The HBP is DEAD

[Louis Badalament]

No: HPFGUIDX 107458

Rebecca,

     Interesting points... but consider Prisoner of Azkaban, the 
only other book whose title shows a story 'centering' around one 
specific character - as Half Blood Prince seems to.  Remember how 
until Book 3, Sirius Black was just a stray name mentioned once in 
passing.  Notice, also, how 'reserved' the Wizarding World is about 
big things in general - take Voldemort.  Nobody but Dumbledore was 
really aware that Tom Riddle *became* Voldemort (consider Arthur 
Weasely's reaction when Ginny came back from the Chamber of 
Secrets.)  

     You would think that things like a conquerer's childhood would 
warrant great material for the wizarding history books, but no; 
wizards seem to like to sweep 'unpleasant' facets of history under 
the rug... what do you think that whole thing with Umbridge and 
Fudge was all about in the fifth book?   They choose not to know, 
not to delve too deeply or dwell on 'upsetting' things... even when 
more than a decade passes.  Only when the problem actually slaps 
them in the face do they bother to acknowledge it, but only as much 
as they absolutely MUST.  

     Thus, even though Black was made out (falsely) to be a Horrible 
Thing in Harry's life, (suspected of being Voldemort's second-in-
command, if you remember!) - no one mentions it to Harry, whether 
not to 'upset' him, or because they feel it's 'old news.'  Harry, 
himself, never really asks for the whole story of his parents' 
untimely demise, contenting himself with Hagrid's abbrieviated 
version, and only unintentionally overhears it from Fudge.  So, even 
with stuff that should be 'big' in Harry Potter's world, perhaps 
even someone as big as a Prince, no one bothers to fuss over him in 
any way until some sort of danger or intrigue centers around him, as 
it did with Sirius Black.      

   Furthermore, Rebecca, I don't see 'Half Blood' as being the 
Prince's offical title any more than Sirius' 'title' was 'The 
Prisoner of Azkaban.'  When all is said and done, Sirius was just A 
prisoner of Azkaban - it housed many other inmates.  And while I 
don't know about the Prince being "more powerful than Harry, 
Dumbledore, and the Order of Phoenix combined," but I have faith 
that he'll add a lot to the plot; J.K. is ususally good about these 
sorts of things.  And who's to say that anyone's going to 'seek him 
out?'  Perhaps the Prince is a villian, and Our Heroes will struggle 
to avoid him, or fight him, or prevent Voldemort from making use of 
him, as happened with the Philosopher's Stone. 

    I'll grant that it's *possible* the Prince is dead... but I find 
it doubtful.  That isn't her style.  So why, as you ask, did she 
leave out the hyphen?  I couldn't tell you.  Perhaps the Prince 
doesn't like hyphens, and is rich enough to get people not to use it 
in conjunction with him, I don't know.  Anyway, that's my two cents, 
tell me what you think.

-  Louis Badalament II

P.S. - Did you ever notice, on her website, that J.K. Rowling 
attaches the same level of seriousness to 'Heir of Griffyndor' 
as 'Pillar of Storge?'