Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Chapter Seven: The Slug Club Summary & Analysis

Harry can’t stop thinking about Malfoy’s excursion to Knockturn Alley, but to his frustration, Ron and Hermione don’t find it as suspicious as he does, pointing out that there could be lots of explanations for Malfoy’s behavior. Harry believes that Malfoy wants to get revenge for his Lucius’s imprisonment in Azkaban.

Suddenly, it occurs to Harry that Draco has replaced Lucius as a Death Eater in Voldemort’s army, but Ron and Hermione dismiss this possibility, saying that Voldemort wouldn’t want an accomplice so young. Undeterred, Harry points out that Draco slapped Madam Malkin when she touched his arm, where the Dark Mark would be tattooed; it’s also possible that the frightening thing he showed Borgin was indeed this sign of his affiliation.

Annoyed, Harry stalks downstairs, where Fleur is musing to a bad-tempered Mrs. Weasley about her wedding plans and potential colors for the bridesmaids’ dresses. Seeing Harry, Mrs. Weasley cuts her off and briefs him on security preparations for tomorrow’s journey to Hogwarts. Harry remarks that he wishes Tonks were part of their security battalion, and Fleur remarks absently that Tonks has “let ‘erself go.”

After a kiss goodbye from Fleur, Harry sets off to Kings Cross Station the next day with the rest of the Weasleys. An intimidating team of Aurors is there to guide them through the brick barrier to Platform 9 ¾. Before getting on the train, Harry takes Mr. Weasley aside and confesses what he saw in Diagon Alley and his suspicions about Draco. Mr. Weasley seems manifestly unconvinced that Draco is up to anything bad and ushers him back onto the train, where Mrs. Weasley reminds him to be good and stay safe.

Since Ron and Hermione are prefects and have to patrol the train, and Ginny is off to meet her boyfriend Dean, Harry has to find a compartment by himself. Walking down the hall, he’s disturbed to see groups of “mesmerized girls” looking at him, and he is relieved to finally meet Neville and Luna. Having been with Harry at the Ministry last year, even they are getting a certain amount of attention.

As they’re settling down, a group of stylish fourth-year girls enters the compartment, inviting Harry to ditch Neville and Luna and sit with them. Coldly, Harry responds that he wants to stay with his friends. With her characteristic honesty, Luna remarks that people expect him to have cooler friends than them, but Harry retorts that they’re the people who always stick by him.

As Neville chatters about the upcoming year, Harry muses that the infamous prophecy could have applied to Neville, as well – both boys were born in July of the same year and had parents in the Order of the Phoenix. By choosing to believe that it referred to Harry, Voldemort made him into the “Chosen One” and doomed his parents. He wonders what his life would be like if the Dark Lord had targeted Neville instead. Perhaps he would have kissed his own mother at the platform, instead of Mrs. Weasley.

Soon, Ron and Hermione enter the compartment. Ron complains that Draco is sitting with the other Slytherins instead of doing his duty as a prefect. Since Draco usually loves bullying younger students Harry feels that he must be up to something; but before he has time to think about it, a third-year arrives with a note from Slughorn, inviting Harry and Neville to come to his compartment for lunch.

Although Harry looks for Draco along the way, he can’t catch a glimpse. Instead, he notices that many students are going out of their way to look at him – all except Cho Chang, who darts away as he approaches to talk with her friend Marietta. Harry smirks to see the layer of pimples across Marietta’s face.

Arriving in Slughorn’s compartment, Harry and Neville find it populated by a couple of Slytherins, a popular boy named Cormac McLaggan from Gryffindor, and – strangest of all – Ginny, grimacing in a corner. It’s clear that Slughorn has invited many of them because of their famous relatives. He frowns in displeasure when one boy admits that his father doesn’t get along well with his successful uncle, but encourages Cormac to talk about his family’s tight relationship with Rufus Scrimgeour. Harry feels bad for Neville when Slughorn interrogates him about his parents, who were both tortured into insanity by Death Eaters.

To Harry’s intense embarrassment, Slughorn turns eagerly to him and comments on his unwanted new moniker, “The Chosen One.” When a Slytherin coughs in disdain, Ginny pipes up to defend Harry. Slughorn continues to pump Harry for information about his exploits at the Ministry last year, but Harry stays quiet. Staunchly, Neville and Ginny say that there’s no prophecy and that the Daily Prophet is reporting rubbish. Disappointed, Slughorn changes the topic to one of his other famous former students.

Neville, Harry, and Ginny are relieved when they can finally slip away. Ginny explains that Slughorn invited her because he saw her expertly hexing Zacharias Smith, who had been pestering her for information about the Ministry. Seeing someone open the door to Draco’s compartment, Harry whips on his Invisibility Cloak and darts in, as well. Although he thinks Draco catches sight of him for a second, he’s able to hoist himself into the luggage rack. Draco is lying languidly across a seat with his head in Pansy Parkinson’s lap.

Seemingly angry not to be invited, Draco quizzes Blaise Zabini about Slughorn’s lunch. He’s disgusted that Neville and Ginny, a “blood traitor,” were there. To cover up his resentment, Malfoy brags that he might not even be at Hogwarts next year; he’s planning to move on to “bigger and better things.” Seeing how impressed Pansy is, he continues that the Dark Lord won’t care about anyone’s grades, only about “the level of devotion he was shown.” Draco hints that he’s already been given some sort of job, but doesn’t explain anything further.

Waiting for a good moment to leave the carriage, Harry draws his wand. But after the other Slytherins leave, Malfoy steps back into the compartment and jinxes Harry, paralyzing him. He steps on Harry’s nose, breaking it, and tells him it’s a present “from my father.” Then he drags the Invisibility Cloak back over him, so no one will be able to find where he’s hidden.