Friends and enemies

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Chapter 20

Ron and Hermione are friends again following the tumultuous events of chapters 18 and 19. Near-death experiences sharpen one's perspective on life.

They thought about what's truly important: friendship and being united sidekicks for the Chosen One. They are the role players, the trainers in Harry's corner, the ones who put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

With the synergy back they can focus on the important business of Malfoy's secret plans, Sluggy's secret memories and the worst-kept secret of the elephant in the room. Or the elephants if you count Harry's secret feelings for his best friend's little sister. Awwwwkward.

Harry was humbled by disappointing Dumbledore in his failure to get Sluggy to talk about his Tom Riddle memory. Harry's creativity will be put to the test with Sluggy. Simply asking will never work. Maybe the Half-Blood Prince has scribbled a potion in the margin in the back of the book that would do it? That's just a guess, but magic must play a part it seems. Or maybe Harry just needs to find out what Horcruxes are first to make Sluggy talk.

I am baffled by Dumbledore's logic. He couldn't get Sluggy to talk, but he thinks Harry can? Must be one of those Chosen One things. All in good time, I suppose.

The first trip into the pensieve shows more of the same about Voldemort. He's a thief and a murderer. And he obviously knew what he needed to achieve his goals. In his mind, nothing will stand in his way.

Until, of course, we come to the second memory. Dumbledore firmly stands in Voldemort's way. No doubt the Dark Lord wanted to use a teaching job as a trojan horse to infiltrate Hogwarts, overthrow Dumbledore and turn the castle into a military stronghold and place for training Death Eaters in the dark arts. I suspect Dumbledore had the same or similar fears.

So it's off to find Sluggy, extract that memory and finish the Voldemort puzzle. Good luck, Harry.

P.S. Dumbledore's final statement about not being able to keep a DADA instructor for more than a year since Voldemort was turned down for the job is chilling. But I have no idea what it means.