Updated 07/16/05

Here you can find links to spoiler sites which reveal all, or you can read a list of more vague hints if you don't want to ruin it for yourself.

SECTIONS
I. Every spoiler can be found here...
II. Back cover description
III. Half-Blood Prince FAQ (Spoilers!)
IV. Rowling's Two Questions
V. General Harry Potter FAQ
VI. General HBP information
VII. Discussion
VIII. Links

EVERY SPOILER CAN BE FOUND HERE...

Wikipedia has a complete chapter-by-chapter description here. Also, the founder of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, is outraged that people have been ordered not to read copies of HBP that were sold to them "by mistake" -- and has posted a list of major plot points to spite Rowling. Hehe.

BACK COVER DESCRIPTION

Several descriptions appear on different editions of the book:

"It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys' house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce on-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys' of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine..."

"Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts begins, and it feels like a reassuring place to return after the strange events of the summer. Disappearances, murder and an ominous chilling mist which swirls through both the Muggle and wizarding worlds are harbingers of more sinister purpose. Voldemort's army is swelling, and with it the Death Eaters are growing bolder and more deadly. Suspicions are rife, and allegiances questioned as even the safest havens cease to feel secure from the Dark wizards. As the storm gathers strength, Harry must face the terrifying truth of his destiny."

HALF-BLOOD PRINCE FAQ

This FAQ does not contain anything which would ruin the book. It contains hints at answers for those of you who don't want to be over-spoiled.

» Who is the Half-Blood Prince?

The Half-Blood Prince is a BAD GUY in the books. The term "Half-Blood" is a play on words. It DOES refer to magic in the sense that one of this person's parents was a muggle. But more importantly, it means that the Half-Blood Prince is a half-blooded member of the Prince family. His/her mother was a Prince. We're talking surname here.

The character is currently alive and has already been introduced in previous books. He/she carries the surname of his/her father, presumably. I don't know the gender of the character.

Thus the capitalization of "Prince." It's a name.

The Half-Blood Prince is NOT Harry, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, or Voldemort.

» "The Death"

There is one major death. The Death Eaters (Voldemort's followers) kill somebody in Hogwarts Castle. The killer is the Half-Blood Prince. And the victim is easy to guess...and yet shocking too.

» Any chapter titles?

The following are confirmed chapter titles:

Chapter 1: The Other Minister
Chapter 2: Spinner's End
Chapter 3: Will and Won't
Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn
Chapter 5: An Excess of Phlegm
Chapter 6: Draco's Detour
Chapter 7: The Slug Club
Chapter 8: Snape Victorious
Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince
Chapter 10: The House of Gaunt
Chapter 11: Hermione's Helping Hand
Chapter 12: Silver and Opals
Chapter 13: The Secret Riddle
Chapter 14: Felix Felicis
Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow
Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas
Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory
Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises
Chapter 19: Elf Tails
Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort's Request
Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room
Chapter 22: After the Burial
Chapter 23: Horcruxes
Chapter 24: Sectumsempra
Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard
Chapter 26: The Cave
Chapter 27: The Lightning-Struck Tower
Chapter 28: Flight of the Prince
Chapter 29: The Phoenix Lament
Chapter 30: The White Tomb

» Will there be a new Minister of Magic in the HBP?

Yes, an new character named Rufus Scrimgeour. This is a description of him:

Rufus Scrimgeour looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.

ROWLING'S TWO QUESTIONS

"There are two questions that I have never been asked but that I should have been asked, if you know what I mean. If you want to speculate on anything, you should speculate on these two things, which will point you in the right direction.

The first question that I have never been asked is, "Why didn't Voldemort die?" Not, "Why did Harry live?" but, "Why didn't Voldemort die?" The killing curse rebounded, so he should have died. Why didn't he?

At the end of Goblet of Fire he says that one or more of the steps that he took enabled him to survive. You should be wondering what he did to make sure that he did not die -- I will put it that way. I don't think that it is guessable...but you should be asking yourself that question, particularly now that you know about the prophesy.

The other question that I am surprised no one has asked me since Phoenix came out is why Dumbledore did not kill or try to kill Voldemort in the scene in the ministry...Although Dumbledore gives a kind of reason to Voldemort, it is not the real reason.

Dumbledore knows something slightly more profound than that. If you want to wonder about anything, I would advise you to concentrate on those two questions. That might take you a little bit further."

GENERAL HARRY POTTER FAQ

» Is Sirius Black dead?

Yup. And so is Darth Maul, by the way. And Mace Windu. And John Connor's mother. And both of Harry's parents. But I'm getting carried away with myself. JKR has stated quite clearly on several occasions that Sirius is dead as a doornail.

And, also, she says that she "didn't want to do it, but there was a reason. If you think you can forgive me, keep reading, you'll find out."

» Is Aunt Petunia a squib?

"No, she is not a Squib. She is a Muggle, but -- You might have got the impression that there is a little bit more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye, and you will find out what it is. She is not a squib, although that is a very good guess. Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly indiscreet."

~ JKR at the Edinburgh Book Festival

» Do we see Dumbledore's Patronus in HBP, and what form does it take?

I don't know whether it appears in book six, but JKR has said it's a phoenix, "which is very representative of Dumbledore for reasons that I am sure you can guess."

(If somebody can fill me in about those reasons, I'd be very happy. )

» Does Hermione have any brothers or sisters?

Nope.

» Does Harry have a godmother?

No again.

» Ron & Hermione?

I'm a big advocate of Ron and Hermione as a couple. But no word from JKR, obviously.

» Will Hagrid ever succeed with his plans for his brother?

In a limited way, yes. Grawp is obviously the very stupidest thing that Hagrid ever brought home. In his long line of bringing home stupid things...Grawp is the one that should have finished him off, but ironically it might be the one time that a monstrous something came good. By the next book, Grawp is a little bit more controllable.

~ JKR at the Edinburgh Book Festival

» Is there more to Dudley than meets the eye?

As JKR said, "No." It's that simple.

However, in the next book we do find out what Dudley saw when he was attacked by the dementors.

GENERAL HBP INFORMATION

The release date is July 16th, 2005. (Want international Half Blood Prince release dates? Try this list.) Covers can be found here. The hardcover version is 672 pages long, which, as J. K. Rowling put it, "is considerably shorter" than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

DISCUSSION

This is the ONLY thread on the starwars.com forums where you can discuss Harry Potter with fellow fans:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince & also books 5-7

Beware of spoilers!

And if you're not familiar with the official boards, be sure to read the forum guide before posting. That would be this thread right here.

LINKS

Quick MuggleNet links:
- What we know to be true
- What we know to be false
- Speculation on the HBP cover

NOTE: Updates will continue to come. Check back soon! :-D