Chapter One: The Other Minister
In chapter one of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince we meet the Muggle Prime Minister and–hold up, has Fudge finally been fired?!
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
Before Half-Blood Prince was released, just like in Order of the Phoenix it was teased that someone would die in this book. Unlike in OoTP, where I incorrectly became convinced that it was Neville that would die, I knew it had to be Dumbledore that died. Narratively, the most powerful wizard that lived, the best hope to help defeat Voldemort, had to go.
I have such clear memories of getting this book and reading it for the first time. Going to Books-a-Million and getting my copy, rushing home to read the first chapter, then being dragged out to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with friends. Coming back and binge reading the rest of the book in one go, until it was about two AM and I had a splitting migraine. A migraine and…thoughts. Thoughts I can’t wait to share with you!
So much like in Goblet of Fire, Half-Blood Prince opens up with a new narrator out of nowhere. and just like in Goblet of Fire, I LOVE it. Instead of poor doomed Frank Bryce, hero, we get the Muggle Prime Minister, who’s having a really bad week. We get a fun little explanation about how the Prime Minister first learned about The “Other” Minister and of course Fudge handled it super badly, c’mon. It’s Fudge.
Our nameless Minister’s day gets worse when he finds out all the recent weird woes he’s experiencing is due to wizard events that he can’t tell anyone about. Poor Kingsley is being forced to work for the Muggle Prime Minister and give the man a damn raise, already! How he has suffered for the Ministry of Magic!
This is a clever little chapter where we find out a recap of what’s going wrong in the wizarding world and it doesn’t feel like exposition. And we meet the new Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, because FUDGE HAS BEEN SACKED PRAISE EVERYTHING!
The chapter ends with a brilliant exchange that I can’t help but feel is JKR’s response to a question she’d been asked many times:
“The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last.
“But for heaven’s sake — you’re wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out — well — anything!”
Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly, “The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister.”
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Did you hear the rumor that someone was going to die in this book? If so, who did you think would die?
How would you have reacted to a talking portrait if you were the Muggle Prime Minister?
Why do you think Fudge stays on as Scrimgeour’s helper?
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