It's just worth reading over and over....What can I say?!

As a Christian, I guess I'm supposed to blast the HARRY POTTER series and condemn it, and J. K. Rowling, to eternal hell and damnation.

I must say, though, that I just don't feel that way.  Regardless of Rowling's beliefs, the HP series is a wonderful allegory (if one wants to see it as such) for the Christian.  What makes it even more awesome than anything else is the fact that the whole series has as major themes, love and friendship.  Of course, sacrificial love is a major part of that, but true friendship--even when friends have times when they don't get along or agree with each other--is a powerful message throughout the whole series.  I love that.  How can anyone say that's wrong?

Ok.  So the whole series is about witches and warlocks.  But there are witches in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and there's a warlock  or two in THE LORD OF THE RINGS--both of which are praised within the Christian community as wonderful reads.  I won't go any further with this in this post, but I just felt the need to say it......As a Christian, I LOVE the w-h-o-l-e HARRY POTTER series.

Now, a few of the reasons why HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is so well worth the read:

1.  Friendship.  At the end of Book 5, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, Neville, and Luna all go to the Ministry of Magic together in an attempt to save Sirirus who they all believed was in danger of being killed by Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, himself.  This solidarity for these 6 young people brings them together as friends as not even Harry could conceive.  He honestly had no idea so many people cared--about him--or that he could care about so many.  Harry has always had a bit of a "hero-complex," but when his friends stand WITH him to do battle--even if it meant their deaths, that's some powerful stuff.  It always makes me cry.  In this 6th book in series, we see their friendships continue to grow and become more powerful.  Of course, we still don't get enough of Neville to make me truly happy, but we all realize that the series could be the NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM series if Tom Riddle hadn't chosen Harry as his enemy rather than Neville!

BTW:  I refuse to call him Lord Voldemort.  It's the name that give him more power than he deserves.  I think of him as Tom Riddle, just an ordinary warlock who went rogue in a desire for too much power.  He doesn't deserve to be called the name he himself chose....

2.  Harry and Ginny finally get together.  Well, sort of.  It's about time!  Of course, it didn't need to be any sooner because that would take away from the anticipation of Harry one day realizing that he loves her as much as she's loved him from the very beginning.

3.  Ron and Hermoine begin to realize their feelings for each other.  I truly wish Ron (Won-Won) didn't have to have the relationship with Lavender, but at the same time, it's part of what begins to open Ron's eyes to the fact that he's cared about Hermoine more than he thought--even from the first--and vice versa.  It's wonderful that we have to wait until Book 7 to see the two of them actually "consummate" their relationship, but it's definitely fun in Book 6 watching them begin to see the other with their "special eyes."  (I stole that from that 1-800 Contacts commercial!  LOL!)

4.  Snape is evil, yet throughout this school year, because Harry uses Snape's old Potions book, Snape actually helps Harry....which is what Snape has always tried to do!!!  The irony is that rather than seeing Snape for who and what he truly is, it makes Harry hate him even more.  It makes me love him even more!  I know it's a challenge for me to say this and you believe me, but even before I'd read the series through the first time or before I'd seen any of the movies, I just KNEW that there was more to Snape than meets the eye.  Sure, we see Snape at his worst--after all, he kills Dumbledore--but at the same time, we also begin to see how much he really does care about his students.  Sure, he's made a deal with Dumbledore that he'll have to kill Dumbledore when the time comes, but in large part, it's so Draco doesn't have to cross that threshold from just a mixed up kid to murderer/killer.  I LOVE Severus Snape!!!!

5.  It's just plain and simply a GREAT book.

What I don't like about Book 6 of the HP series:

1.  That we never find out the whole story of how Dumbledore hurt his hand, leading to his eventual death--

whether Snape does the deed or not.  I know we learn enough that we get a really good idea of how he damaged it, but I want to hear the WHOLE story.  Plus, Dumbledore promised Harry that he'd tell Harry.  But he keeps talking about other stuff.  It's good to learn the background of Tom Riddle because it is true that it's easier to take down an enemy when we know his (or her) strengths and weaknesses--plus, we learn about the Horcruxes--but I wanted to hear exactly how Dumbledore cursed his hand.

2.  We don't see Neville enough!  I guess that if Neville was in this book more, the book would have been THAT much longer....I, for one, would not have minded.

3.  There isn't a #3....and know that the previous 2 aren't really dislikes; they're more like frustrations!!!!!