Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Chapter Four: Horace Slughorn Summary & Analysis

Harry feels awkward walking down the road with Dumbledore – especially given that last time he saw Dumbledore he was distraught and furious over Sirius’s death. Dumbledore grips Harry’s arm and Apparates away from the neighborhood to a dark and deserted village. Since Harry has never Apparated before, the sensation confuses him. Walking briskly, Dumbledore asks if Harry’s scar has been hurting him; Harry says it hasn’t, which means that Voldemort has ceased trying to gain access to Harry’s mind.

When Harry asks where they’re going, Dumbledore says that he’s hoping Harry can help persuade an old colleague to return to teach at Hogwarts. Harry isn’t sure how he can do this, but he changes the subject, asking if Dumbledore thinks the new Minister of Magic is a “good” man. Without quite answering the question, Dumbledore says that Scrimgeour is “more decisive and forceful” than Fudge.

Harry wants to know about the argument reported in the Prophet, but chooses not to pry. Instead, he asks about Dumbledore’s blackened hand. With a reassuring smile, the professor says it’s a story for another time.

Harry and Dumbledore turn to discussing the recent Ministry leaflet they’ve received, sharing a laugh over the useless advice. Teasingly, Dumbledore suggests that Harry should’ve made him prove he wasn’t an imposter by asking his “favorite flavor of jam.” Harry asks about the Inferi mentioned in the leaflet, and Dumbledore calmly explains that they are corpses enchanted to fight for a Dark wizard.

Dumbledore draws up before a small house whose front door looks like it was recently torn off its hinges. Full of fear and dread, Harry follows Dumbledore inside to see “a scene of total devastation” – broken chairs, a fallen chandelier, blood on the wallpaper. Harry suggests that the house’s owner has been dragged away, but after moving carefully through the wreckage Dumbledore gives a sharp prod to one of the armchairs, which emits a squeal and transforms into a squat elderly man in pajamas.

The man is annoyed that Dumbledore discovered his ruse, but the professor points out that if the Death Eaters really had been there, they would have set the Dark Mark over the house. The two men use magic to reassemble the furniture and return the room to its original state. Having finished, the man glimpses Harry’s scar; his eyes widen and he makes a surprised exclamation. Dumbledore introduces them formally, telling Harry that this man is an old colleague named Horace Slughorn.

Turning on Dumbledore, Slughorn says he can’t be “persuaded;” but he agrees to pour everyone a drink. Dumbledore kindly asks after Slughorn’s health, and the old man complains of various physical ailments – even though, as the professor points out, he must have been very agile to prepare the house so quickly for their arrival. Looking pointedly at Dumbledore’s blackened hand, Slughorn says he ought to think about retiring himself. Harry notices that Dumbledore is wearing a new ring with a cracked black stone in its center.

Slughorn admits that he’s been moving from house to house and hiding from visitors in order to keep clear of the Death Eaters, who want to recruit him. Dumbledore praises him for his ingenious tactics, but remarks that his life seems very stressful; on the contrary, if he returned to Hogwarts he could enjoy the school’s protection. Horace grumbles that he doesn’t want to get involved in any of the goings-on at the school – especially with the number of teachers who have left under strange circumstances in past years.

Dumbledore excuses himself to go to the bathroom and Slughorn turns to Harry, saying that he has his father’s looks and his mother’s eyes – a comment Harry has heard dozens of times. Harry’s mother, Lily, was one of his Slughorn’s favorite students. He always wished that she was in Slytherin, the house of which he was Head; catching the look of suspicion in Harry’s eyes, he genially warns him not to hold this against him.

Slughorn continues that, given Lily’s academic abilities, he couldn’t believe she was Muggle-born. Coldly, Harry says that his best friend is both Muggle-born and the best witch in the class. Slughorn clarifies that he’s not “prejudiced” – in fact, many of his favorites are Muggle-born. He points to a collection of photos on a dresser, which display former students who have become powerful in the Ministry or the Wizarding bank, Gringotts, or have achieved fame as writers or Quidditch players. Slughorn brags that they all remember the ways he helped him and they frequently send him presents – although, since he’s in hiding, it’s been hard to receive the gifts.

Slughorn seems a little surprised to hear himself speak about the loneliness of life in hiding. Still, he says, it’s wiser to live like this than to join the Hogwarts staff and tacitly declare loyalty to the Order. Harry feels disdainful of Slughorn’s timidity – especially when contrasted to Sirius’s bravery and the hardship he himself endures – but he points out that most Hogwarts teachers aren’t in the order. None of them have been killed except for Quirrell, who was working with Voldemort and “got what he deserved.” As long as Dumbledore is Headmaster, the teachers are probably safer than anyone else.

Dumbledore returns from the bathroom and pleasantly announces that it’s time to leave. Just as they’re leaving the house, Slughorn runs after them and shouts that he wants the job, after all. Dumbledore laughs and congratulates Harry as they walk away, although the boy doesn’t understand how he helped at all.

When Dumbledore asks Harry’s opinion on Slughorn, the boy doesn’t know how to respond. Dumbledore fills the silence by explaining Horace’s background: he’s always been attracted to “the company of the famous, the successful, and the powerful.” While he doesn’t seek limelight himself, he likes to feel that he influences people; as a Hogwarts teacher he had an “uncanny knack” of identifying students who would achieve great success and cultivating them as favorites. Dumbledore says that when he returns he will surely try to “collect” Harry, and he warns Harry to be on guard.

After another unsettling Apparition, Harry and Dumbledore arrive at the Burrow. Just looking at the building and knowing that Ron and Mrs. Weasley are inside makes Harry feel calm and cheerful. However, Dumbledore guides Harry into a broom shed for a conference before they part.

First, the professor commends Harry on how he’s handling Sirius’s death. After hearing Uncle Vernon refer to this tragedy so callously, Harry doesn’t want to discuss it; but Dumbledore looks at him levelly and expresses his sorrow that Harry had so little time with his godfather. Harry suspects that Dumbledore knows he spent his entire time at the Dursleys lying on his bed and refusing to eat. He doesn’t want to admit how much it meant to him to know that someone cared about him “almost like a parent,” and how hard it is to lose that comforting presence.

Harry tells Dumbledore that Sirius wouldn’t have wanted him to “crack up.” The best way to honor his godfather is to take down Voldemort. Dumbledore commends him on his sentiments, saying he’s talking like his father’s son.

Next, Dumbledore brings up the Daily Prophet, which has been reporting various rumors about a prophecy discovered last spring at the Ministry of Magic. No matter how much they pretend to know, only Harry and Dumbledore have actually heard the prophecy, which states that neither Harry nor Voldemort can live while the other survives. Dumbledore warns Harry not to speak freely about the prophecy but suggests he tell Ron and Hermione. Although doing so might entail confessing that he is “worried and frightened,” the professor points out that Sirius would not have wanted Harry to “shut himself away” from his friends.

Changing the subject, Dumbledore says that this year he will be giving Harry private lessons. Harry is eager to know what he’ll be learning, but Dumbledore keeps mysteriously quiet. He warns Harry that this year he must be especially vigilant about safety, keeping his Invisibility Cloak with him at all times. He must also keep close to the Burrow, which has been given high security protection by the Ministry; the Weasleys have suffered inconvenience for Harry’s sake, and while they don’t mind at all, it would be thoughtless of Harry to risk his life while staying with them.