your heart? He is a very thoughtful old man!
- Rem Lupin. He doesn't know it, but his royal family abandoned him after he was bitten by a werewolf because he was no longer their "equal." In the 6th book, Rem finds out about this and, not without the help of Harry, announces his legal rights by birth
- Severus Snape is a half-blood prince, and that is why he became Dumbledore's ally and that is why the headmaster trusts him

Theories about future books:
- We all heard that Dumbledore knows practically everything that happens at Hogwarts. And he's also only worried about being removed from the chocolate frog cards. Could it be that Dumbledore is using these cards as portraits of former Hogwarts Headmasters to keep an eye on others? Judge for yourself, every frog that Harry or Ron came across contained Dumbledore's card.
-Harry and Voldemort cannot duel because the Fawkes feathers in their wands reflect the spells. Therefore, Harry will not be able to use his wand against Voldemort; the power to kill him must come to him from another source. It is unknown where or what kind of power this will be, but it will certainly not be a magic wand.
- Sir Patrick Delaney Podmore (head of the Headless Brethren) may be related to Stargis Podmore of the Order of the Phoenix
- on page 661 of the American edition of the OF Almost Headless Nick says to Harry: “I know nothing about the mysteries of death... I believe learned wizards study it in the Department of Mysteries.” I believe that Nick directly or indirectly points to the Veil through which he fell Sirius. It is safe to believe that the Veil is a gate, a portal, or something else, to the next world, where dead people gather. The veil may be an experiment of such "scientific wizards" trying to contact the dead or the "other world." In this case, since Sirius did not die from Bellatrix’s spell, but came “to the other world” through a “one way” passage, and Harry heard the voices of the dead, the arch is open for contact with Sirius - someone may well speak with the dead , if you get close enough.
- Could Harry be a metamorphmagus (like Tonks)? In FC Rowling writes that Harry's hair grew back overnight when Aunt Petunia gave it a terrible haircut. He obviously had to really focus on his hair as he was worried about how he would look. And metamorphs change their appearance precisely by the concentration of their will.

Interesting facts about published books:
- Fred and George were born on April 1st (jokes aside)
- Full name Ginny is Ginevra and is the first girl born in the Weasley family for "several generations." And no Virginia :)
- Molly Weasley's maiden name is Prewett
- Krushanks - semi-lasil
- Hermione's birthday is September 19, Ron's is March 1
- Hermione's middle name is Jane, Rhona is Bilius, Ginny is Molly, Harry is James, Rema Lupine is John, Trelawney is Patricia
- The approximate rate of a galleon is 5 pounds ($7.30 or 8.00 euros, or 210 rubles)
- Happy people do not become ghosts (in other words, people who died sad, angry, etc. can become ghosts. Myrtle was teased, Nearly Headless Nick was not completely beheaded, the Bloody Baron was... lonely?)
- Teachers don't stay at Hovgarts for Christmas. Only Filch, Hagrid and Dumbledore remain. Several Hogwarts professors have spouses, but this information is not disclosed (we will find out the reasons for this later)
-Dragons can't be tamed, no matter what Hagrid thinks.
- Animagus form is a reflection of the character of the animagus
- It is not necessary to attend a Muggle school before Hogwarts. You can study at home.
- A magical quill records the birth of each child wizard in the book, and Professor McGonagall sends them owls when they turn 11.