Hogwarts Herald

Chapter Twenty-Four of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is called “Sectumsempra.” The next day in Charms Harry fills Ron and Hermione in about him getting the memory from Slughorn and the Voldemort’s Horcruxes. They fill Harry in about Ron and Lavender breaking up as well as Ginny and Dean.

Harry has an silent battle with himself about going out with Ginny or not, but soon forgets that issue when they find Katie Bell has returned from her stay at St. Mungo’s. With the final Quidditch game approaching the practices go well with Ron and Katie back, although Harry keeps being distracted by Ginny. This all with the Quidditch game easily determining them to be the Quidditch Cup winners (if they win by more than 300 points) or finishing at the bottom for the first time in two centuries (if they lose by more than 100 points).

Harry continues to try to find out what Draco is up to and one day finds him on the map talking to Moaning Mrytle in the bathroom. He overhears Draco cry over his failure and say “he” (i.e. Voldemort) will kill him (Draco). When Draco notices Harry a jinxing match begins. It ends with Harry using the sectumsempra spell he say noted for enemies in the Half-Blood Prince’s book. The spell causes blood to come from Draco’s chest and face as if a sword slashed him. Snape arrives on the scene and heals Draco mostly and then sends him to the hospital wing.

Snape questions Harry about where he learned such a dark spell and uses occulemcy to notice that it came from the Prince’s potion book. He has Harry go and fetch his book bag and all his school books. As Harry goes and gets his books he asks for Ron’s potions book. He then goes outside the Room of Requirement saying he needs a place to hide his book and the Room opens to a room of items students have hidden over the years. He hides the book in a cupboard.

Back with Snape, Snape questions if it is really Harry’s potions book, as it has the name Roonil Wazlib written in it, which goes back to when Ron’s spell checking quill was not working. Harry lies saying it is his nickname. Snape gives Harry detention for the rest of the year, which includes missing the last Quidditch match. Hermione gives Harry a told you so type speech about the Prince and Ginny sticks up for Harry since Draco was about to use an unforgivable curse on Harry. This leads the Hermione and Ginny to being mad at each other for the first time ever.

In detention with Snape, Harry has to copy old files of wrongdoers and punishments to help out Filch. The boxes of files he is assigned include things done by Harry’s father and friends. The detention goes slowly.

After detention Harry rushes to the common room, where he finds out that Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. Ginny tells him the news and kisses Harry. Ron gives a “if you must” approval nod to Harry and Harry and Ginny go for a long walk on the grounds.