Harry and the Prince

Harry searches for the identity of a mysterious Prince and delves into Voldemort’s past in the sixth Harry Potter movie

The Harry Potter series takes one step closer to its grand finale with the release of the sixth (and third-last) Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Many of you have read the book, but that was probably some time ago (it was released in the summer of 2005), so you may not remember exactly what’s going on in Harry’s life at this point in the series.

Harry is in his sixth year at Hogwarts and still struggling with the loss of his beloved godfather Sirius, who was murdered at the end of the last movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

While Severus Snape has been appointed the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Horace Slughorn has become the new Potions teacher. And it’s Professor Slughorn who gives Harry a very useful textbook that contains the inscription “This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione are desperate to learn the identity of the Prince, but they’re too busy trying to stop the increasing attacks by Voldemort’s Death Eaters on Hogwarts students, and dealing with relationship problems — Hermione likes Ron, but Ron is with Lavender Brown, while Hermione is dating Viktor Krum, and Harry has fallen for Ginny!

And while all that’s happening, Harry is spending time with Dumbledore as they investigate Lord Voldemort’s past to find clues as to the whereabouts of the hidden Horcruxes, the objects containing pieces of the Dark Lord’s soul.

Whew! This Harry Potter flick is jam-packed with action, so make sure you go to the washroom and get your treats before you sit down, ’cause you don’t want to miss a moment.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens July 17, 2009