I knew I was different...I knew I was special

Another Friday, another Harry Potter post! And this time I'm back stateside so you'll get my normal incoherent ramblings. LUCKY YOU!

Thanks Alice for hosting this super-fun, gif-filled readalong and beware, there are spoilers ahead.

First thing, and I meant to say this in my last Half-Blood Prince post, but I forgot cos traveling. But anyway, for reasons my copy of HBP is the "adult version". As I've explained a couple times my HP collection is all weird and messed up, because I don't have a matching set so it was necessary that it doesn't match in a VERY SPECIFIC WAY. Since my second book was some weird mass-market paperback bought in Rome I needed the 6th book to also be a mass-market version. This is apparently really hard to find until I stumbled on a listing for the "adult version". Luckily, this just referred to the cover not being cartoony, and I didn't end up with some weird porn version of HBP. It's really just for adults who are self conscious about being seen reading a kid's book. Except HP is one of the most well-known book series out there, so these anxious adults are not fooling anyone.

Now, random incoherent thoughts!

Snape insulting Tonks's new Patronus -

Tell 'em, Snape. Wait, what?

See, anytime I start to think maybe Snape is kind of OK, and I cut him some slack for being sort of a jerk because of all he's been through, he does something like this and I hate him ten fold. It was bad enough him making fun of Hermione's teeth in front of the class. Now he's taunting Tonks about her depression, and his reference to her new Patronus means he KNOWS what's bugging her so much. Or at least thinks he knows, and either way, taunting her for this makes him a really terrible person
*Double spoiler, since this is about stuff that hasn't happened just yet*
So either he thinks the Patronus change is because she's sad her cousin was just murdered and Snape, are you seriously mourning the murder of a family member, even one you hated??? Or else he knows it's because of her feelings towards Remus and the danger he is in and again ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
*Extra spoiler stuff contained here. Normal spoiler stuff still below*

Does Dumbles know Parsletongue? When he and Harry venture into Ogden's memory a lot of what they hear is a conversation among the family spoken in Parsletongue, which I thought only Harry could understand. Did Harry break things down for Dumbles afterwards? Does Dumbles speak snake? Are memories subtitled? And building off that last one, if Ogden didn't speak Parsletongue and this is his memory, how they hell did he remember the hissing noises so exactly that Harry could understand it? I have lots of questions about the whole Pensieve concept. Apparently to the point that I'm missing all of the important information being told to us.

I was irrationally angry at Mundungus for stealing things from Grimmauld place. Then I laughed when Phinny got all offended when he found out. Not that a portrait can do much but maybe he'll make some really scathing remarks at the guy or something. I feel like that's what he'd do even if he were corporeal.

Dumbles was a red head. Did we know that already? Regardless, I'm happy to see so many of my people wandering around these books.

How creepy is the scene with the cursed necklace and Katie Bell? Poor Katie. Maybe this is why you don't accept packages from strangers.

So now we're getting the start of the Ginny/Harry pairing and...well...

I don't remember having any particular feelings about this the first time around. Now I picture Rowling going "I should really give Harry a love interest that doesn't spend a bunch of their time together crying. But who to choose? Oh, Ginny's been hanging out over there being awesome, so that works." I mean, it makes sense and I could see Harry falling for his BFFs little sis who helped him fight at the ministry. But the whole thing just feels like an afterthought. Not like the Hermione/Ron pairing which was CLEAR from the start. Those two are adorably bicker-y.

However, before we can really get to Hermione & Ron, we have to watch Ron & Lavender. Poor Hermione, although she should really quit being so mad at him. Except I don't know I can blame her too much, if only because Won-Won and Lavender are especially annoying. Also "snogging" is an excellent term that we need to adopt over here.

I feel so bad for Lupin in these scenes. I forgot what he was up to the whole time in this book. And I can picture him trying to talk the werewolves into joining Dumbledore. I'm sure things are going as well as they did when he was trying to keep James and Sirius in line when they were all at Hogwarts. Lupin needs a hug. And maybe someone to buy him some new robes for Christmas.

Stop fighting it

I came veeeeery close to liking Scrimgeour during the Christmas scene, until he made it clear he wasn't just trying to make Percy see his family (which makes no sense because why would he care if Percy is fighting with his family except that I just want everyone to be happy, dammit.) But it's especially pathetic that Umbridge is still working for the Ministry. She went clearly nuts in the end and there were plenty of people to act as an anti-character witness for her. How the hell does she still have any job, let alone with the Ministry?

So love potions are wizarding roofies, yes?

The Apparition instructor's name is Wilkie. That is all.

What was Slughorn hiding in his memory??? AND WHAT HAPPENED TO RON?? You're making it very hard to stop reading this week.

Title quote from page 321

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bloomsbury, 2005